THE CELEBRITY APPRENTICE — Episode 912 — Pictured: Donald Trump — Photo by: Ali Goldstein/NBC
Nobody in the GOP establishment knows what to do about Donald Trump. He’s building support among conservatives disenchanted with the direction of the country, especially when it comes to illegal immigration. His celebrity status guarantees that he’ll get media attention no matter what he says – and he’s saying a lot of provocative things. At the same time, the party is trying to make inroads with Hispanics, who are unsurprisingly uncomfortable with the xenophobic attitudes of the Republican base.
The good news for them is that the Trump phenomenon will probably wane. While a recent poll shows him in the lead among Republican primary voters in North Carolina, most of his support is just as serious as he is (not very).
To be sure, there are some people who seriously want to see President Donald Trump. But I’d wager most of his support comes from Tea Party types whose votes are ‘parked’ with Donald Trump out of protest. These people are angry conservatives who like that Trump irritates the political and media establishment. The fact that a bunch of companies cut ties with Trump over his ‘rapists’ comments just make them like him even more. They see Trump as someone not afraid to challenge the elite, who cannot be bullied or intimidated.
Once the rubber hits the road, though, his support is likely to evaporate. Republican voters are actually pretty savvy when it comes to things like electability, and Trump just isn’t electable. In addition, he subscribes to some positions that are unorthodox to the conservative base, like universal health care. And his flip-flopping will be the stuff of legend if the serious candidates start bringing it up.
We likely won’t get that far. Eventually either he or his supporters will get bored and hitch their wagon to someone else. Until that happens, though, it’s Donald Trump driving the GOP clown car, and everyone else is just along for the ride. Republicans better hope Trump’s fifteen minutes don’t prove fatal to their ’16 chances of taking back the White House.
I believe that Trump is saying the things that the other clown car riders believe, but don’t have the cojones to say. John, have you been paying attention? The majority of the gop are now teahadist crazies and racist goons. Go to any article on the Confederate flag and read the comments. Go to any article on voter id and read the comments. Go to any article on guns and read the comments. Go to any article concerning the gop and read the comments. This party you try to defend is coming apart mentally. They are anything but savvy, and they are showing their passion as white, hot, racism, and hatred. Their hatred of blacks skins, brown skins, red skins, yellow skins, and white skins who don’t think like them is becoming very apparent. Do a poll on that and tell me how I am wrong.
”He’s a belligerent, loudmouth racist with not an ounce of compassion for less fortunate people. In other words, he’s exactly the kind of person the Republican base consists of and identifies with.” — Paul Krugman
I know we could get John Edwards to run again. That would be great.
Trump is a 119 day phenomenon. After filing with the FEC a candidate has 30 days to file financial disclosure forms. He can then get two 45 day extensions before the financial disclosure forms MUST be filed. 30+45+45=120 days. Trump will be out by day 119. He will NEVER file a financial disclosure form. It is one thing for a blowhard and buffoon like Trump to claim to be worth 9.3 billion dollars. It is quite another thing to file, under penalty of perjury, a disclosure form that says he is worth that much. So he either lies on the form or he admits his claims about his personal fortune have been nonsense and that he is a bullshitter (something that is pretty obvious anyway).
Of course, that 119 days is enough to get him on the debate stage for the first couple of debates. So those hoping to mitigate the effects of the clown show of 2012 during the 2016 cycle will fail. The nutzery of the modern GOP will be on full display.
The nature of Trump is well known. His presidential campaign tells us very little about him we didn’t already know. What is so damaging to the GOP about Trump’s current standing in the polls is what it tells anyone who wasn’t paying sufficient attention about the modern Republican Party. It ain’t pretty.
You can only hope that Trump will fade, John.
Two things I’ll mention about your blog:
1 – There was that really funny–actually hysterical–passage you penned about “Republican voters are actually pretty savvy when it comes to things like electability” (Jeez, I just snickered out loud again!). That was a good one! McCain, Palin, Romney and Ryan (BTW, I actually had to stop and think about who made up those unmemorable slates!) carried the GOP ticket banner in 2008 and 2012 and still managed to lose to a Dem who was the nation’s first minority seeking the job, and who, at re-election time, had popularity polling levels that were underwater, had his signature achievement (ACA) being bashed badly, and who had virtually no one in is own party wanting to be seen with him. Yup, those GOP’ers really know a thing or two about who is electable, alright!
2 – How you meander so widely in your point-making! First, you say Trump is a troublesome concern to the party, but then you say the “good news” is that he won’t carry the GOP day. Then, you outline why he’s so appealing to the party’s base and the Tea Party crazies, followed by that line about how insightful GOP’ers are about who can win elections for them. And you rise to the height of blogger-waffling in your last paragraph by saying that Trump won’t get too far along, then follow that with the admission that he’s now clearly steering the Clown car, and finally end with a hope and a prayer that Trump won’t torpedo the GOP’s 2016 chances. Really, John, reading this blog has been like watching a tennis match…..
I know I have whiplash! I suspect he is just trying to convince himself Trump is a passing GOP fancy. Best of luck John.
Donald Trump vs. Bernie Sanders. That would be one election matchup nobody would call boring.
In July of 2011, the second place in Republican primary polling was held by Michelle Bachmann, then she faded away, just like Trump will do.