US Wins Everything

Trump's stance is whatever will get him the most votes. Same with Hillary.

I believe that at the start of the primaries, the GOP establishment made a concerted effort to move away from the racist/sexist rhetoric in an effort to improve their image for the general. I believe that was the GOP takeaway from the 2012 general elections.

It must have been a concerted effort from the GOP establishment, because any candidate who had spouted Trump's rhetoric would have seen a rise in the polls. That's what the GOP primary voter base wants to hear, and that's what gets them behind a candidate. But it's also what fucks them over in the general.

I think Trump's ultimate goal has always been to get media attention and coverage. That's his business and his livelihood, getting media exposure. So he saw an opportunity to sweep the GOP primaries and to get everyone in the country to talk about him.

The takeaway is that Trump has already won, it doesn't matter that he's almost certainly going to lose the general, it doesn't matter that he's unlikely to be able to change his image before November enough to get some votes from minorities and women. He's already gotten what he wants. I'm sure he certainly will try to will attempt to make his numbers go up, but I don't think he'll be able recover from where he is now.

That's why the GOP establishment hates him so fervently. I think a certain influential block of the Democrat establishment backed Hillary over Sanders, but I don't believe the DNC establishment despised Sanders in the same way the GOP despises Trump. Because ultimately, if Bernie had won, the Dems wouldn't be any worse off in the general, but the way Trump swept the primaries will ultimately cost GOP the election.

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