Posted on 12/18/2014 6:48:11 AM PST by Kaslin
The elite media will scoff at a potential Donald Trump candidacy for president. They will consider it a publicity move and a bluff. The Washington insiders will write off Trump as completely unqualified to be a presidential candidate, much less president.
And as usual, they will be wrong.
I have no earthly idea if Trump could actually win the GOP nomination or defeat the likes of Hillary Clinton in the general election. Certainly Jeb Bush's decision to "explore" a presidential run makes him the likely candidate of the GOP establishment, cutting Mitt Romney off at the pass. But neither big name politicians nor a dismissive D.C. press corps should dissuade Trump from running for president.
Let me make my case.
First, let's address the "experience" issue. Give me a break. We currently have a president whose political experience includes a relatively short time in his state's legislature and less than a full term in the U.S. Senate. I think the results of the last six years make that "experience we can't believe in."
Prior to that, President Obama taught some college classes and "organized communities." That is nothing to put down, but it's also hardly rough-and-tumble experience.
In Trump's case, "Rough and Tumble" is his middle name. Donald Trump has dealt with the real and sophisticated world for years. He took over his family business, admittedly already a success in the early 1970s. But he grew the company, under a new name and more diverse holdings, into a vastly more substantial entity. And he did that on his own in the roughest of real worlds -- New York and the real estate market.
Of course, today Trump has multiple business interests, the vast majority of which have been wildly successful. Always a hands-on businessman, he has dealt with virtually every aspect of life -- from business negotiations to being, for many years, one of the nation's most visible television personalities.
During his hugely successful career, Trump has dealt with government, including government regulations, public policy and big-name politicians. He is adept at dealing with media and certainly knows how to handle a crisis.
If Barack Obama was considered qualified by a lapdog national media in 2008, then Trump is "uber qualified" in 2016.
The next issue is that of electability. Certainly the "silk pants"-establishment GOP will chuckle over the prospect of a Trump candidacy. But I was around, working with Newt Gingrich and working in a U.S. Senate race in 1980, when Ronald Reagan was portrayed as a reckless nuclear cowboy. He was disdained by the national GOP establishment. But he whipped them all, and without ever changing his "cowboy" style or his conservative message. Suddenly, they all loved him.
Trump probably comes the closest these days to having Reagan's star quality, mixed with conservative beliefs. He has the ability and the willingness, as did Reagan in his breakthrough moment during New Hampshire's 1980 primary campaign, to remind folks that he "paid for this microphone" and will darn well be heard. (Interestingly, and by coincidence, both Trump and Reagan were stars at one time for the same company -- GE.)
Sure, Trump will have to deal with his stand on President Obama's birth certificate, but that will hardly hurt him in more conservative Republican primary states.
Moreover, a Trump candidacy will force the other candidates, most of whom are unsurprisingly the types to offer the usual political ideas, to confront issues that even GOP candidates normally don't have to face in the primary season.
Trump says he is suspicious about the official unemployment numbers. So are many others who just don't say so. He believes our troops should maintain a presence in Iraq, and that America should even consider taking control of the Iraqi oil fields to keep ISIS and other American enemies from getting them first. He wants a tariff on China to end currency manipulation. And he's generally conservative on virtually every tax-and-spend issue.
Sure, his candidacy might be a long shot. But so too was Obama's in 2008. And regardless, Trump would shake up the GOP field and a bunch of stale, complacent D.C. insiders and consultants who need to be told, "You're fired."
“Aww, Jeez, not this sh......”
Some amount of air needs to be sucked up by sucky candidates. Otherwise, that sucky air will crowd-out a Cruz/etc. Let's encourage Trump/Romeny/Jeb/others to run. At the same time. Use up the sucky air to their hearts content.
Trump is the PT Barnum of politics.
He appeals to the stupid.
He didn't get where he is by watching the morning news on TV like odumbo does. His successes come from being INVOLVED with and counseled by his subordinates, which again is a direct opposite of the usurper in chief.
Hey, we’ve elected a whole lot of people who turned out to be con artists after they took office. Might as well elect one that we know about in advance, amirite???
His successes come from being INVOLVED with and counseled by his subordinates packaging dubious projects and selling them to suckers based on his name recognition, after which the suckers are left holding the bag.
That sounds like a Trump press release. He wasn’t born into poverty, his parents were rich; there is nothing wrong with that but Trump always implies he is a self made man and maybe his media persona is self made but that’s about it.
He is an interesting and entertaining guy, that’s for sure and he would make a better president than odinga but so would I.
We need someone who can right the ship of state and I’m afraid if it doesn’t happen soon, we’re doomed and the dems with the gopE are working their butts off to make that happen so we can never go back to the promise the USA offers.
That’s how I feel about it too
It’s the media that does
That is certainly true
I don’t think Trump is serious but if it comes down to Jeb, Mitt or The Donald color me Trumped.
I agree. But he isn't. Nor are any of the others. Elizabeth Warren will own the issue if someone on our side doesn't step forward.
Trump would make a good VP. He is a good capitalist—but not a Conservative.
He is very good at running his mouth. Anyway, don’t you know the lib media selects the Republican candidate so it is really up to them. I wish Fox News would start spreading that Rev. Al Sharpton was the front runner for the democrat nomination and put up a graphic showing him beating all possible Republican candidates and Hillary way far behind him, just below Tanya Harding and Miley Cyrus.
He voted for Obama. Bad judgement IMO. Second I think he could be bought off too easily, if he isn’t already.
Pass on this carnival barker comb over.
He's a buffoon. I'd vote for a turnip over him.
Exactly. Everytime.
He's a carnival barker who shakes down the soon-to-be-formerly rich.
I am willing to bet that Hillary will have a “health issue” that will keep her from running and that the Democrats, seeing how easily the American people were fooled the last time, will run Lizzie Warren with the “let’s make history and elect the first woman President!” meme.
I do NOT want to vote for a RINO, so I am supporting Ted Cruz early on. But what if a RINO wins the nomination? What if it is a choice between:
Bush vs. Warren or
Christie vs. Warren or
Romney vs. Warren or
Trump vs. Warren
With the escalating idiocy of Obama, are we really going to sit on our hands in the general election (again) and let the Republic get completely destroyed with another 4 years of someone who is to the left of him?
I’m not voting for any RINO even over Warren. There is no difference at this point. I’ll write in my vote.
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