Methinks Republican insiders are worried about the wrong thing.
Donald Trump’s rhetoric since the Paris terrorist attacks appears to have helped him with GOP primary voters, according to most polls. But Republican insiders are concerned that his words could come back to haunt the party as it seeks to appeal to a broader audience.
We hear this a lot. We hear it about other candidates, too. We hear it about other issues. There are the discussions about legitimate rape. There are the discussions about Latino immigration. There are the discussions about gay rights. There are always a bushelful of anti-black comments from Republican officeholders to sift through. We hear about all the people who want free stuff- the 47 percent.
At some point, Republican insiders have to start worrying about the people they’re trying to get to vote for them, and also what they feel they need to do to get those voters to vote for them.
The issue isn’t so much that Republican candidates routinely say stuff that will turn off most of the country. The issue is that this works with the Republican base.
Trump is doing great in the polls for a reason, and it’s not because he’s out there explaining Ronald Reagan Republicanism to the masses.
Republican insiders created the appetite for this rhetoric. They’re to blame for the fact that there is now a massive constituency who wants their candidates to deliver on it.
