Lol he’ll win in a walk, Weld will put up a strong showing on the NYTimes op-ed page and nowhere else.

Well I wish the man success. This is a noble undertaking.
He is guaranteed a huge amount of ink & screen time out of proportion to his polling numbers and that is completely understandable.
Lets hope that he uses it to remind Republicans what an ugly little man Trump is and how he has disgraced this nation. As Speaker Pelosi says, he has cheapened the Presidency.
Every prior American President has made sincere attempts to reconcile with his political opponents. Now it is an endless stream of invective and poisonous rhetoric coming from the titular leader of our country.
His demonizing of Representative Omar has threatened her and endangered her life, his supporters have committed violence time and again with no clear denunciation from his office. He is unworthy of the responsibilities, has violated his oath, and Republicans need to be awakened to that fact.

Sweet Jesus, let him be the first of many.

I just want Drump to be forced into a primary debate or two - just being challenged by any fellow repub will embarrass him and set him off. Maybe we should all donate one dollar to Weld's campaign (if we could do so anonymously - would hate to have the stain of republican support on my permanent record!)

You are stupid as a brick if you think Trump isn't waltzing away with the Republican nomination. I get that this hot take garbage is your niche in the Stranger ecosystem. But. Come the fuck on, already.

@6: But he might not. There's a not of time and events to go through. I recall folks saying "you are stupid as fuck" to those saying that Trump would win the Republican nomination in 2016.

...There's a lot of time and events to go through...

@9: That's a pop lib smug position I've heard for years - even with Nixon.

@9
Yes, odds are the incumbent gets re-elected.
The exceptions- those with economic failure
Carter, who has extremely high inflation rates
Bush, who had a recession.
Clinton said 'It's the economy, stupid' for a reason

Regardless of the outcome, it's good for the party and for history to show that there was a challenger.

If the Democrats continue to be taken over by the loony left claiming that 9/11 was just “somebody doing something”, Trump will win in a cake walk.

And a weak one'll never make a difference -- perhaps that the point.
Naw -- this guy need some Serious Challengers -- is there on no one with balls on the right who can call this SOB out?

I find that very hard to believe.

Repubs need the anti-Trumpfy -- someone on the right who can call him out on his mendacity, at least, and then outflank Prez from the left -- it worked well for him. (running to the right of Hills wasn't that big a challenge). Actually DOing any of that 'socialism' shit, well, you know Trumpfy...

Fore!

kallipugos -- Very well said.

Weld probably won't make it past Super Tuesday.

Good for you, William Weld. Glad you're running and wish you the best.

@7 my lord. Critical thought. Use it.

Trump wasn’t an incumbent president in 2016, was he ( btw - i wasn’t one of the scoffers in 2016. I knew he was going to win the nomination in late 2014).

Name all the Americans incumbents in last 45 years that we’re not nominated for their parties second term. Go on.

ZERO.

Even Ford got the nomination ahead of Reagan.

Outside 45 years you have Johnson deciding to not run for a second term mostly because of his health during the peak of the Vietnam war, race riots, and two major assassinations (MLK & RFK).

Trump’s polling numbers among republicans has not even budged more than 5 points. Up or down.

He’s getting the nomination. I will bet you $100 right now.

@20: Very probably Trump will, but politicians also take into account possibilities in addition to probabilities. Obviously Bill Weld is.

Given that the House Dems still have another year to expose his criminality, I'm not at all convinced Trump will actually run for re-election (I know he SAYS he's running, and he'll keep saying it right up until the state filing deadlines approach), but if he does follow through, it will be clarifying to have a primary opponent who will force conservatives who claim they don't like Trump's behavior but support him "because he's the Republican candidate" to put their votes where their mouths are.

@20 well a $100 straight-up bet seems... well...
so how about some odds?
Would you be willing to offer a $10 bet at 100 to 1 odds?
Think about it.
So what are the realistic odds?
Consider carefully American political history over the past decade, consider Mr Trumps legal peril, consider Mr Trump's age and health.

The GOP has already decided Trump will be their candidate. They don't care what anyone wants. The only way Trump will not be on the ballot is if he is in prison.

@21. I note you didn’t put up. So. Shut up. $100. Right now.

@23 nope. $100. Take it or leave it. There are no odds to calculate. (Unless he dies or has a stroke or something. That’s a higher probability than the GOP choosing a new candidate. Which disqualifies the bet.)

He’s not getting impeached. There will be no 25th due to emoluments or anything but near death. If Trump is breathing and medically able he’s the Nominee. Period.

Will he win? Well. That has way more wiggle room and unknowns. But. Right now? Probably.

I’d say if the election were held next month and any of the top three major front runners in D line up ran, Trump would have about 65% chance.

Will that change? Not if recent history is any judge. The more time reactionary lefties have to form the usual circular firing squad and ruin the chances of the qualified candidates, the more that chance goes up. A whole array of trends would have to reverse to give democrats momentum for an advantage given how the left has responded to the current candidates.

As always I’d love to be wrong. Seriously. Even losing $100 bucks would be worth it.

But unfortunately I’m pretty sure I’m right. $100 worth anyway.

@24. He’s not going to prison. Not as a sitting president. No president will go to jail.

But he might die. He’s morbidly obese. He’s already showing signs of senescence. His mind is clearly going - he couldn’t even remember where his father was born. He eats like a toddler and doesn’t even walk when he golfs.

That guy is a stroke just waiting to pop.

Recall from history, @26, how a thorn in the side a challenger is to an incumbent, whether successful or not, like Ted was with Jimmy in 80. It will cause the Trump campaign to spend time and money and possibly trip them up. Best of all, it will make Lara Trump seethe.

So quit your annoying optimism bashing, stop pouting, and enjoy the show.

Eighty-six percent of all voters believe political leaders are more interested in protecting their power than in doing what’s right for the American people.

Eighty-three percent believe the country is run by an alliance of incumbent politicians, media pundits, lobbyists, and other interests for their own gain.

Further, 79% believe that powerful interests from Wall Street banks to corporations, unions, and PACs use campaign and lobbying money to rig the system to serve themselves and that they loot the national treasury at the expense of every American.

https://www.huffpost.com/entry/its-candidate-smith-by-a-b5552229

Running corporatist sell-outs loses elections, not "circular firing squads" (i.e. vetting candidates). Anybody claiming differently is effectively campaigning for the next neoliberal empty suit inevitably shoved down our throat by corporate media.

SImple fact is, less than 50 people in world history have proven they can win an election to be POTUS. Donald Trump is one of those people.

You don't just discard a proven winner like that, especially when, liberal fantasies aside, he is just as popular as he was when the was campaigning, the economic outlook is good, and his approval rating is where Obama's was at this point in their presidencies.

He should be challenged in the primary, but it is not likely to matter.

Weld is a clown and his 'candidacy' will not move the meter as much as a mosquito fart...

Trump has been a great President and deserves another term.

And in as much as the Democrat candidates are not any more substantial than Weld hopefully he will get it.

HuffPo link! Armchair socialism for the win!

I don't know who he is or if, God forbid, the Rs will "acquire" the presidency again, but ANYONE, LITERALLY ANYONE, is better than that repulsive orange creature and his vapid sycophants. (We COULD have had a pragmatic HRC in the WH all this time, but noooooo ... )

Corporate Democrats are like Charlie Brown’s endless quest to kick Republican Lucy’s football. They place all their hopes on those mythical moderate Republicans. The Hamilton Electors cast ballots for Colin Powell believing this will cause a revolt on the right wing of the Electoral College. You spill gallons of ink praising Bob Muller’s impending indictment of Trump. You can’t shut up about how Susan Collins will vote against misogynist Supreme Court nominees.

It would be comical if it were not for the people who genuinely suffer from the compromises you make in the name of bipartisanship. Joe Manchin and Dan Lipinski should never be allowed to append their names with a (D). Dan Savage turns into an apologist for the War in Iraq after 9/11, and now claims Pelosi’s reflexive abjuration of impeachment is “14-dimensional chess”.

Would you all just shut up?

Bill Weld is not your savior. The perception of the GOP as a party divided against itself facing inevitable collapse from within is present only in the fantasylands of MSNBC and CNN. The Republicans themselves do not see their party as divided at all, they do not consider the Tea Party to be the dangerous radicals tearing the party apart. Take note of how many Tea Party bills get support from party leadership. McConnell does not dismiss his right flank as “that’s like five people” the way Pelosi ignores her left flank. Jeff Flake and Bob Porker may have both said a few things Trump didn’t like, but they voted for everything he proposed.

Stop reaching across the aisle.

32

(We COULD have had a pragmatic HRC in the WH all this time, but noooooo ... )

Not to worry -- the "democratic" election committee may once yet again choose Corps over people. They're already/still scheming against Progressive candidates over Neolibs.

Suckingly, we have corporate Duolopoly ownership of "our" two parties.

Jesus. After reading the petulant moonbats in here who clearly learned nothing since 2016— make that 90% chance Trump will be reelected. Good job, leftists!

@35: Yes it's highly probably that Weld won't succeed, but still it's politically healthy to challenge the nomination nevertheless. Why do you have such an issue with that view?

Katie, what the fuck are you huffing and may I have some? What possible indication have you encountered in the last three years that the Republican party would put up even token resistance to this gonef?

They were bought and paid for a long time ago and I feel slightly dumber every time I encounter someone who believes otherwise.

Nobody left in that party, whether official or voter has an ounce of warmth for someone like William Weld if they even remember him at all.