Trump may actually be useful in the Republican presidential primary, if the other candidates are smart enough to see Trump as a stalking horse of sorts for the direction that Republicans need to move toward.
I've been pretty adamant about my dislike, distaste and downright disgust for Donald Trump and his campaign to capture the Republican presidential nomination. I won't go over all my reasoning for dumping the Trump, which I've stated in previous posts. Instead, I'll flip conventional Republican Party thinking and look to the advantages of a Trump campaign.
First and possibly foremost, is the fact that Trump is making life difficult for both Republicans and Democrats. In balance, I think that may be a good thing. Gosh knows, the Republican establishment needs a good thrashing for ignoring the conservative elements of the party. That said, nothing focuses a politician's mind and thinking more than taking serious flack from someone who is in the public mindset as someone willing to take on the political establishments of both political parties.
Trump, as crude and as obnoxious as he is, does raise issues or at least contributes to the dialog on issues that are important to many Americans, not just conservatives. I'm thinking this is a good thing, especially for Republicans. If nothing else it will thicken the skins of Republicans as they face serious confrontations from Democrats going forward and understand what will be thrown at them and what voters want them to address.
In other words, Trump is preparing Republicans for what they can expect to be attacked on from Democrats when the primary season actually begins in January 2016. Currently, Trump is like a batting practice pitcher in spring training for Republicans. Trump is giving Republicans all kinds of pitches from fast balls to curve balls to sliders in the dirt. If the heavy hitters in the Republican primary process can handle all that is thrown at them by Trump, they should be prepared to handle what ever the weak line up of Democrat presidential hopefuls can throw their way.
Republicans don't need to whine about Trump, but rather they should pick up on the topics and issues that seem to be attracting attention and resonating with voters who are picking up on what Trump is saying, even if Trump is less than artful in expressing himself. Trump should be considered a barometer of what aggravates, angers and frustrates American voters, especially on the political right. Trump has no greater insights on how to solve these myriad problems, but he is willing to highlight them and that's a good thing for Republicans.
My position on Trump now is to embrace much of what he has to say and understand that which really resonates with voters and then refine and incorporate those issues within traditional conservative principles. The Republican candidate that can do that the most effectively increases his or her odds of winning the hearts and minds of primary voters and their votes.
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