to say this, but if you’re not willing to go full
retard in a Republican primary right now,
it’s hard. The expectations are what they
are,” said a maga operative involved in the
Pennsylvania race. “He’s got an uphill battle
as a hedge-fund CEO, but he’s done a good
job so far.”
Dr. Oz, of course, will be fighting the
same battle for conservative credibility—
and the McCormick team will be looking
to seed doubts. “The best-case scenario for
Oz is the media attacks him, like, ‘Look at
this quack saying crazy stuff on vaccines or
the election integrity’ or whatever, sohecan
say, ‘Oh, look at the media attackingme!’
That would help him,” the maga opera-
tive said. “But he had an 8-year-oldonhis
show talking about being trans, and hesaid
that was okay. He said a ton of pro-choice
things over the years. We’ve never elected
a Muslim to the U.S. Senate, and herewe
have a Turkish-citizen Muslim who served
in the Turkish army.” One Trump turned
McCormick adviser told me, “We’re getting
reports every day from people he’s meeting
with—he’s doing these private meet-and-
greet type of things—that he’s incoherent
when it comes to the issues.”
You’re telling me there’s no roominthe
modern Republican Party for a celebrity
with a long public record of expressingopin-
ions at odds with the values of the conserva-
tive base? That being friends with famous
Democrats is a nonstarter in a Republican
primary? Since when are Republicancandi-
dates not allowed to change their positions
on abortion or just about anything else,for
that matter? The answer for Oz-skeptical
Trumpists, it seems, is that Dr. Oz justisn’t
the guy, so he doesn’t get to play by thenon-
rules. Sorry, but nobody said politicswas
fair. “Dr. Oz is nowhere near as nationala
celebrity as Donald Trump was,” theformer
Trump adviser continued. “DonaldTrump
was larger than life. Dr. Oz sells dietpillson
daytime TV. Oz and his team are makinga
major miscalculation if they think theycan
run him like he’s Donald Trump.”
Still, laughing off the TV doc feelsa bit
likelaughingofftheTVdealmaker,andif
TheApprenticecreateda fantasypersona
foritsstarthatappealedmostlytoyoung
menwhowantedtoberich,TheDr.Oz
ShowanditsOprah-endorsedstararebest
understoodaswellnessfantasyforwomen.
AswenavigatethefutureofAmerican
politicsafterTrump,wehavetoknow:Did
hechangeeverything?Ordideverything
changeforhim?
“I’vehearda lotofDemocratssaythat
it wouldbegreatif Dr.Ozwinsthispri-
marybecausehewillbesofartotheright
bythattime,witheverythinghewillhave
tosayinordertowin,thatit willhelpus
inthegeneral,andI seea lotofredflags,”
W g
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