VM forwards this insightful analysis from Fred Barnes writing at the Washington Times:
Republicans Must Deal Wisely With Trump (excerpts)
Calling on Trump to drop out of the race or insisting he is unqualified to be president because of his harsh language zinging John McCain and immigrants from Mexico isn’t working and probably never will. It’s more likely to cause him to stay in the race. . . .
Republicans need to think about who backs Trump at the moment. It’s a big chunk of the GOP base . . . If Republicans lose these folks next year in the general election, they’re doomed.
Besides his views on immigration, why do these people like Trump? Two reasons. One is that Trump says what he thinks. Sometimes it seems he utters whatever pops in his head. Most politicians aren’t so candid. They’ve been trained not to blurt. Think of Hillary Clinton. When she takes a question, you can almost see the wheels spinning in her head as she tries to formulate an evasive answer.
We would emphasize that if “Republicans” want to win they should recognize that Trump’s immigration stand is the winning stand and adopt it assertively. It is the issue that brings independents and blue-collar Democrats toward Republicans, unless they are weak on border control and raise the issue in terms of amnesty. Worried about Trump? Diffuse his particular appeal by actually doing what the voters want and the country needs — border control.
