RUSH: Don’t forget, you know, Trump wanted Luther Strange. At the beginning of all of this he wanted Luther Strange to be the Republican nominee. And who knows, but it might have been different if Luther Strange had been running. But remember what happened. When Trump got behind Luther Strange, what did the people of Alabama do?
The people of Alabama said, “No, no, no, no, Mr. President, no, no, no, no, no.” And they elected Roy Moore. And they elected Roy Moore because they thought Luther Strange was a McConnell acolyte, a swamp dweller, and they’re fed up with that. So Roy Moore became attractive in exactly the way I’m saying. And Trump voters didn’t listen to Trump when he was endorsing Luther Strange. And I think the reason they didn’t is because I don’t think they thought that’s what Trump really wanted. I think they thought Trump was trying to make deals with the swamp, was trying to buy ’em off here.
So I think people that voted for Roy Moore over Luther Strange in the primary were actually trying to protect Trump. They thought they were doing what Trump really wanted even though Trump had to say he was for Strange. This whole thing has been a mess. And it’s a mess because the Republican establishment murkies the water and clouds them and ends up, in their steadfast opposition to genuine conservatives, it causes, you know, second- and third tier people to run for office who are easily characterized as kooks or what have you.
And they end up becoming purity candidates untainted by the establishment, untainted by politics, untainted by this or that. But the problem with purity candidates is they lose. They’re not winnable candidates.
