Posted on 08/08/2015 7:12:04 PM PDT by E. Pluribus Unum
Republican leaders who have watched Donald Trumps summer surge with alarm now believe that his presidential candidacy has been contained and may begin to collapse because of his repeated attacks on a Fox News Channel star and his refusal to pledge his loyalty to the eventual GOP nominee.
Fearful that the billionaires inflammatory rhetoric has inflicted serious damage to the GOP brand, party leaders hope to pivot away from the Trump sideshow and toward a more serious discussion among a deep field of governors, senators and other candidates.
They acknowledge that Trumps unique megaphone and the passion of his supporters make any calculation about his candidacy risky. After all, he has been presumed dead before: Three weeks ago, he prompted establishment outrage by belittling the Vietnam war service of Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.), only to prove, by climbing higher in the polls, that the laws of political gravity did not apply to him.
(Excerpt) Read more at washingtonpost.com ...
Do GOP leadership, understand that Trump has brought many voters back to having a spark of interest in the cause?
They owe him something for that, because he represents a large percentage of disinterested (third-party!!) voters.
When they push him out, guess who else they’re pushing out? When they refuse to respect his percentages, guess who they’re disrespecting? etc.
The GOP needs to wise up and figure out that he’s drawing participants in, and that is what they want.
Isn’t it?
(or should we continue to go with “let’s all lift each other up and work together in a bipartisan way to build bridges..! etc.” as a way to bring ppl back to the GOP)
The GOPe will crush Cruz too if simply ignoring him fails. Everyone needs to understand one thing: Jeb Bush is going to be the nominee whether the “conservative base” likes it or not.
The elites don’t give a damn what we think. They are making their “New World Order” and that order doesn’t include conservatives. Especially white ones.
“Donald and Ted are a tag team.
Without Donald, the GOP-wing of the Democrat party would shove Jethro down our throats with ease
“
Dead right. If nothing else Donald has kept Cruz alive. Cruz is drafting trump. I am fine with that. Whatever it takes to keep this election from being Jeb vs. Hillary.
Now you say so, why didn't you tell us this sooner? I could've spared myself all this trouble, now I'll can stay home and just drink beer.
My take on your many words is you ignored the reality of the mental health of this nation. Like it or not, there are more Jerry Springer minds across this land, than functioning constitutional law and order abiding citizenry.
We were promised a transformed nation and that is what we have. I do believe in miracles, but none of US have that kind of power. So STOP bashing people that hear Trump say “make America great again” and it wakes them up from a liberal/progressive haze. Cruz is a national unknown to the majority. When Trump starts goring the money changers and religious leaders sacred cows, illegals, it becomes personal.
When a Samson (and he was enough of a playboy to risk his own power) goes around slaying thousands with the “jawbone of an ass” it tends to get noticed, eh.
Maybe the glory is God’s after all? And not man’s, and the tireless effort to make it man’s is in vain after all?
The whole purpose of the primary campaign is to identify the message and the messenger. If you read my many words you will find that I do not bash Trump supporters for being Trump supporters but for their tactics in supporting Trump. I explicitly acknowledge the legitimacy of their anger, frustration and fear-which I and many other conservatives share and for good reason.
Do you care to answer any of those questions?
Lol, oh man, somebody really needs to put one of Trump’s caps on that head and change the one word.
I have no clue about Trump's literal intentions. Some are in a paranoid fear he is in the bag for Hillry. If that be the case, then it is up to Cruz to pay attention to what Trump is saying that has him in the lead in all the so called polls. Wiser than the serpent, harmless as a dove.
Ban him from the debates? I'm not sure they could get the media to go along. He is a VERY desirable media property.
Have a vote with Party Leadership to ban him from the party? Maybe. It's probably the least damaging path for them...but would be tied up in the courts for who knows how long.
Nope. ALL THEY CAN DO is publicly demand he leaves. And everyone knows what that means.
That is not nearly as sure as your expressed confidence. I think Trump is wounded and he is unlikely to show any growth, at least in the short term.
Erickson and Frank Puntz both need to be sent away to the Fat Farm for about four months.
So then who gains at Trump’s expense?
Initially, Trump was useful, to be sure.
Now, I’m not so sure.
Initially, Trump drew widespread attention to the race. And he illuminated the illegal alien issue — a defining wedge issue that highlights the gulf between Washington and The Rest Of Us.
But, after just one debate, Trump and his ego have become a Giant Distraction. He has let a squabble with a member of the media put him off his game.
As some have observed, Trump continues to take up all the oxygen in the room — but for what purpose? To conduct a Twitter War with Megyn Kelly? To set conservative vs conservative over meaningless events and errant assertions?
Consider what the Great Debate, Conservatism vs the Spineless GOP-E, has now become: A squabble in the gutter over whether an artless Twitter reference was to a woman’s menses or not.
Following The Donald has gotten us to this point. I submit that this effectively demonstrates that Trump is not a leader. Certainly, not a leader worthy of the conservative banner.
It’s time to move on...and re-focus on the issues...and winning a Great Campaign For A Noble Idea...rather than a catfight.
Get back to us when Cruz is polling above 10%.
I think the establishment supporters have already given Trump reasons to run on a third party. Right after he mentioned he only wanted fairness and respect, Megyn Kelly started her attack that was neither fair nor respectful. She argued with him. The moderators were not unbiased.
Since Trump is an insurgency, those voters will either fade...or pick another insurgency, NOT an office holder.
Carson, Fiorina etc.
I would add that Cruz would be extremely foolish to associate himself intimately with Donald Trump. There is a vast gulf between them, a gulf of intellectual rigor, a gulf of culture, a gulf of faith. But most important, Ted Cruz risks associating himself with a tainted individual who will drag everyone down.
Ted Cruz is running to become the president of the United States not the boss of the Apprentice. He must maintain his dignity as well as his integrity or his entire persona collapses. Association with Donald Trump is contrary to his dignity and to an image of integrity.
Even though its not scientific Drudge got over four hundred thousand votes in its poll and Trump is leading by 45 percent. Also why are we not covered up in post debate polling info at this point? Probably because Trump is surging.
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