Quote:
Originally Posted by Street Pharmacist
An interesting possibility:
What kind of bump would a new candidate get? Let's say somehow they get Trump to drop out. There's no way this was planned as too much was unpredictable, but it's not unlike a rapid rebuild of a hockey team. There's likable candidates on the Republican side, but the primaries bring out the worst. This could be a rapid rebranding and a new one might have a better chance than Hillary
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Possible that there's some bump, but at the same time there's a lot of independent Trump support that might just stay home if given a choice of Clinton and a generic republican. Where to do they go? Do they get someone who shares Trump's Muslim ban, build a wall sort of rhetoric, but without the crazy media appeal of Trump? Or do they get a more traditional right-wing, small government, christian values, corporation-friendly candidate (who Trump supporters would probably hate). Pick an establishment guy (like Ryan), and Trump supporters probably latch on to the conspiracy theory that Trump was forced out so that candidate X could run. Pick another outsider, and you probably still lose some of that Trump support, plus give yourself little chance of winning back those moderates. Plus, whoever it is, Trump is going to spend the rest of the election tweeting snide, passive-aggressive things at that person.
I just don't see the upside in that for the Republicans. I think their best play is to just let in play out, and then if he fails to make any headway by the debates, other Republicans will start rejecting him more publicly and vocally, so that long term they've disassociated themselves with him.