There were a considerable number of Democrats and former Obama voters who went over to the Trump side, too, especially in the Rust Belt.
In Watergate there were several tapes of Nixon actively conspiring with Haldeman. In fact, there was one tape that was so explicitly criminal that it’s known as the “Smoking Gun” tape. These tapes caused the GOP to abandon Nixon right before the mid-term elections (because they were trying to save their own seats!) The Democrats controlled the House & the Senate, but it was the GOP who impeached Nixon.
Michael Cohen (Trump’s lawyer) made tapes. Those tapes are now outside of his personal control. If the tapes contain Nixon level direct, open criminality, I could imagine that Trump will be abandoned by the GOP and Right Wingers generally speaking. If that happens, it won’t really matter if Ma & Pa Kettle continue to believe in Trump’s saintliness.
Except today’s GOP would not do dare forego Ma & Pa Kettle. Their power depends on maintaining that unholy coalition. Besides, mainstream Republicans are useless as a moderating influence because they are so damned terrified of being primaried from the far right.
If he attended an opera and appeared to enjoy it.
Trump having a complete change of heart should do it. Such as, stating he admires Obama, firing Scott Pruitt and installing someone who actually cares about the enviroment in his place, reversing his bigot attitude, and so forth would stir is base up a bit.
I thought maybe if he didn’t drain the swamp, but they don’t seem to care about thousands of dollars on fancy pens and privacy booths.
Plus endless golf at the cost of millions each time.
I’d really like to see a good scientific study that determines what Trump’s base ‘really’ means when they talk about ‘the swamp’.
I"m guessing for the (this is a guess) the swamp is a mixture of democratic politicians, RINOs, maybe some anti-semitic conspiracy theories, and now the deep state (aka the few aspects of government that aren’t totally corrupt).
I really don’t think his base thinks of ‘the swamp’ as the plutocracy and the oligarchy. At least I doubt it. I think his base thinks of ‘the swamp’ as politicians who aren’t right wing enough and tolerance for multiculturalism. Plus anyone who stands up against the rigging of the political system to benefit the far right (the CIA and FBI right now).
This should do it:
If, SOMEHOW, Fox News and Breitbart and so on (hell, while we’re fantasizing, even Alex Jones) were to report truthfully on what Trump is and what he’s doing, might that affect things?
Long shot, yes, but Fox has already shown horror at him, and the conservative punditry in general has shown possible tiny signs of being dissatisfied, for whatever reasons.
I’m going to bet that he insists that it be scheduled during the day, for his convenience.
Bonus points for serving pork. 
What would make you turn on your favorite politician? Hillary? Obama? Bill Clinton? Bernie? Whatever would do that, it’d have to be similarly extreme.
Well, I do like Obama very much. I’d turn on him if -
[ul]
[li]He constantly lied his ass off.[/li][li]He broke the law, again and again. Currently and in his past.[/li][li]He used the Presidency to enrich himself and his family.[/li][li]He was in bed with hostile foreign powers.[/li][li]He was bigoted racist.[/li][li]He showed that he was very incompetent and unfit for the job.[/li][li]He appointed people to high level agencies that only care about making a buck at the risk of hurting the environment, or turning the USA in to a theocracy.[/li][/ul]
If Obama had done any of those things, I would have dropped him like a hot rock.
The idea of evangelicals turning on Trump for any reason is far-fetched. Look at all the televangelists and mega-churches raking in all of that sweet, tasty rube cash. Those folks are born suckers.
But it’s worse than that. The 62 million Trump voters knew he was a racist, criminal scumbag on Election Day. And they like it. Sure, a lot of them claim to have voted for someone else or appear to be appalled at the latest disgraceful Trump display. They are lying. As long as liberals, minorities, immigrants and the poor are the targets of abuse, they’ll keep kissing his flabby old ass. Even if it’s with the lights off.
We all know that conservative fellow who considers himself urbane and sophisticated. Never Trump he harrumphed. Yeah, that asshole voted for him too.
For them to fail to push for progressive legislation when they have the chance, or for them to have terrible personal lives that are extremely immoral and illegal.
Anthony Weiner is gone. Eric Schneiderman is gone. Bill Clinton is getting a lot of flak. William Jefferson went to prison. Franken stepped down.
As liberals, we know we have sex criminals and other kinds of criminals on our side (hollywood is full of sex criminals). But we fully support their arrest and prosecution. We don’t scream ‘fake news’ when Harvey Weinstein or Eric Schneiderman is arrested. But we did look the other way with Ted Kennedy or Bill Clinton, so as I said we are imperfect.
That is what separates liberals from the GOP base. We live in reality and try (imperfectly) to keep our morals consistent.
Getting caught in bed with either a dead girl or a live boy.
(With a nod to Edwin Edwards.)
Pardon Zacarias Moussaoui?
This part is true, but the ‘As long as’ is also pertinent. If Trump starts consistently treating liberals, democrats, women, feminists, blacks, latinos, muslims, secularists and immigrants with respect and decency then that may cost him his base.
To Trump’s base, nothing else matters other than white nationalism. Treason, incompetence, criminality, unprofessionalism, destroying our alliances, corruptions, etc. are perfectly fine as long as white nationalism is being served.
Could the cruel spectacle of separating parents and children at the border (and then *misplacing *the children!) be the thing that gets the attention of the deplorables? It’s getting a lot of coverage. Anyone know how FOX is spinning it?
Yeah, yeah, I know plenty will never pull their lips from President PantsOnHead’s private parts, but public breaking up of families… surely, some will turn on him? How can anyone (except Jeffy Beauregard) not be moved by these pictures and stories??
I mean, people get upset when they think the gummint is coming after their guns, but when the gummint takes away children? Even if it’s not their children…
Tell me a spark of humanity still exists somewhere in the hearts of these people. Please.
Well there’s your answer, isn’t it? There’s a level of ignorance or delusion about reality present in the people willing to support or praise Trump that defies expectation. Even if there was something that could convince them to drop their support for Trump, they’d have to, by and large, be aware of it and understand it. And even then, the things they’re willing to excuse
(By the by, you seem impressed by Trump’s negotiations - would you be interested in the bet I offered Silver Lining? A version of it is here, but we can gladly work out the details. I’m ready and willing to bet a total that amounts to about 6,400€. I am very confident that Trump’s diplomacy in North Korea is barely worth the paper it’s written on.)
Those aren’t white Christian families. So it won’t even be a blip on the radar.
These people voted for Trump in the first place. Either out of malice or ignorance or both. It’s either working out just like they wanted, or they won’t care, or BUT HILLARY! I’m really starting to believe that nothing will wake these people up (short of Trump praising Obama or Hillary)