I'm starting to think the GOP electorate might just be dumb and crazy enough to nominate Trump.

[DanTex]

Is this just wishful thinking? What does everyone else here think?

[drm604]

1. I think it's possible.

Not so much because the GOP electorate as a whole want him, but because of the primary vote being divided between so many candidates. He could win with 20% of the vote.

[HooptieWagon]

28. Probably not.

At 25% or so of the vote, he'll take a few "winner take all" primary states, but in the other proportionally delegated states and caucuses, the other candidates will pick up delegates too. Chances are it's a brokered convention, with no candidate holding more than 50% of the delegates, and there's no way the GOP elite pick Trump as the candidate.

[TexasProgresive]

2. It is possible he could pull a G.W.bush

No one thought he would be governor much less pResident.

[rock]

3. Well, they are crazy

I'll give you that!

[MH1]

4. What I think - I was glad in 2000 that W beat McCain for the nomination.

America would never be so stupid to elect a colossal eff-up like W as president.

Right?

So, not cheering Trump's rise so much, or wishing for his nomination, at all.

We will have ONE candidate - probably Hillary, although I'm hoping for a more dynamic primary where policy is discussed - and if ANYTHING happens to damage her candidacy - even a perfectly truthful statement that gets twisted by the media into something it wasn't - we could actually end up with the republican candidate as president. {shudder}

And I think Trump is insane and a President Trump would be an existential threat to the US.

[ladjf]

5. What if the American electorate is also dumb enough to elect him President?

I hate to think about the results. However, he would be better than any of the other Republican candidates.

Yet, the average adult American would be far better suited for the Presidency than Trump. For that matter, if "average Americans" could replace every member of Congress, the Supreme Court and all policemen, we would be far better off than we are now.

[merrily]

6. As soon as someone posted that Coulter thought Trump should get the nom,

I posted we should have her back on this.

However, if you recall Cain, Santorum, Perry and whoever else jumped into the clown car last time each went through his stint of rising to the top of the polls. Then, everything sorted out to Romney. I think the same kind of thing will happen again.

[daleanime]

7. While 'dumb and crazy' play a big part....

I think the main driver is anger. Which is the tRump personified.

As for him gaining the nomination, no. Once it's down to a few candidates his negatives will force voters to gather behind one of his opponents. Now, if some how a large number of candidates stayed viable until the convention then.....hummmnnn....

[safeinOhio]

9. A lot of blood and dirt

will be left behind, which is great for us.

[MoonRiver]

8. I think it's possible.

[nruthie]

10. Nothing could surprise me when it comes to the Republican collective mind.

Or the lack thereof.

[IDemo]

11. You're probably right,

but a blog post I read last week said that RNC Chair Priebus would likely personally shoot Trump with a tranquilizer dart to prevent him from making it onto the debate stage. I think T-rump has a bag full of outbursts that will do him in by then.

[truebluegreen]

16. Except his outbursts seem to endear him even more

to the base (both senses). I'm lovin' it: all the chickens are coming home to roost, all the meanness, hatefulness, nativist bullshit is on full display. This is your Republican party, America! Cherish it.

[madville]

12. 72% of the republican primary voters don't want him

As things get more serious a larger portion will line up behind Bush and/or Walker.

Funny observation, Ted Cruz fell off the map since Trump stole all his supporters lol.

[Android3.14]

13. There is danger on that path too

The mistake we are making is assuming the US public is enlightened enough that Trump can't win the general election.

The results in other countries such as France and Canada suggests this assumption is dangerous and ignorant.

[AngryOldDem]

23. +1

[virtualobserver]

14. Romney will ride into a brokered convention on a white dressage horse

Trump will then go 3rd party and focus on punishing the Republicans.

[restorefreedom]

19. thread winner! nt

[DFW]

15. Yes, it's just wishful thinking

If Fox Noise doesn't want him, he won't be nominated.

Obama was popular and elected by a huge majority and Fox still manages to convince a third of the country he's a member of the Taliban. Trump is unpopular and supported by a tiny majority. Fox will demolish him if they feel he's a genuine threat. Beyond getting himself on the cover of TIME for a week, I doubt his campaign will gather much steam beyond what he wants to spend on staged scenes.

[Spider Jerusalem]

17. I'm hoping Trump decides to run as an independent, personally

once it's clear he won't be getting the GOP nomination, anyway.

He'll take enough votes away from Jeb/Rubio/whoever that the Republicans are guaranteed a loss. I see that as being the best possible outcome of the whole Trump circus.

[vankuria]

18. GOP power brokers will do whatever it takes

so that doesn't happen, even if they have to dig up dirt themselves and throw it over to Fox, where Roger Ailes is a tool for his party and takes his marching orders from the GOP establishment. They'll go to whatever lengths necessary to derail his campaign even if that means shutting him out of debates.

He's making such a mockery of our democracy, even dare I say, by GOP standards.

[w0nderer]

20. For many a year the saying has been

America has the best supreme court, congress and senate money can buy

now...it'll also have (maybe) the best president money can buy

/re-read from top s/best//g (search, replace best with 'nothing')

[MineralMan]

21. It's very, very doubtful.

You may have noticed that you're not hearing much from Jeb Bush right now. That's because he's letting Trump and the other clown car passengers say as many stupid things as they can think up. He's raising money for his campaign. The more the other candidates run their mouths, the better for Jeb Bush.

If you want someone to worry about, worry about Bush. He's probably going to be the nominee.

[AngryOldDem]

22. I think we shouldn't assume he won't be around for the long haul.

As I told someone this morning, his schtick is entertaining now, but wait a year. My hope is that, given that he can't take any kind of criticism and is long on bullshit and short on specifics, he will implode once he gets to the debate stage and is forced to be specific about what he will do if elected, as well as take the heat from other candidates. Trump doesn't have the maturity to be dog-catcher, but then most of his supporters either don't know that or don't care.

I forget who it was on Meet The Press this morning who made a very good point: Both Trump and Bernie are attracting people who are very, very dissatisfied with the status quo and party establishment. So, maybe that's the answer right there: He's got staying power, unless he self-destructs (which people thought when he went after McCain last week).

I'll be honest: Trump scares me. He is the candidate I've been afraid of for many years now, and who I hoped I would never be around to see.

[Bigmack]

24. I think that Trump is a classic sociopath. nt Ms Bigmack

[Sheepshank]

25. Yesterday, for the first time in a while

I toddled over to Discussionist. It was freaky weird how many over there are serious about his ability to win the GE and lead the country in a manner to make it great. They even tout Trump's ability in getting cross over votes because of some of his progressive/liberal stands. That primary nomination would be awesome.

[SheilaT]

26. A couple of thoughts.

First off, keep in mind that relatively few voters participate in the primaries and caucuses. If Trump supporters are the most motivated next year, then he might get the nomination.

But I agree with those who think he'll implode and be out of the running in a few more months. He is remarkably thin-skinned, and maybe his IQ is somewhat up there, but he hasn't a clue what life is like for most of us. He's been in bankruptcy four times, which does not say to me he's actually a savvy businessman. Plus, I honestly wonder what it's like to be an employee of his at any level. That would make an interesting piece of journalism.

[Live and Learn]

27. I don't think Trump wants to be President at all.

I think this is all being done to up his publicity and to ensure the person he really wants to be President gets in.

[Cleita]

29. The candidate for the Republicans will be Scott Walker in the end.

He has already been selected by the Koch Bros. and MIC, the only powers that count in the GOP. He is also the most dangerous. None of the other candidates could beat either Clinton, Sanders or O'Malley. They would destroy themselves with foot in mouth disease long before the election, but Walker is a slick politician who comes across as every man's pal. This is why the Koch Bros. have their money behind him. He's the candidate I fear if he becomes President. Even dumb Bush, Jr. sometimes showed a little rebellion and independence from his handlers. Walker is so compliant with them, it's almost as if he is a robot that has been programmed by them.

[nadinbrzezinski]

30. Yup

I even wrote an OP on that



Here

http://www.democraticunderground.com/10027011214

Though I would not call them dumb. Same exact dynamics as the 1980 election. There are differences, but just by degree

[Vinca]

31. Me, too.

And while it's all very amusing now, you have to remember that Ronald Reagan won and Trump makes him look like Albert Einstein.

[Turbineguy]

32. It's entirely possible

there are a lot of angry self-destructive people out there in gopland.