Short-fingered vulgarian Donald Trump is clearly not afraid of "going too far," by Village media standards, in criticizing anyone, from Mexican immigrants to President Obama.
As a direct result, he is leading in the polls, now anyway, for the GOP presidential nomination.
And Trump has little use for Ronald Reagan's 11th Commandment -- "Thou shalt not speak ill of any fellow Republican."
He's dissed Rick Perry, Lindsay Graham, et al., on Twitter, and John McCain in one of those weekly wingnut presidential forums.
Today, he took on Scott Walker in Iowa, where Trump is polling second behind Walker.
At times, he sounded like puddytat.
More, below.
The Guardian reports from a Trump rally in Oskaloosa, Iowa, that Trump was, naturally, inspired to diss Walker because a Walker money-supporter had called him a "dumb-dumb."
So that was the notional excuse to take the gloves off:
At the rally, he repeated several traditionally Democratic talking points in his argument against Walker, citing the governor’s record on infrastructure, education and healthcare among the reasons that he was unfit to be president.
Referring to a Walker supporter’s comment that Trump was a “dumb-dumb”, Trump said: “Today I read this horrible statement from a fundraiser about Trump, and I said, ‘Oh finally, I can attack, finally.”
“Wisconsin’s doing terribly,” Trump said. “First of all, it’s in turmoil, the roads are a disaster.”
He continued: “They projected a $1bn surplus, and it turns out to be a deficit of $2.2bn, and money all over the place, the schools are a disaster, and they’re fighting like crazy because there’s no money for the schools, the hospitals and education is a disaster, and he was totally in support of [controversial education policy] Common Core.” ...
“I can’t believe I’m in second place,” Trump said, in Oskaloosa. “I’m finally in second place in Iowa. I mean, [Walker] is next door, but folks, would you please put me in first place?”
Trump's blustering is more popular in Iowa than I'd expected, having read the CW that the Religious Right controls the caucuses (Santorum won in 2012, Huckabee in 2008).
Trump is not the god-botherers' candidate, for too many reasons to note here, while Walker is a Baptist preacher's son who alleges that God wants him to be president.
But Trump has calculated that Walker's lousy record as governor is more important than superstitious twaddle when voters are considering a presidential choice, and he's surely right about that.
Trump won't be the last to bring up Walker's weak record. Jeb!'s operation knows all about that, and will not hesitate to pound Walker, in the debates and TV ads.
And, should Walker win the nomination, his many Wisconsin weaknesses will become very well-known, and ensure his landslide loss.