Posted on 08/18/2015 8:48:45 PM PDT by 2ndDivisionVet
Okay, so what happens after Trump?
What happens if he fades away or decides he’s had enough and drops out? What do his angry, frustrated and fed-up supporters do? Do they also drop out?
Early warning: This column has more questions than answers – usually not a good thing for someone who’s at least attempting to influence the conversation. But when writing or talking about Donald Trump and his run for the presidency, there are few easy, or obvious, answers to the many questions his candidacy raises.
You’ve been warned.
There is a civil war raging in the Republican Party, even if some conservatives don’t think so. It’s a battle between the angry, frustrated and fed-up wing and the more moderate types. At the moment Trump is the standard bearer for the angry wing, voters who may very well sit home on Election Day if Trump or someone they think is not “conservative enough” wins the nomination.
Trump tells us he’ll deport 11 million illegal immigrants. It’s not going to happen and I suspect even he knows it. But so what? It’s what the angry, frustrated and fed-up wing wants to hear.
He tells us he’s going to build a wall to keep illegals from south of the border out of this country – and the Mexicans are going to pay for it. That’s not going to happen, either. But again, so what?
How’s he going to deal with China? Don’t you worry, he will. He’s a good negotiator. Just ask him. And that also is good enough for his the Trump faithful.
When you’re angry, frustrated and fed-up someone like Trump looks like a messiah you’ve been waiting for. They don’t care if Trump is just spouting words that have little substance. They don’t care how impractical he is. His strong suit is that he’s not the others. And for the moment, that’s more than enough.
Here’s another question: If Trump no longer is in the race will his acolytes throw their support to another “real conservative” or say the deck was stacked against their guy and sit it out?
And what if that post-Trump “real conservative” is someone in the Trump mold, but a tad more sophisticated – someone like Ted Cruz? What if he also fails to win the nomination (which is a good bet)? Will the angry, frustrated and fed-up wing support Rubio or Kasich or Fiorina? How about Bush or Christie? Don’t bet on it.
Of course, there’s another possibility – in my view, a very long shot. And that is: Trump actually wins the nomination.
Most GOP voters want anybody but Hillary (or Sanders or Biden), but do they want Donald Trump and his massive ego as the voice and face of America? Do they really want him in charge of the nuclear football? Will they vote for Donald – or sit home?
We all remember that at the top of the GOP debate, Fox News moderator Bret Baier asked all the candidates if they would pledge to support the party’s nominee — whomever it might be. All but Trump said they would. But there’s another important question hovering over the campaign: Will GOP voters support the Republican candidate — whomever it turns out to be.
The answer to that question would tell us a lot about whether the Republicans have a real chance of winning the White House in 2016.
Leaving denial stage and beginning bargaining stage.
Mexico’s former Ambassador today said there are 30 million illegals in the U.S.
He should know...
We gave the Republicans two big Congressional wins. They did nothing.
We need to destroy the existing Republican party and recreate it with conservatives in charge. Let’s have a TWO PARTY system instead of the Uni-party.
The RNC used Republican donor money in Mississippi to get Democrats to cross over and vote for their candidate by calling the conservative a KKKer who would end all Welfare.
When RNC money goes to Democrat street cash pimps, it’s time to destroy that party and rebuild it.
Which means there are 90 million.
Were you looking for an argument from me? LOL
LOL! I watched this imbecile tonight and he could not have been more off-base in his views.
He said Trump is bad for the Republican party because all those die hard supporters won't vote at all if Trump drops out.
News bulletin, GOPe, you push your guy, we stay home. Same result before Trump, no secret there.
No argument. I was just posting on the thread.
I’m excited conservatives have a candidate with a ton of money that doesn’t have to sell out to win.
Bernie can now go over to see the Fox news pay master for his Rupert Murdock money check.
Well, if Trump doesn’t win the nomination and doesn’t go third party, for the first time in my voting life I’ll sit out the election.
Oy vey Bernie
Go get some stone crabs at Joes or some matzo soup at Wolfies
Leave saving America to us
Thou doth kvetch a bit much
I wish I trusted him to stay strong when the chips are down, once he wins the Presidency.
I really fear he’s going to turn into another Schwarzenegger.
An old Vermont political tale: Two men attended a small town political rally together. One man was very hard of hearing. So his friend would listen to the public oratory and then shout the key points at his near deaf friend. After the first speaker had rambled on for 10 minutes the deaf man asked his friend, “What’s he saying?” His friend shouted back, “He don’t say.”
Of all the candidates there’s no confusion about what Donald Trump is saying.
It takes real courage to bash Trump on FOX. He has never sounded anything other than a Dem who happens to state the obvious once in a while.
Pray America is waking
Bernie Goldberg, please go tell us how the Democrats feel about all this instead of how we’re supposed to feel.
“...if he thinks Don Trump with the “nuclear football” is more of a nightmare than Barack Obama or Hillary Clinton with it.”
You took the words right out of ......
[Mexico’s former Ambassador today said there are 30 million illegals in the U.S.]
At the very least Mexico should be forced to grant 30 million native-born Americans Mexican citizenship. This would allow them to travel freely back and forth across the border, to own, buy, sell and develop Mexican real estate and businesses, to vote and run for office if they reside in Mexico. These 30 million Americans would improve economic, social and political conditions in Mexico to the degree that illegals in the U.S. would beginning returning home.
You said it!
While traveling, I heard an audio version of some black woman passionately rousing blacks to Donald Trump and I was astounded. She touted his jobs agenda, and hope in America again, and wouldn’t let go. It was wonderful.
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