Posted on 06/27/2016 5:40:55 AM PDT by winner3000
As both parties rapidly approach their respective nominating conventions, it’s clear that both parties are not unified. The Republican Party still has a choice in Cleveland. Will the party choose established Republican principles or their “presumptive” candidate who has the necessary delegates but wants to do this campaign his way?
In response to House Speaker Paul Ryan’s continued call for Trump to support conservative principles in the party plank, Donald Trump suggests that the GOP leaders “have to get a lot tougher and be quiet. Just please be quiet, don’t talk…. We have to have our Republicans either stick together or let me just do it by myself. I’ll do very well.”
The Wisconsin Republican reminded Trump that presidents and congressional leaders represent separate but equal branches of government. Ryan vowed to “robustly defend the separation of powers.”
As James Madison wrote in Federalist 51, “Ambition must be made to counteract ambition.” Checks and balances are critical to our republic and should be to our political parties. We don’t need subservient, “quiet” party delegates; we need principled, assertive delegates willing to exercise their will in preserving liberty, preventing tyranny, promoting effective government leaders, and protecting the reputation of the party. Presidents need constraints, and so do candidates. It’s time for Donald Trump to start experiencing the checks and balances every president faces.
Donald Trump has run as a Republican, but it’s not clear that he actually shares the core principles of the party. Presidents come and go, but core principles must be preserved through good and bad administrations for America to endure and prosper.
If Republican voters knew that Donald Trump did not support some core Republican principles, it’s not clear he would’ve ever become the party’s candidate. It’s time for the GOP to free its convention delegates to vote their conscience in light of Trump’s arrogance. It’s not time for the GOP to be quiet. It’s time for them to establish a convention “conscience clause” and nominate a candidate who actually supports what they believe.
There are signs that many of the party faithful are less than inspired by Trump’s antics and poorly organized campaign. His poll numbers are down and both the GOP and Trump are having trouble raising campaign funds. Truly great negotiators don’t go it alone. Unfortunately, Trump’s plan to Make America Great Again has a recurring theme song, “My way or the highway!” If he can’t put agreed upon party principles at the core of his campaign, maybe it’s time for him to take the highway.
After all, until the convention actually nominates Donald Trump, he remains the “presumptive” candidate. His supporters will say that he earned the delegates and deserves to be nominated. Yes, but the unique nature of this election warrants special consideration. The sheer number of candidates made his early name-recognition an asset. He was combative instead of clear on the principles and positions he would espouse. As other established mainline candidates split votes, his “outsider” position garnered a winning faction that provided enough votes to secure the delegates he needed.
Freeing the delegates to vote their conscience will not ensure that Trump will lose. In fact, since most of the delegates would have been selected to support him, many will continue to support him. If he truly has the positions and principles needed to Make America Great Again, he’ll earn the delegate votes needed, even if they’re free to vote for someone else. Earning their nomination in an open convention will help bring the doubters on board.
Trump wants the party leaders to be quiet and subservient. The party needs them to be strong, assertive, and supportive of the long-standing core Republican Party principles. An open convention fight could be divisive, chaotic, and potentially dangerous to the party, but so is a rogue candidate that the party faithful can’t support and independents dislike. Any principled candidate who could truly unite this party at the convention would have enough time to rally support and defeat a weak Democratic candidate like Hillary Clinton. May it be so.
You left off drunken, senile, sickly, evil, and violent tempered.
That is the core of the problem. Since Reagan left office the GOPe has systematically and effectively destroyed the pro-American, pro-family, pro-small business, pro-common sense and pro-Christian agendas of the Reagan Coalition (not all of whom were Ted Cruz, Mark Levin style “consistent, globalist conservatives”). The GOPe have always been content to be the junior partners of the dominant Cultural Marxist left.
“If Republican voters knew that Donald Trump did not support some core Republican principles, it’s not clear he would’ve ever become the party’s candidate. “
Like diverting a Supreme Court case to Mexico?
But not so much with Obama though, huh, RYNO?
Ryan lecturing us on Conservative principles? ROTFLMAO! That’s like having Stalin preaching Capitalism.
Open borders allowing millions of unvetted people into the nation to murder, rape and rob. To compete for jobs with native American at a time record real unemployment.
Export American industry and American jobs to low wage nations.
Endless useless wars that destabilize large chucks of the World.
One way trade deals that NEVER benefit the American people.
High taxes to support a welfare state, federal take over of public education, abortion on demand, 20 trillion in debt.
No Thanks, I am done with GOP principles and values, give me Trump!
I was getting both barrels loaded to just blast you.....then you have the nerve to post an insightful comment and I have to pull the ammonia
Nicely done
If Ryan actually took action according to those conservative principles he is so fond of talking about then maybe he'd have a point. Otherwise...
Well and of course since when is honoring the rules that the GOPe set and demanded that candidates accept, you know honoring your word, a principle?
Do I have to indicate my sarcasm?
How I wish Ryan and party regulars were so principled in this “separation of powers” principle through the Obama Administration. Seems to me the ONLY Republicans who stood up to this Administration were the various states’ AGs. Congress was shamefully useless. Thanks for absolutely nothing, Messrs. Ryan, Boehner and McConnell.
The only core principle I’ve seen is to tell the voters one thing and then do another.
Didn’t Terry Paulson once work with the Smothers Brothers?
100% on point.
I really tire of reading such juvenile nonsense like this screed. They truly are akin to the 2 year old who never tires of pitching a fit when not getting their way. And yet we made fun of (at least I know I did) of the dim dems with their sit in, heck, our reps/voices are just as childish. They simply attempt to disguise it with endless word vomit.
“Freeing the delegates to vote their conscience will not ensure that Trump will lose. In fact, since most of the delegates would have been selected to support him, many will continue to support him. If he truly has the positions and principles needed to Make America Great Again, he’ll earn the delegate votes needed, even if they’re free to vote for someone else. Earning their nomination in an open convention will help bring the doubters on board.”
OK, let the delegates free to vote their conscience. Does anyone think that if the free delegates select Trump, that the GOPe and the NeverTrumps will be satisfied? Do you think that George Will will rejoin the Republican Party? That Erick Ericson will shut up?
Is Tim the son of Pat Paulson?
You can sh!t all over his Facebook timeline. I refuse that place out of far more principle than TP has about anything.
TP has Twitter too but hasn't used it since December.
Yeah there is dude. At the bottom of the article, look for the shaded thought bubble on the right, click and it will take you to the Disqus(t).
Every one of these articles begs the questions: Hasn't Trump legitimately won the delegates that will put him over the top on the first ballot?
Even if they say, "Vote your conscience," won't the majority vote their conscience AND Trump on the first ballot?
Is this all just a bunch of drivel to to make happy George Will and that ilk?
If they vote their conscience AND Trump, will Will and that ilk come around?
Somehow I doubt it. Who are the ones with principles?
What good will all “the principles “ do under a Hillary presidency?!
Is electing Hillary Clinton part of the important conservative principles now?
“What ARE the core beliefs of the GOP?”
To elect Hillary Clinton president. Isn’t that obvious?
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