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My approach is this: History is the best indicator of future behavior. Politicians, and Trump is a politician (just not as a profession), say many things and even anything to get elected. That’s their business. What can/should a voter do? Be skeptical.

I like a lot of what Trump says, but I am a classical liberal: small government, private property, individual liberty.

Do we judge a person by what they say or what they do? Trump hasn’t done anything conservative with the hundreds of millions of dollars at his disposal, yet I should believe him? I am not searching for a guy to “manage things better”. I don’t want a better dictator, but a lover of liberty.

Several things concern me about Trump. As noted, his complete lack of action on conservative issues despite the means and motive (if we believe he is a sincere convert to our cause(s)).

Next, his serial wifery. If you cannot be good to your number one gal, then were does that leave us? Trophy wifism is a sure sign of selfish narcissism.

Furthermore, he didn’t raise his terrific kids. Ivana’s parents did. They were old world Czechs. Is it accident or design that Trump ignored his family and lucked out that Ivana’s parents were well grounded and moral? A man that ignores his children for money and fame isn’t a man I respect.

Much is made of his business success and that is partly true. His father gave him at least $100 million ($558 million in 2014 dollars) around 1972 and Trump has built on that. Many wealthy heirs lose their fortunes. So that speaks well of him. Yet, he underperformed the objective money management measure, namely the stock market which appreciated 10.4%/year on average over those 43 years.

We know though from experience that most of the 1% tend toward the social convenience of liberalism. It’s rare to find a conservative in their ranks and this brings me to my final concern for this post.

Trump is a urbanite from America’s largest city. It’s rare to find a person from an extremely cosmopolitan and diverse city who isn’t center-left.

If only Trump acted and behaved as a conservative and put his money toward conservative causes, then I’d like him a lot.

You're entitled to your opinions, but NOT to your own set of "facts".

We all get that you don't care for Trump. That's fine, just don't hop on to Trump threads pushing your BS.

In fact.....just

Good post. While I like what Trump says (and some like the way he says it - I don’t) his statements from even just a few years ago are not conservative. I know people can change their minds - but I’m not sure what prompted those changes with Trump.

With Reagan, he explained and proved why he had changed (with the exception of some of his actions as Governor and President). I’m just concerned that Trump is just saying conservative things in order to get the nomination.

While I’m a Cruz fan, if Trump gets the nomination I’ll vote for him, get a pit in my stomach like when I bought my last used car, and hope that after a few thousand miles say “Man - I love this car!”

You’re stuck in establishment thinking, or maybe it’s just traditional thinking.

A man like Trump is not normal, average or typical. He sure as hell isn’t establishment or traditional. Mostly because he is more a force of nature. You either kind of “get” that, or you don’t.

Trump sees Hell coming for the USA. We either change the template or we continue to sleep. Simple.

The thing is these traditional candidates want to be a force, but they are not and they are not going to win. That’s just the truth.

The Establishment will prop up Jeb Bubba Bush, or possibly Kasich, but if Trump should be felled, your guy is not going to win. He is going nowhere. Except for the Establishment pick the donors select.

I will vote for Cruz if the evil forces take out Trump, but I will do so knowing Cruz will never win the nomination.

Living and doing business in one of the most cosmopolitan cities, New York City, it is a given that Trump would be friends with any politician who could throw monkey wrenches in his path.

You picking on 3 wives? Well OK, Reagan had only 2 wives, but you don’t think much of him either? He had to be somewhat of a narcissist too! Wake up and smell the coffee of 21st century. We do not live in the Victorian era any more. Life is extremely fluid and dynamic, especially when one is doing business world wide. Gone are the centuries when people were born, raised, lived and died in the same town. Marriage can get stale, or business travel can make both spouses unhappy. Many times individuals simply grow apart. It is better to divorce and find mutual peace and happiness. Did you notice ex-wife Ivanka came to his defense when innuendo’s were attempted by media recently about his divorce?

What Trump and Reagan did is infinitely better than what Bill Clinton, McCarthy, Petraeus, and dozens and dozens of famous politicians & celebrities are caught doing...adultery.

Have you noticed every member of Donald Trump’s family adores him? I saw an hour long video made my Golf Channel about a meeting with his employees from all over the world, and it was obvious he is loved by his employees.

Nobody is saying Donald Trump is mother Theresa. I am convinced he is not running to make more money. At age 69, one has different perspectives. I see in this man a can do type of person, based on all the actual things he has built on schedule and under budget. A businessman does not garner success by waste and incompetence.

The infra-structure is literally crumbling. I was in Hong Kong, Singapore, and Taipei last year. Flying back into San Francisco airport felt like a third world airport in comparison to what I has just witnessed. Who knows better than Donal Trump how to build things on schedule and under budget?

Are you really serious that Trump should have placed all his inheritance in stock market and lead a secluded life living quietly? And become a college professor? Compare that to the life he has lived..this man has better name recognition worldwide than most others.

My approach is this: History is the best indicator of future behavior. Politicians, and Trump is a politician (just not as a profession), say many things and even anything to get elected. That’s their business. What can/should a voter do? Be skeptical.

I agree that it is reasoned to be skeptical, but again... I would ask you to tell me what policy he has proposed as a candidate you do not agree with?

I can say I don't believe any of them. I could say I don't believe Cruz. What's the answer to that? If we can't believe anything any of them have said, what do we go by?

I like a lot of what Trump says, but I am a classical liberal: small government, private property, individual liberty.

Trump has spent just $2 million dollars on his campaign so far. Does that seem frugal to you? It does to me. I am astonished, four months in the lead and that's all he has spent. Honestly, I can't even imagine how he accomplished that.

Does this cause me to think he'd be a good administrator concerned with the nation's money? Frankly, yes, it does.

Trump is for getting government out of health care. He want's a private sector solution. He wants to lower state lines so insurance companies can compete across the nation.

That will increase competition, reduce rates, and cause a proliferation of policies designed to specific needs.

That is an example of much smaller government.

He wants to do away with common core and return decision making back to the local schools.

He's not too high on the Department of Education and talks about the absurdity of people in Washington, D. C. making all the education decisions for the nation. He talks about the per pupil expenditures being number one by far in the U. S., and our lagging at 28th in the world in best educted kids.

This is a small government mindset.

He has talked about looking at welfare. That is a small government mindset.

As for private property, I'm sure you concerned about eminent domain. Eminent domain is not always right or always wrong. Those who don't like the use of eminent domain should have to forgo using any business or service that was developed in party with the use of eminent domain. It wouldn't be a very easy thing to accomplish..

Do we judge a person by what they say or what they do?

Sure. Has Trump accomplished anything? Would his experience be a good thing as it relates to running the government more efficiently and wisely? Will his experience help us get the national debt under control, possibly pay it down? Will he know what to do to create jobs? Will he be familiar with all the regulations businesses have to comply with to be successful? Will he be more pro business, start a hiring boom? This probably isn't what you had in mind, but I want to draw your attention to it. You were about to sail right by this without giving him any credit. You should give him credit. He is the most qualified person out there when it comes to running a successful business, and dealing with huge power deals, keeping costs down and being creative.

Trump hasn’t done anything conservative with the hundreds of millions of dollars at his disposal, yet I should believe him?

Are you aware that despite New York being almost totally run by Democrats, he has donated massive funds to Republicans too? If you don't wish to give him credit for doing anything Conservative with his money, don't come to me complaining how much he has accomplished for the Left with his donations.

I am not searching for a guy to “manage things better”.

This is just silly. We need someone with executive experience, and preferably someone who has successfully lead a team, has had to watch the bottom line, and is concerned with our nation's exploding debt. Right now Trump is proving he is fiscally responsible. As mentioned he has only spent $2 million so far on his campaign. Why would you not want someone who manages better? You didn't learn anything from Obama?

I don’t want a better dictator, but a lover of liberty.

You evidently don't understand this, but CEOs are not dictators. They rely on their staff to provide information to them, and help them make intelligen decisions. You don't think Trump has great tzx people who tell him what the best course of action would be? You don't think he has other subordinates who are experts in their field who do the same thing? Trump isn't a dictator. He talks all the time about having people. That is not the comment of a dictator. We sued to trash politicians who had never had a private sector job, never had to make a payroll, never had to make decisions that would keep their business afloat, never had to deal with government regulations.

Whe did we say that? Wasn't it because our elected officals all too often don't have a clue what policies are best to help the private entrepreneur be successful, so they can create jobs and spark the economy.

Here is the guy we've always said we wanted. No we call him a dictator and say, "No way!" You know better than that. We need Trump and I think you realize what I am saying is true.

Several things concern me about Trump. As noted, his complete lack of action on conservative issues despite the means and motive (if we believe he is a sincere convert to our cause(s)).

Once again, please point out what you don't like that you have seen in his platform. As for doing something Conservative, he's a real estate developer. He has donated large sums to both Liberals and Conservatives. As a businessman, it was his duty to his operations to make sure he was on good terms with anyone who might stand in the way of his company's success. His livelihood, his employees, the community, and different taxing agencies depended on it. He was not a partisain person.

In the business community, everyone is your friend. You try to be cordial with everyone, because you need thm. In a political environment, you have other things to focus on. You have to develop sound policy, address people in a political sense, not a business sense. We are lucky Trump opted to go with our agenda, not a Leftist agenda. He is a talent, and he is using that tallent for good.

He doesn't know everything, and he understands that. Yesterday he said Paul Ryan would be a good choice for Speaker. Today he has already consulted on the matter and has come around to our point of view.

Honestly, that's the best we could ask for. He has someone who agrees with us in his ranks, and they are prevailing. Trump has signed on to that person's views. I couldn't be more glad about that.

Next, his serial wifery. If you cannot be good to your number one gal, then were does that leave us? Trophy wifism is a sure sign of selfish narcissism.

Whose idea was it to divorce in each marriage? You don't know that. I don't know that. Reagan divorce once. Trump has divorced twice. Does that mean he's a selfish narcisist? I'm here to tell you it doesn't.

Furthermore, he didn’t raise his terrific kids. Ivana’s parents did. They were old world Czechs. Is it accident or design that Trump ignored his family and lucked out that Ivana’s parents were well grounded and moral? A man that ignores his children for money and fame isn’t a man I respect.

For crying out loud, you are sadly mistaken when it comes to Trump's kids. If he ignored them they wouldn't respect him. They all do. You don't think he had any hand in his kid's upbringing? That's laughable.

As soon as they were ready, he hired them into his business at top levels. Those kids to a person praise their dad and respect him. Asked why they don't smoke, drink or do drugs, they say their dad wouldn't allow it. I've seen them say it. Your comments here are wothtless. I'm not sure who fed you this bunk, but his kids say otherwise by their actiosn and words.

He had them participate in his NBC show "the Apprentice". They are smart, business like, successful contributors to our society. Malina is an excellent mother to their son Barron. I've seen her interviewed and it left no doubt in my mind that kid has limits, is being raised with an incredible amount of love, and is not just handed off to someone to raise for her.

Trump is the traditional dad. He goes out and earns the bacon. His wife stays home and raised the kid. Translation: Traditional Values

Much is made of his business success and that is partly true. His father gave him at least $100 million ($558 million in 2014 dollars) around 1972 and Trump has built on that. Many wealthy heirs lose their fortunes. So that speaks well of him. Yet, he underperformed the objective money management measure, namely the stock market which appreciated 10.4%/year on average over those 43 years.

Why do I know all this off the top of my head? I know because I wasn't looking to find dirt on Trump. I was just trying to learn what was up with him.

Trump's dad handed off a lot of money. By 1989, the economy was in a tailspin and Trump's net worth was -$150 million dollars. Forgot to mention that didn't you.

You can say Trump made poor choices, the economy went south causing problems, or both. The fact is Trump took that -$150 million dollars (in 1989 funds, much more in today's dollars since we seem to favor playing that game) and turned that around to the net worth he has today, from $3 to $10 billion depending on who you listen to.

Trump did not get a silver spoon and never produce on his own. Everything he has today, was accomplished on his own. Being down -$150 million means he had no money left from his dad's fortune. In 25 years, he brought ti to where it is today.

We know though from experience that most of the 1% tend toward the social convenience of liberalism. It’s rare to find a conservative in their ranks and this brings me to my final concern for this post.

And yet we did find one.

Trump is a urbanite from America’s largest city. It’s rare to find a person from an extremely cosmopolitan and diverse city who isn’t center-left.

And yet we did find one.

If only Trump acted and behaved as a conservative and put his money toward conservative causes, then I’d like him a lot.

Well then you can like him alot. He has donated 100s of millions to Conservatives.

Now, perhaps you can answer my question:

What platform items of Trump's do you not like?

P. S. Out of Conservatives, less than 0.0005% of them are sad when a Candidate hawks their desires in public.