Posted on 02/28/2016 6:00:35 AM PST by Kaslin
There he was, stripped bare and standing in the middle of the debate stage. Donald Trump was eviscerated in Thursday's debate. Marco Rubio and Ted Cruz took turns pummeling the founder of Trump University with his own words, his own history, and delivering body blow after body blow.
It was more than enough to convince any thinking person he was not a serious candidate for president. But Trump isn't your typical presidential candidate. He's Barack Obama-light, in every sense of the term.
What does Donald Trump stand for? What will he do if elected? What core conservative principle will he advance?
If you're being honest, the answer to each of those questions is you have no idea.
Don't feel bad, neither does he.
That's not entirely true. He was fairly unambiguous about one thing he'd like to do: change the law so he can sue newspapers. When it comes to solutions to the nation's problems, Donald Trump is the equivalent of a constitutional dumpster fire; and that's just fine to his worshipers.
The day after being embarrassed in front of the world, in part because of the lack of specifics he's provided as to what he would do as president, Trump held a press conference to get specific - or at least specific-ish - about this proposal. He said:
"One of the things I'm going to do, and this is going to make it tougher for me...but one of the things I'm going to do if I win...is I'm going to open up our libel laws so when they write purposely negative and horrible and false articles, we can sue them and win lots of money. We're going to open up those libel laws. So that when the New York Times writes a hit piece, which is a total disgrace, or when the Washington Post, which is there for other reasons, writes a hit piece, we can sue them and win money instead of having no chance of winning because they're totally protected."
By the way, the reason "they're totally protected" right now is the First Amendment, that whole "Congress shall make no law" bit about freedom of the press. But who cares? Right, Trump fans?
It's the same stifling of speech outraging conservatives on college campuses; only it's Trump advancing it. If it's fascism when a student group proposes it, what is it when a billionaire does?
His supporters don't bother with strings of words ending in question marks. Their kryptonite is a simple "How?" or the dreaded "What?"
What does Donald Trump want to do as president? There is no answer yet articulated that wouldn't fit nicely on a bumper sticker. He wants to "make American great again," or "build a wall," or "destroy ISIS," etc., etc. How?
He has no answer. He makes proclamations like a dime store Juan Perón. Only he has no clue how a president must work with Congress to create or change laws. Trump supporters appear content to adopt the Barack Obama model of rule by executive fiat. They don't mind a despot as long as he's their despot.
Trump's "specifics," such as they are, about his signature talking point is a wall that grows by 10 feet each time Mexican officials say they won't pay for it. It's at least 30 feet higher than when it started, but we're no closer to learning how it will be paid for. It just will be...apparently.
Cheerleaders aren't even bothered by the fact that on his signature issue, immigration, he's imported workers rather than hire Americans. His claim of it being "impossible" to find Americans to do his jobs is right out of the liberal playbook of "jobs Americans won't do" for illegal aliens.
His supporters don't give a damn about his hypocrisy any more than Hillary Clinton's, Barack Obama's or Al Gore's do.
They love he's "self-funding" his campaign because he "can't be bought." Do they think that will hold? A general election will cost at least $1 billion. Will Donald Trump mortgage his business on the possibility that, after alienating more than half the GOP, he'll win?
He doesn't have a billion in cash lying around. Since he's hiding his tax returns, most likely because he's not nearly as rich as he claims (he's sued over that before and lost), there's little chance he'd be able to fund a tenth of a general election campaign.
He's gotten this far through free media. Sure, he's spent a few million once he absolutely had to, but the majority of his exposure comes from the cable networks taking every speech of his live, allowing him to phone in whenever he wants and being willing to broadcast any sycophant wannabe Trump staffer representing him unchallenged. Against Hillary Clinton that ends. He will need money, money he doesn't have.
He does have rich friends, and those friends would love to have a friend in the White House. And not because they'd find it "cool" to sleep in the Lincoln bedroom.
When Rubio and Cruz exposed Donald Trump's inability to explain what he'd do, and how, on any issue beyond his memorized bumper stickers, they did the country a great service. Unfortunately, blinded by anger and hatred, his devotees refuse to see their emperor has no clothes, nor clue.
There is no issue on which you can find Donald Trump speaking eloquently, passionately, and with any detail that doesn't involve his poll numbers or his wealth. We have only his word to go on about his wealth, and his word has not always been accurate. That people are willing to believe him, unchallenged, and take offense when others do challenge him, is the mentality that has led to dark places in world history.
Scapegoating is a powerful weapon of manipulation, and Trump deploys it better than anyone in 80+ years. His followers want to "burn it all down," so they're willing to blindly follow a pied piper down a very dangerous path. If they refuse to open their eyes, the dumpster fire they're franticly cheering will burn them down eventually too.
PS: I urge you to watch this video, any part of it, and try to spot a coherent or even complete sentence from Trump. It's the ramblings of a man unhinged and incapable of serious or important discussion of any issue facing the country. It may make you laugh, but does it inspire? Is it remotely presidential?
The truth isn’t found in one liners. The truth is far more complex than that. I support Donald Trump for a myriad of reasons, just as I do not support either of the Cubans for a myriad of reasons.
WAKE UP!!!
Derek Hunter is Media.
Media try to be anonymous cockroaches. One of the biggest reasons for Free Republic is to expose the nasty historical droppings left by Media cockroaches like Derek Hunter and Charles C. W. Cooke.
Now, we have a start with young Derek. "Election blogging" for The New York Daily News? OMG! The NYDN was the home of the vile "journalist" Lars-Erik Nelson, who arced out during the Sore-Loserman recounts in 2000. Of course, more NYDN cockroaches moved up to fill the vacancy, as we can see from the current NYDN Trump "coverage".
BTW - I don't need a lecture from some n00b who doesn't know anything about FR's Media mission. :)
If they suddenly wanted to build a wall I would say they are lying. Do you not remember when McCain shouted.... If the want an ffing wall we will build an ffing wall. The Senate quickly appropriated the money until after the election then they pulled the money out of the budget.
America is in the ER... not breathing... unconscious... no heartbeat.
I care about one thing... getting the heart beating and getting oxogen to the brain.
Tell me why that’s wrong.
But most here any more don't want the TRUTH....they want hype and emotion now..
You are correct. People who are concerned that Trump is no less dangerous than Hillary or Bernie just need to sit back and let Trump tell it like it is: "We won with poorly educated........I LOVE the poorly educated."
I just BET you do, Mr "all hat...no cattle".
“Most of us on here have railed against teleprompter speaking.
Apparently, many here prefer that.”
I assume that means you are for Cruz, who doesn’t use a teleprompter at all.
Ouch !
The Trump bot never reads an article. It only comments with an ridiculous animation about the publisher (Townhall.com, not the subject of the op-ed by the author, Derek Hunter
Ann Coulter was a big-time Romney supporter too, yet everybody now thinks she’s great because she supports the Donald.
You guys must have whiplash.
America has got a gumption and confidence problem right now.
The last time someone tried to address this square-on, it was the cowboy Ronald Reagan. It worked for a while.
Trump is no cowboy, but he is a redneck rassler. His yeehaws are going to sound different, even confusing to many.
Trump will prove to be as much a stop gap as Reagan, however, unless America picks up a constructive gospel vibe again. A Christian faith that actually looks like Jesus walks again. Which He’s more than glad to do, but we have to take the “no Jesus allowed” signs down — not in Caesar’s streets, but the streets of our own hearts.
Can I gently prevail on you folks that maybe sometimes it is the right season for “hype and emotion”?
America needs the equivalent of an Adderall at this point. And Donald Trump is it.
“”you have allowed yourself to become so biased in the belief that you are so smart and others are so stupid, that your viewpoint is valid and the viewpoints of others are illegitimate.””
There’s more than just a little projection going on in your post. Judgments about a single person can be made on points other than believing one knows better than the other person. I don’t see it as believing oneself to be “smart” or “stupid”. I see a person who can retract on Monday what he said on Tuesday and try to make out the person who says otherwise a liar... I see a person with qualities (?) I wouldn’t seek out in a friend and if a friend exhibited them, I would end the friendship. I want friends whose word I can trust.
My math for trump.
In 2012 Rominey got 206EV he need 270EV to Win.
I think Trump unless the RUPe loses their mind and votes hillary can flip these states from Dem to Rup.
Florida 29, Iowa 6, New Hampshire 4, Ohio 18, Virginia 13, Wisconsin 10.
Thats 80EV giving Trump the POTUS
I would love to see the math how Cruz or Rubio get to 270EV.
The wall is a good step forward but it won't solve the problem.
As long as there is no penalty for crossing they will continue to come. Imagine that we would allow any bank robber, that successfully robbed a bank, to not only keep the money but we refused to even punish him.
Just note........most of what Trump says involves personal attacks on physical appearance.......he lost me when he publicly attacked Fiorina’s face. It had to have been hurtful and humiliating and IT SERVED NO PURPOSE, NONE. So any of the crass behavior after that has not been surprising.
His position changed on abortion only after the potentially aborted eight year old turned out to be “a superstar”. Thank God he wasn’t just average, his reprieve from abortion wouldn’t have been worth it.
I have NEVER used this description but I will now. Trump”s need of beauty, and perfection is way to HItleresque for me.
No. I support Trump.
Are you a leader in any area of your life that has required you to change your position? Did you ever completely change the focus of your life?
Do you think that you are a better person, more suitable for Heaven, because you would not ever dare say 'piece of ass'?
Do you think if Trump had in fact repented or come to see past actions as not positive or wrong or harmful - even unGodly, that he would share that with you or the media?
I'm not name calling here: You strike me as a sort of sanctimonious person, self righteous. It's probably a template that gets applied to everything, including the people around you. My father was a so called very 'moral' man, but ultimately, morals are not the same as life. To make progress, even and perhaps in particular, spiritual progress, you have to make mistakes by being who you are, see your mistakes, change, re-evaluate. You can't just take Mr. Rogers interpretation of someone else's interpretation of someone who says they wrote down exactly what God said to do.
I like Cruz, a lot. I support Trump because I think he'd be more effective.
But have you seen Cruz's absolutely dishonest out-takes from his political commercials? Do you think he LIKES to have to do that? He does it because he's a politician. I'm not taking Cruz to task for that.
In the world, you are faced with a choice: You can be morally perfect like you, and name-call the people who go out and make mistakes and don't write Mr. Rogers a personal letter of apology and contrition the instant they realize they now see an error in their previous ways ... or you can go out into the world and gloriously kick some ass, trust that God has made you good but imperfect, and when you make an error, fix it and fix yourself.
It's interesting - I saw a book listed on Amazon called 'Surviving the Perils of Success' ... I didn't even read the synopsis. But I wonder ... if you read that book, would you find, expressed positively, humbly and in lesson format to teach the next guy, rather than lecture him, some of the contrition you demand?
I get that Trump's not you kind of guy. But 'you're kind of guy' is usually a carbon copy of yourself, and that's an egotistical and prideful way to select a president. Not that I said 'way' ... I didn't say you should support Trump ... just look at the 'way' you've picked. Or not!
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