Bill Kristol announces someone will run 3rd party UPDATE: It's David French

[jman123]

http://www.breitbart.com/2016-presidential-race/2016/05/29/bill-kristol-will-independent-candidate/

Is he serious?  I thought it's too late for filing election petitions for an indy run

UPDATE: It's David French:

It's going to be national review writer David French.

http://www.bloomberg.com/politics/articles/2016-05-31/kristol-eyes-conservative-lawyer-for-independent-presidential-run

[President of the great nation of 🏳️‍⚧️]

This isn't much. Call me when the Renegade Party has a nominee.

[Holmes]

It's possible they've been collecting signatures behind the scenes, but people would've caught wind.

[Maxwell]

Kristol is a certified moron who said Giuliani was going to run in 2012.

[An American Tail: Fubart Goes West]

It's possible they've been collecting signatures behind the scenes, but people would've caught wind.

[Atlas Has Shrugged]

I'll believe it when I see it.

[Ronnie]

I'll believe it when I see it.

The only appropriate answer at this point.

[Mike Thick]

https://twitter.com/StopTrumpPAC/status/737106284047159296?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Etweet

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[Ronnie]

https://twitter.com/StopTrumpPAC/status/737106284047159296?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Etweet

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IT'S HAPPENING!!!(?)

[TomC]

Short term Betfair opportunity?

[Horsemask]

Holy crap is this actually happening?

[Ronnie]

If this happens, this will be a 1964 style landslide, with Republicans losing the Senate and the House.

It would be a 1964 style landslide on the presidential level, but why would it entail the Republicans losing congress?  I imagine both Trump voters and most people voting for Kristol's neocon will also vote for Pubs downballot.

[Horsemask]

If this happens, this will be a 1964 style landslide, with Republicans losing the Senate and the House.

it was going to be a 1964 landslide anyway

[madelka]

Democrats can't possibly get that lucky, right?

[SteveRogers]

I'll believe it when I see it, but at the very least Trump is not amused by this development:

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https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/737054226833149952

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https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/737055532960223233

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https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/737056428452630528

[Wisconsin+17]

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You rang? I heard, "trump". "landslide" and "1964".

[Joe Republic]

^I think the long-term consequences at the presidential level would be far more disastrous for the GOP, with states like TX, MS and GA becoming battlegrounds. If the Democrats play their cards right, they'll be able to lock the GOP out of the White House for maybe another 20 years.

Nah, I doubt it.  When Trump loses, the unanimous backlash against him will be a sight to behold.  The GOP will recover quickly because their voters are idiots with short memories.  You talk about 1964; look what happened four years later.

[Hammy]

^I think the long-term consequences at the presidential level would be far more disastrous for the GOP, with states like TX, MS and GA becoming battlegrounds. If the Democrats play their cards right, they'll be able to lock the GOP out of the White House for maybe another 20 years.

Nah, I doubt it.  When Trump loses, the unanimous backlash against him will be a sight to behold.  The GOP will recover quickly because their voters are idiots with short memories.  You talk about 1964; look what happened four years later.

That's not that good a comparison to make, considering there was a fairly strong third party challenge (Wallace) and Nixon won with only 42% nationally.

[Shameless Lefty Hack]

Real question, since these are the only places this mystical conservative savior will have a snowball's chance in hell:

Will the True Conservative win NOVA and DC suburban Maryland? Or only David Brooks's heart?

[Mr. Morden]

I really don't understand how someone can think that a 3rd party conservative run will do *long term* damage to the GOP, unless the splinter conservative group remains outside the party beyond 2016 (which it won't, since its only purpose for existing would be to run a non-Trump candidate).  It would blow up Trump's chances this time, but why would it matter in 2020 or beyond?

Likewise, I don't see how it's going to hurt downballot, even this year.  Most of those voters are going to vote for Republicans for other offices.

[Adam Griffin]

^I think the long-term consequences at the presidential level would be far more disastrous for the GOP, with states like TX, MS and GA becoming battlegrounds. If the Democrats play their cards right, they'll be able to lock the GOP out of the White House for maybe another 20 years.

Nah, I doubt it.  When Trump loses, the unanimous backlash against him will be a sight to behold.  The GOP will recover quickly because their voters are idiots with short memories.  You talk about 1964; look what happened four years later.

That's not that good a comparison to make, considering there was a fairly strong third party challenge (Wallace) and Nixon won with only 42% nationally.

Additionally, the Democratic Party had all but tore itself apart during that election cycle as well. It was a very underwhelming win for Nixon, all in all. A win is a win, however...

[Adam Griffin]

I really don't understand why Bill Kristol et al don't just get behind Johnson/Weld. I mean...they were good enough as Governors for the party, weren't they? Their views really haven't changed all that much. Ballot access in 49 states (and they may have it in OK this year, too).

I could see Kristol thinking something like "but the standard-bearer needs to be chosen by the elite establishment types like us for it to mean anything", but most of the types that'd be likely to vote for an independent conservative are in lock-step with Libertarian economy policy broadly speaking (worried about their personal incomes and levels of taxation, as opposed to those favoring subsidies for their industries and so forth, the latter of which makes up an insignificant sum of voters). They don't care about social issues one way or another for the most part.

Is Kristol still of the persuasion that they're going to be able to throw it to the House? Furthermore, does he believe that the GOP House would screw Trump in such a way when they haven't been willing to man up and attack him throughout this whole ordeal (perpetually until it was too late) or stay the course and try to pull the rug out from under him at the convention?

[Leinad]

NO!

This stupid GOP Temper Tantrum Ticket--because for the first time in years, the establishment isn't getting their way--does NOTHING!

At least, nothing good. They have no chance to win, but will almost certainly ruin the growth of my political movement. The Libertarian Party has been going on for over 40 years--it's a coherent movement based around a sensible ideology that has consistently gotten the short end of the stick, and forces are converging (an LP candidate with immense qualifications vs. two much-loathed major party candidates) to grow the movement. This "#NeverTrump ticket" bullsh#t is nothing but reactionism--there is no ideology behind it, no plan behind it, nothing!

And it's the same neocon hacks that have held all the power! You guys got to nominate all these establishment Republicans in recent times. Lots of them lost (Dole, McCain, Romney), and the one that won is generally considered one of our worst Presidents ever. You guys suck at running political parties so much that you literally had the party's supporters rise up against you and nominate Donald Freaking Trump, with Ted Freaking Cruz in second! The Bill Kristol crowd are why the Republican party is so fudged up right now--no one stole it from you, you lost it!

And, again, because this will hurt the Libertarian Party, I strongly loathe this idea, and if they go through with this petulant temper tantrum because they aren't getting their way, Bill Kristol can go f*** an electric socket.

I really don't understand why Bill Kristol et al don't just get behind Johnson/Weld. I mean...they were good enough as Governors for the party, weren't they? Their views really haven't changed all that much. Ballot access in 49 states (and they may have it in OK this year, too).

I could see Kristol thinking something like "but the standard-bearer needs to be chosen by the elite establishment types like us for it to mean anything", but most of the types that'd be likely to vote for an independent conservative are in lock-step with Libertarian economy policy broadly speaking (worried about their personal incomes and levels of taxation, as opposed to those favoring subsidies for their industries and so forth, the latter of which makes up an insignificant sum of voters). They don't care about social issues one way or another for the most part.

Is Kristol still of the persuasion that they're going to be able to throw it to the House? Furthermore, does he believe that the GOP House would screw Trump in such a way when they haven't been willing to man up and attack him throughout this whole ordeal (perpetually until it was too late) or stay the course and try to pull the rug out from under him at the convention?

I wholeheartedly agree with, like, every word of that.

And to answer your question: this is the equivelent of what a spoiled child does when their sibling gets to pick what to watch on TV, after they got to pick what to watch literally every time before that.

[IceSpear]

Considering Bill Kristol is part of the "always wrong" group of pundits that somehow keep their jobs, I'll believe it when I see it.

[Angrie]

I really don't understand why Bill Kristol et al don't just get behind Johnson/Weld. I mean...they were good enough as Governors for the party, weren't they? Their views really haven't changed all that much. Ballot access in 49 states (and they may have it in OK this year, too).

I could see Kristol thinking something like "but the standard-bearer needs to be chosen by the elite establishment types like us for it to mean anything", but most of the types that'd be likely to vote for an independent conservative are in lock-step with Libertarian economy policy broadly speaking (worried about their personal incomes and levels of taxation, as opposed to those favoring subsidies for their industries and so forth, the latter of which makes up an insignificant sum of voters). They don't care about social issues one way or another for the most part.

Is Kristol still of the persuasion that they're going to be able to throw it to the House? Furthermore, does he believe that the GOP House would screw Trump in such a way when they haven't been willing to man up and attack him throughout this whole ordeal (perpetually until it was too late) or stay the course and try to pull the rug out from under him at the convention?

It either has to be hot air or else an actually big name. Maybe Romney, or maybe even McCain realizing that he is doomed in AZ-SEN and putting his money where his mouth is and actually putting "Country First" to atone for Palin.