Posted on 04/16/2011 12:17:45 PM PDT by 2ndDivisionVet
After the 2008 election, I spent an enormous amount of time and money documenting the media-induced ignorance of Obama voters for my documentary film, “Media Malpractice: How Obama Got Elected and Palin Was Targeted.” The video I shot of Obama voters on Election Day has been seen by over 2.5 million people (not including millions more via television coverage) on YouTube.
The two scientific polls I commissioned to back up the video proved beyond any shadow of a doubt that Obama voters were frighteningly misinformed about basic facts like which party controlled Congress. While McCain voters weren’t exactly “A” social studies students, at least they fared significantly better.
I have always believed that, in general, Republicans are far more informed than Democrats. I thought this was true mostly because very few people are born “conservative” and therefore some sort of education process has to take place for one to emerge from the natural human state of being a liberal.
However, the emergence of Donald Trump as the sudden “frontrunner” for the Republican presidential nomination has made me question just about everything I thought I knew about GOPers.
How in the world a soulless self-promoter who has declared bankruptcy several times, defaulted on huge loans, claimed that George W. Bush was “evil” and the worst president of all time, had a pro-life conversion that makes Mitt Romney’s seem credible, praised Obama in 2008, recently donated to liberal Democrats, once supported universal healthcare, possesses no apparent knowledge of basic civics, already threatened to run as an independent and ensure Obama’s reelection, and probably doesn’t even have the money to self-finance a legitimate campaign, got to this position literally overnight is one of the most depressing developments in the history of the party.
While I am not yet panicked that somehow Trump will be the eventual nominee (though after watching Obama win in 2008, my view of what is politically possible has expanded enough to at least include that among the theoretically possible outcomes), there is no doubt that even if Trump never actually gets in the race, he has already had a profound and permanent impact on it.
Before I get into what Trump’s rocketing to the top of the polls really means, I wish to examine how this has happened.
Obviously, the primary reason that this has occurred is that we have become such a bizarrely celebrity-obsessed culture (and therefore our ratings-driven media is totally celebrity-driven) that if one is well known enough, then literally nothing is off the table. It is almost as if we have created an unofficial class of royalty whose members are automatically taken seriously in almost any endeavor simply because they are one of the “chosen people.”
What makes this development particularly offensive is that there isn’t any distinction between fame and infamy anymore. Being well known is just about all that matters, regardless of how or why it happened.
So when Trump approached CPAC with the proposal to speak (for what would become an episode of his Golf Channel reality show), he already had at least half of the credentials needed to qualify for a spot on the podium: He was famous enough to “trump” his extremely questionable “conservatism.” While obviously I can’t prove it, based on what I know about how things are done at CPAC (as a former co-sponsor), I would be surprised if some sort of “donation” from Trump didn’t smooth over any lingering doubts that they may have had about handing over the conference to such an obvious fraud.
How Trump caught fire
Instead of being ignored or banished to media Siberia as anyone else who has tried to promote “birtherism” has been, Trump, thanks to his celebrity and the perceived power of his alleged fortune, was able to actually make the issue seem legitimate. This gave him a political base with which to make noise in the polls.
Once the polls started to move in his direction (even though his “supporters” were probably too busy constructing tinfoil hats to know much about the real Trump), this created the perception of a “movement” and “momentum.” This of course was all the media (thanks again to the fact that Trump is famous and therefore ratings friendly) needed to rationalize covering him as if he was legitimate, which of course further increased his standing.
The most stunning example of this phenomenon was when Sean Hannity gave most of two episodes of his Fox News show this week to his “Trump Interview.” The conservative talk show host sat on his hands and watched (no doubt distracted by thoughts of how good his ratings would be those nights without having to do much work at all) as Trump made numerous statements that would have caused someone who truly cares about who will be the Republican presidential nominee to immediately take Trump down. Instead, I have no doubt that Trump, now armed with a seal of at least “no disapproval” from a rock star like Hannity, will continue to rise in the same opinion polls he is already routinely leading.
Trump is now in a position where he could be extremely dangerous. Conservatives are aching for someone with the gonads to take it to Obama and really shake things up in Washington if he happens to win. Many are so fed up that they are willing to jump on almost any bandwagon that even appears to be headed in that direction, even if the driver, like Trump, is totally unreliable. Others have given up to the point where they may be backing Trump simply for the entertainment value (heck, if the ship is sinking you might as well make sure there is some fun music playing on the deck as it goes down).
Trump will now start to attract the non-crazy crowd and will be so formidable in the polls that he is here to stay until/unless he says he isn’t running, or he inevitably/hopefully gets killed off in Iowa (can a guy who doesn’t like to shake hands really compete in Iowa?!). Because he has no substance and his supporters don’t seem to care, Trump will not be vulnerable to the standard political attacks. Only losing big or not running at all can stop him now.
Why Trump has already hurt the nomination prospects of Palin, Romney and Pawlenty
Will he run? Who knows? But he is certainly putting on an extremely convincing act that he is (why else the pro-life conversion and the sudden embrace of Christianity?), and thanks to these poll numbers, he almost seems forced into making a go of it. Regardless, his presence has already had a potentially decisive influence on the race’s outcome.
There is no doubt that, in different ways, Trump has had a deep and negative impact on the nomination prospects of Sarah Palin, Mitt Romney and Tim Pawlenty.
No one knows if Palin is even running (for the record, I am still pretty sure she has not yet ruled it out), but Trump has attracted many of the “give me someone with balls and the celebrity to use them” crowd that might naturally be Palin supporters. Whether they would return to her if she were to announce is unknown, but the fact that they have at least temporarily abandoned her in polls saps her cause of energy and leverage.
Obviously Trump also steals the mantle of “successful business guy” that would otherwise go to Romney. Since Mitt’s entire strategy is based on getting to 35 percent and outlasting everyone else with his cash, Trump’s emergence is a deathblow to him.
There is also little doubt that Trump has sucked a lot of the oxygen out of the air which would ordinarily go to Pawlenty. Pawlenty is closest to actually announcing and is most in need of an increase in recognition, which could easily spark a victorious run based on the notion that he possesses a unique biography that can work in both a primary and a general election.
There is an adage that a society tends to get the government it deserves. If the same is true of political parties and their presidential nominees, based on how easily at least a quarter of Republicans have already been duped into supporting Donald Trump, four more years of Obama might actually be better than we deserve.
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John Ziegler is currently a documentary filmmaker who most recently released a movie on the 2008 election called, “Media Malpractice… How Obama Got Elected and Palin Was Targeted.” He has also been in radio talk show host in Los Angeles, Philadelphia, Louisville and Nashville. Ziegler has written two books and has appeared live on numerous national television shows including the Today Show, The View, Fox News Channel, CNN and MSNBC.
Write-in
Trumpney?
Romp?
Can’t see the difference. Sorry.
Trumps political advisor voted for Obama and did Democrat volunteer work
Who is attacking Trump?
Mark Levin the coward who never mentions the BC or eligibility on his show.
Rove who attacks Palin and told Bush to push for amnesty. The same Bushes where old Ma Barker Bush attacks Palin.
Sarah Palin has not said anything bad about Donald.
Trump’s 15% wealth tax (in lieu of the death tax) is brilliant.
His experience in working through bankruptcy is valuable in that he has had to put everything on the table and sort out a path of recovery, all while maintaining credit-worthiness.
He could make Obama look like a crying child in a debate.
The mission is to legally remove Obama from the office through the election process. Second to that is the mission of optimizing the Republican candidate’s conservative credentials.
In 2003 in CA it was Arnold vs. mMcClintock for the repub side for the governor. The true conservative lost and Arnold was a disaster. Just saying. Full Disclosure: I worked the Arnold side :(.
Nah. It takes no guts at all to do what brings you an advantage at bargain basement prices. He’s in it because whether he wins or loses, he still wins, and that’s got nothing to do with guts. Guts is going into the heart of darkness in Madison, WI, risking death threats, violence against your children, and various other forms of threatened union thuggery, to tell Obama, “Game on!” We need to pray for that woman.
Much better than 0bama. Check.
Better than 2008 retreads Romney, Huckabee. Check.
Able to withstand withering attacks from the left and media as he rolls back Rat agenda. Check.
I don’t think anyone would have trouble beating 0bummer with 5 dollar gas, the U6 unemployment number in the mid 20’s and the Middle East coming apart at the seams.
However, if Trump doesn’t get the nomination I am afraid he will make a 3rd party run. This could hand the election to 0bummer again.
I like what Trump is doing, but after watching (from the comfort of my PC) Sarah Palin in Madison today, I don’t think Trumps numbers mean a darn thing anymore.
When the game is truly on, then we’ll see...
Trump is a highly skilled salesman sums up much of what you said.
This one here, Trump is the man for basically attacking the most important part of president Obama to attack, which is his celebrity status. Unless you are a die-hard Democrat, Trump’s words would sound a little bit discouraging. However, Trump is more, in my perspective, a diversion or trend than an endgame figure. I would not want him for president given his positions, which you can look up at On the Issues. However, if he can distract the media with what he is doing, and other decent candidates can step forward, we may have a good run on our hands.
BTW, "Media Malpractice" is playing on Netflix instant.
I cannot believe that any conservative would support Trump. It makes me sick when I see people right her on FR doing so. HE IS PLAYING YOU. Trump is a fraud.
Or is he cowed by the RNC/GOP establishment types. In many ways, the RNC/GOP and the DNC/Donkeys are tied together at the hip. It's a DC beltway club that needs to be smashed. Trump could very well hammer this symbiotic club.
Preach it, Brother!
If The Donald has Obama’s Occidental College transcript, then he is on the right track.
Obama came back from Indonesia as an Indonesian and took advantage of the opportunities available to foreigners legally residing in America.
How can a college student be a Natural Born Citizen and a foreign national?
Trump is winning at the polls because there is nobody of clear winning potential, including romney, newt, palin and bachmann.
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