Republicans Hatch Plot to Keep Trump Out of Debate
Republicans are wringing their hands in a fit of anxiety as the first GOP Presidential debate approaches in less than two weeks.
Their concern is ‘Bull-in-a-China-Shop’ candidate Donald Trump, who has stolen the limelight from the huge field of Republican presidential contenders. They cannot control him. He ignores their plaints to calm down his rhetoric. He doesn’t give a hoot about their criticisms, instead lobbing grenades back at the toughest critics which makes them appear to be petty whiners.
According to the New York Times, a plot was hatched at a meeting of the Republican Governors Association this week in Aspen, CO, as donors and operatives strategized about how to prevent him from hijacking the August 6th debate sponsored by Fox News.
One idea that came up was to urge three leading candidates — Jeb Bush, the former Florida governor; Mr. Walker; and Senator Marco Rubio of Florida — to band together and state that they would not participate in any debate in which Mr. Trump was present, using his refusal to rule out a third-party bid as a pretext for taking such a hard line. The thinking, according to a Republican involved in the conversations, was that the lesser-funded prospects who have been eclipsed by Mr. Trump would follow suit, and the TV networks airing the debates would be forced to bar Mr. Trump in order to have a full complement of candidates.
That, of course, would be a dumb move, and likely infuriate voters who look forward to an entertaining discourse between Trump and the other candidates.
Regarding the Republican National Committee, Trump stated:
“The RNC has not been supportive. They were always supportive when I was a contributor. I was their fair-haired boy. The RNC has been, I think, very foolish.”“I’m not in the gang. I’m not in the group where the group does whatever it’s supposed to do,” the candidate stated. “I want to do what’s right for the country — not what’s good for special interest groups that contribute, not what’s good for the lobbyists and the donors.”
Trump has toyed with the idea of a third party run. He told The Hill that “so many people want me to, if I don’t win.”
“I’ll have to see how I’m being treated by the Republicans,” Trump said. “Absolutely, if they’re not fair, that would be a factor.”
According to an ABC News/Washington Post poll, if he were to run as a third party candidate and Jeb Bush became the Republican nominee, Hillary Clinton would win with 46 percent of the vote to Bush’s 30 percent and Trump coming in at 20 percent. The results would be similar to when Ross Perot ran in 1992, taking 19 percent of the vote, which many believe allowed Bill Clinton to prevail over George H.W. Bush.
Clearly, the Republicans need to step up their game and address the issues about which Americans feel most passionate, and offer sound solutions. Trump has tapped into a zeitgeist, a void which has left regular Americans feeling abandoned by both political parties. Gone are the days in which political correctness will win points with many voters. Judging by his popularity, if other candidates can LEARN from the bombastic billionaire instead of spending their time criticizing him, they may well lure voters into their camps.
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