Has FreeRepublic Jumped The Shark With Trump?

2/14/16 | OV

[OneVike]

I have been a member of FreeRepublic since February 1998, and in all my years I have ever seen so many Freepers support, and defend such a leftist candidate as Donald Trump. In the old days, any candidate that spouted the rhetoric coming out of his mouth would have been received with unanimous hatred from Freepers.

Mitt Romney was met with scorn when he claimed to have changed and was more conservative than his record showed. However, The Donald says the same thing and he is allowed to wear his liberal record as badge of honor, because he has been born again. Never mind that his fruit smells like Skubala. Any Republican candidate in the past who supported partial birth abortion was considered dead on arrival with 99.9% of Freepers. Yet a vast number of Freepers today look at Trump's defense of PP, and attack the candidate who dares to bring it up at a debate.

Thinking I have stumbled in some black hole of Bizzaro World, I decided to spend most the night, after the debate yesterday, researching past posts and comments of many Freepers who support Trump. I must admit that I wasn't too shocked to see that not all, but the vast majority, of his supporters have joined FR within the last 8 years. However I pretty much only searched the opinions of his most ardent supporters.

Interestingly enough, the ones I researched, all demanded that both Houses of Congress go after Planned Parenthood for selling baby parts. Many of them even demanded that the House use their power of the purse to defund PP. Yet these very same individuals defend, and make excuse for Trump's defense of said abortion factory, or at least claim it's bothersome but will still support him. These same individuals, however, were demanding McConnell resign for failing to pass legislation in the senate defunding PP. I did similar searches on their opinions of various other topics that Trump defends which would normally be cause of revulsion from these supporters had it been any other politician.

Well, I must admit that I am rather stunned by the way they have so easily changed their stances.

Who would have known that those who accused Jimmy Carter of never meeting a dictator and communist he didn't like, would now tout that his endorsement of Trump is not Trumps problem, and some even claim it will help him with Democrat voters in November. So we are now to welcome a politician that will get votes from leftists?

I thought the idea was to win them over to conservatism, not to abandon our beliefs just to get them to vote for our guy. So when will Freepers decide we need to change our stances on topics like "Black Lives Matter" to get more blacks to vote for our guy, or maybe we can find a good Muslim candidate who has made billions and talks a good game. Hey, so what if he may support Sharia law, just think of all those Muslim votes we can get from refugees Obama shipped in and we could actually own Dearborn Michigan. There has got to be some great female politicians who support PP that we could get behind, After all, we do have a problem with the female vote, right?

Yea, I'm just an old timer with old time values from the days when The Donald was still giving money to the Clintons and laughing at Republicans for making such a big deal over BJs in the Oval Office. Yup, just a geezer who remembers the wall of separation set up by Jamie Gorelick to keep Clinton from being prosecuted over Witewater which led to the attack on 9/11.

I guess I'm a conspiracy believer who thinks 9/11 was Clinton's fault, not GW's, and that the Weapons of Mass Destruction the NY Times finally admitted existed were originally sold to the public by the Clinton's to help get the Democrats on board for the war on Iraq.

Those were the good old days when we used to rip apart fake politicians for trying too hard to fit into our club, instead of ripping the messengers for noticing a fake when we see one.

Yea, that was before FreeRepublic jumped the Shark.

[itsahoot]

Immigration will absolutely irrevocably destroy the Constitution and the Republic, it is the only issue for me. The Constitution will become asswipe when the electorate is made up of socialist/communists and we are very close to that now. Judging by Sanders rallies we are probably much closer than anyone will admit.

[conservativejoy]

You must live in a neat place. The neatest thing I see here are eagles. We have some nesting on our farm which adjoins the wetlands.

It does help to get out and spend some time with our pets. My little beagle, Jethro, is an angel. He always lifts my spirits.

Have a better day and Keep the Faith!

[Freedom56v2]

Get over yourself. You are not important. never even checked yours.

besides, it was a fairly easy thing to do.

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Those were the good old days when we used to rip apart fake politicians for trying too hard to fit into our club, instead of ripping the messengers for noticing a fake when we see one.

Yea, that was before FreeRepublic jumped the Shark.

No flame retardant suit needed for the burning arrows I expect, because my faith is in Christ. The One who doesn’t take kindly to those who defend Planned parenthood defenders.

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LOL Get over MYself?!?!? I am not the one putting out the thread...I am not deeming myself and my opinion so important to put out a vanity on the state of Free Republic and point out how long I have been here, judge those who don’t support Cruz, etc.

It was not whether or not you went through my posting history— didn’t think you did as I don’t fit your profile—not the most vitriolic of Trump supporters, been here over 15 years—Of course it is not difficult to search a posting history...I didn’t say it was—I said it was CREEPY that you spent the whole night? searching people’s histories? Creepy! But hey, it’s OK, because as you stated on this very thread among other things, Cruz is the “right” candidate.

Guess I should not be surprised as the Cruz campaign is using some of same software Obama campaign used and employing cutting-edge tracking technology to track people’s cell phone movement in the polls and sending out creepy mailers. But that is OK because Cruz is the “right” candidate.

You note very boldly that you are a Christian—I don’t find your comments to me and others on this thread the type of comments I would receive from a fellow Christian to my face—ah the cloak of anonymity...Whatever—I won’t judge—that is for God.

However, I don’t appreciate the inference that if I don’t support Cruz, I am not a Christian or not conservative. It is because I am a Christian and a conservative that I have some real concerns about Ted Cruz (based on my research regarding his version of Christianity, his stand on H-1B visas and immigration, his funding, etc., his recent actions—and that’s just for starters)—I did not vote for Jimmy Carter just because he is a Christian, and I won’t vote for Cruz just because of his faith.

Supposedly we are all on the same page—denying Hillary or Bernie the election win....but some Cruz supporters are spending hundreds of hours attacking Trump, the front runner. But hey, it’s OK, Cruz is the “right” candidate. It’s a real shame because liberty is being lost daily in this country while Cruz and Trump supporters pick at each other.

I find it interesting and ironic that BOTH Trump and Cruz supporters feel they are being attacked and harassed. Intolerance does not seem to be limited to one group. I have appreciated FR so much because we USED to tolerate debate and discussion. A Freeper could have reasoned debate and disagreement with another Freeper. Oh, it could get heated, but there weren’t “right” candidates that justify anything.

I may be in a minority because I find your behavior creepy, and your comments insulting, and have concerns about Cruz. But so far there is no litmus test for Free Republic...However, from this thread, I get the feeling you are one of the Cruz supporters who would like a tyranny of the majority—to ban all threads and Freepers who don’t support Cruz in the name of supporting the “RIGHT” candidate. Sorry I don’t march in lock-step.

I suggest it is YOU who needs to get over YOURSELF!

[Freedom56v2]

The nastiness is pervasive across this site. I’ve been a member of FR quite a while now and it does get a bit heated around the elections, but what I’ve seen now is beyond reason for Free Republic.

Trump AND Cruz are splitting the conservative base.

I wish we could all take a step back and observe what all this vitriol between us is actually doing. It isn’t good.

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No it is not good—I just posted a comment stating that we are losing Liberty daily, and yet there is constant warring between the factions. And it is nasty.

And I am sure some will disagree, but I am very concerned about anyone deeming one candidate, and only one, the “right” candidate...IMHO, there may be a better candidate...but as a Christian, I actually have concerns over BOTH candidates—but Cruz more than Trump.

My spouse has noticed the vitriol on morning talk radio drive shows too—not sure how things will turn out—I just hope Hillary or Bernie don’t win :(

[EBH]

It is the loss of the ability to discuss candidates that isn’t good.

For the record, the umpteenth time...I do not support Trump, but at first liked his bombasticness because it opened the window to let some fresh cold air in. He demonstrated how to handle the media cycle, how to handle the press, the republicans watching him could learn a lot about marketing. BUT...as much as I like Cruz and Rubio, the NBC battle occurs with them and man-o-man, they need to be Trump-like to handle it against the Democrat machine. Those that are left are not great candidates.

If you look on my homepage there is an interesting Bible verse. It deals with the full measure of sin for Nations. I somehow don’t think we are going to get a wise leader for quite a while. The nation is desperate.

It is this desperateness that is driving this nastiness. If we’d only turn back to God, let him still our hearts and minds, the emotion of choice would give way to wisdom.

I’d have to go back through my posts of months...but I knew Trump would split the base.

[Freedom56v2]

It is the loss of the ability to discuss candidates that isn’t good.

For the record, the umpteenth time...I do not support Trump, but at first liked his bombasticness because it opened the window to let some fresh cold air in. He demonstrated how to handle the media cycle, how to handle the press, the republicans watching him could learn a lot about marketing. BUT...as much as I like Cruz and Rubio, the NBC battle occurs with them and man-o-man, they need to be Trump-like to handle it against the Democrat machine. Those that are left are not great candidates.

If you look on my homepage there is an interesting Bible verse. It deals with the full measure of sin for Nations. I somehow don’t think we are going to get a wise leader for quite a while. The nation is desperate.

It is this desperateness that is driving this nastiness. If we’d only turn back to God, let him still our hearts and minds, the emotion of choice would give way to wisdom.

I’d have to go back through my posts of months...but I knew Trump would split the base.

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Oh, if you want to support Cruz, fine. (You may be on dangerous ground supporting Rubio tho—incoming from both sides). However, you have your reasons for it, just like I have my reasons for not supporting Cruz. And, we can disagree over who is splitting the base, and who is the best candidate.

I am not going to call you names or question your faith or right to be here—that is what has changed.

I just don’t like being impugned for not agreeing with some of the more strident Cruz supporters who act like “religious brown-shirts” to anyone who does not support Cruz. Seriously, calling fellow Freepers Demons? Antichrist? Telling them they are hell-bound?

It is waaay over the top!

Seriously, it needs to stop.

[OneVike]

God says little if anything about abortion in the scriptures

So I'll put you in the column of false Christians who believe God does not consider abortion a sin.

[DeoVindiceSicSemperTyrannis]

I don’t have a problem with reading comprehension. I’m right with you. I didn’t like Romney either. He was and is a Rino and I only held my nose to vote for him against Obama. He was not a candidate I could get excited about. Neither was McCain. He was also a loser that I had to hold my nose to vote for. It was more of a vote against Obama than a vote for Kerry or McCain. I agree with you that a lot of people on here are being very inconsistent in their stand on principles but I’m not one of them. :-)

[OneVike]

I share your consternation The Bible speaks of a strong delusion o the end times I wonder if it is beginning

It is a scary thought, especially when you add in what Paul warned Timothy of about Christians hiring teachers that will scratch their itchy ears. I take that and project it to politics as well. Especially since, until the US became a country, no one ever had the chance vote for their leaders.

It happened in ancient Greece when their were still City states, but they were abolished when Alexanders father united Greece. Citizens electing their leaders never happened again until our founding Fathers gave us that right.

Now, instead of electing good leaders, we elect people who do the best job of scratching our itchy ears.

Funny thing about itchy ears, it's a sign of a problem, and scratching them is only a temporary fix until the cure comes. Trump is a quack, he scratches our itch without telling us how he will permanently fix that itch.

[OneVike]

There are strip joints in his casinos. You know when I was a young man I has been around a few high class strip joints, and the biggest shock I had was when i realized that the vast majority of the women sold more than a look at heir breasts.

Be blind and be stupid if you like, but Donald owns strip joints where men and women to strip in front of men and women while they gamble on poker machines at the tables they watch from.

That my friend is selling flesh for a profit.

So, we will have a President who sold flesh, and w rst lady who made money posing nude for publications.

Just what we need, another Clinton administration.

[AuntB]

I DON’T CARE. I’ll take sins of the ‘flesh’ every day over some lying lawyer con man like Ted Cruz or Marco Rubio. You dig around like your ‘example’ on any one and you’ll find something you don’t like. Fact. Donald Trump is the only one not owned by K St. Haven’t you had enough of that??? Only the ones profiting from it have a problem with Trump.

[OneVike]

If we continue down the road that only those who can afford to run run, then do not be shocked if George Soros runs some day, or any of a number of other billionaires who are so evil they make Clinton look tame.

So, no it does not bother me that politicians need money to run, that is how poor people egt involved in politics. Not all are bad, just like not all teachers and not all policemen are bad.

Cruz is a good guy who has faith in Christ. Is he perfect? hell no, but he isn’t making money of people who gamble and strip naked for those gambling like Trump does.

[DrewsMum]

Yes, it did. Because the veil was lifted on what the bill was really about. Guess why?

CRUZ!

[Read Write Repeat]

You’re saying the Senate passing the bill means Cruz should stay in the Senate.

[Lucky9teen]

God bless you brother! I second all that you’ve so eloquently said. :)

[Lucky9teen]

Wow, I just read the first page of this thread, and noticed how immediately people jumped all over you, and started attacking Cruz, yet not once did you even mention him, or even refer to him in your initial post.

You simply stated your disbelief of how people can support a candidate that is truly not conservative, and how much different Free Republic is now, than past elections.

Just amazing that the Trump supporters, would automatically equate that to you being a supporter of Cruz or that Cruz is the reason for the things you said, when you implied neither.

For all I know, you support Rubio or even Kasich. Doubtful...but still...to not only assume who you support, start attacking you on that assumption, start attacking Cruz, on that assumption and not even address ANY of the issues you brought up....makes you wonder who we are dealing with here at FR, anymore.

Granted, there are a lot of really great FReepers. But there is quite a few, who aren’t very nice. And there’s no reason for it, IMO. If they want to support Trump, that’s fine. Everyone is entitled to their opinion. But if someone disagrees with you, and you can’t discuss/debate why in a polite, civil manner, than move on. That’s what I do anyway. I mean, I know it’s easy to say all sorts of rude obnoxious things, when one is sitting behind a computer screen, anonymous, but I try very hard to think, what would I say, if this person were in front of me, in person? Can we disagree? Sure. Heck, my neighbor loves Trump. And we politely disagree and discuss it...but we don’t call each other names and hurl insults at the other.

What has FR become? /rant off

[Lucky9teen]

According to Trump's most recent financial disclosures, he has hundreds of millions of dollars in loans from virtually every bank on Wall Street. Here is a copy of the form.

As you can see, Trump is in hock to a veritable who's who of Wall Street banks, as one would probably expect of a person who makes a good portion of his living doing New York City real estate deals. The bare minimum amount displayed here is at least $250 million in loans, although of course it is probably much, much more than that. Trump has four loans listed here that are "over $50 million" and of course, those might go all the way up to a billion each or beyond.

Now, no one knows how much Trump is worth, and his own word is definitely not to be believed on that subject, but it is clear that some very significant amount of it is tied up as collateral for these loans. Nor would it really matter if Trump announced he were going to pay these all back tomorrow, at least by his standard.

I would frankly be surprised if someone of Trump's business profile has not at one time had an enormous outstanding loan from every bank of any decent size in the country, in fact.

If Ted Cruz is owned by Goldman Sachs and Citibank because they once gave him a $1 million loan (even though it is completely or mostly paid back), then Donald Trump is definitely owned by not only Citibank and Goldman Sachs, but also by every name on this list.

If America can't trust Ted Cruz to protect them from Goldman and Citibank (although why any of us need protecting from Citibank, I do not know), then how can anyone in America trust Donald Trump to protect them from literally every bank?

As for Goldman Sachs, Trump is himself a shareholder in Goldman Sachs, which means he has a direct financial interest in its success. One would think that would make Trump even less enthusiastic about protecting me from Goldman Sachs (whatever that means) than Cruz would.

[Lucky9teen]

[OneVike]

Yes, as I said in my post, Romney was treated like dirt, and Trump's history proves he is more leftist than Romney was. Yet, they refer to Trump as if he is more of a conservative than Ronald Reagan was. Hell, I heard Trump even claim to be more conservative than Reagan.

Then last night at the debate Trump was trying to defend his leftist leaning by saying Reagan was once a liberal Democrat.

First off, Reagan was a conservative Democrat, and he left the Democrat party 30 years before he ran for President. Hell, he supported Goldwater in "64", and once Reagan left the Democrat party, he never supported any Democrat, let alone donate to them.

Trump was financially supporting the most liberal Democrats as recent as 2012. So how The Donald himself can claim, or even his supporters, that he is like Renaldo Maximus is beyond me.

Now I do not believe that Trump is "The" or even "A Type" of an anti-Christ, but the way I see so many blindly (and I should add deafly) follow and support him, it does tell us about the times we are in.

Paul warned us in 2Thessalonians 2:9-11 about the times we live in when he wrote;

The coming of the lawless one is according to the working of Satan, with all power, signs, and lying wonders, and with all unrighteous deception among those who perish, because they did not receive the love of the truth, that they might be saved. And for this reason God will send them strong delusion, that they should believe the lie,

It really points out how the coming of the lawless one will be able to fool so many people. We had those on the left get fooled by Obama, now we see so many on the right doing the same thing with Trump.

Sad, because God handed us the perfect chance to correct many things that have gotten out of hand, but with the Republican Establishment leadership refusing to see and hear the anger of the voters, they are handing this election to the wrong person on a silver platter.

Come November in the General election, if my candidate did not win the primary, I always voted for the Devil I knew (a RINO Republican), rather than the Devil I don't know (the Democrat). I never thought I would have to possibly vote for the Devil I don't know (Trump), over the Devil I know (Hillary).

Strange times we live in, and I fear these times have just begun. God help us if The Donald turns out to be another Obama in disguise.

[OneVike]

Thanks.