Posted on 07/01/2015 4:19:50 PM PDT by Mariner
Donald Trump is surging. In a field that has grown to 16 Republican presidential candidates (once Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker and Ohio Gov. John Kasich make their candidacies official), Trump is now in second place pretty much wherever you look. A new Quinnipiac poll of Iowa voters shows him tied for second with Ben Carson; they each have 10 percent to Walker’s 18. The latest CNN/WMUR poll in New Hampshire also puts Trump in second, with 11 percent, behind only Jeb Bush at 16 percent. And in the Huffington Post Pollster average of national polls, Trump comes in a mere 0.7 percent behind Bush.
While everyone has treated the Trump story as an amusing sideshow to the campaign (which it certainly is), there’s a genuine danger for the GOP in his presence that goes beyond the simple fact that he makes the party look silly (which he certainly does). More than any other candidate, Trump is telling Latinos that the Republican Party doesn’t like them.
Now let’s be clear: It isn’t as though Trump is going to be a serious contender for the nomination. But he could also go significantly higher than he is now. Just think about what happened in 2012, when one ridiculous candidate after another shot to the front of the Republican primary race. At one point, Rick Perry was in the lead with 32 percent support. Herman Cain once led with 26 percent. Newt Gingrich topped the field with 35 percent. Rick Santorum was No. 1 with 34 percent. The 2016 race may or may not be that volatile, but it will certainly have some ups and downs, as one candidate or another will stumble and another will rise.
(Excerpt) Read more at washingtonpost.com ...
I’m touched by the selfless concen of the WA post.
Well, the “powers that be” aren’t “the party”. They constantly stab “the party” in the back.
I believe that you and I agree on this.
I recognize you’re right, but the RINOs aren’t going to relinquish any power to thinkers of a different variety.
They’re in control, and the party is essentially dead to us.
I don’t want to debate if it’s the party or the RINOs that run it. I don’t like it, but the party is screwed any way you slice it.
Wish we would have listened to Ross Perot, probably would have saved millions of good paying American jobs.
Trump was governor of California at one time
only we called him Arnold back then.
......Donnie the Trumpenator!!!
I really don’t see how he could harm them. He’s not Ross Perot.....and whatever damage he might do in the primary would likely hurt the moderates, not the conservatives...
Who gives a crap if it is bad for the GOP? Is it good for us?
If Bush gets the nomination...
I not only expect Hillary to win, I want her to.
The problem is, the GOP rank and file do not demand their royalty tow “the party line” or be thrown out. I’m sure you will agree there is nothing, or very little, wrong with the various GOP national and state platforms.
I’ll bet that if the XYZ party were to steal the entire Republican base, within a short timeframe, the same thing would be true of their newly elected XYZ attention whores sent to DC.
They would become XYZ-INOs.
He’s a good field general to fight the war of liberal aggression.
That’s it....as I see it..and so far it’s just a single issue fight and we have much more to fight over..
There are a lot of democrats & independents that want the border closed. Trump is the messenger, which is why the left is out to get him.
I think the GOP got the message, but they tossed it in the trash and tried to kill the messenger. Demands were made and received, largely by the Tea Party.
If they manage to get Bush nominated, the GOP as we know it today, will be vaporized during the ensuing midterms, assuming they don’t resign.
I don’t disagree, but I will also say that if a third party were to form, it’s first order of business should be to ban all political office holders of the Republican Party.
I’d rather take longer to form that pick up all the nut-jobs from the Republicans who have stabbed us in the back for decades.
I firmly believe that if a third party were to gain traction, we would be in the minority in perpetuity.
Our republic and it’s republican form of government which is damaged now, would be dead forever.
Actually I was assuming in my comment that they all would be fresh blood.
Look at the hopes we had for Rand Paul, Rubio, Trey Gowdy, Paul Ryan etc
That’s only true if the third party person is a nut-job.
Perot in his sane state was all ready to pull it off. And then he flamed out.
If we had a very good leader who made sense and was charismatic, a third party bid could work.
We think in terms of 50/50, but the 33/33/33 model is workable too, if your guy makes sense and catches on.
If the guy happened to be Conservative, his agenda would be picked up by the Republicans and pushed through.
That’s the way it has always worked. Dems-L Repubs-C
I know it’s a real hurdle. I understand that. I don’t like the idea, but what choice is there if we can’t get the GOP to join our cause?
I love that every article always starts out with the premise that Trump can’t win. Not true. GOP voters are sick of being lied to by ‘republican RINO’s running for President. Oh and then losing. We want a winner.
Yes, I know it’s disappointing at times.
Sucks to be sure.
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