Posted on 04/23/2011 11:11:50 AM PDT by radpolis
I think it is a bad political strategy for conservatives to attack Donald Trump this early in the game. The conservative media, many conservative blogs, the liberal media and Freepers are going after Trump for his ideological inconsistencies.
The liberal media will use all its powers to destroy ANY GOP candidate for president. That is a given. They want Barack Obama re-elected, even if the entire country is collapsing around them and regardless if the GOP candidate was as spotless as Jesus Christ.
But, conservatives are going after Trump also.
This early in the game that is a bad strategy for us and here are the reasons:
Donald Trump, out of every GOP candidate out there, has the most power to do the most harm to Barack Obama and weaken him as a candidate for re-election.
Donald Trump doesn't fear the liberal media like the other candidates. He is willing to go every MSM media outlet and tell the truth about Barack Obama.
Donald Trump doesn't mince words about Obama and isn't afraid of the race card. Trump doesn't talk in weasley politico-speak like most of the others.
Donald Trump has the most power out of all the candidates to nip a Romney or Huckabee candidacy in the bud.
Donald Trump is willing to use his own money to go after Barack Obama and the liberals, saving conservatives hundreds of millions of dollars in campaign contributions and ads for media. I think we conservatives under-estimate the power of free media that we get with Donald Trump's attacks on Barack Obama and his policies.
Every time we conservatives attack Donald Trump that gives the liberal media sound bites to destroy Donald Trump and his message, which is to get Barack Obama out, and it gives ammunition for Romney and Huckabee to go after Trump in the early primaries and debates.
Donald Trump isn't beholden to any GOP establishment money or establishment players who would give us Romney, who really is no better than a McCain or Bob Dole when it comes to winning a general election.
With all that being said, conservatives have every right to criticize Donald Trump for his intellectual and ideological inconsistencies, and I would never in a million years want to censor anybody for their beliefs, but RIGHT NOW, Donald Trump just being out there with his message against Obama helps us in the long run, especially before the primaries begin.
We have almost a year until the primaries begin and having Donald Trump attacking Barack Obama day after day in the media doesn't hurt conservatives, but makes it more difficult for Obama to win.
Whatever one thinks of Trump, I think it is imperative that we have somebody on our side who is willing to take the fight to other side and fight hard and point out the weaknesses, incompetence and their destruction of the US.
I am not a Trump true believer and welcome debate on this issue and would like to hear from people about the holes in my argument and their concerns.
The only one out of the three Tea Party Candidates who would have drawing power is West.
JMHO
You pose the correct question. Everybody that thought Obama would usher in RWR is a fool.
At some point, like it or not, we and the establishment are ging to have to abandon our feud unless we want another four years of the Illegal. That being the case, Christie and Perry are our best potential choices.
Now she’s a Trump you can get behind!
Exactly...
I left the Republican party when they nominated McKeating5 McCain...
Look... I understand your frustration; I have it, too. But let’s face facts:
1) given the shallow and uninformed electorate we have right now, any GOP president is going to trigger an eventual backlash in the liberal direction. This means, among other things, that we need someone who is going to dig in on conservative principles and act on them while we still have time; the mere fact that Trump is *currently* sounding “gung-ho” about some conservative-sounding things (and telling his liberal critics to pound sand) tells me only that he’ll feel free to be equally “gung-ho” about whatever he likes, liberal or otherwise, in the future (while telling his conservative critics to go pound sand). If he’s not a committed conservative, then we can’t afford him... no matter how refreshing his boldness might feel at the moment.
2) Most of the things we like about Trump can be gained/done *without* handing him the Presidency! Trump has done an excellent job “dogging” Obama about his birth issues, and he’s brought plenty of intriguing financial ideas into the arena... neither of which has required the Presidential pulpit. Heck, make him Secretary of the Treasury, or Secretary of State, or something; but not president!
I'll take notice when Trump breaks the Left's teeth -- with his right foot.
HA!
The answer has nothing to do with Conservatism. Instead it all comes back to the Birth Certificate, the issue the Party Establishment refuses to deal with.
Trump has questionable Conservative credentials, yet Gov. Palin has excellent Conservative credentials and receives similar treatment from the establishment. Point being, anyone outside of the club is going to be attacked. They (the Establishment) seemingly would rather have Obama reelected versus a Republican outsider.
They can attack away at Trump, that's fine with me. But, if they force feed us another squishy Republican all the way to the nomination, I strongly believe there will be a major Third Party candidate.
I didn't start the feud. I'll be happy to see it end.
Palin, West, Bachmann, Cain.
The Republican establishment disgusts me... they had a golden opportunity to repeal Obamacare and everything else the Democrats did, but they passed last year’s Democrat budget the Democrats failed to pass...
With friends like that, I don’t need any friends...
No, of course you're not a Trump true believer. You just posted a thread defending a lifelong liberal on a staunch conservative political forum and now you want to debate the issue of Trump's politics. One problem. FR is not a liberal debate forum. I suggest you stop drinking the Trump kool-aid and get back on the conservative reservation, asap.
New tagline...
Pick your conservative again, just for the record.
Conservatives need to wake and realize that Trump is waking up voters by taking the fight to Obama, while the pipe smokers sit around and think.
Obama, Democrats, establishment RINOs and Trump, do any of them want to reduce the size, cost and intrusiveness of big government?
Do any of them pay any attention to the Constitution?
Do any of the talk about life and liberty?
Doesn't seem like it.
Flashes of brilliance is always welcome.
At least Trump is saying a lot of things the gelded metrosexuals in the GOP won’t say... and Sarah Palin is out there “fighting like a girl.”
(I think we should be more focused on taking a veto proof majority in both houses of Congress... The Supreme court and the presidency are virtually irrelevant at that point...)
No way I’ll vote for him, but if he wants to run his mouth, more power to him. :-)
My ground rules. Cain and Johnson are the only two Pubbies who’ve announced thus far. Other then liberals Trump, Romney and Giuliani, and the kooky Ron Paul, most any conservative will work for me.
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