Kristol: Independent candidate will challenge Trump and Clinton

[applegrove]

Kristol: Independent candidate will challenge Trump and Clinton

By Rudy Takala at the Washington Examiner (I know)

http://www.washingtonexaminer.com/kristol-independent-candidate-will-challenge-trump-and-clinton/article/2592566

"SNIP...............




A serious independent candidate will step up to challenge presumptive Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump and likely Democratic standard-bearer Hillary Clinton, Weekly Standard editor Bill Kristol suggested on Sunday.

.............

"Just a heads up over this holiday weekend: There will be an independent candidate — an impressive one, with a strong team and a real chance," Kristol said in a message on Twitter.

Kristol has been leading an effort to recruit an independent candidate to take on Clinton and Trump, who each have unusually high negative favorability ratings.


Stay abreast of the latest developments from nation's capital and beyond with curated News Alerts from the Washington Examiner news desk and delivered to your inbox.



Later Sunday, Trump on Twitter tried to knock down the possibility of an independent challenger:

"Bill Kristol has been wrong for 2yrs-an embarrassed loser, but if the GOP can't control their own, then they are not a party. Be tough, R's!"

"The Republican Party has to be smart & strong if it wants to win in November. Can't allow lightweights to set up a spoiler Indie candidate!"








.............SNIP"

[applegrove]

1. Please, pretty please

[Jeffersons Ghost]

15. Sounds good to me! By combining Libertarian and Tea Party, they could be the Liberty Party

[Drahthaardogs]

37. Actually it is not too far fetched.

All they need is one candidate to spoil it enough that no one gets 270. Then the House gets to pick the winner. President Romney?

[Algernon Moncrieff]

41. To do that, though, s/he would need to win some states

That would be more difficult.

[Drahthaardogs]

47. Yes. It is a long shot, but not a Hail Mary. More like a two minute drill.

It will be interesting to see if it happens.

[Algernon Moncrieff]

48. OK - so who could they be thinking?

Someone with a lot of gravitas, name recognition, and impeccable conservative credentials.

Romney? Has the money, but conservatives complained he wasn't wingnut enough in '12
McCain? See Romney
Cruz? Maybe. The theory would be if he can take the hard right states -- Texas, Oklahoma, Georgia, etc. Maybe.
Maybe a celebrity? Tim Allen? Gary Sinise? Doubtful, but you never know.
Not seeing Jeb! here at all.

Whoever it is, I'd bet Ben Sasse (Senator, NE) would be veep. He's been a hardcore non-endorser of Trump.

[Drahthaardogs]

50. I do not know.

The have. to win a big swing state, not to defeat Trump, but to stop Hillary from 270. To that end, I say they target Ohio, could it be Kasich? New Jersey would be interesting too , but Christy is not going to swing it. They always say Pennsylvania will be in play, but it never is.

Now, of course Kristol is crazy and this may never materialize, but it could be a desperate tactic that is really not too desperate.

[Algernon Moncrieff]

57. It won't be Christie

He's in charge of a Trump transition, which I suspect means that he would be Chief of Staff in a Trump administration.

My guess is that it's someone with a strong fundamentalist Christian identity, like Brownback or Mary Fallin.

[Drahthaardogs]

60. But that would be stupid on their part.

To block Hillary, you need to win a swing state. Taking an ultra conservative state like Oklahoma from Trump does not help this cause. The candidate would have to be appealing in the rust belt or Florida or perhaps both.

I really think its Kasich. It just makes sense.

[former9thward]

58. Texas is not in play.

Cruz or not. Their ballot deadline for Indies passed three weeks ago.

[melman]

52. It's not at all far fetched

People dismiss it because it's Kristol but it seems quite plausible to me.

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

2. Bill "Always Wrong" Kristol?

[Jesus Malverde]

21. an embarrassed loser....

[shenmue]

31. Just what I thought

[Cosmocat]

61. Right?

there literally is no human being that has drawn air into his or her lungs who has been wrong more often this fuckwit.

[jberryhill]

3. Why does anyone listen to that strange man?

[grasswire]

4. isn't it too late? nt

[saltpoint]

5. Bill Kristol is a dangerously

crazy person. Deeply complicit in bringing Sarah Palin to the national GOP ticket in 2008. Wrong about a lot of other things as well.

I don't know who would comprise this ticket he's talking about.

Trent Lott / Duke Cunningham

Paul LePage / Victoria Jackson

George Allen / Lee Greenwood

etc.

[Jesus Malverde]

22. Guess who is on the top of yahoo news today

Arnold Schwarzenegger - interesting their asking for his opinion about now.

[saltpoint]

23. Dear god. i hope no one on earth

is even thinking about Arnold for another run for office.

[tblue37]

24. Arnold isn't eligible. He was born in Austria, of Austrian parents nt

[saltpoint]

26. That's right -- sorry about that. I forgot

about his bio. I was just afraid of his politics.

[tblue37]

27. When he won in CA, the Repubs floated the idea of amending the Constitution to make him eligible

to run. Idiots.

[Algernon Moncrieff]

49. Ironic, considering the birther outrage that arose over Obama

[tblue37]

55. Always, IOKIYAR. nt

[LuvLoogie]

30. I seriously suspect that Victoria Jackson is doing

performance art.

[shenmue]

32. Some of the dumbest people in America

[Volaris]

6. Oh dear god let him be seriously trying to pull this off...

I think he's wet-daydreaming again, but if he's convinced the Donor-Base over there that this is a good idea the Republican Party is DONE...the establishment can't back a candidate not nominated just because they think the nominee will lose..Billy is looking for a Hail Mary pass to get him and his off the Tea Party hook and lay the blame for the Monster they created somewhere other than themselves...and it won't work.
The Republican Party is about to be shown for the Jackals they are.
Good and it's about damned time.

[enough]

7. If Kristol goes back to his original inspiration, it will be Sarah Palin. (nt)

[Peachhead22]

54. That would be priceless!

But she's been a pretty hardcore supporter of the Tiny Fingered Vulgarian.

[saltpoint]

8. I'm sure Bill is giving high consideration to:

Tom Tancredo / Franklin Graham

Herman Cain / Rick Warren

Carly Fiorina / Judge Roy Moore

Condoleezza Rice / Chuck Norris

[11 Bravo]

9. OK. So now we know of one thing that can't possibly happen.

[applegrove]

18. LOL!

[milestogo]

10. Must be someone with a lot of money...

Short list: Bill Gates and Oprah

[MerryBlooms]

11. Kristol's never been right about anything in his life,

I doubt this prediction is any different.

There's not a republican I know that will vote for tRump, they're terribly disappointed and are trying to decide what to do- 75% were for Rubio.

[Brother Buzz]

12. Kristol, the perfect reverse barometer

[Trust Buster]

13. This was the same Bill Kristoll that predicted that the Iraq War would be over in weeks.

[Rex]

14. lulz @ Bill

Like that POS is EVER correct...about anything!

[bdwker]

16. I hope he's right on this one.

Split the puke party vote.

[GaYellowDawg]

17. Bill Kristol couldn't predict rain if he was standing in it.

He is always wrong. Always. If you ever wanted a fantastic presidency, all you'd have to do is have him as an advisor and always do the opposite of what he suggests. And he's the only man in Washington whose face is as punch-worthy as Ted Cruz.

[3catwoman3]

56. "...couldn't predict rain if he were standing in it."

That is a great line. I hope I have occasion to steal it soon.

[Txbluedog]

19. I guess Bill Kristol can announce he is running

And watch Trump and Clinton's favoribility ratings skyrocket 😂😂😂

[oberliner]

20. Trump is freaking out about it on twitter

Donald J. Trump ?@realDonaldTrump 4h4 hours ago
If dummy Bill Kristol actually does get a spoiler to run as an Independent, say good bye to the Supreme Court!

Donald J. Trump ?@realDonaldTrump 4h4 hours ago
The Republican Party has to be smart & strong if it wants to win in November. Can't allow lightweights to set up a spoiler Indie candidate!

Donald J. Trump ?@realDonaldTrump 4h4 hours ago
Bill Kristol has been wrong for 2yrs-an embarrassed loser, but if the GOP can't control their own, then they are not a party. Be tough, R's!

[coco77]

25. Michael Medved has been promising this for weeks..

Because he dislikes Trump he has been arguing with his listeners tryin to get them on board with whomever this person is, he wants Bernie to run as an Independent to split the vote thinking they will win. Not going to happen.

[TeamPooka]

28. So no Independent candidate will challenge Trump and Clinton because he's always wrong. nt

[Initech]

29. Has Bill Kristol ever been right about anything?

[kevinmc]

33. After his shrewed picking of Palin .... there is no limits n/t

[MFM008]

34. How did that work with Ross Perot?

[saltpoint]

35. It's hard to know if Kristol is

just yacking or if he actually knows that gears are turning somewhere to create an independent ticket.

If such a ticket is created and fails, Kristol will be even more marginalized than he is now. And Trump will be even less controllable than he is now.

Are there power-broker types somewhere with the wherewithal and energy to mount an independent campaign for the presidency? That's a lot of footwork in a narrow period of time. It doesn't feel to me as if Kristol has a team in place. He did drop a couple names yesterday, but he didn't say (and wasn't asked) if Haley and Sasse are all in.

[ibeplato]

36. could it be....

Ted Cruz?

[Bucky]

38. much as I want to see a split GOP vote...

I think I am enjoying more watching Bill Kristol run around the country showing how impotent he is

[bdwker]

39. It's gotta be Cruz.

He wants to screw Trump.

[laserhaas]

40. Romney's coming?????

[ChisolmTrailDem]

42. This might explain why it had appeared (at least to the media) that Never Trump was dead in the...

...water after their lackluster efforts in, was it the Pennsylvania primary?

[struggle4progress]

43. Is this the same Bill Kristol who hyped Sarah Palin as a formidable presidential candidate?

[Algernon Moncrieff]

44. I think he's shilling for somebody

I don't think there is any such person, but someone (the Koch's, joe Ricketts, etc. ) has put him up to this or fed him a line to put this story out there to gauge reaction.

[wiggs]

45. Is this why Paul Ryan has been running glossy ads just like

someone running for president?

[wiggs]

46. ...and why there's no endorsement of the presumptive GOP nominee? And this

is how a republican can win the general election without winning the primary....a feat thought necessary but impossible.

[tonyt53]

53. Now this is one that might actually have some traction. I feel the same way.

[BeyondGeography]

51. Fine by me as long as Bill likes him

[Nye Bevan]

59. Ralph Nader? Is he still alive? (nt)