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The Donald Dilemma
Townhall.com ^ | August 15, 2015 | Ken Conor

Posted on 08/15/2015 9:30:25 AM PDT by Kaslin

Unless you've been living under a rock for the last couple of months, you are undoubtedly aware of how Donald Trump has upset the apple cart when it comes to Republican politics. Famously known for his "Art of the Deal" and the Apprentice's "your fired!" tagline, Trump is a master of self-promotion. He takes seriously American author Damon Runyon's statement, "He who tooteth not his own horn, the same shall not be tooted." Indeed, when it comes to trumpeting his achievements, none of the candidates has the capacity to out-trumpet Mr. Trump.

And unlike some of his real estate and entertainment ventures, Trump's tactics in the political arena are proving wildly successful. Since he has entered the Republican presidential race, Trump is topping the field, garnering over 30% of the voters support according to the most recent polls. This, even after his boorish performance during Fox News' presidential debate last Thursday night. What's unclear is what these numbers actually mean. Do 30 % of Republican voters really think that Donald Trump would make a good president, or are they just sick and tired of politics as usual? Will his apparent lack of substance hurt him in the formidable Iowa caucuses or will his "shoot from the hip, tell it like it is, political correctness be damned" attitude be enough to sway voters to his cause? At this point all America can do it watch and wait to see if Trump can sustain his lead over the long haul.

In the meantime, the GOP has a big dilemma. Will it continue to cede center stage to an egomaniacal blowhard who deflects serious questions with hollow rhetoric and attacks his critics with insults and hyperbole, or will it have the temerity to end this embarrassing sideshow at the risk of alienating Trump's sizable support base? While this may seem an easy choice, politics is rarely a simple affair. Donald Trump has proven to be a man who will mete out revenge upon his enemies without hesitation. He has publicly refused to rule out a third-party run in the event he is not the Republican nominee, meaning that his is willing to cede the election to presumptive Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton rather than put his support behind any of the other Republican candidates. In other words, The Donald has leverage, and he knows it. Does Reince Priebus have the gumption to call Trump's bluff at the risk of putting another Clinton in the White House?

Of course, regardless of what the Party decides to do, it is always possible that the other candidates will tire of Trump's theatrics and refuse to take the stage with him, but this tactic could easily backfire. The media loves high drama and Trump delivers it in spades. Any candidate that refuses to mix it up with The Donald runs the risk of finding themselves out in the proverbial cold, a place where no politician wants to be.

So for the time being, the status quo is likely to remain the same. And while the timid souls at the RNC dither, Mr. Trump will continue to swing his wrecking ball. Just how long can the GOP ride this tiger, though, before the damage is beyond repair? Politics most assuredly ain't beanbag, as the powers that be at the RNC are being reminded every day. If the GOP doesn't disavow his candidacy soon, they will be saddled with the notion that the inflammatory rhetoric of the leading GOP candidate is representative of the party itself. It's hard to imagine anyone more saddled with controversy and negative publicity than Hillary Clinton, but Donald Trump just might test that notion.

The Iowa caucuses are six months away. The GOP and the American people have six months to cull through 17 candidates for the Republican ticket, and the longer Trump muddies the water, the faster these six months will fly. Cutting the head off of the political snake that is Donald Trump might be a risk, but it might be one worth taking if the GOP intends to wage a serious political battle for the White House. The sooner the political wheat is separated from the chaff, the better off everyone will be.


TOPICS: Culture/Society; Editorial; Politics/Elections
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1 posted on 08/15/2015 9:30:25 AM PDT by Kaslin
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To: Kaslin

This article slams D.J.Trump. It compares him to “an egomaniac”, a “wrecking ball”, etc.

The uniparty is scared, and treating Trump worse than they ever treated Sarah Palin.


2 posted on 08/15/2015 9:37:21 AM PDT by SatinDoll (A NATURAL BORN CITIZEN IS BORN IN THE USA OF TWO USA CITIZENS)
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To: Kaslin

Another flower pansy weighs in.


3 posted on 08/15/2015 9:37:52 AM PDT by Red Steel (Ted Cruz: 'I'm a Big Fan of Donald Trump')
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To: Kaslin
the GOP has a big dilemma. Will it continue to cede center stage to an egomaniacal blowhard

These folks just don't get it. People are fed up with the GOP and with Washington and the media.

The GOP doesn't cede center stage to Trump. He is center stage because the voters put him there.

4 posted on 08/15/2015 9:37:55 AM PDT by RoosterRedux (Trump's ISIS policy: Kick their ass. Take their gas.)
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To: SatinDoll
The uniparty is scared, and treating Trump worse than they ever treated Sarah Palin.

It won't matter because Trump won't quit.

The revolution has begun.

5 posted on 08/15/2015 9:39:23 AM PDT by RoosterRedux (Trump's ISIS policy: Kick their ass. Take their gas.)
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To: Kaslin

I have no doubt that Trump will run third party if he decides that the GOPe is mistreating him. Let Trump proceed, he will either lose his support or be the republican nominee and I’d have no problem voting for him against any democrat nominee.


6 posted on 08/15/2015 9:42:14 AM PDT by Graybeard58 (ThereÂ’s a race war already raging, I didnÂ’t start it but I have chosen sides.)
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To: Kaslin
President Trump’s Cabinet

Doctor Benjamin Carson as Vice President

Department of State , (Return INS.) – John Bolton
Department of Justice - Trey Gowdy
Department of Treasury – Steve Forbes
Department of War, (change the name back, include VA function.) - LTC. West
Department of Interior, (includes former Agriculture, Transportation, HHS CBP, and Energy legitimate functions) – Gov. Palin

Department of Labor and Commerce – ELIMINATE
Department of Health and Human Services - ELIMINATE
Department of Homeland Security – ELIMINATE
Department of Education - ELIMINATE
Department of Housing and Urban Development – ELIMINATE

7 posted on 08/15/2015 9:44:06 AM PDT by ASA Vet (My new Zombie Gun - Mossberg 930 SPX w/ Steamlight TLR-2 HL G)
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To: Kaslin; SatinDoll

There is no proof Rance Priebus is against Trump, except what Trump’s people say. Priebus is loving this Trump took the Tea Party out and deranged conservatives months early. This is going to be the best primary ever for Priebus. it’s RINOtown.


8 posted on 08/15/2015 9:46:24 AM PDT by nickcarraway
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To: RoosterRedux

He is center stage because the MEDIA put him there.


9 posted on 08/15/2015 9:47:14 AM PDT by nickcarraway
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To: ASA Vet

Lol. And unicorns will jump rope on the White House lawn, and play in bubblegum streamz...


10 posted on 08/15/2015 9:48:41 AM PDT by nickcarraway
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To: nickcarraway
They put him there because he's what the people want.

They could spend all their time covering the rest of the crowd and they'd get NO viewers.

11 posted on 08/15/2015 9:49:06 AM PDT by RoosterRedux (Trump's ISIS policy: Kick their ass. Take their gas.)
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To: Kaslin

Another GOPe hit piece. Nothing new.


12 posted on 08/15/2015 9:52:21 AM PDT by Georgia Girl 2 (The only purpose o f a pistol is to fight your way back to the rifle you should never have dropped.)
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To: RoosterRedux

I, too, know that Trump won’t quit. But the Cartel is all about maintaining power, and do not care who they kill.

They assassinated Kennedy because he was going after the Federal Reserve.


13 posted on 08/15/2015 9:52:31 AM PDT by SatinDoll (A NATURAL BORN CITIZEN IS BORN IN THE USA OF TWO USA CITIZENS)
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To: Kaslin
Will it continue to cede center stage to an egomaniacal blowhard who deflects serious questions with hollow rhetoric and attacks his critics with insults and hyperbole, or will it have the temerity to end this embarrassing sideshow at the risk of alienating Trump's sizable support base?

They sure have had it up to their bow ties with Trump. Time to take off the (white) gloves.
14 posted on 08/15/2015 9:52:42 AM PDT by nhwingut (Trump-Cruz 2016 - Blow Up The GOPe)
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To: Kaslin
The most brilliant insight of all is coming--- to all who are willing to look.

Biden is going to run, it's on Drudge this morning.

The insight is how ridiculously pro-left, pro-Democrat the media will prove themselves to support Biden's candidacy over Trump's.

On one hand is Trump... a bit of a self-promoter, and certainly not a professional politician, but a man of unquestionable accomplishment.

His demeanor and speech is direct and masculine. I laugh when people call him a clown or a buffoon because the number of clowns or buffoons who have earned 10 billion dollars is exceedingly small.

On the other hand we have Biden, a worthless, partisan hack, a true buffoon, who has acquired his wealth as does any professional politician, by graft, lies, corruption, crony capitalism, etc.

His speech is creepy, inappropriate, insulting, weird, disingenuous, unseemly.

His demeanor is reprehensible: gross ear nibbling and whispering at official events while the cameras run, often perpetrated on minors or married women. In other words, a real clown. A constant, embarrassing cringefest whenever he appears on camera. He creeps out even partisan Dems.

It will be very interesting to see the press turn into pretzels to simultaneously praise Biden and bash Trump in their respective campaigns. Sure hope they don't let me down.

15 posted on 08/15/2015 9:53:35 AM PDT by caddie
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To: Kaslin
It's Not So much Trump as it's what he says. WE, the people have had enough!
Good Lord Above! WE worked, campaigned, donated both time and money to give the GOP a solid majority in both houses of the congress!
LOOK What The GOPE has done!

Those elitist B@st@rds led my Boehner & McConnell Have GIVEN the DemocRATS Everything and Then Some!

LONG LIVE THE DONALD!!!
KEEP TALKING MR. TRUMP!
MAKE THE GOPE HAVE STROKES!! THE LOT Of 'EM!

May The GOPE Burn in H3ll!!

16 posted on 08/15/2015 9:53:49 AM PDT by Fiddlstix (Warning! This Is A Subliminal Tagline! Read it at your own risk!(Presented by TagLines R US))
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To: ASA Vet

Heads up!

Trump has already asked Carl Icahn to be Secretary of Treasury, and Icahn has accepted.


17 posted on 08/15/2015 9:56:09 AM PDT by SatinDoll (A NATURAL BORN CITIZEN IS BORN IN THE USA OF TWO USA CITIZENS)
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To: Graybeard58

How can trump run third party? By the time the nomination comes around, he will either not be running or he’ll have clearly have been so far ahead of all the GOPe runners for the past YEAR the GOPe will by that time obviously be the third party they’ll kick him out to their own demise.

They’ll be the third party

Not that trump is good or bad

But if FOX can’t knock him out, who will?


18 posted on 08/15/2015 9:58:04 AM PDT by stanne
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To: Kaslin
As much as I'd hate to see Trump run third party, I'm glad he didn't take the bait and cave in the other week at the debate by taking the pledge. They can call him boorish and uncouth all they want.

Running third party is Trump's "nuclear option" should he be treated unfairly by the Republicans or otherwise engineered out of the race.

If Trump goes on to lose fair and square in the primaries, I would vote for the eventual GOP nominee, unless it happens to be Bush. However, if Trump is somehow forced out and he makes a third party run, I'm going with him.

19 posted on 08/15/2015 9:58:36 AM PDT by SamAdams76
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To: Fiddlstix
LONG LIVE THE DONALD!!!

Is that not what someone says about a King or dictator for life?

20 posted on 08/15/2015 10:00:06 AM PDT by MD Expat in PA
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