There's a difference between overt political correctness and someone being a jackass and being called out for it. Trump has not just crossed that line, he runs around that line over and over again.
Amen to this. As much as I hate political correctness, not being a chode is a requirement. My only problem is that many people assume that nice behavior means that only certain political ideas are permitted.
And that's my point about Trump; his IDEAS are what's not permitted. His loutishness is an excuse to preempt his ideas being presented in meaningful forums.
The voters can punish Trump if they believe he's too over the top, not Presidential, etc. Excluding the front-runner from an event for ANY reason is preemption. Elitist preemption at that. Let the voters hear Trump, let them hear Trump alongside all the others, and then let them make up their minds.
The last thing Trump should want is for GOP primary voters to know his ideas. Universal health care, a 14% wealth tax, being pro-choice, gun control, and protectionism are all positions he has taken. Those positions are the opposite of Republican positions.
Also, the problem for Trump's supporters isn't that he was excluded from the debates, it's that he completely flopped and was embarrassed in front of 24 million people. He even made Ben Carson look somewhat articulate for crying out loud.
I think Trump's heterodox economic views are less of a hamper to the sectors of the GOP base than you might otherwise think. There's a reason, say, Nigel Farage or Marine Le Pen position themselves with populist approaches to healthcare and tax.
Agreed. Framing left-wing economic ideas in nationalistic imagery ("Let's make America win again!" rather than "Black lives matter"/"Think of the starving children") can make them popular among the "beer track" of the GOP base.
