The brawler in the mix

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Michelle Cottle is a former political reporter and current member of The New York Times editorial board who has written a nearly perfect analysis of the languid and sleepy MAGA/GOP primary. Her column is brilliant, dead-on and laugh out loud funny. It begins with this gem:

Let’s just stipulate that when your long anticipated announcement jumpstarts #Desaster on social media, things could have gone better.

Her point is basically that Trump preys on weakness and devours it. Here are some of her extremely astute observations wrapped in reality:

Because so far, the pack of pretenders to Donald Trump’s throne reeks of weakness. And nothing delights the MAGA king more than curb-stomping the weak.

A presidential field without a strong front-runner invariably invites a pile-in of challengers. Every Tim, Nikki and Vivek — and Asa, Doug, Larry, Mike, etc. — surveys the scene and thinks: Heck yeah, why not me? Why not, indeed? Given the topsy-turvy state of the political terrain, is it really much more ridiculous for Vivek Ramaswamy, the upstart tech entrepreneur, to think he has a shot at the nomination than for Mike Pence to? No rampaging MAGA mob has ever brayed for his hanging, so in some regards, he has a critical edge on the former vice president.

Even as the mass of pretenders to Mr. Trump’s throne grows, the energy from the field remains stubbornly subdued. The pretenders have adopted a stance of nonaggression, an unwillingness to come hard at the MAGA king. The reasoning behind this is no secret. The former president feeds on conflict like a vampire on virgins. But the result is a collection of challengers trying to sell beta-male energy to a voting base hooked on outrage, machismo and blood lust.

The whole vibe of the Republican contest feels increasingly passive-aggressive, with the pretenders giving Mr. Trump the side eye as they throw varying degrees of shade. The most direct (like Asa Hutchinson) somberly discuss the former president’s character flaws and lament that his antidemocratic behavior has disqualified him from high office. Far more often, the candidates lard their electoral pitches with veiled criticisms about how governing is about more than salty tweets or how the presidency isn’t about building a personal brand — all while avoiding Mr. Trump’s name, of course.

Even Mr. DeSantis, who fancies himself a fighter, won’t risk a full-frontal assault. His people have said he plans to be strategic with his criticisms — more shiv than sledgehammer. How cool. How strategic. But you know what happens when someone takes a sledgehammer to a shiv, right?

The last interrogatory posed by Ms. Cottle stopped me dead in my tracks. “You know what happens when someone takes a sledgehammer to a shiv?

I do.

But then I worried that I might be alone, so I asked my kids, who were raised in Utah. They had no idea, and neither did my Canadian wife or stepkids. I asked a friend from California, and he stared at me blankly. My daughter’s friend Henry asked what a shiv was, and he wasn’t alone. Everywhere I went, I asked the question, but know one knew. Then I had an idea. I called an old friend from New Jersey and asked. There was no hesitation.

He asked, “A shiv?”

I said, “Yes.”

He responded, “The shiv gets fucking smashed.”

“Exactly — and thank you.”

My faith was restored, and my Jersey pride started to flow. We know things. We just know them.

Anyway, Ms. Cottle goes on, and raises a great and obvious point.

This race needs a brawler in the mix.

“No shit,” as we might say in New Jersey.

The problem with the “brawler” plan is where to find one. Who could possibly fit the bill across our vast continental federal republic of 336 million souls? Is there anyone who can stand up to Trump and eviscerate him? Who can proverbially bludgeon him for his insanity, extremism, hatred, lying and the damage done? Who has the natural aggression, and is quick witted and smart enough? Who has a killer instinct? Who is fearless over mean tweets and won’t back down? What if there is no perfect brawler, only a flawed one? Imagine if a brawler could be found, even one who dabbled in sycophancy, careerism, terrible judgement and a cult of personality that tried to overthrow the government, end democracy and hang the vice president?

This is where Ms. Cottle offers an imperfect solution — one that I briefly mentioned a few weeks back.

Chris Christie, a former governor of New Jersey, has been making noises as if he wants to be that guy. In a recent interview with Politico, he vowed that if he runs, he will tackle Mr. Trump’s weaknesses head-on — from the character troubles to the record of losing (so much losing). “I don’t believe that Republican voters penalize people who criticize Trump,” he asserted.

Said Cottle:

To pull this off, Mr. Christie would need to go all in on his no-nonsense, in-your-face, Jersey tough-guy shtick — the one where he yells at people to sit down and shut up — and quash the sycophantic streak that had him smooching Mr. Trump’s backside for years. If he could go bully-a-bully with the former president, things could get interesting for the first time in forever. In 2016, no Republicans went hard at Mr. Trump because no one took him seriously. This time, most are too afraid of him. They are still hoping to find some magical way to woo his voters without his noticing or fighting back.

Chris Christie? Here is the thing, she is precisely correct. So is Omar Little, whom she quotes at the end of her column.

Omar Little, the drug-dealer, robbing philosopher on “The Wire,” once observed, “You come at the king, you best not miss.” But if everyone is too chicken — excuse me, too strategic — to seriously come at the king at all, how can anyone expect a regime change?

There is a simple reality about danger. People process it differently. Some become aware of the threat sooner than others. Some people may try and take advantage of a situation for a thousand different reasons. All people are flawed.

The simple reality is that 2024 demands humility from long-time and unwavering Trump opponents like myself over the concept that recent converts to the cause can play decisive roles in shaping the post-Trump future. There is no threat facing America that is more grave than the threat of MAGA political extremism. Donald Trump’s intentions and rhetoric are crystal clear. He must be opposed and stopped. Imperfect politicians can play an important role in this cause, including the ones who helped lift him to power.

Defeating Trump requires constant and relentless confrontation and fearlessness. It requires a love of fighting and comfort with brawling. There is a season for all things, and the season ahead is one where everything is on the line.

The GOP/MAGA nomination contest reeks of weakness, moral rot, political capitulation and fear. It is a grotesque sight. There is something important to remember in this moment. The fighter doesn’t have to be virtuous or even worthy for his cause to be just. Every person who opposes Trump should hope that Chris Christie measures up after a long season of laying down. Everyone, including the president and Democratic leadership, should be rooting for Chris Christie to throw the hardest punch he can and level Trump. Everyone should be rooting for proverbial blood on the floor because that is what it is going to take. Donald Trump will not go gently into that good night. He must be humiliated, repudiated, castigated and dismissed from public life and the affairs of the nation.

It has been nearly 10 years since Trump came down the escalator. It has been America’s lost decade, and so much has been poisoned.

America is a land of second chances. I’m hoping that Chris Christie makes the most of his second presidential run. I hope he unleashes his inner ass-kicker at long last on someone who truly deserves it. After all, in a real fight it would be foolish to bet against someone from New Jersey in a fight against a spoiled, rich kid from Queens. Here’s hoping Chris Christie does New Jersey proud. Maybe Chris Licht can promote a “two men enter, one man leaves” cage match between Trump and Christie at the border line of the George Washington Bridge where New Jersey meets New York. I bet that would get some ratings. Brawling is always preferable to propaganda.