Donald Trump is positioning himself further and frrther ahead in the Republican primary race, much to the horror of Establishment Republicans. Although the trajectory of the remainder of the primary bid looks to favor a Trump nomination, one can't say they are all that surprised. It was only a matter of time before someone as extreme and unqualified as Trump became a contender, and the Republican party let it happen for many reasons.

One of the biggest factors contributing to a possible Trump nomination is an obvious one: there are no strong Republican candidates. Ted Cruz is what many would call "a nightmare" and is arguably an even worse choice than Trump in some capacities due to the fact that he actually is a politician. Then there is Marco Rubio. Rubio, in a way, embodies the modern day Republican Establishment because of his proposed tax cut plan, which would tax the rich more than either of Trump or Cruz's plans. John Kasich is the most qualified out of the remaining group, but at this point, there is pretty much no way he will secure the nomination even if he prevails in his home state of Ohio.

Going back to Rubio, yes, he emulates the Republican agenda and yes, he isn't Cruz or Trump. But that doesn't mean he is a strong candidate. Twelve years ago, it is likely Rubio wouldn't have made it this far into the race and even four years ago, had he ran he wouldn't have made it far either (and the same goes for all of the remaining Republican presidential candidates). For a long time, the Republican party has weakened its own appeal by displaying a perpetual paranoia of American politics. Throughout the entirety of Obama's presidency, Republicans have made it their absolute mission to dispel any legislation the President wished to pass. The frequent resistance on the Republican side encompasses a universal need to preserve the ideologies of establishment politics, which has only weakened and fragmented the party more and more under the last two Democratic presidents.

For example, at one of the many recent Republican debates on Feb. 6, Rubio essentially revealed that the party views the current President as a traitor, thanks to a noticeable speaking blunder. It is ironic, because the Republicans have contributed to their own undoing because of their obsession with tax cuts for the wealthy and overall just plainly backing out-of-touch policies. It was inevitable that voters would grow sick of their own party, and it was also inevitable Trump would gain significant appeal.

Since the Reagan administration, the party has tried to hold onto what was arguably one of the peaks of Republican politics. Since then, their ideologies have stuck. However, there hasn't been any desire to break free of that dimensional mold. Looking at the past, you have the George Wallaces and Barry Goldwaters of the Republican side that convey an extreme point of view and appeal to a very right-wing demographic. Trump is definitely not the same as Barry Goldwater, but the point is that time and time again, the Republican party has displayed the same weakness. A constant lack of partisanship and paranoia on the Republican side is the reason why Trump is winning.