What I don’t understand about the GOP support of Trump - help me

[Formerly Rockymtnole]

Pretty good bet Trump would lose to Biden. In fact, he’s the one guy that Biden would most like to face.

So if the real goal is power, why wouldn’t you finally take this opportunity to jettison Trump and all his baggage, or at least stay silent and let the process play out? You’d rather end up with a GOP nominee who is damaged goods and has a good chance of losing again?

Or, are you simply willing to sacrifice the presidency in favor of holding onto your own office? You have a nice cushy job and little primary opposition, as long as you fire up the MAGA crazies from time to time.

If it’s not the latter, I really don’t get it .

 

[srams21]

You are putting reason and logic to something that ~50% of the GOP has shown they can't understand.

 

[TheCainer]

Really. All of these fools who think Biden is behind this prosecution obviously don't realize that Trump would be Biden's hand-picked opponent if he had that kind of power. It just doesn't make sense, but a lot of these people are senseless to begin with.

 

[Fijimn]

Because they see how many people came out to vote for Trump and it’s a drug they can’t wal away from.

 

[SigMaintHawk]

Trump "people" will vote for him when he is dead...people like that are weak minded and always looking for somebody to lead them...

 

[Whiskeydeltadeltatango]

Trump needs to go away.


For me the concern here is a branch of the government being used as a political tool.

 

[Formerly Rockymtnole]

Trump needs to go away.


For me the concern here is a branch of the government being used as a political tool.

Huh.

See @TheCainer post above. You don’t think Trump is the preferred candidate?

 

[bdcolt45er]

They want to continue to add fuel to the narrative that there is a wide scale coordinated effort to attack conservatives. The goal is to make them feel that there is an existential threat to their way of life. If they achieve this they have a highly motivated base the kind of people that will invade the capitol. You can see this in the rhetoric they are using. They aren't arguing for his innocence everything is about "weaponization of government", two levels of justice, and whataboutism with Hillary and Biden.

 

[HawkeyeShawn]

You are putting reason and logic to something that ~50% of the GOP has shown they can't understand.

Agree with this. Some are just dumb. Some have been brainwashed. Some are both.

 

[HawkinK.C.1]

The people that support him don't think he would lose to Biden and don't believe that he is the one guy that Biden would most like to face, so your premise is flawed. There's reason to believe that could be true. He almost won last time. It was really close. If people are disenfranchised with the economy enough, that could sway voters. I thought that was an impossibility for a while, but I'm not so sure anymore.

 

[Formerly Rockymtnole]

The people that support him don't think he would lose to Biden and don't believe that he is the one guy that Biden would most like to face, so your premise is flawed. There's reason to believe that could be true. He almost won last time. It was really close. If people are disenfranchised with the economy enough, that could sway voters. I thought that was an impossibility for a while, but I'm not so sure anymore.

Shoot, many in your own party (and on here) are have been claiming that Trump is history, the party has moved on, the polls are rigged to bolster Trump, that the Dems are doing everything they can to face Trump and not someone like DeSantis.

So based on your position I guess there’s a split opinion in the GOP.

 

[RollingBallofButcherKnives]

The people that support him don't think he would lose to Biden and don't believe that he is the one guy that Biden would most like to face, so your premise is flawed. There's reason to believe that could be true. He almost won last time. It was really close. If people are disenfranchised with the economy enough, that could sway voters. I thought that was an impossibility for a while, but I'm not so sure anymore.

He won. By a lot. 🙄

 

[Whiskeydeltadeltatango]

Huh.

See @TheCainer post above. You don’t think Trump is the preferred candidate?

I don't know what you mean by preferred candidate.

Polling: yes

Mine: No

Preferred opponent: No.



Trump has a fairly high floor fairly low ceiling for votes. He is going to get his base and not much more. ( I don't think). If the train comes off the tracks for Biden the last 2 years I could see a shit ton of voters staying home.


What the hell do I know though.

 

[Hoosierhawkeye]

The ones in power are trying to hold onto their own offices without drawing Trump's ire.

I think their strategy is to just bide their time til Trump dies or otherwise can not run.

This of course shows the problem with being as split as we are. Very few federal office holders on either side have competitive general elections. The only threat to their position is losing in the primary.

That said I do think Trump has a decent chance at winning thanks to the electoral college. I would put his chances at winning the popular vot at like 1 percent but his chances of winning the electoral college is conservatively at least 25%. I would not rule him winning out.

Granted he has a lower chance in the general election than many of the people trying to beat him in the primary. In the general election Nikki Haley would probably be the scariest candidate of the ones running. But she seems to have no chance at winning the primary.

 

[HawkinK.C.1]

Shoot, many in your own party (and on here) are have been claiming that Trump is history, the party has moved on, the polls are rigged to bolster Trump, that the Dems are doing everything they can to face Trump and not someone like DeSantis.

So based on your position I guess there’s a split opinion in the GOP.

My party? I'm fiercely independent. I've never been a Trump guy.

 

[Formerly Rockymtnole]

The ones in power are trying to hold onto their own offices without drawing Trump's ire.

I think their strategy is to just bide their time til Trump dies or otherwise can not run.

This of course shows the problem with being as split as we are. Very few federal office holders on either side have competitive general elections. The only threat to their position is losing in the primary.

Yes.
The fact that a POS like MTG likely has a lifetime gig in Congress is unbelievable.

 

[Formerly Rockymtnole]

My party? I'm fiercely independent. I've never been a Trump guy.

You’re a gun guy, no? Have you ever voted Democrat?

 

[baddog25]

lets be honest. they know trump can't beat biden but a failed coup is a training exercise for the next one.

 

[RagnarLothbrok]

Pretty good bet Trump would lose to Biden. In fact, he’s the one guy that Biden would most like to face.

So if the real goal is power, why wouldn’t you finally take this opportunity to jettison Trump and all his baggage, or at least stay silent and let the process play out? You’d rather end up with a GOP nominee who is damaged goods and has a good chance of losing again?

Or, are you simply willing to sacrifice the presidency in favor of holding onto your own office? You have a nice cushy job and little primary opposition, as long as you fire up the MAGA crazies from time to time.

If it’s not the latter, I really don’t get it .

The short answer is many of them are idiots. It’s really that simple.

The problem is poll after poll shows Trump way ahead for the Republican nomination. So, while they’re indeed idiots, continuing to kiss Trump’s ass is about self preservation. The idiocy of it all is that everyone of them should have seen this coming from the beginning and put an end to it a long time ago. Instead, they chose to ignore it and normalize it every chance they got.

Their problem now.

 

[SSG T]

His die hards are a minority of the GOP, but big enough Pubbers can't win without their support. That means everyone HAS to kiss his a**, otherwise his supporters vote for the morons that do kiss his a**.

 

[Formerly Rockymtnole]

The short answer is many of them are idiots. It’s really that simple.

The problem is poll after poll shows Trump way ahead for the Republican nomination. So, while they’re indeed idiots, continuing to kiss Trump’s ass is about self preservation. The idiocy of it all is that everyone of them should have seen this coming from the beginning and put an end to it a long time ago. Instead, they chose to ignore it and normalize it every chance they got.

Their problem now.

I agree with you except the last sentence.

It’s a cult. It’s our problem, unfortunately.

 

[RileyHawk]

The short answer is many of them are idiots. It’s really that simple.

The problem is poll after poll shows Trump way ahead for the Republican nomination. So, while they’re indeed idiots, continuing to kiss Trump’s ass is about self preservation. The idiocy of it all is that everyone of them should have seen this coming from the beginning and put an end to it a long time ago. Instead, they chose to ignore it and normalize it every chance they got.

Their problem now.

The Democrats and Independents are trying to solve the problem for the republicans.

 

[hawkfan0319]

Because it allows them to play the victim as well, they feel some sort of connection.

 

[Obviously Oblivious]

At the core of the issue is the idea of holding political office as a career position. So it has become an exercise in doing anything possible to sustain their time serving. That’s why we need term limits in all political offices, including the SCOTUS.

 

[srams21]

Trump has a fairly high floor fairly low ceiling for votes.

That's a good way to put it. I think Trump has permanently lost many of those key suburban swing voters. In both 2016 and 2020, we saw his path to potential victory was and is very very narrow. Now, that doesn't mean it's impossible but he would need everything break his way.

If the GOP wants to win in 2024, they need a candidate who will appeal to swing voters. Trump isn't that, imo.

 

[tumorboy]

For me the concern here is a branch of the government being used as a political tool.

That logic doesn't hold up 3 putt. The same government that gave him 18 months to return the documents. The same government that gave him numerous court orders just asking for the documents back. Even after they found out they had been lied to on multiple court filings. Trump was given the benefit of the doubt here and he gave the Department of Documents the bird. The Department of Justice, The courts, The FBI. This isn't selective prosecution. All of the other instances of Presidents having documents they shouldn't have got resolved with some phone calls. And the Former Presidents returning them in a short time frame of weeks when the issue was raised to them.

 

[StormHawk42]

Trump needs to go away.


For me the concern here is a branch of the government being used as a political tool.

But how? This literally could have all gone away (many times) if he just cooperated. Why should he be treated any different? You and I would not be treated nearly as kindly if we came into possession of that material.

When he’s inevitably indicted for trying to literally steal an election in Georgia, will that also be political persecution?

It’s ok to just say he committed a crime.

 

[lucas80]

It’s a cult centered around king simmering grievances.