Bill Kristol Meeting Mitt Romney to Float Third Party Run

[timosman]

http://www.breitbart.com/big-govern...meeting-mitt-romney-to-float-third-party-run/

7 May 2016

As the #NeverTrump forces continue to cast about for ways to knock Donald Trump from his frontrunner status in the race for the White House, the editor of the Weekly Standard magazine has admitted to meeting in D.C. with Mitt Romney in order to convince him to run a third party campaign against Trump.

Despite repeatedly saying he isn’t interested in running for president, Mitt Romney nonetheless met last week with William Kristol. The meeting was called at the editor’s behest for a talk about an independent run for the White House this year.

Romney, a former Massachusetts Governor and the 2012 GOP nominee for President, has said several times this cycle that he is not interested in running for president again. In March, for instance, the past GOP nominee told NBC Today Host Matt Lauer that “there are no circumstances I can foresee where it would possibly happen.”

Regardless of his pledge, Romney met with Kristol to discuss the conservative commentator’s ideas about putting together a last minute alternative to Donald Trump.

“He came pretty close to being elected president, so I thought he may consider doing it, especially since he has been very forthright in explaining why Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton should not be president of the United States,” Kristol told the Washington Post.

Kristol, though, said he did recognize the many times Romney has said he isn’t interested in running in 2016 and added that if Romney turned him down he hoped he could get the Massachusetts Gov. to line up behind whatever candidate the magazine editor might eventually find.

“Obviously, if there were to be an independent candidacy, Romney’s support would be very important,” Kristol told the paper. “I wanted to get his wisdom on whether it was more or less doable than I thought.”

Still, even if he won’t consider yet another run for the White House himself, Romney has been a vocal critic of the 2016 campaign in general and Donald Trump in particular.

In fact, Last Thursday Romney told the Washington Examiner that he was “dismayed” by the choices for 2016 and insisted he won’t support either of the candidates representing the nation’s two major parties.

“I’m certainly going to be hoping that we find someone who I have my confidence in who becomes nominee. I don’t intend on supporting either of the major party candidates at this point,” Romney said.

For his part, Bill Kristol has been calling for someone he feels is better than Trump for months and has been trying to find a way to make some other candidate the “face of American conservatism” for 2016.

On a recent appearance on MSNBC, for instance, Kristol said, “We can do better” than Trump and Hillary. He added that Trump doesn’t have the “character” to be our commander in chief.

“I would like to have a conservative to vote for,” Kristol told Andrea Mitchell. “I think an awful lot of people in the country would, including a lot of moderates and conservatives … We have two candidates who are viewed by considerable majorities in an unfavorable way, not a favorable way, as the major party nominees.”

Another person Kristol tried to convince to face off against Hillary and Trump was retired Marine Corps General James Mattis. The General, though, delivered a firm “no” to Kristol’s idea.

 

[Origanalist]

The Onion?

 

[timosman]

The Onion?

Nope, the attacks are pretty vicious, check the hashtag - https://twitter.com/hashtag/nevertrump

 

[Origanalist]

I'm aware of the attacks, it's just the idea of Kristol and Romney mounting a successful campaign is the stuff of satire.

 

[timosman]

I'm aware of the attacks, it's just the idea of Kristol and Romney mounting a successful campaign is the stuff of satire.

Why are they even trying?

 

[Origanalist]

Why are they even trying?

Desperate attempt to stay relevant is the only reason that comes to mind.

 

[Zippyjuan]

Romney as third party is a good way to get Hillary elected.

 

[Rudeman]

Romney as third party is a good way to get Hillary elected.

Pretty sure that's the goal. I'm not a Trump fan or supporter and I'm not voting for him but it's funny to see the establishment/neocons being poor sports when they don't get their way when they're the ones always trying to preach loyalty and unity (but only when it's stuff they want).

 

[CPUd]

Pretty sure that's the goal. I'm not a Trump fan or supporter and I'm not voting for him but it's funny to see the establishment/neocons being poor sports when they don't get their way when they're the ones always trying to preach loyalty and unity (but only when it's stuff they want).

The establishment and the neocons are separate factions (there is some overlap, though). It is the neocons working with the Democrats who have been wanting to run someone else to split the vote. About half the social conservatives and their media outlets have already walked away from the party. The establishment is trying to bring the GOP base back around to Trump by telling Trump he needs to reach out to them first and stop pandering too far to the left. If he fails at this, I believe they will find someone else they can vote for.

 

[Rudeman]

The establishment and the neocons are separate factions (there is some overlap, though). It is the neocons working with the Democrats who have been wanting to run someone else to split the vote. About half the social conservatives and their media outlets have already walked away from the party. The establishment is trying to bring the GOP base back around to Trump by telling Trump he needs to reach out to them first and stop pandering too far to the left. If he fails at this, I believe they will find someone else they can vote for.

I wouldn't say it's that clear cut, the last 3 Republican nominees all don't support Trump but then you have someone like Cheney who does.

I just find it humorous that the same people who went out of their way to prevent Ron Paul from succeeding or causing dissension are the ones floating out 3rd party runs or openly saying they won't support Trump.

 

[randomname]

Romney as third party is a good way to get Hillary elected.

Or prevent both Trump and Hillary from getting 270

 

[Jesse James]

Or prevent both Trump and Hillary from getting 270

This guy gets it.

 

[timosman]

Or prevent both Trump and Hillary from getting 270

and then according to the twelfth amendment:

... if no person have such majority, then from the persons having the highest numbers not exceeding three on the list of those voted for as President, the House of Representatives shall choose immediately, by ballot, the President. But in choosing the President, the votes shall be taken by states, the representation from each state having one vote; a quorum for this purpose shall consist of a member or members from two-thirds of the states, and a majority of all the states shall be necessary to a choice. And if the House of Representatives shall not choose a President whenever the right of choice shall devolve upon them, before the fourth day of March next following, then the Vice-President shall act as President, as in the case of the death or other constitutional disability of the President. The person having the greatest number of votes as Vice-President, shall be the Vice-President, if such number be a majority of the whole number of electors appointed, and if no person have a majority, then from the two highest numbers on the list, the Senate shall choose the Vice-President; a quorum for the purpose shall consist of two-thirds of the whole number of Senators, and a majority of the whole number shall be necessary to a choice. But no person constitutionally ineligible to the office of President shall be eligible to that of Vice-President of the United States.

How does it help?

 

[acptulsa]

They know they jumped the shark. They know a third party or several third parties will do well this cycle. They want a third party full of 'team players'. They want to split up the third party vote.

And Romney is perfect, because he's another guaranteed loser. No way the Sanders people vote for him, which means we don't attract both Republicans who refuse to vote for a total clown and Sanders antiwar people. A coalition like that could actually be dangerous, and they're trying to prevent it.

They're after the GOP Lockstep Voter who hates Trump, but won't vote for a Democrat. It's a mighty small demographic. But we need every demographic we can get. And besides, they're doing this to us with our tax money, so why not?

 

[timosman]

They know they jumped the shark. They know a third party or several third parties will do well this cycle. They want a third party full of 'team players'. They want to split up the third party vote.

And Romney is perfect, because he's another guaranteed loser. No way the Sanders people vote for him, which means we don't attract both Republicans who refuse to vote for a total clown and Sanders antiwar people. A coalition like that could actually be dangerous, and they're trying to prevent it.

They're after the GOP Lockstep Voter who hates Trump, but won't vote for a Democrat. It's a mighty small demographic. But we need every demographic we can get. And besides, they're doing this to us with our tax money, so why not?

I agree they jumped the shark as they got out-trolled by their troll. So, where is the third party candidate? Can we find somebody with brains and balls?

 

[Origanalist]

I agree they jumped the shark as they got out-trolled by their troll. So, where is the third party candidate? Can we find somebody with brains and balls?

Well, maybe not the brains but he has the balls...

 

[LibertyEagle]

Why are they even trying?

Isn't it obvious? They want to make sure one of their own stays in power. Thus, no Trump.

 

[acptulsa]

Isn't it obvious? They want to make sure one of their own stays in power. Thus, no Trump.

Just because it's the answer we are spoon fed does not mean it's the correct answer.

There is a certain portion of the massive upcoming protest vote which will not do what this election was designed to herd them into doing, which is vote for Clinton. They will not vote for a Democrat, but they will not vote for a clown either. They are among our low hanging fruit. And these people are trying to snatch that low hanging fruit off the tree before we do, thus splitting up the third party protest vote as much as possible.

My theory fits more of the available facts than yours does. For example, no candidate who was not 'one of their own' has gotten ten percent of the publicity Trump has gotten, like, ever in history. Furthermore, the mere fact that all the mainstream media propaganda outlets are repeating your version like a mantra is another strong indication that it's a lie.

 

[JK/SEA]

the mighty GOP dying like a fish on the beach gasping for air...die bitch.

 

[TheCount]

I'm not sure if float is the verb I would use.