Posted on 04/25/2011 9:50:49 PM PDT by jazusamo
The boomlet for Donald Trump as a Republican nominee for President of the United States ought to be a wake-up call for Republican candidates and Republican Party leaders alike.
Why has Trump surged ahead of other Republican candidates and potential candidates in the polls? It is not likely that his resurrection of the issue of Barack Obama's birth certificate has aroused all this support.
The birth certificate issue does more political damage to Obama's critics than to the president himself, because it enables the media to paint those critics as kooks. Nor are Donald Trump's political positions such as to create a stampede to his cause.
Radio talk show host Mark Levin has rebroadcast Trump's varied and mutually contradictory statements on political issues and personalities over the years. It was a devastating revelation of Trump's "versatility of convictions," to use a phrase coined long ago by Thorstein Veblen.
What then is Donald Trump's appeal-- and why should it concern Republican leaders in general?
What Trump has that so many other Republicans are so painfully lacking is the ability and the willingness to articulate his positions clearly, forcefully and in plain English. Too many Republicans talk like the actor of whom a critic once said, "he played the king like he was afraid that someone else was going to play the ace."
What electrified so many Republicans about Sarah Palin in the 2008 election campaign was that she was such a contrast to the usual mealy-mouth talk that was more common among other Republican candidates, including Senator John McCain. Whether you agreed or disagreed with her position on the issues, you didn't have to wave your hand in front of her eyes to see if she was awake.
Donald Trump is dangerous in at least two senses. If, by some tragic miracle, he should become the Republicans' candidate for president in 2012, that would be the closest thing to an iron-clad guarantee of a second term in the White House for Barack Obama.
That would be a huge setback for the Republicans-- and, far more important-- a historic catastrophe for this country.
What seems more likely is that Donald Trump as a candidate for the Republican nomination would use his superior articulation skills-- not to mention brash irresponsibility-- to trash all the other Republican candidates for that nomination, leaving them damaged goods in the eyes of the public, and therefore less able to gather the votes needed to prevent the reelection of Obama.
Why Republicans seem not to understand the crucial importance of putting the same time and attention into articulating their positions as the Democrats do is one of the enduring mysteries of American politics.
It was obvious that the Democrats coordinated their talking points and catch-phrases-- "social justice," "tax cuts for the rich," etc.-- even before the overheard and recorded statements of Senator Chuck Schumer about Democrats' plans to repeatedly use the word "extreme" to characterize Republicans.
But how many Republican catch-phrases can you remember? Republican rhetoric tends to range from low key to no key.
Nor is there much evidence that Republicans have asked themselves how the left-wing of the Democratic Party gained such ascendancy in recent years, in a country where millions more people identify themselves as conservative than identify themselves as liberals.
In short, there is little or no evidence that most Republicans see any need to fundamentally change their approach to the public. But if they think that they can rely on Obama's declining popularity to win the 2012 election, they may be in for a rude shock. Worse yet, the whole future of this country and of western civilization will be in jeopardy, in a world where the likes of Iran and North Korea become nuclear powers, while we engage in empty talk at the U.N.
Barack Obama's declining support in public opinion polls make some conservatives feel that his reelection hopes are doomed. But Donald Trump can be Barack Obama's secret weapon in his fight to remain in the White House. The Donald can be his Trump card.
“And then there is Sarah. What do you Freepers think about the possiblity of a Trump-Palin or vice versa ticket? Maybe I’m just dreaming...”
I have been thinking along that line for a while. Here is how I see it.
BO is going to raise over a billion dollars for the next election behind the Soros machine. Who comes close to having that much cash to support a campaign in the GOP? The RNC doesnt have it, and they are actually losing donations because of their establishment mentality. That leaves one person. And the establishment WILL come crawling to Trump for those cash contributions. Whores know where the money is..
Sad day for me. First time I disagree with the great Thomas Sowell.
I don’t think trump will run. But he would be a better president than most of the field including of course Obama. He won’t run though, and he wouldn’t be my choice.
And I think what trump is doing now is very useful.
I don’t even remember the debates, except how the ridiculous people chosen as moderators kissed his butt repeatedly. I even remember the SNL fake debates where the questions directed to Obama were things like “senator Obama. Are you comfortable? Would you like another chair? A pillow?”
Brilliant post.
I agree with it more than with Dr. sowell’s essay today.
You hit all the points.
But who would be on the top of the ticket? Trump probably would never take the veep job, when even president is a serious step down for him. Could Sarah handle being the bottom of the ticket? She is young enough, but would she do it again?
sad but true...thanks jaz...
Recall that there is one page missing from the 1964 divorce record of Obama’s mother from his father in the Hawaii divorce records. With that kind of pull, perhaps the chance of Obama’s birth record still existing in the Hawaii birth records is close to zero...
IOW Trump makes the perfect vice president to someone else's ticket...
Sarah Palin was such good news and the first good news after such a disappointment hearing that John McCain had won the nomination. She was indeed the reason why I voted.
Sarah Palin is also responsible for the GOP controlled Congress we have now. The Karl Roves hate that fact. It puts people like him out of a job. They see Donald Trump the same way. A threat to their jobs. If Donald Trump was not in the picture right now guess who Karl Rove would be bashing.
Politically, Donald Trump is the best friend of Sarah Palin right now. Once he's gone (and hopefully after he exposes Obama for what he really is he will be gone)Sarah Palin will again be the target of the establishment.
Whoever won the primary would be the top. The wisdom would dictate that the older being Trump. That would put Palin in line for the third and fourth consecutive term. One has to think long term. An issue that GW Gush never considered with Cheney-not that I didnt like Cheney, but with his heart condition he would have never survived a term as president.
I really think that if it went to Trump, that he might ask Palin. The indicators are that Palin isnt taking swipes at Trump and Trump hasnt taken any swipe at her either...not yet anyway. Of course, then there is Bachman and Cain.
Time will tell.
I know....
It's a better than "anyways", which isn't a word at all, but which so many people use here, constantly.
If she doesn't run, her CV is stuck on being a VEEP for a failed presidential candidate, who helped some get elected in 2010, who had a short run ( which it was designed to be ) show on cable.
Ex-presidents get big fees for speeches.
You can't name me failed VEEP candidates who have later gone on to garner large speaking fees. It's just the nature of the beast.
Trump would be good first because of his cojones. We could do a lot worse. I am sick to Death of Weenie Republicans, scared of their own shadows, wetting their diapers if they hear the word racist. Then after he shakes up dc, we will be ready for 8 years of real conservative leadership in palin.
But I still don’t think trump wants the step down.
You’re right about other failed VEEP candidates, but Sarah Palin isn’t your typical failed VEEP candidate. Never has a VEEP candidate so overshadowed the top of the ticket the way she did.
Her TLC show id finished, she is hardly ever on FNC, and though her books have and are still selling, I think that that venue is just about finished for her. So on what basis are you claiming that she will still be a popular speaker on the circuit?
Because he doesn't look like he's gonna take a dive like the other rich white guys?
Cain West 12
Perhaps some Palinistas go overboard, but most don't. And Palin hasn't put her foot in her mouth in a very long time and don't bring up the N/S Korea thing. That was something she corrected as soon as she said it.OTOH, Trump went off half cocked on the BC stuff and he still hasn't gotten it all down pat. And his taking the oil fields, of Iraq? Oh please..............................
Wow, this answer hits it out of the park.
I watch the bizarre replies that are engendered
by any, I repeat any, comment that might be considered
critical. I think this may be the kiss of death for her
as it repels even those who would naturally support her.
I agree
It IS a winning issue
We have to be careful here with the elections getting closer. If we were a few months or maybe a year into Obama's first term, yes. But as a political issue I think casting doubt on Obama's credibility will work fine in the background.
Better for the candidates to simply ask: Why does he not release his records? Is he hiding something or just trying to nullify our Constitution?
It's really the job of John Boehner or the courts to make a move on the eligibility issue and better that the candidates keep their distance. Trump is doing a good job at this, let him keep it up.
Hopefully a conservative will rise among the republicans. If it's a choice between Romney, Newt or Trump... I'll take Trump. Hopefully that will not be the choice.
The eligibility issue is VERY important. It's a constitutional issue and one that cannot be ignored. The investigations should continue and the issue should be talked about by some pundits but it should not be part of the political discussion for the upcoming elections.
Obama's got a lot of issues against him from gas prices to jobs, the debt... the list goes on. Best to focus on these issues.
Does that mean we forget about the eligibility issue? Absolutely not. Whether Obama wins or loses in 2012 the investigations must continue and if any wrong doing or illegal activity is found to have occurred then justice needs to be served even if it's watching Nancy Pelosi and others being charged and thrown in prison.
But until there's a real hot smoking gun, we should focus on the issues for the election. That's not to say that those Freepers who are posting articles, studying the info and looking for clues should stop. It's their right and it's a good thing to be doing.
We just do not want our candidate pegged as one who spends the entire campaign calling Obama a liar on the Birth Certificate issue and have him pull it out on the last weekend of October.
Personally, I believe there's a major reason why he's hiding it. I also suspect he never had a law license. I also suspect that the alleged stolen SSN(s) are connecting dots to the reason why he cannot provide a longform birth certificate. I suspect he was born in Hawaii but everyday that passes I have more doubt.
So, while we run the campaign on the other issues I feel that we should keep this eligibility issue away from the 2012 election but keep working on it in the background.
We WILL get to the bottom of it.
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