The stupid party
The nickname for the Republican Party for the past few decades has been that of the “stupid” party. Why it has this reputation can be explained in numerous ways, from how its leadership in Congress routinely gets hosed in negotiations with Democrats, from how its Presidents since Reagan have routinely allowed liberals from the Democratic Party to dictate policy, from how the party since 2000 has routinely picked losers as its Presidential picks, and from how it has squandered every election victory it has earned since the day Ronald Reagan retired in 1988.
I think two stories today demonstrate that the stupidity is not limited just to the party’s leadership. In the first, we find that in every poll taken comparing a head-to-head election with Hillary Clinton, Ted Cruz does better than Donald Trump.
Polling has consistently shown Cruz to have an advantage over Trump in this regard: Fox News found that Cruz would fare 4 points better than Trump, beating Clinton by 7 points (50 to 43 percent) to Trump’s 3 (47 to 44 percent). NBC News and the Wall Street Journal found that Cruz would fare 6 points better than Trump, losing to Clinton by 4 points (49 to 45 percent) to Trump’s 10 (51 to 41 percent). And Quinnipiac found that Cruz would fare 5 points better than Trump, tying Clinton (at 45 percent apiece) while Trump would lose by 5 points (46 to 41 percent).
Nor should we be surprised by this. Trump might sound good now, but when he has to face Clinton (or anyone) in the election, his negatives, which are yuge (to coin a phrase) will sink him. Meanwhile, Cruz’s smart campaign strategy and his remarkable skill at debate make him a wonderful candidate. To paraphrase what he has said numerous times on the campaign trail, I can’t wait to get him in a head-to-head debate with Clinton or Sanders. He will make them look like fools.
In the second story, we find that Trump is crushing all opposition in South Carolina. Cruz comes closest, but even his best poll there so far has him losing by a good margin.
It appears no one is considering the eventual election. Instead, Republicans appear posed to pick a cool reality television star who happens to have a lot of money, merely because he is a cool television star that happens to have a lot of money.
There is madness here, and that madness can only lead to the kinds of villainy that eventually led to the deaths of millions, in places that also put their faith in strong personality cults.
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These prognostications are not calculating into the mix into the eventual election.
1. The FBI will eventually be delivering a report about the investigations into her mishandling of secure documents being served from her own personal server in the next 30 or so days? This is real.
2. The possible / probable resignation of the FBI head, Comey, if there is no indictment, along with the leaked report to the public of the information. A believable threat that hangs over the presidents head.
3. The legal implications for all of the people who immediately surround her that received and or sent that information. It seems a fact that there was secure information of the highest order and that information was mishandled to the point where a majority of the public understands that something should happen but it is not.
I see that Hillary in the eyes of the public is just not acceptable, whether she is indicted or not. I say that she is much weaker than what she appears. There is a No More Clinton’s and a No More Bush’s in the White House attitude flying around in the air. I say that she does not make it to the end and will be replaced by either Nanny Bloomberg or Biden / Warren. And if Bloomberg decides to run as an independent that will only draw from the Democrats for the most part. They are all waiting to see how this all lays out.
What seems inevitable IMO might just be that fantasy that some people keep seeing in today’s politics.
Republicans, with much screaming, arm waving and hair pulling, have been gleefully racing towards permanent minority status for nearly a decade.
I doubt Little Benito will be the culmination of this phenomenon.
On the flip side there is Bernie. But they seem to be able to come up with a majority…
I watched part of the Democratic debate Thursday. I’d never seen the Bernster in person, and man, he looked like he was about to keel over at any moment. I remember in 1980 much was made of Reagan’s age. If Sanders is elected, he’ll be nearly six years older than Reagan was. The man predates the US entry into WWII. Where’s the concern over age now?
As for Cruz making the Democratic nominee look foolish; they don’t need his help.
I live in South Carolina. From discussions with my friends, I expect Cruz to do much better than these polls suggest. Rubio and Bush will battle for third as the polls indicate. Dr. Carson was quite popular early on, but faded here as elsewhere due to San Bernardino and other missteps. Kasich has not put much effort into campaigning here.
I forgot one more investigation that the FBI is undertaking regarding the Clintons / Hillary, the investigation tying the Clinton foundation together with any “business” it has done that was influenced by or steered by the State Department while it was under her direct control.
Add to that that the people of America understand that the Clinton’s personally made $153,000,000.00 over the past 14 years, that’s aprox. $11 Million dollars per year. How exactly does that happen? Speeches?
http://thehill.com/blogs/ballot-box/268478-report-clintons-made-153-million-off-of-speeches
Pay offs after the fact, and buying influence before the fact?
The Democrat party can not afford Hillary especially since it is unlikely that a Democrat would be elected to essentially a third term of Democrat rule. The people have had enough!
This Stupid Party post above is very flawed IMO and seems more of a promotion written by the Cruz campaign or the Democrat party, based on paranoid, cherry picked information.
PS: I think Hillary skates on everything (presidential pardon in her pocket) except possibly an embarrassing forced public apology as she is witness to her underlings serving time or paying severe penalties for at the least the mishandling / transferring of top secret information on non secured systems.
Robert, the opportunity was there last summer for all the GOP candidates to be in the lead that Trump now seems to occupy. They only had to be the first to loudly and clearly address the issue of lost sovereignty and culture that resonates with the average person in the way that Trump did. However, none of them did and here we are today. Trump may be crass and boisterous which are negatives to many, but his boorish personality also allows him to say the things that must be said and discussed by the American people. Trump’s celebrity status allowed him to much better weather the firestorm that tried to marginalize him. It isn’t the reason for his popularity.
Regarding Clinton, I agree with Cotour. While dangerous, she isn’t inevitable.
Trump’s popularity is precisely BECAUSE of the Republican’s stupidity (or cowardice in the face of name-calling more accurately)
The moment was ripe for someone, ANYONE to stand up and call them what they are. When Trump seized that moment with his “I’ll build a wall” it was a turning point for the Republicans. All that frustration and anger FINALLY had a voice!
It is debatable whether Trump knew what he was doing or he was just being a blowhard again, but he at least knew enough to keep the ball rolling and realize he was the embodiment of the middle finger being flipped in the face of the RNC…..
The only other candidate that has been smart enough to figure this out is Ted Cruz. (But unfortunately not as good at voicing it….) Which makes sense since he is the “Other” non-RNC outsider. In fact it seems like when push comes to shove they would rather back Trump than Cruz!
For that alone Cruz is my guy. His lone stands against Obamacare and Ethanol subsidies are icing on the cake.
mpthompson, we were typing almost the same thing at the same time LOL
You are exactly right and said it better than I.
Great minds…. :-)
MP, you are on target.
Simply put, Trump naturally expresses the visceral outrage that the average American intuitively feels and professional politicians are ham strung and ham strung is not going to cut it this year.
As far as Clinton goes, don’t count her out just yet. We have reached a new low of culture and lack of shame. Ironically it was her husband who shoved us further down that path during his impeachment.
Even if James Comey falls on his sword, the Left may still be able to paint her as the ultimate victim. Especially if Obama decides to denounce Comey as a political opportunist or a misogynist.
She has managed to weather facts and crimes that should and would have jailed anyone else (except again her husband)
Comey has built his reputation on being entirely non partisan and it is very well known, if he sees it appropriate to resign its not good all around, for Obama and for Hillary.
And yes, Hillary is a stone cold survivor, you have to give her respect on that, I bow to her.
Cotour, Bow to the witch if you want (would someone PLEASE drop a house on her already?) The Clintons have so many scandals lined up that all it will take is for the proper domino to fall. Then it will be like retirement planning, with each realization of criminality leading to an even greater criminal exposure until the Clintons fall with a mighty THUMP. Then they will be able to have their own reality show – orange is the new black!
The attempt to confuse the low information voters by painting Hillary as an attractive leader by casting Tia Leoni as Madame Secretary will not succeed. (It succeeded when Tina Fey said “I can see Russia from my house”)
The Clintons may think they have a “get out of Jail free” card with a presidential pardon. But that would leave charges of treason as the only recourse for punishment for these people guilty of high crimes and misdemeanors, and I don’t think there is a statute of limitations on that.
I buttress my argument:
http://www.nytimes.com/2016/02/14/us/politics/more-hillary-clinton-emails-released-including-3-now-secret.html
This will not just go away and must be figured into the mix, critical mass is just around the corner.
You never really know what just around the bend or just up the road:
http://www.mysanantonio.com/news/us-world/article/Senior-Associate-Justice-Antonin-Scalia-found-6828930.php
A whole new ball game?
If you live long enough you see history repeat itself. Reagan was vilified by both Democrats and the establishment Republicans of his day. With the help of the liberal press, he was as challenged at every step by the left. Remember, during the election season, then rival Bush senior called Reagan’s supply side economics proposal “voodoo”.
Polls show American voters to be marginally conservative still, and over the course of the current political season, Ted Cruz’s constitutional minded platform is slowly taking hold.
What concerns me is the emergence of the low information crowd on the right who ignore Trump’s bully ego, or perhaps see it as a strength, in their desire to make America great again. Last night’s debate showed an unhinged Trump who ignored civil minded debate order, called his rivals liars, seldom answered the questions asked and in full display of this prideful nature. He shows himself to be unprincipled at best and tyrannical at worst.
Frank, you nail precisely what it is about Trump that have most Americans on his side.
“He shows himself to be unprincipled at best and tyrannical at worst.”
Run of the mill “follows instructions well” no longer applies to this job description, that’s how pissed off this say one thing do the opposite thing type of governance has gotten the people. The people recognize that a raging but reasonable American SOB must take control to actually steer the country from this constant leftist direction.
If it will not be Cruz (and I would be very happy to vote for and fully support him) and in fact it does turn out to be Trump lets think that its because of those non traditional traits and because he will be able to raise himself above what got him to the office to not be that tyrannical leader that some are wringing their hands over.
Many people recognize that they have become non entities and ignored in the governing of their own country by the very people that they have empowered to do their bidding in Washington after they have been assimilated into the cult that is Washington. The status quo will not do.
“Frank, you nail precisely what it is about Trump that have most Americans on his side.” [emphasis mine]
This is not correct. While Trump might be leading in most polls, his support has rarely exceeded one third of those polled, and usually less. Most Americans are not on his side. Two-thirds of all Republicans appear quite willing to choose someone else. They simply haven’t coalesced around one candidate.
To push the false idea that Trump is supported by most Americans suggests to me that your goal here is not to analyze his qualities as a candidate or to figure out why he has as much support as he does. Instead, you appear very partisan, trying to push him on us as the logical and only candidate whose victory is inevitable. This is not intellectually honest, and I think you should rethink how you write about Trump.
From the Press coverage you would think that half of America Loves Trump and the other half hates him.
As Bob said he has led the polls but doesn’t yet have enough support to knock out the others.
The one thing he has is the ability to unite the Pissed off at the RNC people WITH the ABC Anyone but Cruz RNC people!
It’s amazing to watch, but after the last debate I don’t think Cotours theory that Trump will rise to the occasion is valid.
By now he should have settled down and tried to appear more mature and trustworthy. Obviously that isn’t happening.
This is when Cruz should be hammering him (and is). My fear is that Cruz and Trump will weaken each other so much that the RNC establishment and their money men will win in the end again and get Rubio or one of the other Clay Pots.
I live in NYC, I talk to many people about politics every day. Many of the people who I have conversed with over the years, who I know without doubt support or have supported B.O. and in general are Democrats / liberals, are either very receptive to a Trump presidency or have already stated to me their decision that they will be voting for Trump if he is the candidate (I do not have to describe who bonafide Republicans / Conservatives support in general) To the point that I am really very, very surprised. (there is not a lot that surprises me and many of these political revelations are unsolicited by me) How this plays out in the rest of the country remains to be seen.
When I look at how unconventional and off the board Trump is and his position in the primaries, by the numbers, it is plain to see how a growing number of voting Americans are receiving his message and his unconventional style. I believe that the critical number for any candidate in the primaries is in the 40% range, which Trump is rather close to, closer than any three of his competitors combined.
After I determined that Trump was serious this time about running, some on this board were fast to discount his intentions. But my observation was that someone like Trump when his switch goes to the on position and the goal becomes clearly solidified as a reality in his mind it is just a matter of details in its realization.
My only concern is that he be able to be more than (a George Washington model type) and not less than (a Moussoulini or Hitler model type) president. This will be Trumps biggest personal challenge, balancing his ego and “different” style in the administration of the country’s business and the preservation of our Constitution and sovereignty.
Will I be surprised if my thoughts on the subject were 100 percent on the money? Absolutely, but my take, analysis, what ever you want to call it IMO seems highly supportable at this moment in time. I see the other candidates as being to narrow in their public appeal compared to Trump. Lump everyone else together and you have a reasonable balanced candidate that could take Trump down, but individually IMO they can not do it and can not on an individual basis become elected.
You are basing your conclusion that “most Americans support Trump” on the opinions of people in New York City? You have got to be kidding!
I grew up in New York City, lived there until I was 45. I am totally unsurprised that a majority of New Yorkers are willing to vote for Donald Trump. He is liberal, a New Yorker, but also an old-fashioned Democrat, not a radical leftist like Hillary or Bernie. Of course they are willing to vote for him. He gives them what they want, the big daddy Democrat who will take care of them, without overdoing it. (The eventual consequences of this is always what New York is: a failed city with lots of crime and poverty and abandoned slums, but who cares about that.)
New York however is not “most Americans”. It is not even close. Adjust your thinking to make yourself aware of this. For Trump to become the Republican candidate he needs to win a lot of primaries and gather a lot of delegates from across the country, from a lot of conservatives who do not want to elect an old fashioned Democrat. Though it can certainly happen in these strange times, it is certainly not a guarantee.
Also, knowing that you live in New York finally explains many of the positions you take.You are surrounded, overwhelmed, and accosted continually by crazy close-minded leftwing thought, with emphasis on the close-mindedness. (This is one major reason I finally left. I can’t stand close-mindedness, and the liberal New Yorker epitomizes it. You cannot have a reasonable intelligent discussion with them about politics) I suspect that you find it difficult to resist this peer pressure, no matter how hard you try.
I will stick with my current analysis, like I have said before, if it changes I will alert you.
I will only respond to this one sentence in your dark and stereotypical response, “I suspect that you find it difficult to resist this peer pressure, no matter how hard you try.” , while I agree with your assessment that a liberal is a most closed minded political animal, most all to a man or woman can not in any way support what they think they think, I assure you that what you “suspect” is baseless and my resistance is quite effortless.
Is that why you left NYC, you found that you were not strong enough to resist? You really do have to be tough to live in NYC, especially if you have a Conservative perspective, its a fight every day. And it will be a cold day in hell before anyone comes to find me to discuss politics and not get sever and well supported push back to the point where they question there closely held “beliefs”.
Those who can, do, those who can not, apparently, move.
“Is that why you left NYC, you found that you were not strong enough to resist?”
You haven’t read or listened to me much if you think that.
I left New York for numerous reasons. A short summary: The quality of life sucks. The government and culture is oppressive. The opportunities are better elsewhere. I love the desert.
That New Yorkers are oppressively ignorant and close-minded only made the move easier. Had I stayed I would have continued the endless but hopeless attempts at reasoned discussion, though I know it would have been to no avail. I laud your willingness to keep trying.
I was curious who might be in agreement with my read on the politics of the day, specifically on Trump and Hillary and I found this on Youtube from before Iowa video of Newt being interviewed by Gretta. (I do not have cable, I do not watch Fox and I do not watch any broadcast TV news)
https://youtu.be/RSZj032EYxQ
I think he may be reading my posts here on Behind The Black.
Pretty good company to be in IMO.
Listen, I really don’t know where Bob the liberal journalist gets his ideas, but personally I can’t wait until Donald Trump has an opportunity to face off with “Over the Hil-liar y” one on one. Ah yes, Hillary, the enabling wife for show, of a seriously sexually abusive X-President and Governor who could never seem to keep his wanker zipped up in his pants. Trump is going to make both of them look like what they really are, just really scummy career politicians! And Ya…I’ve actually sat and listened to Steve J. one on one, at my house, during a house party, tell his story about Paula J’s experience with Billary. The guy was/is a total disgrace to real men, to the great United States of America and the Office of the Presidency. “I never had sex with that woman” and “I never received anything classified on my email system” two of the biggest modern bold faced lies ever spouted to the American people. Personally I can’t wait for this coming election year!
Clinton/Snowdon 2016
Heh. I think this is the first time someone has called me a “liberal” in maybe thirty years. Most amusing. Diane might divorce me if she finds out!
Anyway, it might have been wise to do a little research before you pinned that label on me. It makes the rest of your commentary seem quite silly, even though much of it is based on reality.
“It makes the rest of your commentary seem quite silly, even though much of it is based on reality.”
That’s a good one, its silly but it happens to be true? Silly is not everyone who might not see things eye to eye with you on all subjects political. (I laughed out loud when I read that.)
Knowing that you grew up in NYC is it not reasonable that Clinton / Snowden assumes that you might be a liberal if he has not been fully read in on your general political positions?
Is it not reasonable that a new reader (I have never seen Clinton / Snowden post before) might assume that you were a liberal because of your demonstrative distaste for Trump and his plain speech?
(by the way, I listened to some of Trumps performance in SC and he can be very, very nasty. Something he will have to refine and keep in his pocket while president IMO)
Cotour
February 16, 2016 at 9:15 am
“….by the way, I listened to some of Trumps performance in SC and he can be very, very nasty. Something he will have to refine and keep in his pocket while president IMO…”
*********************************************************
You’re not kidding. Any chance that Cruz and Trump could work together went out the window. And it will no doubt get worse before it gets better. Which is a bad thing since all those quotes will come back to haunt them in the General Election….
Speaking of quotes, when The Donald went into TinFoil Hat Land w/ his 9-11 Truther BS that was it for me. I was still holding out for him to start acting more like a grown-up and now this?
It’s now obvious that The Donald cannot help himself when he’s angry. He will say anything that comes into his head. It’s those moments that give us a look into how he really thinks. And it’s not good.
So sorry Cotour, I can no longer give your theory any weight. I think we are seeing Trump as he truly is and I don’t think there is any more room for personal growth. He is truly an undisciplined, immature, loose cannon who has no business representing us on the world stage.
You may just to have to hold your nose then Steve.
Trump already sees himself as winning the entire game, his viciousness may just be his efforts to quickly dispatch whomever needs dispatching and getting on with the final details, the presidency.
(I have to assume that an extreme personality like Trumps is all about visualization and realization, all of the details in between are just that details to what has already been determined as being accomplished)
The things that he said about G.Bush jr. were fundamentally true, under his administration we were attacked and those buildings did fall, and the CIA did have intell that indicated that “something big” was going to happen and our security was not what it should have been given the intell.
That’s as far as I will go on that particular subject for a number of reasons.
PS: Jeb, who is proud of his family but runs under the name “Jeb” (no Bush) is a bit of a douche and is unable to see that because of the dynasty aspect alone he will not become what he desires to become. This brand of elitism is also one of the things that is being rejected with extreme prejudice by the public. He IMO is hoping to be the #2 at best, just like his daddy. Be more concerned about that aspect of this situation, Trump may be forced by the party to accept him as his #2.
To support my observation that Jeb is a douche, I submit this quick clip. I will take a likable nasty guy over a douche as a general rule for president. No one fears and no one cares what a douche thinks or does, everyone fears a nice guy who when pushed is known to be unpredictable and or nasty, him you do not screw with.
http://www.weeklystandard.com/jeb-raises-hand-when-graham-asks-how-many-of-you-are-democrats/article/2001111
Enough said.
“You may just to have to hold your nose then Steve.”
Steve,
I recommend that you not bother holding your nose and instead just not vote for Trump, if he ends up on the Republican ticket. He is a crony capitalist, which means that he is not for liberty and freedom, except maybe for his friends. He is willing to sic the government to confiscate the property of the rest of us for his own fun and profit.
The distinction between him and Clinton, Sanders, and Bloomberg (if he joins the fray) is without a difference — which explains why so many Democrats like him: he is a liberal Democrat running as a Republican (as Bloomberg did in NYC).
Some, such as Newt Gingrich in the YouTube link provided by Cotour, seem to think that he would be a strong leader, but it looks more like Trump would be a buffoonish leader who cannot be taken seriously. We need more than a cult of personality, and that is what we see with both Trump and Clinton; their personalities, not their characters, are what people like. Some people have expressed that they would take a likable nasty guy over someone whose personality they don’t like. This is not a personality contest, it is our liberties and freedoms at stake. Do we want someone whose character promotes liberty and justice for all or only for his friends?
As for living surrounded by liberals, it truly is appalling to listen to people advocate for economics that violate their own spending habits, politics that force others to comply with their own desires yet complain when the politics forces them to comply with something that they don’t want (e.g. ‘tax me less than that guy, but don’t spend my portion on defense’). The incredible hypocrisy gets tiring.
The worst part is that here in the San Francisco Bay Area, the liberals shun anyone who does not agree with them — heaven forbid that you don’t keep up with the latest politically correct opinion (there really needs to be a “PC Magazine” to help keep up). Among California liberals, disagreement equals hatred. My father lost a life-long friend due to that attitude. So much for freedom of expression. They *say* they don’t like bullies, but they use bullying tactics to keep each other in line.
It is similar in Hollywood, where keeping your job depends upon your politics — or keeping your mouth shut. So much for the freedom of speech that Hollywood depends upon.
Maybe it is not as bad in NYC as it is out here, but my views have not been represented in my state for decades. It would be nice if my views were represented in my country. The Republican party has done a poor job of it this past decade.
I will probably end up holding my nose no matter what happens at this point! LOL
I have evolved into a Cruz supporter, but he is getting so beat up now, and the Liar label appears to be sticking, which is ironic considering the people calling him that….. So I’m guessing that I will end up having to vote for Trump or Rubio in the general.
I refuse to stay home and be a party to helping a Democrat or a Socialist (I repeat myself…) into the WH again.
If it is Trump, I can only hope that he keeps his ego in check enough to not make any fatal mistakes.
It’s interesting to see where some of us live and how that affects our world-view. I live in Massachusetts, or as we call it: “The People’s Republic of Massachusetts” Even though Ted Kennedy is dead, he is still alive in the politics here. It is such a one party State that the state Republican Party Committee has been taken over by “former” Democrats. The annual argument at the State House is not whether to raise taxes, just over how much to raise them!
I will hopefully follow Bob’s example and move to friendlier turf such as Arizona ( I love the AZ/Utah Lake Powell area) so that my vote will finally count for the first time in my life…. :-)
Steve wrote: “I refuse to stay home and be a party to helping a Democrat or a Socialist (I repeat myself…) into the WH again.”
So vote for someone else, someone who is not a Democrat or a socialist. Trump does not count, because the “R” next to his name does not mean that he is not a Democrat or a socialist; he is only masquerading as a Republican because he did not think that he could compete against Hillary on the Democrat ticket, or didn’t want to. Voting for Trump would be helping a Democrat, crony capitalist (almost the same as a fascist), and possibly socialist get into the White House — whether he is a socialist depends upon which of his contradictory statements he really believes in. It is precisely because he is (and thinks like) a liberal Democrat that is why so many Democrats like him. A Trump presidency would be little different from a Clinton, Sanders, Bloomberg, or Biden presidency.
He thinks that Republicans are stupid (they are, after all, the stupid party) and that they will vote for any tyrant that runs on the Republican ticket — as New York Republicans did with Bloomberg — he flat-out stated that he believes the Republicans of Iowa and the country are stupid, it is only a matter of degree ( https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PRUc11fPAwk ). He also continually suggests that he intends to break his agreement with the Republican party and run as an independent, if he is not chosen as the Republican candidate.
*Do NOT stay home,* as there will undoubtedly be other issues on the ballot that will need your vote. Local and state governments like to piggy-back issues on the primary and presidential election ballots. All I ask is that you not prop up Trump’s ego by making it look like the country supports him, for doing so *would* make the Republican Party the stupid party.
I remain hopeful that Trump will not be the Republican candidate, but we definitely disagree about what to do should he be that candidate.
As I’ve said before, Trump is not the same as Clinton or Sanders or anyone the modern radical and corrupt Democratic Party would nominate. He is an old-fashioned liberal Democrat, more like Kennedy (in his politics) or Clinton. He would not bring us the changes we need, and would likely help in some small ways to encourage the growth of government, a bad thing in current circumstances.
Nonetheless, Trump as president would give the country a few more years to come around to conservative thought. Clinton or Sanders however would not give us that time. They would move quickly to shut down debate, squelch their opponents using the force of law, and to prevent the corrupt Democratic Party from ever losing another election. We must do whatever we can to prevent their success.
Thus, if I have to, I will vote for Trump in the Presidential election, and will encourage everyone to do so. Right now however I am pushing real hard for him to be defeated in the primaries, and for Ted Cruz to get the nomination.
Should Trump become the candidate, however, I think it will be a mistake and a cop-out to not vote, as you plan to do.
Robert wrote: “Trump as president would give the country a few more years to come around to conservative thought.”
I don’t know what Trump has said to give you this impression. He is a big-government thinker. His proposals and solutions are big government. He thinks that government *is* the solution, not the problem, and Lord knows that government has solved several of Trump’s problems.
Any Supreme Court justices that he nominates would also be big-government types. Any others may rule against him, in the future — or even during his presidency.
He rewards his friends and punishes his enemies. As long as you are useful, you are his friend, but if it looks like you are against him, you become his enemy. We saw this with Megan Kelly. We also saw it with the lady who would not sell to him, for which he favors eminent domain for his own fun and profit.
He has not told us how he will help the rest of us, he only helps himself. He may even help himself to your bond money by declaring bankruptcy and keeping money that you thought you were going to get back from him. These are not conservative ideas, they are tyrannical. Why you think that there would be any kind of reprieve from an increasing tyranny under Trump is a mystery.
Trump should write a book, “The Art of Screwing People Through Bankruptcy.” Even Continental Airlines could only get away with it twice. Trump is up to four.
If Trump is elected president, we would not be converging on conservativism, as a country, we would be diverging from it, because those who vote for him fail to see that he is against it or don’t want it themselves (which is why so many Democrats like him).
Robert wrote: “He is an old-fashioned liberal Democrat, more like Kennedy (in his politics) or Clinton.”
Clinton was in it for himself, too. Clinton’s space legacy is ITAR, put in place because Clinton’s deal with the Chinese allowed them too much access to American space technology and know-how. Meanwhile, ITAR managed to stagnate our commercial space business, as it became too difficult for foreign satellite operators to deal with US restrictions on taking space hardware or knowledge out of the country — including launch (ironically, every country except China was treated as a mortal enemy).
You can’t mean John Kennedy, so you must mean Ted Kennedy (who, as with Trump, could kill someone, get away with it, and continue to be reelected for decades by those who have no moral compass), who favored Canadian style healthcare, just as Trump does. John Kennedy said, “Ask not what your country can do for you; ask what you can do for your country.” Trump’s equivalent would be, “Ask what your country can do for The Donald.” Trump, Ted Kennedy, and Bill Clinton have or had no moral compass.
Robert wrote: “They would move quickly to shut down debate, squelch their opponents using the force of law, and to prevent the corrupt Democratic Party from ever losing another election.”
What, from Trump’s actions, makes you think that Trump would not do these same things? He does these types of things in business and in his campaign. We already know that his friends are Democrats and that he rewards his friends.
We can see whose side he is on from whose campaigns he has funded and whose he hasn’t. Has he ever contributed to a conservative’s campaign? We know that he has contributed to liberals.
Robert wrote: “We must do whatever we can to prevent their success.”
I include Trump in the “they” part of your word “their.” Trump does not oppose their success. Indeed, he uses their success to his advantage. He agrees that the rich and powerful should lord over the rest of us, especially if we are unwilling to sell out to his superior business deals (you know the superior ones, those that keep going tango uniform). His success as president would also be “their” success.
If Trump succeeds, the Constitution, conservativism, and liberty lose.
Robert wrote: “if I have to [if he is the Republican candidate], I will vote for Trump in the Presidential election, and will encourage everyone to do so.”
And you would be helping a liberal Democrat, crony capitalist, and possibly socialist into the White House.
Robert wrote: “I think it will be a mistake and a cop-out to not vote, as you plan to do.”
It is neither a mistake nor a cop-out, as I would vote for someone who is not a liberal Democrat tyrant wanna-be, preferably a conservative or the Libertarian candidate. Only if the options were limited to tyrants would I not vote for a presidential candidate. To vote for Trump is to vote for the destruction of what little remains of the United States of America and the Constitution that makes it great. Trump advertises that he will make America great again, but he does not know how.
It is OK with me if you vote for The Donald, but only if you truly understand that you will not get the reprieve from tyranny that you are hoping for.
Sadly, I fear you could be entirely right. Worse, if you are, think about the terrible things it says about the American public that supports Trump.
Freedom is dying. A new dark age is coming. Better buy some more ammo.
Its hard for me to read the words of someone who is such a warrior for the Constitution and what is best about America speak in such inevitable terms.
Whether this particular trajectory that the country and world is on today is a cycle that will pass or destroy it all as we know it, We The People must push on and past inevitablity.