‘This sh*t's not funny': Strategist explains that Trump is causing an 'extinction event' for the GOP

We're in the middle of August, but Republican panic over their presidential nominee is already setting in.

Politico reports that more than 70 prominent Republicans -- including several former GOP senators and congressmen -- have written a letter begging RNC chairman Reince Priebus to pull the plug on Trump's campaign and instead spend all their resources protecting down-ballot Republican senators and representatives.

"We believe that Donald Trump’s divisiveness, recklessness, incompetence, and record-breaking unpopularity risk turning this election into a Democratic landslide," reads the letter, which was signed by big names such as former Sen. Gordon Humphrey and former Rep. Chris Shays. "Only the immediate shift of all available RNC resources to vulnerable Senate and House races will prevent the GOP from drowning with a Trump-emblazoned anchor around its neck."

As if that weren't enough, Republican strategist Matt Mackowiak on Thursday posted an epic tweetstorm describing the abject panic that has set in among Republicans, who now fear that they'll suffer massive down-ballot losses if Trump stays on his current course.

"OK, this shit's not funny anymore," he began. "Trump is threatening elected GOPers at all levels in places that haven't been competitive in decades... We are looking at an extinction-level event."

Among other things, Mackowiak ripped Trump for continuing to campaign in Connecticut when any hope of winning that state is long gone. He also said that Trump needs to dial back his rallies and TV interviews, and spend an average of 20 hours a week doing preparation for the fall debates.

Does that sound like something Trump would really agree to? Probably not, but Mackowiak insisted that Trump had to do it anyway.

"You can't overstate panic inside GOP currently," he said.

Check out the whole panicky tweetstorm below.