Politics –
South Carolina Primary:
What If Trump Wins?
“When does the losing start?” That’s the question scores of Republicans are asking themselves following Donald Trump’s decisive win in last week’s New Hampshire Primary. They’re also nervously asking “What happens next if Trump wins Saturday’s South Carolina Primary too?”
Politics
When Donald Trump entered the Republican race for the White House, most everyone underestimated him and took his candidacy as a colossal “reality TV-like” joke. When Trump began berating women, ethnic minorities and even his GOP challengers, most everyone believed the best strategy was to get out-of-the-way and simply let him hang himself.
Now mere months before the 2016 Republican Convention, Trump is rapidly gaining momentum while running circles around his “establishment” challengers. In the words of television character Ricky Ricardo: “Wha Happen??”
According to a new CNN/ORC Poll, Donald Trump holds a commanding 16-point lead among those likely to vote in the Republican South Carolina Primary this Saturday. As of today, Trump is in the lead with 38%, while Texas Sen. Ted Cruz comes in 2nd place with 22%. Florida Sen. Marco Rubio is running a distant 3rd at 14%, while former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush is showing at 10%. Retired neurosurgeon Dr. Ben Carson and Ohio Gov. John Kasich are at the bottom of the barrel, with 6% and 4% respectively.
Likely Republican voters have bolstered Trump’s poll numbers by the widespread perception that he can best handle the economy, immigration and ISIS. They’ve also convinced themselves that Trump has the best chance of beating a Democratic challenger in November and would change the way things work in Washington.
It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to read the writing on the wall: If Donald Trump wins the South Carolina Primary as expected, his candidacy could become a runaway train that won’t stop until he seizes the Republican nomination in July. This is not the news political pundits ever predicted.
“Folks, I’ve been as skeptical as anyone about Trump, but make no mistake he wins SC by 15+: it’s possible but tough to stop that train,” FiveThirtyEight poll expert Harry Enten tweeted last Friday.
“What I wonder now after New Hampshire is if anyone can stop Trump even if someone gets to the point where they’re one of the final three,” said University of New Hampshire political scientist Dante Scala.
Politics
How can Republicans stop the maniacal Trump from destroying their party and coming to within an inch of becoming the face of Democracy and the leader of the free world? At this late date and after waiting far too long to tackle the huge elephant in the room (pun intended), it may just be too late. However there is one “Hail Mary pass” Republicans could try — although it’s unlikely any of them would be willing to.
If all but one of the remaining GOP candidates would agree to drop out of the race, then direct their supporters and resources to coalesce behind one candidate, they MIGHT have a chance at beating Trump. For example, if the RNC decided that Jeb Bush was their man, Cruz, Rubio, Carson and Kasich could all team up against Trump in somewhat of a “strength in numbers” strategy. It may or may not work, but for as long as Cruz, Rubio, Carson and Kasich continue to split the vote between them, Trump will continue to prevail. It’s their only chance — except their political egos will almost assuredly prevent them from taking the chance.
At least one notable American isn’t buying into the hype of Donald Trump. In fact, President Barack Obama wants the billionaire to know that being president is tougher than being on a reality show and the American people are too “sensible” to elect him.
“I continue to believe Mr. Trump will not be president,” Mr. Obama said during a news conference on Tuesday. “And the reason is that I have a lot of faith in the American people. Being president is a serious job. It’s not hosting a talk show, or a reality show.”
He added: “It’s not promotion, it’s not marketing. It’s hard. And a lot of people count on us getting it right.”
Interestingly, a group of political insiders in early voting states still think Trump’s a goner. In fact, 85% of them say Trump is not on track to win the nomination, despite his recent big New Hampshire primary win or his predicted South Carolina Primary win. Still, insiders have been underestimating Trump for months now.
So, for the five remaining GOP challengers, the question remains: “When does the Trump losing start?”
How can Republicans stop the maniacal Trump from destroying their party and coming to within an inch of becoming the face of Democracy and the leader of the free world? […]
I will concede that if he wins the S.C. primary, I don't think Repubs can stop him from winning their nomination. He's already done irreparable damage to that party..
However, if he faces Hillary in the general, I have confidence that We (the majority of American voters) will stop him.