Don’t listen to GOP “analysis” of who they think can beat Trump
by digby
Donald Trump’s political advisers are homing in on three declared Democratic candidates who they believe are the most viable at this early stage of the campaign.
The reelection campaign has begun compiling opposition research on Kamala Harris, Elizabeth Warren and Cory Booker and is eyeing opportunities to attack them. The effort began over the weekend when the Trump campaign sent out a news release ahead of Warren’s launch criticizing her past claims of Native American heritage.
Trump’s advisers are certain the list of announced Democratic candidates will grow exponentially before the first primary debate in June, and that their targets are certain to fluctuate over time. Yet the early assessment provides a window into how Trump world views the emerging Democratic field — a sprawling, largely undefined group that lacks a clear front-runner.
Interviews with more than two dozen of the president’s closest advisers reveal that the Trump operation is watching the opening days of the Democratic primary with a mix of relief over the field’s sprint to the left, surprise over Harris’ impressive launch, and trepidation over the prospect of Joe Biden and Sherrod Brown threatening Trump’s Midwest stranglehold.
Trump has told allies he sees Biden, who remains undecided on a 2020 bid, as the most formidable potential general election rival. The president has said privately that Biden would appeal to a wider swath of voters than other Democratic hopefuls.
Yet among the president’s inner circle, there’s widespread doubt that Biden could survive a primary, after a three-decade political career and positions on issues such as the Iraq war and crime that are anathema to liberals. Many are convinced that whoever emerges from the Democratic primary will be an out-of-the-mainstream liberal — someone who either hails from that wing of the party or has taken pains to align themselves with it.
“Based on what we’ve seen so far, between the direction of the party and pressure, it will be difficult for them not to take a position which won’t be counter to their base,” said Brian Walsh, the president of the pro-Trump America First Action super PAC.
Well that’s something they certainly know a thing or two about, isn’t it? They all cower in fear of the cult followers of Orange Julius Caesar.
But that’s the rub. They’re applying the dynamic within their own coalition to the Democrats and that’s a mistake. The two coalitions are very different and the voters within it have different motivations that unite them. I don’t think they have any idea who is the most formidable against Trump — and neither does anyone else at this point. That’s why the field is so huge. We’re just going to have to see it play out.
As for Trump allegedly “fearing” Biden, I doubt it. Trump doesn’t fear anyone because he’s a narcissistic loon who figures he can beat anyone and doesn’t even have to think about how to do it aside from coming up with insulting nicknames and rallying his base. There is no meaningful “analysis” coming from Trump.
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