Roger Ailes just called. He is a great guy & assures me that “Trump” will be treated fairly on @FoxNews. His word is always good!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 10, 2015
There’s so much crazy in the current Trump-versus-the-GOP saga, and such a rich variety of worthy targets. Just the charges & countercharges in the “business” venues could fill volumes…
Stone says a Trump third party campaign would be like 1912!!!
— Zeke Miller (@ZekeJMiller) August 8, 2015
@dandrezner @ZekeJMiller bull(sh*t) moose
— Matt Lyke (@MattLyke) August 8, 2015
@dandrezner @ZekeJMiller in that it would sink like the titanic
— Josh (@Joshiswrite) August 8, 2015
Theory: likeliest reason Roger Stone split with Trump? He has a book coming out. He needs Fox to promote it.
— Olivia Nuzzi (@Olivianuzzi) August 8, 2015
The Daily Beast, of course, can always find a few kind words for a professional ratfvcker spinmeister like Roger Stone:
A few days ago, Donald Trump’s senior adviser, Roger Stone, suddenly left the campaign. Stone insists he resigned, and that Team Trump simply caught wind of his imminent departure, and leaked word he had been terminated.
I’ve known the legendary strategist for years, and have interviewed him numerous times. I caught up with him for a quick phone call on Monday morning. As always, Roger Stone is both quotable and colorful. Enjoy.
Good to talk with you, as always. What the hell happened this weekend?
I wasn’t fired. I quit. And I quit because I felt I was having no impact on the direction of the campaign, which got off to an extraordinarily good start. I think he’s unique, in that he has the stature and the media access and independence to drive a reform message all the way to 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue.
They claim you were fired.
The claim that I was fired was quickly disproved…I left on my own volition, but I continue to strongly support Trump because I think he has a unique opportunity here, and it would really be tragic if he doesn’t realize his full potential.
Right, but somebody on his campaign presumably lied about this. Aren’t you pissed?
This is the oldest fight in American politics. It’s the advance men and the merchandisers versus those men and women of ideas. I think politics is about sweeping big ideas, and a few memorable phrases to get people to remember them. It’s not about minutiae…and I just think it is tragic that the Trump campaign appears to have gone into this cul-de-sac where we’re bickering with Megyn Kelly—who is not running for president…
Protip: Never use the same escort service or brothel as Roger Stone.
— Jeet Heer (@HeerJeet) August 8, 2015
In the National Memo, Joe Conason, who’s been cataloging the crimes of Repub “strategists” for many years, casts a colder eye:
The tumultuous split between Roger Stone and Donald Trump – allied since their introduction more than 30 years ago by the late and legendary right-wing attorney Roy Cohn – erupted from internal divisions that have troubled the real estate mogul’s presidential campaign almost from the beginning, according to knowledgeable sources. Among the figures who may seek to fill the strategic vacuum left by Stone’s abrupt departure is none other than David Bossie, who runs the Citizens United Foundation and has long been associated with disreputable figures on the Republican right…
Behind the media histrionics and dueling Twitter messages, however, were intrigues that sources trace to the hostility between Stone and campaign manager Corey Lewandowski, an ambitious former Capitol Hill staffer and employee of Americans for Prosperity, the Koch brothers’ political operation.
On August 2, Lewandowski arranged the firing of Sam Nunberg, a Stone protégé bounced from the campaign after an anonymous informant sent an email about racist posts on Nunberg’s Facebook page, including a 2007 post mocking the daughter of Rev. Al Sharpton, to the political editor of Business Insider. Under Stone’s direction, Nunberg had almost singlehandedly prepared all of the Trump campaign’s position papers, talking points, and written materials…
Stone had developed a low opinion of Lewandowski well before the Fox debate, telling friends that “due diligence” ought to have precluded Trump from hiring the campaign manager. Lewandowski has no previous presidential-level experience but his résumé undeniably does include stints with former Rep. Bob Ney (R-OH), who went to prison in 2006 after pleading guilty to corruption charges in the Jack Abramoff lobbying scandal, and former Senator Bob Smith (R-NH), who lost his seat in 2002 after angering fellow Republican senators and GOP leaders in his home state. In fact, Lewandowski managed Smith’s embarrassing, doomed campaign.
To those who know Stone, whose experience in national politics dates back to the 1968 Nixon campaign, his irritation at being overruled by someone of such lowly political stature was understandable. The Trump campaign, as he saw it, had become dominated by mediocre climbers who would never speak honestly to the casino mogul.
The Bossie connection also troubled Stone, according to the same sources. Trump had hired Lewandowski after meeting him at a New Hampshire event for Republican presidential hopefuls sponsored by Citizens United and Americans for Prosperity, where Bossie reportedly recommended the 40-year-old operative to Trump. Stone may suspect that Bossie – a disreputable GOP operative who runs profitable email response campaigns — might have designs on the tens of thousands of valuable names and email addresses of conservatives who have contributed money on the Trump website. In only two days, tens of thousands had signed up for a “matching campaign,” making donations that the Manhattan developer promised to double…
The old lion — wolverine? — is challenged by a young wanna-be! Is there no honor among thieves GOP campaign operatives? Bring on the world’s tiniest violin orchestra!
Meanwhile, Head Mustelide Trump rises above the clamour of the minions, making his own treaties. Per Gabriel Sherman, at NYMag:
Until Thursday’s GOP debate, Fox News chairman Roger Ailes and Donald Trump had been executing one of the most successful examples of media synergy in recent memory. But the Trump-Ailes alliance — which helped generate a record debate audience of 24 million — has been in tatters ever since Fox’s debate moderators peppered Trump with critical questions onstage in Cleveland. From the moment Trump faced reporters in the post-debate “Spin Room,” he’s been attacking the network’s treatment of him, with special venom reserved for Megyn Kelly.
Now, it appears both sides want peace. [Monday] morning, Trump tweeted that Ailes called to assure him that Fox will cover him “fairly” going forward. According to two high-level Fox sources, Ailes’s diplomacy was the result of increasing concern inside Fox News that Trump could damage the network. Immediately following Thursday’s debate, Fox was deluged with pro-Trump emails. The chatter on Twitter was equally in Trump’s favor. “In the beginning, virtually 100 percent of the emails were against Megyn Kelly,” one Fox source, who was briefed on the situation, told me. “Roger was not happy. Most of the Fox viewers were taking Trump’s side.” …
In recent days, Ailes got a glimpse of what a Trump-less Fox News would look like. On Sunday, Trump called in to the four other public-affairs shows; this morning he gave interviews to Today and Morning Joe. Inside Fox, this was alarming. “This thing with Megyn got way ahead of Roger and bigger than he must have thought,” one Fox personality said. “Roger wants this to blow over,” another source added. “He’s upset that conservatives are mad at Fox.” Online, Ailes also took flak. Both the Drudge Report and Breitbart News carried pro-Trump headlines…
***********
Apart from wishing (further) confusion to our enemies, what’s on the agenda for the day?
Baud
The nice thing about Trump is that all of this inside baseball stuff is kind of irrelevant.
raven
Big storms here, we were without power for about 6 hours and the power crews were awesome getting things back up!
MattF
Poor Roger Ailes. His soul now has very little resale value. What will he tell Rupert?
OzarkHillbilly
@raven: Had a cold front come thru Sunday night. Lightning like I have seen only rarely before. Went out to take my bedtime pee and the sky was just constantly lit up everywhere nonstop. Went to bed and it started striking all around us. Kept waiting for the one on our place but it didn’t come. Lost power briefly a time or 2 but nothing to speak of. Then the rain came. 4 and 1/4 inches. Surprised my chickens didn’t float away.
But now we get the payoff: Highs in the mid 80s and lows in the low 60s all week. Lovin’ it.
Amir Khalid
Fox News should be covering presidential candidates with no discernible favouritism. It has no business making promises about its coverage to Donald Trump, or any other presidential candidate regardless of party. That it is now essentially in cahoots with anyone at all ought to be a big scandal.
ETA: Disapproving pout.
Anne Laurie
@Amir Khalid: Tongue firmly in cheek!
Zinsky
All of these conservatives fellating one another makes me rather ill. These are degenerate, not nice people.
BillinGlendaleCA
@Amir Khalid: It’s not journalism, it’s Fox.
Schlemazel
It all strikes me as similar to the band playing Nearer My God To Thee as the ship goes down. We are entertained & soothed but the ship is still gonna sink. If it were just Fox or the GOP I’d be pleased but it seems that they are gonna suck the entire nation down with them.
– the little black ray of sunshine
raven
@OzarkHillbilly: I saw a photo of a rainbow with a ligthning strike in it!
Amir Khalid
I see that the new six-episode run of The X-Files is bringing back the only regular character who always called Mulder and Scully by their first names: Scully’s mother Margaret. Given the recent news that Fox and Dana have split up, I hope she’s there to nag them to get back together.
Baud
OzarkHillbilly
@raven: Nice.
Kay
@Amir Khalid:
One of my sisters watched the whole thing (I watched about a half hour) and she was really fascinated by how insular it is- that FOX really IS the GOP- to her it was more like watching a contentious Party meeting or national GOP summit than a “debate” – like Kelly was one of the national Party chairs calling out a faction leader.
Baud
@Kay:
It got huge ratings. But I haven’t seen any follow up about whether it changed anyone’s view of the GOP.
Schlemazel
@OzarkHillbilly:
Trust me Megs you got nothing to apologize for on that front. Try doing some good journalism sometime & see how it feels.
Kay
@Baud:
Speaking of, one of the other Ohio commenters mentioned to me that she was seeing general pro-GOP ads on local tv. It’s a national org or PAC or whatever. They run ads “this is the Republican Party” with positive portrayals of the GOP. I was going thru Cleveland last weekend and I heard one on the radio, on what is an AA talk radio/local events station. This was a testimonial format- the speaker says he had never considered voting Republican but got some information and “took another look”. He says “check it out”.
I didn’t think it was particularly effective but it’s interesting that they think they need a general GOP campaign in Ohio. According to local GOP people they’re just as strong as can be, you know, striding to another inevitable victory :)
Baud
@Kay:
Maybe they should institute a miles program to get people to sign up.
Where does one go to check it out? Is there a website?
OzarkHillbilly
Anne Laurie, I found the ideal subject for our next garden chat:
Nasa astronauts take first bites of lettuce grown in space: ‘Tastes like arugula’
I wonder how much weeding they had to do?
Kay
@Baud:
There is a website but it’s just the national Republican website. That is, I think, the weakest part. How they shunt them off to the website at the end instead of having some local event. Are there a lot of people who want to read boilerplate tripe on a site wholly devoted to general “brand” advertising? Don’t people usually get to a political Party thru a person- a candidate or the influence of family or friends? The local Obama campaign called those people “validators”- some local person who would act as a bridge. It’s the whole point of house parties.
Derelict
Republicans in Disarray is a headline you will never read anywhere except a Web site like this.
For Democrats, however, the fact that there is more than one Democrat running for president proves that the party is in complete disarray. If we only had one person running, that would demonstrate that we’re lock-step liberals.
Mustang Bobby
Flying back from Toronto yesterday afternoon, a thunderstorm parked itself over Miami International Airport, forcing my flight to divert to Fort Lauderdale until it blew over. They wouldn’t let us off because Customs had pre-cleared the flight only for MIA, not FLL, but we were on the ground only 90 minutes to refuel and let the storm pass, and by the time we got to MIA, all the connecting flights had been delayed, too, so there was no massive freakout on the part of those going on to other places.
We need the rain, too.
Baud
@Kay:
My parents were Dems, but we never talked about politics. I started off as an independent, but it became clear that I was going to support Dems in elections, so I switched. Came to it on my own.
debbie
@Baud:
Funniest line I’ve read in weeks.
debbie
@Kay:
@Baud:
Here’s the Web site I think Kay’s talking about:
http://opportunitylives.com/
Sherparick
I got buy more popcorn. And whiskey.
P.S. I would like to make an observation. First, the Republican Party has now basically been consumed by Fox News and about 20 or so billionaires (including Trump on that list). Ailes, as Rupert’s surrogate in the U.S. (he does the work himself in Australia and UK), is trying to orchestrate the selection and election of Fox’s own creature to the Presidency. In the history of the decline the American Republic, this will be seen as interesting development.
Second, and related to the decline, the way the rest of corporate media protects Fox and the Fox brand. I remember six years ago when the Obama administration referred to Fox News as a “partisan” entity, and the way the rest of the media responded that “Fox” was a “legitimate” news operation. And neither the networks, other cable news, WaPo, or New York Times, cover the story of Fox promoting or attacking candidates in the Republican field as a “political actor,” merely covering the Trump-Kelley conflict as a candidate v. “journalist” story. I wonder if this represents a solidarity of shared interest in the media-entertainment industrial corporate complex between Fox, Comcast, Time/Warner, CBS, and Disney?
Baud
@debbie:
Haha. They hired a diversity consultant.
Kay
@Baud:
The sister I mentioned earlier went the same way. She’s younger and she considered herself independent but she “became” a Democrat thru Obama. He was the candidate who put her solidly in a political Party. She’s actually a really good Democrat. She complains a lot less than I do. On a local level, here anyway, a lot of it is about relationships. One forms relationships with like-minded people and that is what keeps one active or locally engaged. People deride that as “red team” or “blue team” but to me the people who do that are missing the local angle. It’s not “we’re loyal to the DNC”. It’s ” I have known these 17 individuals for a decade and I like them”. I think that’s why people volunteer as precinct captains and secretaries and such.
Kay
@debbie:
I heard one! I zone out when driving so I might have ignored it but I remembered you mentioned it.
OzarkHillbilly
@Sherparick:
Look at how the NYT covers all things Hillary.
Baud
@Kay:
I agree. The social aspect is fundamental.
satby
@Baud: I grew up South Side Irish in Chicago, so a born and bred Democratic party voter for most of my life. I have voted Republican for governor a few times back in the 80s when the Dem running was a conservative Catholic anti-choice candidate, because that’s a key issue for me. In my neck of the woods, that qualifies me as enough of an R voter to serve as a Republican election judge, which I did for 5 election cycles. I like to tell the tribal Republicans that as a prelude to eviscerating their party, because they listen a little bit more if they think I used to be one of them. And I will shamelessly use every wedge I can.
Baud
@satby:
Shamelessaness is key. I don’t have the patience to deal with them, so good for you.
Karen S.
Yeesh! They’re just horrible people all the way down. I think The Donald should have stomped on Fox for a bit longer, but he did get Fox and Ailes to cave so that’s something.
debbie
@Kay:
Looking at the authors of the articles on the home page, the writers seem to be from Heritage and Fox. I’m sure there’s some kind of dark connection to the RNC.
I generally only watch the local news, and the ads have been all over those broadcasts (Fox and NBC). Even worse, they run every ad twice in a row. Just in case the listener’s too stupid to get it the first time around.
satby
@Baud: That show on Showtime? Practically a documentary of my people.
Baud
@satby:
I don’t have Showtime. Which show?
Kay
@debbie:
It’s funny to me because of all of the denials that any of their over the top nasty stuff hurts “the brand”. If that’s true, why do they have to run a campaign based on “despite what you may have heard, Republicans aren’t assholes”.
Baud
@Kay:
To counter liberal media lies, of course.
Steeplejack
@Baud:
Pretty sure she means Shameless.
Baud
@Steeplejack:
Thanks. Hadn’t heard of it.
Kay
@Baud:
I hope it isn’t “political correctness” that they have an outreach coordinator or, God forbid, pandering to “special interest groups” who are defined as anyone who isn’t a white male small business owner.
NotMax
@Steeplejack
“Come back, Shame, come back!”
/hoary punchline
OzarkHillbilly
@Kay: Hey now, us toothless white trash hill folk deserve a little attention too, ya know. Jus’ so long as you don’t raise any of our taxes while yer at it.
oldgold
For Fox ratings are trump and good for what ails you.
Patrick
@Baud:
Not a single question about bridgegate to Christie. Yet at the same time, she spent half of her questions on Donald Trump because of the FoxNews agenda to get Trump out of the race.. Yet she thinks she is a good journalist. Good grief!
Matt McIrvin
@OzarkHillbilly: Our astronauts have become effete elites who know what arugula tastes like! Real spacemen eat out of a TUBE!
Jeffro
You know what will be interesting? If this drags on much longer, you will have Trump vs. the Koch Brothers (who, obviously, want to win at any cost). You have to wonder which side Sheldon Adelson will take…
Matt McIrvin
@Kay: I heard one of those ads on the radio in Colorado Springs, a town so Republican that you’d think they wouldn’t need to recruit. I wonder what the main intended purpose of them is: maybe to get conservative-leaning “independents” to start identifying with the party again?
shell
Cue the remake of ‘All About Eve’ !
CONGRATULATIONS!
@Kay: Not I. I don’t know how most people do it. For me, it was really simple. I was 13 and some dipshit named Carter was running the country and it wasn’t going real well. Even 13-year old me could see that.
But then this slimy Brylcreemed asshole came along and did two things that assured that I’d never be a Republican – he badmouthed scientists and was pandering to the Jesus freaks. I wasn’t worried. This guy was an idiot and a fringe lunatic.
He, of course, won, and not by a little bit. I’ve been pissed at the GOP ever since.
satby
@Baud: Shameless (I don’t have it either, pulled the cable 2 years ago.
satby
@Steeplejack: Yep. Internet was out, took a while to get back…..
mike in dc
Issues Sanders has to overcome if he really wants to win the nomination:
1. Diversifying his support–this is in process, by fits and starts
2. Avoiding the Howard Dean Factor–out-of-state zealous supporters going door to door in early states and aggravating and alienating voters; the overzealousness can obviously also be a problem generally and his supporters are going to have to learn how to dial it back a bit when required
3. Nullifying the “He’s unelectable” canard–the best ways to do this are by continuing to draw large crowds, by performing well in debate and by getting included in head to head polling against potential republican nominees–to the extent he beats them at all, it nullifies the argument in large part
4. The money gap–Bernie can’t match Hillary dollar for dollar, so he will have to spend efficiently and strategically
5. Organization and endorsements–it’s also a big catchup game here–having to upscale for a national effort, and finding ways to secure some big endorsements when he’s not even officially a Democrat
6. Establishment media who are going to paint him as “too extreme for the voting public”–the best way to counter this is to point to widespread public support for many of the policy ideas he espouses
All of these are going to be difficult to overcome, but if the Sanders campaign can do it, it is possible and even plausible for him to secure the nomination.
Cervantes
Conason:
Not precisely true. I remember him as a volunteer for Goldwater in ’64.
Jeffro
@Sherparick:
You’re right and you know what’s funny? I can’t remember a single instance like that since then. It’s almost like Obama standing up to the ‘bully’ (Fox) – and even then, not really standing up to them, just refusing to go along with the charade – gave all the other news weasels a bit of spine. Enough that they didn’t feel the need to reflexively defend their fellow “news” organization, anyway.
rikyrah
@Sherparick:
excellent observation.
What Have the Romans Ever Done for Us?
@Baud: This spat will drive ratings. I wouldn’t be surprised if Ailes is telling Kelly to and the Donald both to keep being combative. It may suck for the Republicans but it’s great for Fox News’s ratings so long as the Donald doesn’t abscond to some other network.
As for Republicans, isn’t this their “every man for himself” ethos coming home to roost? They finally have a guy with no allegiance or loyalty to anyone but himself, and a guy who needs no help from anyone else for anything – not to raise money or get face time with the media. He’s the ultimate culmination of the Republican ethos.
jc
The funniest part is that Trump is pretending to be a real candidate for president, but he’s really just pimping the Trump brand. And FOX is pretending to be a legitimate news source, but they’re really just pimping for the Republican brand.
Applejinx
@mike in dc: The interesting thing about the money gap is how Trump is outright saying in public, that he gives money to everybody and then they do what he asks.
He’s saying it because he claims he’s not taking money (and surely he’s not, talk about a bad move for Sherman Adelson or whoever). He’s saying literally everybody else is totally whores to every special interest, and that he is that special interest and isn’t shy about asking for favors.
The only defense IS the money gap, guys like Bernie Sanders who are at a great disadvantage because they haven’t taken the big dark money and the billionaire funding. Pretty much anybody who plays that game can decimate Bernie, but Trump has given the game away for lulz apparently.
I’m sure it rang true because it IS true, but all the same it’s an amazing ploy. I’m more and more convinced we’re going to see Trump vs. Sanders. We’re seeing people saying they will vote Trump if they don’t get to vote Sanders. That’s an astonishing juxtaposition but I don’t think they’re joking, they’re just super serious that they demand an outsider and not a party machine candidate.