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Understanding Trump as a principled politician
WND ^ | Mar 6, 2016 | Theodore Roosevelt Malloch

Posted on 03/07/2016 12:21:15 PM PST by donna

There are those who seek merely to decry Trump, and there are those who are befuddled by him. His opponents want to destroy him now that he is winning, and some in the establishment – like former presidential candidate Mitt Romney and the old guard – fear his taking over the GOP.

Donald Trump and the political phenomenon he has created are most understandable.

Three kinds of people are involved in politics: political theorists, unprincipled actors and principled actors.

Political theorists

Theorists of both the right (like Charles Krauthammer and George Will) and the left (Brookings Institute senior fellow William Galston and Harvard University political theorist Danielle Allen) and many lesser minds in academia and in the media conceive of politics as putting into practice a preconceived theory.

- To be educated into this ideology is to be taught how to expound, defend and implement the ideology. Today, political theorists on both the left and the right act as if they believe their political goals can be advanced and largely accomplished through intellectual discourse alone.

- Theorists expect politicians to be imperfect but deferential versions of themselves. The theorists like to be consulted, and while theorists may pretend they have no ego (it’s all about the theory), political theorists today are increasingly devoted to maintaining and building their own prestige.

- Political theorists believe that political actors who do not play their intellectual game are either fools or scoundrels.

(Excerpt) Read more at wnd.com ...


TOPICS: News/Current Events; Politics/Elections
KEYWORDS: trump
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Long but excellent.

You can skip to the Trump analysis at the end, but you should read it all.

1 posted on 03/07/2016 12:21:15 PM PST by donna
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To: LouD

I’m glad you found your own true love but the Freepers will be hear for you when the rosy glasses come off.


4 posted on 03/07/2016 12:30:24 PM PST by JayGalt
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To: JayGalt

here


5 posted on 03/07/2016 12:30:39 PM PST by JayGalt
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To: LouD

Very good work.....thanks LouD. In the Trump fashion, “True,It’s true”


6 posted on 03/07/2016 12:33:49 PM PST by annieokie
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To: donna

Donna, excellent article whether you support Trump or Cruz. The primary actors in the both parties are the Political Theorists and the Unprincipled Politicians. They support each other (I suspect that the Theorists knowing support the unprincipled). As a result, in any scenario, they all get richer and more powerful, while the people get screwed. In the GOP, the role of the theorists is to keep the great unwashed (including Trump) on the outside - lest their private gravy train get derailed. Sadly, Principled Politicians who make politics their career will be compromised because they crave political viability. Long ago, politicians solicited my support. All of them failed to answer my most important question: “What are 3 to 5 things so important to you that you are willing to lose rather than compromise them?” Only a few answered that question. They were the only ones who I supported.


7 posted on 03/07/2016 12:58:09 PM PST by TheConservativeBanker
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To: donna

The Donald is a phenomenon that is perfectly understandable. Unlike John Galt, from the Ayn Rand novel “Atlas Shrugged”, he has NOT retreated and gone into hiding, but is right out there at the forefront and both living and defending the principles of the virtues of capitalism. There are those who say The Donald is the epitome of “crony capitalism”, but he has spread both his wealth and influence in ways that are often at cross purposes with real crony capitalism. The Donald is acquainted with all the big players in both political power influence and money matters, but it is in the way a master poker player is acquainted with all the players at the table.

The Donald is very good at negotiating deals, which is what every bid in a poker game is. Not necessarily betraying what his next step shall be, part of the deal is to let the other player make an overbid that cannot be covered, all the while giving the rival the chance to back down, or if the rival does not back down, going in for the calling of the bluff. In poker, it is not always the holder of the high cards that wins, if that player cannot cover the next bid, and is forced to fold. A full house has been beaten by someone holding a pair, it is a matter of who lets a “tell” slip, or who has the sturdiest nerves.

The Donald is in the position of being able to stay in the bidding right up until the others opt out. Most of the time, he does not have to even show his cards.


8 posted on 03/07/2016 1:26:26 PM PST by alloysteel (If I considered the consequences of my actions, I would rarely do anything.)
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To: donna

This is a really good essay. Thanks for posting!


9 posted on 03/07/2016 1:27:18 PM PST by Albion Wilde (Who can actually defeat the Democrats in 2016? -- the most important thing about all candidates.)
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To: alloysteel
Geez, I really like your explanation and even understand it!
10 posted on 03/07/2016 1:30:51 PM PST by donna (Radicalized Christians become missionaries; then, they tell everyone that Jesus loves them!)
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To: TheConservativeBanker
Reminds me of 1994 when all those newly elected conservatives headed to Washington to sleep in their offices. Little by little they stopped being willing-to-lose.
11 posted on 03/07/2016 1:34:17 PM PST by donna (Radicalized Christians become missionaries; then, they tell everyone that Jesus loves them!)
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To: donna

In addition to what others have written, I would add the following: Trump is eclectic in political theory and pragmatic in political methodology. This is probably also true to one degree or another of most conservative politicians and voters. What distinguishes Trump is his aggressive temperament. His willingness to stand up to political correctness and the Republican Establishment gives voters hope that he would, if elected, stand up for the United States against foreign leaders, the Muslim insurgency, and the flood of low functioning migrants who are intent on helping themselves to what we have and reducing us to minority status. As has been mentioned, Cruz is more cerebral than Trump, but what we need in a leader at this point in our history is someone who is more of a warrior than a scholar. This assumes, of course, that Trump would actually follow through on what he has proposed and not change course once in office.


12 posted on 03/07/2016 1:35:50 PM PST by FJB
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To: donna

Great piece - and Theodore Roosevelt Malloch has made it possible for me to once again like George Will... Will’s a man of thought and principle... but it’s on that nice theoretical level... Seen that way he’s not the spoiler I’ve mistaken him for...


13 posted on 03/07/2016 2:15:34 PM PST by GOPJ (Republican elites have turned into " race-baiting bigots" - feeding on PC mob evils.)
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To: FJB
I've notice that people who love the law can just skid to a halt and accept that the law must be respected regardless. The problem with that is the law-writers are not our friends.

So, I wonder if Cruz is outraged enough to retain his momentum when the law tries to slow him down. Trump will just keep on fighting.

14 posted on 03/07/2016 2:26:53 PM PST by donna (Radicalized Christians become missionaries; then, they tell everyone that Jesus loves them!)
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To: donna
I agree, excellent article and by an author I had not encountered before. Very well reasoned as were some of the posts.
15 posted on 03/07/2016 3:34:31 PM PST by JayGalt
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To: donna

My concern is that Trump as President will be another Arnold Schwarzenegger, i.e., conspicuously not carry through.


16 posted on 03/07/2016 4:33:01 PM PST by Thud
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To: Thud
It doesn't bother me. All I cared about was traditional values and the legalization of gay marriage sent me insane! I want everyone to suffer now, lol.
17 posted on 03/07/2016 4:39:07 PM PST by donna (Radicalized Christians become missionaries; then, they tell everyone that Jesus loves them!)
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To: donna
Long but excellent. You can skip to the Trump analysis at the end, but you should read it all.

What don't you instead provide us with the salient points?

18 posted on 03/07/2016 5:00:02 PM PST by AndyJackson
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To: Thud

This might make you feel better
It’s his 1991 appearance before congress
In 1986 democrats gained control of both houses and pushed through an immigration and a tax bill. The economy became stagnant. Trump was one of several businessman called before congress to help they figure out what went wrong with the economy.
Yes, it is long. Watch it all

http://www.c-span.org/video/?c4545958/trump1991


19 posted on 03/07/2016 6:17:50 PM PST by hoosiermama (Make America Great Again by uniting Great Americans)
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To: donna

Yes, a great article. Thanks.


20 posted on 03/07/2016 6:24:14 PM PST by Duchess47 ("One day I will leave this world and dream myself to Reality" Crazy Horse)
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