And here’s what Ben Shapiro has to say about Donald Trump today:
The Magic of Donald Trump
By Ben Shapiro · Wednesday, April 13, 2011
For well over a year, I, along with the rest of the conservative base in America, have lamented the lack of decent possible Republican presidential candidates. Despite the fact that he has run the most incompetent administration in history, President Obama remains a solid bet for re-election in 2012. Obama’s frontrunner status springs from two crucial facts: first, by overexposing himself in the public eye, he has made himself larger than life; second, the Republican field is pathetically weak.
Mitt Romney has about as much charm as a Ziploc bag, and his support for Romneycare in Massachusetts should immediately put him out of the running. Though brilliant, Newt Gingrich is chameleonic and impossible to peg down to principle; therefore, he’s unacceptable to many primary voters. Sarah Palin is polarizing; Haley Barbour bears too strong a resemblance to Deputy Dawg; Mike Huckabee isn’t interested in running, and his religious background makes him a beloved target of the secular press; Tim Pawlenty makes Ben Stein seem colorful.
The Republican field has not been this wide open since ... well, since 2008. Sadly, the intervening three years have not cleared up any questions.
If Republicans were to construct an ideal candidate, he would have to be rich beyond belief — Obama is going to raise $1 billion for his next election campaign, and no Republican candidate has the ability to come close to those numbers without deep pockets. The ideal Republican candidate would have significant name recognition with the general public — no Republican candidate has ever won the presidency without significant name recognition going into the primaries since Warren G. Harding in 1920. The ideal Republican candidate would have stage presence, an intimidation factor, and a willingness to play dirty.
In the last several weeks, that ideal Republican candidate has materialized.
His name is Donald Trump. His slogan is ready-made: “You’re Fired.” He does not give a damn what the media thinks of him — he steamrolled Meredith Vieira during his NBC interview with her last week. He can self-fund to the tune of $1 billion.
And what’s more, he can win.
Pay no attention to the recent polls showing Obama crushing Trump by 20 points in a head-to-head matchup. That disparity is attributable to the public perception that Trump is a loudmouth with no true interest in running. The moment he declares in earnest and gets on the campaign stump, his numbers will rise dramatically.
Trump has across-the-board appeal. His show, “The Apprentice,” routinely draws nearly 9 million viewers per episode. Blue-collar workers identify with Trump’s rough-and-tumble attitude. He even has union support — he’s made a political mint bashing outsourcing, and he recently told Human Events that he has made “many billions of dollars working with the unions,” though he does not disagree that public sector unions bilk taxpayers.
Trump’s image boils down to this: he’s a no-nonsense businessman who is brash enough to take on Obama directly. He’s big enough to stand toe-to-toe with Obama and slug it out.
The biggest question that surrounds Trump of late is his focus on the question of Obama’s birth certificate. Trump has stated routinely and openly that he wonders whether Obama was born in the United States, and he has called on Obama to release his birth certificate. This has earned him the ire and scorn of Obama’s lackeys, who say he has “zero chance” of getting elected.
In reality, the birth certificate issue is specifically geared toward certain political ends for Trump. First, it is obviously calculated to attract the most anti-Obama segment of the conservative base — and it has already succeeded, if primary polling is any indicator. Second, it is designed to force Obama into defending his character — Trump has already suggested that at best, Obama refuses to come clean with the American people. Finally, it shows Obama that if Trump is nominated, the campaign will not be a McCain-style hands-off lovefest. It will be a knockdown drag-out brawl. Trump will stop emphasizing the birth certificate issue, to be sure, but not until he’s milked it for all it is worth.
Is Donald Trump the best Republican candidate for president out there? It would be tough to argue otherwise. He’s got all the makings of a breakout star; he’s got bravado and the cash to back it up. If he really runs, he won’t have any trouble finding supporters. And as he puts it, he is the Obama administration’s “worst nightmare.” So far, who can argue with him?
I don’t agree with Levin on the birther issue, but his criticism of Trump’s appearing on a Comedy Central roast was spot on. The event was foul, Trump had no business being there and instead of walking out in disgust, he just sat there laughing after the most vile epithets were tossed around at him and each other by nearly all parties involved. I can’t picture any of the other Republican candidates getting roped into such an appearance. Whatever their other weaknesses, at least they appear to have a little more intestinal fortitude than Trump does to stand up to the appalling erosion of cultural values promoted by the Hollywood left (it’s a fair bet that none of the participants in Trump’s roast ever have or will vote Republican). If 1=G-rated and 10=X-rated, this show had to be at least an 8 or 9. Not exactly a show Trump should have been proud to have his wife or kids see him on.
Donald Trump Says He Would Threaten to Tax China 25%
http://freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2698460/posts
Donald Trump: Chinese ‘Looking to Strip Us of Everything’
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2666755/posts
I hate to say this but Levin has lost some of my respect. How credible is he when he can not acknowledge that the eligibility issue is very important. I will vote for Trump before I would vote for Romney or Newt.
Has anyone pinged Mark?
I think Mark would agree with me on that so I don't see why he would disagree with potential POTUS' having to prove they are natural born citizens.
It's a yes or no question.
No? Then...
Lay off The Donald you big jerk!
Really? Is Levin that INCOMPETENT to not understand that Donald Trump has..... RESOURCES.
Mr. Levin, Ahem... think about it logically.... Donald Trump has street smarts and he has his ducks in a row in regards to Barry issues of fraud along the way.
Use the brain that God gave you and respect that The Donald has the RESOURCES to uncover what needs to be uncovered. The Donald wouldn't be throwing daggers at Barry and the Media if he didn't have the goods to back it up. At a minimum, at least use common sense and ignore the issue which you obviously don't have the resources to investigate, unlike Donald “All American” Trump.
Sometimes Levin hits it on the head. But right now Levin should just stay out of this. Levin is a fool on this. While it is good for Trump to talk this issue and even run, I don’t think he should win.
ping