The New York Times' Ross Douthat writes a
column which describes more-or-less accurately how no mainstream Republican candidates have the credibility to convince the grass roots they will solve the problems Trump has identified, without his bombast, his craziness. He asks:
Which prominent Republican can say to anxious voters now, with the ring of authority, you can trust me not to just be an open-borders guy on immigration, and my anti-Islamic State strategy won’t just end up in the same ditch as our last ground war in the Middle East?
And he answers his own question:
On the issues where Trump is making hay right now, no such authority exists.
Right in one.
