It may surprise you but I do have a lot of concerns about Mr. Trump. One major one is that he has no idea how difficult, complex and frustrating it is to try to get anything done in Washington. The world of politics is vastly different from the world of business. I’m not convinced he see’s just how much of a challenge this is going to be. He makes things sound way too easy and that really concerns me. And I’m not sure he has yet grasped many of the complexities he’s going to have to deal with. At least there’s not much evidence of that to date. I could list other concerns but that’s my biggest one.
One issue he does seem to fully grasp however is the significance and importance of unchecked immigration. I see this as an existential issue facing the country. Our culture and social fabric are being pushed to the brink by the invasion of illegals. Mr. Trump seems to have the strongest convictions about fixing this massive problem. He may not be able to fix every aspect of it, but he’s not afraid to tackle it head on.
He also eschews political correctness and, unlike most politicians, is not afraid to speak openly about his views. Again, PC is another issue that is eroding our society in very corrosive ways. It is paralyzing our country and we need a breath of fresh air.
Yes, Trump’s supporters can be emotional and defensive. But many Cruz supporters are also in denial about their candidate. In my opinion, he can’t beat Hillary. But if he did, I would be much happier to have him as president than her, that’s for sure.
Well, that worked out to be a reasonable discussion in the end.
The things you mention that you most like about Trump are also the things I do like about him - immigration, a rejection of political correctness and I will add an ability to reject media narratives.
My concern is that Trump is not what he says he is. I look at his track record and I guess I just see someone saying whatever he thinks he has to say at this moment in time. Additionally there are just too many areas he is more in agreement with Sanders than in tune with conservative ideas. Rebuilding our infrastructure for one. That is simply code for massive stimulus programs. Didn’t we oppose that when Obama was pushing it? Now suddenly it’s a good idea? Protectionism rather than reforming OUR laws to make us more competitive is another. I also don’t like this view he has that our armed forces are some sort of mercenary army that people should be paying for. It is almost as if he has no idea history, how we arrived at protecting some of these nations, why we do it, what we gain from it. It just strikes me that he is looking at everything as a static, zero sum, tit for tat. That just isn’t how the world works. It also concerns me that Trump seems to have an affinity for people like Putin. I really do think he admires the strong man type and that is not the kind of leader I believe our democratic republic needs. And the list goes on.
I do applaud some of what Trump says and does, I just wish I could believe any of it. I really do think that most Trump and Cruz people are talking past each other. We seem to have been able to bridge that gap pretty easily, but I just feel that way with most Trump people. And to be fair, I guess a lot of Trump people view Cruz supporters the same way. I do think it is fair to say though that the two sides really are, for the most part anyway, talking past each other to such an extent that I wonder how they will ever reconcile. I suppose most will, I hope so anyway, but this is a pretty deep divide we are dealing with right now.
Anyway, cheers and thanks for your comments. You make some good points and I will keep an eye out for your posts in the future.