Rail all you want against Trump, but he's not the problem. Neither are those on stage with him.

[Warren DeMontague]

53. I think Trump's sudden popularity can be traced to one issue: immigration.

He's the only candidate that promises to deport 11 million people. Never mind that it's not feasible, the rank and file of the GOP have figured out that the big money chamber of commerce crowd that runs the GOP has no problem with an infinite supply of low wage labor they dont have to pay on the books with benefits.

So Trump taps into that.

The anti-choicers are motivated, but their numbers are either steady or dwindling. Same with gay marriage opponents. In many ways they have lost the culture war and some of them are figuring that out. No one gives a shit for Rick Santorum, and Huckabee is only a sliver more popular than that.

The pro-war faction of the GOP, I suspect, is a bit burned out from 14 years of war. The lawn order people are not as strong in the party as they used to be, as evidenced by the tepid support Christie's flatulence on shit like the patriot act or locking up pot smokers, has received.

Conversely, the rand paul libertarians will never command enough of a percentage to actually drive the bus.

Walker, Bush, and Kaisch have very little of substance to say right now because almost anything they do is gonna piss off some chunk of the party.

So you're left with anger over immigration- and Trump.