Right now Donald Trump is leading all national polls. This is in my opinion a very bad thing for everyone. National Review had an article that should be mandatory reading for GOP officials and for anyone leaning to the right about Trump’s impact on the party. George Will wrote:
Conservatives’ highest priority now must be to prevent Trump from winning the Republican nomination in this the GOP’s third epochal intra-party struggle in 104 years.
To be fair, there are internal GOP issues that have been sitting under the surface and now are festering like a boil. A lot of tension between voters and party leaders is present. As a result of some election shenanigans and other back room bad behaviors there are some pissed off conservatives who see this egocentric jackass as a way to revenge themselves on the party or they think they are being heard. Sadly, the chosen candidate is a statist and disturbingly he is also a yuuuuge fan of Putin.
Putin slyly stirred America’s politics by saying Trump is “very talented,” adding that he welcomed Trump’s promise of “closer, deeper relations,” whatever that might mean, with Russia. Trump announced himself flattered to be “so nicely complimented” by a “highly respected” man: “When people call you brilliant, it’s always good.” When MSNBC’s Joe Scarborough said Putin “kills journalists and political opponents and invades countries,” Trump replied that “at least he’s a leader.” Besides, Trump breezily asserted, “I think our country does plenty of killing also.” Two days later, Trump, who rarely feigns judiciousness, said: “It has not been proven that he’s killed reporters.”
Putin is ok because we do a lot of killing too? Really? A strong leader = murdering opponents? The mind boggles.
Well. Perhaps the 56 journalists murdered were coincidental victims of amazingly random violence that the former KGB operative’s police state is powerless to stop. It has, however, been “proven,” perhaps even to Trump’s exacting standards, that Putin has dismembered Ukraine. (Counts one and two at the 1946 Nuremberg trials concerned conspiracy to wage, and waging, aggressive war.)
Something about this looks awful familiar. Putin is no friend to America. Never has been and never will be. And populism is not the answer. Nor is Trump.
Until now, Trump’s ever-more-exotic effusions have had an almost numbing effect. Almost. But by his embrace of Putin, and by postulating a slanderous moral equivalence — Putin kills journalists, the United States kills terrorists, what’s the big deal, or the difference? — Trump has forced conservatives to recognize their immediate priority.
Survival of the conservative movement is where we are now. Mr. Will further explains what the impact of nominating Trump will be:
In 2016, a Trump nomination would not just mean another Democratic presidency. It would mean the loss of what Taft and then Goldwater made possible — a conservative party as a constant presence in American politics.
And this ladies and gentlemen is more important than scoring a political point.
Xavier says: Let me preface this by stating that I am not a Trump fan, at least not one who believes he is the Conservative savior, but I have to ask: if Trump caused the demise of the GOP and that relinquished control of Congress and the White house to the liberals, how would that be any different than the system that exists now? The GOP and leftists have identical goals, their only difference being that the Republicans have to lie to their constituents. If we have to go through a few liberal-dominated election cycles to cultivate the rise of a Conservative party, it would be not only worth it to destroy the GOP, it would be nearly unnoticeable. If we leave the current bi-partisan political elite system in place, we will continue to lose our freedoms one step at a time.
The GOP is enemy #1. Liberals are enemy #2. Candidates are simply tools to fight those enemies.
Gail Boer says: Enemies is a bit of a stretch. Kim Jong Il and Daesh are far more dangerous don’t you think?
I have to agree with Xavier. Trump is not destroying the GOP. The GOP Establishment is the true culprit by forcing the party to go hard Left (in the Sacred Name of Holy Bipartisanship).
In the recent budget deal Obama got everything he asked for, as the GOP folded faster than Superman on laundry day*. Obama’s judicial and cabinet nominees continue to sail through the Senate with little or no opposition: any given Obama nominee is flat-out guaranteed to have 10-15 Republican votes. If in 2016 Democrats sweep the White House and Congress, would there be any difference from what we have now?
The irony is that most (not all) of the criticism of Trump is justified. There is no doubt in my mind that President Trump would not be a substantial improvement over what we have now. Trump is just Hillary! with a better toupee.
But blaming Trump for the demise of the GOP is like saying lung cancer causes smoking. The GOP leadership’s recklessness and dishonesty with its voters have produced Trump, not the other way around. We already have a corrupt one-party dictatorship, so the collapse of the GOP will not change anything in that regard.
* – shamelessly stolen from Seinfeld
Kauf Buch says: !Jeb! is the same as Hillary.
Both Establishment quasi-Marxist darlings.
But Trump?!?
That’s nuts.
Sorry – don’t want the Kool-Aid. Schwarzenegger and Romney have taught me a scorching lesson about ignoring a candidate’s lefty past in favor of soothing stump speeches.
Although it would be fun watching “journalists” foam at the mouth at President Trump’s first press conference. Trump is no racist, as the MSM/DNC axis knows. They know that the public is turning against them, so they need to import a new group of slaves in order to stay in power.
DISCLAIMER – my wife became a US citizen last week. Unlike some others favored by the media she came here LEGALLY. As the spouse of a legal immigrant it pisses me off that the MSM/DNC axis plays the race card against Trump and other critics of our wacky immigration policies.
Kauf Buch says: What GARBAGE!!!
The GOP Establishment is exterminating itself.
Don’t even *think* of blaming Trump for THE BETRAYAL OF THOSE ON THE RIGHT BY THE REPUBLICAN PARTY.
The RINOs don’t need to start a new/third Party…
…they need to join the Democrats.
Is Trump perfect?
No. (you have all the reasons already…)
Is Cruz perfect?
No. (try his votes FOR the Trans Pacific Trade Deal and the ANTI-Constitutional Amendment which turned the US Constitution on its head, requiring 2/3 to reject rather than approve the deal!)
All things considered:
TRUMP 2016!
Gail Boer says: Trump is a statist and has strong fascist leanings. Nothing in his life and walk matches the talk. What are all things considered? Please share specifics and extra points for not insulting other candidates with an R after their name.
Ruthie Thompson says: Trump is leading the GOP field as far as polling goes, however those same polls show that he is losing to both Hillary and Bernie. I AGREE that Trump is destroying our party. First of all, you don’t replace a liberal a** like Obama with another liberal a** like Trump. If you want to fix a party that is on the path to destruction, you fix it by replacing those that are responsible for it’s destruction. And you replace them with those that have a proven conservative record. Trump’s record is not-so conservative in comparison to what he speaks. Hell yes he has destroyed our party. We had the best field of GOP candidates that we have ever had. We lost some good ones that have been shadowed over by a liberal clown. Foe example, look at Scott Walker. He has a very strong and impressive CONSERVATIVE record and has established that he is fearless against the liberal machine. But he couldn’t get his message out. There is still hope to oust Trump but it will take the narrowing of the GOP field. Pretty much, Trump’s support will not grow. Those who are in, are already in. Narrow the field and throw the support to a proven conservative with a proven conservative record. NONE are perfect, but stopping Hillary is the goal. We can throw the rest of them out one by one like we have done in the past.
Gail Boer says: Exactly.
Deserttrek says: the gop dissolved itself in 1996 with bob dole and has been melting away since. it thrives at the state level and has performed there. the federal level is corrupt and anti Citizen. Trump is a result of the disease, not the cause.
I will NOT vote rubio or jeb.
William says: The GOP has been killing itself with its slow but steady slide left and corrupt, traitorous leaders. I’m not a Trump fan, but if you to blame anyone for the decline of the GOP, look at Boehner, McConnell, McCain, etc.
Rick says: Trump’s greatest contribution to date has been his exposure of the dark, nasty underbelly of federal-level politics and the purchasing of candidates. I’m in my seventies and thought I was cynical before, but am shocked at how totally rigged the system is that we were led to believe had an ounce of fairness to it. It is disturbing to watch the “establishment” converge, from what we were told was right and left, to try to destroy him before he exposes even more of their slimy machinations and dismissal of we voters, the peons of Leona Helmsley’s former world. Sheesh – how about next time around, Executive Order No. 1 directs that all senators and congressmen sign a card, for each and every bill on which they vote, indicating whether or not they read it in its entirety; if 51% have not, it is to be vetoed.
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