I recently posted a diary suggesting that the Conservative powers-that-be were running Trump/Cruz only as a smokescreen, in order to install their preferred “boy” Paul Ryan through a brokered convention. My Kos commenters did not seem enthusiastic about my hypothesis — suggesting that Ryan also was too unimpressive and unpopular to be elected.
HOWEVER — consider this. Screw the election (as any true Neocon/ Neoliberal/ Libertarian would be only too happy to do) — there is another way to install Ayn Rand lovin’, average guy hatin’ Paul Ryan as Supreme Leader. First, work him into the position where he’s third in the line of presidential succession (i.e. Speaker of the House). Then, simply get rid of the elected President and Vice President, and voila!
It looks increasingly like The Donald is homing in on the Republican nomination. Meanwhile, Kochs and Crew are sitting on their hands. Are they worried or are they smirking? Should Hillary become the Dem candidate, and the Conservative billion-dollar war chest be sufficient to smear her into oblivion, we end up with Trump as Prez, plus whatever whack-job he wants as VP.
Then (and I have no solid evidence of this, but...) it would not surprise me in the least to learn that Trump has enough felonious skeletons in the closet to be convicted of something (or threatened into resigning). Probably the same for anyone he’d pick as VP. Then enter President Paul Ryan — and a national gated community for billionaires now become trillionaires, and a barbaric wasteland for everyone else. (Ever see the movie Zardoz?)
People like the Kochs don’t need more money and power — they already have more than could be spent in 100 lifetimes. I suspect this is all just a big Chess game to them. To win at Chess, you have to see your moves and your opponent’s moves several steps ahead (something Liberals are notoriously bad at, naively taking everything at face value.) But I offer the above as food for thought.