Last updated on July 17th, 2023 at 06:12 pm
Republicans are setting themselves up for defeat in November 2016 by taking ownership of Donald Trump with their so-called “loyalty pledge.”
Politico got the scoop from a Trump insider on the reasoning behind Trump’s decision to sign the no third party run pledge:
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“The rationale is that they have treated him fairly,” the associate said, echoing the criterion Trump has long given for taking a party pledge. “He’s willing to sign it to avert any problems with is state filings – South Carolina asked for a pledge to support the nominee if you’re on the ballot.
“He’s been treated fairly, like any candidate. … And it takes away a line of attack for debates.”
The last phrase from the Trump insider is critical. By signing the pledge, Trump will take away the main line of attack that Republicans could have used to stop him. The best for the Republican Party to stop Trump would have been to unify around the idea that he isn’t a “real Republican.”
Candidates could have mounted a campaign to expose all of the Trump positions that Republican voters object to while playing up his refusal to commit to the GOP, but this is the dysfunctional Republican circus where the inmates are running the asylum so what happened was that voters embraced Trump, the other Republican candidates are afraid to confront him, so the party cooked up a silly “loyalty pledge” that isn’t worth the paper that it is printed on.
Donald Trump is getting exactly what he wants. He’ll get more free media attention as the television networks will flock to the heavily choreographed Trump signing of the loyalty pledge. Republicans are losing the biggest weapon to stop him, and it is possible that Trump may defy the pledge and run third party anyway if he is denied the Republican nomination.
Republicans are shooting themselves in the foot, and destroying their chances of victory in 2016 by insisting that Trump show his loyalty. As soon as Trump signs his name, his racist positions will become theirs. The Republican Party will own Donald Trump, and Democrats will reap the benefits of this foolish decision on Election Day.
Jason is the managing editor. He is also a White House Press Pool and a Congressional correspondent for PoliticusUSA. Jason has a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science. His graduate work focused on public policy, with a specialization in social reform movements.
Awards and Professional Memberships
Member of the Society of Professional Journalists and The American Political Science Association
