Posted on 04/29/2016 11:50:43 AM PDT by newgeezer
The sudden appearance of Donald Trump on the political horizon last year may have been surprising, but not nearly as surprising as seeing some conservatives supporting him.
Does Trump have conservative principles? Does he have any principles at all, other than promoting Donald Trump? A smorgasbord of political positions none of them indicating any serious thought about complicated issues is not a principle. Nor is cheering for himself and boasting about all the great things he is going to do as President.
Haven't we seen this movie before? Wasn't Barack Obama going to heal the racial divide, end the partisan bickering in Washington, have the most transparent administration ever, lower the cost of health care and let you keep your own doctor?
Had he actually done all those things, walking on water as an encore would have been an anti-climax. But instead, he did the opposite of all those things.
There was absolutely nothing in Obama's track record that should have led anyone to think that he would even try to do any of the things he declared he was going to do. But why spoil a great vision, and soaring rhetoric, by checking track records?
It was bad enough for the voters to make the colossal mistake of being taken in by appearances and ignoring realities. But to repeat that very same mistake with Trump, immediately after the Obama administration, is truly staggering. How many pied pipers are we going to follow off to parts unknown?
At this late date, there is no point itemizing the many things that demonstrate Trump's gross inadequacies for being President of the United States. Trump himself has demonstrated those gross inadequacies repeatedly, at least weekly and sometimes daily. Those who do not believe their own eyes and ears are certainly not going to believe any words of mine, or of anyone else.
What William James called "the will to believe" is still as powerful today as it was when he coined the phrase more than a century ago. But what is there about Donald Trump that taps into that powerful current of credulity?
The many betrayals of the voters by the Republican establishment, year after year, no doubt set the stage. And Trump is a great theatrical performer on any stage.
But is that enough? It has been enough politically to put some of the great demagogues of history in power, especially after the existing establishment has discredited itself.
The discredited Weimar Republic in Germany was vulnerable to the verbal attacks by Adolf Hitler that brought him to power. Now we know, too late, that Hitler turned out to be a bigger catastrophe for Germany and the world than the Weimar Republic.
Donald Trump is not an evil man like Hitler. But his headstrong shallowness and fecklessness make him a dangerous man to have in the White House, with our enemies around the world on the march, and developing intercontinental missiles that can deliver nuclear bombs.
A President of the United States has many heavy responsibilities beyond building a wall and fighting the Republican establishment.
Just the thought of Trump appointing justices of the Supreme Court, who will have lifetime tenure and make decisions, for decades, that will determine whether we will still be a free people, should sober up all who have not been irretrievably hypnotized by rhetoric or so embittered by the betrayals of the Republican establishment that they can see little else, including life and death issues.
For conservatives especially, there is finally a real choice for a change and a sharp contrast with Donald Trump. Senator Ted Cruz has a track record that leaves no doubt as to his adherence to conservative principles. And he is as thoroughly versed in the issues facing this country as anyone who has run for President since Ronald Reagan.
Has Senator Cruz been flawless? Certainly not, and this column has more than once pointed out some of those flaws. But he has both the principles and the intellect for the job. Given the alternatives Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton that should be more than enough this election year.
The outcome of this Tuesday's primaries may tell us whether the voters want to vent their feelings or to choose someone to lead the nation in a time of dangers, at home and abroad.
Funny how you couldn’t focus on the policies that are very Conservative.
No, you had to focus on a side issue, not even agreeing this platform if far superior to theirs.
Did the GOPe object to McCain or Romney? Why not?
Now they hate Trump?
None of this tells you anything?
How idiotic. You’re saying only erudite elites can be conservative.
You have no idea.
But, thank you for stating your misguided opinion, showing who you are, and for representing your kind.
I'm not going anywhere, a**wipe.
“Funny how you couldnt focus on the policies that are very Conservative.
No, you had to focus on a side issue, not even agreeing this platform if far superior to theirs.”
I didn’t comment on any issue, I commented on your short memory.
For some reason Dr. Sowell fails to mention the obvious in his rant against a Trump Presidency and that is: If by some miracle Trump gains the nomination without the support of the GOPe then beats Hillary in the election in November and arrives at the White House in January 2017, he will be the only member of our government within the belt-line who isn’t bought and paid for by a myriad of different special interest groups. Trump will find himself “In the Belly of the Beast” with no support within either the House or the Senate and will be, as Obama is now, with only the power of “The pen and the Phone.”
Sowells elitism drips from this article.
Ted Cruz is the selected, unique, properly-anointed elite Conservative.
Trumps common sense conservatism is easily beating the snob conservatism of these two clowns
_________________________
Very well said.
The Sowell brand of conservatives are losing and failing and have done so for the last 2 decades. These people are such snobs. They simply cannot win outside of their conservative safe zones.
What would make the likes of Sowell, Limbaugh or Levin much more credible is if they ran for office and showed us how their principles lead them to victories.
The thing is they will never do this because the gravy train is too good inside the conservative safe zone plus they do not know how to win!
Look what they’ve done to my song, Ma.
Donald Trump is a con man who knows how to get people who refuse to do any research to become emotionally attached to him. Why be a conservative, when you can be a rube following a progressive open liar?
Conservatives For Trump? Absolutely: Trump: Metaphor For American Conservatism.
True.
But NONE of our damn 'elites' put up half the fight against Obama that they've putting up against Trump.
The 800 'elites' who run the GOP should form their own party. We've been propping them up for years AND for NOTHING. I'm sooooo impressed they have pure well thought out 'conservative ideas' while my county is destroyed by hoards of illegals flooding across the borders. I'm soooooo impressed by how well they speak when the county is broke and devolving into a third world hellhole.
Let them form their own party - without us behind them the 'elites' won't be able to elect a city councilman.
The MSM loves to push for Trump because:
1.) If he’s nominated, Evita can beat him and that is likely
2.) If he’s nominated (even if he ain’t) it is disaster for the GOP
You are a smart person. How can you support a progressive conman openly lying to you?
Ils ont changé ma chanson
So the future of the Republican Party is in the Trump ranks. The day of the evangelical is over. American millennials (now the largest demographic group) are secular and evangelicals don't vote anyway. Populism/patriotism is their calling card. The question is then how do conservatism and populism merge and what does that look like?
I started as a huge Cruz supporter, but became seriously disenchanted when he backed BLM over Trump.
I’m still not crazy about Trump the person, and see him as a weak candidate in the general election, but the primary is is over.
Trump won it fair and square. He is our nominee, and he has my full support.
Articles like this from Dr. Sowell are not helpful at all. They only bolster the Clinton campaign at this point
My memory is plenty long enough to remember that we settled in behind far worse men that Donald Trump.
Evidently you’re the one with a memory problem.
Do you remember the GOPe coming out against these men?
Now prepare for Sowell to be trashed for not falling in line and daring to express doubts about Trump.
>>> Tuesday has come and (cruz is) gone!
In Dr. Sowell’s own words, he has already made his judgment on those who supported Trump and not Cruz, that they are just immature babies venting their feelings.
And thus another FReeper commented about his whole academia background and elitism showing through.
And yet it was still enough to convince people to give him another chance. Me thinks Tom wants a contested convention to get his (real conservative)guy in only to be obliterated by the Beast.
I would accept that as a fair characterization of why this former Cruz guy is now in Trump's camp.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.