Posted on 02/27/2016 6:42:18 AM PST by cotton1706
U.S. Republicans in Washington are coming to grips with what many of them not long ago considered an unimaginable reality: Donald Trump is likely to be their presidential nominee and standard-bearer.
The prospect of Trump winning the Republican primary had been the stuff of Washington jokes, whispered hallway conversations and eye-rolls, even as he led in public opinion polls for months and dominated debate after debate.
But with the brash billionaire now winning three straight contests in New Hampshire, South Carolina, and Nevada, denial is giving way to a mostly gloomy acceptance that he may have too much momentum to be stopped, especially if wins big in key Southern primaries next week that look favorable to him.
"It fills all of us with concern and dread,” said Senator Jeff Flake of Arizona, who has endorsed fellow Senator Marco Rubio of Florida, considered the main hope of the Republican establishment to derail Trump’s march to the nomination.
(Excerpt) Read more at reuters.com ...
I think it is POSSIBLE that Trump can save Ayotte, IF she wises up in a hurry and takes her seat on the train.
She may not be (probably is not) that smart.
Do I think trump can win? Yes. It’s what he will do after he wins that worries me. Trump pretends to be Reagan but will govern like Schwarzenegger.
Exactly. New Yorkers know Trump is a liberal.
Trump is the perfect definition of a republican in name only. Like Michael Bloomberg.
“It fills all of us with concern and dread,” said Senator Jeff Flake of Arizona”
Says RINO extraordinaire and voted most hated senator in the country several years ago. LOL!
I think he can win if he wants it badly enough. One of the peculiarities of this campaign is that he doesn’t come across to me as a serious candidate — even at this late date.
“The “go-along with democrats” republicans have never been so unhappy and powerless! Sweet revenge for their craven duplicity! “
It’s long past time when the “real Republicans” took back their party from this passel of turds currently taking up space in Washington DC. By their lack of action on matters they told us they would address if we elected them, coupled with their duplicitous collusion with the RATS, the’ve forfetted any right to stay on.
That's a fair question. The answer is twofold: 1) Congress is much different now than it was in 1980, and 2) Trump's message is not Reagan's.
1) In 1980, the nation was still post-Watergate and Democrats were in complete control in Congress. They had a strong Senate majority, and a massive majority in the House. They also were defending an amazing 24 Senate seats (out of 34 that were up for election) that they'd won in the GOP massacre that was the 1974 (Watergate effect) Congressional elections.
That meant that an anti-incumbent/anti-establishment/"throw the bums out" message would benefit Republicans running for Congress, and hurt Democrats.
In 2016, that Congressional dynamic is exactly reversed. It is Republicans who control the House and Senate, and Republicans who have to defend 24 Senate seats. So in this election, an anti-incumbent/anti-establishment/"throw the bums out" message would hurt Republicans running for Congress. If you want evidence of that, simply read the comments of Trump supporters on FR raging against the "GOP-E", many of them saying that they hope those Republicans lose those seats. It at the least, don't care if they do. In the election of 1980, it was abundantly clear that we needed to send more Republicans to Congress if we wanted the Reagan Revolution to happen.
2) Reagan's candidacy, especially in 1976, was an insurgency to some extent, but it was never anti-GOP. It was simply an attempt to reorient the party in a more conservative direction, not destroy the brand itself. Again, read FR to see how many Trump supporters want to do exactly that. Reagan's strong support of the 11th Commandment is the exact opposite of the calls to "destroy the GOP-E".
Reagan also ran an openly ideological campaign. He ran on ideas to which any GOP candidate could ascribe, which created the potential for huge coattails.
In contrast, the arguments advanced by Trump and some of his supporters seemed designed to tear the GOP apart. Trump's generic anti-politician rhetoric inevitably will hurt GOP incumbents a lot more than it helps them. He's also gratuitously insulted a bunch of Republican politicians and essential crapped all over the 11th Commandment.
And as so many of his supporter have almost gleefully acknowledged, Trump is not running as a conservative, or even running an ideological campaign at all. So he and his supporters have made it impossible for the majority of GOP incumbents to hitch their wagon to him, because there's little to hitch to except "damn the politicians.". Which sentiment, for obvious reasons, does not help them get reelected.
In short, Reagan ran as a conservative Republican, repeatedly aligning himself with the party, refraining from nasty criticisms of other Republicans, and making the election a clear choice between two parties.
Coattails.
With Trump, the only time he even mentions the word "Republican" is when he's asked if he really is one. Other than that, he's basically blasting all politicians as being bought and sold.
Negative coattails.
Conservatives have had it with the GOPe. The damn has finally burst and hopefully the resulting flood will wash away the detritus and flotsam in the GOP and allow a new beginning.
Trumpazine!
The more you take
The better you feel
Take Trumpazine
With every meal!!!
(and don’t forget to vote!)
This is the absolute best read on this election, the GOPe, and the Christie endorsement of Trump.
Opps forgot the link.
Oliphant has been a lefty forever anyone who talks with him is part of the DC political class. Good riddance
Oh well can’t win them all.
Perhaps next time the GOPe (assuming they haven’t all jumped off of tall buildings) would give us someone that we can actually vote for.
At this point it’s Trump or Amnesty, and if Amnesty wins, then our votes WILL NOT MATTER anymore as the Dems will get 10s of millions of new voters.
So, yes, most here would rather have a second Reagan, but if Trump is our ONLY CHOICE as someone that can stand up to the GOPe, then I guess we have to take him.
If you get around to reading that post, please let.me know where you think I'm wrong.
As an aside, it's worth noting that if the Dems win the Senate, they can approve Obama's Supreme Court nominee even if Trump wins the elwction.
That will flip the 5-4 majority on a bunch of key issues, including the Second Amendment.
This statement makes it OBVIOUS that the Republican Party at least the national level is completely corrupt.
At the prospect of a Trump presidency I also feel a sense of dread, prefer Cruz. Not however as much dread that I feel at the possibility of a Clinton or Sanders presidency.
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