A Monmouth University Poll released on Monday shows Donald Trump expanding his lead over the Republican field. Trump garners the support of 26 percent of GOP voters, while his nearest opponent, Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker is back at 12 percent. Trump’s support has doubled in the past month. He polled at 13 percent support in July, and just 2 percent back in June.
The Monmouth University poll is not an anomaly. The last six major national polls released have all shown Trump leading the Republican field. Real Clear Politics’ polling average calculates that Trump has a near double-digit lead (22.2 to 12.7 percent) over Scott Walker, with Jeb Bush at 12.2 percent, and no other candidate polling above 7 percent.
Donald Trump’s momentum is a source of great consternation to Republican National Committee Chairman Reince Preibus and to billionaire donors like the Koch Brothers. Republican leaders seem utterly perplexed that after years of hailing the virtues of the super wealthy as job creators who deserve almost limitless tax breaks, the party’s base has embraced a bombastic billionaire for president. Who could have seen that coming?
Likewise, party leaders seem flummoxed that after decades of demonizing Washington insiders and government in general, Republican voters are turning their affections to an outsider rather than a distinguished GOP Governor or U.S. Senator. Imagine that.
For their part, the Koch Brothers, who froze Trump out of their weekend confab in Southern California, seem profoundly annoyed that Trump isn’t groveling at their feet for money. While Ted Cruz, Marco Rubio, Scott Walker and Jeb Bush prostrated themselves before the GOP puppet masters, hoping for their approval and financial backing, Trump tweeted:
I wish good luck to all of the Republican candidates that traveled to California to beg for money etc. from the Koch Brothers. Puppets?
For the Republican Party, the chickens are coming home to roost. Candidates like Mike Huckabee and Ted Cruz have spent the better part of the last four years trying to arouse the anger and passion of the Tea Party fanatics to rise up against the media and the politicians who “oppress them”. However, neither man recognized that they too would be caught in the undertow.
Sure, Mike Huckabee wants to send federal troops into clinics to stop abortions, and he says outlandish things about President Obama marching Israelis to the doors of the ovens, but his cries for attention fail to strike a nerve the way Trump’s grandstanding on immigration does. Ted Cruz’s calls for filling out your taxes on a post card are downright boring compared to Trumps’ bluster that he will build a fence on the border and make Mexico pay for it.
Republican Party leaders are nervously hoping that Trump’s momentum can be halted by a more conventional Republican politician like Jeb Bush or Scott Walker. The problem is the Republican Party has nurtured and nourished the Tea party crazies for the entirety of the Obama presidency.
By ginning up anti-government sentiment and by encouraging GOP voters to hold a nightmarish vision of contemporary American politics, the Republican Party set the stage for a demagogue to take over the party. Now they are reaping what they have sown. Donald Trump has a big lead, and right now nobody in the Republican Party knows how to stop the runaway crazy train.
Keith Brekhus is a progressive American who currently resides in Red Lodge, Montana. He is co-host for the Liberal Fix radio show. He holds a Master’s Degree in Sociology from the University of Missouri. In 2002, he ran for Congress as a Green Party candidate in the state of Missouri. In 2014, he worked as a field organizer for Democrat Ann Kirkpatrick’s successful re-election bid in Arizona’s 1st Congressional District. He can be followed on Twitter @keithbrekhus or on Facebook.
thank you jesus!
like I have said before- the GOP is indeed reaping what it has sown. karma has arrived at your front door righties. knock, knock!!!
Do you really think the baby Jesus has a sick sense of humor?
…when I gotta describe the “Trump Phenomena” I describe it as a bunch of Mad Scientists who construct a killer robot…the planned to keep it lodged in thier Laboratory until the Moment of Greatest Effect {i.e. just before the election} but thier plans are thwarted by the Evil Madman who steals the remote and sends it careening around the countryside, beating up the villagers he don’t like for his own amusement…
…that wraps it up neat…lol
Runaway train never coming back…
wrong way on a one way track…
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NRtvqT_wMeY
Perhaps Mr. Trump should try to get permission this time around?
…”I’m terribly sorry, but my Karma has run over your Dogma…there’s a taxidermist down the road who can stuff it so it looks {almost} alive…”
Considering he must’ve been drunk when he designed humanity…
yes.
as a dem and a lib, I am overjoyed at the epic GOP dysfunction- as a proud American and patriot, I am saddened for the country and ashamed of this modern Republican Party abomination that humiliates us all every single day. some would even say they embarrass us on an hourly basis. its pathetic and America deserves better from the GOP. the Party is in a death spiral and it is stunning- absolutely stunning- just how far and fast the GOP has fallen. wow.
Be careful what you wish for
Jeb!’s campaign is thrilled with The Donald’s scorched earth campaign to torch the entire GOP field, reports Jonathan Martin.
Privately, Mr. Bush’s top strategists, who have become increasingly fixated on halting Mr. Walker, believe that Mr. Trump is nothing short of a godsend. That is because Mr. Trump is drawing support from voters — blue-collar, less-educated, more conservative — who are unlikely ever to support Mr. Bush but are essential to Mr. Walker’s candidacy.
What complicates matters for Mr. Walker, and any of the other Republicans vying for that restive conservative base, is that they will have difficulty matching the bluster or promises of Mr. Trump because he does not operate within the conventional boundaries of political discourse.
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/08/03/us/politics/jeb-bushs-camp-counts-blessings-of-donald-trumps-surge-in-the-gop.html?smid=nytpolitics&_r=1
You think Trump feels bad that he wasn’t invited to the “beg for money summit” the Koch brothers threw for the groveling candidates? All I can see is him making life difficult for those four who went to kiss the Koch’s ring and ask for their blessing and money. Trump is gonna tear them apart. I think he started.
This is great. The wolf is in the hen house creating mischief. The hens are scattering all over, not knowing what to do, say or go. We are watching the Republicans unravel. We are watching a truly pathetic Party right now. Hope it gets worse.
Trump saw US heading for PLUTOCRACY!
That’s why he jumped-in. Why should The Koch’s have all the fun owning/controlling a Nation?
http://billmoyers.com/2014/03/27/the-koch-brothers-and-the-danger-of-american-plutocracy/
Mdag, We need Two Strong Political Parties.
Like two wings of an airplane…
Working in harmony.
Or we’ll never again get the beautiful nation off the ground.
We should meditate/pray the GOP pulls themselves together & honorably starts to lead our great nation again!
…can’t argue with facts…
ode to the GOP:
Circus – Theme Song
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zjedLeVGcfE
Judy Collins – Send In The Clowns
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8L6KGuTr9TI
Classical – Chopin – Funeral March
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kyFyAqLtHq8
sideshow Don will be leading the circus
Lol!!..spot on and this is only the beginning!
Call Donald Trump’s Cell Phone and Ask Him About His Important Ideas
http://gawker.com/call-donald-trumps-cell-phone-and-ask-him-about-his-imp-1720472577
Thanks Donald, the right wingers have finally met their match. One of their very own has taken the bull by the horn. Proceed!
You gotta watch the Trump documentary! He is WORSE than you can imagine!
http://trumpthemovie.com/watch
djc, While dabbling in Astrology, reading critiques on Scott Walkers Birth-Blue-Print. The alarming story people see is blowing Astrologers Minds.
They describe Scott Walker as:
*Mephostopheles*
Meaning & History
Derived from Hebrew mephitz “destroyer” and tophel “liar” (the second element taken from the phrase tophel shequer, literally “Falsehood Plasterer”).
This is the name of the *Devil* in the German Faust legend, with whom the character Faust makes a pact, exchanging his soul for unlimited knowledge and worldly pleasures.
Of them all…
Walker is the one to worry about.
There must be a god in the known universe laughing for the trick he played on the American public by getting Donald Trump hand-picked as the “go to” guy for the GOP nomination for 2016.
Because it’s going to make the Democratic win for the White House all that much sweeter.
I live in Minnesota and saw Ventura make it.(another loud mouth) That’s what worries me!
Suge, meditation/praying is an empty gesture – rather, we need to keep the pressure on this political pimple until it finally does burst, and then it can begin to heal.
The 1998 Minnesota governor’s election is nothing like what’s going on in this Presidential election cycle. Ventura split the independents, mostly at a cost to the Dems. Trump will, at best, pull votes away from the Rep. candidate, if he runs as an independent. I’d be more concerned with him actually winning the Rep. nomination.
Prayer? Yes, that’s empty and ultimately useless.
Meditation has worked for me- in terms of dealing with certain withdrawal issues. But I never invoke or attempted to invoke a nonexistent deity or entity.
It has it uses, but it’s not the Universal Panacea as espoused by many.
The best thing that could happen to this country is for the regressive party to implode. They are doing nothing for the American people, but in fact are causing much harm. There is no longer a GOP. It has metasized into the cancer of the Kochbag/facist-coporatist/ domestic terroristic/hate group. Would you say that the Nazi Party was needed in Germany? I think not. Most people are in denial about what is happening in America–because we are so “exceptional.” Yeah, right. Trump’s role is to play the Court Jester and to make Jebbie look “sane” by comparison. When he is no longer needed–the Kochs will take him out. I can’t wait for the “smack down.” But,there is not one iota of difference between all the clowns. It’s just differing degrees of insanity.