Welcome to DU!
The truly grassroots left-of-center political community where regular people, not algorithms, drive the discussions and set the standards.
Join the community:
Create a free account
Support DU (and get rid of ads!):
Become a Star Member
Latest Breaking News
General Discussion
The DU Lounge
All Forums
Issue Forums
Culture Forums
Alliance Forums
Region Forums
Support Forums
Help & Search
The Real Immigration Wild Card
Republicans are scared of what Donald Trump will say on the debate stage—but it’s John Kasich who could really shake things up.
[center]
[/center]
The Republican establishment is terrified of Donald Trump. Republican National Committee Chairman Reince Priebus is more or less begging Trump to tone down his inflammatory rhetoric about immigration, GOP megadonors want to make sure he never makes it to the first primary debate, and even Fox News is doing all it can to give the once-and-future reality TV star second thoughts about showing up to that opening debate in Cleveland on Aug. 6.
Conservatives have good reason to be scared. Given his poll numbers, Trump is looking like a lock to crash the GOP’s first debate and bring his particular brand of bloviated bigotry along with him. For a party that wants to attract Latino voters in 2016—or, at the very least, not actively repel them like it did in 2012—Trump’s the last man it wants in front of the camera.
Lost in all the Republican fretting about what Trump’s bombastic brand will do to the party’s own image, though, is another potential wild card who could shake up the debate as much or more than the carnival barker with the $100 million private jet. John Kasich, the popular two-term Ohio governor who has been dismissed as a Jon Huntsman-like moderate afterthought, might actually do more damage to mainstream Republicans than Trump. While Trump’s caustic comments about immigrants may leave Republicans with a general election hangover, it’s Kasich’s more nuanced views of reform that could spell bigger headaches for the establishment favorites.
Kasich, of course, has to make it on the debate stage first. He currently sits three places and about two points away from snagging the 10th and final invite to a primetime event that will take place in his own backyard. But there are plenty of reasons to believe Kasich is due for a surge. For starters, he’ll most likely get a bump after he makes his campaign official on July 21, a burst that doesn’t have to be lasting or large to be meaningful since Fox News will send out debate invites two weeks later. Meanwhile, the three candidates he’ll probably need to pass have largely stalled: Carly Fiorina is short on cash, Rick Santorum is short on fans, and Chris Christie’s bid appears to have come four years and one traffic jam too late. Add to that the boost Kasich will get from the $1 million statewide ad blitz that his allies recently launched on his behalf in New Hampshire and the former House budget chairman is a decent bet to be on stage when the curtain rises.
[center]
[/center]
The Republican establishment is terrified of Donald Trump. Republican National Committee Chairman Reince Priebus is more or less begging Trump to tone down his inflammatory rhetoric about immigration, GOP megadonors want to make sure he never makes it to the first primary debate, and even Fox News is doing all it can to give the once-and-future reality TV star second thoughts about showing up to that opening debate in Cleveland on Aug. 6.
Conservatives have good reason to be scared. Given his poll numbers, Trump is looking like a lock to crash the GOP’s first debate and bring his particular brand of bloviated bigotry along with him. For a party that wants to attract Latino voters in 2016—or, at the very least, not actively repel them like it did in 2012—Trump’s the last man it wants in front of the camera.
Lost in all the Republican fretting about what Trump’s bombastic brand will do to the party’s own image, though, is another potential wild card who could shake up the debate as much or more than the carnival barker with the $100 million private jet. John Kasich, the popular two-term Ohio governor who has been dismissed as a Jon Huntsman-like moderate afterthought, might actually do more damage to mainstream Republicans than Trump. While Trump’s caustic comments about immigrants may leave Republicans with a general election hangover, it’s Kasich’s more nuanced views of reform that could spell bigger headaches for the establishment favorites.
Kasich, of course, has to make it on the debate stage first. He currently sits three places and about two points away from snagging the 10th and final invite to a primetime event that will take place in his own backyard. But there are plenty of reasons to believe Kasich is due for a surge. For starters, he’ll most likely get a bump after he makes his campaign official on July 21, a burst that doesn’t have to be lasting or large to be meaningful since Fox News will send out debate invites two weeks later. Meanwhile, the three candidates he’ll probably need to pass have largely stalled: Carly Fiorina is short on cash, Rick Santorum is short on fans, and Chris Christie’s bid appears to have come four years and one traffic jam too late. Add to that the boost Kasich will get from the $1 million statewide ad blitz that his allies recently launched on his behalf in New Hampshire and the former House budget chairman is a decent bet to be on stage when the curtain rises.
Find out why he is a wildcard here.