2016 Postmortem
Related: About this forumI wonder if the Trump disaster will change how the GOP does their primaries
Trump gained a lot of ground when the winner-take-all states started having their primaries. For example, he won all of Florida's 99 delegates with only 46% of the vote. But over all, with with everyone but Trump, Kasich and Cruz out by the middle of March, Trump still only got 45% of the popular vote. 55% were for "Not Trump".
Va Lefty
(6,252 posts)meadowlark5
(2,795 posts)if he does they will be looking for ways to make it part of the campaigning playbook.
Agschmid
(28,749 posts)tanyev
(42,636 posts)How'd that work out for ya, GOP?
sofa king
(10,857 posts)It's worth remembering that this year, the party leadership was too weak to change the rule-set that was specifically set up by Romney insiders in 2012, so that the Paulists could not contest the gamed primaries which guaranteed Romney's nomination.
That in turn tied their hands so that their worst nightmare, Donald Trump, was unassailable.
If there's one adjective which most accurately describes the Republican Party over the past twenty years, it's "dysfunctional." They can't write a budget, can't govern without scandal and criminal transgression, and can't manage their own party rules to prevent a manifestly unqualified demagogue from usurping the party nomination. All of this is symptomatic of the corruption and dogmatism that dominates their actions.
I don't think they can change. I think they are the sum of their parents' fears, ignorant fascists guided by hatred and spoon-fed ideology designed to profit for a vanishingly small minority. I think they will get worse the more they lose their grip on and state legislatures, and for that matter reality itself.
GhostofFDR
(32 posts)Only minimally. There will be a contingent of longtime straight ticket Republican voters who won't vote for Trump and sit out.
The bigger question is on the Democratic side. Democratic turnout historically surges in Presidential election cycles. It's mind numbingly frustrating to watch Democrats sit out midterms and cede seats to Republicans by virtue of not showing up. It handcuffs a Democratic Congress and the hopes of introducing and passing legislation in line with the partys platform.
Knowing voter enthusiasm influences Democrats turning out to vote far more significantly than it does with Republican voters is a major red flag this election. Hillary could see greater drop off in turnout than Donnie because of the number of Democratic voters who are only casual or sporadic voters. In fact, don't be surprised if that's the case.
She will benefit from a much larger percentage of on the fence voters as well as crossover Republican voters to at least make it a wash in the Presidential ticket, but those types of voters aren't going to likely vote Democrats across the board down ticket.
Voter enthusiasm due to the nominee for both parties probably won't hurt at the top of the ticket due to circumstances offsetting one another, but the lower the turnout the better Republicans will do nationally for seats from Congress down to local.
Codeine
(25,586 posts)longship
(40,416 posts)Think of it. Ten levels of primary debates. And lots and lots of debates.
Yup. That'll do it.
(Think I'll call Priebus tomorrow with my recommendations.)
Dem2
(8,168 posts)While simultaneously the Democrats get rid of them.