Is Donald Trump Pushing The GOP Into Political Bankruptcy As Well?

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Featured image by Gage Skidmore, available under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 2.0 Generic license.

Donald Trump has forced the Republican Party into moral bankruptcy. That was clear beyond any doubt after the so-called leaders in the GOP more or less twiddled their thumbs at Trump’s outrages. Well, the bill may be about to come due for that folly. Raw Story’s Tom Boggoni suspects that thanks to Trump, the GOP may be teetering on the brink of political bankruptcy–at least for the 2016 campaign.

We knew that the Republican National Committee was getting boatraced in fundraising. But a look at the RNC’s fundraising numbers for July reveals just how badly it’s getting boatraced. While the RNC took in $27.2 million in July, that’s not as impressive as it looks. Out of that total, $9.7 million was directed into three special accounts specifically earmarked for supporting the Republican National Convention, physical infrastructure, and legal expenses for recounts and other election issues. Another $3.2 million came in the form of a refund from a Trump super PAC.

That means the RNC only took in $14.6 million in new, unrestricted money for July. That’s even a fraction of what it took in at the same time period in the previous three presidential cycles; in 2004, 2008, and 2012, the RNC raised well over $25 million in unrestricted funds during July. That leaves the RNC with only $34.3 million in the bank–a pittance compared to the $75-88 million it had on hand at this point in the last three cycles.

Why does this matter? Well, Trump’s fundraising has been yuuuugely anemic, leaving him heavily dependent on the RNC to fund his campaign–including his ground game. However, that $34.3 million also has to be spent on helping downballot candidates as well. And Trump has asked the RNC to use a good chunk of that money to open field offices in every state–including places that would only vote for him if Hillary Clinton has been McGoverned or Mondaled.

Think about it, folks. All indications are that the Democrats are on their way to taking back the Senate. While the Democrats face a pretty daunting path to retaking the House as well, it can no longer be completely ruled out. Every penny that goes into opening a Trump field office in navy-blue states like New York, California, Illinois, Massachusetts, or Rhode Island is a penny that can’t help a House or Senate candidate in danger of being capsized in a Democratic tsunami.

Moreover, with Trump turning in polling numbers as anemic as his fundraising, a number of major GOP donors have kept their wallets tightly closed. If they’re donating, it’s directly to local candidates, and not to the RNC. That may explain why Trump has only recently been able to make major ad buys in swing states even with the RNC keeping him above water.

It may also explain why the RNC was reportedly making noises about leaving Trump to his fate if he didn’t get his act together. Perhaps the RNC knows Trump is on an irreversible slide toward political bankruptcy, and doesn’t want to go down with him.

Darrell is a 30-something graduate of the University of North Carolina who considers himself a journalist of the old school. An attempt to turn him into a member of the religious right in college only succeeded in turning him into the religious right's worst nightmare--a charismatic Christian who is an unapologetic liberal. His desire to stand up for those who have been scared into silence only increased when he survived an abusive three-year marriage. You may know him on Daily Kos as Christian Dem in NC. Follow him on Twitter @DarrellLucus or connect with him on Facebook. Click here to buy Darrell a Mello Yello.