You are right on that.. Why such extremes against him? People who are Republicans but have a reputation for honesty have stooped to the point of completely misquoting Trump— calling him a liberal and a socialist and a bigot and a sexist.. There is a paralell with how Sarah Palin was treated, but clearly nothing on this level.
I have some vague theories on why Trump engenders such passionate hatred, but nothing I’m quite ready to share. I simply note that not even Jeb excites such hostility. But that I suppose relates to his poor showing in the polls. In some ways, he seems more of a joke than a threat.
I do find it interesting that the most aggressive haters are rarely if ever advised to tone it down. The personal insults lobbed at Trump supporters are over the top and really disgusting. We get called out for mentioning the hate, but the haters themselves get free rein. Hmm.