Tuesday, August 11, 2015

NO, SERIOUSLY -- THIS TIME TRUMP MIGHT ACTUALLY BE IN TROUBLE

Like a lot of other people, I've believed several times that Donald Trump had finally gone too far and would pay a price in the polls for something he'd said. Obviously, we've all been wrong up to now -- about McCain, Megyn Kelly, whatever.

But I think this is different:
Donald Trump on Tuesday appeared to back off his demands to defund Planned Parenthood.

After saying last week it’s worth having Congress shut down the federal government unless Planned Parenthood is stripped of its $528 million in government funding, the Republican presidential candidate changed his tune.

Speaking on CNN’s “New Day” Tuesday morning, Trump said that before defunding Planned Parenthood entirely, he would look at the positive aspects of the organization.

“I would look at the good aspects of it, and I would also look because I’m sure they do some things properly and good for women. I would look at that, and I would look at other aspects also, but we have to take care of women,” he said. “The abortion aspect of Planned Parenthood should absolutely not be funded.”

However, under current law, no government funding is allowed to go to abortions, which Planned Parenthood says make up 3 percent of its services....
Right now, on the right, Planned Parenthood is the Antichrist. I've seen it called the new Obamacare, and I think that's accurate. Imagine if it were 2012 and Trump was saying he might not want to repeal Obamacare. How far could he get, even in a GOP that was besotted with him?

My bellwether for wingnut attitudes is Free Republic. Lately there's been a lot of love for Trump at FR, but right now I'm seeing comments like this:
There are NO aspects of Planned Butcherhood that should be funded. None whatsoever. Period. End of Story.

It needs to be shuttered, its leaders tried, convicted, and executed for crimes against humanity (genocide). Each and every building that needs to be burned to the ground and then the ground needs to have a full scale exorcism followed by the ground being clearly marked so that the unwary don't accidentally walk upon it in the future.

There needs to be nothing remaining of this...except a new exhibit in the Holocaust Museum so that future generations will never forget.

And if the Donald doesn't see that, then he doesn't get my vote.
Hey, don't hold back. Tell us how you really feel.

More:
If anyone working for Planned Parenthood even just hands a woman a Tylenol, it’s being handed to her through Satan. Anyone who has looked into the abortion giant the last 40+ years knows the devil is in the details.

And if you disrespect even one woman (as both Trump and PP has), you are essentially disrespecting the Mother of God.

****

There’s ZERO LOGIC TO WHAT HE SAID...seriously, are you THAT dumb.

Don’t you realize that if the Trump money to planned parenthood is earmarked for say office rents, than then that frees up other office rent money to kill babies with?????

Really, are you THAT effen obtuse? I mean, at some point there’s no excuse for a grown man not to understand something so basic, so simple, so elementary, so obvious.

****

Money is fungible.

A stake needs to be driven through the heart of that monster.
See, that's the thing: These folks don't accept that you can fund non-abortion services provided by Planned Parenthood without aiding and abetting (literally) a Holocaust.

So I really don't think he can fudge this. He'll retain the wingnuts who care most about his real or perceived ability to give conniption fits to the Establishment (Democrats and GOP), but for the folks who've been stirred up by these fetal-tissue videos, this really could be a dealbreaker.

Or maybe Trump's Teflon is unscratchable. We'll see.

6 comments:

Feud Turgidson said...

Steve M., those Freepsters are ACTIVE GOP voters, the type that show up to vote R for school council and pet control, no matter what. If I'm right, Trump's support is largely made up of IFFY GOP voters, who'll show up if there's a band to follow or otherwise to feel part of a sure thing.

petrilli said...

He'll lose the rabid anti-choice crowd. They'll scream a lot and it won't be pleasant to watch. But as long as he keeps attacking the right people and stroking those fascist pleasure zones, he'll be OK. I don't think it will hurt him in the polls much and his core of support will hold IMO. Besides, if he thinks for a minute this could sink him, he'll just take it back, and they'll calm down like the obnoxious sheep they are. But he won't have to. Same goes for past statements about national healthcare, Social Security, etc. Teflon on that. Hate the other, Take what's ours, Make America classy and fabulous again, Skull f**k the losers, That's his ticket to the big Tuesday.

Anyway, we'll know soon enough.

petrilli said...

One or more of these things will sink Trump with the GOP.

1. The eventual transition to a mature, less Id based professional candidacy. If he transitions, he'll lose the crazy base supporters. If he doesn't transition, He won't win primaries.

2. Public and Media tire of him. Overexposure, Trump fatigue, Trump backlash.

3. Insider GOP politics, convention and administrative shenanigans by the party elite who have had it in for him since day one, but couldn't beat him face to face.

marieburns said...

I like petrilli's analysis. I'd add to that,

4. Attrition. As other candidates drop out, their supporters will move to candidates left standing, including Trump. But Jeb! or Scottie or whoever will move up in the polls, likely at a rate faster than Trump, who is currently profiting from high name recognition & media attention.

5. Investigative journalism. Right now "investigations" of Trump have been limited mostly to Googling his past racist & misogynistic remarks. Sooner or later, some media outlets will expose (with the help of rival candidates' oppo research teams) his shady business practices. These reports may seep into the GOP zeitgeist, transforming "tell it like it is Trump" into "cutthroat Trump."

Marie

P.S. Those loons over at Free Republic? They're men. There are still some women in the Republican party, & a significant percentage of them have had abortions; all have had reproductive healthcare needs. They don't see defunding Planned Parenthood as a litmus test. In fact, some of them are active PP supporters.

petrilli said...

Here are some of those shady business dealings. I don't think they'll affect him until or unless his campaign makes the cut to top seed and needs to broaden their appeal to voters who care about such things.

Your PP/Republican women observation expresses the truth better than I ever could.

Victor said...

Ah, with PP, the misogynistic conservative boys are letting their anti-woman freak fly!

Sadly, it doesn't take much.