Posted on 01/07/2019 7:54:18 AM PST by SeekAndFind
At the midpoint of Donald Trump's presidency, those in his party who seemingly should be supporting him are as critical as ever. Now it's the issue of his character.
NeverTrump Jonah Goldberg recently penned an article, "Character is Destiny," proclaiming that "Trump's character will be his downfall."
Evidence of this poor character is "[t]he president's style, specifically his insults and Twitter addiction." Goldberg goes farther, saying, "They are the product of astonishing levels of narcissism, insecurity, and intellectual incuriosity."
He cites examples of how Trump fires Cabinet members or other officials, not face to face to face, but through surrogates, and his "[p]raise for dictators and insults for allies, his need to create new controversies to eclipse old ones, and his inexhaustible capacity to lie and fabricate history."
Let's start unpacking this.
Tweets? It's Trump's way of bypassing a hostile media establishment. Looking at Twitter at the time of this writing, the Trump hostility is obvious. I see one tweet from CNN: "Former President Barack Obama lists his favorite books, songs and movies of 2018."
And another tweet from CNN: "Trump's lies sometimes seem strategic. But polls show that most Americans see right through it & realize he's untrustworthy." Could the contrasting messages be more different?
Is it a Twitter addiction or the only way he can get his message out, running the gauntlet of constant adversarial and negative media coverage?
(Excerpt) Read more at americanthinker.com ...
Let’s look at some other traits:
1) Praise for dictators?
I’m reminded of the old saying that you catch more flies with honey than with vinegar. These foreign leaders, whether Vladimir Putin or Kim Jung-un, have huge egos. What good does insulting them on the world stage do to further negotiations? A better strategy is to be nice to them publicly to let them save face at home while getting tough behind closed doors. Common sense. Look at the results rather than the appearance.
2) Insults for allies?
Like NATO allies needing to be shamed into paying their fair share, a term the left loves, for NATO, honoring their agreements? Past presidents have raised the issue and let it go. Trump is calling them on it. Or challenging Angela Merkel on her side deal for natural gas with Russia, in violation of NATO. It’s called accountability.
3) Trump’s history of womanizing as a character flaw?
Sure, but that blanket covers many past presidents. At least for Trump, it was decades ago, not while he was president, something that cannot be said for many Oval Office occupants.
Character?
That has ‘t been an issue since Bill Clinton.
Rapist, alcoholic, pothead since 1992.
How would President Trump’s character measure up as a Boy Scout ( a now almost bankrupt organization because of its leader’s own character flaws) based on the Scout Law? Here are a few examples.
* Trustworthy.
Trump is following through on his campaign promises: constitutionalist judges, tax cuts, better trade deals, getting our military out of foreign entanglements, trying (in the face of Congressional opposition) to secure the border.
* Loyal.
Trump is loyal to his supporters and those loyal to him. He gave General Mattis, fired previously by Obama, a second chance and stuck with him for two years despite significant differences of opinion.
* Helpful.
Trump regularly visits disaster areas, whether a shooting, a wildfire, or a hurricane. Some might call it a photo op, but he is there to assure local officials of federal support and assistance.
* Friendly.
The media complain about accessibility. But has a president ever been more willing to stop on his way to Marine One to chat with the press? Sometimes he will spend 20-30 minutes, answering whatever questions they have.
* Courteous.
Trump respects the White House and the office of the presidency. He is rarely seen in public out of his suit and tie – unlike a predecessor who frequented the Oval Office in sweaty running gear.
* Cheerful.
Despite overwhelming opposition from all quarters, even from many within his own party, Trump remains upbeat and optimistic. He maintains a cheerfulness that few mortals could achieve under the weight of constant criticism and hostility. Just look at any of his campaign rallies for his cheer and optimism.
* Thrifty.
Trump, unlike the rest of Washington, D.C., realizes that our national debt is equal to America’s yearly economic output and is growing year by year. He has forgone his own presidential salary and is trimming the fat within the executive branch as much as possible – and urging Congress, albeit unsuccessfully, to do the same.
* Brave.
Trump is no coward. He is currently playing chicken with Pelosi and Schumer in the government shutdown, as well as with a host of foreign leaders, both friend and foe, getting the best for America.
* Clean.
The current White House is free of rapper thugs, randy interns, race-hustlers, and other riffraff who frequented previous administrations on a regular basis.
* Reverent.
It is impossible to know a man’s heart, but Trump appears to have grown into his faith over the past several years, quietly and without virtue-signaling – unlike some of his predecessors, who used bibles and church attendance as props or photo opportunities.
By Boy Scout criteria, President Trump is certainly of good character. Is he flawed, as we all are in our own ways? Of course, but such is human nature.
RE: pothead since 1992.
He didn’t inhale :)
The only thing Cheap Labor Express propagandists like Goldberg care about is completing the Bush Plan for North Mexico (aka USA)
Every excuse they use to undermine Trump is just keep US from keeping our country.
I like that list, and could still recite it. Nothing in there that woudln’t describe good leaders from the past 2000 or more years either.
Trump is also an expert at applying Alinsky’s Rules for Radicals. Even though some knee-jerk reactions are that they’re somehow reserved for the left, that’s completely wrong. Alinsky laid out a set of principles for persuasion that are agnostic, he was a leftist and thus they were first applied by the Left, that’s all. Trump uses them every day, knowingly or otherwise. For example, when he says “the shutdown could continue for months or even years” he is raising a threat that will be perceived to be potentially real, and which is probably worse than the thing itself. He also constantly applies ridicule as a powerful weapon, just ask Lyin’ Ted or Pocohauntas.
Which leads to the conclusion that Trump’s most desirable quality is his mastery of the art of persuasion.
Jonah Goldberg has become an embarrassment...
Womanizer? That was 12 years BEFORE he ran for President. Can you say LBJ, JFK, Clinton? That was while they were IN office.
People think his language is crude? Anyone around LBJ or Nixon?
Let’s see: drugs Trump No. JFK, Bush, Clinton Yes
Booze. Trump No. Too numerous to list. Yes
It is not a sign of poor character to violate conventional norms of behavior...it is a sign of being unconventional and/or non-conformist.
Trump is clearly an unconventional, outside the box, thinker.
Breaking rules of social convention is what creative thinkers do. That doesn't make them immoral or persons of low character.
That said, it is typical for conformists who are followers of the rules of convention to be deeply offended by those who ignore them.
It brings to mind just how offended next door neighbor Mrs. Milburn Drysdale was at Uncle Jed and the rest of the Beverly Hillbillies.
I am sure she found them completely lacking in character and therein lies the fun of the show. Uncle Jed, Granny, Jethro, and Ellie May were of the highest character, they just didn't obey the rules of social convention in Beverly Hills.
Trump, in his own way, is a Beverly Hillbilly.
Like Uncle Jed, Trump focuses on what works and ignores society's silly little rules.
That's why Trump is rich...and President.
In Trump's case, the tree is what he is doing and accomplishing. The shadow is everything else – the tweets and "character" that the NeverTrumps are in a lather over. As the sun goes down, so do the shadows. But the tree remains.
NeverTrumpers stuck their heads in the sand two years ago and refuse to pull them out for a more realistic look... Brian Joondeph 'gets it'.
Thanks for the post , great article.
Trump isn't perfect and, in many ways likely not the first choice of many people who voted for him. Further, I think many of us field queries on Trump's prior personal dealings with candor that would hint at being a NeverTrumper. That said, in 2000 we pulled the lever for W; in retrospect he turned out to be a yuge disappointment, but I really don't want to fathom America's response to 9/11 with President Gore. Similarly, there is NO way Deplorables would have voted for Hillary, and I believe on many fronts Americans range from being pleasantly surprised to rabidly supportive of Trump, warts and all.
Archbishop Fulton Sheen said a dentist who attends Mass daily still needs to be assessed on his dental skills-if you're looking for a dentist. At this time in America's history with the forces internally and externally arrayed against her, a morally imperfect Deplorable fighter is preferable to a morally perfect Jeb! or some other milquetoast Repub.
He's hung up on Trump's "character" not being good enough for the American people or the office to which he was elected, the presidency.
Donald Trump's character may not be "perfect" enough for Goldberg but who's character is perfect? Who can he point to who is this vision of purity and who can still drain the Swamp?
He thinks the man in the WH should be pure-as-driven-snow, but no president's character has ever been that good in the past. Think Clinton, Obama, LBJ.
Now Romney has decided join the NeverTrumper Goldberg in slamming Trump's character by saying it fell short of what the country needed in a president.
Ah, the palpable irony from the man who failed to get elected to the presidency, calling out the man who did get elected, for coming up short.
How is backstabbing your own party's president, one who threw his support behind your Senate candidacy, not a failure in your own character, Mitt?
Remember this is not the first time Romney has done this. He came out with a vicious and unprovoked personal attack on Trump during his presidential campaign in 2016.
Romney is just Flake v2.0 with a prettier face. Or maybe McCain v2.5 with a bigger knife. All three are backstabbers.
What Goldberg and Romney both are failing to realize is that Trump is fighting for the very life of the country against democRATS and RINOs alike, who exhibit little to no character at all themselves.
What we need at this time in our history, is a man who is flawed enough to get down and dirty with his political opposition and not be afraid to get tarnished some.
In short, we need a fighter not a saint. And we have that person in PDJT.
The imperfect man at the perfect time to save our republic from the enemies within.
5 STAR POST! Thank you!
Jonah Goldberg misses the point of Trump entirely.
Donald Trump offends Goldberg because he refuses to lube his hand and become part of the SWAMP Industrial-political Complex CIRCLE JERK.
What motivates TRUMP? DC Insiders can’t answer this. Trump is an idealist who truly loves America and wants it to be the Greatest Country on the face of the earth. He isn’t interested in a “Global” community. He isn’t interested in mediocrity where the US is brought low to the failing level of most other countries. He wants as much as Reagan the “Shining City on the Hill”.
If post Trump we are stuck with the likes of a Bush, Kasich, Ryan, Flake, McCain, or Romney WHY BOTHER VOTING?
Romney is just Flake v2.0 with a prettier face. Or maybe McCain v2.5 with a bigger knife. All three are backstabbers. What Goldberg and Romney both are failing to realize is that Trump is fighting for the very life of the country against democRATS and RINOs alike...
Excellent rant...
Thanks. :-)
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