Establishment Strikes Back - Planning Anti-Trump TV Campaign in September

[Likely Voter]

The establishment obviously want Trump gone and there are plans to take him out. And the plan is to have it done via outside groups to keep the campaigns and their super PACs out of it.

From CNN...

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And Bloomberg...

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Will it work? Trump seems impervious but this kind of thing has worked before. Back in December 2011 Gingrich was leading in the polls before IA and then an outside group called Restore Our Future (mostly friends of Romney) spent millions on ads and cut his support in half, he ended up coming in 3rd. After Gingrich came back and won SC they did it to him again in Florida and again he lost his lead and that was pretty much that for Newt.

They spent $35M to take down Newt and it worked. I imagine that there is even more money available to take down Trump

Here is one of those anti-Gingrich spots:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YT2h9TEXePY

[#TheShadowyAbyss]

I could see this becoming a MASSIVE failure and it just blows up in their faces and Trump continues to surge or goes third party

[Abraham Reagan]

Couldn't you just picture it? I feel if the establishment goes after him too hard, this'll be the result:

"Ladies and gentleman, the establishment is very very corrupt. They're going after me because they're controlled by the donors and the lobbyists, and those donors and lobbyists don't like what I have to say on illegal immigration and the terrible trade deals we're in. I don't care what they think, and so today I am officially announcing an independent run for President of the Unites States and we're going to make this country so great and so strong again. THANK YOU!"

They should just try to embrace Trump and make him part of the establishment. That's what'll kill his campaign.

[muon2]

There's a big difference at play with Trump. He is not running a conventional campaign like Gingrich. He is running what I would call a reality TV campaign. Hes a celebrity and his baggage is known and acceptable as part of his image. I don't see normal political ads working against this kind of campaign. Instead one would have to construct a campaign like one would to bring down a popular contestant on American Idol. Siphon some voters off to keep another popular candidate from getting eliminated and make an also ran suddenly the fad of the month.

[Fuzzy Bear]

Couldn't you just picture it? I feel if the establishment goes after him too hard, this'll be the result:

"Ladies and gentleman, the establishment is very very corrupt. They're going after me because they're controlled by the donors and the lobbyists, and those donors and lobbyists don't like what I have to say on illegal immigration and the terrible trade deals we're in. I don't care what they think, and so today I am officially announcing an independent run for President of the Unites States and we're going to make this country so great and so strong again. THANK YOU!"

They should just try to embrace Trump and make him part of the establishment. That's what'll kill his campaign.

The Establishment must know this is coming; it's the obvious response to what they have planned. 

Trump wants SOMETHING.  I don't really know what he wants, but he want's SOMETHING, and the GOP Establishment isn't giving it to him.  One thing's for sure; it's TRUMP that has "leverage" now, and he's not letting it go. 

Here's a lesson for the GOP Establishment.  The guy, Trump, who's leading "the base" around by the nose is the least "conservative" or "small government" candidate of the GOP bunch, yet he doesn't come off as a "moderate" or a "liberal".  He comes off as a "conservative", not because he adheres to the constellation of "conservative" issue positions, but because he projects strength and resolve.  Contrast this with your 2012 GOP candidate and tell me why folks have more certainty of belief that Donald Trump is more conservative than Mitt Romney.

[Blue3]

Couldn't you just picture it? I feel if the establishment goes after him too hard, this'll be the result:

"Ladies and gentleman, the establishment is very very corrupt. They're going after me because they're controlled by the donors and the lobbyists, and those donors and lobbyists don't like what I have to say on illegal immigration and the terrible trade deals we're in. I don't care what they think, and so today I am officially announcing an independent run for President of the Unites States and we're going to make this country so great and so strong again. THANK YOU!"

They should just try to embrace Trump and make him part of the establishment. That's what'll kill his campaign.

The Establishment must know this is coming; it's the obvious response to what they have planned. 

Trump wants SOMETHING.  I don't really know what he wants, but he want's SOMETHING, and the GOP Establishment isn't giving it to him.  One thing's for sure; it's TRUMP that has "leverage" now, and he's not letting it go. 

Here's a lesson for the GOP Establishment.  The guy, Trump, who's leading "the base" around by the nose is the least "conservative" or "small government" candidate of the GOP bunch, yet he doesn't come off as a "moderate" or a "liberal".  He comes off as a "conservative", not because he adheres to the constellation of "conservative" issue positions, but because he projects strength and resolve.  Contrast this with your 2012 GOP candidate and tell me why folks have more certainty of belief that Donald Trump is more conservative than Mitt Romney.

"The Establishment must know this is coming; it's the obvious response to what they have planned"


The GOP establishment isn't very smart to begin with. They keep losing to Obama and the Democrats. They keep losing more and more control of their own party. I wouldn't have much faith in them.

[/]

[MisSkeptic]

It's a conspiracy! The Establishment supports Trump and this is the only way to build him up, make him stronger.

Bad joke I know.

I would agree there are many mainstream conservatives who dislike Trump and want to see him fail, but there have to be many more conservative and republican voters who are even sick with the conservative establishment. 

[bobloblaw]

When Trump survives, he'll be even stronger.

[Orthogonian Society Treasurer]

Well, considering the expertise with which the establishment PACs destroyed Barack Obama, Trump has every reason to be scared of this unstoppable winning machine.

[Figueira]

"The Establishment Strikes Back" would be a great name for the US Politics thread on another forum I belong to.

[Mercenary]

Stay tuned for Return of the Donald where the Establishment falls.

[Sasquatch]

This will likely backfire on the establishment. I can't wait to see the fallout.

[andrew_c]

If this succeeds, Trump would run as an independent, and the Republicans will lose the election.
If this fails, the GOP establishment will lose any remaining control of their own party.
The GOP establishment has taken a high stakes, no gain gamble.

[Mr. Morden]

Negative ads work, my friends.  Those of you saying that there'll be some kind of backlash against "the establishment" for running these ads...yeah, right.  Who the heck even pays attention to the name of some pseudo-anonymous Super PAC running ads like this?  People just watch the ad and absorb the message, without paying attention to who is funding it.

That said, you can't beat somebody with nobody, and Trump has plenty of $ to retaliate.  He can fund his own negative ads against Carson, or Kasich, or anyone else who might threaten his position in one of the early states.  So this is hardly some kind of sure-fire way to stop him in any particular state.

[ElectionsGuy]

Nothing will take The Donald down.

[Maxwell]

Nothing will take The Donald down.

If Ben Carson's surge is to be believed, then I think gravity is already doing so.

[Phony Moderate]

Trump isn't exactly short of cash himself.

[Simfan34]

Excellent news!

Trump isn't exactly short of cash himself.

Does he have the $1-2 billion in liquid cash needed to take him to November 2016? I don't think so. But who will give money to Donald Trump?

[bobloblaw]

Amazing how many liberals here are terrified of Trump. They want Bush badly. Now of course they think theyll defeat Trump, but what scares liberals is the lack of consensus. A strong, even if they dont win, right wing anti-establishment populist movement is terrifying to liberals. Becasue liberals strongly believe in an educated elite that runs the country with out any accountability. Just like the EU.

What liberals want is a one party state even if there are two parties. They want it so that elections dont matter. Liberals fear competition. You dont see conservatives praying that Clinton takes out Sanders, because she is allegedly "more sane". I lot of conservatives are rooting for Sanders to take out Hillary. Liberals fear ideological debates. We dont.

[Bull Moose Base]

Negative ads work, my friends.  Those of you saying that there'll be some kind of backlash against "the establishment" for running these ads...yeah, right.  Who the heck even pays attention to the name of some pseudo-anonymous Super PAC running ads like this?  People just watch the ad and absorb the message, without paying attention to who is funding it.

That said, you can't beat somebody with nobody, and Trump has plenty of $ to retaliate.  He can fund his own negative ads against Carson, or Kasich, or anyone else who might threaten his position in one of the early states.  So this is hardly some kind of sure-fire way to stop him in any particular state.

They'll also pillory each other even if Trump doesn't lift a finger. Not that he'd be able to resist.

[Chancellor Tanterterg]

Nothing will take The Donald down.

If Ben Carson's surge is to be believed, then I think gravity is already doing so.

The vast majority of Carson's support can be attributed to the Bradley effect.

[bobloblaw]

Nothing will take The Donald down.

If Ben Carson's surge is to be believed, then I think gravity is already doing so.

The vast majority of Carson's support can be attributed to the Bradley effect.

There is no longer any such thing

[Kingpoleon]

Couldn't you just picture it? I feel if the establishment goes after him too hard, this'll be the result:

"Ladies and gentleman, the establishment is very very corrupt. They're going after me because they're controlled by the donors, who are poor, and the lobbyists, who are even poorer, and those donors and lobbyists, who, did I say, are idiots, don't like what I have to say on illegal immigration and the terrible trade deals - because of their stupid and bankrupt negotiations - we're in. I don't care what they think - they lost and lost again and will lose without me - and so today I am officially announcing an independent run for President of the Unites States and we're going to make this country so great and so strong again, which this establishment, which is one of the worst, could never do. THANK YOU!"

They should just try to embrace Trump and make him part of the establishment. That's what'll kill his campaign.