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This is a questsion to everyone on the Bulwark staff. One month later, how accurate do you believe is Frank Luntz's 4/9/2023 NYT op ed identifying the qualities necessary to defeat Trump in the GOP POTUS 2024 Primary and is there a potential actual candidate in or capable of announcing and doing so? nytimes.com/2023/04/09/… "First, beati…
This is a questsion to everyone on the Bulwark staff. One month later, how accurate do you believe is Frank Luntz's 4/9/2023 NYT op ed identifying the qualities necessary to defeat Trump in the GOP POTUS 2024 Primary and is there a potential actual candidate in or capable of announcing and doing so? nytimes.com/2023/04/09/opinion/donald-trump-2024-campaign.html?action=click&module=RelatedLinks&pgtype=Article "First, beating Mr. Trump requires humility...It’s about offering Republicans the contrast they seek: a candidate who champions his agenda but with decency, civility and a commitment to personal responsibility and accountability.
"Second, Mr. Trump has become his own version of the much-hated political establishment...Mr. Trump has become a professional politician reflecting the political system he was elected to destroy...there’s a clear way to appeal to other Republican voters firmly focused on the future rather than on relitigating the past. It starts with a simple campaign pitch along these lines: “We can do better. We must do better.”
"Third, recognize that the average farmer, small business owner or veteran will hold greater sway with the Trump voter than the famous and the powerful...They just need to be authentic — and be able to say that they have voted for Mr. Trump in 2016 and 2020..."“Donald Trump had my back in 2016. Now, it’s all about him. I didn’t leave Donald Trump. He left me.'
"Fourth, compliment Mr. Trump’s presidency while you criticize the person...'Donald Trump was a great president, but he wasn’t always a great role model. Today, more than ever, we need character — not just courage.'...
"Fifth, make it more about [voters'] grandchildren...'The values we teach our children should be the values we see in our president.'
"The looming debt ceiling vote is the perfect hook. The increase in the annual deficit under Mr. Trump is the third-largest increase, relative to the size of the economy, of any U.S. presidential administration... 'We can’t afford this debt. We can’t afford Donald Trump.'
"Sixth, there’s one character trait that unites just about everyone: [disgust with] hypocrisy...'While more than half of America was working paycheck to paycheck, [As President, Trump spent $150 million on 300 rounds of golf at his golf resorts. He] was working on his short game. And you paid for it.'
"Seventh...The successful candidate must appeal to independents as well."
..."eighth, you need to penetrate the conservative echo chamber. You need at least one of these on your side: Mark Levin, Dennis Prager, Ben Shapiro, Newt Gingrich and, of course, Tucker, Sean and Laura."
"Donald Trump was a great president, but he wasn’t always a great role model."
Yeah, no, Frank. I'm never going to say that about the worst "president" in American history, just to placate the ego of some idiot yokel who supports him against their own (and America's) interest. Screw that.
I'm not a Bulwark staff member, but my response to all eight of those points that Frank Luntz made sound delusional. They all sound plausibly functional in a GENERAL election. But there's absolutely no way voters would be significantly attracted to any of those propositions in a Republican PRIMARY nomination. That's been pretty well demonstrated over and over and over again for almost a decade now. My guess is that Mr. Luntz, even though he's a well-respected pollster, didn't actually test these propositions with focus groups of likely Republican primary voters. If you've listened to any of Sarah Longwell's focus group podcasts then you know what I'm talking about. My guess is that Mr. Luntz is just expressing what he wishes, and psychologically NEEDS to be true.