When orange-faced-filter-lacker Donald Trump announced his campaign for presidency what seems like eons ago, we all thought it was a joke. What did this loud, touped, casino monger think he was doing in politics? He'd never last... or so we thought. But, unfortunately for women, Muslims, blacks, hispanics, minorities in general, and basically anyone with a modicum of respect for the American political system, Trump is still going strong--and getting stronger. This underdog--if the word underdog can be used to describe a white anglo millionaire--has led the polls non-stop for months and has won primaries in New Hampshire and now South Carolina. As the nation watches Trump seemingly run away with the Republican nomination, one question (raised by David Graham in The Atlantic) remains: is this angry human Dorito without a volume setting unstoppable? As much as I and many others would hate to believe it, the answer for now is unfortunately yes.
The Republican nomination will go to Trump not because of his careful oration and pandering skills (seemingly winning traits in any other candidate) but because of the opposite: he says whatever he wants. Trump is a filter-less, anti-PC gladiator in the primetime-network-news-channel-Republican-debate Thunderdome. Frightened turtle in disguise Jeb Bush and chew toy Marco Rubio have become Trump's ragdolls: they act as the pussyfooting establishment foils to Trump's blunt, dark horse honesty. Trump has said many things that would in any other presidential race before this would have torpedoed a campaign. From commenting on pundit Megyn Kelly's "bleeding" to feuding with the pope, Trump has run the gamut of offenses. However, each blunder is less of a blunder and instead acts as a surge for Trump. That is his strength, and that is why he is unstoppable. Like a cancer, checkpoints and defenses that should have stopped Trump long ago have failed and instead his support multiplies and metastasizes across the country with staggering unpredictability. People like that Trump says what he wants, that he doesn't pander to outside interests. He represents a refreshing (?) change from the robotic establishment Republican nominees of the past like Mitt Romney, Newt Gingerich and John McCain. Trump's anti-establishment rhetoric is somewhat revolutionary, and thus unstoppable...
...For now. While Trump has bested his Republican foes, assuming he wins the nomination he will still have to face a democratic nominee next November. And while his gung-ho, tell-it-like-it-is strategy may appeal to the majority Republican demographic, he still has to win a majority of Americans--Democrats included. So while the runaway Trump train may be rolling its way to the RNC now, it has a long way to go before it reaches the White House.
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