TRUMP 2016

[GGT]

Yes, those are the same people who voted for Perot. Only 68% of Republicans have a positive view of the Republican Party. Incidentally, about a fifth of Trump's support comes from Democrats. He gets the angry white male crowd, particularly those who think they've been hurt by trade and those who are racist. They have no one else to support from the GOP field. The grassroots favorites are Rubio and Walker (by a large margin). Cruz is the Tea Party darling. Bush is supported by the establishment. The libertarians support Paul (note how Paul lost most of his anti-establishment support to Trump, retaining only the libertarian hardcore). The evangelicals like Cruz, Huckabee, and to a lesser extent, Walker. Silicon Valley probably supports Fiorina. So who does that leave for Trump?

The problem, according to you, is that we're a democracy. If a substantial portion of Americans support Trump, it's downright stupid to not give him a seat at the debate.

No, the "problem" is that our representative democracy has been infected by monied interests (special interest groups, paid lobbyists, powerful industries) to the point that our two-party political process dominates, but isn't working.

I'm not affiliated, or registered, with any political party. That means I can't vote in any closed state primary that makes political party membership paramount. It's crazy to think my vote doesn't matter unless I declare myself a (R) or (D) first.