Only one week from the Iowa Caucuses, 69-year-old real estate tycoon and former TV celebrity Donald Trump looks to run on the GOP table, locking up the nomination as early as March 1, Super Tuesday. “Donald Trump is not going to get the nomination. I have enough confidence in early primary voters,” 62-year-old former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush told ABC’s “This Week” host George Stephanopoulos Dec. 6. Bush never imagined he’d watch his $100 million campaign go down the drain, polling under 5%. Heading into Iowa, a new CNN/ORC poll showed Trump with 41% lead nationally, with his next rival Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) polling 19%, with Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fl.) lagging behind at 8%. Once front-runner, 64-year-old retired neuosurgeon Ben Carson, plunged to only 6%. Tea Party favorite former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin’s Jan 19 endorsement of Trump now looks genius.
Sealing the deal in Iowa with a key evangelical, Liberty University President Jerry Falwell Jr. endorsed Trump today, leaving no doubt with religious conservatives that Trump fills the bill. Since Trump announced for president June 16, no one inside the GOP establishment took him seriously, calling the former “Celebrity Apprentice” star a “carnival barker,” a joke for president. It’s taken nearly seven months, despite Trump’s steady lead in national polls, for the Republican National Committee to admit that Trump’s the odds on favorite to win the nomination. “I’m not one of these people that think that Donald Trump can’t win the general election,” RNC Chairman Reince Priebus reluctantly admitted Jan. 5. Since throwing his hat into the ring June 7, Trump has spoken to over-flowing crowds like he’s in his living room, capable, like no other GOP candidate, of captivating voters.
Whatever Turmp’s said that offended Mexicans, with regard to border issues, or, more recently, his suggestion to ban Muslims from entering the U.S. because of terrorism threats, his constituency keeps growing. Winning endorsement of GOP stalwarts like former Sen. Bob Dole (R-Ks.) and former House Speaker Trent Lott (R-Miss.) shows that the old GOP establishment has jumped on the Trump bandwagon. Getting Falwell’s endorsement slammed the door on Iowa, New Hampshire and South Carolina. “It is truly and honor to receive Jerry’s endorsement . . “ said Trump, after stumbling with bible verses speaking to Liberty University Jan. 18. What the GOP party establishment didn’t realize is that voters want change in 2016. Speaking last night at CNN town hall meeting, the Democrat’s 74-year-old “revolutionary” Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) won over Des Moines Drake University audience.
Unlike diehards in the Democratic and Republican parties, both Trump and Sanders offer the possibility of getting beyond the partisan gridlock and getting something done in Washington. Former Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton spent much of last night’s debate touting her bipartisan credentials while serving as First Lady and U.S. senator from New York. Voters are asking the tough questions of how extreme partisans are supposed to work across the aisle to get anything done. When President Barack Obama ran for president in 2008, he promised to end the red-state, blue-state divisions, ruling as a post-partisan president. All the rhetoric vaporized once he got into office, allowing entrenched elements in the Democratic Party to impose national health care on the American public. When Obama signed Obamacare into law March 23, 2010 without one GOP vote, he became a pariah with Republicans.
While both parties are slow to figure things out, voters have screamed for change in 2016, backing candidates like Trump and Sanders with more enthusiasm. While Hillary will likely win the Democratic nomination, she’s no longer a shoe-in in the general election. Taking a shot at Trump last night in Des Moines, Hillary ripped the GOP “front-runner” for what she calls hateful and un-American rhetoric toward Muslims. Hillary’s critique only helps Trump’s popularity, especially with independents and cross over Democrats. Hillary faces an uphill battle convincing general election voters that a Democrat can get something done with a GOP Congress. Neither Republicans nor Democrats can deny that Trump’s dominance of a tough GOP field proves that he’s ready to take on Hillary or whoever else in general election. Hillary’s dealing with a lot of baggage in 2016.
Trump’s meteoric rise shows no signs of abating anytime soon, posing problems for Democrats heading into the general election. Heading into Iowa with a wind at his back, Trump looks to run the table, locking up the nomination March 1, Super Tuesday when 632 of the GOP total 2,472 delegates are at stake. Trump’s controversial rhetoric pales in comparison to his appeal to shake things up in Washington. Whether admitted to or not, Trump has the charisma and populous appeal of President Ronald Reagan, a magnet for crossover Democrats and independents. Today’s CNN/ORC poll shows that 56% of registered voters believe Trump will win the GOP nomination, jumping to 68% for registered Republicans. Those figures indicate that the vast majority of primary voters have already made up their minds. Winning Iowa, New Hampshire and South Carolina slams the door for Trump.
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