Donald Trump's bigotry, racism and misogyny have worried Republicans about the long-term viability of their Party if they are indelibly stained by his legacy. Any minority or woman who votes for Trump must have a masochistic element in their psyches.
But, now, Trump has done something far more destructive. By stating that he would raise taxes on the wealthy, indeed that they "should" be paying higher taxes, Trump has eliminated the only reason the Republican party even exists.
The entire right-wing infrastructure, that literally feeds off of largesse from wealthy individuals and corporations to protect their loopholes and low tax rates, no longer has a basis to feed at that trough. Moreover, as these individuals made more money off their low rates and loopholes than they spent creating and preserving them, it was a good financial investment for them.
No longer.
True enough, another focus may be to cut spending. But, Bush created new spending on Part D of Medicare and spent off-budget billions on the Iraq War, exploding that myth,and caused the the most disastrous financial and economic collapse since the Great Depression.
Trump has taken Social Security and Medicare off the table, and wants to increase defense and infrastructure. Where, then, can a budgeteer go to find savings large enough to make a fuss about?
Food stamps? Trump also favors raising the minimum wage. If raised high enough, the food stamp program will shrink on its own without any Congressional action.
After Indiana, establishment Republicans (McConnell-R,KY; Cheney-R,VA; Dole-R,KS; Perry-R,TX) began lining up behind Trump. Racism, bigotry, misogyny be damned, these power brokers wanted power.
Wisely, Speaker Paul Ryan (R-WI) held his cards. Can he credibly back the tax-increasing, government-spending increasing, entitlements'-protecting, Donald Trump?
And, what about the Republican National Committee? Now that Trump has snookered the entire party on its signature principle -- taxes -- should the party keep to the same rules that allows Trump a first ballot victory, or take Trump's egregious flip-flop as a cardinal sin, and rewrite those rules?
Several days ago, Trump heaped praise on himself for being, "the king of debt", indicating that he loves "playing with it". Although one might have thought that the Congress that drove the country to the brink of default over the debt and cannot agree on a budget because of divisions over this matter, might have raised at least a little whimper, there was nary a peep.
Now, however, Trump has excised the DNA from the Republican party, and replaced it with Obama's.
If Speaker Ryan kowtows Trump after this attack on the heart of right-wing Republicanism, the President should call for immediate action by Congress, and challenge Trump to help get it done.