Trump's Birther Strategy Makes Sense if You Understand its Purpose

[stevenleser]

Here is the problem. Imagine that you are the Donald Trump of a few months ago. You want to run for President in 2012. You don’t want to wait for 2016, and that eliminates running as a Democrat. Your first problem is how to secure the Republican nomination. Forget about the general election. If you get that far, you can pivot in your positions like most nominees do.

That problem of how to win the Republican nomination must have seemed very difficult to many in Trump’s camp. The last New York Republican who tried, Rudy Giuliani, enjoyed a high positive rating in the country and Republican party prior to trying to run for President. He was the mayor of New York City through the tragedy and aftermath of 9/11, and had that performance to highlight his leadership skills. That should have made him a strong contender. It didn’t.
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So how do you appeal to the Conservative base when you have a history of Liberal stances on the issues and you don’t want to appear to be a flip-flopper? The answer is: become a birther. The conservative base loves the birther conspiracy. Go to any conservative internet discussion forum like Free Republic and you will find not only a lot of talk on the issue, you will see that most of the folks discussing the issue are (or at least seem) convinced that President Obama was born in Kenya.

More at: http://www.democratsforprogress.com/2011/04/08/trumps-birther-strategy-makes-sense-if-you-understand-its-purpose/

[pnwmom]

1. Thanks for this. He really might be serious this time. Scary. n/t

[stevenleser]

That is the other point. Yes, he is DEFINITELY IN this time. This strategy confirms it.

You don't pull something like this unless you really want to go ahead.

[pnwmom]

5. He's also bragging about how "militaristic" he is. Great.

Just what we need.

[freshwest]

8. Far cry from his calling Bush's Iraq war stupid... Guess he's going into munitions, now.

[Vattel]

11. We will inevitably get someone who is militaristic

[Bake]

22. I disagree. He'll never release financial statements/tax returns.

He's just pumping up his ego and the ratings for The Apprentice.

Bake

[randr]

2. I suspect a different scenario may unfold

Having put his foot into the deep doodoo of this issue the only way out is to come up with a definitive answer. He will either prove Obama was born elsewhere and smuggled into the country so he could become a future President or he will prove the various conspiracy theories wrong.
If he comes to the conclusion that the vast majority of Americans already have he will have done Obama a great service by having one of the teabaggers themselves disprove the conspiracy nonsense.
Of course Trunp will carry the teabagger mantle the rest of his days.

[stevenleser]

4. I see it going one of three ways if he gets the nomination

1. He indicates that he is not going to talk about this anymore because he wants to 'beat Obama straight up' and that the issues are too important to spend time on that question. Trump appears magnanimous and it gets him off the hook.

2. He indicates that his investigators have found out that Obama was in fact born in Hawaii. I think this is less likely than #1 but it also kills the issue dead and leaves him in a position to move on

3. He continues to press the issue up to election day. Not sure how this works if he tries it.

[opihimoimoi]

3. If the Birthers bond w him...he gets a 3,000,000 instant team in every state..

The rookie baggers will gravitate to him....if he wins the norm....the Pub Party will be at his beck and yell.

[pnwmom]

6. I'd recommend this AGAIN if I could.

I really think you're on to something, and that the media is underestimating him. I hope the Dems are not.

[Solomon]

7. I just can't see him really running. Is he going to open up his

finances and be vetted on everything? I just can't imagine it.

[pnwmom]

10. The SCOTUS will probably overturn all those silly financial rules.

They'll say it's an invasion of privacy.

[stevenleser]

12. On morning Joe yesterday he said he had no problem with it

And that he actually looked forward to it.

[creeksneakers2]

9. Its working for Trump

NBC/WSJ poll just had Trump tied for second in the GOP field. Fox just polled him at fourth.

http://www.realclearpolitics.com/epolls/2012/president/us/republican_presidential_nomination-1452.html

[Dawson Leery]

13. The base wants Palin, Bachmann, and Huckabee.

With Trump, there is a four way split.

[jberryhill]

14. Trump sucks the crazy out from under those three

[Douglas Carpenter]

15. I think that hits the nail on the head. One cannot win the GOP nomination these days without getting

a major portion of the CRAZY vote. Since he is not a social-conservative and obviously not a fundamentalist or even a typical teabagger - how can he appeal to the crazies without doing a complete flip-flop on a number of social issues? Plus his lifestyle has been way too libertine and urbane for their taste. Well he can become the hero and champion of the cause that even the likes of Huckabee or Palin or Gingrich feel obliged to avoid - Embracing the birther movement allows him to gain significant traction with the crazies without having to completely renounce his socially libertine positions.

[trixie]

16. You just know his 3 eldest are sitting there smiling

and thinking, "Keep it up old man and we'll have controll of the company a lot sooner". I could swear I saw Ivanka writing down station names for copies of the videos for court. :rofl:

[RBInMaine]

17. And the more the bad-haired fuckwad talks, the STUPIDER he looks. Obama would DESTROY him.

[Douglas Carpenter]

18. no he is not very bright ..at least when it comes to politics

I recall watching him interviewed on Larry King way back in 2003 or 2004 when he was speculating about he possibility of a Presidential run. When asked by Mr. King who would he want to be his V.P. candidate - he said Oprah Winfrey - and he was absolutely serious - and didn't seem to understand how outrageous that sounds. Listening to him closer, I discovered that he has a knowledge pool that is embarrassing to say the least. However, that doesn't seem to always matter . Ronald Reagan sounded like an utter dimwit. Then Dan Quayle came along and made him sound smart by comparison. Then we had George W. Bush who made either of those two sound like men of letters. Then we have Sarah Palin who makes George W. Bush sound well informed in comparison. Sadly, I'm not sure that lack of intelligence or knowledge is always an impediment. But in Trump's case - it might be a bit like H. Ross Perot's candidacy. People are interested at first and assume he must be so smart to have gotten so rich. But in time people realize there is simply no substance.

[Logical]

19. Interesting! n-t

[Exilednight]

20. Trump just wants his name in the paper. He takes running about as serious as that bozo from

Law & Order. He pulls this shit about every eight years.

[vaberella]

21. Who knows....he could be working for Obama and putting the Repubs in disarray. n/t

[bullwinkle428]

23. He's nothing but a joke - all of this "campaign" talk will go away

once this season's "Celebrity Apprentice" finale airs.