Republicans tell RNC Chairman Reince Priebus to de-fund Trump

[tinman64]

http://www.cbsnews.com/news/republicans-tell-rnc-chairman-reince-priebus-to-de-fund-trump/

More than 70 Republicans have signed an open letter urging Republican National Committee Chairman Reince Priebus into cutting off funding to Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump, and using it to finance Republican Senate and House races, according to a letter obtained by Politico.

"We believe that Donald Trump's divisiveness, recklessness, incompetence, and record-breaking unpopularity risk turning this election into a Democratic landslide, and only the immediate shift of all available RNC resources to vulnerable Senate and House races will prevent the GOP from drowning with a Trump-emblazoned anchor around its neck," a draft of the letter stated. "This should not be a difficult decision, as Donald Trump's chances of being elected president are evaporating by the day."

Some of the signatories include Rep. Chris Shays of Connecticut, Sen. Gordon Humphrey of New Hampshire, Rep. Tom Coleman of Missouri, and about 20 former RNC staffers.

[Pyro]

That would be a smart move, but the bad press would be a disaster.

[GeorgiaModerate]

The danger to the GOP with this strategy is that it would be likely to solidify the "party elites are the enemy" mindset of many Trump supporters.  I could easily see Trump -- who never takes an attack without punching back -- encouraging his supporters to not vote for GOP down-ballot candidates.  Many of them would follow suit, and the result would be a Democratic tsunami.

[Nyvin]

This would be a huge risk to take,  I doubt Priebus goes along with it.

[Speed of Sound]

The danger to the GOP with this strategy is that it would be likely to solidify the "party elites are the enemy" mindset of many Trump supporters.  I could easily see Trump -- who never takes an attack without punching back -- encouraging his supporters to not vote for GOP down-ballot candidates.  Many of them would follow suit, and the result would be a Democratic tsunami.

Yep, you've got it bang on. For most of Trump's supporters, loyalty is clearly higher to candidate than party. Trump would lash out and many competitive seats would fall out of play.

[Virginiá]

No doubt Trump will turn on the party and bash them daily if they dump him like this. It would be a very risky move for the RNC. On top of that, I don't see Trump raising money for them anymore (obviously), so whether or not the RNC can bring in the same amount of cash themselves is the question.

This is such an awful election cycle for Republicans.

[Hermit For Peace]

No doubt Trump will turn on the party and bash them daily if they dump him like this. It would be a very risky move for the RNC. On top of that, I don't see Trump raising money for them anymore (obviously), so whether or not the RNC can bring in the same amount of cash themselves is the question.

This is such an awful election cycle for Republicans.

Boohoo.

[Likely Voter]

In 1996 the GOP mostly gave up on Dole who lost badly, but they not only held their majority in the Senate, but picked up 2 seats. The RNC is in charge of the GOTV effort and controls much of the fundraising, notably the big dollar fundraising.  If Trump is still trailing like he is now after the first debate the RNC will qietly shift their focus down ballot.  Even now, I doubt Trump is the priority in the battleground states with incumbant senators with tough races

[ProudModerate2]

Wow.
Something tells me this extreme position would not be exercised by Priebus, just yet.
But if trump continues down the same disastrous road (mouth before brain), I can see this happening in about 3 or 4 weeks from now.

[Virginiá]

In 1996 the GOP mostly gave up on Dole who lost badly, but they not only held their majority in the Senate, but picked up 2 seats. The RNC is in charge of the GOTV effort and controls much of the fundraising, notably the big dollar fundraising.  If Trump is still trailing like he is now after the first debate the RNC will qietly shift their focus down ballot.  Even now, I doubt Trump is the priority in the battleground states with incumbant senators with tough races

This doesn't seem like a completely viable strategy. Things were different in the 90s, and now people don't split tickets nearly as much anymore. Trump sure as hell is no Bob Dole, either. He's tarnished the party brand significantly, and even if their brand recovers by 2018 or 2020, it's still in the dumpster right now. We will probably see more ticket splitting this cycle, but not enough to stave off big losses if Trump goes down in flames. Running away from the party standard-bearer didn't work in 2014 for Democrats and it's not going to work for Republicans now (imo, anyway). The GOP will have it even worse, as Trump is most likely going to trash the party on a daily basis if they turn their backs on him like this. It's what he does best.

[Ljube]

Abandoning Trump would not only cause the Pubs to lose another presidential election, but the Senate too.

[ProudModerate2]

Abandoning Trump would not only cause the Pubs to lose another presidential election, but the Senate too.

But Ljube, don't you think that it's almost certain that the "Pubs will lose this presidential election," regardless ?

[Dr. Arch]

Abandoning Trump would not only cause the Pubs to lose another presidential election, but the Senate too.

They've already lost the Senate if we're being honest here.

Yep:

WI
IL
NH
PA
IN

Dem +5

[Attorney General, LGC Speaker, and Former PPT Dwarven Dragon]

Abandoning Trump would not only cause the Pubs to lose another presidential election, but the Senate too.

They've already lost the Senate if we're being honest here.

Yep:

WI
IL
NH
PA
IN

Dem +5

PA and IL aren't gone yet.

IL was lost long ago and McGinty will win (relatively) comfortably in the end. I expect all but maybe 1 or 2 of the competitive races this cycle to go to Democrats. Heck is a more impressive candidate than Masto but he will definitely lose this year. Clinton, despite the nonsense the polls are showing now, will win Nevada by at least 8 points in November, and the Hispanic candidate backed by Reid's extremely powerful political machine will emerge victorious in the end in a year like this one.

How do we know that IL is gone when basically no one has polled the race?

[publicunofficial]

I'd wait for more IL polls to say with certainty that Kirk is doomed (Duckworth's most recent internal has her up 7, while Kirk's internal has him up 2). And I'm aware of the PA polls, but Katie McGinty is still a trash tier candidate and if there's anyone who can lose this race, it's gotta be her.

But yeah, if the Democrats win NV, IN, IL, NH and WI, it will be enough if Clinton wins the presidential race. Of course a Republican takeover of the Senate in 2018 would be guaranteed in that case.

"Whenever Democrats look favored in a race, just reply "Muh 2018"

[ag]

The danger to the GOP with this strategy is that it would be likely to solidify the "party elites are the enemy" mindset of many Trump supporters.  I could easily see Trump -- who never takes an attack without punching back -- encouraging his supporters to not vote for GOP down-ballot candidates.  Many of them would follow suit, and the result would be a Democratic tsunami.

They do not have to do anything very public there. Pro forma references to the presidential candidate could be kept here and there - just not very prominently. Also, spend where it makes sense for the Senate and House - even if it is useless from the presidential race standpoint, while pretty much ignoring the needs of the presidential campaign as such. I doubt Trump has enough of his own machinery or political knowledge in place to monitor where resources should be spent for him and how that would be done.  Priebus, probably, can do this in an inoffensive fashion, largely under the radar of the Trump campaign.

[ProudModerate2]

Abandoning Trump would not only cause the Pubs to lose another presidential election, but the Senate too.

They've already lost the Senate if we're being honest here.

Yep:

WI
IL
NH
PA
IN

Dem +5

PA and IL aren't gone yet.

IL was lost long ago and McGinty will win (relatively) comfortably in the end. I expect all but maybe 1 or 2 of the competitive races this cycle to go to Democrats. Heck is a more impressive candidate than Masto but he will definitely lose this year. Clinton, despite the nonsense the polls are showing now, will win Nevada by at least 8 points in November, and the Hispanic candidate backed by Reid's extremely powerful political machine will emerge victorious in the end in a year like this one.

How do we know that IL is gone when basically no one has polled the race?

Kirk might only end up losing by single digits but there's no way he actually pulls out a victory in a Presidential year.

At this point, I feel confident in saying that only WI and IL will likely flip from R to D.

[Wisconsin+17]

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Trump has lost.

[pppolitics]

No problem.

If Republicans divert funds down the ballot, the Democrats can do it too.

[Attorney General, LGC Speaker, and Former PPT Dwarven Dragon]

I'd wait for more IL polls to say with certainty that Kirk is doomed (Duckworth's most recent internal has her up 7, while Kirk's internal has him up 2). And I'm aware of the PA polls, but Katie McGinty is still a trash tier candidate and if there's anyone who can lose this race, it's gotta be her.

But yeah, if the Democrats win NV, IN, IL, NH and WI, it will be enough if Clinton wins the presidential race. Of course a Republican takeover of the Senate in 2018 would be guaranteed in that case.

I just don't see how Kirk would actually win this year. As for McGinty, she's a C list recruit at the very best but I think she's good enough of a candidate to win as long as Clinton wins PA by at least 5 points (which seems likely)

RE: KIRK: I'm sure a lot of people said the same about Kirkpatrick, Graham and Ashford in 2014. There are always a few races that don't fit the national trendline. A race that pollsters are leaving us in the dark about sounds like a perfect candidate. Doesn't mean it will happen, but we shouldn't be all SAFE D DUCKWORTH IS AMAZING either.

[Speed of Sound]

Via John Harwood:

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[Badger]

I'd wait for more IL polls to say with certainty that Kirk is doomed (Duckworth's most recent internal has her up 7, while Kirk's internal has him up 2). And I'm aware of the PA polls, but Katie McGinty is still a trash tier candidate and if there's anyone who can lose this race, it's gotta be her.

But yeah, if the Democrats win NV, IN, IL, NH and WI, it will be enough if Clinton wins the presidential race. Of course a Republican takeover of the Senate in 2018 would be guaranteed in that case.

I just don't see how Kirk would actually win this year. As for McGinty, she's a C list recruit at the very best but I think she's good enough of a candidate to win as long as Clinton wins PA by at least 5 points (which seems likely)

RE: KIRK: I'm sure a lot of people said the same about Kirkpatrick, Graham and Ashford in 2014. There are always a few races that don't fit the national trendline. A race that pollsters are leaving us in the dark about sounds like a perfect candidate. Doesn't mean it will happen, but we shouldn't be all SAFE D DUCKWORTH IS AMAZING either.

didn't the RSCC pull out of IL in June ?

[Brittain33]

Some of the signatories include Rep. Chris Shays of Connecticut, Sen. Gordon Humphrey of New Hampshire, Rep. Tom Coleman of Missouri, and about 20 former RNC staffers.

Impressive. Two of the three elected officials have been out of office for more than 20 years—admint it, has anyone here heard of Tom Coleman?—and the third was a gadfly when he actually was in Congress.

[ProudModerate2]

An Atlas member has a "Dump the Trump" signature line, with an image of feces (cant remember who).
That slogan would fit perfectly with this new Republican cause/plan.

[Speed of Sound]

After the "Trump has nothing on the ground in Hamilton County" article form yesterday, this just in from Matt Mackowiak:

Trump has ONE field office in Florida (Obama had 106, Romney 43, per Josh Darr).

He really needs the RNC.