Posted on 08/10/2015 7:35:54 PM PDT by SamAdams76
I'm in the mood to ramble a bit so please excuse me for this rather long-winded vanity. Feel free to move on to another thread if you wish. Or you can pour yourself your favorite adult beverage and read on if you dare.
No, it's not one of those infamous swan-song "I'm leaving and I'm not coming back" vanities. We used to have a name for those kind of vanities but it slipped my mind. You should all be so lucky! That will never happen. Been here since the very beginning (changed my screen name back in '97) and I'm sticking it out to the end. So you guys are stuck with me unless I get the zot treatment or I check out of this world. I don't intend either to happen for a very long time.
So I'm coming off a long summer vacation and had some extra time to spend here recently. These are definitely interesting times we are living in. As the 2016 election season heats up, I think we are in for quite a ride. Which leads me to the motivation to write this vanity.
The Donald Trump phenomenon has caught everybody by surprise. When he jumped into the race just about two months ago, we all saw it as some much needed comic relief. Most of us figured he'd be out of the race in a matter of a few weeks in his typical spectacular fashion and we'd get back to serious business. I don't think any of us predicted he'd be topping the polls and by a rather comfortable margin at that. Even after making a series of blunders that would run the campaign of just about anybody else off the rails.
It is safe to say that nobody has ever seen the likes of Donald Trump before in a presidential campaign. We are like people on the ground seeing a 747 jet flying over us sideways at a 90 degree angle. We can't take our eyes off of it because we are waiting for it to crash. We are amazed however that it hasn't crashed already and that it is somehow keeping itself up in the air. Of course, we are all rooting that it finds a way to right itself so that it can make a safe landing (we are wishing for that, aren't we?).
So back to Trump a little later. After taking some time to study the other candidates in the race, I am convinced that we have perhaps the strongest field of presidential candidates ever assembled for the Republican Party. We have a total of 17 major candidates and with the exception of just a few of them, I would be proud to have any one of them as our next president.
I especially want to point out the virtues of Ted Cruz and Ben Carson. Two finer men can probably not be found to lead our nation. These are truly exceptional people with a long list of accomplishments, solid conservative values and they are both terrific family men. The accomplishments of Ted Cruz need not be rehashed here as any Freeper worth his/her salt will already be well familiar with them. But if you haven't had a chance to explore the resume of Ben Carson, please take the time to do so. You will not be disappointed.
So on one side you have Donald Trump and on the other side you have these very fine conservative candidates who are inarguably better credentialed than Donald Trump to be our next president.
Donald Trump. Where does one begin? Had Trump announced back in June that he was running for president as a DEMOCRAT, I don't think too many people would be shocked. Surprised yes, but shocked, probably not.
Well like him or not, we have him as a Republican candidate and up to now, he has been running away with this race, despite his many missteps and blunders. Trump's candidacy has been falsely declared dead more times than Bob Hope and Queen Elizabeth combined. Yet each time he bounces back stronger than ever. Even Keith Richards is getting jealous of Trump's almost supernatural resiliency.
What is it about Donald Trump? Many conservatives (including myself) have fallen under his spell. After years and years of seeing our conservative icons attacked and usually destroyed by a relentless left-wing media establishment, we are finally seeing somebody who can dish it right back and then some.
Now there is definitely something un-artful about the way Trump fights back. It is off-putting to most conservatives to see the way that he attacks back. All those Twitter messages that sound like they were written by some overgrown kid in his mother's basement, for example. But they seem to be not only working but setting the mainstream media back on their heels. They have no idea how to deal with this guy. And we love him for it. He's like the scrawny kid in school that fights back against the schoolyard bully, pins his arm behind his back, shoves his face into the mud and tells him to holler uncle. Many of us are cheering for this guy, even though deep down in our hearts, we know it probably won't end well in the long term.
So while this schoolyard brawl goes down between Trump and the media, our conservative candidates are finally starting to gain some traction. After strong debate showings on Thursday, both Ted Cruz and Ben Carson have taken to the road and are drawing large crowds and much needed donations to fuel their campaigns. They are moving up in the polls and in one NBC post-debate poll (it must have pained them so to put it out), Cruz and Carson are #2 and #3 respectively behind Donald Trump while establishment favorite Jeb Bush slips towards the middle of the pack. Even Carly Fiorina, another non-politiican, is rising fast.
Now the discussions here on Free Republic are getting quite heated between the pro-Trump folks and the anti-Trump people. The anti-Trumpers see Trump as a false idol who is not a true conservative. They see Trump as a disruptor who will end up dividing the conservative vote, resulting in a slam-dunk victory for the Democrats. On the other hand, the pro-Trumpers are just plain fed up with the political process. They have been burned in the past by career politicians and their false promises. After all, what has the GOP majority in both houses done for us lately? In there minds, our leaders have failed us and it's time to give an outsider like Donald Trump a chance, even though he's not a fully vetted conservative by any means.
I hate to see this division in the ranks although I do see and understand the passion on both sides of the fence.
What I want to say here is that regardless of how we feel today about one candidate or the other, we are still nearly six months (half a year!) away from the beginning of the primary voting. A lot can change between now and then. Trump may not even still be in the race by the time the Iowa caucus rolls around. So what I'm saying is let's not make enemies of each other at this time. I like to think that we here on Free Republic are all on the same team, even though we do have our differences. A Trump voter today could easily be a Cruz voter come January, as circumstances are likely to change between now and then.
Ridiculing or attacking each other for taking a pro or anti Trump position is not likely to win each other over. That's not to say we shouldn't have vigorous and passionate discussion (and be prepared to intellectually defend our own positions.) But we should not consider each other enemies - at least not when we are still six months away from the voting.
Now I'm as guilty as anybody else when it comes to this sort of thing. So I'm not claiming any high ground for myself. I will vow however to keep the discourse between my fellow Freepers more civil and respectful going forward.
Speaking for myself, while I am taking a pro-Trump position today, I am paying very close attention to Ted Cruz and I'm liking what I'm seeing. He was phenomenal in the "debate" last Thursday night and his campaign appearances in the Deep South this past weekend were electrifying. And to think that the media tried to destroy this guy.
I think win or lose this go-around, Ted Cruz has a great future ahead of him (he's only 44!) and has potential to be a historical figure along the lines of Ronald Reagan. A man of his caliber has nowhere to go but up.
So while I'm currently supporting Trump, if by the time my Connecticut primary comes around on April 26, Cruz is in the running for the nomination and that Jeb Bush has been knocked out, I will likely switch my vote to Ted Cruz. Even if Trump is still in the race at that time. So while I will vote for Trump over Bush, I will vote for Cruz over Trump, provided Cruz at that time has a shot at the nomination. I think a lot of the other Trump voters of today feel the same way.
Bottom line, many of us conservatives are fed up with politics as usual and especially with the way the GOPe has rigged the nomination process to eliminate true conservatives from the race and nominate middle-of-the-road milquetoast candidates who become easy pickings for the Democrat nominee.
Think about the dismal performance of the GOP nominees since Ronald Reagan. Sure, Bush Sr. won big in 1988 but he was still riding Reagan's coattails and it didn't hurt that the Democrats fielded one of the worst tickets ever (Dukakis/Bengtson). Since then, the GOP nominee lost big in 1992 and 1996. In 2000, GWB squeaked in only as a result of a handful of Ralph Nader votes in Florida. He then barely held off Kerry in 2004. Then it's been a train wreck ever since.
No wonder so many of us are enamored of Donald Trump. He is showing us how to fight back and how to win. Sure, he's a bull in a china shop and he's likely to eventually blunder his way out of contention, but for the moment, we are observing in awe, like that earlier described 747 flying sideways through the air.
And look at who's riding in Trump's wake. We have Ted Cruz, Ben Carson and even Carly Fiorina gaining on and even possibly surpassing the choice of the establishment, Jeb Bush.
Another Freeper in these forums described the situation perfectly. Look at Donald Trump as the delivery mechanism with Ted Cruz, Ben Carson and other conservatives being the payload. As for Bush, we'll just jettison him overboard like a blue ice cube from an airplane toilet.
So thanks for entertaining my vanity ramble and let's see where all this takes us.
You made a lot of great points there.
Here's a little object lesson:
My Congressman is Ted Yoho, arguabley the leader of the "Tea Party" Caucus.
Ever heard of him?
Anti trumps don’t get it, the country is already gone, we are fighting to re-instate America. We must kill off the GOPe in order to do that because they block conservative representation in gov’t. Cruz, Carson, Walker will not be given the nomination, no matter what.
Trump is the only one that can break through, he is not beholden to any donor group! He’s not a fully vetted conservative but I’ll take that to see the GOPe and political correctness destroyed.
He is also the only one talking about deportations. Without borders, there is no America.
Trump is the demolition crew. Cruz is the reconstruction crew.
I got that far, and that far is where I decided to call bullshit.
What makes you think a career politician would make a better POTUS than, say, a businessman ...or a farmer?
I am for Trump, all in, but I also have a monthly recurring donation to Cruz.
Keep in mind the gals Drudge had front and center. The Apprentice reached millions of the lowest of the LIV types. Mostly Democrats. Better they vote for Trump than Hillary.
Carly: a flawed candidate
http://www.americanthinker.com/blog/2015/08/carly_a_flawed_candidate.html
Fiorina, al-Mansour and the World Economic Forum
http://canadafreepress.com/article/23814
Carly Fiorina Attacks Cruz: ‘No Honor’ In Fight To Defund Obamacare
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/3322644/posts
Carly Fiorina is open to legal status for adult illegal immigrants, citizenship for their kids
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/3322641/posts
Fiorina ‘relieved’ Baltimore cops charged
http://thehill.com/blogs/ballot-box/240947-fiorina-relieved-baltimore-cops-charged
Fiorina is open to legal status for adult illegal immigrants, citizenship for their kids
http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2015/jun/15/carly-fiorina-open-legal-status-adult-illegal-immi/
Excellent post.
Sam, may I call you Sam?...that was hardly a rant...it was refreshing and a very comfortable read all around and that without skipping a beat. We could all use this pause after these past few days since the FOX performance.
You’re quite right in what you’ve expressed, though I’d rather not cool my jets entirely ha! Still, from my position I’ve enjoyed greatly watching Trump create an atmosphere in this election as not seen in many years...... There’s hardly anyone he hasn’t touched ,and for that, many who show no or little interest in debates woke up to see where this sound of thunder was coming from. To say Trump was water-cooler chat is an understatement.
I read of one man who had all but given up voting...saying he’d drag his fanny to vote one more time just to see Trump shake the elites in Washington. Which of course does attest to what you’ve written here.
I’m grateful for Trump, he’s given more to this race then most and with nothing in return but more ridicule and for that THE PEOPLE have rewarded him with their respect and support....that does not mean they will vote for Him but then agin they may very well do just that!
I'm all for having a woman president but if they want to be considered truly the equal of men, they cannot retreat into "damsel in distress" mode every time they feel they are being attacked.
Margaret Thatcher in Britain showed us how a woman can lead like a man without giving up her femininity.
Exactly me. Cruz. Like what trump is doing
Trump hasn’t made any blunders. The mainstream media has lied ,taken words out of context, spliced words from different conversations together all to destroy Trump.
The big media has unleashed all the dogs of hell to destroy Trump like they have never before on anyone .
If the media succeeds in defeating Trump it won’t be that Donald blundered but that the media lies overpowered the truth. I have never seen a smarter, more competent individual. And he’s 69. Imagine when he was younger. No wonder he has 10 billion dollars.
Yes, I knew Bob Hope was dead but when he was still alive, there were several false reports of his death.
Thanks for the links! Everybody was so enamored of Fiorina after the debate but she’s not all that great.
Well stated. My 23 year old daughter is on fire for this election. College grad, Christian young lady, she and her friends are energized. She heard Cruz will be in the area next week and is calling all her friends in the area to find a way to get to see and hear Ted. She is also enthusiastically ecstatic over “The Donald’s” rugged defense of himself against an obviously biased media on both sides of the “Fair and Balanced” aisle. I love seeing Donald fly the high cover for Cruz and hope it continues into the early primaries. Cruz’s success will be as a result of building a very solid ground game while all other candidates trade blows in the media with Trump. In other words, Donald is going to run the competition out of cash on all sides while Ted Cruz and his supporters build the ground game that gets voters to the polls. Go Donald, go Ted Cruz!!
So is Johnny Cash and Steve Jobs.
So that means, No Hope, No Jobs and No Cash.
Anyone check on Kevin Bacon lately?
I still haven't met anybody that is for Jeb. I guess they are out there somewhere but I haven't run into any of them.
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