Donald Trump has exposed the true face of Republican party. It’s a group that’s angry and ignorant with a hint of racism. Through polling and focus groups, Trump knows exactly what they want to hear and he says it out loud.
On a recent TV clip, I noticed GOP message guru Frank Luntz coaching him. Luntz coined the terms “death taxes” instead of estate taxes and recommended “climate change” instead of “global warming.” He knows what moves people and he’s helping Trump do just that.
The more establishment Republicans dismiss Trump, the higher his numbers go. Most polls have him leading the GOP field by double digits. It’s early yet, but the longer Trump leads, the more likely that he’ll set the GOP message. Other candidates will need to adopt his rhetoric to steal his support.
Already Republicans are making fools of themselves trying to steal some of Trump’s media attention. Lindsey Graham blew up his cell phone. Rick Perry challenged The Donald to a pull up contest. Before he’s through, Trump will turn the whole GOP field into a big joke.
At some point, Trump will probably flame out. People will start to pay closer attention and start to take their votes more seriously. For the time being, though, Trump is showing the nation what Republicans really think. It’s not pretty and for the GOP it’s pretty embarrassing.
As for me, I’ll just get more of that popcorn.
Thomas Mills is the founder and publisher of PoliticsNC.com. Before beginning PoliticsNC, Thomas spent twenty years as a political and public affairs consultant. Learn more >
Trump is just behaving the way a lot of people want to behave to express their anger and the pressure they feel to be politically correct even if they don’t feel it. Trump does his thing with the appearance of a lot of confidence. Many people wish they had his confidence so they could say what’s on their minds and be heard by others. He’s a role model for them. The problem is, we should not necessarily vote for ourselves. And people are voting for themselves but supporting Trump. Someday people will stop listening to Trump and we’ll see where is confidence goes how much he really hates himself.
Correction from Ron: And people are voting for themselves BY supporting Trump. Someday people will stop listening to Trump and we’ll see where His confidence goes AND how much he really hates himself.
You’re missing the whole point. People aren’t “parties.” They don’t care what you “party people” want them to think. The RNC is trying to weaken Trump way harder than anyone in the DNC is – yet anyway. What Trump is “selling” is resonating beyond party lines. Heck it is resonating among legal immigrants. Yes I realizes he still “loses” to Hillary in the polls. But many people “polled” don’t vote anyway. And the momentum is off the Hillary train for sure. That’s looking more like a slow motion train wreck. May right itself of course, but all bets are off now. Uncle Joe is brushing off his suits as we speak.
And to say it is just racist is ignorant. Sure since he is calling out the high level of illegal immigration it focuses on Hispanics, but most of illegal immigrants ARE Hispanic so who else could it focus on?. People are (rightly) worried that we can’t control our borders and we don’t know who is here – or why. That isn’t a Republican worry. That’s an American worry.
Morris, you can talk about the real problems we have with border controls without calling people who cross the borders rapists and murderers. There is absolutely no evidence on which to base such a statement. Trump is playing to fear. The GOP has played to white fears since Nixon’s Southern strategy in the late 60’s. It has paid off for the party in big ways, namely, moving the old Southern Democrats (Dixiecrats) into the GOP column. The GOP country club set has used the old Dixiecrats to push through economic reforms they wanted. But now the old Dixiecrats, scared xxxx-less by the election of a black president and an emerging minority-majority, are revolting because the GOP is not angry enough and mean enough, as if being angry and mean will stop that change. The chickens are coming home to roost for the GOP. Will America as a whole resist or be swayed by the increasingly vile and ugly rhetoric of Trump and the tea-revolters Stay tuned.
There is no way I will ever again vote for an establishment politician. It is either Trump or I don’t vote. The RNC can shove it.
The problem for our country is that Trump is coalescing forces that he will not be able to control and could become dangerous. Faux News is already the distributor of infotainment/ propaganda and “The Donald” is now the talent. We are fast moving to a place where entertainment and politics are one and the same and the notion of making good public policy to effectively govern our country will become less of a reality and more of aspirational. Perhaps the “Donald” will get elected and summon in the Supreme Court and yell “your fired” before his aids inform him about how the constitution works and they cut to commercial. LOL
I keep telling myself that the nightmare is not possible, but in daylight somehow it is still there. Am seriously wondering how I would live in a country which would elect that buffoon.
We need to stop attacking Trump, so he will stay in the spotlight as soon as possible. We need to allow Trump to force Republicons even farther to the right. More than one analyst has said that he will influence the message and policies of more viable Republicans, like Big Brother Bush. Insulting Latinos is a recipe for disaster and the means by which Democrats will take back the US Senate and even some US House seats. As for our state, mountain Democrats have already begun registering progressives and organizing and fundraising for 2016.
“It’s a group that’s angry and ignorant with a hint of racism. ”
A hint?
The Republican party of today is pure, unadulterated id — a bizarre love child of Ayn Rand and Jerry Falwell. Donald Trump is simply its manifestation — the Frankenstein monster the party kept hidden in the closet as its upper echelon fed it love rats thriving on its energy when it was going by names like the tea party. Now the monster is loose and wreaking havoc across the village and with any justice it will soon destroy its creators which will allow the rest of the country to continue onward deeper into the 21st century.
My fear is that Trump will set the tone for the GOP in NC. We need good GOP role models that encourage thoughtfulness and reasonableness. Trump is not that. He is encouraging the nativist, mildly racist, very angry, and chronically fearful GOP base to behave at its worst. The base will expect their leadership to show the same kind of behavior. That is frightening in a state that has become as red as NC since 2008 and that the GOP will lead for some time to come. I cannot foresee the Democrats in this state being able to organize an effective opposition to a GOP so motivated by its rage. What I wouldn’t give for a Jim Holshouser right now.
“What I wouldn’t give for a Jim Holshouser right now.”
What we all wouldn’t! Or even Jim Martin.
But sadly the Holshouser wing of the party got shoved aside by the Jesse Helms wing and the NC Republican party has been obsessed with restoring the 19th century ever since.
What do you mean set the tone? Your Republican Party set this tone years ago. It seems that the GOP, no matter at the state or national level are always pining for someone like former GOP “leaders” who will just magically appear and wave their wand all Harry Potter-like and sweep away the parties “death eaters’. You can pine all you want for these bygone eras, but until you wake up to fact that you are the creators of these carnival side show barkers, you will never change.
You are afraid he’ll set the tone for the GOP in NC? That tone’s already been set!
Donald Trump has managed to distill in gaudy, gold letters what has become a core set of values for a percentage of Americans and a subset of GOP supporters whether they are registered as Unaffiliates, Libertarians, Democrats or Republicans: anger, fear, nativism, xenophobia, and raw, unadulterated testosterone fulled bluster. Yes, the “Donald” made his “bones” the old fashioned way: he inherited his wealth and position and now he has turned the GOP Presidential primary into one long comedic tragedy that feels like another “Trump” Reality show. Abe Lincoln he is not and TDR and Ike must be wondering what has happened to the the “Party of Lincoln”. Bring in the clowns because the show must go on and there are more rubes to entertain.