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The Mindlessness of Donald Trump—and What It Reveals About the GOP
Reason.com ^ | August 4, 2015 | Peter Suderman|

Posted on 08/05/2015 8:20:20 AM PDT by Hojczyk

The candidate's lack of a traditional political agenda is key to his anti-political appeal

What Trump offers is a fantasy of governance without negotiation, of economic success without policy detail, of a president who does not particularly feel the need to act presidential. It’s a fantasy of politics without politics, for people who just don’t want to think about it too much. In this view, the fact that Trump has clearly put so little thought into it himself makes him seem sensible and relatable. All of which is to say that the mindlessness and stupidity of Trump’s presidential campaign are not incidental to the candidate’s recent success. On the contrary, they are key to his appeal.

All of this is, in some sense, an outgrowth of the Republican party's own mindlessless during the Obama era. The party has consistently refused to be clear about its domestic policy goals, and what it plausibly expects from government. And while it has not, as a general rule, fully embraced Trump levels of of vapidity, it has embraced figures like Trump, and allowed them to rise within the party.

This was clearly evident, albeit in a much milder form, in Mitt Romney's 2012 run as the GOP nominee, which was marked by its consistent lack of policy detail, and by Romney's unwillingness to provide clarity about his policy plans. Romney did, however, praise Trump's "extraordinary ability to understand how our economy works and to create jobs" as he accepted Trump's endorsement.

It's evident still, in the party's ongoing inability to unify around an Obamacare replacement, to reckon with the realities of immigration, to discuss in detail what cutting the federal budget would really entail. It is telling,

(Excerpt) Read more at reason.com ...


TOPICS: Editorial; News/Current Events; Philosophy
KEYWORDS: bush; cruz; trump; walker
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1 posted on 08/05/2015 8:20:20 AM PDT by Hojczyk
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To: Hojczyk
What Trump Obama offers is a fantasy of governance without negotiation, of economic success without policy detail, of a president who does not particularly feel the need to act presidential. It’s a fantasy of politics without politics, for people who just don’t want to think about it too much. In this view, the fact that Trump Obama has clearly put so little thought into it himself makes him seem sensible and relatable. All of which is to say that the mindlessness and stupidity of Trump’s Obama's presidential campaign are not incidental to the candidate’s recent success. On the contrary, they are key to his appeal.

Fixed it for him.

2 posted on 08/05/2015 8:22:34 AM PDT by relictele (Principiis obsta & Finem respice - Resist The Beginnings & Consider The Ends)
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To: Hojczyk

Have any of these people read his book….


3 posted on 08/05/2015 8:22:39 AM PDT by Hojczyk
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To: Hojczyk

It’s evident the author of this article needs to read Trump’s book, “Time To Get Tough”.

Trump has the best tax plan I’ve seen. He and Cruz are stronger on immigration than all the rest put together.


4 posted on 08/05/2015 8:23:21 AM PDT by conservativejoy (We Can Elect Ted Cruz! Pray Hard, Work Hard, Trust God!)
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To: Hojczyk

Trump is deeper than the public posturing to date.


5 posted on 08/05/2015 8:24:39 AM PDT by Paladin2 (Ive given up on aphostrophys and spell chek on my current device...)
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To: Hojczyk

PROJECTION


6 posted on 08/05/2015 8:26:53 AM PDT by Eddie01
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To: Hojczyk

In other words, those of us who find Trump to be an invigorating factor for the GOP and those who are supporti,g him are really little more than Mouth Breathing Droolers to Reason Magazine and Donald Trump, as the Chief Booger Eating Moron amongst us is Our King of the Mouth Breathing Droolers.


7 posted on 08/05/2015 8:28:28 AM PDT by Buckeye Battle Cry (Hillary - Ethically sleazy and politically stupid)
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To: Hojczyk
What Trump offers is a fantasy of governance without negotiation
More Liberal projection - this is exactly what Øbama has done for 7 years.
8 posted on 08/05/2015 8:29:00 AM PDT by oh8eleven (RVN '67-'68)
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To: Hojczyk

No one had any idea what Obama’s stances were but that was just fine, right?

Idiot author.


9 posted on 08/05/2015 8:29:11 AM PDT by Personal Responsibility (The problem with communists and socialists can be distilled to one letter: i)
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To: Hojczyk

This is just another idiot liberal that has not had a clear thought in his head since Jimmy Carter. He describes and attributes to D. Trump exactly what the democratic party has been peddling for 50 years. With the exception that which has now become quite clear as of late is that they intend is the total destruction of the United States. The U.S. with our democracy (republic) and capitalism has repeatedly demonstrated that socialism and one world dictatorship cannot complete on any level.


10 posted on 08/05/2015 8:31:02 AM PDT by dirtymac
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To: relictele

Thank you! That’s exactly what I thought when I read this piece of tripe.


11 posted on 08/05/2015 8:32:09 AM PDT by miss marmelstein (Richard the Third: I'd like to drive away not only the Turks (moslims) but all my foes.")
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To: relictele

Relictele - that’s exactly what I was thinking. He is describing Obama and the Lefties’ dream.


12 posted on 08/05/2015 8:32:17 AM PDT by bboop (does not suffer fools gladly)
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To: Hojczyk

Peter Suderman, who is Peter Suderman??? critic and intellectual do nothing. Why should i listen to you office jockey? Run for President and then get back to me with your opinions about it.
Obama is such perfection there is no need to question him...jack ass’s of the Media or maybe it should be the mediocre?


13 posted on 08/05/2015 8:32:31 AM PDT by Leep (Still living in what remains of 'God's Country'.)
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To: Hojczyk
What Trump offers is a fantasy of governance without negotiation

Question1: Who wrote "The Art of Negotiation"

Question2: Who's professional life has negotiation at the center of it?

14 posted on 08/05/2015 8:34:45 AM PDT by Eddie01
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To: Hojczyk

What it reveals about the author is much more....revealing.


15 posted on 08/05/2015 8:37:21 AM PDT by going hot (Happiness is a momma deuce)
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To: Hojczyk

Or
The mindlessness of the GOP -—What it reveals about Donald Trump!


16 posted on 08/05/2015 8:37:30 AM PDT by hoosiermama (Obam65a: "Born in Kenya" Lying now or then or now?Shutting down and defunding is not enough. People)
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To: Hojczyk

Reason is a libertarian outfit. Or at least, used to be. I rather imagine Rand Paul is their god.


17 posted on 08/05/2015 8:40:39 AM PDT by KGeorge (Hell no. We ain't forgettin'.)
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To: Hojczyk

No, it is because of the fecklessness, duplicity, treachery and backstabbing of the country club elite that seem to be in control of the GOP.


18 posted on 08/05/2015 8:43:19 AM PDT by amnestynone (Political Correction is a tactic based social intimidation to suppress opposing views.)
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To: conservativejoy

Notice there has been no big hipe before tomorrows book roll out. Expect it tomorrow night at the debate. (You heard it here first)

All he has to do is answer all questions by referring to book and at the end ask for permission to break the rules and go to his phone to check the sales to see how much money he has made during the debate. America will go wild and the book will be #1 More free publicity More interviews on ALL networks. No more snarkiness from the peanut gallery


19 posted on 08/05/2015 8:44:16 AM PDT by hoosiermama (Obam65a: "Born in Kenya" Lying now or then or now?Shutting down and defunding is not enough. People)
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To: Hojczyk

Peter Suderman, an associate editor for the libertarian Reason magazine

20 posted on 08/05/2015 8:46:39 AM PDT by kcvl
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