I posted here last fall that Trump will be the Republican nominee.

However, well this approach works in the primaries, I think it'll fail him in the General Election.

Just to drive him a little bit crazy, I took to referring to him as a “short-fingered vulgarian” in the pages of Spy magazine. That was more than a quarter of a century ago. To this day, I receive the occasional envelope from Trump. There is always a photo of him—generally a tear sheet from a magazine. On all of them he has circled his hand in gold Sharpie in a valiant effort to highlight the length of his fingers. I almost feel sorry for the poor fellow because, to me, the fingers still look abnormally stubby.

Donald Trump is very proud of himself for forcing President Obama to release his birth certificate, ending the debate over whether he was legally fit to lead the country. But not everything the Donald has put his name behind has succeeded. TIME takes a look at some gambles that went bust
Trump Airlines
Trump Vodka
The Bankruptcies
The Hair
The Marriages
Trump Mortgage
Trump: The Game
The China Connection
Trump Casinos
The Middle East 'Policy'

Look at the people who love Trump, chanting USA as he throws minorities out of his rallies. Trump's supporters hate all the people who make up the Democratic base.

Luckily, there are more of us than there are of them. Unluckily, some on our side are trying to convince us that the Democrats are just as bad. That kind of attitude depresses turnout and could get Trump elected.

Just like the last thing liberals need is their own Rush Limbaugh.

Why aspire to the very worst in society?

No, we don't want to adopt Republican/Conservative values (which we've done altogether too much of over the last 40 years anyway).

But we can learn other things from their success. They understand how to animate their base. Democrats are basically terrible at this. Sanders is good at it.

Also, people like a fighter. That does not have to mean being an authoritarian racist asshole. Think FDR. He was a fighter.

I also think we could learn from LBJ. His famous quip "make them deny it" could work really well in a general election. Republicans currently represent a whole load of absolutely terrible and immoral ideas. Put them to the fucking question. Hang all the nasty shit they use to animate their base voters around their neck like a damned albatross. We don't do enough of that.

Note, we can do all of these things while still telling the fucking truth. I get the feeling the Establishment doesn't quite understand that part of Sanders' appeal is that he does these things.

The only Republican that has been able to get close enough to claim victory ran a campaign on being a nice guy who cared about people (policies are a different story of course).

Because if the long list of Trumps "sins" were ever revealed to the HypoChristian Right, their support would drift away to the Canadian.

Come on, you can't tell me that Trump NEVER paid for an abortion, since he is well known to be pro choice. PRO CHOICE, Debbie. Can't you pull together an Iowa commercial??? JEEBUS!

gawd it's like someone is PAYING her to be incompetent.

That is what oppo research is for, isn't it? Going after "socialists?"

That shit don't fly with our party.

"But she may be in jail and I will have to run against Bernie....Ohh...how I would like to run against that communist!"...

There are no good choices in that group.

Much like Bernie, Trump is riding a wave of anti-establishment and populism. Trump says things that others won't and at some level rings true to his followers. The intersting part is how many Trump supporters think of Bernie as their second choice. While nobody at DU would admit it. Wonder if the reverse might also have some truth?

It's the personality of a spoiled twelve-year-old, but it beats any of the corporate lackeys currently suckling GOP PAC money.

Each phrase was the Magic Bullet that erased all memory of its victim.

How does one possibly convince another he's not "low energy"? Once heard, there's not enough energy in the known universe to overcome it.

Cash is another matter. Going from memory: a study from decades found that it takes about $5 per kid to make him or her into a fan of Coke or Pepsi. However, switching the dental dreams as adults from one beverage to the other required an expenditure of about $45 per person. Thus, the kids.

1. This doesn't answer your question, but Trump is the most moderate candidate in the GOP field. He is the only candidate in the GOP field to want to tax Wall Street if I recall correctly. Thus, Trump needed another tactic to win while not changing his policy positions.

2. The way he did this was by being outlandish, starting in Obama's 1st term with the birthed nonsense. Asking for Obama's birth certificate or going against birthright citizenship are not serious ideas. Thus, he gave the conservative base the red meat they needed, including the evangelicals.

Trump will not be an easy candidate to face in the general. He is beatable but by just calling him extreme. He needs the populist mantle taken away from him. His positions on immigration, namely, have a lot of support within even the Democratic Party. In my opinion, the way you beat Trump is the same way you beat Romney, by painting him as an out of touch rich elitist, which would take him off his populist horse.

question what the hell he is doing, you are able to make some negative characterizations stick.

Why can't Democrats do the same. Have you seen the media - even our MSNBC give either HRC or Bernie 20 or 30 minutes a day - breaking away even from coverage of the President as they do for THE DONALD. Not to mention the wasted minutes eagerly waiting for him to start his nonsense.

Tell me if all the cable stations covered the entire endorsement speech that John Kerry or Ted Kennedy gave Obama -- like they did for the discredited Sarah Palin? Hillary has been endorsed by many many more important people than Palin - I saw little coverage of them.

This ad is brilliant, btw.

Who find that behavior appealing.

His attacks are just what ordinary people say about their shitty politicians. That's why he's given a pass on civility. People hate mainstream politicians with a passion. Half of these voters wish they could go on stage and call them names.

This is the highest level of voter frustration I've ever seen. It's becoming toxic.

...to their bitter demons.

with words. That description fits Trump.