IMO, Trump is never going to win again, so Republicans do not want him to run. They want the feds to go after him and get him out of the way. The state is fine with that, as the other candidates all do what it wants, while Trump is a bull in china shop (still awful, and often doing the same things, but not as controllable as others).
The Dems, if they exist as a separate force that wants to win, will push for Trump to be the nominee so he can lose again. My pessimism comes in here. I don't believe the Dems want to win. They never make the kind of decisions that would separate them from the Reps and cause them to gain support. They, imo, want there to always be a change in power so there can be no hope or possibility of change.
So, even if the Dems should want Trump to win, they... do not. Maybe I'm wrong.
I agree that the national leadership is probably looking for an off-ramp on Trump, but the GOP caucus-goers and primary voters will still be a lock for Trump even if he's convicted and imprisoned. To vote against Trump in the primary is to mentally admit that the libs are right, which is unacceptable for the average GOP voter.
IMO, Trump is never going to win again, so Republicans do not want him to run. They want the feds to go after him and get him out of the way. The state is fine with that, as the other candidates all do what it wants, while Trump is a bull in china shop (still awful, and often doing the same things, but not as controllable as others).
The Dems, if they exist as a separate force that wants to win, will push for Trump to be the nominee so he can lose again. My pessimism comes in here. I don't believe the Dems want to win. They never make the kind of decisions that would separate them from the Reps and cause them to gain support. They, imo, want there to always be a change in power so there can be no hope or possibility of change.
So, even if the Dems should want Trump to win, they... do not. Maybe I'm wrong.
I agree that the national leadership is probably looking for an off-ramp on Trump, but the GOP caucus-goers and primary voters will still be a lock for Trump even if he's convicted and imprisoned. To vote against Trump in the primary is to mentally admit that the libs are right, which is unacceptable for the average GOP voter.
Oh yeah, the GOP elite are in a tough place. They probably want Trump to get shitcanned even before the primaries finish.