Joe Walsh doesn't have to defeat Trump - he only has to wound him.

[kentuck]

But the only way he can get "right-wingers" to listen to him is to remain a "conservative". If he were to change Parties, they would immediately block him out of consideration. However, so long as he remains a Republican, disenchanted Trump supporters will listen to him. It is a complex political formulation.

He does not have to win any primary against Trump. If he takes a small number in each precinct, that could mean the difference in the next election? And once Trump supporters leave him for the reasons that Walsh is preaching, it is highly unlikely that they will go back and vote for Trump in the general election. That is where it will help the Democratic candidate.

His entry into the fray has put a new chess piece on the board. Nobody knows the impact it might have.

[EveHammond13]

1. yes. this is the point! all the pundits want to say is "he can't win ." WHO CARES

[DownriverDem]

36. So true!

Walsh will drive trump crazy.

[sprinkleeninow]

54. Something...anything.... eom

[FM123]

2. Wound away!

I hope more repugs primary trump, and one of our great Dems just finishes off what remains of him!

[leftieNanner]

51. The only one I want to sit this one out is John Kasich

Because he could defeat Trump and potentially play his pretend moderate Republican game to mess up our chances in the General Election.

Have at it Walsh!

[Thekaspervote]

3. Indeed!! Walsh is such a nut case himself he may just do exactly that

[Hekate]

4. Thanks. I was about to post something similar but you said it better. All the criticisms here...

..of Joe "You Lie!" Walsh miss the key point: he is primarying the president. He knows he won't win, but he wants Trump gone because the mad king is unfit for office and a danger to the USA.

I certainly applaud his candidacy in that basis.

[kentuck]

6. That was Joe "You Lie!" Wilson, I believe?

That you are referencing?

[Hekate]

7. It must be-- sorry I can't tell the Tea Partiers apart without a scorecard.

[dhol82]

34. Yeah, this is the guy who won't pay his child support.

[Hekate]

42. He's primarying the president from within the GOP, not being vetted as a Dem candidate...

I hope you understand the difference and why it matters. I don't frickin' care if Walsh eats kittens for breakfast.

I care that he wants Trump gone badly enough that he will run a 100% losing campaign in the hopes that he can cause Trump to lose in 2020. In modern history, every president that got primaried from within his own party lost his bid for his second term. Every. Single. One.

[at140]

52. Wonder what derogatory name Donny will assign to Joe

I just know there will be such name assigned because Donny has done it to every opponent without exception.

[mucifer]

37. You mean the guy who claimed Tammy Duckworth is unpatriotic? That guy?

[Hekate]

48. Are we vetting him as a Dem candidate? No. Is he going to win? No. Then why should we care...

...more about his character than we do about his ability to harm Trump's re-election bid?

[mucifer]

59. I was replying to your comment. I interpreted it as you finding him honorable. If that wasn't what

you meant then I misunderstood your post. That sort of thing happens a lot on the internet.

[DownriverDem]

38. Maybe

folks don't understand political strategy. Focusing on who we like is not a political strategy.

[Hekate]

49. For a bunch of political junkies they sure are naive. ...

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

5. Yes, exactly.

Trump owns the RNC; there's no chance Walsh will get the nomination even if he manages to pull off a primary win or two. Walsh does not expect to win, either (and whether or not he is sincere about renouncing his previous support for Trump or his racist tweets and talk show remarks is irrelevant), but he intends to weaken Trump - which is what has happened historically whenever someone primaries a sitting president. He told Nicole Wallace that he "wasn't there yet but was getting close" when she asked him whether he'd vote for the Democrat over Trump, but primarying him has the basically same effect.

[Act_of_Reparation]

8. If he really wants to wound him, he'll run as an independent in the GE

[Cary]

9. We don't need Walsh

If we vote then we crush him. I don't think we want to depend on Walsh. He isn't the right stuff.

To me if he can help get the message to "conservatives" to stop lying, I will be grateful.

[kentuck]

10. We definitely do not need him in the Democratic Party, I would agree...

But he can be of assistance as a "conservative" that has seen the light. I think he would appeal to enough Republicans to take votes away from Trump, which would help Democrats.

[Cary]

17. I meant if we vote then we crush Orange Hitler

Seen what light? That it is bad to smear and lie about your opponents?

All well and good but I can't trust him.

How about lying us into wars? Lying about the solvency of Social Security? Lying about climate science? "Supply-side economics?"

How do Republicans stop lying?

Call me unimpressed.

[kentuck]

23. I wish every Democrat would vote, also.

But they won't .

[Cary]

24. We will turn out in 2020

[kentuck]

25. I hope you are right.

But I would not bet on it.

[Hekate]

50. Voter suppression. Tens of millions removed from voter rolls in ethnic cleansing. Russia. Lies.

Third party candidates designed to suck votes away from Democrats. Voting tabulators that change the totals.

Hillary got 3 million more votes than Trump and still lost.

It ain't over. I'll take all the help I can get.

[DownriverDem]

41. Not the point

trump will go further down the rabbit hole as Walsh attacks him.

[guillaumeb]

11. Walsh, like Trump, is an Islamophobic racist.

My guess is that GOP voters will choose the racist already in the White House, but my hope is that you are correct.

[cab67]

39. to be sorta kinda fair....

...he explicitly apologized for saying islamophobic things this morning. That's not the same as renouncing islamophobia, but it's a start.

[guillaumeb]

43. Yes, he apologized, but even his recent statements

show this apology must reflect an immediate change of heart.

[cab67]

46. that's why...

...I qualified my statement with "sorta kinda."

Whatever the reason for a revelation, I generally respect someone's ability to apologize in public - especially when it's not warranted by something that would immediately harm that person's reputation.

I would never vote for Walsh. At this point, I would vote for a trained hagfish before I'd vote for a Republican. But these days, I'm willing to be an enemy-of-my-enemy-is-my-friend kind of person. These are not normal times.

[guillaumeb]

47. I would even vote for an untrained hagfish.

But Walsh might have lost many Trump voters by apologizing. But if he can draw off enough votes from Trump in 2020, good for the country.

[cab67]

60. point taken.

Bear in mind, a hagfish brain isn't a whole lot differentiated from a hagfish spinal cord, so the distinction between "trained" and "untrained" would be comparatively insignificant.

[BigmanPigman]

12. Where is Weld? He is a rational, normal guy, not like Walsh.

How come no one is talking about that candidate? He is the better of the two by far.

[kentuck]

14. He does not appeal to the present day Republican.

He wants Democrats to vote for him. Walsh is a better candidate against Trump than Weld, because Weld is not going to take any votes from Trump, but Walsh has a chance to take some votes.

[DownriverDem]

44. Walsh will play

a very important role. He will be the attack dog we need even though I do not agree with his views.

[struggle4progress]

13. It's our job to demolish Trumpism. Relying on rightwing nutjobs like Walsh is a sure road to failure

[kentuck]

15. Like I said..

It's a complicated political formulation. Psychology is a big part of politics.

[struggle4progress]

26. People like Walsh or Scaramucci will continue to push rightwing policies

so their message will effectively be "Trump acts crazy but we love what he does!"

That messaging doesn't help us at all. We should be saying, "Trump acts crazy because he is crazy. And his policies are crazy and so are the people who support those policies!"

Then we should push our sane and balanced policies

[kentuck]

27. I don't think that is their message?

Otherwise, they would appeal to no one.

[struggle4progress]

28. That's the POV of the whole GOP: "Well, Trump is Trump, but we gotta love his policies"

We should focus on tarring them all as part of the Trump gang, and try to take down as many as possible

The only point of this mealy-mouthed "opposition" to Trump is rally the base to stand up for him on what he does

[kentuck]

30. Divide and conquer is a strategy that usually works...

....no matter which Party it comes from. It is Trump's calling card.

[DownriverDem]

45. Not

the "but we love what he does" came out of Walsh's mouth this morning.

[struggle4progress]

58. "Walsh has a lot to prove if his aboutface is to be believed. He talks about what Trump's presidency

has shown him that has made him apologize. But another lesson of the Trump presidency could be how expansively gullible the American electorate might be. Is that Walsh’s real takeaway from what he’s witnessed over the past three years, and does he see his own opportunity to exploit it? His quick change or heart should make one wonder if his motives are truly authentic"

https://www.rollingstone.com/politics/politics-news/joe-walsh-challenge-trump-in-primary-876142/

[Tennessee Hillbilly]

16. What Walsh Might Do

Walsh won't seriously challenge Trump for the repugican nomination, but if he keeps this up, he might irritate Trump and get under his thin skin.

Anything that irritates Trump is good.

[NCLefty]

18. That's probably why he said he's not sure he'd vote for Warren (even though he says Trump is unfit).

I think the people you're referring to would consider that a red line.

But boy.. this all feels like "pandering to nut jobs" to me.

Walsh is unfit. But if he can convince enough Trumpsters to sit on the sidelines or throw away their vote, have at it.

[kentuck]

19. I think we should look at it as the "enemy of my enemy" strategy.

Walsh is not going to win.

We do not want him in our Party.

[Cousin Dupree]

20. I say wound all you can Joe. I have a bunch of bandaids. We can slap them all over that fool.

[gratuitous]

21. I'm rooting for injuries myself

Lots and lots of injuries. Besides, with new ballot access laws in place in states such as California, Trump won't even be on the primary ballot there.

[TheCowsCameHome]

22. Yup. And that is a good thing.

Anything to bring down the Orange Blob.

[still_one]

29. He won't wound him either. The republican party is fully in bed with trump, and will insure he is

their nominee

In my view it is naïve to think anything different will be the case.

It is also reckless to believe that trump is so unpopular anyone can beat him:

https://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=view_post&forum=1002&pid=12411468

[mopinko]

31. i applaud his courage.

even tho he is likely to come out of this w money in the bank, we really do need some from the other side calling it what he is.

it is music to my ears-
he is unfit
he lies every time he opens his mouth.

it is past time for someone, anyone, from the other side to tell the truth. i am behind anyone who is telling the truth in this crazy age.

i dont have to vote for him or donate to be grateful that he has opened his mouth.

[kentuck]

32. I cannot see how he helps Trump?

in any way?

I think there may be a few votes for him if he runs as a small-government, fiscally responsible, Republican. Perhaps?

[mopinko]

33. did i say that?

not sure how you could infer that, as i didnt imply it.

i think he hurts cheato like the picadors hurt the bull.

[kentuck]

61. Sorry...

I was not trying to be critical of your point.

I was trying to support it even further.

[patphil]

35. It's true, Joe Walsh might wound Trump.

But Trump's base will give him the nomination regardless.
The good news is that every challenge to Trump means a bunch of Republicans that don't like Trump.
They might not vote for Trump, but they aren't going to vote Democrat.
The best we can hope for here is for the middle ground to move to the Democratic side and some of the less than crazy Republicans to vote 3rd party or not vote at all for president.
It certainly helps to see a challenger to Trump, even if it's a long term, dedicated asshole like Joe Walsh.

Patrick Phillips

[warmfeet]

40. Circular firing squad.

That is my hope, my dream.

Let them tear themselves apart.

They deserve nothing less. Of course, they do deserve even more.

They deserve life sentences in federal correctional facilities.

[madaboutharry]

53. Joe Walsh admits to 200-300 racist tweets!

He claims that he is really, really, really sorry for all the racist bullshit he said about President Obama. He claims he has had an epiphany and that he is ashamed of all his racist statements but also denies that he is a racist. He claims his anger at democrats made him say those things.

What a loon.

Regardless, RUN JOE RUN!

If Joe Walsh does enough damage to peal away even 2% of Trump votes he could change the outcome of the election. He knows he isn't going to get the nomination. I think his campaign is to inflict enough cuts to convince some republicans not to vote for Trump. Walsh told Nicolle Wallace that it isn't out of the question that he would vote for the democratic nominee.

[sprinkleeninow]

56. My wise mommie always said it's the 'ending' that counts. 💖

[IronLionZion]

55. Walsh was a one term congressman defeated by Tammy Duckworth

He rode the tea party wave to narrowly win in 2010 without much support from GOP establishment, who still think he's not worth it.

To his credit, he's held more town hall meetings with his constituents than anyone else, but he yelled at them, kind of like how Trump does at his rallies.

[Cosmocat]

57. He does not even remotely have the juice

To quote damage Trump unquote. He's an afterthought. Until flake or kasich's get in, there's no primary.