Posted on 01/26/2016 6:16:01 AM PST by Rockitz
Is billionaire and Republican frontrunner Donald J. Trump a conservative, or not?
Fox Newsâ Jesse Watters has made the best possible case that he is.
âCome on, letâs talk about his conservative principles on the three core issues Donald Trump is about; immigration, national security and jobs. He is the most conservative guy out there and he is setting the agenda,â Watters said on Friday, responding to National Reviewâs anti-Trump manifesto. He could have added a few others, like guns.
But thatâs not quite convincing enough for many conservatives. Trumpâs vehemence about his views should not, and does not, obscure the fact that they are, for the most part, very new.
This is a man, after all, who criticized 2012 Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney for using the term âself-deportationâ because it was âmean-spirited.â That was, for those keeping track, one election ago.
Now Trump wants all Muslims barred. (Ahem.)
True, Trump has been willing to sacrifice his own brand for the sake of his newly conservative postureâa sign that he is serious.
But let us stipulate, for argumentâs sake, that Trump has a âmixed record on conservatism,â as my colleague Ben Shapiro put it rather diplomatically.
There are many conservatives who still support him wholeheartedly, and there is a real conservative case for Trump. And I say this as an observer who has been skeptical of Trump from the start.
The Buckley rule. William F. Buckley, Jr., whom Trump cites to defend âNew York values,â urged conservatives to support the most conservative candidate who can win.
(Excerpt) Read more at breitbart.com ...
.@realDonaldTrump Questn1. You said you want single-payor âgovt pays4everyone” HCare. If that isnt your position now when did it change?Why?
â Ben Sasse (@BenSasse) January 25, 2016
.@realDonaldTrump Q2: Youâve said you âhate the concept of guns.â Why the change? When did it happen? Whatâs the 2nd Amendment mean to you?
â Ben Sasse (@BenSasse) January 25, 2016
.@realDonaldTrump Q3: A few yrs ago u proposed $6trillion tax hike. Still want to do that? Agree w/ Biden that higher taxes=more patriotism?
.@realDonaldTrump Q4: You brag abt many affairs w/ married women. Have you repented? To harmed children & spouses? Do you think it matters?
â Ben Sasse (@BenSasse) January 25, 2016
But question No. 4 generated the most pushback, with responses like: âAre you his pastor? His God?â âNone of your business, nosy.â âI want America great again! No more Isis rapist thugs. No time for petty personal crap.â Others, though, thought the question good: âPast deeds can show future actions.â âIf he would betray those closest to him for his own needs, why not the rest of us?â âIf you want to be POTUS, character matters.â
â Ben Sasse (@BenSasse) January 25, 2016
https://www.worldmag.com/mobile/article.php?id=36452
Now, if he were only a conservative.
Now, if he were only a conservative. I see him more as an opportunist who won’t be able to keep his hands off his own empire while in the oval office.
Sorry but the restoration of our Constitutional Free Republic depends on more than just dealing with the most pressing issues of the day, being on the right side of some of those issues does not a Constitutional Conservative make.
There is so much more at stake we are losing our Republic we need someone who has spent his life studying and fighting for our founding principles in and effort to preserve, protect and defend those founding documents, only one has proven a willingness to challenge those who would disregard and/or shred those same documents without regard to whatever personal damage it may cause. Only One!
We don’t need any more so-called leaders who would find our constitution a burden and an obstacle to his dictates with its limiting of power, no matter how popular it may be to do so.
I suspect after reading so many comments and the foolishness expressed therein, that if we were to return to our constitution reigning supreme many so-called conservatives would not like it much.
Cruz is solid and I’d vote for him on the general election and look forward to election night, where he has a decent shot at getting 150 electoral votes.
I've been saying it for a couple of weeks now......he shut Hillary up on her "Republican War on Women"! We've not heard another word from her about it. Trump handled the now mostly defunct, Clinton Machine.
I'll also add when the site of the Twin Towers was being rebuilt at an extremely slow rate, Trump was all over the news begging to be allowed to be put in charge. He said then that he could do faster, cheaper, and taller. His heart was in it.
In addition, I believe that Trump is a man of his word. I've not seen any stories of him cheating anyone in business deals or making bad deals.
I think Trump is an honest, hard working, American who wants to see our country on top again.....not #3 in the world!
How many days have we heard the establishment is now for Trump? And now it is revealed a Mitch McConnell toadie is running a Ted Cruz super pac.
But does Cruz even have a CHANCE?
This is America’s last stand and it’s not about conservative values. It’s about our Borders, immigration, the economy, taxes, healthcare, education and Jobs for Americans! If any of those are conservative values fine, if not, fine too!
True, Trump has been willing to sacrifice his own brand for the sake of his newly conservative postureââ¬âa sign that he is serious.
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How has his brand suffered ? If anything he seems to be gaining in popularity and the businesses haven’t declined at all.
Right! Cruz attacks Trump just like Macys did. How’d that work out for Macys?
Sorry to burst your theoretical bubble, but we need leadership, not a constitutional scholar.
There is a difference between talking like a conservative to fool people into supporting you and BEING a conservative. Truman’s so called conservatism is 180 degrees out of phase with his positions of just a few years ago.
Trump is NOT conservative, but he can win and has put an “R” next to his name, so...
He’s gonna build The Wall and kick out the muslims, then make America great again.
Hope&ChangeTM
We’ll see I guess.
Based on the all-out push by FNC and others this morning to advance Rubio/Kasich I wouldn’t be surprised if Cruz finishes third in Iowa and worse in NH.
Then clearly it must follow that Cruz is not a nasty man whom everyone hates.
On immigration, his plan is a ruse. He will deport illegals (although a Federal court will assure that mass deportations will soon be short lived), and they will then come back as legal immigrants and future Democrats, RAPIDLY. To expedite the process (so that his kids' hotels don't go broke), vetting will be a joke but for the worst of violent felons and possibly aliens from Muslim countries (so much for national security). At that point, said former illegals and future Democrats will be eligible for more Federal benefits. Deportation would then be voluntary. The wall will have a big beautiful door.
What's not to like?
Once they are naturalized, Republicans will lose both the House and the Senate and (given the current demographics) never get them back. President Bailout will then get to play, and he is a lifelong ardent crony capitalist. What jobs?
I remember how I used to think that Duncan Hunter could be the next conservative president... ;o)
The Buckley Rule was formulated by a man who ran for office only once and came in a distant third.
Yes but with a desk like that how can he be criticized?
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