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Duck, It’s the Donald! Why Desperate Republicans Should NOT Take Trump Seriously.
National Review ^ | 04/20/2011 | Jonah Goldberg

Posted on 04/20/2011 10:42:18 AM PDT by SeekAndFind

At this point, there’s at least one thing you can’t blame Donald Trump for: being Donald Trump.

Like the scorpion in Aesop’s fables that must sting the frog because that’s simply what scorpions do, the world-renowned, self-promoting billionaire clown must tout himself with passion and narcissistic self-regard.

It was only a matter of time, for instance, before he came out with his own fragrance: Donald Trump Cologne by Donald Trump Eau De Toilettes (You can find it on Amazon.com. The first of the two customer reviews is from a woman who discovered the scent as it wafted up from the stock boy at “Toys R Us”).

But that’s not the smell that bothers me. It’s the stench of desperation coming up from those fickle souls taking a Trump presidential bid seriously.

How fickle? Well, not a day goes by when someone doesn’t explain that Newt Gingrich can’t win because he’s damaged goods. And it’s certainly true that the former speaker of the House has a lot of baggage — “enough to open a Louis Vuitton store,” writes Ramesh Ponnuru in National Review. But surely “The Donald’s” baggage would require an army of stevedores and sherpas.

And yet, the thrice-married lothario who says all women are gold diggers — at least when it comes to signing prenuptial agreements with him (and he may have a point there!) — is actually leading among Republican women, according to a CNN poll.

Forget Gingrich. Consider Mitt Romney. Nearly every conservative in Christendom not on Romney’s payroll — and some who are — insists that his “Romneycare” law in Massachusetts is a political albatross given its similarities to Obamacare. Well, here’s Trump in his book, The America We Deserve: “We must have universal healthcare. Our objective (should be) . . . to find an equivalent of the single-payer plan that is affordable, well-administered, and provides freedom of choice.” Trump is flip-flopping now, as he is on his past support for Democrats, raising taxes, etc. And changes of heart are fine. But forgive me if I don’t equate the word “Trump” with “sincere.”

Indiana governor Mitch Daniels has been under fire for (foolishly) suggesting a “truce” on cultural issues with the Left. Social conservatives rightly saw this as a call for unilateral disarmament. But somehow gambling and wrestling impresario Trump would make a reliable champion of social issues?

Check out his recent interview with CBN’s David Brody. Discussing his religious beliefs, he volunteered, “I think the Bible is certainly, it is the book. It is the thing.” That sounds more like a Larry King blurb than a declaration of faith. And can you just feel the passion when asked how often he attends church? “As much as I can. Always on Christmas. Always on Easter. Always when there’s a major occasion. And during the Sundays.”

Oh well, “during the Sundays.” Never mind then.

Haley Barbour can’t win because he’s too southern and it’s a bad look for a good ol’ boy with a drawl to run against the first black president. Well, we’re in luck. Because as Trump explained last week, “I have a great relationship with the blacks. I’ve always had a great relationship with the blacks.”

That may be true. But how will “the blacks” feel after the DNC starts distributing excerpts of Trumped, an unofficial biography by a former employee who writes that his old boss hated having a black accountant because “laziness is a trait in blacks,” and, “The only kind of people I want counting my money are short guys that wear yarmulkes every day.”

Oh, and any fiscal conservative smitten by Trump’s vaunted business acumen should at least keep in mind that the only reason he survived bankruptcy was that he was “too big too fail” for his bankers. Trump is a protectionist who made billions gaming some of the most corrupt and politicized real-estate markets in the world (and, according to documents on Smokinggun.com, his philanthropic foundation is stingy beyond reckoning).

Still, I understand why Republicans are so fickle. The GOP field is boring and cautious (though I think boring is an asset in a matchup against Barack Obama), while Trump is a fearless TV-star “birther” having a blast exploiting the media.

So have your fun. But remember, Trump can’t help but be Trump. If he’s the GOP nominee (or if he runs as an independent), the fault for Obama’s reelection will not be the TV star’s, but ours.

— Jonah Goldberg is editor-at-large of National Review Online and a visiting fellow at the American Enterprise Institute


TOPICS: Constitution/Conservatism; Culture/Society; News/Current Events; Politics/Elections
KEYWORDS: birthertrump; donaldtrump; jonahgoldberg; republicans; trump
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To: SeekAndFind
What Donald Trump just said (or even if he didn’t say it ) isn’t going to change that fact even if he were to be photograph kissing Al Sharpton’s ring on his knees ( which of course will only happen when pigs fly ).

Precisely my point. Repubs only run guys that DO kiss Al Sharpton's ring while grovelling and apologizing for everything under the sun while the Dem candidate goes on the attack.

It is impossible to win a defensive battle, and we have been on defense since Regan thanks to political correctness.

41 posted on 04/22/2011 10:07:02 PM PDT by America_Right (The best thing about the Obama Presidency: McCain isn't the President!)
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To: C. Edmund Wright

How about somebody who has all of Trumps stregnths, and really is what Trump is claiming to be?

Not just somebody tea party people could hold their nose and vote for, but somebody from the Tea Party, that most Americans would vote for once they get a chance to hear him speak?

I think this election isn’t going to be like anything this county has EVER seen before.

Maybe someone worse than Carter will give us someone better than Reagan, because the Fair tax wasn’t around for Reagan to embrace, but I believe he would have.

I keep looking at the “frontrunners”, and thinking - NONE OF THE ABOVE.

We need a candidate who is:

Not an elitist

Not from Harvard

Not a politician

Not an insider

Not part of the “establishment”

Finally we have our man.
Herman Cain IS “none of the above”

As patriotic as Reagan, Cain is an articulate, engaging speaker, who would mop the floor in a debate with Obama.

Now that Trump has gotten people to start thinking that maybe we need someone who understands the economy and job creation, a lot of people will vote for Herman Cain who wouldn’t have before.

The whole current system is about POWER - there is so much POWER and MONEY at stake for the politicians and lobbyists, Rush says the Fair tax won’t happen with the current crowd in DC, and Boortz says it won’t happen until the people demand it.

IT IS TIME TO DEMAND IT!!!!!

Now that people are finally awake and paying attention, it is time to repeal the abomination of the 16th amendment, and return to liberty.

Anybody with pets or kids or common sense knows that you reward what you want and punish what you don’t.

The present system punishes work, investment, savings, and takes away our freedom, liberty, and privacy.

This is a link for a call to Rush where he agrees with a caller that Cain is a fighter and a leader, and there is a discussion about the tax code.
He tells her that “In a better world Herman Cain would be seen as one of our foremost candidates.  He’s a guy who’s got it all.”
Let’s make it a better world.
http://citizens4cain.com/site/blog/2011/04/27/rush-talks-herman-cain-with-caller/

We need the Fair tax, to take power away from the politicians and lobbyists, and even if Herman isn’t the nominee, if he is in the primaries, more people will realize how horrible, and intrusive, and stifling our present system of INCOME TAX is.


42 posted on 05/04/2011 9:05:05 AM PDT by redinIllinois (Pro-life, accountant, gun-totin' grandma - multi issue voter)
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To: redinIllinois

What we need is a repeal of the Income Tax. Reduce gov spending and “duties” by about 75% (well, keep the military, Post Office but fix it, borders, Weights and Measures) and there will be no need for “fair tax”. Institute tarrifs which will also bring manufacturing back the US.


43 posted on 05/04/2011 2:03:52 PM PDT by little jeremiah (Courage is not simply one of the virtues, but the form of every virtue at the testing point. CSLewis)
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