Thank you for the thoughtful reply. It’s good to hash some of this stuff out, because it will always help in the long run for those of us on different sides of this debate to at least understand where we’re coming from.
It’s not that there’s no value to conservatism itself at all. It’s that there isn’t any value in saying a politician is ‘a conservative’ anymore, because the word has been so perverted. I know the people I’m complaining about aren’t conservatives, but who the heck is? Some guy comes along and says “Hold on, I’m a TRUE conservative!” We’re all supposed to gush and throw our underwear at him or something.
For many of us, the playing field has moved away from that ‘conservative vs. non-conservative’ game. It had to, because we have been losing that game. We’re getting knifed in the back by our own people and arguing about which one of the ones who stabbed us is the ‘true conservative’ while the left is scoring touchdown after touchdown and our country is dying.
In the absence of something different, I too would have supported Ted Cruz, in spite of several glaring red flags in his record and a resume that I really don’t feel is sufficient for the job he is running for.
But something different did come along. Someone who plays by different rules, carries a bigger microphone than anyone else, and isn’t owned by any of the usual suspects that seem to somehow keep our ‘conservative’ politicians acting against our best interests.
But Trump isn’t a conservative, you say. I think you’re right. He’s not a liberal either though. I don’t think he’s ideological within that paradigm of left and right that we all too often cling to in order to make sense out of our insane political world. To me, the only thing ideological that I see about Trump is that he wants America to come first. America needs that, because America has been teaching it’s own population to hate itself for generations now.
That brings us to Trump’s policy proposals. While Trump may not be an ideological conservative as we have come to know one, Trump’s policy proposals ARE both substantive and conservative. I’m not talking about soundbites you may have heard or things you may have heard that contain a leftist buzz word or two. I’m talking about the actual policy positions on his website:
https://www.donaldjtrump.com/positions
He often uses simplified language and language of the left to sell those proposals, but that’s fine with me, since I want as many people as possible to go along with conservative policies. If he wants to introduce a conservative tax plan (read it, it is) and tell people it’s ‘raising taxes on the rich’ because that’s what they want to hear, who the heck am I to complain? I get the tax plan I want and the people who have been taught (for generations now) to demagogue issues get to think they stuck it to some hedge fund jackass. Everybody wins.
At the end of the day, if we don’t get this election right, we’re finished. There won’t be another chance to stop the left. Demographics and other factors will make it so we are completely powerless.
Trump, even though I think he’s the best (and really only) choice, is still a gamble. We don’t know if he can follow through on his promises. There’s even a possibility he’s blowing smoke about them. (I don’t believe he would have put his life and business on the line like this to just dupe all of us though.) I am also under no illusions that I will approve of 100% of the things that a President Trump would do.
TL;DR: I think a lot of Cruz supporters are playing a game that many of us left behind some time ago. We left it, because it can’t be won. Supporting Trump isn’t about cults, hero worship, or being some kind of bleeding RINO. It’s about changing the game, so we can win, because this is for all the marbles and our children need a USA to grow up in.
“I know the people I’m complaining about aren’t conservatives, but who the heck is? Some guy comes along and says “Hold on, I’m a TRUE conservative!” We’re all supposed to gush and throw our underwear at him or something.”
It’s interesting you say that considering Trump has claimed that he is a conservative as well. So, no, I don’t, nor do I want, anyone to gush over any candidate. That is why a person’s record is important...Trump has no record. That is why we can only go by what he has said, and he’s said all kinds of different things, to different people, at different times.
Ted Cruz, on the other hand, has a record. He has a very conservative record, and he is THE ONLY candidate that has truly fought the establishment. You ask, who can claim they are a true conservative. Ted Cruz can.
” There’s even a possibility he’s blowing smoke about them. (I don’t believe he would have put his life and business on the line like this to just dupe all of us though.) “
No, not simply to dupe you. The man has a very healthy ego, to put it mildly. All of the candidates must, to even run for the office. Donald Trump wants the power, influence, and prestige that comes with being the leader of the free world. There is nothing wrong with that, but that is why it is crucially important that we choose a proven conservative. That is, if you even care about what conservatism is and means. It doesn’t sound like you hold much admiration for conservatism.
” I think a lot of Cruz supporters are playing a game that many of us left behind some time ago. We left it, because it can’t be won. Supporting Trump isn’t about cults, hero worship, or being some kind of bleeding RINO. It’s about changing the game, so we can win, because this is for all the marbles and our children need a USA to grow up in.”
Thank you for your honesty, and that summation is the perfect example of why I disagree with the Trumpkin movement.
1) If you think Donald Trump is going to ‘change the game’, you are mistaken. The system has been around long before Donald Trump and will be there long after, short of a literal revolution which would be a disaster. You can pretend you left it behind, or that it doesn’t exist, but it will still be there.
2) The system CAN be beaten. Ronald Reagan did it after years of fighting, and after losing closely in a primary with a sitting president. It takes time, effort, and patience. These are all things that the Trumpkin movement seems incapable of. Reagan was a governor, had a proven record of success, and fought the establishment tooth and nail. Trump has none of these qualities.