Herd Thinned Again

No, no, don't arse yourself to read it but credit where due (to the graphics dep't. there, actually) as last remaining hopes are dashed on a rock & we getsteal a new graphic on which to X the bastards as they fall by the wayside.

Wasn't there another old dude running as well? Whatever. It all pretty much pivots
(What the fuck-tuck-tucking hell is wrong w/ "turns", by the fucking way?) toward the general now.

The story so illustrated is titled

Republicans are practically handing Hillary the presidency

& was typed by human hairball/nepotist Junior Podhoretz.

Also disappointed: Jennifer Rubin, as her favorite neo-con gets the big X. She has suggestions, if not ideas. Because The Washington Post has added to its irksomeness factor, not w/ content but an effing paywall requiring this reporter to open their inane garbage in an incognito window (Jesus Gawd, do the impositions never stop?) we'll reproduce all eight of her recommendations in the interest of humor & as a noble & valiant blow against copyright.

1. Trump predictably ducked the debate in Utah. He should be mocked mercilessly. The campaigns can send a costumed duck or empty podium to all his events. Call him out as a coward. He’s afraid, plainly, to be cornered, but if he cannot take on Cruz and/or Kasich, how is he going to deal with Hillary Clinton? Cruz might tell the Republican National Committee to scram with their “sanctioned” debates and challenge Trump to come at him on “Meet the Press” or in some other joint forum.

2. Shake up the race by naming a running mate now. A telegenic young conservative can spend his or her time attacking Trump while the candidate takes the high road. Sen. Tim Scott (S.C.), South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley and Sen. Marco Rubio (Fla.) (who would get double points for unifying the party) are all capable. Yes, it’s a risk, but at this point you have to take some chances.

3. Trump and the mainstream media are bound together — he boosts their ratings, they give him $2 billion in free airtime. The campaigns should decry the “liberal media” getting behind the candidate most likely to lose, and, moreover, start demanding some equivalence in coverage (e.g., institute the same ground rules for call-in interviews, carry other candidates’ live events like they do Trump’s).

4. Cruz can give a high-minded presidential address or write a series of op-eds, making clear just how unfit Trump is as commander in chief. It’s time for a “daisy” ad or two.

5. Keep at the issue of Trump’s tax returns. In every speech and every TV appearance, his opponents need to drive home the point that Trump, like any good con man, is hiding the ball. The RNC should demand disclosure before the convention.

6. In winner-take-all states, do not divide up the non-Trump vote. Kasich’s presence in Arizona, for example, is likely to kill any chance Cruz has there. If Kasich wants to be more than a spoiler, he should plant himself (as he did in Ohio) in a few discrete states and try to win somewhere other than his home. (Connecticut or Delaware might work.) If he cannot win another state soon, he should get out.

7. Unlike Trump, who is sheltered from the media (which he continues to insult and abuse), his opponents need to answer all questions and invite the press to ride along with them. Don’t take time away from the ground game, which is vital; instead, have the media come to you but give them unprecedented access.

8. Cruz’s best weapon is Heidi Cruz. They should travel together, if it helps soften his edges. Let her tell his story as only a wife can.

None of this is rocket science, nor is it guaranteed to work. However, the candidates need to figure out how to grab the spotlight from Trump and tenaciously expose his many flaws. If so, one or both of them may survive to fight at the convention.

Jennifer Rubin writes the Right Turn blog for The Post, offering reported opinion from a conservative perspective.

The esteemed Edroso of alicublog has termed these sorts of things the Slough of Donald.