Liam Donovan

I don't think that's what it is.

I think a couple of things.

Number one, you asked the question of why didn't why did he choose Paxson?

Why didn't he choose Korn?

I think this is a bet of being for what's going to happen.

If you thought in a vacuum that Paxson probably wins and you're Donald Trump thinking, I want to flex my muscles and and look like I'm the reason that that is a to me, the logic of that kind of a pick at a time when, again, this has become a proxy thing.

match with the Senate Republican establishment.

I'd also suggest to you, I don't see a universe where Texas goes blue and it stops there, right?

Like, I don't think Texas is the marginal fourth seat where Democrats get to 51 and that's it.

So it's much more likely to me that on a night where Tallarico wins, it's just lights out because it was such a bad night.

I don't think it's going to be scrappy and clawing to 51 and it's Tallarico that puts them over the top.

Well, I think if we agree on the predicate that he doesn't generally, in general, the future fortunes, the present and future fortunes of the Republican Party in and of themselves are not...

significant concern, then the next layer below that is, well, what does he care about?

I think he certainly cares about, you know, the fealty to him.

Just his impulses are to flex his muscles and have Republicans do what he wants.

And as...

it looks less likely that the House stays or whatever, then yes, you begin to start thinking about, okay, well, if I can't have that, what can I have?

And I think there's kind of, you know, sort of a decision tree there.

But I just think once we establish, does he care about doing the sorts of things that make it easier for people to win elections when he's not on the ballot?

He cares a little bit, but when that's in tension with his...