Entitled: Meet Hillary 2.0
The one thing that really bugged me about Hillary Clinton’s 2016 campaign was that she truly believed she was entitled to the nomination.
The Hillary people actively lobbied to keep other Democrats out of the 2016 primary because they believed Hillary was owed the nomination after Obama stole it from her in 2008.
Then-Vice President Joe Biden didn’t bail in 2016 because of the death of his son Beau two years earlier. No. He was told not to run because Hillary was entitled to the nomination. His son’s death was just the excuse Joe used to save face. Plus, it gave Joe another opportunity to bring up Beau’s death, and we all know how much he likes doing that.
Why do you think Team Hillary was so furious when Bernie Sanders announced his 2016 campaign?
No viable alternative was supposed to challenge Hillary.
Sure, Team Hillary didn’t mind if also-ran no-name candidates jumped into the race. But they didn’t want a big-name draw like Bernie monkey-wrenching Hillary’s easy glide to the nomination.
Say, do you remember who else ran for the Democrat nomination in 2016? I bet you can’t since none of them are names that easily spring to mind: Lincoln Chaffee, Jim Webb, and Martin O’Malley.
The 2016 DNC primary debates were supposed to be the political version of the Harlem Globetrotters playing the Washington Generals. The also-ran candidates were only there to make Hillary look good while giving the primaries a veneer of legitimacy. But Bernie bollocksed the whole thing by refusing to pull a Biden and staying out of the race.
All because Hillary Rodham Clinton got it into her head that she was entitled to the nomination.
And here we are, eight years later, and the Republicans have a Hillary of our own.
Donald Trump is Hillary 2.0.
Just like Hillary in 2015, Donald in 2023 believes he is entitled to be the nominee.
Trump and his flying monkeys are trying to bully viable candidates into sitting out the 2024 race to ensure Trump has an easy glide to the nomination.
But unlike that slithering snake Hillary, Trump hasn’t been particularly subtle about it.
Then again, Donald isn’t known for his subtlety. And that goes double for the big-mouth pillocks that make up his campaign.
This past week, the Republican National Committee announced its schedule for the 2024 Republican primary debates, and Team Trump had a collective meltdown.
In a ranting post on Truth Social, the entitled candidate raged with impotent fury over the temerity of the RNC arranging debates without first getting his approval:
“I see that everybody is talking about the Republican Debates, but nobody got my approval, or the approval of the Trump Campaign, before announcing them. When you’re leading by seemingly insurmountable numbers, and you have hostile Networks with angry, TRUMP & MAGA hating anchors asking the “questions,” why subject yourself to being libeled and abused? Also, the Second Debate is being held at the Reagan Library, the Chairman of which is, amazingly, Fred Ryan, Publisher of The Washington Post. NO!”
See what I mean?
Completely entitled.
Yesterday, Trump Super Fan Steve Bannon echoed Trump’s tantrum, claiming that the RNC holding primary debates “is an insult to the president and an insult to MAGA, full stop.”
This isn’t 2020, you Muppet.
Trump is not the incumbent president. And he isn’t the head of the Republican Party. He is in the same position as Nikki Haley, Asa Hutchinson, or any other declared candidate for the GOP nomination.
He doesn’t have veto power over debates and the RNC sure as hell doesn’t need to get his approval on anything.
But see, both Trump and Bannon, not to mention every other Trump Super Fan, believe that Donald John Trump is entitled to the nomination.
Today, Trump declared that debates are pointless since he is “leading by 40 points.”
Keep in mind, not one Republican has voted yet. Trump isn’t leading by anything. Right now, the scorecard is all tied up at ZERO.
Meanwhile, his Suck-Up Army of slack-jawed supporters took one look at the latest Fox News national primary poll showing Trump with 53% and declared victory.
Again, not one person has voted yet.
The Republican Stacey Abrams, losing Arizona gubernatorial candidate Kari Lake, tweeted:
“The primary is over. It’s time to rally around @realDonaldTrump. We must focus our energy on exposing that fool @JoeBiden, register voters, and funding ballot chasing [sic] operations in swing states. We should not be wasting time and money fighting ourselves.”
“The primary is over” … before a single vote has been cast.
Say, isn’t this the same broad that can’t stop giving lectures on not disenfranchising voters?
So let me see if I have this right.
We must not spend time and money on a primary because Trump’s lead in a Fox News “national primary” poll proves that the primary is over. So let’s just skip the part where voters get to decide and have a Fox News poll decide our nominee instead.
Again, and I cannot stress this enough, not one Republican primary voter has cast a ballot yet.
But Kari Abrams wasn’t alone.
Trump’s dumber son Don Junior echoed Lake, tweeting:
“Take the $$$ they’re going to blow on a primary and put it towards creating a ballot harvesting machine to rival that of the democrats… At this point anything else is just done to get the Swampy consultants rich from primary ad buys and/or skimming a big % of the fundraising $.”
“At this point,” Junior, not one single Republican has voted.
See, the “anything else” that Don Junior forgot all about is “voters deciding who the nominee will be.”
I thought the Trump people were really big on letting voters decide.
I guess that changed around the time they decided that Trump was entitled to the nomination.
Hey, Don Junior, how about you stick to defending Bud Light?
Now, some have suggested that Trump 🤡 World is reacting this way because they’re terrified that A) Trump will fumble the debates and B) primary voters won’t fall in line and let them have their coronation.
And fear definitely plays a part in this. But I think it’s secondary.
The primary motivator in this is Entitlement.
Trump truly does think that he is entitled to be the 2024 Republican nominee.
Like Steve Bannon, Trump believes he won in 2020 but was deprived of his second term because Biden “stole” it from him. Therefore, he is owed those four years in 2024 to make up for what Biden did to him.
And if that sounds a bit familiar, that’s because it is exactly what the Hillary people thought eight years ago.
Hillary and her Super Fans believed that in 2008, Barack Obama swooped in and took a nomination that was rightfully hers. So in 2016, she and her supporters believed that she was owed the nomination to make up for what Obama did to her.
What also mirrors 2016 is how Trump has zeroed in on attacking the only viable alternative for the Republican nomination.
Just as Team Hillary went after Bernie for having the gall to monkey-wrench Hillary’s coronation, Trump 🤡 World is going after DeSantis for getting in the way of Donald wearing the crown.
It really is déjà vu all over again.
More importantly, however, this kind of behavior is loathsome and swampy, not to mention insulting since Trump 🤡 World is showing utter contempt for Republican primary voters.
As voters, we decide which candidate will be our nominee in 2024. That’s the whole point of holding state primaries and caucuses.
To that end, it is perfectly reasonable for voters to have the chance to watch the candidates debate so we can better decide which one will get our votes.
If Donald Trump wants to be the one voters choose, rather than doing his over-the-top impersonation of Hillary Clinton, perhaps he should spend his time and energy trying to convince us that he is the best choice.
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I don’t understand it. While I believe that Trump did well as president and tried to help this country, now it almost seems that he is running in 2024 for different reasons (maybe to get back at those who screwed him over while he was president). While he is perhaps strengthening his base, his base may end up being smaller because he seems intent to drive away those who might be sitting on the fence. I knew someone who knew nothing about Biden but voted for him because she hated Trump (partly his fault and partly thanks to the corrupt media). While I would vote for him in the election against anyone the Dem party puts forth, I’m hesitant to vote for him in the primary. I wonder what his “consultants” are telling him.
In today’s America, we are governed in such a way as to more or less please more or less everybody; let’s give everyone what they want because it’s right, it’s fair, it’s democratic (as if giving whiskey to an alcoholic is a good thing). Our political leadership (both parties) shrinks from standards and norms and gives us instead blurred images (e.g., male/female; reimagination of truths) and diffuse sentimentality (e.g., patriotism is hurtful); to overwhelm reality and truth. Establishment Republicans do not seem to know what to defend or how to defend what needs defending.
While other more “presidential” candidates labor to find a comatose togetherness for all of us, Trump’s disregard for niceties brings us face-to-face with the fact: in this struggle for the future of our nation, there is no middle ground. “Let us be diverted by none of those sophistical contrivances wherewith we are so industriously plied and belabored–contrivances such as groping for some middle ground between right and wrong.” [Abraham Lincoln’s Cooper Union Address, Feb 27, 1860] Other than Trump, I do not see another leader who speaks convincingly on why it’s worth taking extraordinary actions to defend our way of life.
Demanding that we forego debates and primaries and simply crown him the nominee is a wee bit more than a “disregard for the niceties.” It’s a disregard for the voters. But it is entirely predictable.
DON IS RIGHT! The RNC has ‘rigged” the “debates”. Fox has always been anti conservative! They were “all in” 15 years ago when Bush was pushing RomneyCare.
Clearly took part on behalf of the liberals in the 2020 “debate”!
First started reading Post 73 years ago. lived across Potomic from DC. Post put out liberal lies even a kid cold figure ouT. Or my eyes and ears lied to me about what happened in DC!
Reagan haters took over the Foundation 30 years ago. – Not unusual; Walt haters took over DIS 50years ago.
Both these “debate’ sites would be ambushes for any conservative! Clearly “rigged”. Debates should be on ‘neutral fields”. I can not think of such a place. So I agree with none.
Or a pro conservative site for each Fox/ Reagan Foundation. But I think Carlson is right here – it would be a waste of time. So none.
Well, since Donald calls absolutely everything that doesn’t go his way “rigged,” I suppose eventually he’ll be right.
Broken clocks and whatnot.
Dianny – I take it that you don’t like that Trump is running or like him as a candidate for that matter. Your bashing is no better that the rest of the media.
With two important exceptions. 1. The media wants Trump to be the GOP nominee. 2. I prefer we win in the General election whereas the media wants us to lose.
That’s a fair assessment. Good response!
ESAD. deleting your bookmark, won’t be back.
Typical Always Trumper – an angry, petulant little child who walks away from anyone who disagrees with them. Just like a lefty – don’t engage – just cancel and smear! I’m sure Dianny will be devastated that you’re going to delete her bookmark! NOT!
Although I certainly voted for the Donald twice, and would again should he be the nominee, and appreciate his many accomplishments as POTUS, I am loyal to no politician. I am only loyal to America. All politicians work for We The People. We owe them nothing. They have to earn our support. Trump included.
Politically-driven internet users fall into two categories: those who want to have their biases reaffirmed; and those who want news reports and other information, regardless of the source. The people who want their biases confirmed tend to visit websites and blogs that tell them exactly what they want to hear.
I use the internet for news and information. To that end, I often read reports from traditionally biased liberal outlets like the Washington Post, the New York Times, Reuters, and the Associated Press. Over time, I’ve perfected the skill of filtering out the BS bias so I can focus on the news and information.
That isn’t to say there aren’t some websites I avoid. I tend to avoid websites and blogs that cater their content to what they think readers want to hear or websites and blogs that accept money to write from a particular point of view.
When Sundance went off the rails and started sputtering nonsensical conspiracy theories, I stopped visiting the Conservative Treehouse because I clearly wasn’t the target audience. I find The Gateway Pundit and the National File laughingly ridiculous. And since I don’t view any of those sites as sources of news reporting, there really is no benefit to be gleaned.
At the same time, I’m not afraid to venture outside of my political bubble to get news and information since that’s the central reason I use the internet. And since I write political commentary, at times, that means reading opinion columns from people whose opinions are absurd (like every column in the UK Guardian). Does crap commentary make me laugh or does my blood boil? Sure, sometimes. But I see it as part of what I do. How can you mock the absurdity of something if you’re unwilling to even read it for yourself?
My point is, I don’t bear any ill will toward GrayJohn for hitting the bricks. If he isn’t getting what he wants at Patriot Retort, he is free to go elsewhere.
I won’t accept money from a political campaign to write glowing commentary about a particular candidate, and I don’t plan to start writing what people want to hear. I’m not a Daily Reaffirmation site; I’m a political commentary site. And the only commentary I will offer is my own.
the debates on both sides have been turned into a clown show, if they could, I believe both sides would have flying monkeys and exploding cars circling the podiums. Nothing
the participants say has or will sway me either way, so I stopped watching them.
All I hope is that whomever becomes the front runner has the nuts and thick skin to turn the ship away the rocks in time by slamming the brakes on the intentional mess the current fog hatted idiot has created
Apologies for the omissions, I don’t see an edit button
I supported Trump in 2016 and 2020. But this is now about 2024, and if he wants the nomination again then he needs to compete for it and show he has what it takes to convince Republican primary voters. The primary process serves multiple purposes, one of which is testing the candidates under stressful conditions and seeing if they can hold up under pressure.
While Trump is not as decrepit as Biden, he is not a young man. And the sad reality is that a lot of people decline very quickly around that age — it can be a shockingly rapid process. One thing I will be looking for in the primaries is to see what Trump’s energy levels and mental sharpness are like. Does he still have the drive and mental acuity to be president? After Biden, I think a lot of people are going to be looking for a younger candidate. Four years of a geriatric dementia patient in the White House is four too many.
I do think that the Trump camp has a point about the debates, however. Why are Republican primary debates being moderated by people who are not Republicans or even vaguely friendly to Republicans? Finding a media figure who is not left wing to ask the questions should not be an impossible task. But somehow we keep seeing presidential debates moderated by people who clearly favor the left side.