If I were a dark horse GOP candidate for 2024, I'd speak out very strongly against Trump right now

Whatever, OP.

Or something like that.

Everyone who is considering a 2024 primary run recognizes that Trump is the most popular figure in the GOP base. That is why they are making an ass out of themselves.

Right R2

But there have got to be a few who realize they are never going to win over the Trumpian base and might have a better shot going against him.

R3 If they don't win over the Trumpian base they aren't winning the primary.

But they might--Cotton, Hawley, Cruz, Pompeo, Haley, Carlson et al split the Trumpists and our Dark Horse is left with the Romney Republicans.

I still hold out hope that Trump will permanently split the Republican Party.

If *anything* good comes out of the FUBAR of his administration, I hope that is it.

I'm really curious what the tipping point will be when it's clear for the top-evel Republcians they stand to gain nothing any longer by saying nothing, and when most of the Republicans will publicly speak out against him refusing to concede. I don't know if Lindsey Graham ever will, but there will come time when Mitch McConnell will have to.

The big sign will be when Susan Collins criticizes him publicly, since she has the least to gain by standing by him. I predict that will precipitate an avalanche among Republicans. It may not happen until the electoral college casts its votes, but I wondered yesterday if it might happen this weekend now that the Governor of GA has certified Georgia's count and the Michigan Republicans have made clear they will not go against the actual vote count.

It's interesting to me that someone like the governor of GA, who has always been a real Republican shit and a huge Trump supporter, had to be one of the first Republicans (other than Mitt Romney) who have had to stop supporting the president's antics. But had he refused to certify the results he might have gone to jail ultimately, or at least severely weakened his own credibility down the line. When Trump's antics benefit them , they will support him; but once he threatens to bring them down with him, they desert him.

r7 Trump has something big on Graham and maybe McConnell. I can't think of any other explanation.

Graham is a classic lackey--he will always suck up to whoever has power, eventually. he sucked up to john McCain until he died, and now he sucks up to Trump. Once Trump is gone he will find someone else's ass to kiss.

McConnell is still staying with Trump because he thinks that will help the Republicans hold the Georgia Senate seats. If that perception changes, he will desert Trump.

R8 Remember when Graham said Russia hacked his campaign's emails? It wasn't long after that when he started worshipping Trump.

Romney/Evan McMullin

I have no idea what it is for McTurtle.

However, I’m willing to bet that for Miss Lindsey it’s proof (not of a spit roasting), but rather of her asking for, and acknowledging acceptance of, lots of illegal Russian money - possibly via the NRA.

Trump probably revealed the evidence during a casual “chat”and said something like: “so long as the Justice Department is headed by my AG, you have no need to worry . . .”

Miss Lindsey is all in.

OP that would require Republicans to have a spine, which they don't.

Chris Christie seems to have gotten the memo, calling Trump's efforts "a national embarrassment"

Good post OP. Yes it's a wide open lane. No guts no glory. The first off the starting block has an amazing shot of getting Fox which is lying vacant right now. Murdoch as GOP kingmaker?

[quote] can hope to pull in the more business-oriented affluent suburbanites who voted for Romney, and, is they are lucky, centrist Democrats who feel that the party's 24 nominee is too far to the left.

Mark Cuban