Trump vs. Corker encapsulates GOP civil war
Trump  reignited the clash Tuesday  saying on Twitter that "Liddle' Bob Corker" had been made to "sound a fool" in an interview recorded by The New York Times.
"That's what I am dealing with "  he  wrote.
The first is that there are now effectively two Republican parties -- one dominated by  Trump  and  his  uber-loyal followers  for whom  his  feud with Corker represents exactly the kind of disruption they hoped to see  him  unleash. The other GOP  meanwhile  is made up of establishment  orthodox conservatives like the Tennessee senator and his Majority Leader Mitch McConnell  who want to use their power to legislate and fret about  Trump 's global leadership.
The second rule of last year's Republican primary circus is one that Corker is now daring to confound -- namely that no one who gets down in the muck with a brutal political street-fighter like  Trump  comes out clean or unscathed.  Trump 's showdown with Corker  which went nuclear over the weekend  will go a long way to deciding the state of the GOP as it musters for midterm elections next year -- at which its monopoly in Washington will be on the line.
It could also show whether  Trump 's go-to tactic of waging war on the Republican Party establishment  that has proven so profitable in the past  is a viable strategy going forward or whether it is ultimately self-defeating.  Trump  briefly toed the party line in backing Alabama Sen. Luther Strange in  his  losing primary race against Roy Moore last month -- but even before voters went to the polls  he admitted he might have done the wrong thing.
"But  Donald Trump  challenged the Republican establishment -- there are a lot of Republicans like  me  that quite frankly were sick of the same old  same old ...  he  has continued to fight the system " Bauer added.
There have been signs that if  Trump  fails to secure results on Capitol Hill   he  could effectively become the first sitting Republican president to run against a do-nothing Congress of  his  own party in the midterms  perhaps by backing insurgent GOPers in primary races against establishment lawmakers.
And from the party's grassroots  Corker's intervention may seem less consequential than it did in Washington  which was transfixed by the spat that culminated when  the senator  warned  Trump 's volatile temperament could put the US on the path to "World War III."
Some Washington pundits and media commentators praised Corker for having the courage to finally stand up to  Trump   for voicing what many GOP figures say privately and for no longer appeasing what they see as the President's dangerous approach to crises like the standoff with North Korea.
JUST WATCHED RNC chair: Weinstein and  Trump  don't compare Replay More Videos ... MUST WATCH RNC chair: Weinstein and  Trump  don't compare 02:20
Conservative talk show host Rush Limbaugh   for instance  told his listeners on Monday that Corker was part of a cabal of Washington Republicans who wanted to "nullify"  Trump  and preserve the "current world order." Republican National Committee Chairwoman Ronna Romney McDaniel told CNN's Wolf Blitzer that  Trump  was channeling frustration against the Washington GOP's struggles to implement his agenda.
But in Washington  the President's record for knockouts has been less effective.  Trump 's unpredictable ways and tendency to turn upon Republicans has contributed to  his  struggle to secure a major legislative win.  His  efforts to help repeal Obamacare  for instance  often seemed ill-informed or counterproductive.
And when Republican Sen. John McCain stood up to  Trump 's power and helped derail a last ditch bid to repeal Obamacare   he polished his own legacy -- at least in Washington -- and won sympathy when the President attacked him shortly after his brain cancer diagnosis.
On Monday  many Beltway strategists and senior Republicans were left shaking their heads  warning that  Trump 's reflexive lashing out could cost  him  the crucial vote of Corker as  he  seeks a year-end legislative victory.
Unusually  the White House allowed cameras to record  Trump  on the golf course  sending a message that Corker's revolt was not uniform among GOP senators. Less than two months ago  Graham was castigating the President over his sluggish condemnation of white supremacists after racial violence in Charlottesville  Virginia  warning "history is watching us all."
On Monday  after a round at  Trump 's club in Virginia  Graham praised him for a performance worthy of a golf pro  shrewdly identifying the way to his host's heart.
Trump  reignited the clash Tuesday  saying on Twitter that "Liddle' Bob Corker" had been made to "sound a fool" in an interview recorded by The New York Times.
"That's what I am dealing with "  he  wrote.
The first is that there are now effectively two Republican parties -- one dominated by  Trump  and  his  uber-loyal followers  for whom  his  feud with Corker represents exactly the kind of disruption they hoped to see  him  unleash. The other GOP  meanwhile  is made up of establishment  orthodox conservatives like the Tennessee senator and his Majority Leader Mitch McConnell  who want to use their power to legislate and fret about  Trump 's global leadership.
The second rule of last year's Republican primary circus is one that Corker is now daring to confound -- namely that no one who gets down in the muck with a brutal political street-fighter like  Trump  comes out clean or unscathed.  Trump 's showdown with Corker  which went nuclear over the weekend  will go a long way to deciding the state of the GOP as it musters for midterm elections next year -- at which its monopoly in Washington will be on the line.
It could also show whether  Trump 's go-to tactic of waging war on the Republican Party establishment  that has proven so profitable in the past  is a viable strategy going forward or whether it is ultimately self-defeating.  Trump  briefly toed the party line in backing Alabama Sen. Luther Strange in  his  losing primary race against Roy Moore last month -- but even before voters went to the polls  he admitted he might have done the wrong thing.
"But  [TGT]  challenged the Republican establishment -- there are a lot of Republicans like  me  that quite frankly were sick of the same old  same old ...  he  has continued to fight the system " Bauer added.
There have been signs that if  Trump  fails to secure results on Capitol Hill   he  could effectively become the first sitting Republican president to run against a do-nothing Congress of  his  own party in the midterms  perhaps by backing insurgent GOPers in primary races against establishment lawmakers.
And from the party's grassroots  Corker's intervention may seem less consequential than it did in Washington  which was transfixed by the spat that culminated when  the senator  warned  Trump 's volatile temperament could put the US on the path to "World War III."
Some Washington pundits and media commentators praised Corker for having the courage to finally stand up to  Trump   for voicing what many GOP figures say privately and for no longer appeasing what they see as the President's dangerous approach to crises like the standoff with North Korea.
JUST WATCHED RNC chair: Weinstein and  Trump  don't compare Replay More Videos ... MUST WATCH RNC chair: Weinstein and  Trump  don't compare 02:20
Conservative talk show host Rush Limbaugh   for instance  told his listeners on Monday that Corker was part of a cabal of Washington Republicans who wanted to "nullify"  Trump  and preserve the "current world order." Republican National Committee Chairwoman Ronna Romney McDaniel told CNN's Wolf Blitzer that  Trump  was channeling frustration against the Washington GOP's struggles to implement his agenda.
But in Washington  the President's record for knockouts has been less effective.  Trump 's unpredictable ways and tendency to turn upon Republicans has contributed to  his  struggle to secure a major legislative win.  His  efforts to help repeal Obamacare  for instance  often seemed ill-informed or counterproductive.
And when Republican Sen. John McCain stood up to  Trump 's power and helped derail a last ditch bid to repeal Obamacare   he polished his own legacy -- at least in Washington -- and won sympathy when the President attacked him shortly after his brain cancer diagnosis.
On Monday  many Beltway strategists and senior Republicans were left shaking their heads  warning that  Trump 's reflexive lashing out could cost  him  the crucial vote of Corker as  he  seeks a year-end legislative victory.
Unusually  the White House allowed cameras to record  Trump  on the golf course  sending a message that Corker's revolt was not uniform among GOP senators. Less than two months ago  Graham was castigating the President over his sluggish condemnation of white supremacists after racial violence in Charlottesville  Virginia  warning "history is watching us all."
On Monday  after a round at  Trump 's club in Virginia  Graham praised him for a performance worthy of a golf pro  shrewdly identifying the way to his host's heart.