Posted on 08/13/2015 6:40:24 PM PDT by Steelfish
How Long Will Trump’s Cathartic Candidacy for Fed-Up Conservatives Last?
by VICTOR DAVIS HANSON August 13, 2015 The coarser and cruder Donald Trump becomes, and the more ill-informed on the issues he sounds, the more he coasts in the polls. Apparently, a few of his targets must be regarded as unsympathetically as their defamer. Trump is rightly mocked for cynically spreading quid pro quo money around. But he quickly counters that his critics — from Hillary Clinton to his Republican rivals — have all asked him for such cash or for favors. Trump preps little. He has no real agenda.
And he makes stuff up as he goes along. For such a New York brawler, he has thin skin, smearing his critics, often in creepy fashion. How can a former Democrat, once a pro-choice, pro-amnesty liberal and a supporter of single-payer health care, remain the godhead of the conservative base for weeks on end? The answer is that Trump is a catharsis for 15 percent to 20 percent of the Republican electorate. They apparently like the broken china shop and appreciate the raging bull who runs amok in it. Politicians and the media are seen as corrupt and hypocritical, and the nihilistic Trump is a surrogate way of letting them take some heat for a change............
(Excerpt) Read more at nationalreview.com ...
Exactly. He genuinely loves his country and he thinks he can help as POTUS. I think that's why he is running.
Also, Trump is not just a talker, he is a real-world success. He can get things done. He INSISTS on getting things done. We are beyond fed up with ineffective Republican "leaders" who accomplish nothing and who cannot or will not defend consevative policies.
Trump has not been morally and intellectually paralyzed by political correctness disease. These days, that's a rare and valuable quality in a Republican politician. I prefer leaders who are not mentally paralyzed.
I have some qualms about Trump's non-conservative past, and I hope Cruz defeats him in the primary, but I basically like Trump. If Trump wins, he will be the best presidential candidate we have had in a long time.
DT isn’t the head of the conservative movement by a long shot. He is a populist with a conservative bent who might, just might, be able to parse together enough people across the political spectrum to get himself elected and actually be able to implement something remotely resembling conservatism.
The uniparty is going to hand us two menu choices:jebito or piaps. Or an indistinguishable clone of either. DT is actually challenging that, and has a chance of allowing us a different choice.
Is DT as conservative as Ted Cruz? No. But Ted Cruz is running anywhere between 5th and 7th in gop polls. Fair or not, he is just not connecting with people. If by some miracle he starts to get some traction, he will be the recipient of the same coordinated, vitriolic attacks that DT is. With neither the resources nor the decades of street smarts necessary to prevail. Summary: Ted Cruz will not be the gop nominee nor will he be President in 2017.
Again, the uniparty has a table set for us. And a menu with two names on it: jebito and piaps. Sadly, I don’t think that even DT will be able to prevail against the combined forces of the media, the government, and the uniparty. He has a chance, but not a great one.
Not really. We know most of the stuff about Trump. The liklihood they are going to be able to find something new is remote. And the liklihood it will stick is even more remote.
Trump is talking the correct policy.
He’s already got the democrats in a panics, because blacks, hispanics, and women all like him.
You do know he rates higher than any other GOP candidate with women, don’t you?
Trump’s winnability factor is much much higher than Cruz’s.
Cruz and lose, or Trump with Trump!!!
It took a little while but VDH finally got it.
If you had looked at the internals of the CNN poll that showed Trump leading in Iowa that was “trumpeted” around here, you would find what everybody else would seem to know. Trump amasses a huge “won’t vote for him under any circumstances,” and 15% gender difference with women. Now, that’s going to propel him into the WH! More like a helium balloon going up in flames.
Speaking of big picture. If we elect Cruz, the economy goes nowhere, because Cruz is a free trader. Cruz will be hamstrung to do anything else, because he will be budget strapped.
Cruz would cut off federal funding of abortion as will Trump. That’s about all we would get from Cruz.
Cruz might build a wall, but Trump would do it faster, cheaper and more effectively. Plus, he really will get Mexico to pay for it.
Cruz, as far as I can tell, doesn’t have much admin experience. Not in government or private industry. He’s got a little from is stints as Texas Attorney General, but it’s very narrowly focused.
Trump has a life-time of hiring, firing, weighing and measuring people in a large organization. Trump will hit the ground running, while Cruz is still trying to figure out how to interview.
And Trump’s dealt with government regulation from the other side. He can bring sense to it where Cruz however well he means is going to be handicapped.
Speaking of big picture. If we elect Cruz, the economy goes nowhere, because Cruz is a free trader. Cruz will be hamstrung to do anything else, because he will be budget strapped.
Cruz would cut off federal funding of abortion as will Trump. That’s about all we would get from Cruz.
Cruz might build a wall, but Trump would do it faster, cheaper and more effectively. Plus, he really will get Mexico to pay for it.
Cruz, as far as I can tell, doesn’t have much admin experience. Not in government or private industry. He’s got a little from is stints as Texas Attorney General, but it’s very narrowly focused.
Trump has a life-time of hiring, firing, weighing and measuring people in a large organization. Trump will hit the ground running, while Cruz is still trying to figure out how to interview.
And Trump’s dealt with government regulation from the other side. He can bring sense to it where Cruz however well he means is going to be handicapped.
The Market Consul poll had Trump at a 62% favorable, higher than any other candidate, and up 5% from the previous poll. Trump will win the others over.
Ditto that sparky. Quite the telling 180 by VDH.
Why is everyone freaking out then ?
Well, after seeing major Republicans be derailed and destroyed by simple few word misspeaks like “real rape” and “the forty-seven percent”, it is fun watching Trump bulldoze his way through “John McCain is not a war hero” and “Mexico doesn’t send us her best people” and keep right on going in spite of the mock outrage of the left....
Agrred , tired of globalism and our leaders curing the rest of the world while this country dry rots.
All hail Trump! Onward Liberal Soldiers!!!
"All hail Trump! Onward Liberal Soldiers!!!"
Now I'm confused.
With Trump there’s very little difference between a D or an R.
"With Trump there’s very little difference between a D or an R."
There’s very little difference between (D) and (R) period. Where does Trump enter the equation?
Still don't get what you mean by "liberal soldiers".
And I think the biggest dividing question at the moment is do we want libs and dems crossing over, or not?
Clue: we lose if they don't.
It sure sounds to me like a lot of people don't want them coming over. Because ... they *are* coming over right now and people seem to be losing their minds.
The only reason we lost the last election was because of the ‘true conservatives’ that sat home and refused to vote for Romney because he wasn’t a ‘true conservative’. They are the ones that caused us to live through the hell of a 2nd term of Obama. You are NEVER going to have a true conservative like Cruz run as the endorsed GOP candidate because the GOP won’t allow it and he doesn’t have the money or power to fight them. With the exception of a few people, the GOP is just as corrupt and bought as the dim party is. People just come out better under a capitalist system than a communist/socialist one. Look how the GOP has treated the TEA Party. They hate them and have undermined and disparaged them every chance they get. As far as I’m concerned, I had to get over the ‘real conservatives’ handing a second term to Obama so I guess the ‘real conservatives’ will have to get over it if Trump wins.
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.