An ISU political scientist says top Republican leaders will play the hand they are dealt with Donald Trump, in spite of a series of self inflicted wounds by the GOP Presidential candidate this week.
Politics and Government professor Tom McClure was joined by Erik Rankin, also an ISU political scientist. During Sound Ideas on Thursday, McClure told GLT's Willis Kern GOP leaders, such as House Majority Leader Paul Ryan or Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, will not take back their endorsements of Trump...
"Even though trump indicated he that is going hold off endorsing Ryan, it appears that he just doing the same thing that Ryan did to him early on," said McClure. "I don't think there's really any place Ryan and McConnell can go right now."
Some GOP politicians, including Illinois 16th District Congressman Adam Kinzinger, are walking away from Trump. Others are distancing themselves from certain Trump statements. President Obama has raised the question how others can maintain their endorsement when they keep having to disavow statements from their candidate.
Rankin, reacting to the President's statement that Donald Trump is unfit for office said he thinks President Obama appears to feel sorry for the Republican Party.
"Right now the Republicans are kind of in the middle of a Dumpster fire. On one hand you have this candidate that is completely unchecked. But Obama knows that the vitality of our country is rooted in a solid two-party system.
Rankin says the country needs a consistent reasonable conservative voice as part of the discourse. Both Rankin and McClure were on Sound Ideas last month as they attended the Democratic and Republican conventions, respectively.
