is half of the 2nd Amendment.

The few republicans I know hate him.

it dawns on me that a lot of people no longer identify as "republican", especially to pollsters. I'm sure the party has lost a lot voters because of Trump.

Journalists and pundits keep referring to the Democrats and Republicans, as the parties have not changed since 2012 or 2008. To reference a certain percentage of either party or Independents right now is quite different than in previous years. Perhaps they should say of those polled, who still have the temerity to admit they are republicans, 89% support blah, blah, blah.

Perhaps such polls should start out with how many of any pool are Democrats, Republicans, or Independents. Then go on to the next question. That 89% could very well only be 25% to 30% of likely voters, a more revealing statistic.

Most of the rather outspoken republicans that I've dealt with over the past ten to twenty years have really stopped talking politics since Trump was elected. They have enough self-awareness to be embarrassed.

1. 89% of Rs really like Rump and want him over anyone else.

2. 89% of Rs have decided to support the president out of respect for the office.

They are purely partisan ideologs who would vote for a stuffed animal with an "R" after its name.

3. Someone made up some totally bullshit poll numbers.

89% of white people who pay fuck all attention to politics and think all the Democratic party represents is minorities and gays, support this moron because, he demonizes minorities and gays.

Thus, that means, while the percentage (%) of R's approving Trump may continue to be high (or even higher), that reflects a decrease in overall likely Trump voter numbers. Many of the "Never Trumpers" or the disillusioned (functioning brainwave) R's are now self-identified independents.

So those R's left reflect the absolute Trump-sycophants.

The number of self identified republicans is declining and those who’ve defected are not Trump supporters. What’s left are the more hard core republicans and deplorables

Of voters identify as Republicans.

as the helicopter took him away, isn't it?

Studies show that the vast majority of so-called independents are extremely partisan. They just like calling themselves independent.

nt

For all tense and purposes, Fox News is running the Republican Party. We now have our first Fox News watcher president. The Republican base has been conditioned to abandon any critical thinking in favor of xenophobia and racism.

More and more, they're calling themselves independents

in the last three years.

It may be larger than we think which would account for the remaining GO-MAGA-P that make up the 89%.

The first is that party affiliation in these polls is self-reported, and is therefore fluid. One needs to also look at what fraction of registered voters identify as Republican and see if that number has changed over time. A certain portion of voters, when they drop their support for the party leader (i.e. POTUS) also drop the party label as a mode of self-identification. As disapproving people drop out of the denominator, the approval rate stays high. A non-Trump GOPer in the race who attracts the attention and approval of these party-affiliation-fluid people might bring some of those people back into the GOP bucket in a different poll, and change Trump's support number significantly.

The second is that answering polls is, for many people, an exercise in tribalism and virtue signaling. They don't actually stop and think about whether or not they approve of Trump when asked the question. They give what they think the "right" answer is. They think that a good/loyal Republican would say they support the Republican POTUS, so they answer that they support Trump, because they see themselves as a good/loyal Republican. They aren't really answering the question being asked. They are answering a different question. And only later do they post hoc rationalize their position -- which is why so many Trump supporters are so incoherent when you actually sit down with one and try to talk them through particular polices/issues/political races.

22% of the US population. Tweety is in the twilight zone once again.

Trump will command all the attention during the primary season, drawing it away from our candidates. When he debates a primary opponent that debate will be front and center. When he rings up a huge primary victory over someone he just debated it will reinforce the notion of Trump as a winner, with comparisons to his plurality win in the same primary 4 years earlier to now a landslide majority.

It probably works in our favor if he is unopposed, even if he'll be able to load up the war chest under that circumstance.

Ousting an incumbent is difficult on so many levels. I never ignore that. Any analysis of 2020 that doesn't include the word incumbent is massacring the big picture.

It could weaken him but it could strengthen him instead.

willing to call themselves Republicans shrinks everyday...and is largely confined to the die-hard true-believing dead-enders.

97% of disco fans strongly approve!

There can't be too many people left who are publicly willing to admit that they are Republicans.

and intellectually dishonest.

Guns and hate, guns and hate, more guns and hate.

Explains a lot.

Fascism, hate, and cruelty are fashionable once again.

USA, USA, USA !

They've become the white nationalist party. All the sane people have abandoned that ship already.

It doesn't really matter who it is, if he's a Republican, they support him.

They truly have blind loyalty to the party, no matter who the nominee is.

Totally crazy.

.89X.25=22.5. Of course you can't win a general with only Party votes. that is why I think something like a health crises will be arranged along about early 2020. All the state polls sre showing about the same. It should lead to a massive flop for down ballot Republicans if we don't fall asleep at the switch and not keep attacking.