Posted on 01/22/2016 2:41:08 PM PST by Isara
The rise of The Donald has been remarkable. He is, it seems, supported by conservative Republicans and independents. At least that is the what they claim to be. He is supported by people who impose strict litmus tests on politicians-ready to denounce them as RINOs or liberals at the drop of a hat. And yet, those litmus tests don’t appear to apply to Trump.
On the contrary, he can do no wrong. And everything he says must be good-because he is “speaking his mind” and “telling it like it is.” Trump supporters have excused his flip-flops (something they would have never done for Mitt Romney) on issues like abortion and guns. Trump supporters have ignored his current faults, including his continuing defense of single-payer healthcare. Trump supporters have also ignored his personal and business failings, including but not limited to: his fake brand of Christianity, his three marriages, his four bankruptcies, his four draft deferments, his use of eminent domain, and his unabashed buying-off of politicians (including the Clintons).
Trump supporters are rightly angry about the state of the country, but they have also bought into a cult of personality. Personality cults are always dangerous, especially when someone as charismatic (and wealthy) as Donald Trump is at the helm. If Trump decides to run independent ala fellow-protectionist Ross Perot, you can be sure millions of people will follow him and torpedo the Republican candidate.
Let’s give credit where it is due: Donald Trump was smart enough to make this happen. Despite never holding office, he knows how to be a politician. Jeffrey Tucker summed up Trump’s strategy best (please read his entire article):
As of this writing, Trump is leading in the polls in the Republican field. He is hated by the media, which is a plus for the hoi polloi in the GOP. He says things he should not, which is also a plus for his supporters. He is brilliant at making belligerent noises rather than having worked out policy plans. He knows that real people don't care about the details; they only want a strongman who shares their values. He makes fun of the intellectuals, of course, as all populists must do. Along with this penchant, Trump encourages a kind of nihilistic throwing out of rationality in favor of a trust in his own genius. And people respond, as we can see.
Rick Perry has tried to tell the truth about Trumpism. Now Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) is taking up the baton. I hope they are successful, and they should be commended for standing up against The Donald and his lynchmob.
But people were sounding the warning bells back when Trump was last threatening a presidential bid in 2011. Among them was the now-deceased Andrew Breitbart. Here is what he had to say:
Of course, he's not a conservative. He was for Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-CA), before he was against Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-CA)...celebrity is everything in this country if these guys don't learn how to play the media the way Barack Obama played the media last election cycle and the way that Donald Trump is playing the election cycle-we're going to probably get a celebrity candidate.
Ironically, the Breitbart website has seemingly been the online driving force behind Trump’s candidacy. Andrew Breitbart, if he were still alive, would have never allowed that to happen.
Michelle Malkin has had a very public feud with Trump going back to 2011 as well…and it has continued. She wrote a devastating column about “Donald Trump’s eminent-domain empire.”
Trump has attempted to use the same tactics in Connecticut and has championed the reviled Kelo vs. City of New London Supreme Court ruling upholding expansive use of eminent domain. He told Fox News anchor Neil Cavuto that he agreed with the ruling "100 percent" and defended the chilling power of government to kick people out of their homes and businesses based on arbitrary determinations:
"The fact is, if you have a person living in an area that's not even necessarily a good area, and government, whether it's local or whatever, government wants to build a tremendous economic development, where a lot of people are going to be put to work and make (an) area that's not good into a good area, and move the person that's living there into a better place - now, I know it might not be their choice - but move the person to a better place and yet create thousands upon thousands of jobs and beautification and lots of other things, I think it happens to be good."
Like most statist promises of bountiful job creation, government-engineered redevelopment math rarelyaddsup. Trump's corporations have backed casino industry bailouts and wealth-redistributing "tax-increment financing" schemes - the very kind of taxpayer-subsidized interventions we've seen on a grand scale under the Obama administration.
Undoubtedly, hardcore Trump supporters will read this piece and add Breitbart and Malkin to their hate lists. But it is my hope that their conservative credibility will help open the eyes of others who may be considering Trump. It would be a grave mistake to put an ego-driven, pro-government New York billionaire anywhere near the White House (yes, that also applies to Michael Bloomberg).
Now is the time to #DumpTrump.
That is interesting. Can you tell by posting styles if two different posters are actually the same?
Just following the law as it stands would result in their deportation.
So You Think Trump’s recent outreach to the GOPe is going to result in doing all the things you just listed?
Would encourage ALL here to read the article completely. Then, ask yourselves (that is, if you describe as a true conservative— that is, not an in between sorta conservative— a Reagan conservative) would YOU support a private developer pushing people out of their homes with the government’s “help”? Just like the subsidies for sports arena’s that taxpayers are expected to pick up to “help” the private developers/team owners and a slew of other fellow travellers on the gravy train— do you consider this to be conservative? Or, have ANYTHING to do with the TEA party patriots (remember what TEA stands for?— “Taxed ENOUGH Already”.
Next question— can the great “Donald” beat Joe Biden— because that is who obamaumao is setting up to run— quickly and shutting down the DNC morons— take a look over there. W/ or w/out indictment a pardon will be the trade, for her NOT running, and will marginalize Bernie back to the usual machine East Coast dems and... the Unions. Don’t forget the Unions.
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You need to open your eyes and see the big picture, really!
We won’t get anything done if we fail to elect Cruz.
He’s not just the only one that knows what needs to be done, he’s the only one that really intends to get it done.
Trump mostly likes things as they are.
He praised all the bogus court decisions.
He praised Dear Leader in Korea for running a Taut ship.
He wants to boost the ethanol that is destroying our vehicles and power tools, and reducing the efficiency and economy of all cars.
He wants amnesty for every illegal alien that has a job.
He said we had to let all the refugees in until Cruz corrected him.
You only see what you have imagined, not a shred of what is real.
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Neither is John Wayne.
And he posted a 4-month-old article. The timing is way off with this one.
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Cruz is guaranteed to win the general unless one of your people assassinates him first.
He is the one that beats Hillary; Trump loses to her everywhere.
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We just traced down the IPs.
But a clever person could probably detect similarities that would give a clue. These sorts of black propagandists really aren’t that clever and simply repeat the some lies over and over. Sort of like the way the MSM repeats the same talking points. It all originates in one place.
If we abandon our conservatism principles and surrender our constitutional checks and balances for a populist strongman than our country might as well be dead. I will never knowingly help to destroy our constitution.
You at least have a rational reason for not backing Trump, I hope you're wrong because if you are right we are totally screwed. Trump full filling his promise on the border and immigration is our only hope of remaining a constitutional republic.
He loved “in your face,” argumentative type guys.
And he wasn’t mysteriously killed. Everyone who knew him knew he had heart problems and told him to slow down.
Er, the govt/corporate cabal is already pushing people out of their homes without any help from the Donald.
We had a celebrity candidate once before. His name was Ronald Reagan. The chattering class tried to stop him too.
For years I’ve believed Conservative/Libertarian websites comments sections have been flooded with fake posts designed to discourage or confuse.
Called Reagan a warmonger and a Nazi as I recall. And stupid. It was the only time I was proud to have voted for a candidate and didn’t have to hold my nose.
The RATs never really come up with anything new. Not smart enough. They can’t even pick real victims to put on stage, just political operatives. The RATs presidential election playbook remains the same. The Republican is a nazi who wants to starve and kill people and deny them medicine and clean water... yada yada yada.
Sorry for attacking the RATs, I guess the FR is supposed to be just a circular firing squad now.
He's already selling Conservatives out, and the caucuses haven't been held yet.
The Art of the Deal, indeed.
It’s too late Red State, you purposefully missed the Trump train and it is roaring down the tracks. It’s klieg headlight is visible at the finish line. Now, where does that leave you, you that insisted Trump take a pledge to support the Republican nominee? Are you with us or against us. If you want none of us, go commiserate with Bernie.
Cruz had the opportunity to bring those issues to the table since Cruz was the first to declare he was running for POTUS. However Cruz choose not to. Cruz could have said hey look at what Mexico is doing sending drug dealers and crimminals to the USA. Cruz choose not to. Cruz only picked up those issues after Trump took a beating on them. Trump make those issues safe for Me Too Ted. I think I’ll go with the one that brought the issue to the table instead of the one the that yells Me Too once it’s safe to do so.
You can bank on it. Who benefits from conservative civil war? RATs. You can bet that a lot of today’s freepers are RAT operatives. You can check their profiles to see how long they’ve been on the FR. Many newer than 4-5 months are going to be RAT scum spewing dissension.
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