What’s the Deal with Trump?

The Weekly Standard ^ | September 7, 2015 | Christopher Caldwell

[Hojczyk]

Two factors produced Trump. First, the governing style of Barack Obama, which, by insulating presidential action from constitutional checks and balances, drove up the value of “deal-making.”

Second, the corruption of the Republican party. If the Republican Senate permits the president to pass off his Iran nuclear weapons treaty as a “deal,” abdicating its prerogative to ratify or block, then a better “deal”-maker is all it can offer the country the next time around.

Candidates Jeb Bush and Rand Paul have fallen into this misunderstanding, treating Trump as a “fake conservative,” as if he were running for chairman of the Republican party. So have George Will and virtually everyone who writes for National Review.

“Trump,” writes Daniel Foster, “is sucking the most talented GOP presidential field in a generation down the gaping event horizon that is his huge mouth.” This is dubious.

The GOP may have talent, but it has squandered the trust that might win it the country’s permission to do anything with it. For almost two decades Republican leaders have been asking a country with which they have lost touch to be content with words. Since the Tea Party rebellion of 2010, they’ve succeeded, with empty promises, in getting their own dissidents to lay down their arms. For now, there appears to be little that any member of the party establishment can say to hale voters back.

[Trapped Behind Enemy Lines]

I see DT as more of a populist than a conservative.

[Gaffer]

I’d rather hear your impression of the article first.

[Uncle Miltie]

See tagline.

[Publius22]

I searched the article for the first mention about immigration. The author suggested according to “the people he talked to” it’s not about immigration. Whatever.

[ilgipper]

Immigration is most certainly a part of it, but it’s an anti-politician movement in larger scale. Someone who’s not beholden to special interests. I’ve heard from many people now...those I know and conversations among strangers.

[SubMareener]

All of these inside the beltway types can not imagine the the people outside the beltway would be upset that the Establishment has let, no helped, Valerie Jarrett and her puppy, Barack Obama fundamentally transform America into a Socialist Dystopia. When we finally get someone like Donald Trump, who at least recognizes the problem and has demonstrated the ability to get things done, the Establishment is surprised that he is popular!

[Hostage]

Reading your excerpt reveals no new insight, no new useful analysis of existing facts and conjectures, ...

... no new nuttin’.

Seems like an article to fill dead space.

If you disagree, tell me why I should open the link to read it all.

[Lopeover]

This bears reposting here:

August 28, 2015 at 9:06:35 AM PDT · 35 of 41
Ancesthntr to luke1825; Lopeover

“There is NOTHING more conservative than stopping a permanent democrat/marxist voting majority and doing whats best for the people and the country. By virtue of Mr.Trump’s position on illegal immigration he “Trumps” all others conservatism.” [Credit to FReeper Lopeover for this quote].

We face a critical choice in the Republican primaries. Which of these 2 people do we nominate for President:

1) The practical guy who will do what I want 75% of the time, and save the country in the process; vs.

2) The (mythical) ideologically-pure guy who will do what I want 100% of the time, but who can’t get elected.

I’ll choose Door #1 every time. “The Perfect is the enemy of the Good” - because trying to attain that which is perfect necessarily precludes being able to actually DO what is good. FYI, credit to General George S. Patton, Jr. for the quote about the Perfect and the Good.