Donald Drumpf’s popularity is collapsing, and the republicans may get stuck with him anyway

[KamaAina]

http://www.dailynewsbin.com/opinion/donald-trump-is-in-freefall-and-the-republicans-may-be-stuck-with-him-anyway/24036/

Just how badly did this weekend go for republican frontrunner Donald Trump? Not only did he unexpectedly lose two states in blowouts, he won two other states by just a few points that he was supposed to win by blowouts. The trend is now clear that even in states where Trump has a twenty digit lead in the final round of polling, there is a realistic chance that he’ll end up losing that state. He’s now limping through this primary, as republican backlash against him continues to grow. His popularity could be on its last legs by this summer – and yet the republicans could get stuck with him as their nominee anyway.

In what might be the strangest twist in the Donald Trump saga yet, his primary-long invincible momentum is now finally beginning to collapse at a time when he’s coming closer to getting mathematically locked in as the nominee. What causes a frontrunner candidate to suddenly start coming in consistently below his poll numbers? Are his supporters becoming nervous as his antics grow more severe, or are they simply the type of political outsiders who were never going to show up to vote anyway? That’s not clear. But it is clear that Trump is in freefall, just as he’s in danger of getting locked into the nomination.

If Trump can survive his sudden freefall and hang on to win Florida and Ohio by even the smallest of margins on March 15th, he’ll receive all of the delegates from both of those winner-take-all states. That’ll subsequently make it difficult for the other republicans to take enough delegates away from him to push him below fifty percent. That would mean no contested contention, but rather simply Donald Trump moving forward as the republican nominee – at a time when the republican base is finally turning against him.

[corkhead]

1. couldn't happen to a more deserving political party.

[gratuitous]

2. The latest polling shows Trump winning big in Florida and leading in Ohio

This may be a case of the Republican establishment calling a new reality into being simply by saying it. They like trying to do that, and sometimes it appears to work. Reality, however, has a known bias against such magical thinking. I guess we'll see come next Tuesday.

[exboyfil]

3. Cruz has already had his best states

If Rubio and Kasich lose their home states I don't see how they can continue.

I think Trump will lose Ohio and the GOP power brokers will get around Kasich to try to blow him up enough to be a credible alternative at the convention.

If Trump wins both states then the establishment will hold their noses and try to blow Cruz up enough to be a credible alternative at the convention. At least that demon will be exorcised from their party when he gets clobbered in the GE.

If Romney or Ryan big foot Cruz out of the way - the traditional conservative right wing will go absolutely nuts (this is on top of Trump's xenophobic burn it down followers).

If Trump gets a majority??

If Trump arrives with only a plurality they will deny him the nomination no matter what else happens.

Three more months of Trump is going to get old.

[cbdo2007]

4. I'm really hoping Trump is the nominee...

we could essentially run anybody reasonable and beat him. I'm staying out of all political arguments with friends/family just because I don't want to accidentally talk them out of voting for Trump in our primary next week. He is keeping the charade up for now but he can't keep it up for another 6 months and the best option they'll have is to run a third party candidate and split the party apart.

[maxsolomon]

5. Listening to his supporters on NPR this morning

those folks couldn't think their way out of a wet paper bag. Cruz' aren't much smarter.

[FLPanhandle]

6. If Trump wins the nomination, it's an early Christmas for Democrats

Go Trump!