In this part 2 of 3 we’ll look at who will support a Joe Walsh for President candidacy. To start, I want to address the mindset of the Trump haters, of which, clearly Joe is one.
It’s more than obvious to President Donald Trump’s supporters (and to many who don’t support him) that he is accomplishing much of what he promised. If you don’t agree with his agenda, then disliking the president is easy to understand.
But what if ideologically you agree with much of what he’s doing? How then do you become and stay a Trump hater?
There are a lot of steps involved — here are just a few.
First, you emotionally overreact to Twitter. Next, you purposefully block out all the overwhelming good news — such as record low unemployment among blacks and Hispanics. Then you feed on CNN and MSNBC and NPR, which long ago abandoned journalism and became the Destroy Trump Media.
Since Joe has chosen sides, the question becomes — if Trump’s approval ratings are 90 percent or higher among Republicans and conservatives, where does Joe look for support?
Clearly, the dominant media will be a big promoter of Joe. Former Tea Party guy now a Trump critic? That’s ratings and web traffic gold. Fans and supporters of Joe’s Trump-bashing will be found throughout the Democratic Party and left-wing activists and donors.
And of course, never forget the political consultants looking for work. Those consultants know how to reach out to Trump-hating rich people on the left and the right who are ready to write checks.
If Joe was to put together some semblance of a real campaign, some high profile Never Trumpers will also serve as cheerleaders. Unfortunately for Joe, though, the Nation Review, source of the “Never Trump” label, didn’t have much good to say in its first mention of his candidacy.
The morning after I learned of Joe’s potential run National Review had this headline: “Joe Walsh Is Obviously Not the Answer.”
National Review senior political correspondent Jim Geraghty (and regular Trump critic) wrote: “While I’m sure Walsh and I would agree on a lot of the issues, particularly economic ones, I’m left underwhelmed.”
“In May 2011, five months into his term,” Geraghty writes that Joe told Slate magazine, “We are all better at certain things than others. I still am someone who doesn’t understand the way the legislative process works. I do, but I don’t. I can’t find my way around the Capitol. I have a hard time with protocol.”
Also from Geraghty: “In November 2011, [Walsh] lost his temper and screamed at a woman at a town hall meeting.”
When Joe ran for reelection, Geraghty writes, “[Joe] was up against Tammy Duckworth, a Black Hawk helicopter pilot who lost her legs in combat in Iraq.”
Walsh declared, “Now I’m running against a woman who, I mean, my God, that’s all she talks about. Our true heroes, the men and women who served us, it’s the last thing in the world they talk about.” He went on to lose by ten points.
Other Trump hating right-of-center magazines and websites will, on the other hand, enjoy covering Joe’s candidacy.
Anti-Trumpers around the world will also support Joe’s efforts. China, Iran, and Russia all have had problems with President Trump’s policies. They surely hope against hope that people within his own party can damage him going into the 2020 general election. So will supporters of open borders, government run health care, and even more deficit spending.
D.C. swamp critters (as one friend calls them) will also be hoping Joe can land a few blows. Imagine the joy that would be had among those deep state operators who have yet to lay a glove on President Trump despite having the powers of the American law enforcement and intelligence agencies at their disposal.
Yes, that’s an ugly list — but it’s also just an honest list of the kind of people who agree with Joe’s aim of getting Donald Trump out of the White House.
Up next: “Promises Kept” and friends of Joe weigh in on why he’s running.
Image credit: www.illinoisfamilyaction.org.
