By Teri O'Brien -
Even John Kasich gets it at this point. Marco, Jeb, John and even Ted Cruz were wrong. Donald Trump did become the GOP nominee, or nearly has. Oh yes, I know, there are still a few dead enders who cling to the fantasy of a “contested convention.” Right. Hiroo Onoda would be very proud. Come November, it’s Hillary Clinton v. Donald Trump. One of these two people will be the next president. Reality is not optional, and the choice is a no brainer.
I know that many Cruz supporters are heartsick, depressed and angry that he is out of the race. They saw Sen. Cruz as the real deal, and hoped for a “Revenge of the Nerds” happy ending, with their smart, solid conservative hero triumphant at the end. Instead, as they see it, a bombastic orange-faced bully stole his lunch money, gave him a wedgie, posted a video of it on Twitter, proceeded to mock him mercilessly, laughing all the way. He invented insulting nicknames for every opponent, ridiculed protected groups, derided women for their looks and generally behaved in what some considered an outrageous and rude manner. His reward for all this appalling conduct? He beats 16 people and wins the GOP presidential nomination.
How in the world could this Trump victory have happened? It’s simple. Here are at least three reasons:
People in real America, not in the parentheses on both coasts, are sick to death of political correctness, and Donald Trump says what many of them are thinking.
People in real America despise the political elites, and they despise Trump. He is wealthy in his enemies.
People in real America, especially in the GOP base, who delivered victories in 2010 and 2014, have had it with spineless, mealy-mouthed politicians who over the last 7+ years have chosen to be act like helpless bystanders as Barack Obama and his merry band of Marxists proceed to destroy the country they grew up in. When I think of Donald Trump, I think of Abe Lincoln’s words about U.S. Grant: “I like this man. He fights.” Just imagine Hillary Clinton trotting out the hackneyed liberal “war on women” meme, and consider which would be more effective: a preachy Sen. Ted Cruz, sanctimoniously trying to use his Ivy League debating society magic on it, or Donald Trump, hosting a press conference with several of the women that Hillary tried to destroy because they had the misfortune of getting involved with her reprobate husband?
But wait, aren’t Trump supporters forgetting a few important details? Specifically, that
- Donald Trump is NOT a conservative. In fact, some say he is only a nominal Republican.
- Donald Trump has enabled the corrupt political class with his political contributions, including some to democrats including Chuck Schumer, Harry Reid and even Hillary Clinton.
- Donald Trump has demonstrated a lack of information about serious issues, so much so that he appears to change positions every five minutes, or even within the same interview.
- Donald Trump has said some unfortunate things, including, but not limited to, expressing support for Planned Parenthood, stating that he would be inclined to raise taxes, and promising to impose tariffs and start a trade war.
All true.
He may even be, as Wisconsin radio talk show host Charlie Sykes said on Thursday, May 5, 2016 on CNN’s, “New Day,” a “serial liar, a xenophobe, a misogynist, and a conspiracy theorist.” During the same interview, some guy named Ben Howe from redstate.com called him “a maniac,” and “pathological liar.”
And here’s the thing. I hope that you are sitting down: None of these things make any difference.
I can only assume that Mr. Sykes thinks Donald Trump is a “xenophobe” because he believes in securing the border and enforcing our immigration laws, which is precisely the reason millions are supporting him. Immigration and the importation of unvetted Muslims from jihadist hotbeds put on warp speed by the Obama Regime is an existential issue for this country, so if that be “xenophobia,” count me in. Perhaps Mr. Sykes, a rabid Cruz supporter, is expressing the same sentiment that caused Sen. Cruz to endorse the pro-amnesty, pro-sanctuary state governor of Utah, Gary Herbert, for re-election. Sen. Cruz spent a great deal of time the last few weeks proclaiming that he is absolutely opposed to amnesty, so that endorsement never made sense to me. Could that have just been cynical political calculation on the part of Sen. Cruz? Perish the thought!
I’m not sure what evidence of Trump’s being a “liar” these two have, but remember who he will probably be running against, the LeBron James of lying, Hillary Clinton. This is a woman who lies about things for no reason, things that are easily disproven, and that don’t matter. She said that she was named after Sir Edmund Hilary, the first man to summit Mount Everest, even though he wasn’t famous until she was six years old. Unless her parents were personal friends of his (they weren’t), this is a ridiculous and pointless lie. There’s only one explanation for this prevarication: she LIKES to lie! And she has lied about some very serious matters, including the deaths of four brave Americans in Benghazi. Yet we’re supposed to focus on Trump’s being a stranger to the truth? He’s a piker next to her! Corrupt? She's the Queen of Corruption! If you need more reasons to understand why it is essential that Hillary not be elected, please read this piece.
I’ve even seen people claim that Trump is “exactly like Obama.” Exactly like Obama in that he’s thin-skinned and narcissistic? I agree. Exactly like Obama in that he had a very, shall we say, unconventional upbringing, was mentored by a card-carrying communist, and worshipped a church pastored by an anti-Semitic nutcase known for his anti-American, racist rants? Uh no.
Some say Trump will “destroy” the country because he’s a “loose cannon.” I’m sorry, Folks, but that’s like people on the Titanic worrying about a listeria outbreak in the buffet. Have you seen what’s been happening the last 7 plus years?
Here’s the mistake that you Cruz supporters are making. Even though it may appear to be otherwise, the American people are not ideological; that is, many live their lives as conservatives, but most of those do not identify as such. They have a lot of common sense, and they know that the last 7 yrs have nearly destroyed this country; however, unlike you, they aren’t enchanted with a candidate because he is an articulate, principled conservative. They don’t care about that. (Nor do they care about the crease in his pants.)
I’ve got more news for you, Cruz supporters. Not everyone views Sen. Cruz as the second coming of Ronald Reagan. In fact, very, very few people do. What you view as high-minded and honorable looks like condescending, self-righteous sneering to a lot of low-information people who will be voting this fall. His unfortunate style and presentation are tailor-made for the Alinsky style attack that the Left would launch against him. I hate to say it, but they barely have to do anything to caricature him. He does it himself, unfortunately.
At this point, I believe that many of those who remain “#NeverTrump” are doing so to indulge their own egos, rather than putting the country first. That’s clearly true of the prissy, East Coast Brain Rot afflicted types like Bill Kristol and George Will. These elitists can’t bear the thought that they will be confused with the mouth-breathing, knuckle-dragging hayseeds who have never heard of Hayek, don’t read the National Review or never listened to NPR. Don’t worry, Bill, George and the rest of you. You can vote against Hillary without anyone thinking that you are part of the rabble. As far as betraying conservatism, if Phyllis Schlafly and Sen. Jeff Sessions can support Donald Trump without betraying conservatism, so can you. At a minimum, all thinking, concerned Americans should give him a chance to earn their votes.
Maybe the close-minded, petulant #NeverTrump types need their own ribbon, like those AIDs ribbons self-righteous activists wanted everyone to wear to show that they were better than others because they “cared” more. That way, they wouldn’t be limited to self-congratulatory smugness. We could all look up to them and wish we could be as intelligent and principled! If only we weren’t more concerned about the United States surviving as we have known it.
Look, I know that some of you, even those who aren’t determined #NeverTrump types, are dreading holding your nose yet again, just as you have done before. Now that we have seen the destruction inflicted on our great nation by the ineligible radical leftist squatting in the White House, it’s even more important than it was in 2008 and 2012. We cannot survive an Obama third term.
The afore-mentioned Mr. Sykes speaking of a defeat for Trump, which he hopes for, said “We will have the credibility to pick the pieces” after that happens. Seriously? Is this about the “credibility” of the “conservative movement” or the future of our country? Is it possible to save American conservatism if the country as we know it has been destroyed?
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Gotta love the humility and rational approach of the Trump cult members – vote for Donald or you’re stupid or ridiculously arrogant know-it-alls.
Haha. I can only imagine if the situation were reversed and Trumpites were being “FORCED” to vote for Lucifier in the flesh for president. I’m sure they’d be compliant and cooperative, and just do their best to make America great again by voting for … hold on … Ted Cruz!!
Stop your lecturing – please. It doesn’t appeal to me. Your ridiculous rationale makes no sense. Donald Trump is a shallow egotist that is in so far above his head it’s an embarrassment.
Thus far, he has done NOTHING, NOTHING to make me want to vote for him. I’m waiting for a reason to change my mind about my vote in November – and it won’t be those arguing on his behalf that convince me to change my mind.
It will be only the man and what HE says and does that matters to me. Until then, stop trying to defend the indefensible.
Please.
My problem with Trump is that it seems that we would be moving from one egotistical narcissist to another in the White House.
Trump may differ from Obama on various issues, but he suffers from the same personality disorder.
This coming from someone that claimed Paul Ryan is conservative is hilarious.
His views on trade should be enough. Any thoughts on this issue? I’ll leave this open-ended so as to hear your views on this most important topic.
We live in an Age of Narcissism. All of our Presidents since TR with the exception of maybe Coolidge and Hoover suffered from it. Assuming it’s the nature of the age, one must look to a narcissist with views as similar to his own.
Cruz lost because no more than 20% of voters ever actually supported him. And the truth is, Sykes and others wouldn’t actually want Cruz either. They want another electable idiot nominated who will pander. Attacking Trump using arguments that liberals use to attack conservatives, Xenophobia, etc., helped Trump because it clearly showed that Trump is conservative.
I always supported Cruz.
But do I trust Trmup- well not really.
But I do trust Clinton to screw things up even more.
So it probably does not give me much of a choice except to support Trump.
I certainly didn’t call anyone “stupid,” but then I am also not a “Trump cult member,” so I guess you’re talking about something outside this piece, Laura. It goes without saying that every candidate has to earn your vote, and Trump is no exception. I don’t think your comment addressed my arguments at all. To what do you refer when you say “ridiculous rationale?” Maybe I’m missing something, but it appears to me that it’s either Hillary or Trump. And no one can be “forced” to vote for anyone or anything as far as I know. BTW, OF COURSE I would vote for Ted Cruz if he were running against Hillary Clinton! That, too, is a no brainer. Thanks for your comment.
I’ve got a better idea:
Why don’t you stop reading articles that get you all ginned up and then come here to lecture those of us who are tired of being lied to and used.
You, and those who think like you, are every bit as much ‘on the plantation’ as are the majority of black voters, the only difference is which plantation you’re on.
Also,your views won’t help win an election, thereby you are irrelevant.
So save the lectures for your next ‘Wives of Bushwood’ fundraiser, Muffy.
Too many Republicans say that, if we don’t vote for Trump, we’ll help split the ant-Clinton vote, helping her win. That’s usually not correct. Because of the electoral college, it depends on the state where each voter lives. Clinton will easily win IL, CA, OR, WA, MN, MA, NJ, and CT. Trump will easily win TX, UT, AZ, NV, WV, TN, AL, MS, OK, and KS. In those 18 states, conservatives can vote for a third-party candidate, knowing that their votes won’t cause Clinton to win their states. I’ll vote for Darrell Castle, of the Constitution Party. Many of the other states are swing states. I hope that, in the swing states, all non-Clinton voters will vote for Trump.
Teri summed the Trump appeal quite well. We need a fighter in the White House, and Trump isn’t afraid to fight. We have been betrayed by the feeble, weak Republicans recently elected who swore to fight Obama, and caved. People like the fact that Trump speaks his mind and doesn’t use couched, academic, lofty, “conservative” phrases. We don’t need more Michael Medveds (who sides with every loser, using intellectual arguments). This is not the time for intellectuals. We’ve already had a professor in the White House for 8 years and it has gone badly.
Yes, concerned taxpayer, I agree 100%! Thanks for your comment.
Precisely!
Wait–“Muffy?” Is that supposed to be me?
No No!
That was intended for Ms Jones.
It’s all fun and games as his supporters watch Trump annihilate his Republican opponents, and possibly, actually eventually take on Clinton. Yes, great fun and really empowering to watch the strongman pick off the “other guys” while you’re on his team… that is, until YOU become one of the “other guys” and he comes after YOU. Lenin used to call them “useful idiots”. Once things turned, they were the first to get a bullet in the back of the head. It’s all about trust, folks. Trump’s only guiding principle so far seems to be “the end justifies the means”. Can anyone trust him? Does he have a moral compass?
Last Saturday I met a retired colonel who said he was with a group called “Veterans for Trump.” I thanked him for his service and asked him why he thought Trump was good for veterans and he said Trump wanted to reform the VA. Then another veteran behind me said, “Colonel, I salute you for your service and I was only a sergeant E-5 (like I was).” “But what I want to know is how come your draft-dodger candidate never accounted for the $6 million he claimed to raise for veteran’s groups during his TV show to compete with the Iowa primary debate? What happened to that money? The colonel had no answer.
Phil would Castle be a better choice than former Gov. Gary Johnson on the Libertarian Ticket? Please tell me more about Castle and is he on the ballot in all 50 states like Johnson would be?
Yes Carol, Trump does have a moral compass and it always points to whatever benefits him is moral.
Oh OK. It would have been ok if you said it about me. I just didn’t understand. 🙂
I find it humorous how some are worried about Trump representing the republican party. The reason Trump is getting the nod is because the republican party lied to and betrayed its supporters and the former useful idiots refuse to support another deceiving republican. Just think back to the last election and the republican promises…. let me count the ways!
Trump promises to put American workers first, something the republicrats haven’t done and aren’t doing.
Was the colonel a forensic accountant with psychic ability? How else could he have had an answer?
Hi all. This discussion thread is a great chance to use the “way back machine”! Trump has followed conservative governing principles since the inauguration (today is Dec 4,2017) – constitutional-focused judicial appointments, tax reduction, regulation rollback, eliminate ACA, and reduce spending (absolute cuts in several areas in his proposed budget). Also he is deferring legislation to Congress and obeying court rulings (even if they are wrong). In short – Tea Party!! Further more, he is a fighter – an effective fighter – who shapes the agenda.
In spite of the concerns expressed by several posters, his actions are totally in synch with Tea Party tenets.