With a popular reality TV series and a high public profile, he's certainly well known. In a March Gallup poll, 90% of respondents knew enough about the real estate mogul to have an opinion on him. Trump has further elevated that profile in recent weeks, appearing more frequently on talk and cable news shows than any other potential candidate.



Trump has also repeatedly flogged the misleading and discredited claims about Obama's citizenship, even going so far as to say he'd dispatched an investigative team to Hawaii. And with a big television platform to present those claims, Trump has quickly gained praise from the party's birther wing.

• He supported Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) in his reelection bid against Tea Party favorite Sharron Angle, donating $4800 in 2010, giving him over $10,400.



• He has supported Democrat incumbents in his neck of the woods: Congressman Charlie Rangel (D-NY) who received $10,000 in 2006, Senator Frank Lautenberg (D-NJ) who received $12,000 total, Senator Chuck Schumer (D-NY) who received $8,900, and Senator Kirsten Gillibrand (R-NY) who received $5,850.



• $7,000 to former Senator Ted Kennedy (D-MA)



• $5,500 to Senator John Kerry (D-MA) including $2,000 during his 2004 presidential run



• $4,000 to former Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle (D-SD)



• $1,000 to Vice President (then Senator) Joe Biden (D-DE)



• $116,000 to the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee



• $10,000 to the Democratic Party of New York



Yes I understand he’s given to Republicans and conservative organizations as well such as disgraced former Congressman Mark Foley (R-FL), Senator John McCain (R-AZ) received a donation during his presidential run, former President George W. Bush, Former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich, Republican Governors Association, and National Republican Senatorial Committee.



At best this “bipartisan” giving that seems to lean toward liberals and moderates make him look like somebody who puts his business’ bottom line over principles. It certainly doesn’t show somebody who shares tea party values.



Do the Republicans and tea partiers infatuated with him right now really want somebody like this residing in the White House? Likely Iowa Republican Caucus goers and tea partiers who are infatuated with this man, please wake up. He is not one of you.

Over the years we've pointed out a number of cases where Republicans have actually chosen their own "opponents," shills whose primary victories were financed by forces eager to make sure the Republican incumbent had no challenger. Earlier today we ran a guest post for Michigan Democrat Lance Enderle, who first challenged corrupt Republican Congressman Mike Rogers when Rogers' handpicked shill, some guy from Pennsylvania named Kande Ngalamulume, was exposed and fled the state (and subsequently withdrew). Last year the Senate's most extremist incumbent at the time, Jim DeMint, picked up 63% of the vote, not because South Carolina is so overwhelmingly red but because he managed to manipulate a deranged felon, Alvin Greene, into the Democratic nomination. (McCain only drew 54% against Obama 2 years earlier.) In 2006helped expose Jerry Lewis (R-CA) putting up his own pet "Democrat," Louie Contreras. With the cooperation of the Wall Street-backed DCCC, Paul Ryan (R-WI) was able to ride to reelection in 2000, 2002, 2004 and 2006 by placing an old friend, Jeffrey Thomas, in as the Democrat. In a Democratic-leaning district Thomas averaged roughly a third of the vote. He spent $11,374 in 2000 (against Ryan's $1,055,707). Thomas refused to do any fundraising Ryan developed an undeserved reputation as being both popular and unassailable. In Thomas' last race against Ryan in 2006, he spent a grand total of $1,687 (compared to Ryan's $1,316,881). Anyway, you get the point. When Republicans can get away with this, it becomes standard operating procedure.I have no proof that this is strategy is what the devious minds of Rahm Emanuel and Jim Messina have hatched in regard to a Trump candidacy. No one really even expects Trump to be the nominee, although he's leading the weak field right now. But he is certainly playing havoc with their nutty primary.Jon Terbush dismissed the Trump dominance of the GOP primaries as a way for Republican voters to just register None Of The Above . "Trump's high support may not be so much a sign of his strength, but of a sign of the overall field's weakness," he points out. And most of the motley crew of Republican candidates... well no one-- not even Republicans-- have ever heard of them. Who's supposed to have an opinion of political hacks like Tim Pawlenty, Michele Bachmann, Jon Huntsman, Mitch Daniels, Rick Santorum, Newt Gingrich or Haley Barbour? More Republicans would probably support Halle Berry. And that's the same kind of support Trump is garnering in poll after poll of GOP voters.Now Trump is giving GOP insiders furtherby threatening to run as an independent if they try to deny him the nomination. That would work great for Obama. “I think the Republicans are very concerned that I [may] run as an Independent,” Trump told theTuesday. “I am very conservative. The concern is if I don’t win [the GOP primary] will I run as an Independent, and I think the answer is probably yes.” Could his clown routine do for Obama what Perot's did for Bill Clinton?Republican power players and propagandists are starting to push back. His public campaign contributions were a good place to start:As Krugman wrote on his blog yesterday, "The sheer absurdity of his candidacy doesn’t seem to matter. The modern Republican base is deeply unserious, and that’s a fundamental fact of American politics."

Labels: 2012 GOP nomination, Paul Ryan, Trump