If the Democrat establishment operated like the Republican establishment, the most important advantage Hillary Clinton gains from avoiding a shotgun primary with Joe Biden is the ability to start flip-flopping early in an attempt to attract Republicans.
Hillary wouldn’t have to wait until she was the nominee. She can safely ignore gatherings of dead-enders huddling for warmth around a greasy bong “feeling the Bern.” And as for Martin O’Malley, a campaign must have once been alive for it to be on life support now.
A DINO establishment (Democrats In Name Only) would urge the famously inauthentic Hillary to cozy up to conservatives. With only a few pills, borrowed from a Sander’s supporter, I can imagine Hillary’s outreach - a rolling disaster that could only be rivaled by Mitt Romney attempting to pass out business cards at an Occupy rally.
First, during a visit to the NRA shooting range Hillary marvels that black people are allowed to handle guns, while an aide refuses to allow Clinton to be photographed firing an weapon that can hold more than one round.
Later, a harried advance team mistakenly has Clinton offering to hold a luncheon at Chipotle for families with loved ones killed by illegal aliens.
Finally, the tour ends when Operation Prodigal Daughter backfires after Hillary meets face-to-face with Kim Davis and asks her to rejoin the Democrat Party and work for change from within.
Hillary’s tour is a fantasy. Democrats only believe in bi-partisanship when Republicans come to them. She’s doubling down with her leftist base. Don’t be surprised if Clinton travels to London’s Highgate Cemetery to protest the capitalist exploiters who imposed an admission fee to visit Karl Marx’ grave.
The question is why are Republicans expected to enthusiastically embrace outreach Democrats would never consider?
Democrat elites aren’t DINOS and they don’t hold their base in contempt. They wish activists wouldn’t track broken glass in on the carpet and the heckling gets old, but those aren’t deal breakers. The truth is Hillary would sooner have lunch with Monica Lewinsky than visit a shooting range or talk to voters concerned about illegals.
Democrat leaders concentrate on mobilizing their base, while embarrassed RINOs concentrate on marginalizing their base.
Columnist Debra Saunders claims “Rubio and Kasich probably are the two Republicans who keep Clinton’s campaign team awake at night.” But those communists aren’t alone. Holier-than-Thou Kasich and More-Gullible-than-I Rubio give me nightmares, too. They personify collaborating with Democrats by alienating our base. USA Today quotes George W. Bush: “[Jeb] is going to win the Latino vote which is essential to winning.”
The base responds by asking since when did an ethnic subgroup that actively subverts the rule of law get veto power over the Republican nominee?
It’s impossible to out-pander a party organized like a soup kitchen. If Rubio - God help us - offers a “path to citizenship” after paying fines and back taxes, Hillary will waive fines and taxes, then offer Chipotle franchises to every Hispanic who registers to vote.
Obama proved you win an election by getting your base to turn out. RINOs think they win by convincing the Democrat base to turn out.
Trump is the bane of the establishment because he doesn’t disdain the support of rank-and-file Republicans: The ones who never eat at Morton’s. More important, Trump doesn’t crab sideways like Lindsey Graham when some troll is ‘outraged’ by a conservative position.
I don’t see Trump as the nominee because his shambolic campaign is wearing thin. I hope the mantle passes to Sen. Ted Cruz who, in contrast to The Donald, is a genuine conservative. Cruz also doesn’t back down as the Washington Post confirms: “Shmuley Boteach, a New Jersey rabbi has been introducing Cruz to members of the Jewish community in New York and Los Angeles. Boteach said Cruz is diplomatic when it comes to hot-button issues - such as the time Boteach told the senator he has a gay brother and doesn’t think he should speak so stridently against same-sex marriage. [Cruz will] respond very respectfully and say, ‘Okay, Shmuley, we respectfully disagree,’”
Bush, on the other hand, would ask if he could be best man at the wedding.
If the GOP wants to win it must finally obey the old adage: A conservative base in hand is worth two imitation Bushes.
Michael Shannon is a commentator and public relations consultant, and is the author of “A Conservative Christian’s Guidebook for Living in Secular Times.” He can be reached at mandate.mmpr@gmail.com