Clowntime isn't over
The poor quality of the GOP field is destroying the brand -- and that was before Donald Trump
Wasn't it just the other day that we were saying that the Not So Sweet 16 -- the Republican March Madness bracket of presidential candidates, also known as the Gone South Regional -- were trashing the GOP brand for good with unpopular, bass-ackwards views on everything from climate change to same-sex marriage. If so, then this probably won't surprise you:
PRINCETON, N.J. -- In the second quarter of 2015, Democrats regained an advantage over Republicans in terms of Americans' party affiliation. A total of 46% of Americans identified as Democrats (30%) or said they are independents who lean toward the Democratic Party (16%), while 41% identified as Republicans (25%) or leaned Republican (16%). The two parties were generally even during the previous three quarters, including the fourth quarter of 2014, when the midterm elections took place.
Actually, in this center-left nation of ours, Democrats have the edge of most of the time. But Republicans should have had some momentum. what with their gains in the 2014 election (aided by national Democrats, who stood for nothing) and President Obama's lame-duckness. But, to paraphrase Frank and Nancy Sinatra, then they had to spoil it all by saying something stupid like...what they stood for. When a majority of Americans were celebrating the recent Supreme Court ruling on same-sex marriage, the condemnation from the 16 Dwarfs was almost universal.
And here's what the GOP should really worry about -- this downward spiral started before the full impact of Donald Trump and his loud, divisive entrance into the race. The Donald has done so much damage to the GOP brand in just a couple of weeks that you really have to question his motives. A lot of rich New Yorkers want Hillary Clinton to be the next president.
Is Trump one of them?