GOP strategist talks to Trump supporters and comes away believing he could win the nomination
Source: Los Angeles Times
...snip...
Frank Luntz, a longtime GOP zeitgeist guru, assembled 29 Donald Trump supporters in a white-walled room — and a gaggle of reporters behind one-way glass. The goal, he said, was to try to drill down on how lasting, how real and how strong is the Mack truck that has jackknifed his party this summer.
Two hours later, he declared his answer: “He is much stronger, his support is much more solid than I ever would have expected.” At times, Luntz appeared rattled by what he was hearing.
Will Trump be the nominee?
“It’s now totally conceivable that he will be,” he said.
Read more: http://www.latimes.com/nation/politics/la-na-trump-supporters-20150825-story.html?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=twitter&dlvrit=1153586
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MannyGoldstein
(34,589 posts)Neither Sanders nor Trump would have been a blip a decade ago. But after decades of candidates saying one thing then doing much different once elected - and almost always involving assaults on the 99% - people want real change.
Unfortunately, sometimes even insane change sounds pretty good to people compared to an awful status quo, hence Trump's popularity.
geek tragedy
(68,868 posts)demagogue.
Bernie is doing well because he's authentic. Trump is doing well because he's running a "white power" campaign while seeking the nomination of a white nationalist party.
jberryhill
(62,444 posts)I think at some level, his supporters get that.
Yes, he's completely full of shit and it's obvious.
But why vote for someone who seems sincere, and turns out to be completely full of shit, when you can vote for someone who is sincerely full of shit?
Cosmocat
(14,581 posts)it is vile and disgusting, but he isn't putting even the first pretense up.
And, while a lot of people here don't get it, because as a general rule people here are THOUGHTFUL and have a much more communal vision of the world, the authenticity of Donald Trump hits home with a L O T of people in this country.
I don't like it, but I see it ...
Frank Cannon
(7,570 posts)He doesn't flip-flop with every single public appearance, as does every other candidate aside from Bernie. EVERYONE is sick of that shit. That's getting traction with no one, anymore.
roguevalley
(40,656 posts)his fault. I hope the whole edifice dies. All of the different parts, Libertarians, conservatives, teabaggers and pukes. All of them need to go. Trump might be that vehicle.
reflection
(6,286 posts)Some are insane batshit crazy types who would vote for the cretin, others are not. But all of them at least give him credit for not trying to filter himself through politician-speak.
To me, he's so obviously unqualified, both temperamentally and otherwise, to be President, I don't really care if he's drinking his own Kool-Aid. But I can't ignore what people around me are saying. 
William Seger
(10,788 posts)To me, he's still playing the character he plays on his "reality" show, which seems about as authentic as a professional wrestler.
billhicks76
(5,082 posts)And if he wins he will feel threatened enough to appoint Jeb Bush just like are again and Bush Sr.
pampango
(24,692 posts)based on race, ethnicity and nationality. He looks for OTHERS to blame for our problems rather than looking at OUR OWN 1%.
Bernie is a LW populist, which is a very different, and more genuine, creature than the RW variety. Bernie discusses issues and tells it like it is without acting like a jack-ass. If he wins the Democratic nomination that will be wonderful. If not, he will have a legacy of injecting a rational discussion of our national problems from a progressive perspective into the presidential campaign. If the Donald does not win the republican nomination, he will have a 'legacy' of injecting hate, nativism and anti-intellectualism, as well as just plain old coarseness, into the presidential campaign.
An 'awful status quo' existed in 1932 and people did not resort to 'insane change'. Where was the Donald in 2008 if an 'awful status quo' should have made 'insane change sound pretty good'.
He is succeeding for the moment, in the republican party not with the electorate as a whole, because their party has spent 35 years convincing their voters that government is bad, minorities are bad, gays and lesbians are bad, essentially that anyone who is not a straight, white male has some explaining to do. They have become the party of old white men with enough support from other right wingers to be a dangerous entity. That is the real key to "Trump's popularity'.
Of course "Americans want authenticity". We shall see if they will pay the price of 'buffoonery' in order to get it.
JustABozoOnThisBus
(23,375 posts)
Lorien
(31,935 posts)What he really believes and stands for is anyone's guess. He was a registered Democrat until not long ago, and is a longtime friend of the Clintons. There are some out there who believe that he's in it to hand it to Hillary: http://inequalityreport.org/2015/08/09/hillary-clinton-donald-trump-black-lives-matter-the-theft-of-an-election/
madaboutharry
(40,243 posts)the guy with the buzzer/wave length thing people push while watching speeches or debates? I always thought he was full of shit.
truebluegreen
(9,033 posts)He came up with the "death tax" instead of estate tax; tagging healthcare reform as a "government takeover"; I think "death panels" was his too, I know "climate change" instead of "global warming" was (less scary).
He's been around for decades, helped Gingrich with his Contract For ("on" imo) America....in short he bears a lot of responsibility for the current f#cked up state of the Republican party and it warms the cockles of my heart to see him shaking in his boots as his Frankenstein monster slips its shackles. If The Donald is The Nominee, I think we will win 50 states.
ancianita
(36,192 posts)
murielm99
(30,780 posts)Oh, sweet Jesus, it's on his hat.
How's that for a reason? His fucking HAT.
Kelvin Mace
(17,469 posts)murielm99
(30,780 posts)I can't help it. My head hurts.
Your T-shirts can say whatever you want them to say. So can mine. You are not running for President. Neither am I.
I think we are supposed to have a higher standard for those who are running for President.
Kelvin Mace
(17,469 posts)If she is impressed by what she reads on hats, imagine how convinced she would be with a t-shirt.
Codeine
(25,586 posts)
jberryhill
(62,444 posts)I mean, shit, they don't even HAVE a hat.
Cubs hat. Yankees hat. Heck, you never know what she's going to have on her hat.
wheniwasincongress
(1,307 posts)I never realized that! It does say "make America great again" on his hat. I think he has my support now! Goodbye DU! I'm going to make a dramatic goodbye post now.
GReedDiamond
(5,318 posts)...here on DU.
Just to be fair.
Would you stay, then?
(insert drippy-bloody looking sarcasm thingie here)
jberryhill
(62,444 posts)...by covering up his hair.
totodeinhere
(13,059 posts)be so easy to beat. But now I'm having second thoughts. He is such an evil poison that I would hate to see him get the coverage that he would get if he turns out to be the party's nominee. And can you imagine a one on one debate between our candidate and Trump? Allowing Trump to have equal footing on stage with Clinton or Sanders or whoever would be unthinkable. But it could happen.
leftynyc
(26,060 posts)Either Clinton or Sanders will stomp him into dust on a debate stage. You can't compare primary debates with general election debates. During the primaries, the candidates are trying to reach their base - in a general, they're trying to reach the nation.
pampango
(24,692 posts)gets.
The longer his "evil poison" is spewed out there and the more 'creditability' it gets because it is coming from 'the nominee of a major party', the worse it is for our future politics.
You are right about the depressing thought of him having an "equal footing on stage with Clinton or Sanders or whoever". I believe that any Democrat would win a debate with him, but the opportunity for him to throw more 'red meat' to the 40% of Americans who will vote republican no matter who they put out there, is depressing.
A couple of hours of "US vs THEM" based on race, ethnicity and nationality - with a couple of 'progressive' throw-away lines so he can sound 'progressive' to those who want to see him that way - will cause long term damage to our politics and drag it down and to the right even more. Republicans have been playing a long-term strategy using fear and emotion to win elections. Sadly it has been successful to a large extent. Trump on a debate stage with the Democratic nominee might provide even more fear and emotion for their base to worry about.
rtracey
(2,062 posts)I actually believe if Trump gets the nomination, either the centrist part of the GOP will vote Hillary, Bernie, Whomever, or stay at home. Trump is hitting the buttons of the truthers, birthers, radical right wingers, and religion based zealots. I have many independent friends who at different times have said Trump is too arrogant and sociopathic to be president. You can't make America great again when everyone really hates you , and Trump will cause that hate...
totodeinhere
(13,059 posts)that Trump would lose.
Cosmocat
(14,581 posts)First, while half the dipshit rs are truly rzpulsed by him, if he wins the nomination they WILL dutifully get behind him, because the antichrist democrat, hill OR bernie will be far worse to them.
So, hes getting 45 plus percent of the vote if he throws acid on a girl scout troop on ational television the day beforz the election.
And be it hill or be it bernie, they ARE going to be slandered and thrown every bit of bullshit the rs can throw atthem, and if something sticks, it could easily cut out the mushy indies ... and POTUS Trump.
ericson00
(2,707 posts)Republican introspection; rare thing.
truebluegreen
(9,033 posts)ericson00
(2,707 posts)which is what The Donald will be in the electoral college, may he not try to take down Trump.
truebluegreen
(9,033 posts)that is the current Republican party does not qualify a person for redemption, is what I'm saying--particularly when said person has had a big role in creating it. He, and they, deserve everything that is coming to them: losing 50 states would be about right, I think.
gordianot
(15,249 posts)Rational thought has left the GOP long ago and anything is possible. Media values this as high entertainment.
Liberal_in_LA
(44,397 posts)Getting on his bandwagon
truebluegreen
(9,033 posts)
ericson00
(2,707 posts)who represent the radio, un-intelligencia, and TV still support the guy. But a divided Fox News that turns off its sheep is a gift to our party in 2016
truebluegreen
(9,033 posts)but I think they all got new marching orders at Fux today so Hannity should be folding his Trump tent; meanwhile Kristol is already pining for someone else--like Alito!--so he's off the bandwagon too...does anyone care what Druggie Limbaugh has to say, does he even have a show anymore?
murielm99
(30,780 posts)That Fox News blonde got bitten by him again.
But it may be too late. Fox has met its match.
The MSM loves him. The haters love him. The republican party will have to rein him in. They created him with their tea party mess and the exploitation of anger and ignorance. Now let them clean up the mess.
truebluegreen
(9,033 posts)this is going to get veerrrry interesting.
murielm99
(30,780 posts)sitting down with a bowl of popcorn and being entertained.
But the fate of the free world could be at stake.
truebluegreen
(9,033 posts)And if we lose this one, to that imbecile, we will deserve everything we get...and unfortunately we will take down a whole lot more than ourselves, or the so-called free world.
rtracey
(2,062 posts)I want to know where the Koch Brothers are in this..... They are not Trump fans.....
oberliner
(58,724 posts)He hates Trump and goes after him constantly.
fbc
(1,668 posts)no offense intended to weasels.
rpannier
(24,349 posts)“We know his goal is to make America great again,” another woman said. “It’s on his hat. And we see it every time it’s on TV. Everything that he’s doing, there’s no doubt why he’s doing it: it’s to make America great again.”
****
It's on his hat.
Yes, because wearing a hat with a slogan is always tells us the inner workings of someone
I think you can buy hats that say #1 (anything)
So if I buy a hat that hat, '#1 NFL Quarterback' then that makes it so
vadermike
(1,417 posts)We are underestimating him.. i spoke to a dude at the grocery store.. nice guy and all.. but he said Trump speaks the truth on outsourcing etc.. sd him and wifey have degrees.. he has a job but wifey was out of work.. and with all of this outsourcing etc to china and mexico .. he said it has to stop... hes said Trump is a little nuts but he still likes him and he seems "real".. He is a threat and could go all the way... IMO... I hope we get our shit together
billhicks76
(5,082 posts)He speaks his mind. He's the only one. Most on their side and ours are much more fake. They talk much differently in private. Bernie could beat him at his own game. But their response to Bernie is Trump...their own nonconformist. People are sick of the shams. An authentic candidate is usually an oxymoron(sorry Joe) but Bernie and the Donald are.
murielm99
(30,780 posts)that really worry me.
We have been through rough economic times. Many people are still experiencing them. We talk about the 1%, but it is real. There are too many people who will be paying student loans for the rest of their lives. Their jobs don't pay enough. They can't afford homes. They are one or two paychecks from ruin. No matter how educated, they are angry.
There are more brown people here than ever. They often speak -- Spanish! Gasp! They are "other."
It is easy to blame someone who is other. Trump is talking about deporting 11 million brown people. He treated Jorge Ramos of Univision in a shocking manner at a news conference today. He said that a couple of his supporters who beat up a homeless man were "passionate."
I hate to bring up Nazi Germany. It has been done too often. But I see a demagogue like we have not seen in a long time. I see him helping us focus our anger on a minority group. This is getting very bad. I think we can't just hope to get our shit together. We need to do it fast.
I don't care who you support in the primary. I do not want to fight about it tonight in this thread. At some point, we will all need to work together to make sure this monster is shut down. If his party will not do it, as they should, we better do it ourselves.
This is not a personal lecture to you. I don't know you. I am just worried.
JustAnotherGen
(31,983 posts)IF Trump IS authentic and means what he says - and his words "empower" the lowest common denominator in America -
I will personally be in hell if he is elected.
rtracey
(2,062 posts)But lets see where he is on US issues, for example...ok he wants all illegal aliens out, but what about welfare, social security, Medicare, ACA, senior care. Lets see what he says about these issues. I hold the MSM responsible for his rise, because they are not asking him these questions, and when he is, he avoids the question and say ...uhhhh just look at the polls...I think there is going to be 1 major slip of the Donald mouth about social security, like .. "ummm when elected, I will dissolve social security for a more market driven agenda... look at the polls" and that will do it... remember EVERYONE wants social security, and medicare......and when you turn social security age... EVERYONE becomes somewhat liberal...hahahaha
JustAnotherGen
(31,983 posts)Those folks will get angry.
However - they are so taken with removing all of the blacks, browns, and Asians from their 'little country' that they would rather starve than take our tax dollars for their Social Security, TANF, SNAP, pork projects, etc. etc.
The hatred runs deep.
We feel it.
We know it.
Kilgore
(1,733 posts)I work with folks that are hardcore Bernie and Trump supporters. The common theme between them is a desire for a consistent message, no spin, and passionate straight talk.
One may argue the message is pure crap, but at least it's consistent, unspun, straight crap delivered with passion which resonates within their supporters.
Interesting to watch, and me thinks neither is going away soon.
Kilgore.
Ford_Prefect
(7,927 posts)that he is a real and realistic candidate. In the same way they give credence to the Tea Party as a legitimate entity and its pronouncements as viable opinion, rather than pointing out how far from real world consequences they are.
Trump is the genie incarnate and there is no bottle to put him into. As long as the press and our government do nothing to counter the mis-perceptions of right wing voters Trump and the other clowns will continue to push beyond the edge of reason and fact. Since facts are now fungible in the MSM any perception can be marketed and sold. The MSM will happily sell anyone no matter how outrageous as a candidate. Which is to say nothing about the effect of Koch money along with others like them.
Trump validates the universe his fans have been lead to believe in. He knows this is what he's doing and it is his greatest strength as a candidate. Until events occur that challenge that perception, and at this point that would take an earthquake, Trump will continue ride this bizarre vision no matter how distorted or disconnected from gravity.
If my neighbors are any measure it will indeed be a very bumpy ride.
vadermike
(1,417 posts)I am very worried as well , being Jewish myself and my dad's most if his side if the family killed in the holocaust , it's real scary ! I'm not saying trump is a nazi but he is a demagogue like figure that has popular support. If he gets the Nom , I could see people like Graham , Mcain etc possibly supporting Hillary to put a stop to trump. I could be wrong but I think even they wouldn't want to have him completely ruin the GOP with a 4 year or 8 year disaster. Maybe I'm wrong I don't know. But this is some scary shit
JustAnotherGen
(31,983 posts)Far more frightening to me than Trump, are the people who support him. Who is my neighbor with the machete laying in wait?
Ford_Prefect
(7,927 posts)The same crowd that showed up at our local Mart armed to the teeth to go grocery shopping are expecting to vote for the version of Trump who will protect Our Precious Bodily Fluids from invading heathen immigrants, gays and tree-huggers.
I'm with you. They are a frightened herd desperately yearning to stampede in whatever direction they are sent. The MSM imagines that they are not likely to riot. I think the episode of the man who just attacked and killed the camera crew should make quite clear what kind of whirlwind is being sown. http://wreg.com/2015/08/26/tv-news-reporter-photographer-killed-on-live-television/
http://www.democraticunderground.com/10141188834
tanyev
(42,657 posts)
no_hypocrisy
(46,257 posts)Just like I wouldn't be surprised to learn that Roger Stone is still working for Trump.