... before people realize just how bad the rise of Donald Trump really is - and that includes the rest of the Republican party. Maybe this will do it? Trump Orders Surrogates to Intensify Criticism of Judge and Journalists
I don't think that's the kind of thing that will "do it" in and of itself. But it adds to the steady drumbeat. It's also the kind of thing that might turn well-known supporters against him. That article didn't say if Gingrich, for example, was on that call. But he's already distanced himself from Trump's comments on the judge, and if Trump said to him (on a call like this, or otherwise), "you have to back me up on this judge, and criticize him and his background yourself," someone like Gingrich has enough juice (and self-preservation instincts) to tell him to go to Hell.
I wonder, though it's still very early, if we haven't crossed a threshold with the media and Trump. When he was generating all the headlines, it seemed like most (but not all) members of the media were afraid to objectively cover Trump. But now they are really going after him and, if that continues for the remainder of the race, he's in serious trouble and so is the Republican Party.
Trump really crossed the line this time. He has gone from being merely offensive to being seen as absolutely dangerous. A judiciary system not subject to control by either the Executive or Legislative branches of government is a hallmark of the U.S. system. If Trump feels he can threaten a Federal Judge when he is nothing but a candidate, what might he do if he were actually President? I think the press and mainstream Republicans have told themselves that Trump couldn't cause too much damage... that his half-assed ideas would be stopped by those around him and by Congress. I think they are now seeing that those actions would not necessarily stop Trump from wielding his power to do damage.
I hope you are all right about this, but those oh-so-many times people have proclaimed, 'Now this is the end for Trump for sure!' throughout the Republican primary season still haunts me.
I know. But what gives me hope is that that was the Republican primary electorate. Trump came out of the gate with the "Mexican rapists" comments, knowing there was a sizable slice of the GOP electorate that would absolutely love that kind of language, and in a field of 17, he could vault to the top with the largest plurality. And that's exactly what happened. But now he has to get a majority of the entire electorate to win, which is a different proposition. Not saying he couldn't do it. He could. We have to make sure he doesn't.
Trump isn't going to win. I think Dabob is right, that the media wants a horse race, so they'll promote it as such. But I don't believe a nation that twice elected Barack Obama is going to pivot so drastically. If the economy was in a shambles like it was when Obama was first elected, then all bets are off. But Trump just isn't going to win. He's obnoxious, he's racist, sexist, and other than his base of angry white low-information guys, by November people will have grown quite tired of this schtick. Watch in the waning days as Republican politicians flee like rats from a sinking ship, swearing they never "really" supported Trump anyway and knew it all along that he was a disaster. Other than celebrity, Trump's story is one of smoke and mirrors, ego and 80's greed. The more the media reports beyond the latest nasty tweets, the more than is revealed about his phony "university" and casino deals and bankruptcies and non-paid bills, clothing lines manufactured in Chinas and all the rest, the more people will not want him anywhere near the White House. Hillary is hardly the perfect candidate, but the Clintons are very smart politicians, and they have immense firepower in their corner. Trump likes to go it alone, and he is completely outmatched and lacking the basic understanding of the way government works.
