Does Trump still have the juice? His spotty endorsement record suggests decline

[marmar]

Does Trump still have the juice? His spotty endorsement record suggests decline
Endorsements based upon Trump's own personal vendettas and celebrity worship will be put to the test this election

By HEATHER DIGBY PARTON
PUBLISHED APRIL 18, 2022 10:33AM


(Salon) When you read about all the ring kissing and boot-licking that's going on at Trump's Mar-a-Lago resort these days, it is clear that Republicans of all stripes see him as president-in-exile, our once and future Dear Leader. He is believed to be so powerful that his endorsement will make or break any candidate, from the loftiest seat of power in the U.S. Senate to a lowly election clerk in a small jurisdiction in Real America. The big question facing the GOP now is whether or not that's actually true. And new reports from around the country suggest that it may not be as clear-cut as many think.

The New York Times' Shane Goldmacher characterized Trump as a "modern-day party boss" and quotes insiders comparing his "Mar-a-Lago Machine" to the notorious Tammany Hall, which dominated New York politics for centuries. Naturally, Trump is personally making money from it and he's not the only one:

An entire political economy now surrounds Mr. Trump, with Trump properties reaping huge fees: Federal candidates and committees alone have paid nearly $1.3 million to hold events at Mar-a-Lago, records show. A phalanx of Trump whisperers has emerged with candidates paying them in hopes of lining up meetings, ensuring that he sees damaging research on their rivals or strategically slipping him a survey showing a surge in the polls, even as Trump alumni warn that it is always buyer-beware in the Trump influence game.

Goldmacher points out, however, that while Tammany Hall kept its grip on power by doling out patronage, Trump isn't spending much of his massive war chest at all. One of his spokesmen, Taylor Budowich, explained that the benefit of Trump's support lies not in money, but in the fact that voters value his endorsement and it generates a lot of "free media." We'll soon find out that that is as valuable as people think it is, but in the meantime, there is apparently a long line of supplicants night after night seeking his favor, and he is reveling in it.

....(snip)....

Many eyes are on Georgia as a microcosm of the "Mar-a-Lago Machine" in action, where Trump has waged a particularly ugly crusade against GOP Governor Brian Kemp and Secretary of State Brad Raffensberger, along with anyone associated with them, endorsing their challengers and insisting that all GOP candidates running for any office sign off on the Big Lie. So far, however, it does not appear to be having much of an effect, with the incumbents still leading in the polls. Meanwhile, Trump's handpicked candidate to oppose Georgia's Democratic Sen. Rafael Warnock, 1980s NFL star Herschell Walker, is causing plenty of heartburn in the state as well. Walker is ducking debates, showing himself to be extremely weak on policy and dealing with many long-standing personal scandals. .............(more)

https://www.salon.com/2022/04/18/does-still-have-the-juice-his-spotty-endorsement-record-suggests-decline/

[Achilleaze]

1. Flaccid Republicans who are juiceless rarely get invited

to the Republican drug-and-sex orgies, many people say.

That's a "fact."

[uponit7771]

2. Yes he does, reality isn't a issue with MAGA so he still holds 20% minimum GZP base vote

[BlueWavePsych]

3. Biggest endorser

[LiberalFighter]

4. Need to identify him as a Mafia boss.

[lees1975]

5. He's going to endorse some real duds who may win GOP primaries

but won't stand a chance in the general election.

[keithbvadu2]

6. When a Trump sponsored candidate loses, it becomes totally their fault.

When a Trump sponsored candidate loses, it becomes totally their fault.

They were not sufficiently pro-Trump and other excuses.