The President Tweeted yesterday about “Good Republicans” winning. Who didn’t win? Roy Moore in Alabama and “Virginia candidate” (Ed Gillespie) both lost, the second of which didn’t win because he wasn’t a “Trumper,” as the President noted.
Remember, the Republicans are 5-0 in Congressional races this year. In Senate, I said Roy M would lose in Alabama and supported Big Luther Strange – and Roy lost. Virginia candidate was not a “Trumper,” and he lost. Good Republican candidates will win BIG!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 23, 2017
Here’s the problem. When Trump said Moore might lose, it was well before the Washington Post article came out with four accusations of sexual misconduct by Moore against minors. The story stuck throughout the campaign. Despite this, he lost by a mere 1.5%.
Either the President knew about the WaPo article, which is unlikely, or his prediction was made valid by it without his understanding. Moore would have easily won the election had the accusations not come out. For the President to claim that he predicted it without knowing about the WaPo is delusional.
As Breitbart, a pro-Trump news outlet, rightly proclaimed, his Tweet was “weak”:
Weak: Trump Whines About Big Luther’s Collapse in Alabama, Sides with McConnell and Establishment
“Remember, the Republicans are 5-0 in Congressional races this year. In Senate, I said Roy M would lose in Alabama and supported Big Luther Strange – and Roy lost. Virginia candidate was not a ‘Trumper,’ and he lost,” the president’s tweet:
On Friday, the president signed into law the greatest legislative accomplishment of his administration, and the most significant tax reform in the past three decades, the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017.
It was a narrow legislative victory in both houses. In the Senate, the margin was 51 to 48, entirely along partisan lines. On this vote, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) delivered for the president.
I vote “delusional”.
Trump’s Scorched-Earth campaign against Roy Moore during the primaries (added to Mitch’s Scorched-Earth campaign against Mo Brooks) were NOT sufficient to win Luther Strange the GOP nomination. When BOTH groups turned against him and assumed his guilt without evidence, that was not “winning” for Republicans and (as you argue) likely was the cause of losing the election.
Add in every Republican in DC and the Trumpian media assuming guilt and it’s no surprise that many voters were swayed against voting for Moore agains the Democrat.
That Trump and Mitch decided to pretend to support Moore in that last few days of the election (< 1 week), mans nothing because while the announcement may have been made before the election, boots on the ground and ad buys could not possibly have been scheduled in any time to make a difference in perception.
When Trump and Mitch were threatening not to seat Moore and to initiate ethics probes to tie up his Senate term in litigation and limit this effectiveness, they showed their real inten and preferencs. If they could not get THEIR progressive Republican (Luther Strange), their 2nd choice was a progressive Democrat over a conservative Republican. Their "late" entry into supporting Roy Moore is meaningless because of the Scorched-Earth campaigns they had run during the primaries….
Both Trump and Mitch McConnell are delusional and sore losers because their guy (Luther Strange) did not win – despite all the support they could muster for that party-pitkced incumbent over the choice of the people.