The GOP hates him for what he will do to their power, not because he is “too liberal,” but they can’t admit they really want to keep the borders open wide. So, they paint him as this terrible devil. That he can be doing so well in the face of this, frankly, shameful smear job says a lot about him. I’ve seen his composure slip as little when he acknowledges the challenges presented by having $60M+ spent to destroy a single man. We forget sometimes, but he’s only human. Those moments further cement my respect for him.
You're absolutely right. If Jeb Bush held every single view, and shared every position and policy that Trump has, the gopE would be falling all over themselves and ! would have been proclaimed the nominee already. It is so difficult to see all these things come into focus so rapidly and consecutively. Think of where your consciousness was pre-Trump. I think politics will now be chronicled in America as pre and post Trump. He has been that much of an impact.