I would point out that we have twenty years of public life, both in business and quasi-political, quasi pop-star fame to draw from too... He has made quite a record in the media.
I used to believe that there should be some prior political office experience before one becomes President, but I think in a few instances can be waived given the individual (although generally that would be towards one whom has served in a high military position, one whom has served in an executive capacity in the business world presiding over large numbers of employees, which would be comparable to a Governor, would get a pass - so that's where Trump gets the OK from me as a basic qualifier).
To a degree I agree with you - He is qualified as an administrator by his many years in business. That counts for something - But that skill still requires conscience behind it, and it is that point of character that interests me most. If skill as an administrator is a sword, I still need to know the hand that wields it, as the weapon can be used in many ways.
As to the issue of legit Conservatives, Cruz remains really the only one.
That is absolutely true - I might be convinced toward Carson, but I admit to much the same problem with him as I have with Trump, except that Carson is even more of a mystery (record-wise). As to whom I would gladly and confidently pull the lever for, IMHO, there is only one. And that, btw, is really not saying all that much - I would much prefer a governor from a Christian-Right red state with exemplary military service. Cruz has his problems too. But he is the only one up there that I implicitly trust to carry the Conservative Mantle and represent all conservative factions.
I watch Cruz to see how he deals with the Trump "issue", and that is telling to me. He does not consider him to be either a threat to "the cause" or to himself (meaning that if Cruz comes up short in the race, if Trump is the nominee, he knows this is a positive development in achieving our goals).
I don't necessarily agree with you here, though I can see where you get it from. But Cruz is a senator, and his actions could just as easy come from biding his time, as it isn't profitable to go head to head with Trump until it is sure that Trump isn't going to blow himself up for free.
As I've said many times, I tend to take a look at those most opposed to Conservatism and their reaction to given candidates. The utter hysteria by the political establishment confirms my conclusions that if Trump was a leftist, you'd hear nary a peep from them, except to praise him.
Nah - He has always been portrayed in the media as a buffoon, with the barest of civility and toleration. He knows how to make their heads spin, and always has. But they have never liked him all that much, no matter. That may be because he is self-made and confident, or it may be because he is so very abrasive, but it cannot be a signal as to his conservative bend, which has not been evident at all prior to this season.
I'll say again that Trump has already gone too far with his candidacy. He can't stuff the genie back in the bottle and go back to where he was before at this point. If he weren't serious about where he stands and the positions he has taken, there's no way he'd have gone this far. He's burned his bridges with the elites. If he does so with the people that support him now, he'll be the biggest pariah this country has ever seen. It makes no logical sense.
Again, I'll disagree. He's been beat down in the press and in business before, dug in, and reappeared on top some years later a success again - And that is a compliment. He is a helluva fighter, and he gets his way, even if it is the hard way - That much is certainly true. He will endure, and he will be back.
Because he motivates not only many in the Conservative base, but also those outside of it in a way we haven't seen since Reagan. When you look at the fact a recent poll showed him getting 25% of the Black vote (which the Democrats cannot afford to bleed off that much), it shows this is a candidate with wider appeal beyond the usual cast of characters and could begin to stage a generational realignment. Trump is serious about going after the votes of non-traditional Republicans, and is showing legitimacy in being able to do just that (and even better, not by pandering, which got us precisely nowhere).
But you and I both know that largely, Reagan Democrats were what is now called the Christian Right. There aren't many 'Reagan Democrats' that went back to being Democrat.
And you and I know that there is nothing up the middle - More than half of independents are either conservative or libertarian minded... the votes are not taken from the democrats nearly as much as getting non-voters to vote - That is the literal sea - That is where landslides come from. They are the silent majority, and they are conservative, IMO. Populists can access that - Palin almost got it done - But whether Trump can remains to be seen.
It also isn't a matter of if he'll come in on a Conservative platform on government spending, he'll simply HAVE to be, since we'll be at or above $20 trillion in debt (not even counting unfunded liabilities that run into over a hundred billion, if not hundreds). He knows that is unsustainable without an economic crash of biblical proportions (the ultimate end of Zero's Cloward-Piven strategy). So right there he's got something.
Do not forget that Dubya's contribution to our troubles is only made negligible by the tripling of his overspending by Obama - But this all started under a Republican. You may well be right about the advantage for Trump, but I am not convinced at all that he will exercise that advantage once in office - It will take mighty discipline to do what must be done, and that will make the doer highly unpopular. And 'unpopular' is not compatible with a populists DNA. Cruz, OTOH, has the courage of his convictions. He will have no problem doing the right thing, no matter how unpopular, rest assured. With him, we will take our medicine.
I take him at his word. I won't use the word "trust", since anyone who trusts someone running for any office is a fool, only that I will give him the benefit of the doubt until he proves otherwise. That's really all you can do as a voter.
I worry about doing that... Again without a solid conservative record, the benefit of the doubt cannot be easily given.
That the (Conservative) GOP ever reached the point that they would be cowered for being right by the left (whom have destroyed this country over countless decades) in the first place is appalling. The proper response to the thugs of the left is to treat them like bullies and knock their soft teeth down their whiny throats
I would submit that without the bombast of Trump, one would easily recognize that very quality in Cruz. But his is quiet, reasoned, and dangerous, without the pomp and bluster... And personally, I find that to be a far more attractive and effective trait.
[...] we could be on the cusp of electing a truly great individual to the Presidency again, someone whom can begin to restore what's been lost.
I agree with you there, but I see that mettle in Cruz, and Cruz alone. None of the rest, to include Trump, carry the conviction, discipline, and dedication to Conservative principle. Whether he can be all that remains to be seen. But he won't get the chance if Conservatives get distracted by squirrels. The hue and cry, even here on FR, is not clamoring for what we all believe in. As you said yourself, the only Conservative up there is Cruz.
True. Actually more than 30 years, since he was a prominent developer. He bought the department store my mother worked at in Midtown Manhattan (Bonwit-Teller) and demolished it to build the premier Trump Tower. I find it curious that he didn't run for Mayor of NYC at some point, which would've been a logical entry point into office for him. The only downside is that urban politics and the stances they have to take with a more leftist constituency often prove anathema to a lot of GOP base voters (why Giuliani was always going to have problems). Conversely, when you have some genuine Conservative Mayors, the establishment of the party does its best to sabotage them (most infamously, Jersey City's Bret Schundler, who would've made an excellent Governor of NJ). Trump might've also surmised that being NYC Mayor is a political dead-end (although Giuliani could've broken the mold and run successfully for Governor had he so chosen).
"To a degree I agree with you - He is qualified as an administrator by his many years in business. That counts for something - But that skill still requires conscience behind it, and it is that point of character that interests me most. If skill as an administrator is a sword, I still need to know the hand that wields it, as the weapon can be used in many ways."
True. Trump may not be a Saint, but I don't believe he is an immoral individual.
"That is absolutely true - I might be convinced toward Carson, but I admit to much the same problem with him as I have with Trump, except that Carson is even more of a mystery (record-wise). As to whom I would gladly and confidently pull the lever for, IMHO, there is only one."
Well, we're in agreement with whom we're voting for in the primary. I have Dr. Carson as my third choice behind Trump (and there's no one after him). He is a curiosity as well as an outsider, and that's why he similarly enjoys such high ratings 2nd behind Trump. One might add his qualifier for ostensibly one of the highest-stress jobs in the country is as a top-flight surgeon. That literally requires a cool head, logic, and steady hands because someones life is at immediate risk. What I've seen of him so far is impressive (with some disagreements -- I know he's not big on guns, though that tends to come from the fact as one who has seen close up the patients on the receiving end, he would be justifiably sickened. Of course, the reasons for why has less to do with guns and more to do with the decayed social structure of our country, and especially in the Black community). In his case, I would've liked to see what he could do with a Governorship (Michigan), and some have even suggested Mayor of Detroit, though the latter would be a criminal under-use of his talents. If Trump were somehow to exit the primary, Dr. Carson might easily ascend to the top slot simply because of his being an outsider.
"And that, btw, is really not saying all that much - I would much prefer a governor from a Christian-Right red state with exemplary military service. Cruz has his problems too. But he is the only one up there that I implicitly trust to carry the Conservative Mantle and represent all conservative factions."
It's getting harder and harder to find someone with that military service (let alone one who might have served in a heroic/decorated capacity). Unfortunately, sometimes they're not always what they're cracked up to be. Both Bushes served, so did McCain, so did Colin Powell and Carter. For me, the last true giants of military service who should've become President was Gens. Patton and MacArthur (I do NOT include Eisenhower in that assessment, whom I judged in office as subpar at best and disastrous to the GOP at worst).
"I don't necessarily agree with you here, though I can see where you get it from. But Cruz is a senator, and his actions could just as easy come from biding his time, as it isn't profitable to go head to head with Trump until it is sure that Trump isn't going to blow himself up for free."
I just don't see that showdown coming (with my estimation that they'll both be on the ticket).
"Nah - He has always been portrayed in the media as a buffoon, with the barest of civility and toleration. He knows how to make their heads spin, and always has. But they have never liked him all that much, no matter. That may be because he is self-made and confident, or it may be because he is so very abrasive, but it cannot be a signal as to his conservative bend, which has not been evident at all prior to this season."
Of course, dismissing him as a buffoon is dangerously ignorant and short-sighted, as the media and his opponents are learning. But still, I don't believe we'd see this level of deranged hatred for him if he were as leftist as some claim.
"Again, I'll disagree. He's been beat down in the press and in business before, dug in, and reappeared on top some years later a success again - And that is a compliment. He is a helluva fighter, and he gets his way, even if it is the hard way - That much is certainly true. He will endure, and he will be back."
Yes, but you're talking about in business. This is something entirely different that requires people to get behind him and believe in him. If it all turns out to be lies, that's not something he can just recover from like a business or venture that went bust.
"But you and I both know that largely, Reagan Democrats were what is now called the Christian Right. There aren't many 'Reagan Democrats' that went back to being Democrat.
And you and I know that there is nothing up the middle - More than half of independents are either conservative or libertarian minded... the votes are not taken from the democrats nearly as much as getting non-voters to vote - That is the literal sea - That is where landslides come from. They are the silent majority, and they are conservative, IMO. Populists can access that - Palin almost got it done - But whether Trump can remains to be seen."
I'm not talking about getting "Reagan Democrats" (since as you said, they're really GOP now). I'm talking about carving out an entirely new constituency of voters to augment the Conservative GOP base. These are folks whom have generally voted Democrat, but are waking up to the fact that things really are getting substantially worse in this country across the board. The heaping debt, illegals taking jobs and welfare benefits up to wazoo, racial strife that has demonstrably worsened under Zero, just the general feeling that we're going downhill fast and are "losers."
A lot are people that believed Zero's empty rhetoric about "change" and wanted to feel good about electing a Black President (in the face of two less-than-impressive GOP phonies whom demonstrated neither wanted to win). One might say it is something akin to perhaps 1920 when the public was tired of WW1, the near-Depression of 1919-21 that followed at the same time they battled an epic-level influenza pandemic at the end of the Wilson Era. They flooded to Harding-Coolidge seeking that "Return to Normalcy" and stuck it out for 12 years (or with FDR in 1932 benefitting in a similar way running against Hoover). A large swath of voters ready to look outside their usual party preference and cause a realignment. I can see Trump riding that wave as a transformative figure that the media falsely tried to credit Zero with. I can see Zero filling the Hoover role easily (though Hoover did far better in the private sector than Zero ever did or ever will).
"Do not forget that Dubya's contribution to our troubles is only made negligible by the tripling of his overspending by Obama - But this all started under a Republican."
Dubya and a GOP Congress that ignored why it was elected did play a substantial role. Of course, we were already in serious trouble by 1992, with almost unimaginable debt a quarter-century hence.
"You may well be right about the advantage for Trump, but I am not convinced at all that he will exercise that advantage once in office - It will take mighty discipline to do what must be done, and that will make the doer highly unpopular. And 'unpopular' is not compatible with a populists DNA. Cruz, OTOH, has the courage of his convictions. He will have no problem doing the right thing, no matter how unpopular, rest assured. With him, we will take our medicine."
It boils down to that he simply has no choice. If Trump doesn't, the greatest economic crash in the history of the republic will make the choice for him.
"I worry about doing that... Again without a solid conservative record, the benefit of the doubt cannot be easily given."
Sometimes you have to look the candidate square in the eye and see if there's any "there" there in the absence of substantive proof. I see it. It's the only way I can give him a shred of credence.
"I would submit that without the bombast of Trump, one would easily recognize that very quality in Cruz. But his is quiet, reasoned, and dangerous, without the pomp and bluster... And personally, I find that to be a far more attractive and effective trait."
I think it is precisely the anger and no bullcrap on Trump's part that gets a lot of people into his camp. They see this country slipping away into some alien morass and he can begin to enunciate what we feel. You can be soft-spoken and reasoned about it, but right now, I think some righteous fury and passion is just what the doctor ordered. Stand tall, say what you mean, and don't apologize for it.
"I agree with you there, but I see that mettle in Cruz, and Cruz alone. None of the rest, to include Trump, carry the conviction, discipline, and dedication to Conservative principle. Whether he can be all that remains to be seen. But he won't get the chance if Conservatives get distracted by squirrels. The hue and cry, even here on FR, is not clamoring for what we all believe in. As you said yourself, the only Conservative up there is Cruz."
The only one we know as a matter of political record in office. But even Cruz sees what I and others see in Trump and it might be greatness that can turn this ship of state around and someone that give this country back its manhood again. Cruz is smart enough to know that if he can't lead that parade, he's going to be standing right behind the leader.