I donthe think tthe Republicans are afraid Trump will lose; they're afraid he'll win...

[brooklynite]

If the GOP loses in 2012, they probably feel they'll have a fair shot in 2016, by which time the Tea-Partiers will have faded as an influence. But, if Trump manages to win the election and govern as a "Republican", he could damage the party's image irreparably.

[Moondog]

1. Yes, that, plus the fact that the current insiders will become outsiders.

[pnwmom]

2. He could damage the whole country irreparably. n/t

[dkf]

3. He has had some interesting tax and health care proposals in the past

That go completely against conservative orthodoxy.

I

[PATRICK]

4. Image?

They could run Bozo the Clown in 2012 and bounce back in the MSM, therefore, forcibly to relevance. The only awkward question is marginalizing and destroying a unified front(unifried font?) of the rogue populism they exploit like hedge funds while prepping their best goon for 2016 when they certainly DON'T want a Raul or Palin or Trump etc., running around so they can only advance the chosen one by rigging and awkward gaming.

The instability of the GOP candidate pack until they find someone controllable, feckless AND somehow competent enough is quite a juggling act. There is no media high wind to disrupt the attempt. There is no intention of mounting their coronation routine until 2016. There is every intention of increasing the odds in their favor, and laying the groundwork while dismantling the eternally reticent Democratic leadership plan.

[RichGirl]

5. He won't run.

He promised to show his tax return if Obama shows Birth Certificate. He was asked about this yesterday and said "I haven't even decided to run yet." If he chose to run he would be badgered about this and NO WAY will he show it. If he ran, he would have to disclose a lot of things. This mans egotistical self image is being held together by a web of lies...not unlike his hair.

[Andy823]

6. One small thing

Trump isn't going to run! There is no way he is going to open up his financial records, nor will he allow all the dirty that will be dug up by the other republicans during a primary, and trust me Rove already has an arsenal full of dirt ready to be "leaked" if needed!

What they are really afraid of is how they are starting to look to the country, like a bunch of bat shit crazy morons who don't have a clue as to what to do to fix this country! They ran last year on JOBS, yet not one bill has been put on the floor to create jobs, nor have they come with any kind of a "PLAN" to create jobs! All the media has ignored this, but they have also jumped on the birther band wagon, which makes the republicans look crazy as a loon!

They also have to worry about the problems in states where republican governors are trying to more like "dictators" than governors, and the people are mad as hell! The big money wants to privatize these states, and after running for "LESS" government, they are now taking ruling with and iron hand and destroying education, unions, programs for the needy, and even taking over whole towns with their "czars" put in charge of doing the will of the big corporations that want to run the states!

I see Trump as small potatoes compared with the other problems they have, and as I said, trump isn't going to run anyway! Than simply leaves them with a bunch of "clowns" for the right wing voters to vote for, and many of those voters simply won't wast time voting, and that's what they need to be worried about, not Trump!

[no_hypocrisy]

8. Larry King thinks Trump will defer by claiming that he got involved in order to set

the debate and define the issues and that he will support the candidate who adopts his set of issues.

[obxhead]

7. Trump will never run.....

He will not release his financials to be viewed by the public. Not because he's afraid to show how much he has, but because he's terrified to show how little he really has.

[zbdent]

9. Why? Here's why I say that ...

In 2000, Republicans touted George W. Bush as the "second coming of Ronald Reagan", and lauded his credentials as a "real conservative" (sometimes even surpassing Reagan).

You couldn't go anywhere without seeing a "Bush/Cheney" or "W" bumper sticker (even in the "true-blue" areas).

In 2008 ... you couldn't find anybody who admitted they voted for Bush ... and the "liberally-biased media" doesn't appear to call any Rs/"independents" (the new code word for "I voted twice for Bush but now I'm distanced from him") on their lie ...

Trump would be the "godsend" of the Republican party (think the reason why "Zaphod Beeblebrox" made a great "President of the Galaxy") ... and when everything goes straight to hell under President Chrump ... you won't be able to find a shred of evidence, even from the "liberally-biased media", where a Repug or "independent" ever said anything in support of Chrump. (Think "2004 debate with Kerry - 'I don't believe I ever said that'" - where Bush was accurately quoted by Kerry as saying about Osama bin Laden "I'm not that concerned about him." - "liberally-biased media" lost the video tape of Bush in one of the few press conferences where he actually answered questions).

[Gold Metal Flake]

10. He is not running.

He's under contract to NBC to do another year of The Apprentice.