Why Trump is such a threat to the GOP?

[kentuck]

After all, his anti-immigration speeches are only something the GOP has been preaching for several years now. However, it is now wrong for Trump to paint with such a broad brush when talking about the Mexican people. Why?

Because it threatens the presidential campaigns of two of the favorites to win the nomination - Jeb Bush and Marco Rubio. Of course, Jeb Bush is married to a Mexican lady and Rubio is of Cuban descent. How can they expect to win anything if their Party continues to attack the Mexican "illegals"? The Party has to change their immigration views if Jeb or Rubio are to have any future in the GOP field?

[GreatGazoo]

1. Complete wedge issue

Trump has put the most pressure on Bush III so far with that stuff. The whole "hating on Mexicans" thing is completely the wrong script for the Bush Three-quel.

My guess is that Trump really thinks he can win so just like a bouncer in a bar fight, you take down the biggest threat first and you let some of the smaller types run for the door. Trump is laying down a political mine field between the GOP and the hispanic voters they want for 2016.

[bvf]

2. The RNC

put Trump in the race expressly to produce the outrage we're seeing now.

They'll yank him out at whatever point they feel his exit will optimally benefit the remaining candidates.

Why is this so difficult to understand?

He's an RNC stooge--nothing more.

[Fix The Stupid]

3. Is this a crazy conspiracy theory?

Here's what I think - tell me if this tin foil hat stuff....

Trump is clearly a GOP plant. Here's my rationale...

The GOP pooh-bahs take the most right wing, crazy, anti-intellectual candidate they can find and parade him around, hoping he will
say and propose the most outlandish, right wing ideas ever spouted.

Let him get some momentum, get everybody worried he might have a chance...then you pull the plug on him and get behind the 'real' person they had for the job.

Now this 'real' person can spout right wing ideas and proposals and as long as they are a little less crazy as Trumps plans, the populace will look at each other and go " Meh, he's not as crazy as Trump - I'll vote for him"...

Get my drift?

[Skidmore]

4. The big boys could care less about Jeb & Rubio.

They will try to slide Walker through. He will implement the Koch brothers' agenda at national level--unfettered corporate power with no regulations whatsoever and no unions to oppose management. Keep your eye on Walker. The rest of this is circus. If all groups on the left allow themselves to be divided from common cause by the wedge issues that are being interjected on the right, we will get Walker and the Koch bros. grinning over his shoulder all the time. People didn't get out last time to hold power, and if you dodge voting this time, we are screwed.

[flamingdem]

6. Walker is waiting in the wings

As a Koch stooge and fresh new face for the masses of low info voters.

[Johonny]

5. He's a threat because they can never fully denounce one of their own

They still love Ollie North, they still love Nixon, heck they still love Sarah Palin... long after the adults in America have denounced, moved on, and laugh at them they can't turn away from the idiot and criminal. If you are willing to follow the GOP formula there appears to be nothing that will get you tossed out of the clown car. Instead they have to pretend their voters are a genius for seeing the "truth" and it is everyone else (those liberal media bastards) that are to blame.

They literally can't separate themselves from Trump. You have Rush, Hannity, O'rielly and even the candidates softly getting arms distance away from his harsher comments and then the very next day jumping right back into the tank with Trump. The thing is most nutty Republicans have the decency to play nice. Donald appears to have no incentive to play nice at all. These were the made up issues they pretend to care about and he's going full bore at them. They have no choice but to love him because apparently to a Republican to admit to being wrong is impossible, they just want to circle the wagons more and claim they were right louder (see lie of Obama ordering flag at half mast for Whitney Houston that circled the Internets yet again this week). It is funny because they are so often not right and sad because the country deserves better.

[B Calm]

7. He is saying today if the GOP keeps giving him a hard time he will

run as an independent. Now that is a threat!

[Xolodno]

8. Everyone is over analyzing this...

Trump is openly courting the fanatics, wingnuts, etc. a.k.a. the base. In the past, the contenders would "code" their language to recruit the base. Because, if they flat out stated the obvious the media and other presidential contenders would be all over it. And if they gafe significantly, could even lose their current seat.

Trump on the other hand, doesn't have much to lose, political wise. And given he doesn't hold any political office, is known to have a "wild flair"...can openly say what the base wants to hear. They hate Mexicans...so, he says he hates them to. They hate McCain, so he doesn't like McCain either. And voila, he gets the base to support him.

And that's what the other GOP candidates hate. They know full well you can't win with just the GOP base...but know, they need the GOP base along with other groups to win. Trump is holding the GOP base hostage and every day he does, does damage to GOP chances of reclaiming the white house.

Now why is Trump holding the base hostage? Anyone's guess. Its too easy to say "he's an ego maniac" and be dismissive. Maybe he plans to profit on this somehow, maybe he wants to purge the "social conservatives" from the party to return it to a "friendly to business" attitude...which, the GOP seems to have forgotten in their, "be against anything from Obama" and "more wars and money for military" obsession. Or maybe, just publicity...which he plans to capitalize and profit from.