A modern-day variation on "better red than dead" . . . Joe Scarborough says that Haley Barbour and many Republican leaders would "much rather" have Hillary be president than to let Trump win and represent the GOP.
On today's Morning Joe, Scarborough said that if it looks like Trump will win the nomination, something Scarborough sees as very plausible, he envisions Mitt Romney or Michael Bloomberg jumping into the race as a third-party candidate. Not really with the goal of winning, but rather to "take a bullet," splitting the vote and denying Trump the White House.
Do readers agree that GOP leaders like former RNC Chairman Barbour would rather see Hillary president than Trump? And if so, why?
JOE SCARBOROUGH: Go back to 1968, see what Wallace did to Nixon in the South, and almost elected Hubert Humphrey. And you just sit back and you wonder is there not a Republican if a Republican out there that will jump in the race specifically to deny the victory to Donald Trump. I think yes. I think Haley Barbour and a lot of the Republican leaders would much rather Hillary Clinton be President of the United States than have Donald Trump represent them as a Republican.
. . .
JOE: If the establishment is chopping each other up, it's very likely that Trump runs the tables. Then at that point the question is does a Republican like Mitt Romney get urged to run, specifically to kill Trump? . . . You take a guy, whether it's Mitt Romney or Michael Bloomberg, they are sitting back, watching things happen to their party, and to their country, that they have to find deeply offensive. Do I think that Mitt Romney, for instance, will take a, quote, political bullet for his party? Yeah, I do. For his country, yeah, I do. Do I think Michael Bloomberg, as his last great act of public service would go out on the campaign trail and take a, quote, bullet for his country, for his state, for his city? Yes! I do.
