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Posted on 04/20/2011 10:42:18 AM PDT by SeekAndFind
At this point, there’s at least one thing you can’t blame Donald Trump for: being Donald Trump.
Like the scorpion in Aesop’s fables that must sting the frog because that’s simply what scorpions do, the world-renowned, self-promoting billionaire clown must tout himself with passion and narcissistic self-regard.
It was only a matter of time, for instance, before he came out with his own fragrance: Donald Trump Cologne by Donald Trump Eau De Toilettes (You can find it on Amazon.com. The first of the two customer reviews is from a woman who discovered the scent as it wafted up from the stock boy at “Toys R Us”).
But that’s not the smell that bothers me. It’s the stench of desperation coming up from those fickle souls taking a Trump presidential bid seriously.
How fickle? Well, not a day goes by when someone doesn’t explain that Newt Gingrich can’t win because he’s damaged goods. And it’s certainly true that the former speaker of the House has a lot of baggage — “enough to open a Louis Vuitton store,” writes Ramesh Ponnuru in National Review. But surely “The Donald’s” baggage would require an army of stevedores and sherpas.
And yet, the thrice-married lothario who says all women are gold diggers — at least when it comes to signing prenuptial agreements with him (and he may have a point there!) — is actually leading among Republican women, according to a CNN poll.
Forget Gingrich. Consider Mitt Romney. Nearly every conservative in Christendom not on Romney’s payroll — and some who are — insists that his “Romneycare” law in Massachusetts is a political albatross given its similarities to Obamacare. Well, here’s Trump in his book, The America We Deserve: “We must have universal healthcare. Our objective (should be) . . . to find an equivalent of the single-payer plan that is affordable, well-administered, and provides freedom of choice.” Trump is flip-flopping now, as he is on his past support for Democrats, raising taxes, etc. And changes of heart are fine. But forgive me if I don’t equate the word “Trump” with “sincere.”
Indiana governor Mitch Daniels has been under fire for (foolishly) suggesting a “truce” on cultural issues with the Left. Social conservatives rightly saw this as a call for unilateral disarmament. But somehow gambling and wrestling impresario Trump would make a reliable champion of social issues?
Check out his recent interview with CBN’s David Brody. Discussing his religious beliefs, he volunteered, “I think the Bible is certainly, it is the book. It is the thing.” That sounds more like a Larry King blurb than a declaration of faith. And can you just feel the passion when asked how often he attends church? “As much as I can. Always on Christmas. Always on Easter. Always when there’s a major occasion. And during the Sundays.”
Oh well, “during the Sundays.” Never mind then.
Haley Barbour can’t win because he’s too southern and it’s a bad look for a good ol’ boy with a drawl to run against the first black president. Well, we’re in luck. Because as Trump explained last week, “I have a great relationship with the blacks. I’ve always had a great relationship with the blacks.”
That may be true. But how will “the blacks” feel after the DNC starts distributing excerpts of Trumped, an unofficial biography by a former employee who writes that his old boss hated having a black accountant because “laziness is a trait in blacks,” and, “The only kind of people I want counting my money are short guys that wear yarmulkes every day.”
Oh, and any fiscal conservative smitten by Trump’s vaunted business acumen should at least keep in mind that the only reason he survived bankruptcy was that he was “too big too fail” for his bankers. Trump is a protectionist who made billions gaming some of the most corrupt and politicized real-estate markets in the world (and, according to documents on Smokinggun.com, his philanthropic foundation is stingy beyond reckoning).
Still, I understand why Republicans are so fickle. The GOP field is boring and cautious (though I think boring is an asset in a matchup against Barack Obama), while Trump is a fearless TV-star “birther” having a blast exploiting the media.
So have your fun. But remember, Trump can’t help but be Trump. If he’s the GOP nominee (or if he runs as an independent), the fault for Obama’s reelection will not be the TV star’s, but ours.
— Jonah Goldberg is editor-at-large of National Review Online and a visiting fellow at the American Enterprise Institute
I don’t.
Me neither.
Trump strikes fear in the hearts of dems and the gop, very interesting.
Jonah stumbles badly in this piece. There’s not a single ‘real’ Republican going after 0bama like Trump is doing. He won’t be the pubs’ nominee, but he sure is entertaining.
I don’t think he’s running, but I love the way he’s sweating the Kenyan. Freakin’ gas $5 bucks in D.C. This summer it’s going to reach an all time high; $6 or $7 wouldn’t suprise me in the least, and if it’s that high for regular, diesel is going to be insane which will raise the price of everything else under the sun. “$10 bucks for a gallon of milk? WTF?” Yes liberals: This is the “change” Obama meant...”Change” as in money.
And we’re supposed to take NRO seriously?
While I am not a big fan of Trump, he is fearless, which is more than I can say for Republicans and NRO.
the media are desperate to classify trump as a joke. In terms of candidacy, he is. So, if they can call it all a publicity stunt, a joke, a marketing scheme, they can marginalize him and everything he says.
Let’s hope he does cause tons of grief for ‘someone’.
Karl Rove,Fox and the others can kiss my ass.I’ll take Trump more seriousley than the last jackass that they proped up.
Trump is doing a great service for America, he is doing the hwat no other Republican candidate has the b@lls to do.
If he gets the nomination, I will happily vote for him.
Most of the official media “conservatives” are frantically running interference on the “birther” issue. The controlled opposition is outing itself.
Trump is a fraud I agree.
I am just shocked that Jonah Goldberg figured this out before August
ONOES! He's politically incorrect! We don't his kind in our party. We need to find us a nice, PC Repub with no balls to run this time. Let's give Obama 4 more years.
/sarc
Trump can’t help being Trump; Golberg can’t help being Goldberg.
What? None of the candidates he wanted were able to break out of the RINO enclosure at the tea party funded zoo? He doesn’t trust Christians to vet Trump’s Christianity on their own? The surge in Trump’s popularity highlights how wrong Republican play-nice strategy was and reminds him of what he doesn’t want to think about: setting us all up for another ‘losing gracefully’?
Fine, he’s on record as a kinder, gentler Republican who certainly didn’t mean to offend you, Democrat activist.
Here is one constant you can take to the bank in a Presidential election -— OVER 90% OF BLACKS *WILL* VOTE FOR THE DEMOCRAT.
What Donald Trump just said (or even if he didn’t say it ) isn’t going to change that fact even if he were to be photograph kissing Al Sharpton’s ring on his knees ( which of course will only happen when pigs fly ).
Really. So you would support someone who writes;
“We must have universal healthcare,” wrote Trump. “I’m a conservative on most issues but a liberal on this one. We should not hear so many stories of families ruined by healthcare expenses.”
- http://www.slate.com/id/2291263/
?
And here I thought FR was universally opposed to Obamacare. Silly me.
Trump is ready for any horseshit (or legitimate) charge that comes his way.This isn’t his first countyfair.
Als he has to say is wheres the BC and it will knock the media back on its heels.(see Stephenopolous)
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