If you watched the news this past week; or happened to be listening to NPR on your way to work, then you know that the latest polls, including USA Today and Suffolk University, read that Donald Trump, the real estate billionaire, is leading the 2016 Republican Nomination race. According to the Fox News poll, Trump is sitting on a nice four-point lead ahead of ex-Florida Governor Jeb Bush.
There is no question that Trump's popularity isn't genuine, but what does come into question is whether or not this popularity can last. Further, it is also apparent that Donald is having a negative effect on the Republican Party as a whole, a party which is desperate to get back into the White House. After calling illegal Mexicans "rapists" and especially after the latest controversial statement in which he called Senator and 2008 Republican Presidential Nominee, John McCain, a “questionable war hero," there is no doubt that Trump does not care about making friends and allies. Although the remarks on immigration did very little to hinder Trump's uprise, the questioning of Republican Senator McCain's war validity, will most certainly take Trump down a few notches.
While some Republican candidates have rallied together against Trump and in defense of McCain, the illegitimacy of Trump's campaign alone is enough to greatly diminish conservative hopes for the White House in 2016. The constant change in the top spot in the polls--largely due to Trump--may affect the election results come next November. If we look back to 2012, Mitt Romney had a tough time establishing himself as the frontrunner for Republicans since he didn't give himself enough time to become the "face" of the Conservative Party. In 2012, he (Romney) ran against already beaten-down Barack Obama and still came up short.
In 2016, the Republican nominee will most likely face the perennial Hillary Clinton who is the favored leader of the Democrats and popular candidate for president. With Trump involved, the Republicans can count on a game of musical chairs for the top poll numbers in the nomination race. The worst part of all of this is that each candidate is going to spend a lot of time, energy and money just to win the nomination, while Hillary Clinton sits back and watches as Democratic favorability rises thanks to the recent surge of political wins by Barack Obama. By the time the nominee is chosen, all the baggage will be out in the open for Hillary to take shots at.
If the Republican Party has any true chance at winning the presidential election, then a face of the party must surface soon. The face of the party of course cannot be Donald Trump, unless Republicans want to be embarrassed come voting time.
Hopefully the August 6th debate will shed light on the should-be frontrunners like Jeb Bush and Scott Walker--real politicians who know the reality of working in Washington. It's time for Republicans to band together, understand what it takes to win, and not make a joke out of this election. Hillary Clinton and the presidential race is a mountain to climb for sure, but it will be interesting to see whether or not Republicans saddle up and hike to the top.
