This morning, Eugene Robinson tells us that the Mussolini of Manhattan,
Donald "Rump" Trump,
has destroyed the Republican Party (we continue to be dubious about that desirable outcome):
Enter Trump, who has the temerity to point out that the party establishment says one thing but does another. He launched his campaign by calling the GOP’s bluff on immigration: If the 11 million people here without documents are really “illegal,” as the party loudly proclaims, then send them home. Other candidates were put in the position of having to explain why, after claiming that President Obama was somehow “soft” on immigration, their position on allowing the undocumented to stay is basically the same. [snip]
Also, the party has long sought to capitalize on fear of terrorism by haranguing the president for not using the exact phrase “radical Islamic terrorism” (as if semantics could bring peace to Syria). So when, after the attack in San Bernardino, Calif. , Trump called for banning Muslims from entering the country, much of the Republican base was receptive. Other candidates had to backpedal and remind voters that George W. Bush made clear his “war on terror” was not a war against Islam.
Trump has given voice to the ugliness and anger that the party spent years encouraging and exploiting. He let the cat out of the bag, and it’s hungry. (our emphasis)
Apparently, whizzes at the Republican National Committee, not evidencing any alarm at Rump as their standard- bearer, are
very happy to continue feeding Rump's cat:
Donald Trump’s presidential campaign, which has faced doubts about its ability to translate enthusiasm into votes, in the past few weeks quietly signed an agreement allowing it to use the Republican National Committee’s massive voter file, POLITICO has learned.
The list-sharing agreement, which reveals a new level of cooperation between the GOP and its surprise front-runner, could be highly beneficial to both sides. (our emphasis)
Hmmm. The Republican establishment says one thing (e.g., "We must stop Trump!"), but does another ("Help yourself to our voter data!")? Unpossible!
