Posted on 03/16/2016 3:46:21 PM PDT by jeannineinsd
-snip- So what did the Republican contenders do? They largely acted as if Trump wouldn’t matter. Ted Cruz kept lamely referring to Trump as his “friend.” Marco Rubio largely ignored him entirely, and while Jeb Bush tried to strike back at Trump in debates, he did so poorly and ineffectively. Instead, they got busy with what they viewed as their truly important work — destroying each other.
The result was catastrophic. To millions of voters, it looked as if there was only one leader on the stage — only one person with the guts and moxie to assert his will. The rest of the field looked small and weak, and in attacking one another while leaving the big bully alone, they looked frightened. While running to be the leader of the free world, they came across as intimidated by a real-estate developer and reality-TV star.
-snip-
Our modern elite — with its dearth of military experience and biographies notorious for their absence of hardship and self-sacrifice — often can’t comprehend true leadership. They’re wonks, data-crunchers, tacticians, and game theorists. They’re brilliant, but they’re not wise. They’re politicians, but they’re not leaders — at least not yet. And when the crucial moment came — when their movement and their values were at stake — they didn’t take the necessary risks. Instead, they triangulated. They played it safe. And they lost.
(Excerpt) Read more at nationalreview.com ...
Comment by: Cleanthes
It's not just a matter of wonkery. It's a matter of fear and internal accommodation.
No, they probably were not afraid of Trump per se. However, they are -- to a man, Cruz included -- deathly frightened of something that doesn't bother Trump at all: the social-cultural code of the left.
Or, if they are not afraid, they have shown themselves utterly unwilling or unable to challenge it, and even willing to use it against each other, perpetuating and strengthening it in the process.
When GOP candidates are willing to sling racism and sexism charges so loosely, they sound just like the campus commissars, bureaucrats and corporate "sensitivity" bullies that normal people must live in fear of.
Hence, the importance of Trump's crudity and fearlessness with Megyn Kelly and Hillary, his candor about Islam. To look at what he did and see only crudity is to miss entirely the significance of his boorishness; it's not just "manners" that are being rejected. Nor are people rejecting manners wholesale in overlooking his rudeness. They are rejecting manners based on lies and intimidation. The other candidates show few signs of refusing to bend knees before these evil pagan idols.
This is why Trump appeals to me. His willingness to show leadership in fighting the social-cultural code of the left.
The symbols in the title did not post correctly. It should be Wonkery Does Not Equal Leadership.
This editorial misses one very significant point: Trump was willing to address in no uncertain terms the border and immigration issue and was unapologetic when a firestorm came at him.
He was bold and decisive on an important issue and he did not back down. It had nothing to do with other candidates failing to take him seriously. Their failings had everything to do with them being unwilling to breath a word on the immigration and border issue.
+1, that’s a great comment. That’s part of Trump’s appeal to me as well.
In 2012, and so far in 2016, nothing has proved so worthless than Republican political consultants.
However, they are — to a man, Cruz included — deathly frightened of something that doesn’t bother Trump at all: the social-cultural code of the left.
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Hits the nail right smack on the head ... I’m saving it for future reference .... thanks for posting.
This was in the NRO?
Are we in the Twilight Zone?
Good post.
I hope this comment at the site was sarcastic:
“TheDonald2 Samantha Lemon • 2 hours ago
Kasich or Romney are the only reasonable choices. Romney understands Obamacare best from his time having implemented Romneycare. Kasich gets the whole deal with amnesty and within 100 days can give a lesson on amnesty to both Trump and Cruz. It would be neat to have a Romney-Kasich ticket as it would be good to teach so many Trump and Cruz supporters how government works.”
Note to GOP Elites Upset about Trump:
When the voters give you Congress, do what you promised to do,
“Are we in the Twilight Zone?”
Must be, because not only was this at NRO, but it was written by David French who is (still) a VIRULENT Trump hater.
Perhaps the message is starting to get through their thick skulls. At least some of them.
WE are NOT kidding around.
If it wasn’t, the establishment are even more delusional than I thought.
Oh wait, haven’t Nikki Haley and John Boehner endorsed John Kasich already?
Yes to both of you. My problem with French and his ilk at National Review is that he STILL gives Trump no credit. “Oh, Trump got where he is because no one took him on.” Garbage.
They, the moderators at the debates, the so-called “conservative” press (joke), every talk show host except Hannity and Rush have been non-stop attack on Trump for eight months. Yet look who he took out (and he did it, not Jeb, or Cruz):
*Perry
*Santorum
*Huckabee
*Paul
*Christie
*Jindal
*Walker
*Fiorina
*Bush
*Rubio
*Gilmore
*Carson
*Graham
One by one he has taken them out, if necessary, directly (”low energy”) or indirectly. But it’s still delusional on the part of French and NR to act like Trump’s victory is the “fault” of weaker candidates. BS. The candidates were weaker because Trump was BETTER.
Rush played a clip today of Mark Halperin who shocked his interviewer by saying that Trump had the best political instincts he had ever seen, including Clinton and Obama.
I agree that French and his associates at National Review are still not giving Trump credit. I also agree about Trump’s political instincts.
You are right that Trump was the only one strong enough to address immigration, and was strong enough to stand up to the firestorm.
To me, it ties in with Cleanthes’ comment posted above about Trump’s leadership in challenging the social-cultural code of the left.
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