Are you running for something? I'll vote for you...
Posted on 01/20/2016 11:54:10 PM PST by WTFOVR
So! YOU. STILL. DON'T. GET. IT!
It is an irony of politics that we often get that which we most despise yet doggedly work to bring into fruition - mediocrity ...
Purists want nothing less than complete lock step with whatever definition each one of them individually defines to be their ideology. But life, in a land that upholds as sacrosanct the historically novel idea of individual freedom, must by its very nature admit as many diverse opinions as their exists individuals.
The nexus of the problem is that the purist can never bend in the wind - and so he snaps - at everything and everyone, friend and foe alike. Not settling for anything less than 100 percent of that which defines his personal orthodoxy, he or she will cast out those who otherwise might be his best ally in the fight.
So goes the present contest of wills between two groups, each of whose chosen leader now battles for the number one position in a political struggle that will decide the fate of this American Republic for generations to come - that is, if our nation manages to survive as a republic.
Thus, it is to the "conservative purists" that I direct this rebuke ...
You, oh most orthodox believer in the church of "conservatism," would have all other members march, in perfect Hun tradition, as one gloriously synchronized goose-stepping phalanx. You, oh most pure of ideologues, would brutishly force all to go lock step to the beat of your most holy drum, left-right-left, without but a millimeter of deviation nor a nanosecond of doubt - even while the entire edifice burns and crumbles down around you ... Boldly you shall continue to sing only the most orthodox of conservative hymns, while holding up your fist in defiance and rage, obstinately certain of your "ideological purity" throughout the ensuing sociopolitical collapse.
Shall we attempt to douse the flames? NO! The water is contaminated with impurities! We dare not allow it to touch our sacred conservative tabernacle! We must not defile ourselves! We should rather perish! But the flames will surely spread and burn down the city ... So be it! Better to die than compromise our precious bodily fluids! Commander Jack D. Conservative will have none of it! OK, have it your way ...
The total destruction of EVERYTHING Americans ever were, or could ever hope to be, is but a minor thing; for you will happily perish in the flames of political Armageddon, gladly be reduced to ashes, because you may proudly shout from your graves that never did you deviate in the slightest from your dogma ... Let the irony of your indifference forever echo above the charred destruction ... Let the epitaph of this Republic be chiseled into the cold granite of your obstinately monolithic stupidity:
"Here lies Pure Conservatism - His cause perished with his country, but at least he pridefully never gave one inch!"
And you, oh purist, with your willing accomplices, made certain that neither could any other, less you beat them into submission with incessant mockery and damnable calumny - "Burn the heretics! Long live the Church of Pure!"
In your absolute arrogance, you forgot one very important axiom of life - a tree that never bends in the wind, snaps.
There is nothing so constant as change, and if it is not allowed to develop organically, then it will come by way of destructive revolution. Nor is there any object so elusive as the entity without blemish. Nothing in this life is pure - not even gold, and least of all political ideology ... There will always be heretics and compromising hellions to muddy the waters. Oh, the shame of it all!
The fact is that the political brinkmanship is not about electing the the most ideologically pure candidate ... The contest is and always has been one of choosing the MOST ELECTABLE ideological candidate ... You don't get 100 percent unadulterated conservatism - you settle for the mutt, because in politics the purebred is a myth - a figment spun only in the imaginations of those who have not acquired the ability to courageously face life's awful truths. Reality often sucks for ideologues.
No, you do not get the "purist" candidate - for reason that there is not one political animal who can win a national election by the weight of his ideological purity alone. Why? Because there is not one individual voter who is made up of 100 percent unadulterated anything. We're all political mutts! No citizen this side of sanity, who functions productively within our Constitutional Representative Republic, is so self-absorbed in their orthodoxy as to play the purist fiddle while the nation burns to the ground around them.
This is not a dress rehearsal, there is no do-over. This is our moment of trial. We have a nation in financial and cultural chaos, a Republic sitting on the precipice of the abyss. We have but one last opportunity to perhaps pull her back from the edge; and in this hour of peril "purity" takes a back seat to self-preservation.
We are now in a "fight to the death" with forces that unabashedly mean to destroy us and all we have ever been. Let me remind those who perhaps have forgotten those fateful words past spoken:
"... Now we are engaged in a great civil war, testing whether that nation, or any nation so conceived and so dedicated, can long endure. We are met on a great battle-field of that war. ..." - Abraham Lincoln, The Gettysburg Address
We need ALL hands on deck - the purists and the not so pure; the ideologue and the pragmatist; Republican, Democrat, Libertarian, Independent, man, woman, young, old - every one who believes in what this country stands for ... We need every creed, color, race and ethnicity who, at their very core, are AMERICANS FIRST!
Which now brings me to the point of my rant: Donald J. Trump ...
OK, I get it - Trump is not a straight down the list "pure" conservative. Well, golly gee, all you followers of Captain Obvious, thanks for pointing that out to me - I might never have guessed! But then again ... Neither is Senator Ted Cruz, his protests to the contrary notwithstanding.
In fact, I doubt you ideological bloodhounds will ever find such a creature among us, because we each hold to a different idea of what defines that ubiquitous moniker of "conservative" - and that reality check IS the point that Governor Palin made in her endorsement speech for Donald Trump.
On the other hand, the enemy we face IS VERY "pure" - and VERY focused on one singular evil goal - the utter destruction of our Republic ... He is the Dragon of fascist governance - let's call this beast "Smog," if you please, and we are the Hobbits.
Smog is the guardian of the gold that lies beneath the seemingly impenetrable mountain fortress of The Establishment, whose evil overlords have plotted down through the centuries so to protect their ill-gotten gain - and thus, by treachery of their warring dynasties, cast a perpetual darkness upon the Land of Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness. Their proxies promise reform - some promise to "spread the wealth;" and still others promise to "punish the wicked and restore justice." But somehow the smothering darkness never yields its grip on the land, no matter how often the dynastic throne changes hands, because the Dragon allows none but its heirs to enter his gold filled lair.
This Dragon, this entrenched and most powerful adversary, desires to crush our rugged individualism; he desires to extinguish the guiding spirit that beats in every American heart; any who dare threaten his power are burned out of existence - the orthodox and not so orthodox alike ... For all must accept their serfdom, never to be more than drones, existing but not prospering in this planned utopia of Dynastic crony collectivism.
Unfortunately for the cause of freedom, those who demand nothing less than "ideological purity" consistently act to deny admittance to those falling short of their personally prescribed measure. Thus the purists help our Dragon adversary achieve his evil goals.
We are a nation in search of a champion; but,more than a Bilbo Baggins, we need a Brave Heart ... We need a leader who will exploit the Dragon's weakness, see the chink in the Dragon's allegedly invincible armor, and let fly the arrow of liberty to its fateful mark. We need a new breed of warrior, one who fights to win; not merely for the purists, but for all Americans: the red, the white, the blue - and all the shades in between. That individual may not be the most "pure" of conservatives, but he's the only man consistently hitting the target ... A lean, mean fighting machine, named Donald J. Trump.
{How could things be any worse?}
If he wins...
Its not that hes not a “straight down the line conservative” It’s that he’s not a conservative at all. He’s a New York limousine liberal. He’s a progressive who believes in the power of the state. His supporters will rue the day that they voted for him.
Before Trump came along we were facing a repeat of failures.
_______________________________________________
Trump, a rare fighter and winner for perilous times. We should praise God and consider ourselves blessed that he has answered the call to battle for the revival of America. He has explained how he was called to this challenge, not by some lightning bolt out of the heavens, but by something that moved him inside and told him he had to do it. It is up to you to figure out what that was. Trump and this Country will need our continued prayers.
HA!
Are you running for something? I'll vote for you...
![](http://i.imgur.com/LNHWELr.jpg"; "â€source:")
You’re gonna love this ...
Trump is not just an “impure” conservative - he’s not a conservative at all. If he wins the nomination, it will be a Pyrrhic victory; He is least likely of nearly any of the Republican candidates (and in his case I use that term loosely) to prevail in the general election, and his past positions indicate he would govern from the left: government health care, tariff barriers to trade that would damage the economy, pro-choice policies that would continue to jeopardize the unborn - and a staggering ignorance of foreign policy.
He’s hope and change with a fence.
We’re not the ones who don’t get it, noob.
Yes! My goodness....
-JT
Who is Trump dominating? Not me. Not Cruz. His Worshipers?
Watch out there is a snake in the grass and you just might get bit.
Trump is not my choice in the primary season.
Demanding, yes your rant is ‘demanding’, that people of integrity and moral character trade in those traits. I won’t do that. Trump might very well trade in his moral character and integrity, but not me.
We are watching a new kind of Presidential election, one being run like a reality tv show, and it is not very becoming. It is in fact a dangerous way to elect a President.
The pendulum swung hard for 8 years in the direction of Obama, we were all pretty shocked in 2012 that it didn’t swing back. It is now swinging back and if we’re not careful it will swing back in our faces with just as much power. Trump, with all that power? No, I won’t give that to him. What everyone likes about him right now is his no holds barred approach and for me, that is a character flaw not needed in the President.
As I mentioned in a thread the other night, I have had the “lesser of two evils” discussion in excess of my capacity to participate again.
Vote conscience in primaries, vote pragmatism in the general. That’s my plan.
Trump/Cruz as a ticket would be incredible. That’s my hope.
Not exactly, in fact exactly opposite. The GOPe/RNC argument was vote for our guy. The one without a spine or balls. In this case is how can you not vote for a man with a titanium spine and huge brass balls who happens to believe in almost everything we do? Look at the field of battle so far. Trump is slaying the enemies, salting their fields and driving their lamenting women and children before him. I see no other candidate that has done that. Not Cruz, and not Carson. Cruz gets into a dust up with Trump trying to boost his numbers and take the lead, and so Trump is in the process of liquidating him. Had he not had the hubris to attack Trump, he would most likely have been the under-card on the ticket. No way that will happen now. Trump is systematically destroying him as he has done with every other opponent he has had in his life. The reason Cruz followers are so desperate today is that they see him being destroyed with their own eyes.
See post after your comment. I was hoping Trump/Cruz too, but isn’t going to happen now.
This purist recognizes that the three branches have been thoroughly corrupted from their constitutional purposes.
Washington DC doesn’t recognize the ends of government as per the Declaration, nor are they limited by the societal compact of the people and the states, our constitution.
DC exercises plenary power in thorough violation of the compact every day. At the same time, We the People are expected to obey laws and court opinions as if constitutional government still existed. This is a fundamental contradiction that cannot go on forever.
Whoever wins this coming November will possess the despotic powers that have accumulated in the executive branch. Now I’d rather live under a Cruz despotism than a Sanders police state, but we can’t depend on voting a “good” despot into office every four years.
The authority to frame government resides in us, not them.
Article V. There is little time.
Yep - I agree with much of what WTFOVR said 9have been preaching it in smaller dribs and drabs for a pong time, but the point is to actually support (with actions and/or money) the candidate of your choice until such time as that person either becomes the last man standing or succumbs to another - then we need to be smart enough to not overblow what we consider to be faults in the nominee and to really look at the discernible differences between that person and the pure evil of the other side.
I've been donating to Cruz but will be all-in for Trump if he's the nominee - anyone who can't do that when it comes to Cruz or Trump (let's leave the rest of the field out of this discussion - they are true scum) will wear a bomb vest into a pantry to get rid of pests because he saw one or two sugar ants in it and assumes the whole house is a total loss....
It also gives one more credence if they actually appear to be supporting conservative causes like FR for instance...
Now for a short public service announcement to all on FR:
We need to ensure we don't get another Obama-like America Hater as the next President.
The best way to ensure that is to actively support a candidate (even if he's "rich enough to do it on his own") as the next President.
I donate to the candidate I support and you should too, else, your "support" really doesn't have any meaning.
It's even worse if you use FR and don't donate. If you are one of those who feel it's OK to use FR daily w/o helping pay to keep the lights on, then please don't complain about the welfare leeches because, functionally, you are no different than any other who enjoys the fruits of others' work for your own benefit. Also, don't be surprised if others decide that your opinions are as worthless as your non-donations - hypocrites aren't worth listening to.
PS - If you are one of those unlucky few who cannot afford even a small donation to FR or a candidate, God Bless and happy FReeping!.....
nice straw-man rant, I hope you feel better now that your wordgasm is over. I’m not a purist; I’m a conservative. I tend not to like or support people who frequently vote democrat, give money to democrats, subsist on the manipulation of government largesse, support eminent domain for private gain and espouse positions at diametric opposition to the constitutional limitations of government power.
I long ago gave up any hope of finding the perfect candidate but so far have avoided support for a perfect a$$hole like Trump.
You should try decaf. That is one epic rant I just skimmed through in about40 seconds (that I wish I could get back).
Awesome. Trump doesn’t take “crap.” The Don doesn’t even know what a conservative is!
I don’t know; some of us find well-done ‘word soup’ to be a great spectator sport ;-)
-JT
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.