Trump is winning for one reason:
Trump’s support is NOT from the very conservative part of the Republican Party. Trump is making a pure populist play, and draws from all segments of the political spectrum in Republican Party and also among unaffiliated and Democrats.
The very conservative portion of the Republican Party is trending Cruz in general, but Trump puts the disaffected from all segments into play. Failure to understand that is a failure to understand the Trump phenomenon.
I am Cruz supporter, but I respect what Trump brings to the 2016 election.
As do I, sir, as do I. Trump just happens along so Cruz will be heard. Trump seems to know his playing field before ever attempting to begin ‘the game’.
And as to the reference of ‘right wing fringe’. Disregarded, tossed and dumped.
GO TRUMP! GO CRUZ! ~ YOU WIN OR WE LOSE!!
I can’t stand Trump because he has brought an unprecedented level of crudeness, nastiness, old man’s bile and anti-intellectualism to this campaign - one in which we actually started out with some good younger candidates.
But I wouldn’t say he courted “the base,” simply because he probably didn’t even know there was a base. He was never involved in conservative politics in NY. He tried to run for mayor of NYC but bailed when he got opposition, because he doesn’t really have a program and isn’t reaching out to anybody.
Being the entertainer that he is, he’s just looking for an audience.
And he found one, because while he’s horrible and I wouldn’t vote for him (seriously, and I was even involved in Tea Party things), he’s tapped into a lot of anger out there among a group that feels (rightly) that it’s been marginalized and even demonized. That would be white males, particularly older white males.
Trump didn’t start with any particular group in mind, but like any good populist, he stumbled onto the vein of anger that he could exploit. And what he knows is exactly what Hitler, Stalin and all European populists knew.
Once you have gotten your personal base, appearing as their savior, it doesn’t matter what you say or do. Trump can say things like “American workers are paid too much” and working people cheer him. Huh?
Like you, I’m a Cruz supporter, but if Trump wins the nomination, I’ll campaign for him.
Trump is winning for one reason: