Watched Lawrence O'Donnell's show last night and wondered if history will repeat itself again

[Miles Archer]

He laid out the history of "Primary Challengers" for incumbent presidents, from Lyndon Johnson to the present.

Every incumbent president who had a primary challenger (starting with Johnson) did not win a second term, even if they secured the nomination. Johnson, of course. chose to not seek a second term. Every other incumbent did not win a second term.

Trump has a primary challenger.

Waiting to see if history repeats itself.

[49jim]

1. These are not "normal" times. n/t

[Miles Archer]

4. That's my point

In 2020, I would not look at any aspect of the election and expect history to repeat itself.

Still, it's a pattern, and it makes you wonder.

We'll see.

[olegramps]

18. My only hope is that he muddies the water with accusations.

[thegoose]

2. Me too

And all I gotta say is...

Please please please!!!

[FakeNoose]

3. Yes he made some good points in that segment

Lawrence likes to finish his show on a hopeful upbeat note. It's one of the many things I like about him.

[JI7]

5. voter suppression and things like Russian attack on the election

are the only way trump can "win".

[Cary]

6. I keep saying:.if we vote we win

It is as simple as that. We have everything we need to save ourselves, including every reason to do it. Everything else is noise.

[groundloop]

21. Well put.... IF WE VOTE WE WIN - I like that so much that I'm going to steal it!!!!!!

[Cary]

24. Please do

[NewJeffCT]

7. Let's see how much traction Weld gets

The Trump-run RNC has been busily working at rigging the primary process so early states can skip primaries and just endorse Trump.

https://www.vanityfair.com/news/2019/02/trump-2020-republican-party-purge-delegates

https://apnews.com/33438efb7d794b5caf0b60f815192500

https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/campaigns/romneys-attack-prompts-call-to-protect-trump-from-2020-primary-challenger

Even in an open field without an incumbent, Weld would have little chance because he's too moderate for the GOP base. I hope he can last through the Iowa caucus and the New Hampshire primary. Heck, if I lived in NH I might re-register as a Republican just so I could vote for Weld.

[Hortensis]

11. Yes. Weld is an extremely long shot, as in if Trump was taken out

of competition altogether he might have a chance.

Libertarian Weld has a long relationship with the Kochs and others in their alliance, though, and if Trump were to fall they might support him -- rather than bring in another candidate if that were legally possible. Pence is closer still to the Kochs, though, and is also strongly supported by the religious right, a giant chasm in Weld's qualifications.

[bullwinkle428]

14. Weld's relationship with the Kochs was definitely exposed in an

interview I listened to this morning. Weld actually praised the big tax cut that Chump pushed through, and then literally in the same breath, condemned him for blowing up the deficit.

Is he really that stupid not to see the connection, or just craven?

[Hortensis]

17. A politician, of course. Some will vote for an image,

false as it may be, and get behind anything from that figure.

[CharleyDog]

27. he's hoping Republicans still care about the deficit. But they only cared about that because Obama.

Bush was a complete failure, but they completely forgot about Bush (Bush who?) and loved to harangue and obstruct Obama because deficits.

Republicans don't care about the damn deficit and Weld will have to find a new talking point.

[Freethinker65]

8. A saner stable conservative running as an independent could save this Nation and the GOP's future

Yes, Trump would lose the Presidency, but the GOP could perhaps reclaim the House after two years and they might even hold onto the Senate in 2020.

Many conservatives hate having Trump as the face and spokesman for their party.

[C_U_L8R]

9. It also shows how adrift Republicans have become

There's only one Republican challenger to Trump??!! Who is without doubt the worst President ever. Republicans have really lost the script (and their souls).

[ananda]

10. The voter suppression, election fraud, hacking ..

.. and social media manipulation cost us the last election ..

.. and still hasn't stopped.

This worries me.

[Cosmocat]

12. Weld is not a primary challenge

He's a gnat dead on Trump's windshield.

We have to see if there's any viable Republican who will do what needs to be done, very doubtful.

[William Seger]

13. He could get support from trumpers who are afraid Trump will lose

... so it might depend on Trump's poll numbers when the primaries start.

[mountain grammy]

15. Which poll numers?

the real polls or the polls he makes up and his suckers believe?

unimaginable

[trotsky]

26. Trump is still somewhere around 90% approval in the Republican party.

He *is* their party now. If there are any sane Republicans left, if they value their country over their party, they should work to elect Democrats.

[malchickiwick]

16. Seems that he ignored/forgot about Nixon in 1972??

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1972_Republican_Party_presidential_primaries

[DeminPennswoods]

19. He talked about McCloskey during the hand-off from Maddow

He said something like every report has footnotes and the McCloskey was the footnote to what he was about to discuss. McCloskey dropped out after NH primary, so his challenge to Nixon was very short-lived.

[Texin]

20. tRump has defied the odds so far, and he's ramping up his autocratic control daily.

He has a supine McConnell that's allowing him to do pretty much anything and everything he wants to do. It's a long way to November 2020, and he's repacking the federal courts as I type this.

I've said it before, and I'll reiterate it now. He is not leaving this WH under any circumstance unless it's in a body bag on a gurney. He will not resign and will refuse to accept the results of this upcoming election or any other *election* thereafter. With Barr enabling and propping him, he will rule like a modern day Tsar. The only thing left for people to do in that case will be nothing short of revolution.

[LiberalArkie]

22. Have the people who counted the votes in 2016 changed will they be counting the votes in 2020?

[Cary]

25. Unindicted Co-Conspirator garnered fewer votes than Romney in 2012

Do the math.

[LakeArenal]

23. It's important to media to make it look chaotic

That’s one of the huge problems.
The skewing of the stories

I especially dislike the hyperbole of Democrats being in disarray and
“Stunned “ by this report or that report.

Most of us really love most of the candidates. That’s the difference between us and Pukes. We can be happy with almost anyone. Once there is a candidate, the party will support them.

[Irishxs]

28. Finally understand the importance of Weld.

Lawrence made it oh so clear.

[janx]

30. ...and he looked pretty happy while doing so. n/t

[janx]

29. Check this out:

Link to tweet