The signs of GOP collapse are all too evident. Yesterday, a conservative politician announced a third party bid for the presidency. While he doesn’t have a real chance at winning, professional Republicans from the Koch brothers on down are jumping on board. Republican Senator Susan Collins of Maine became the latest GOP member of Congress to say she can’t support Trump’s candidacy. Fifty former GOP national security leaders sent a letter calling Donald Trump unfit to serve as commander-in-chief. And now a report shows that GOP who donors who didn’t support Trump in the primary are more likely to give to Hillary Clinton than him. It’s a recipe for disaster and the making of a Democratic wave.
However, while Republicans across the country are distancing themselves from Trump, Republicans in North Carolina are jumping on the Trump Train. He’s doing events in Fayetteville and Wilmington today and two big fundraisers in Charlotte next week. Pat McCrory and Richard Burr are listed as co-chairs of the Trump events next week and most of the GOP Congressional delegation has endorsed him.
Republicans here are stuck. If they abandon Trump, then much of their base might stay home. If they support him, they might lose the white college-educated voters they need to win. They’ve apparently made the calculation that holding the base is more important than winning the middle. They’re also probably hoping that Trump can actually pivot in a way that attracts traditional conservatives who are currently turned off by the Trump persona.
Waves are often built more by depressed voter turnout than large surges of voters. Moderate conservative-leaning voters who only come out in presidential years may well stay home. To combat that apathy, Republicans need a stronger than normal ground campaign. Unfortunately for them, Trump has declined to build any sort of infrastructure. Instead, he’s relying on rallies to gin up enthusiasm.
In contrast, Democrats are building a big operation. The Clinton campaign has paid staffers and offices throughout the state. They benefit from an infrastructure built by the Obama campaign and experienced volunteers to make it work. Instead of rallies, Clinton is on TV. While Trump might be reaching tens of thousands of people barnstorming the state, Clinton is reaching millions in their living rooms every night.
Finally, Republican overreach is turning the political environment sour for the GOP at the state level. While social media is lit up with Republican operatives blaming Charlotte for the HB2 debacle, the rest of the world blames them. The court of appeals told the truth on their voter suppression laws and exposed them for targeting specific groups of voters including African-Americans. And their heavy-handed redistricting of local jurisdictions like school boards and city councils has angered people of all persuasions who don’t want Raleigh meddling in their affairs.
The North Carolina GOP response mirrors that of Trump. Play the victim and attack everybody—the liberal media, the rigged courts, and the NBA “elites.” Create anger and hope to channel it against Hillary Clinton and the Democrats. They seem to have given up on winning the middle and are banking on evoking enough anger to create a surge that sweeps them to victory.
I doubt it will work.
Pardon my spell checker on my mibile. There is no edit reply.
I am a Republican and GOP Donor in the State. I am also educated, not the particular Southern moron that some here refer Republicans to. I am a physical conservative and yes I am absolutely against any bathroom/Shower bill that exposes my two adopted special needs children to any form of trauma psychologically or other by any persons. I am not a fear monger. I am an adoptive parent of children whoare products of previous abuse and I will tolerate not vourt law that exposes my children to trauma on any level after five years of therapies.
As a life long Republican I can tell you I am disgusted with Senator Richard Burr as well Thom Tillis and our State GOP President Robyn Hayes. They are henchmen, corrupt and untrustworthy! I despise deception and they were responsible for imparting many poison pill off topic garbage under the HB2 bill which should have Only been about bathrooms and Showers. Our State legislstures did this intentionally post the simple Statute that Pat McCrory had written. The State GOP needs a complete overhaul. Most literally need to go to even save the party here and across the State. Meanwhile Thomas Mills the Corruption is Bipartison and You know this very well. I and many other life long educated Republicans dis not vote for Trump in the prumary and we will ensure his loss in this State in November!
I like many other’s are fed up eith the corrupt leadership in our Party and we will vote only for Conservative down ticket that does Not mean Richard Burr. McCrory and Forest are not the bad guys You press for them to be. Instead look for the vile lies and deceit under the rock’s titled Robyn Hayes- Michelle Nix- Dallas WoodHouse – Richard Burr And Thom Tillis who activly took part in deceit to oust our very first African America State GOP President through corruption and deceit and discrimination! Expose the deceit of Robyn Hayes and Burr and Tillis who collectively with the RNC Denied Elected Congressional District Delegates not Only our first Amendment Right’s but rigged our States GOP rules to ensure The People in this State have No voice Unless You are a huge wealthy Lobbiest and donor.
I despise Clinton just as much for the corruption she has imparted along with the DNC.
The libertarians will earn my Potus vote this year in N.C.
Believe me when I say thousands of other Republicans will vote the very same in N.C. and across the nstion. The anger in North Carolina from voter’s on both side’s as well as across the nation may very well stop both Nominee’s from reaching a winning status. America is sick of the corrupt games from both parties who intrude on our freedom’s and are far too involved on federal levels in our lives.
I can only ensure that I work to clean out My Party corruption starting with Burr. I hope your integrity is the same that you work to clean it out from the Dems.
If Trump takes Burr and McCrony down with him, that would be a trifecta worth seeing. Keeping my fingers crossed….
Republicans in the South have always been markedly different from Republicans from other parts of the nation. The unique history of the South is the reason why the Country Club Republicans from the Northeast and Midwest are behaving differently from the Republicans in the South.
Trump appeals specifically to Southern Republicans, while horrifying the Rockefeller “economically conservative but socially liberal” Republicans that are jumping ship.
Trump is pitching “economically liberal and socially conservative.” And that might work in NC, where the white working poor are more concerned that somebody else might get something for free, than concerned whether they have a job with a decent wage or not.
McCrory and Burr have chosen not to bite the hand that feeds them. They do not want to let “those people” vote, or else there might be more giving out of “free stuff”, which only makes “them” lazy and unproductive. Trump! Trump! Trump!
I watched the original Wicker Man last night on Starz. In some ways, Trump draws parallels with the unfortunate officer in the movie. He willingly submitted himself as King For a Day, unwittingly playing the role of Fool, and now he is being pilloried and set ablaze by his own villagers. Hard as I squeeze my eyes however, I can’t manage a single tear for the blowhard.
The evidence supports your assertion that Democratic candidates benefit from an infrastructure built by the Obama campaign and experienced volunteers to make it work. I’m impressed with the extent to which the campaigns are coordinated. Our volunteers are hard working, very educated, and efficient.
I have to wonder why was Burr listed as the co-chair of the Trump event. The Charlotte Observer reports that tickets to the Charlotte event run as high as $50,000. Maybe, I can save up that much by then.
Fear. Don’t forget fear. They’re terrified out of their wits right now.
There have been ten polls in NC since June 1, and Clinton lead in eight of them, including the last two. FiveThirtyEight has Clinton at 72% in NC, and still trending upwards.
The problem for the poor Repubs is that NC white voters are just too darn educated to fall for Trump’s sales schtick. 91 days is a long time, but the national press will probably be writing Trump off for a good part of that, which will be discouraging for the low information voters that you suggest the Repubs are counting on. (Stuart Rothenberg, generally a pretty cautious guy, says the unsayable here: https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/powerpost/wp/2016/08/09/donald-trump-needs-a-miracle-to-win/?postshare=2631470741261494&tid=ss_tw) I doubt they’ll get a surge, more like a receding tide.
We can route these crooked clowns, but it’s gonna take work. Time to roll up our sleeves and elect of lot of Dems, including Thomas Mills.