That Donald Trump was supported by 24 percent of Republican voters in the Washington Post/ABC News poll on presidential candidates isn’t the most worrisome number for the GOP. Even scarier is the devastating role that Trump would play as an independent or third party candidate.

The Post poll found this in a three-candidate race in the general election:  Hillary Clinton 46 percent, Jeb Bush 30 percent, Trump 20 percent.  Trump took more votes from Bush than from Clinton. One on one, Clinton beat Bush 50-44 percent.