Posted on 11/20/2015 11:30:00 PM PST by Cincinatus' Wife
As has been made abundantly clear by his incessant mewling and pathetically thin skin, Donald J. Trump is not in fact an unwaveringly resolute tough guy of the type you would hope to find standing next to you in the trenches, but an insecure attention seeker who cannot help but pander to his audiences' prejudices. In the past few days, Trump has been asked variously whether, if elected, he would use his power to close mosques; whether he believes that Muslims should be registered in a special government database; and whether or not it would be a good idea to suspend the Fourth Amendment for anybody who prays to Allah. In all cases he has either demurred completely or eschewed the more traditional "yes" and "no" categories in favor of some choice hedging. "That may have to be done," Trump says. "There's no doubt." "We'll look at that." "We'll consider all the options." "We're going to have to look at a lot of things very closely."
So painful has this tendency become that I have begun to hope his interviewers will get a little surreal, just to see what he says:
"Will you replace your hair with spaghetti and your fingers with soup spoons?"
"Sure. We're going to look at everything."
"As president would you consider taking suspected burglars and parachuting them naked into lava?"
"That's something we'll consider. You can't have all this crime. Terrible."
"Do you think it's fair to say that you are the egg man, that you are the egg man, that you are the Walrus?"
"We're going to examine a range of possibilities."
"GooGooGooJoob?"
"I'll be looking into that."
Perhaps the only thing that is worse than Trump's silence is what he does say.
The most common defense of Trump's perpetual acquiescence has been that he did not explicitly say "yes" to the more controversial among the questions, and that he cannot therefore be accused of endorsement. In truth, this isn't quite right; speaking to NBC last night, he did seem to suggest affirmatively that Muslims would be required to sign into his hypothetical database or face consequences. Either way, I'm struggling to see how this defense can be acceptable to his admirers. Trump, recall, is supposed to be courageous. He's supposed to be steadfast. He's supposed to be a no-holds-barred badass who will make great deals and stare down enemies and Make America Great Again. How, one wonders, does a chronic inability to say "no" fit into that mien?
If there is one quality we need in a president, it is the ability decisively to say "no" - especially, I would venture, if that president hopes to advance conservative goals. When a sane person is asked whether he would institute a tracking database for Muslims or force one religious group to carry special ID cards, he says, "Of course I wouldn't." If Trump is unable to manage even this, how would he rein in spending or limit illegal immigration? More to the point, as Trump might ask sneeringly of others, how would he deal with Vladimir Putin?
Perhaps the only thing that is worse than Trump's silence is what he does say. Even if we are generous and assume that the man does not actually believe any of the specific proposals to which he has given his tacit consent, the attitude he is exhibiting is positively Wilsonian in character. In Trump's world, America will be restored to glory when his handpicked team of experts is permitted to experiment upon the public outside of the usual constitutional limits. Nowhere in his rhetoric will you find any reference to America's pre-existing cultural and legal traditions, or to the necessary bounds that free men insist be imposed upon the state. There is no talk of "freedom"; no reflexive grounding of ideas in the Declaration and the Federalist Papers; no conceptual explanation or underlying philosophy. There is nothing, except will to power. By his own admission, Trump's are the politics of doing enthusiastically what works in the moment; of Woodrow Wilson and Franklin Roosevelt; of the administrative state and of bureaucratic expertise; of the Prussians and the French and the Singaporeans. Whatever he might claim before his adoring crowds, Trump is not in fact an antidote to Barack Obama. He is his parallel.
Calvin Coolidge said "no" over and over and over again because he understood that the federal government existed for a handful of specific reasons, and that any action it took outside of its carefully delineated tramlines was inherently suspect. Donald Trump's only visible constitutional opinion is that someone strong ought to make sure the trams run on time. There's a word for men like that, and it sure as heck isn't "conservative."
Exactly! It’s scary to watch “our side” ignore the big picture because they simply refuse accept that an atypical non-politician has emerged. You MUST be able to defeat the media narrative. McCain and Romney were BOTH acceptable moderates UNTIL they were nominated. Only then were the crucified by the MSM. Trump has teflon. Teflon is an absolute must. YOU DO NOT WIN WITHOUT IT. Trump has it.
People seem to forget that when our Nation was created the Founders found it fit to leave out any Catholics...They did finally creep in and look where we are at now...
Their head guy is encouraging these terrorists to come in to our Country...He is all for disarming us so we can't protect ourselves from the terrorists...And then he wants to bleed us dry financially supporting them and the rest of the world's poor...
There is no good that will come to us or our Country from illegal immigrants and muzlims...
You are either with us or you are with the terrorists.
What tripe. Ask Trump if he’d be willing to reconsider his position on illegal immigration, the border, TPP trade deal, bringing jobs back to America, making the military stronger, taking care of vets, etc., and watch how fast he says, “NO!”
How’s that Scott Walker campaign going?
I wouldn’t vote for him for dog catcher with supporters like you.
“Trump is putting them on the defense every chance he gets.”
Not today.
Today it’s clearly the other way around, as Trump is trying to walk back his own inability to say “no” to a cub reporter.
Funny, in all the years Hillary has been on the scene - what is it 100 years now? I’ve never heard her mention the Federalist Papers. And, let’s face it, that hag was alive when they were written. And Sanders? He’d use the Papers to sneeze in.
Trump is no intellectual. But he has an innate American ability to understand where the country is at the moment and where it is going if we continue down the road we’ve walked along with Clinton and Obama. If he brings in Cruz, we will then have an intellectual component in the government. That could be an awesome combination.
Cruz supporters cannot conceive of the damage they’re doing their candidate. They used to be content to call Trump supporters idiots and liberals. Now their every accusation seemingly has to include a character attack. They say, ‘You’re lying,’ as meaninglessly and frequently as liberals say, Conservatives are wrong.’
They can’t figure out or don’t care what effect their tactics have on others. As long as they’re on the attack, they plow right on, alienating people to the point of no return. It’s sad to watch. Cruz deserves better.
My feelings only get worse about Trump. A few weeks ago I was defending him. He is HS prez material. Cannot control his mouth.
I’m throwing the BS flag on that one. His “mouth” has been the same since the 1980’s. Probably a Walker or Jeb supporter that’s now on the “down w/ Trump train” lead by the sorry a*s GOPe that’s quickly finding themselves irrelevant.
It is always Savages who spell the word feelings in all caps bold underline.
It doesn't matter...Trump knows the enemy...Those of us who support Trump know the enemy...
Muzlimism is like Satanism...The one difference is the Satanists are not going around the world murdering everyone who disagrees with them...Not only murdering them but cutting their heads off, slicing their stomachs open while they are still alive (Paris concert) and raping their kids...
I do not believe they are entitled or even were envisioned to be entitled to coverage of the 1st Amendment or any Amendment by the Founders...The Founders would have had them all killed before they could propogate...
Put muzlims in a database, Yah, let's do it...
Then don’t lie about us. I am against trump. I am for Cruz. But I am also against Bush. If either trump or Bush appear on the general election ballot, I will vote third party. Both are unacceptable.
And that would be the first time I ever didn’t vote for the Republican presidential candidate.
Cruz twice advocated the US take in Muslim Syrian refugees.
But then, Cruz is allowed to change his position. Trump isn’t.
I really never even mentioned Bush.
You seem to be introducing him into this conversation as a distraction.
You are a Ted Cruz supporter. There is nothing wrong with that, but Trump is (way) ahead of Cruz.
Way, way ahead. Which may be why the Cruz supporters are going more negative at the moment.
Trump and Cruz are not criticising each other.
We should get along here, as well. If they split and start going after each other, that becomes a whole other ball game, but they’re getting along famously so far.
You are being a bit stubborn.
LOL Lets see some time lines on both of them little fella, I dare you boy.
Trump has done some good things, including giving the other candidates a spine, but we need a principled, intelligent, courageous president with a solid track record, like Cruz.
What sort of obscure point is it that you’re trying to make?
Database is kind of wimpy. We’ve already got databases. What’s needed are camps. Man up, Don, and call for camps.
Trump could have said he hates muzlims...Not a wise thing for a Presidential contender to claim...
That's where Cruz bit the shark (and is going to bite back)...While I totally agree with Cruz's position on planned parenthood, Cruz gave away any chance at the Presidency with his public display of hatred on that organization...
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.