Why do so many people hate Republicans?
1) People like safety and security for themselves at the expense of others. E.g. Labor Unions make it hard for unproductive workers getting fired, hence deny opportunities to more deserving, younger workers. Left wingers hate smart/talented H1B workers because they compete with them, but love illegal immigrants who they "use" to "clean their toilets" (The View show) and maintain their backyards2) People like to work less and vacation more. They want to work 9-5 and still be able to afford large houses with backyards and SUVsThe above two are the MAIN reasons why left wingers hate republicans3) People have short term memory. Much of the prosperity of America is due to the hard work and productivity of workers and entrepreneurs. The reason why other countries (e.g. China) accumulate US dollars is because they believe in the superiority of US productivity and ability to remain a world leader4) People are ungrateful. The prosperity that America enjoys today is due to the strength of US dollars. Unless goods were made abroad at lower prices, most people in America would not have been able to afford what they can afford today5) People like to think Republicans are anti-science. While most liberals I know are liberal arts majors who have no idea about the implications and applications of science6) Republicans do not deny science. They just understand the importance of "opportunity cost". There are more important things in the world to worry about right now than climate change7) Left wingers lack reason. The oppose, just for the sake of opposing. They are deniers of the real problems - illegal immigration, Islamic terrorism and supporters of petty causesFinally, I do not oppose the idea of Obamacare since it disassociates health insurance with jobs. However, it should be operated in an inefficient manner
Why Donald Trump is winning the Republican nomination now?
It's a combination of two factors: 1) Everybody underestimated him 2) His enormous appeal to the Republican BASE (not the Tea Party crazies)1. UnderestimationWhen he first came into the race people just thought of him as a circus show. They thought he was just a buffoon out to get more ratings for his TV show (which was the initial plan actually: How Trump did it). They didn't take him seriously as a candidate. The GOP establishment and others thought they'd see this act before with candidates like Michelle Bachmann and this sudden Trump fever at the start of the election would run it's course. They were wrong, and they are going to pay for it because Donald Trump has so much momentum right now that I doubt Rubio, Cruz, or Kasich are going to catch up. According to the Rolling Stone, every Republican who has won the New Hamphire and South Carolina primaries has gone on the win the nomination. If the GOP had the wisdom to rally behind a single candidate early, they may have been able to beat Trump. They let months go by where Trump was the only candidate getting major media attention, and with most Republicans (well most Americans really) being low-information voters, what they hell did they think would happen?2. Appeal Donald Trump is winning because he has his finger squarely on the pulse of what the MODERATE Republican base wants. See a lot of people, particularly my more naive liberal friends, think Trump is appealing to the super-conservative religious nuts in the Republican party. They are dead wrong. For America's religious extremists, Ted Cruz is the candidate of choice. Trump's base are actually the moderate, working class Republicans. They're the type of guys (and gals) who would typically vote for Jeb Bush. They think Trump is their politically incorrect messiah, here to free them from the endless torrent of cookie-cutter politicians they've had to deal with since Reagan. His tasteless remarks, his boorish attitude, his ridiculous "build a wall and make Mexico pay for it" promises, everything liberals like me hate about him, THEY LOVE IT. It's a real Bandwagon effect, once you get on the Trump train, there is no getting off.
Would the Republicans have been more effective at governing if someone other than Trump was President?
The short answer is no. Since the Taft admistration (1908-1912), Republicans have fought for power but they've demonstrated no interest in governing. This is the party that doesn't believe in government afterall, so why should they be any good at it. No matter because they aren't. Republicans have a history of laissez-faire: they defully unfund government programs and deregulate, then pretends the private sector can do things better. When the house crumbles Democrats are elected to rebuild it until the public once again elects Republicans who repeat their past mistakes and the cycle starts over. During the Eisenhower admistration we finally had a GOP president who recognized the need for the status quo, and while he did little for 8 years but let the military run wild, the country didn't backpeddle. We saw the development of the largest middle class with the least economic disparity between rich and poor in history. Republicans however hated New Deal programs even if they were successful. They plotted 18 years for their demise and with Reagan's election they got their fondest wish. 35 years later, economically the middle class is roughly where it was in 1945. Trump's had no effect on Republican ability to govern simply because the party doesn't believe in it. Republicans oppose Democratic party policy and in doing so they serve as a foil for elements that wish to grossly overgovern. They are a viable opposition party, nothing more. Until they stand for something beyond opposition to Democratic party policies, they have no business trying to govern.