# Will the Trickle Become a Torrent? (Trump) **URL:** \ **Category:** Politics & Elections\ **Created:** [August 9, 2016, 9:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-the-trickle-become-a-torrent-trump/762280 "2016-08-09T21:13:22Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Steve\_MB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/steve_mb/32/5339_2.png) [@Steve\_MB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Steve_MB)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2016, 5:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-the-trickle-become-a-torrent-trump/762280/21 "2016-08-10T17:35:04Z")
> [@QuickSilver](#): > > I don’t want this to be over until Trump has an apoplectic rage induced meltdown on the debate stage against Hillary, and his security is forced to drag him away in handcuffs, into a padded van, straight to a mental institution. > > I have a dream. > [@EddyTeddyFreddy](#): > > Hey! You stole my dream! I’m sure QuickSilver will let you share his dream. Heck, I’ll try that dream myself. The one with the Swedish Bikini Team and the hot tub full of jello was getting stale. ---
**Author:** ![Boyo\_Jim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/87869e/32.png) [@Boyo\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boyo_Jim)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2016, 5:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-the-trickle-become-a-torrent-trump/762280/22 "2016-08-10T17:50:18Z")
Trump is going to give them that long shot on a platter. It’s a penalty shot. ---
**Author:** ![Voyager](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voyager/32/133_2.png) [@Voyager](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Voyager)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2016, 5:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-the-trickle-become-a-torrent-trump/762280/23 "2016-08-10T17:58:54Z")
> [@EddyTeddyFreddy](#): > > Hey! You stole my dream! You can be in my dream if I can be in yours. Dylan said that. ---
**Author:** ![Voyager](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voyager/32/133_2.png) [@Voyager](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Voyager)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2016, 6:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-the-trickle-become-a-torrent-trump/762280/24 "2016-08-10T18:01:41Z")
I suspect that many of those crossing over have been encouraged by the Clinton campaign, and I further suspect that they are being metered so that every day or two there is another defection. The 50 experts a few days ago, then Susan Collins. That keeps the defections in the eyes of the news media and in the news cycle. Notice how the Trump people don’t seem to have found even one Bernie defector. ---
**Author:** ![Euphonious\_Polemic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/euphonious_polemic/32/3002_2.png) [@Euphonious\_Polemic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Euphonious_Polemic)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2016, 9:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-the-trickle-become-a-torrent-trump/762280/25 "2016-08-10T21:09:54Z")
[Report: RNC losing staffers over Trump](http://www.cnn.com/2016/08/10/politics/rnc-resignations-donald-trump/index.html) > [@](#): > > At least eight staffers have left the Republican National Committee at least in part due to discomfort over the party’s nomination of Donald Trump for president. > Politico reported Wednesday that deputy press secretary James Hewitt, spokesman Fred Brown, director of Hispanic media Ruth Guerra and research analysts Lars Trautman and Colin Spence have left in recent months, citing Trump as a reason for their departure. > > “Personally I wasn’t comfortable working to elect him,” Spence told Politico. Drip. Drip. Drip. ---
**Author:** ![Wesley\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wesley_clark/32/20581_2.png) [@Wesley\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wesley_Clark)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2016, 1:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-the-trickle-become-a-torrent-trump/762280/26 "2016-08-11T01:39:46Z")
I wonder how the RNC changes the rules of their primaries. The reality is that the activist base of the GOP consists of extremely angry right wing authoritarians who are living in a bubble of misinformation. Trump is just an expression of the beliefs and values of the base of the GOP. How does the GOP reign them in now, because the base isn’t going to change. They will pretend that the election was stolen by ACORN after Trump loses, and push for another radical in 2020. Polls already show 40% of republican voters think ACORN will steal the election for the democrats. Putting aside the fact that ACORN hasn’t existed for 6 years, how are they going to steal 10 million votes and get away with it? [https://www.thenation.com/article/donald-trump-is-already-setting-up-his-next-con/](https://www.thenation.com/article/donald-trump-is-already-setting-up-his-next-con/) > [@](#): > > Sixty-nine percent of Trump’s North Carolina voters say that if Clinton wins, that means the election was rigged (only 16 percent believe it would be because she got the most votes.) Forty percent think ACORN—which no longer exists—will steal the election for the Democrats. Basically only 1/6 of Trump voters in NC think that if Trump loses, it was because he lost an honest election. These people are the base of the GOP. Even if GOPers defect, the base will just elect another extremist who is as ignorant and violent as they are. ---
**Author:** ![Bridget\_Burke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7cd45c/32.png) [@Bridget\_Burke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bridget_Burke)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2016, 4:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-the-trickle-become-a-torrent-trump/762280/27 "2016-08-11T04:38:31Z")
> [@Wesley\_Clark](#): > > Someone needs to start a ‘Ted Cruz was right’ meme. He jumped ship before the holes became too obvious to ignore. My Jr Senator already started it. His claim that Trump’s rudeness to Mrs Cruz or the elder Cruz was the reason he declined to endorse him was a lie. Ted Cruz already envisions himself as The Great Godfearing True Conservative, ready to save the GOP after its shameful seduction by The Donald. ---
**Author:** ![DonLogan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/51bf81/32.png) [@DonLogan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DonLogan)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2016, 10:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-the-trickle-become-a-torrent-trump/762280/28 "2016-08-11T10:37:18Z")
Elected Rs will keep their fingers in the air and only bail if it’s necessary due to their constituencies. There’s plenty who won’t have to bail. Non-elected Rs have started jumping faster because they’ve come to the realization that Trump is just going to keep getting worse and worse every day. ---
**Author:** ![ElvisL1ves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@ElvisL1ves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElvisL1ves)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2016, 11:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-the-trickle-become-a-torrent-trump/762280/29 "2016-08-11T11:42:49Z")
Meanwhile, they’ll have to come up with explanations for why they support their nominee but not his positions, and therefore hope he loses. ---
**Author:** ![Steve\_MB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/steve_mb/32/5339_2.png) [@Steve\_MB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Steve_MB)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2016, 1:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-the-trickle-become-a-torrent-trump/762280/30 "2016-08-11T13:53:55Z")
> [@Euphonious\_Polemic](#): > > [Report: RNC losing staffers over Trump](http://www.cnn.com/2016/08/10/politics/rnc-resignations-donald-trump/index.html) > > Drip. Drip. Drip. Drip-Drip-Drip leaving behind a party containing higher and higher concentrations of Derp-Derp-Derp. ---
**Author:** ![Damuri\_Ajashi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/898d66/32.png) [@Damuri\_Ajashi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Damuri_Ajashi)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2016, 4:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-the-trickle-become-a-torrent-trump/762280/31 "2016-08-11T16:55:01Z")
And all it took was Trump smearing the parents of a dead soldier. ---
**Author:** ![Derleth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Derleth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Derleth)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2016, 5:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-the-trickle-become-a-torrent-trump/762280/32 "2016-08-11T17:23:37Z")
> [@Damuri\_Ajashi](#): > > And all it took was Trump smearing the parents of a dead soldier. And hinting strongly at assassination politics. And acting like a druggie hungry for a fix whenever nuclear weapons are mentioned. And saying he’ll intentionally destabilize the world out of a notion of “respect” pulled straight out of a gangster movie. And playing to the worst aspects of the GOP’s dirty secret of a voting base. Really, they’re leaving over such tiny little things it makes you wonder how they stayed so pure and innocent. ---
**Author:** ![Defensive\_Indifference](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/defensive_indifference/32/6502_2.png) [@Defensive\_Indifference](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Defensive_Indifference)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2016, 5:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-the-trickle-become-a-torrent-trump/762280/33 "2016-08-11T17:53:58Z")
70 Republicans, including about 20 former RNC staffers, are preparing a letter urging the RNC to cut off funding from Trump and divert the money to Congressional races. > **[Dozens of Republicans to urge RNC to cut off funds for Trump](https://www.politico.com/story/2016/08/republicans-urge-rnc-cut-funds-trump-226918)** > > The open letter pushes the RNC to shift resources to Senate and House races. ---
**Author:** ![Euphonious\_Polemic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/euphonious_polemic/32/3002_2.png) [@Euphonious\_Polemic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Euphonious_Polemic)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2016, 5:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-the-trickle-become-a-torrent-trump/762280/34 "2016-08-11T17:58:21Z")
Clinton is actively reaching out to disaffected Republicans, asking for their support. What would the ramifications be if George HW Bush called a press conference and put together an impassioned speech about the history of the Republican party, the goals and aspirations of everyone who has worked for the party, and the absolute necessity for everyone to NOT vote for Trump. A speech that outlined that Trump is not a Republican at all, and for the good of the party, it is critical that he be defeated as soundly as possible. 1. Would he ever consider doing such a thing? To save his own party from destruction? 2. Could he (physically, emotionally) do it? 3. What would the result be? Does he still carry any weight? ---
**Author:** ![Boyo\_Jim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/87869e/32.png) [@Boyo\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boyo_Jim)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2016, 5:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-the-trickle-become-a-torrent-trump/762280/35 "2016-08-11T17:58:26Z")
> [@Bayard](#): > > 70 Republicans, including about 20 former RNC staffers, are preparing a letter urging the RNC to cut off funding from Trump and divert the money to Congressional races. > > [http://www.politico.com/story/2016/08/republicans-urge-rnc-cut-funds-trump-226918](http://www.politico.com/story/2016/08/republicans-urge-rnc-cut-funds-trump-226918) Apparently not even one of them is a current holder of an elected office. Now, if Susan Collins convinces fellow Senators to renounce him, that might make a difference. ---
**Author:** ![AlsoNamedBort](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alsonamedbort/32/3213_2.png) [@AlsoNamedBort](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AlsoNamedBort)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2016, 6:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-the-trickle-become-a-torrent-trump/762280/36 "2016-08-11T18:07:24Z")
> [@Boyo\_Jim](#): > > Apparently not even one of them is a current holder of an elected office. Now, if Susan Collins convinces fellow Senators to renounce him, that might make a difference. Mark Kirk said he won’t vote for him (but he won’t vote for Clinton either) [http://www.politico.com/story/2016/08/mark-kirk-colin-powell-president-226877](http://www.politico.com/story/2016/08/mark-kirk-colin-powell-president-226877) > [@](#): > > Kirk, whose seat is considered among the GOP’s most vulnerable this fall, offered advice to other prominent Republicans struggling to embrace their party’s bombastic nominee. He urged his fellow Republicans to show voters that “you are backing the national interest and not going to drive off the cliff with Trump.” > > “Find a way to write an American that you think can really lead this country to a much better shining city on the hill,” he said, adding later that Republicans should “put the people first and the country first rather than party and the voters will rally to your cause very quickly.” Of course, he’s in a very close race in a blue state. ---
**Author:** ![Euphonious\_Polemic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/euphonious_polemic/32/3002_2.png) [@Euphonious\_Polemic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Euphonious_Polemic)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2016, 6:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-the-trickle-become-a-torrent-trump/762280/37 "2016-08-11T18:18:14Z")
Well, it’s not HW Bush, but Reagan’s daughter [blasted Trump today](http://www.cnn.com/2016/08/11/politics/reagan-daughter-blasts-trump/index.html), referring to the assassination attempt on her father: > [@](#): > > “Your glib and horrifying comment about ‘Second Amendment people’ was heard around the world,” … “Yes, Mr. Trump, words matter. But then you know that, which makes this all even more horrifying.” ---
**Author:** ![Boyo\_Jim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/87869e/32.png) [@Boyo\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boyo_Jim)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2016, 6:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-the-trickle-become-a-torrent-trump/762280/38 "2016-08-11T18:19:24Z")
[I started a thread a week ago](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=800226) predicting that there would be a trickle that would start a torrent that would end up being catastrophic for the Republican party. But I was responding in particular to the idea that a petition from former elected officials and DNC staffers would make a difference, which IMO it won’t. The only thing that will is the defection of significant numbers of current office holders. And both Collins and Kirk are among them. ---
**Author:** ![Voyager](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voyager/32/133_2.png) [@Voyager](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Voyager)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2016, 11:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-the-trickle-become-a-torrent-trump/762280/39 "2016-08-11T23:02:27Z")
> [@Boyo\_Jim](#): > > [I started a thread a week ago](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=800226) predicting that there would be a trickle that would start a torrent that would end up being catastrophic for the Republican party. > > But I was responding in particular to the idea that a petition from former elected officials and DNC staffers would make a difference, which IMO it won’t. The only thing that will is the defection of significant numbers of current office holders. And both Collins and Kirk are among them. I assume you meant RNC. What it does do is demoralize those still working there. Why bust your butt for a losing cause, especially one you don’t even believe in? I doubt current RNC staffers would be allowed to denounce Trump, else they’d get fired. But they may not be staying late. And it is another reason for the big donors to keep their wallets closed. These people are not just sitting on their hands, which is what I expected. These people are going public. And that has never happened in my memory, and my memory stretches back to Goldwater. ---
**Author:** ![Wesley\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wesley_clark/32/20581_2.png) [@Wesley\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wesley_Clark)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2016, 11:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-the-trickle-become-a-torrent-trump/762280/40 "2016-08-11T23:42:43Z")
> [@Bridget\_Burke](#): > > My Jr Senator already started it. His claim that Trump’s rudeness to Mrs Cruz or the elder Cruz was the reason he declined to endorse him was a lie. > > Ted Cruz already envisions himself as The Great Godfearing True Conservative, ready to save the GOP after its shameful seduction by The Donald. He did what Romney did in 2008. To me it was apparent that in 2008 Romney was running more to set himself up for 2012, and I think Cruz ran to a large degree to set himself up for 2020. So he will probably be the nominee then, and after Trump turns out to be an unmitigated disaster as a candidate people will say ‘Cruz had the courage and insight to abandon ship while all the other republicans stood by Trump’s side’. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-the-trickle-become-a-torrent-trump/762280.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-the-trickle-become-a-torrent-trump/762280.md?page=3)