Posted on 07/29/2015 3:12:26 PM PDT by TNMOUTH
Guard against the impostures of pretended patriotism. George Washington (1796)
(Publishers Note: Trump supporters, before sending hate email, see the disclaimer posted below this column.)
Given that his celebrity name recognition and contentious remarks have landed billionaire Donald Trump at the top of pop-presidential polls, Im now being asked by some grassroots leaders across the nation, What about Trump?
First, his support reflects very little about his qualifications, but a lot about how dissatisfied a growing number of disenfranchised grassroots conservatives are with Republican leadership. Speaker John Boehner and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell have, in effect, underwritten Trumps rising stardom. Despite greatly increasing the numbers of conservatives in the House and Senate in the historic Republican Wave elections nationwide in both 2010 and 2014, the much-loathed establishment types still hold the reins. They continue to marginalize or ignore the concerns of the Republican base grassroots conservatives and we are rightly outraged.
Second, Trump can be brash, and he brings some much-needed debate, humor and levity to an otherwise distinguished but dry quadrennial Republican presidential field. Of course, he takes himself much more seriously than I take him.
And third, he has the potential of being a spoiler in 2016 if his campaign lasts beyond 2015, because Trump, like the current White House occupant, is a textbook pathological narcissist. He will, predictably, generate a lot of damaging fratricidal attacks against genuine Republicans and conservatives, rather than focus on Democrats.
As noted by George Will, If Donald Trump were a Democratic mole placed in the Republican Party to disrupt things, how would his behavior be different? I dont think it would be.
Unlike Barack Obama however, if Trump makes it to the 2016 primary, he will rate low single-digits because, unlike Democrats, most Republicans still have the aptitude and acuity for discernment and can distinguish between a charlatan and a genuine conservative presidential candidate. However, post-primary, this egomaniacal celebrity might refuse to throw his residual support behind the party nominee. In a close election, that could hand the presidency to Hillary Clinton, assuming that enough low-information Democrat voters make this loathsome liar their nominee.
That is precisely what happened the last time a Republican billionaire entered the race when another lying Clinton was on the Democrat ticket.1
Can the nation survive four more years of Obamas failed domestic and foreign policies?
You're fired So who is Trump?
In the words of Samuel Adams, The public cannot be too curious concerning the characters of public men.
Lets take a look at this public mans character.
The 69-year-old was born into wealth just after World War II, the son of New York real estate mogul Fred Trump and his Scottish immigrant wife, Mary Anne. Trump attended the finest schools, though he was expelled from high school for disciplinary violations. Like his contemporary, Bill Clinton, Trump dodged the draft with college student deferments, graduating from the University of Pennsylvania in 1968 and then receiving a medical draft deferment.
I had a minor medical deferment for feet, for a bone spur of the foot, which was minor, said Trump. Minor indeed, given that he cant even recall which foot: Youll have to look it up.
He was handed the keys to his fathers company in 1971 and renamed it The Trump Organization, amassing enormous wealth in real estate assets in the ensuing years. His worth is estimated at $4 billion today, with annual income of $250 million (Mitt Romneys entire net worth).
Trump presided over the failure of two marriages prior to his current administration.
In 1977 he married Czech immigrant Ivana Zelníčková, and they had three children. They were divorced in 1992 after Ivana discovered his affair with celebrity actress Marla Maples. He married Maples in 1993, and they had one child. They were divorced in 1999, and in 2005 he married Slovenian immigrant Melania Knauss. They have one child.
In 2003, he became host of the hit show The Apprentice, where his fame reached new heights for yelling Youre Fired! at contestants who fail. He even filed a trademark application for the term.
But Trump himself has presided over four major failures Chapter 11 bankruptcies at his Taj Mahal casino (1991), Trump Plaza Hotel (1992), Trump Hotels and Casino Resorts (2004), and Trump Entertainment Resorts (2009). (Note that the latter two came after his Apprentice fame. One wonders why he didnt fire himself.) Trump International Hotel and Tower in Chicago was also a financial disaster, but he was able to walk away from that one. Of those failures, Trump says, Ive used the laws of this country to pare debt. Well have the company. Well throw it into a chapter. Well negotiate with the banks. Well make a fantastic deal. You know, its like on The Apprentice. Its not personal. Its just business.
Unless, of course, you are one of his creditors or have your pension or savings invested in one of those businesses.
On his religious views, Trump says: Im a religious person. I go to church. Do I do things that are wrong? I guess so. [Seriously, he said "I guess so.] If I do something wrong, I try to do something right. I dont bring God into that picture. When we go in church and I drink the little wine and I eat the little cracker I guess thats a form of asking forgiveness.
So what exactly is the Trump appeal?
Well, as noted, its celebrity, demagoguery and the fact hes clearly not from the Republican mold and brand.
But when announcing his candidacy, Trump hit this note on an issue that is a concern for millions of grassroots Americans: "The U.S. has become a dumping ground for everybody elses problems. Thank you. Its true, and these are the best and the finest. When Mexico sends its people, theyre not sending their best. Theyre not sending you. Theyre sending people that have lots of problems, and theyre bringing those problems [to] us. Theyre bringing drugs. Theyre bringing crime. Theyre rapists. And some, I assume, are good people.
While most of the Republican field appear equivocal on the illegal immigration issue, as do Republican congressional leaders, Trump is clear on his objections, which resonates with a lot of Americans.
Of the estimated 11.3 million illegals in our country, 8.1 million hold jobs. At the same time, there were an average of 9.6 million unemployed Americans in 2014. Its easy to understand the grassroots groundswell this issue generates for Trump.
And the recent murder of California native Kate Steinle on a pier in the sanctuary city of San Francisco by an illegal immigrant released once again after seven felony convictions and five deportations, rightly has stirred outrage across the nation. Her murderer is among more than a million illegal aliens who have committed crimes, some 690,000 of whom were charged with serious crimes but are today on the loose.
This, understandably, has kept Trumps immigration platform front and center.
McCain: POW in Hanoi On the other hand, in his unmitigated arrogance, Trump has succeeded in alienating the handful of grassroots military Patriots who supported him.
Apparently forgetting that he himself was a draft dodger, Trump challenged the notion that Sen. John McCain deserves any recognition for his service in Vietnam. According to Trump, Hes not a war hero. Hes a war hero because he was captured. I like people that werent captured.
Recall that as a naval aviator, McCain, the son and grandson of Navy admirals, asked for additional combat missions over Vietnam. After being shot down, a badly injured McCain refused his captors' propagandistic offers to leave his fellow POWs and return home meaning he was a target for additional torture.
McCain responded brilliantly: I think [Mr. Trump] may owe an apology to the families of those who have sacrificed in conflict and those who have undergone the prison experience in serving our country. In the case of many of our veterans, when Mr. Trump said that he prefers to be with people who are not captured, well, the great honor of my life was to serve in the company of heroes. Im not a hero. But those who were my senior ranking officers those that have inspired us to do things that we otherwise wouldnt have been capable of doing, those are the people that I think he owes an apology to.
Trumps callous remarks fall into the Hanoi Jane Fonda category of slandering American POWs, and the rest of the Republican field rightly condemned Trumps remarks.
A Wall Street Journal editorial opined, It came slightly ahead of schedule, but Donald Trumps inevitable self-immolation arrived on the weekend when he assailed John McCains war record.
But as the inimitable humorist Mark Twain once quipped, The report of my death was an exaggeration. And so it may be with Trumps campaign, as it continues to gain traction.
The real significance of Trumps campaign is that its a barometer of just how deeply disgusted grassroots conservatives are with the Republican Party, and a litmus test of what issues motivate grassroots conservatives.
Historian Victor Davis Hanson concludes, Trump is a transitory vehicle of the fed-up crowd, a current expression of their distaste for both Democratic and Republican politics, but not an end in and of himself. The fed-up crowd is tired of being demagogued to death by progressives, who brag of working across the aisle and bipartisanship as they ram through agendas with executive orders, court decisions, and public ridicule. So the fed-ups want other conservative candidates to emulate Trumps verve, energy, fearlessness of the media and the PC police, and no-holds-barred Lee Atwater style without otherwise being Trump.
Trump to Republicans But the hard, cold fact is, Trump is all about Trump, and his record of public policy support is that of a big-government tax and spend liberal, who is far to the left of those much-maligned establishment Republicans, including his support for ObamaCare, raising taxes and a plethora of social issues abhorred by grassroots conservatives.
But the real test of Trumps legitimacy as a Republican is how he measures up against the Gold Standard of 20th century presidents, Ronald Reagan. Unlike the rest of the large Republican field, Trump doesnt even register on the Reagan scale.
On August 3, the nation would have gotten its first look at Trump on stage with genuine conservatives at the Voters First Forum in New Hampshire. However, after one of the event sponsors, the New Hampshire Union Leader, appropriately eviscerated Trump for his absurd remarks about John McCain, Trump backed out.
Charles Krauthammer laments, "This is the strongest field of Republican candidates in 35 years and instead all of our time is spent discussing this rodeo clown.
Shame on Dr. K. for insulting rodeo clowns!
Oh, and the short answer when Im asked about Donald: Remember the words of George Washington: Guard against the impostures of pretended patriotism. Dont get Trumped. Tell him Youre fired!
Disclaimer: Two weeks ago, a column entitled Jade Helm 15 and Conspiracy Theories created some heartburn for those who have been sucked into the alternate reality occupied by frauds like Alex Jones. This week, my focus is on another alternate reality occupant, Donald Trump. Before sending hate mail, understand that I am challenging the (faux) Donald and not the legitimate contempt grassroots Americans hold for so-called establishment Republicans. My objective in both cases is to counsel thoughtful Patriots not to seek resolution for their legitimate grievances by drinking the snake oil of quack charlatans like Jones and Trump.
1 Recall if you will what happened after the last wealthy Republican billionaire, Ross Perot, threw his hat into the presidential ring back in 1992. Unlike Trump, Perot had far more statesmanlike attributes and qualifications and, of course, charts. But the results of his third-party candidacy were disastrous for the country. In a three-way contest with Arkansas Gov. Bill Clinton and sitting president George H.W. Bush (who had handily won his first presidential bid in 1988 against Massachusetts Governor Michael Dukakis, and was riding high on the success of Desert Storm), Perot took almost 19 percent of the popular vote, leaving Bush with 37.5 percent and a victorious Clinton with a mere 43 percent plurality. Some 60 percent of Perots support came from Ronald Reagans middle-class Democrats and moderates, whom Bush had betrayed by breaking his famous read my lips: no new taxes pledge and by committing other regulatory assaults on middle-income families and entrepreneurs. Make no mistake: Ross Perot handed the presidency to Bill Clinton. Lets hope Donald Trump doesnt hand it to Hillary.
Pro Deo et Constitutione Libertas aut Mors Semper Vigilans Fortis Paratus et Fidelis
I'm not. I've made up my own mind. I mention it because you seem to think criticism of Trump should be avoided.
"I am all for people coming to their own conclusions. I dont like paid trolls."
Don't know any paid trolls, but my conclusion is that I'll never vote for Trump.
"Note i never mentioned a word that would imply FR endorsement. That was u recasting my post."
See the above explanation. I would have thought it was pretty self-explanatory, actually.
" You are a liar. A propagandist. Now i will ping u along with the trolls i named above."
I don't know why you're so agitated, but a nice glass of wine might help calm you down.
Its a well know fact liberals are naturally upset by their nature. I have the answer
My liberal solution works for Republican liberals too.
Readily available solution
http://www.tractorsupply.com/tsc/catalog/dog-crates-carriers-containment
Perhaps we can start a non profit and buy one cage per liberal. It would stimulate the economy and solve the planets greatest threat by far. The American Liberal.
1: Get a cage
2: Put the liberal in the cage:
3: Charge admission to human beings to view the threat that nearly destroyed the planet
4: Wait a couple weeks.
Problem solved.
I have no use for McCain.
Cruz is the most solid conservative in the race by far. Why would you want him as anything but the top spot?
You won’t find Cruz running around saying he identifies with some things as a Democrat.
Trump is no conservative.
I could get behind that. All of this keening emotion is out of control.
It’s a lesser evil.
What nonsense...We voted for Perot because we couldn't stand Bush's anti-American globalist policies...It's Bush's fault Bush lost the election...
Ole BJ: 43% and 370 electoral votes.
If Hillary can get Jeb nominated as the Republican, and a credible conservative is on the 3rd party ballot in most red states, she’ll duplicate the win.
How ironic: THREE Clintonian plurality wins.
B.S.
Trust i have read your postings.
How about pulling for Trump/ Cruz/ Palin?
No? Life’s too good with Soetero?
Why don’t you and your cohorts jump onto hillary the disgrace or Sanders the commie or Bush ? Why not jump on the uniparty scum who have and continue to drive America to destruction?
No, Trump is the problem!
You suck
Doesn't matter...He's still better than Bush...
Romney fans disagree.
Why don’t you respond to the link I provided you?
Trump admits it. He’s a DEMOCRAT. He’s telling you straight out what he is.
Why would you want to vote for a Democrat?
Maybe you two can take the mutual love-affair back to DU?
You can threaten cages all u want.
I hope to see Trump Cruz Palin in office.
Are u worried? U should be. Lol
If you look at his political donations for Democrats, his statement is less surprising - although I agree that it is surprising that anyone would consider him conservative.
In addition to his donation to Hillary, Donald also contributed to Chuckie Schumer, Kristen Gillibrand, gave to Kerry when he ran against Bush, gave money to Harry Reid to keep him as Majority leader, gave $116k to the Democratic Senatorial Committee...
Now there will be many who will say he was just a pragmatic businessman greasing palms on both sides of the aisle, and you may be right. But that certainly calls into question his credentials as a conservative.
Donald was looking out for Donald, not trying to support people who would work for conservative principles. So why would we believe that would change once he was in the White House? Just because he is now saying the things that you want to hear? Where is there any evidence he actually believes in those things, let alone that he will actually act on those things if elected?
I don't think people who are supporting Trump are dumb, just frustrated with all of the politics as usual crowd. But the last time the country elected someone who said the "right things" without any record to back it up, we wound up with Obama...
In about another 5 minutes, I will post it for you since you appear to be hiding.
HaHa...Guess that's true...
In your zeal to jump on the “Make Normie Famous” bandwagon, you, like many liberals before you, didn’t do your homework.
I was hands down Palins biggest supporter on FR since she ran with Dipstick and have been on Cruz Control since day 1.
Trump. Cruz. Palin. Don’t be sad. Cuz 2 out of 3 ain’t bad.
Your theory won't work...Even without a 3rd Party, the Democrats win, if Bush is the candidate...We (and there's a lot of us) will not vote for another Bush...
So if I don't support Trump, then by implication I am happy with Obama? What an ass!
Why dont you and your cohorts jump onto hillary the disgrace or Sanders the commie or Bush ? Why not jump on the uniparty scum who have and continue to drive America to destruction?
If really had bothered to read my posts, I've made clear my preferences - at this point, they include Cruz, Walker and Fiorina.
No, Trump is the problem!
I never said Trump is the problem. I have said why I don't consider him conservative and would not support him. I have not attacked his supporters, and until your vitriolic attack on me, have not called anyone names. And I didn't call you an ass because you support Trump, but because you have to insult and attack anyone who doesn't agree with you.
Donald Trump: Planned Parenthood should absolutely be defunded
“So if I don’t support Trump, then by implication I am happy with Obama? What an ass!”
Ever notice the Romneybots still use that excuse?
Ever notice the Romneybots are the same people screaming for Trump the loudest?
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