16 thoughts on “Trump Drops Threat To Go Independent (Again)”

1. Run, Donald, run! See Donald run! See Hillary win!

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2. Eli Stokols weighs in on the GOP's Trump problem:

   “The more time that passes, and especially if he maintains his lead in the polls and heaven forbid becomes our Party’s presidential nominee, there will be no way to effectively separate Trump’s irresponsible demagoguery from the brand and identity of the GOP as a whole. Donald Trump will become the face of the Republican Party,” said Ryan Call, the former Colorado GOP chairman who made minority outreach a top priority.

   “If Donald Trump becomes our Party’s nominee for President, not only will have a devastating effect on down-ticket races for Congress and the state legislature throughout the country in 2016, it will taint the brand, party platform and perception of the GOP among Hispanics, young people, women, and other religious and ethnic minorities for years to come.”

   Read more: http://www.politico.com/story/2015/12/donald-trump-gop-reaction-nomination-pledge-216556#ixzz3tlgJ4LEi

   The GOP convention should be quite entertaining:

   “I do think there’s going to be a fractured convention if he wins any delegates,” said Katie Packer, a GOP consultant who ran Mitt Romney’s 2012 campaign. “His people are like the Ron Paul people four years ago—they’re only going to be for Trump, and they’ll be willing to disrupt. And I don’t think Ron Paul’s people were nearly as vitriolic and hateful as Trump’s people are.”

    

   Either as an independent or as the Republican nominee, the prognosis for the GOP is not very good.

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   1. Ummmm, Eli, . . . Trump's "irresponsible demagoguery" IS the brand and identity of your GOP party as a whole . . . 

      . . . it does make it a bit easier to hide that sorry fact without Trump, but denial doesn't change the ugly face behind behind today's happy-GOPer mask.

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   2. The real problem, Mr. Call, is that the Republican Party brand really has become what the Trump Stream Of Consiousness is giving voice to.

      A new poll suggests that 65% of GOP primary voters agree with what Trump suggested about banning Muslims, and more didn't care one way or the other. Of the poll sample, 37% of the general electorate – that would be about 75% of the Republican-voting public – agreed with Trump, even after being informed of the legal and diplomatic issues a full ban would cause.

      It's embarrassing, but this is what happens when you continually reach out to radical right groups to swell your ranks over time. First the tail starts wagging the dog, then eventually the dog realizes the tail is in the majority.

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3. The GOP brought this upon themselves. No one was willing to call him on his racist, sexist bullshit because they were desperate for the interest and attention his freak show was bringing. It's too late to put him back in the cage. He's only going to get worse, and do more damage. 

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   1. I particularly like the Trump hand wringing by Nicolle Wallace (on "Morning Joe" today) who tried to elect Sarah Palin as Vice-President even though she thought Palin was certifiably insane.  Trump is merely the next iteration of the Sarah Palin-created wing of the GOP.

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   2. Racist and sexist is platform.  Hostage taking and blackmail is de riguer Republican politico behavior.  See also:  

      Buck, Ken;

      Caucus, Freedom;

      and Principles, Conservative  (h/t Moderatus)

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   3. Donald Trump is running a reality show campaign. What no one will say out loud is that he's the white trash candidate. Rich white trash, but trash just the same. 

      But that doesn't make me cry, 'Mudgeon. If it gives Dems the boost we need to hold the White House, I’ll consider it a job well done.

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4. Sounds like they're screwed if he is the nominee and screwed if he isn't and runs 3rd parrty. I think a third party run would be ideal from Trump's point of view.  He'd get to continue The Donald Runs for President reality TV show with no danger of winning such a hard low paying (low six figures is for losers) real job. He'd keep his following. He could point out for the rest of his life that if the GOP had just realized how popular and loved he was they could have won the WH with him. The media loves him for ratings so he'd still constantly be invited to say outrageous things. He could keep the show going indefinitely. Sounds like a win/win for him and HRC. He might even get invited to sleep in the Lincoln bedroom and attend state dinners.

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   1. Yup, and the news just gets better and better: 

      Poll: Donald Trump nearly doubles lead in New Hampshire

      http://www.cnn.com/2015/12/08/politics/donald-trump-poll-new-hampshire/

      Nothing like exposing the ugly underside of the GOP base for all to see.

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5. People are looking at this all the wrong way – Trump isn't running for Prez, this entire circus is just an ongoing rolling promo for his new reality TV show — Klan Island: the End of the World As We Know It. 

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   1. also,

      Kardashianing the Presidency, a Ryan Seacrest Trumptacular

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6. Agree with everyone, but there's also this bit of NRA/Republican strategery that will have a lasting effect:

   Sixty-four percent of Americans say that it's more important for the U.S. to focus on preventing terrorism than on preventing gun violence, while just 25 percent view gun violence as more important.

   A 53 percent majority of respondents say issues related to terrorism will be "very important" when they vote next year, while just 36 percent say the same of gun issues.

   This is despite the fact that while 29 Americans have been killed in terrorist attacks on U.S. soil in the past decade, 132,349 have been killed by gun violence during the same period.

   While members of both parties see terrorism as an important issue, the GOP is especially concerned. Eighty-eight percent of Republicans think preventing terrorism is more important than preventing gun violence, while Democrats are about evenly split.

    

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   1. Fear isn't logical, so exploiting fear of terrorists is always going to dominate the right wing messaging, and gun violence will be downplayed.  Talking sensibly about either topic doesn't engage the lizard brain (see Obama's Sunday speech).

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7. So the bribe from CNN did not work.  Now threaten most of the planet with keeping people out of the US and those in it as a side event.  A couple weeks ago I compared his raised arm salute, does not look like the Queen's wave, would be so familiar to people who lived in Germany in the 1930's.   Now his resemblance to Hitler is getting closer and closer each day.  I know raising the Nazi flag means to lose the argument, but these are not normal times.

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8. Well, 68 percent of trumps share of GOP voters, about 36, means 24 percent of Republicans would vote for trump.   Fabulous news for Hillary and, given Trumps sure to be vitriolic attack on GOP, also good for Democratic ticket in general.  Ds might even get both houses of Congress back if Das Donald! leads his storm trooper base in this jihad.   Does anybody know what size he wears in a Brownshirt?

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