Posted on 08/04/2015 10:20:20 AM PDT by Cincinatus' Wife
With Hillary Clinton’s multiple misdeeds coming to light and causing her political problems, reflected in her declining support in the polls, both she and the Democratic party have reason to be concerned. But both of them may yet be rescued by “The Donald,” who can turn out to be their Trump card.
Donald Trump has virtually no chance of becoming even the Republican party’s candidate in 2016, much less being elected President of the United States.
The reason is not hard to understand: Republican voters simply do not trust him, as the polls show. Nor is there any reason why they should trust him, given his chameleon-like changes in the past.
Why then is he the “front-runner” in the polls?
One reason is arithmetic. When there is a small army of Republican candidates, each with a tiny set of supporters, anyone with enough name recognition to get the support of a fifth or a fourth of the Republicans polled stands out, even if twice that many Republicans say they would never vote for him.
When both kinds of Republicans are counted, Donald Trump is both the “front-runner” and the leading pariah. The danger is not that he will get the nomination, but that his irresponsible talk will become the image of the Republican party, and that his bombast will drown out more sober voices that need to be heard, thereby making it harder to select the best candidate.
More is involved than arithmetic, however. Many Republican voters are so disgusted with their party, especially over its repeated betrayals of them, and of the country, especially when it comes to immigration, that they are immediately attracted to anyone who voices the outrage they feel.
Donald Trump has turned this opening phase of the 2016 primaries into the Donald Trump Show. All of this might be very entertaining, if this were not a crucial juncture in the history of the country and of the world.
But, while all this political theater is going on, the world’s leading promoter of international terrorism — Iran — has gotten a “deal” that all but guarantees that they will have nuclear bombs and, not just incidentally, intercontinental missiles to deliver them.
Iran doesn’t need intercontinental missiles to reach Israel, which is closer to Iran than St. Louis is to Boston. Send not to know for whom the bell tolls, it tolls for thee.
We can only hope that, somewhere among the many Republican candidates, there is someone who can, as president, make the hard decisions and take the hard steps required to undo the utter disaster that looms ahead, as a result of Barack Obama’s feckless foreign policies.
If ever there was a time to carefully sift through all the aspiring Republican candidates, in hopes of finding just one who might be up to the superhuman task ahead, in order to head off a nuclear catastrophe, this is surely the time to look for a solid, wise and steadfast leader.
A shoot-from-the-hip, bombastic show-off is the last thing we need or can afford. As for the Democrats, their leading candidate — Hillary Clinton — was one of the architects of the foreign-policy disasters that can turn into world-changing catastrophes.
As for the Republican mob scene, it is a challenge just to remember all the names of the candidates. These include many who must know, in their heart of hearts, that they have no real chance of getting the nomination. But, unless they withdraw, the public’s attention may well be fragmented over too many candidates for them to find a truly promising candidate for president.
— Thomas Sowell is a senior fellow at the Hoover Institution, Stanford University. His website is www.tsowell.com. © 2015 Creators Syndicate Inc.
Trump’s popularity is highest among voters who see themselves as conservative. Since conservatives are generally smarter than the general population and more politically aware, I would say this bodes well for Trump’s chances.
Yes. I certainly do remember.
Trump jumped onto Perot’s Reform Party for awhile too.
Some history for everyone about this:
“Reform Party”
“...............2000 presidential election
The Reform Party’s presidential candidate for the 2000 election was due federal matching funds of $12.5 million, based on Perot’s 8% showing in 1996. Early on, there was a failed effort to draft Ron Paul.
Donald Trump entered the race briefly, giving television interviews outlining his platform. Trump was progressive on social issues, and supported allowing openly gay soldiers in the military, saying: “it would not disturb me.” Trump considered himself a conservative, but criticized Pat Buchanan, saying: “I’m on the conservative side, but Buchanan is Attila the Hun.” He withdrew from the race citing the party’s infighting, as did Jesse Ventura and the Minnesota Reform Party.
Pat Buchanan decided to leave the Republican Party because: “The Republican Party at the national level has ceased to be my party. This divorce began around the end of the Cold War when President (George) Bush declared it to be a New World-order party and began intervening all over the world. While he and I were allies and friends during the Cold War, I just felt that once the Cold War was over the United States should return to a more traditional non-intervention foreign policy.”
It was suggested that John McCain seek the party’s endorsement.
After a bitter fight, Pat Buchanan secured the Reform Party nomination over John Hagelin of the Natural Law Party. Hagelin and an anti-Buchanan faction walked out and held a separate convention across the street, where they nominated Hagelin as the party’s candidate. The dispute went to the courts and the FEC decided that Buchanan was the legitimate nominee and awarded him $12.6 million in campaign funds.[11] Buchanan’s running mate was Ezola B. Foster. Buchanan got 449,225 votes, 0.4% of those voting,[clarification needed] and the party lost its matching funds for 2004.
In 2002, Buchanan returned to the Republican Party. Many of his campaign supporters also left the Reform Party to form the America First Party.
2004 presidential election
By the October 2003 National Convention, the Reform Party had only begun rebuilding, but several former state organizations had elected to rejoin now that the interference from the Freedom Parties was gone.They increased their ranks from 24 to 30 states, and managed to retrieve ballot access for seven of them. (Buchanan’s poor showing in 2000 had lost ballot access for almost the entire party.)
Because of organizational and financial problems in the party, it opted to support the independent campaign of Ralph Nader as the best option for an independent of any stripe that year. While the endorsement generated publicity for Nader and the Reform Party, the party was only able to provide Nader with seven ballot lines down from the 49 of 51 guaranteed ballot lines the party had going into the 2000 election....”
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reform_Party_of_the_United_States_of_America
Whether Trump makes the final cut or not is not up to me. I am not a good prognosticator.
But: Trump is a business man and successful. Or, he wouldn't be a billionaire.
He is a manager of capital and people. He has built several very large projects which many have come in under budget and within the scheduled time allotted.
He certainly has experience with the media.
He has dealt with foreign governments and businessmen.
He has had to deal with the labyrinth of U.S. and State beauocracies (sp) and puffed up politicians.
As I said, i am no prognosticator, but none of what I have listed disqualifies him from being the top manager (President) of this nation.
One poll:
"....Trump is running first with independent-leaning Republican primary voters, winning 19 percent of their support. And he captures about a quarter of GOP voters who say that they could not see themselves supporting Jeb Bush for president in 2016.
Those who say they consider themselves conservative are equally split between Trump and Walker, with about 18 percent backing each man.
And Tea Party supporters most favor Ted Cruz (22 percent), with Trump (20 percent) and Walker (20 percent) close behind."... Source
It’s now a big, deceptive game.
Makes sense!
“Cruz/Trump ticket?”
Nice but Trump’s ego would never go for that!
Does not the "Bush" name have as much name recognition as the "Trump" name? Sowell is a brilliant man but I think he is off track here.
If the Clintons were REALLY using Trump as the straw man, I think they miscalculated, big time. I can see the Perot angle - he appealed to just enough of those on the right to put billyjeff in office, but he did not have a WIDE appeal. Trump, OTOH, has very wide appeal from a large spectrum of voters, from right to left. While I don't think that appeal is big enough to give him an edge as a 3rd party candidate, I think that his appeal would be wide enough that it could hurt Hitlery, too, if Trump were to run 3rd party. His popularity cuts a swath from right to left, from Conservative to Liberal, and I think that if he were to run as a 3rd party, it could tip the scales to the favor of either the dummycrat OR the RINO. This is probably one of the biggest issues I have with Trump. Otherwise, he's spot on, and I love that he is destroying the establishment.
So, George Pataki could be the nominee? Lay out the scenario!
Lay out the scenario where my House district (80% for Obama) elects a Republican next year.
Sorry but “impossible” is a relevant word. All 3 of us will win the lottery jackpot before either of the above happens.
Absolutely correct, and more's the pity. Cruz/Trump would be quite the unstoppable force.
It is just that I have been disappointed so many times you must pardon me if I have become a tad cynical. :-)
Obviously Sowell isn't as wise as I was led to believe...I wonder how many more of his opinions turn out to be just blather...
No matter what happens with Trump it will be a long time for Thomas Sowell to regain the respect he lost by writing that article.
From the WSJ/NBC poll (July 26-30):
Re Trump:
Yes, Could See Self Supporting 47%
No, Could Not See Self Supporting 49%
Don’t know name 0%
Not sure 4%
Cruz:
52, 38, 7 3 (respectively)
Walker:
54, 24, 18, 4
Bush:
57, 40, 1, 2
Huckabee:
52, 43, 3, 2
2 unelectable New York Billionaires.
Hillary
and
Trump
Honestly, another NR article attempting to move Jeb or whoever into position. Another “anyone but Donald” article, even by Sowell, is getting more than annoying at this point. “We elites have our panties in a wad because, well… Mr. Trump is, is, is, just not good for polite company.” Deal with it!
Tell us Mr. Sowell, who is responsible for that anyway? Simple, the RNC - giving us pastel lukewarm candidates year after year. But I see no flames being thrown in the RNC’s direction. I don”t know who might be your idea of “voices of reason” but people are looking for someone with fire in their belly and that speaks plainly what everyday Americas see and feel. I only see two candidates that have that. The others will likely never get elected - and if they did we’d get more of the gradual slide into the abyss than the Obama fast track we’re on now. People are finally waking up to being duped and you want to chastise them against an emotional response? Shame, shame on you and all your intellect. How, pray tell, could Trump (and he’s not my first pick) be any worse than what we have now in the White House!?
Way, way better article over at: http://canadafreepress.com/article/74265
in case you missed it.
Sowell’s OpEd is a syndicated article.
The best thing Walker could do at this point is to call a press conference and publically denounce Dayspring. Walker should delineate exactly what the execrable, nauseating, vicious and viscerally disgusting GOPe did in Mississippi, via Dayspring, to ruin a good conservative and reelect a doddering RINO. Walker should stress that while he can’t fire Dayspring, he CAN keep close tabs on his activity, and if he, Walker, spots any hint of the bottom-feeding, scum-sucking calumny that Dayspring orchestrated in the Cochran campaign, he, Walker, will immediately and very publically condemn it.
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