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NYT: R insiders little urgency to attack Trump as he prevents "even worse" Cruz from rising
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But beyond sheer intimidation, some members of Congress worry that if the party’s establishment went after Mr. Trump, it would only fuel his anti-Washington appeal.
“I think it would play into his hands and only validate him,” said Senator Lamar Alexander, Republican of Tennessee. “A ‘Stop Trump’ effort wouldn’t work, and it might help him.”
And some Republicans repelled by Mr. Trump feel little urgency to attack him because, they say, he is preventing what they see as an even less desirable standard-bearer — Senator Ted Cruz of Texas — from consolidating the votes of hard-line conservatives.
“He’s keeping Cruz where he is,” Scott Reed, a veteran Republican strategist, said of Mr. Trump.
In the House, where the Republican majority is safer, there is less worry about Mr. Trump. While the most competitive Senate races are in swing states, many House districts tilt toward the right, and the populist fervor that is lifting Mr. Trump may also aid Republican candidates for those seats.
But there are also some Republicans who, while uneasy about Mr. Trump, believe that he could attract new voters to the party. “He may bring out people who don’t usually vote, which could be helpful to some of my colleagues,” said Senator Susan Collins, Republican of Maine.
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http://www.nytimes.com/2015/12/02/u...-in-a-standoff.html?smid=tw-nytimes&smtyp=cur
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But beyond sheer intimidation, some members of Congress worry that if the party’s establishment went after Mr. Trump, it would only fuel his anti-Washington appeal.
“I think it would play into his hands and only validate him,” said Senator Lamar Alexander, Republican of Tennessee. “A ‘Stop Trump’ effort wouldn’t work, and it might help him.”
And some Republicans repelled by Mr. Trump feel little urgency to attack him because, they say, he is preventing what they see as an even less desirable standard-bearer — Senator Ted Cruz of Texas — from consolidating the votes of hard-line conservatives.
“He’s keeping Cruz where he is,” Scott Reed, a veteran Republican strategist, said of Mr. Trump.
In the House, where the Republican majority is safer, there is less worry about Mr. Trump. While the most competitive Senate races are in swing states, many House districts tilt toward the right, and the populist fervor that is lifting Mr. Trump may also aid Republican candidates for those seats.
But there are also some Republicans who, while uneasy about Mr. Trump, believe that he could attract new voters to the party. “He may bring out people who don’t usually vote, which could be helpful to some of my colleagues,” said Senator Susan Collins, Republican of Maine.
...
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/12/02/u...-in-a-standoff.html?smid=tw-nytimes&smtyp=cur
