Posted on 08/31/2015 6:32:31 AM PDT by RoosterRedux
DONALD TRUMP’S CONTINUING surge in the polls has left his GOP opponents flummoxed and floundering. Some are trying to sound like mini-Donalds. Jeb Bush garnered eye-rolling publicity by referring to “anchor babies” from Asia, as well as Latin America, and muttering about the need for a crackdown. (How? By requiring a pregnancy test for every woman who visits the country and a forced trip to Planned Parenthood if she tests positive?) Scott Walker says we should cancel China’s strongman Xi’s upcoming trip to the U.S. to show our displeasure with Chinese foreign and economic policies. That’ll show ‘em!
And on it drearily goes. One would never know that Trump’s rivals have substantive records in politics, business and/or medicine. Instead they come across as high-pitched miniature dogs, pathetically yapping at an unassailable alpha dog.
They have only themselves to blame for Trump’s steadily increasing lead. Why? Because these veterans of the public square violated the first law of politics: They let Trump set the agenda. There was a vacuum in both policy and, astonishingly, searing criticism of Barak Obama (in the recent debate there were a few passing whacks at Hillary Clinton but hardly a mention of Obama). If you’d asked anyone before Trump’s roaring entrance what the other 16 GOP presidential aspirants stood for, at best you might have elicited a few mutters but no real enthusiasm. Everyone was just waiting for things to unfold. None of the 16 had firmly identified themselves.
Then, like a thunderstorm on steroids, came The Donald, and ever since the 16 have complained that they can’t be heard.
(Excerpt) Read more at forbes.com ...
I would say 14 of the 16 defaulted to Trump. Cruz and Jeb have an agenda. Cruz’ I support but he struggles to get traction in glare of Trump’s campaign. Jeb...I’ll pass.
Jeb definitely has an agenda. But his heart is not in it.
And it looks like Trump is going to be impossible to stop.
Trump came to win, not only the nomination but the election.
The GOPe can never seem to remember who brought them to the dance.
A fitting comparison.
But they sure do remember whom they promised to go home with when the dance is over.
Why is trump winning, it really is not rocket science.
1. DC and the GOPe elites have been pissing on us for years.
2. Trump fights back and in a pissing contest, he wins.
I am glad Trump is in the race as he is not afraid to bring up important issues the GOPe not only ignores but hides from the voters. I do hope he fades and makes the way open for Cruz.
ps
I am a Cruz supporter but would vote for “Don Padrino Trump” in the general election if he wins the nomination.
Sixteen years ago (yikes, so long!) Steve Forbes and Dan Quayle were very serious and viable candidates for the nomination. Then, GWB sucked up all of the big donor money and insider support.
One has to wonder what the world would be like today had the ticket been Quayle/Forbes or Forbes/Quayle. Both of them, and Trump, are top-tier examples of what our generation is all about.
JMHO
“Jeb definitely has an agenda. But his heart is not in it.”
Jeb, mistakenly took the Clinton “entitlement” path, which should eliminate him from the get go. If you aren’t willing to work, you shouldn’t be running for the highest office in the land, because if anything, it shows how unqualified you actually are.
See Obama. He phoned it in.
Candidates should remember that the economy is the domestic issue.
Trump has proven, beyond any doubt, that THE domestic issue is illegals.
The GOP candidates haven’t had decent agenda in two election cycles. So this is how a guy with an agenda and leadership skills takes the lead.
How do they think Trump will lose the lead at this point? Only if he commits an unforced error. Otherwise he will be facing the Democrat next Fall. I say fine with me.
You forgot #3
3. See #1
Oh, they remember. The corporatists and the Elitists who want to see a reduced and subjugated population (from which they can pick a few sex slaves, but other than that, they can all go die) brought them to the dance, and the GOPe won't forget.
The GOPe can never seem to remember who brought them to the dance.
May i borrow that line? I like it :)
All he has to do now he do what he did by going to Jeff Sessions for immigration policy. Just go to the best person or team for each policy area (Forbes and Laffer on taxes, perhaps Bolton on defense/foreign affairs, etc), hammer out a solid policy paper for each area and start talking about them on the stump.
No room for error.
Yes, I think Trump is really utilizing good people and if he just keeps it up he will have his “detailed” agenda the MSM are clamoring for.
I don’t know how I am going to sit through 8 more Republican debates with these mostly worthless candidates blatherin on about nothing. Maybe one more and I’m done. I’m ready to vote right now.
Be my guest
Forbes’ answer, as always and to any question, is the flat tax.
But that’s probably not a winner in getting a majority.
First of all, any flat tax proposal I’ve seen isn’t—because it includes at least an exemption up to a certain level. And the idea that having two tax levels was the reason Congress slipped in more is laughable.
Now, the flat tax might be a nice ideal, and it could probably benefit from a president praising it as such. But at this point, too much support would be lost for it to get it through—or to pull a candidate into office. (Likely, unless, actually, Trump was the one to propose it—but that doesn’t help in strategizing for the dwarfs.)
None of the dwarfs has made or apparently knows how to make the economy their core issue. Trump has managed to do that in everything he does. Whether it’s illegal immigration, unfair trade deals, not extending the wealth to veterans, or whatever he talks about (other than making our military strong again, which of course does have long-term economic implications.)
Cruz, for example, supports a lot of good economic policies, but his two biggest funders are big into religious liberty issues, and he can’t stop talking about PP. He scores lower than low when pollsters ask who best can improve the economy.
Trump has made it clear that unless his issues are addressed and we have a legendary deal-maker leading the way, our economy is screwed. So it is indeed too late for others to take back the economic agenda. Whatever their promised tax rates or scheme.
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