Reflections on the Trump Circus

National Review ^ | August 08, 2015 | ANDREW C. MCCARTHY

[Steelfish]

Reflections on the Trump Circus

by ANDREW C. MCCARTHY August 8, 2015

I’ve paid very little attention to the Donald Trump boomlet. I confess to enjoying Kevin and Jonah’s columns on the subject, but I’d enjoy their columns if they were writing about toothpicks. When asked about it, I’ve told people, “Ignore it and it will flame out on its own.” I’ve never met Donald Trump that I can recall. He’s a big New York personality and I’m Bronx born and bred, so of course I’m familiar with him. But I’ve never seen his TV shows, his news interviews are vapid, and I haven’t taken his presidential campaign any more seriously than I took his high-profile handwringing about running for this or that in the past. What about all this psychoanalysis of the conservative base? We’ve heard the trope: Trump’s poll numbers can’t be ignored because they are not so much about him as about the anger he is tapping into – anger at the bipartisan Beltway political establishment.

Well, as anyone who cares to read my columns knows, I am not exactly a stranger to that anger. I don’t need Donald Trump to draw my attention to it, and I don’t see him as a viable vehicle for representing it since he has a history of supporting positions and politicians responsible for a lot of that anger. Besides, at this stage, 15 months before the 2016 election, the 20 percent mark at which Trump hovers is not very impressive for someone as well known as he is (a relatively unknown Carly Fiorina, for example, has a much higher ceiling than a Trump with negatives in the 60s). So I haven’t been able to work up much interest.

[Steelfish]

Andrew McCarthy is of brilliant mind and is a superb political analyst. His comments here deserve a full, serious, and respectful read.

[DannyTN]

Why Trump is a conservative

1. Pro life since at least 2011, wanted to ban partial birth abortion as far back as 2000.
2. Pro Traditional marriage. "Gay rights is not my thing."
3. Pro capital punishment "Capital punishment isn't uncivilized; murderers living is"
4. Hold Judges accountable
5. Opposes "Common core is a diaster" Teach citizenship, quit "dumbing down".
6. Anti education unions (2000)
7. For school choice
8. "Climate Change is a hoax"
9. "No Cap-and-Tax"
10. For drilling our own.
11. On Environment "GOod development enhances the environment"
12. Stressed the importance of a strong family & culture of life (2015)
13. Supports Israel
14. Opposes Iran deal and letting Iran obtain the bomb.
15. Wants to crush ISIS quickly.
16. Wants a military so strong no one will challenge us.
17. Against unbalanced trade deals that kill American jobs.
18. Against warrantless government surveilance of citizens.
19. Is against having a high national debt. Warns that $24T is a point of no return.
20. Againt gun control
21. For assault weapon ban but says the AR-15 shouldn't be considered an assault weapon.
22. Wants to repeal Obamacare and replace it with market driven polices and increased competition among insurance companies.
23. Wants to increase military spending.
24. Will close the border to illegals
25. Will send the criminals and sponges back.
26. Will deport all illegals but will let the hard working ones go through the legal process to come back.
27. Against Anchor babies
28. Knows unemployment is much higher than official stats.
29. Will bring jobs back through better trade negotiation.
30. Attended military academy and Wharton Business School.
31. Stood up for Birthers and challenged Obama on his fraud.
32. Believes USA is "the greates force for freedom the world has ever known"
33. Wants to honor commitments on Social Security and Medicare, which we can afford to do if he gets the economy going full steam.
34. Wants to reduce the fraud in disability and other programs.
35. Against marriage penalties in tax code.
36. Wants to reduce income taxes and eliminate corporate tax.
37. Wants to rebuld our infrastructure.
38. Wants to apply welfare-to-work to 76 other welfare programs (2011)
39. Doesn't have time for political correctness.
40. Not afraid to call out either party or both when they are wrong.
41. Not a puppet to campaign donators.

Source for most of the above and the image below...OnTheIssues.com

[Uncle Miltie]

The last several times I’ve read Andrew McCarthy, I thought he perfectly represented the GOPE / RINO wing of the party.

[TaxPayer2000]

the 20 percent mark at which Trump hovers is not very impressive for someone as well known as he is

How about that 14% mark that Jeb is hovering?

[exist]

Andrew McCarthy is a GOPe puppet.

[JohnBrowdie]

Andrew McCarthy is of brilliant mind and is a superb political analyst. His comments here deserve a full, serious, and respectful read.

---

I'm sure that won't happen. FR has become a Donald Trump booby hatch.

[corlorde]

The primaries should be a blast.

[ObamahatesPACoal]

Trump is crapping on the RINOs(Jeb, Rove), Conservative Beltway groups(Club For Growth, Redstate & NRO), liberals and other groups.

Trump’s appeal is he has shown no respect to Krauthammer, Jonah Goldberg, Rich Lowry, Bill Kristol and all these nerds talking about tax /criminal reform.

Trump just goes with trash talk and red meat that the voter the likes.

[ObamahatesPACoal]

Steyn is better than Krauthammer or any of these nerds.

[867V309]

Andrew McCarthy is of brilliant mind and is a superb political analyst. His comments here deserve a full, serious, and respectful read.

He's still an elite.

Watch this and get back to me:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SRbtf2UFcmc

[nathanbedford]

Most conservatives, perhaps all conservatives who support Donald Trump, misunderstand this primary contest.

The choice is not between Donald Trump and Jeb Bush, the choice is between Donald Trump and Ted Cruz. In considering the primaries in this context, Trump supporters ought to ask themselves, who is the more authentic conservative?

Trump supporters ought to ask themselves, who has actually acted against the Republican establishment on behalf of a conservative base, and who has only talked? When Ted Cruz was filibustering all night long on the floor of the Senate on our behalf against the forces of the Republican establishment, whose side was Donald Trump on? Had he voted for Obama? Had he contributed to Hillary? Did he speak out in any way to support Ted Cruz attack on the establishment? When Ted Cruz called Mitch McConnell a liar to his face on the floor of the Senate, was he attacking the establishment? Was he doing so at great personal political risk? In this context, what has Donald Trump actually done?

Trump supporters ought to ask themselves, who has the better chance of beating Hillary Clinton? Who has the higher negatives, who will divide the voters in the party, not just the establishment portion of the party? Who will make more gaffes? Who will turn off the women voters?

Trump supporters ought to ask themselves, who has the more clear and more consistent record on immigration and amnesty?

Trump supporters ought to ask themselves, which of these two men gives us greater confidence of safety and security knowing that his finger as president will be only inches away from the nuclear football?

If the present practice continues of Trump supporters indulging in personal invective against those who oppose Trump, of resorting to hyperbolic language without adducing facts, one will expect the answers to the above questions be foaming and flaming but to be regrettably without substance.

Trump supporters are angry, and rightly so, they are frustrated, and rightly so and they are, yes, frightened and rightly so. In their fear they turn to a former Democrat, a supporter of socialized medicine, a former advocate of amnesty, an advocate of abortion, an advocate of soaking the rich, by his own admission, a practitioner extraordinaire of crony capitalism, a bedfellow with the Republican and Democrat establishment known as the "Washington cartel," as the man to lead them out of the wilderness. Most of all they see Trump as the only man who can and will stand up to the Republican establishment, the leftists in the media, the Chinese, and the Mexican invasion. In all of these things Trump has the right message today but because of his history and his character flaws he is the wrong messenger.

Ted Cruz has the biography, the record, the forensic skills, and the faith of an authentic conservative who will stand against the "Washington cartel" and give the Republic its best chance of repairing what that cartel has done to us, surviving the coming crises and restoring America to real constitutional governance.

These questions are asked to generate a reasoned debate on the facts, the biographies of the candidates, the statements of the candidates, but not mere conclusionary language and vituperation. Let's see if Trump's supporters can be a better than Trump himself or will they descend to his level?

This reply was posted only moments ago on a different thread before Andy McCarthy's excellent article popped up. I reproduce that reply above because the sentiments expressed by McCarthy resemble my own. And I want to associate myself with his views because McCarthy cannot be accused even by the most rapid Trump bot of being a running dog of the Republican establishment. Andrew McCarthy's conservative pedigree is impeccable.

[nhwingut]

Besides, at this stage, 15 months before the 2016 election, the 20 percent mark at which Trump hovers is not very impressive for someone as well known as he is (a relatively unknown Carly Fiorina, for example, has a much higher ceiling than a Trump with negatives in the 60s).

Total GOPe spin article. Any person, whether you like or dislike Trump, cannot argue that his poll numbers are not impressive. Especially in a 17 candidate field.

Further, he's at 24.3% in RealClear average, not 20%. Nice try. So even more impressive. And Carly Fiorina is at 1.3% so of course she has a high ceiling. She basically on the floor.

[gusty]

If I can paraphrase Mr. French (The Departed), it has become a nation of nutters, Francis.

[PghBaldy]

Yep. He also loves Big Brother.

[Fiddlstix]

Bump
To Read Later

[Greetings_Puny_Humans]

Freepers are ready to smash some stuff up and put an end to political correctness. We’re not letting our so-called “betters” decide who our nominee is or to decide what’s really good for us. Some folks just don’t understand that.

[Dalberg-Acton]

All of the National Review running dog lackeys are dead to me now.

[ncalburt]

First off,
The guy admits he is friends with Kelly who is Paid Assassin of Murdoch media empire.

McCarthy should ashamed of himself writing such utter nonsense.

Murdoch sent those paid three Talking Head hacks to attack and destroy Trump. Even the NY Slimes admits Murdoch has been gunning for Trump .
The Fact McCarthy Ignore that well known fact and ignore her outrageous behavior says he is one of the DC elites and just circling the wagons.

This entire phony Kelly comment is a Murdoch media PR move to make Kelly a victim rather than the Ugly Lib attack dog to change the subject away from what a disgrace Fix Keftits News has evolved into.br /> The entire piece is insulting to anyone who witness Kelly unprofessional disgusting behavior.

The fact McCarthy demands an apology show me that the end game of the DC media hacks, Make trump apologize so they can rewrite the Murdoch organized debate attack and Kelly outrageous behavior . I am done ever reading the nonsense peddled by DC Hack McCarthy !

[867V309]

FR has become a Donald Trump booby hatch.
FR has become a Donald Trump booby hatch.
FR has become a Donald Trump booby hatch.
FR has become a Donald Trump booby hatch.
FR has become a Donald Trump booby hatch.
FR has become a Donald Trump booby hatch.


Just listen to yourself. Are you sure you belong here?

[CodeToad]

Let’s see, Trump at over 20 is % bad, but every other candidate far lower than 20% is good. Got it. Hit piece by another eGOP supporter.