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 would support ANYBODY against Obama, If Trump gets the nomination - are you going to vote for Obama or will you stay home and let Obama win again ?
I don’t know that Trump strikes fear in the heart of the GOP — however you define that. As a tea party type who is registered R, I really love what Trump is doing. I love the boldness. I love the pro American stance and unabashed love of country. I love that he has Obama flustered. I don’t fear it at all.
I just have a hard time swallowing the support for universal health care, for big labor, for Chuck Schumer, for the crony capitalism he has practiced for decades, and the naivete that all of our problems can be solved by him negotiating with OPEC or China or whomever. Most of our problems are caused by our own big government, and Trump is a big government guy and a fan of big biz jumping into bed with that big government. It is what it is. And he loves reaching across the aisle in his own words THIS WEEK.
But I am thoroughly enjoying what he’s doing and support it.
Agree 100% Been posting that myself.
I doubt he will even officially register with the FEC to run.
He has done what no one else has, taken on their MSM machine. The Media spin and organized attacks is the main reason Obama won.
RE: If Trump gets the nomination - are you going to vote for Obama or will you stay home and let Obama win again ?
The first thing to do is to make sure TRUMP is NOT the Republican nominee.
Let’s say worse comes to worse, he gets the nomination...
The only other alternative is to make sure Congress AND the Senate gets Tea Party Republcians. That should give Trump some pause reagrding Canadian or British style Universal Healthcare.
At least, a Tea Party Congress WILL NOT MAKE a law that gives a President Trump that kind of a bill.
Maybe (just maybe) Trump will be more sensible and accomodating to a GOP Congress than Obama on healthcare.
Jonas is missing the point.
The issues Trump raises are very important.
It’s Trump himself we don’t take seriously.
Jonah Goldberg is another castrated writer, this little crappy article is a waste of time. NRO is just OK mainly because Andy McCarthy and Mark Steyn still publish there!
We should be more concerned that the Liberal Media and the GOP Media are both working together to discredit Trump
When you have Mark Lah-vin using the same talking points as the Liberal Media to discredit Trump....that should tell you that the problem is not Trump
Of course, there would not be this much attack on Trump from both the Liberal Media and the GOP Media if it was not for the GOP actively helping Obama’s 2012 campaign by attacking those who want answers to Obama Eligibility
Trump strikes fear in the hearts of dems and the gop, very interesting.
Interesting, is that Jonah Goldberg is agreeing with his “Liberal Fascists” in regard to Trump
The attacks on Trump by the left and right should tell you that the right is not really right...and incorrect, too
The problem with billionaires like Trump is they can spend as much money as they want on an ego-trip like running for President. Trump will have no trouble saying he is dissatisfied with the nominee (if it isn't himself) and running as an independent. The votes he gets will be at the expense of the Republican nominee.
H. Ross Trump to me. He is a disaster.
BTW, I think that Jonah missed the point that both reviews of Eau de Trompe are tongue in cheek. (Notice neither is certified as an actual purchaser of the product from Amazon.) They didn’t quite overegg the pudding enough to make it obvious. I would have liked it if the woman who got the tip on it from the stockboy at Toys R Us had said, instead of, ‘now I’m buying him another bottle’, ‘why do you think a year later we’re having another kid?’. Anyway, I’m sure Freepers can do better.
Trump gets this. I have read all of the concerns, but we are in different times. These guys are playing for keeps. Take down the glue of the US. Bring in new global powers. The R2P with Libya illustrates how far they have made inroads. Our resources pledged to foreign counties without any representation.
“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/
No fan of universal health care....it does not work
However, Trump is candid about his views.
Unlike the GOP RINO and GOP Media Chosen One....Mitt Romney....who now denies that the Universal Health Care he pushed in Massachusetts is “Universal Health Care” and that it is different than Obama’s “Universal Health Care”....even though Mitt did not sign “Universal Health Care”
People dissing Trump are going to give the GOP Mitt Romney...and Barack Obama
“The problem with billionaires like Trump is they can spend as much money as they want on an ego-trip like running for President. Trump will have no trouble saying he is dissatisfied with the nominee (if it isn’t himself) and running as an independent. The votes he gets will be at the expense of the Republican nominee. “
For what it’s worth, he’s repeatedly stated publicly that if it were the case where that would split the vote and re-elect the current place-holder he wouldn’t. He’s well aware of what happened with Perot.
It's hard for me to imagine Trump thinking that someone else is better qualified than himself to be the nominee.
It’s not easy for me to imagine either. His success in large part has been from being self-motivated. I did get the impression he meant it though, that he’d rather watch someone he thought was less suited than himself win as a Republican while he stewed, than watch the place-holder get in again. As with most things, time will tell.
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