Trump as Unifier: Are Hillary Clinton and Neoconservatives Ready to Join Forces?

[eridani]

http://www.commondreams.org/news/2016/05/05/trump-unifier-are-hillary-clinton-and-neoconservatives-ready-join-forces

With Trump at the head of the GOP ticket, Schmidt predicted on Chris Matthews' show earlier this week, "You're going to see a concerted and organized effort by the Hillary Clinton campaign to go after senior members of the Republican foreign policy establishment — big names. I'm not trying to put a partisan imprint on David Petraeus. But names like Petraeus, retired General Odierno, Colin Powell, Brent Scowcroft. Men and women who served in senior positions, in national security positions, in Republican administrations. The Clinton campaign's going to go after them. They're going to go after them forcefully."

On Wednesday, the Clinton campaign at least hinted at this approach by posting a list of people it described as "prominent activists, journalists and elected officials" in the Republican Party who have decided to reject Trump, quoting some who explicitly said they would vote for Clinton if she ends up as the Democratic nominee. A verbatim sampling from the list (which was further updated by the campaign on Thursday) follows:

Lifelong Republican, foreign policy expert Max Boot: “[Hillary Clinton] would be vastly preferable to Trump.’”
Billionaire Bush-backer Mike Fernandez: “If I have a choice — and you can put it in bold — if I have a choice between Trump and Hillary Clinton, I’m choosing Hillary.”
Elliott Abrams, former foreign policy advisor for Presidents Ronald Reagan and George W. Bush: “won’t be voting for Trump”

According to journalist and political commentator Sam Sacks, who spoke with D.C.-based Sputnik Radio about the same dynamic on Thursday, observers can expect to "see a lot of the neoconservatives, people who were, ironically, very close in the George W. Bush administration... coming home and supporting Clinton, who has a foreign policy record that hews pretty neoconservative."

[merrily]

1. Hillary and paleocons, like Kristol and Bush, may join forces--and that may have been the plan

However, it remains to be seen whether Trump voters (or Bernie voters) will vote for Hillary. They have not bowed to either establishment group yet (assuming there are indeed two establishment groups).

[cali]

3. Sigh. Poll after poll shows that the vast majority of Bernie voters will vote for Clinton

[merrily]

4. If she's the nominee and not indicted, we'll see how Bernie's supporters actually vote and

if a majority of his voters will be enough.

Polls about Bernie and his voters have not all been correct.

[sulphurdunn]

7. What if you give an election and nobody comes?

[merrily]

8. Oh, someone always votes. And if no one did, someone would pay people to show up.

Someone probably does that now. The first preference of the PTB is low turnout, not no turnout or heavy turnout. And guess what we have?

[cali]

2. They joined forces long ago.

[sendero]

11. Who doesn't know this?

HRC is as neocon as they come.

[cali]

17. She is indeed.

[Kingofalldems]

16. Evidence?

[cali]

23. Victoria Nuland and so much more

http://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2015/10/hillary-clinton-debate-libya/410437/

[Kingofalldems]

30. Oops.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/post-politics/wp/2016/05/06/mitt-romney-met-privately-with-william-kristol-who-is-leading-the-effort-to-draft-an-independent-bid/?tid=sm_tw

[Kingofalldems]

20. So why is neocon #1 Cheney backing Trump?

http://www.democraticunderground.com/10141440322

[libdem4life]

25. They are all on the same team. It's Corporatocracy which leads to

and/or is inherent in Oligarchy. It is not Red vs Blue. It's Green that rules. I'd be surprised if he didn't.

[pnwmom]

5. The group identifying itself as independent has plenty of people like Colin Powell.

People here are always saying we're supposed to be trying to attract independents because they think most of them are like Bernie. In reality, there are more like Powell.

[Victor_c3]

6. You get what you vote for

Who is actually surprised by this?

[Doctor_J]

9. The whole thing is probably a set-up. Arranged by the bfee and their adopted daughter to

continue their neocon agenda. The dems nominate one of the least popular politicians in the country, who happens to be a war loving neocon. The gop conveniently nominates an even more repulsive jackass. Amazing.

[GoneOffShore]

10. You mean they haven't already?

Or did somebody miss the last 30 years?

[Greybnk48]

12. Hillary is, in my mind, a neocon and

always has been. I stuck with Bill and Hillary to the bitter end in the 90's, blindly taking their side on every attack. When the Ken Starr witch hunt was over, and Gore lost (by design I believe), I began to realize just how far to the right they had taken our party. Anything to garner right wing approval.

I have no doubt that any non-teabagger Republican of the Ronald Reagan/Margaret Thatcher school of thought would welcome Hillary as one of their own, despite all of the attacks in the 90's.

[davidn3600]

13. Won't be hard to do. Hillary's policies favor the neocons.

[bullwinkle428]

14. Most of these "never Trump" people will eventually swallow their pride

and pull the lever for him, as we're already seeing. Look at John McCain! Public humiliation at Trump's (tiny) hands, and he jumps right up and says that he'll support him in November!

[Odin2005]

15. LOL, Hillary IS a Neocon.

The RW takeover of the Democratic Party is almost complete. Once they force through closed primaries to silence progressives it is all over.

[Kingofalldems]

21. Explain this please.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/10141440322

[libdem4life]

26. Asked and answered. One Party...The Rich Party.

[TrappedInUtah]

18. Hmmm

Sounds like the right wing viewpoint on trump almost. They're all freaking out panicked by the thought that Trump is some kind of undercover democrat infiltrator who's hijacked their party.

Hillary definitely leaves much to be desired when it comes to truly progressive agenda.

[Kingofalldems]

22. 'democrat infiltrator'?

[Bradical79]

24. You don't remember the Trump as Clinton plant conspiracy theory?

Early in the primaries some were floating around a theory that Trump was getting into the Republican race just to cause some chaos and make it easier for Hillary Clinton to get elected. Trump had been a Clinton supporter prior and was actually further left of her on some issues.

[nadinbrzezinski]

19. Do I get a cookie?

Like trump, this is hardly surprising

[libdem4life]

27. Yes you do...Sending one over with Cookie Monster...special delivery !

And people wonder why Bernie was an Independent and just "using" the Democratic Party. Kind of like Trump "using" the Republican Party.

I think this explains it ... it's Them with all the Big Money regardless of Party, and Us. And Bernie is one of Us.

[nadinbrzezinski]

28. The mask has fallen off

[TransitJohn]

31. Get ready for the concerted messaging here

that it's the only way, and that it just makes sense, and that it's practical, and that wanted liberals in a Democratic Administration is equivalent to wanting unicorn horn-flavored ice cream with single payer sprinkles, and other free stuff.