I'm not blowing Trump off anymore.

[RandySF]

If you asked me about the Republican primaries last summer, I would have said that either Bush or Walker would be leading the group. Buts it's December now and Donald Trump is stronger than ever. I still don't believe he will be elected POTUS but I'm no longer writing him off for the nomination. I believe that a healthy country needs at least two strong and (relatively) sane parties to choose from. And if half the country is ready to follow one with Trump as nominee, we are all in trouble.

[marmar]

1. A healthy country needs more than two political parties.

[Funtatlaguy]

8. I agree mm

We have outgrown the two party system.
I'd rather see something more similar to a parliamentary system.

[Goblinmonger]

16. A parliamentary system (which I like, btw) would need DRASTIC change.

We would no longer have 3 branches that have checks and balances on each other. If the president is chosen by the plurality party in the House, then a lot of the Presidential checks go out the window.

We are too far along to ever change from a two party system.

[DonCoquixote]

32. we would not go near a parliament

until citizens united is dead, via a constitutional amendment. Other wise the Koch-Roaches would feed every two bit crank that would agree to make sure the government crashed.

[Yorktown]

12. Doesn't change much

The religious nuts in Israel manage to exert abnormal influence because their votes are needed to have a majority coalition. and Israel has dozens of parties.

The Tea Party exerts an abnormal influence (see the resignation of Boehner).

Many parties, two parties, same result.

[leftynyc]

36. Agree

And the religious nuts in Israel hold the candidates hostage to see which one will give in to their ridiculous demands. Bibi won without them the election before this one but he sucked up to them enough to get their support this time. Then you have those "no confidence" votes that would quite simply paralyze the country. Maybe it's feasible in smaller countries but not one as big as this one.

[FSogol]

2. If the GOP nominated him (I don't think they will) he could win.

Disagree with me? Explain the elections of Jesse Ventura, Ronald Reagan, Richard Nixon, Arnold Schwarzenegger, and George "W" Bush.

Us Democrats only win when we ALL show up and vote.

[sharp_stick]

7. Yes he could win

but he has nowhere near the overall favorability of any of the cast of scumbags you've listed. Each of them, except maybe Ventura, started with a much higher Republican rating.

A large number of Republicans are already in the "no way in hell will I vote for Trump". His nomination is guaranteed to push down Republican voting numbers, especially in swing States. He'll pull in the puke base but the independents and ever declining puke moderates won't bother to vote. It'll be John McCain and Sarah Palin all over again IMO.

[Zing Zing Zingbah]

13. I don't think the conservative Christians favor Trump.

I think a lot of them liked Carson. Trump doesn't appeal to the conservative Christians because they know he is not one of them. There might be a bunch of them that opt to not vote in the general if Trump is the candidate.

[Android3.14]

3. It looks like the sane parties are both in the Democratic side

I'm not ready to write off the GOP as toast, but it seems that the real race is between the progressive Democrats and the conservative Democrats.

[RandySF]

10. Bill Maher predicted as much

He said there is a governing party and a straightjacket party..

[sharp_stick]

4. Could it possibly be?

I wrote Trump off at the start, Republicans are idiots and easily led by the nose but they can't be that stupid. Yet, here he is, leading Nationally and in every State poll put out that I can find, usually by double digits.

I think that if Trump actually wins the nomination it will not only mean a Democratic win for President but it will hand the Dems the Senate and maybe even the House.

I've been pulling for this xenophobic piece of shit because I think he could signal the end of the Republican party.

[yeoman6987]

25. If foreign policy is the main topic like this week with California tragedy

And now looking like definite terrorism, I don't know who will win the election.

[Rex]

5. Yeah...the novelty wore off a long time ago, reality is setting in that he could win the primary.

I never once thought he was a joke candidate. We should really worry about him getting into office. I don't think he can beat HRC, but ya never know. Most people thought HRC had 2008 in the bag.

[RKP5637]

28. I've thought he was a serious candidate from day one. He feeds the fears of many republicans and

he knows how to win battles and he is damn smart. He's a clever strategist that really has to listen to none since he is self-funded. Also, I think he has only spent only about $200K of his own money to date, and the other candidates have spent a lot. Any IMO discounting Trump in the GE don't have their thinking caps on. I also think he could spell disaster for the US.

[tiredtoo]

6. Personally I still think Trump will not be the candidate

The powers that be know a Trump candidacy would be curtains for the Republican party. They will find a way to eliminate him.

[sharp_stick]

9. It might be too late

for that. The Republican party is scared that they can't put the genie back in the bottle.

[tiredtoo]

15. May be

Trump is the monster they have created over the past 40 years. But i still think there are folks that have the skill to get him out of the race. Keep in mind it is the fanatics that are speaking loudly in his support. This amounts to about 5 or 6 percent of the voting public. Republican war lords know this. Main stream media is now starting to high light his failures. (Mocking a disabled reporter, calling out his lies regarding the New Jersey celebration on 9/11). CNN telling him to go fly a kite when he demanded 5 million to appear in the next debate. They are slowly working on knocking him out of the drivers seat. Per orders from their corporate leaders.

[FrodosPet]

11. At this point, I'm not sure they can eliminating him without "eliminating" him

And Trump has a lot of supporters who are going to be VERY upset with the GOP establishment if that were to happen.

There may be people on the left who think that was a good thing, but I promise, it is NOT.

[Goblinmonger]

17. Yup. I'm more worried about Rubio

He has the best shot to win the Presidency. Most polling shows that if Trump is the nominee, he loses big to either Clinton or Sanders. And he takes down some down ticket races, too. Rubio seems to be the closest in the polls I've seen.

[boomer55]

14. that title sounds dirty. ;) <eom>

[Atman]

18. He's just the current shiney object.

It will still be Jeb! v Hillary. We have a year to go...Trump is just making book deals. He has no intention of being president.

[restorefreedom]

20. jeb! is toast

if trump flames out which i don't think he will, look for cruz or rubio to take the crazy baton

[Atman]

22. They don't want the crazy baton.

With a year to go, they're thinning out the dead wood. Trump and Rubio and Cruz are just for our amusement. When all is said and done, we have virtually no say in this matter. The CIA will choose our candidates. Those candidates will be Bush and Clinton.

[restorefreedom]

23. i do agree that tbtb want an establishment ge

clinton bush would be their ultimate.

but the voters seem to be playing hard to get this time. even over at freeperville, they HATE jeb! and are loving trump and cruz.

both sides are antiestablishment. will be interesting to watch

[restorefreedom]

24. and yes i agree about cia as much as it makes me shudder nt

[restorefreedom]

19. i always thought he would be the nom

but not win the ge

i now think he could win the ge

this tragedy will be exploited for all its xenophobic potential

[2naSalit]

21. When the voting gets going

they'll "fix" it by flipping the voting machine tallies just like they normally do.

[still_one]

26. I never did. Some do, but he is a demi-god, not unlike a Huey Long character, and extremely

dangerous

[no_hypocrisy]

29. + 1

Sinclair Lewis warned us about Donald Trump decades ago.

[still_one]

31. good reference

[morningfog]

27. I'm not either. He knows how to play this game.

Is all a media dog and pony show and he's the ringmaster this far.

[upaloopa]

30. A couple of things I see. The money people

don't seem to be in control of the repub nominating process.

If it is Trump I feel we can beat him.

[DonCoquixote]

33. I am not afraid that Trump will be the GOP nom

what I am afraid is that he will provide plenty of cover for Jeb, who will come out and say "see I ain't that guy."

[leftynyc]

34. I've said the nomination is his

for several months now. I just never saw which one of the other candidates could knock him off. I don't think half the country supports him - he's getting (from today's poll) 36% of the republican primary voters, republicans make up 28% of the electorate so whatever 36% of 28% comes to is what his support really is.

[cwydro]

35. I had a feeling he was going to just gain in popularity.

He's a master at exploiting disgust at an "overly politically correct" society.