Presidential Battle Royale: First in a Series

(Chuck Muth) – Many of us wish there wasn’t a bitter, divisive GOP primary for president facing us. But it is what it is. So it’ll be up to each of US at the grassroots level to try to keep things civil and relevant.

To that end, I’ll be regularly sharing some of the good, the bad and ugly related to this race over the next several months without endorsing any one candidate over another.

Still too much time – and too much that can happen – to make a definitive decision at this point.  Heck, trans-Republican Liz Cheney might still get in the race to provide a little comic relief!

If you see something that should be brought to my attention, please send it my way.  And with that…

Donald Trump

The U.S. Supreme Court has issued some landmark decisions over the past year that conservatives roundly applaud – such as returning abortion decisions to the states, striking down affirmative action, protecting folks from being forced to provide certain services (such as baking a cake) to the LGBTQ$ community, and striking down Biden’s student debt executive order.

While Trump regularly takes more credit than due – which is his wont – it is inescapable that one of his greatest accomplishments as president was nominating solid conservatives to fill vacancies on the judicial bench.

And credit must also be given to his political nemesis in the Senate, Mitch McConnell, for shepherding through those nominations and getting them confirmed.

After the SCOTUS decision killing Biden’s exec order cancelling student debt, Trump declared…

“[It] would have been very unfair to the millions and millions of people who paid their debt through hard work and diligence. Very unfair. … We have a corrupt president. Very corrupt.  This was a way of trying to buy votes.”

Hard to argue with that.

Ron DeSantis

One of the arguments in favor of DeSantis over Trump is that the press is far more interested in destroying Trump than DeSantis.

And while there’s certainly some truth to that, don’t think for a minute the national media won’t turn on DeSantis with every bit the ferocity it’s leveled at Trump.  It’s what they do.

For example, the Washington Post recently published a hit piece attempting to rip DeSantis a new one.  It included the following…

“Listen to him talk onstage: The pandemic was a ‘Faucian dystopia.’  Woke ideology is a ‘mind virus.’  Parents are seeing gender issues ‘shoved down their throats.’ The governor’s office would ‘wield 100 percent of executive power.’  It would ‘spit nails’ for its mission. … Other Republicans, they were like ‘potted plants,’ DeSantis says. They didn’t DO anything.”

I know WaPo was trying to kneecap DeSantis, but all of that is music to conservative ears.  If that’s their idea for hurting DeSantis, DeSantis should want more of it!

By the way, DeSantis also announced this week that, if elected, he’d work to abolish the IRS, as well as the departments of Education, Energy and Commerce. WaPo must have missed that.

I didn’t.  Like it. Love it.  Gimme more of it.

Chris Christie

After Trump posted a photo of Christie sleeping on a plane – with the sarcastic tagline, “Resting after a good 25 minutes of work!” – the former New Jersey governor and GOP presidential candidate responded with, “Living rent free in Donald’s head” and used it for a fundraising pitch on Twitter.

In an interview with Politico this week, Christie referred to Trump as “the cheapest S.O.B. I’ve ever met in my life” and said what the former president “is good at is spending other people’s money.”  He also criticized Trump for using campaign donations to pay his legal bills.

In addition, he told FOX News in a separate interview that Trump “lost in ‘18 in the House, lost in ’20 in the Senate, lost the White House in ‘20, lost two more governorships in ’22 and a Senate seat in ‘22, and a real thin margin in the House.”

And on CNN, he threw more gas on the fire…

“I will do what I need to do to be up on that stage to try to save my party and save my country from going down the road of being led by three-time loser Donald Trump. Loser in 2018 by losing the House, loser in 2020 by losing the White House and the United States Senate, and the worst midterm performance we have seen in a long, long time, led by Donald Trump-selected candidates with Donald Trump as the main issue in many of those races. Loser, loser, loser.”

These two don’t like each other.  At all.  Christie’s the longest of longshots, but that won’t stop him from trying to get his pound of flesh out of Trump. This is personal, not business.  And it’s only going to get uglier.

From the Mailbag

The following comments were sent to me from Muth’s Truths readers in response to my stated position that I’m not picking a GOP presidential candidate – yet (long way to go before first primary/caucus) – but will support whoever the nominee is next year.

They represent a range of opinions in the Ron v. Don GOP presidential race.

• “Chuck! You are so right about the Republican fighting and probably screwing up their chances to win. I do like both DeSantis and Trump, but I don’t like their name calling, especially Trump. However, I do agree that I think DeSantis should have waited till 2028, it would have been easier for Trump to win.”

• “I was a strong Trump supporter last go-round but agree with you as to supporting any nominee against Biden. My Trump support has definitely declined with all of the trumped-up charges against him – just can’t help it – and I think DeSantis would be an excellent candidate.”

• “Hi Chuck. IMHO, Trump will win both the primary and the general, although it might be more difficult if Kennedy should take out Biden – which I think is somewhat of a long shot.  DeSantis screwed the pooch – should have gone for VP and would have probably followed Trump as Pres for 8 years.”

• “I am convinced the GOP will lose the White House in ’24 if Trump is the nominee. And as Gingrich predicts, that will also drag down the party’s results down-ballot. … Respectfully, Chuck, I urge you to reconsider your current position.  Take your pick, but pick!”

I appreciate you all sharing your thoughts with me.  And here’s the thing: Good conservatives can support Trump.  Good conservatives can support DeSantis. And good conservatives can support other candidates.

But keep in mind, the ultimate prize is winning the White House in November.  Campaign forcefully for your candidate but remember who the real enemy is.  However the primary turns out, we need to unite behind the eventual nominee.

7 Worst Habits of Highly Unelectable People

1. Picking the wrong race
2. Picking the wrong district
3. Picking the wrong issues
4. Picking the wrong time
5. Picking the wrong consultants
6. Picking unnecessary fights with the media
7. Picking door-knocking over fundraising

FAMOUS LAST WORDS

“The Obamas rage tweeting about Affirmative Action from a private yacht in the Mediterranean is probably the most out of touch and yet unsurprisingly on-brand thing they’ve done lately.” – Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-CO)

Mr. Muth is president of Citizen Outreach, publisher of Nevada News & Views, and founder of CampaignDoctor.com.  You can sign up for his conservative, Nevada-focused e-newsletter at MuthsTruths.com.  His views are his own.