Posted on 07/25/2015 4:52:15 AM PDT by Kaslin
Say what you will about Donald Trump but the man is exciting. Within minutes of bringing his comb over, in your face style and strong name ID to the main stage of the Republican primary field, people started freaking out as his popularity rose. This excitement is not owing to some grand policy insight, his pledge to build a great wall or his excoriation of China and Mexico. What excites people about him is his authenticity.
Whether you love Trump or want to dump Trump, there is one consistent philosophy about the man: he feels authentic. Even for those who believe he is a jackass, he is inarguably authentic. Trump is supported by several million “McCrazies” and climbing in the polls because Americans want our politicians to be real.
In this respect, he is an anomaly amongst modern politicians. Trump stands out in high relief on the Republican stage and in stark contrast to any contender on the Left save, perhaps, for Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders. Inauthentic as many Republicans may be, Democrats have raised inauthenticity to a level approaching naked fear.
Consider former Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley, who is a good example of what politicians on the Left are afraid of and how authenticity is anathema to their political success. During the Netroots Nation conference in Phoenix last week, O’Malley dared to tell conference crashers and attendees that, “Black lives matter. White lives matter. All lives matter.” In a moment, O’Malley became real. But even though his support for the notion that human life matters may be as politically courageous as supporting, say, oxygen, that same moment cast this white Democrat who supports liberal black causes as persona non grata.
What O’Malley said in essence was, ‘Hold-up, I get your cause but my life matters too. Everybody’s life matters.’ He wasn't saying black lives don’t matter; he wasn't denying the issues surrounding criminal justice and those of darker skin. He was simply offering up from his heart that he gets us, he hears us, and that every life matters.
His authentic, albeit simplistic, position was so controversial that he was forced to recant and hide his real self. His fellow liberals forced him to be fake, inauthentic and to ultimately apologize for the sin of being himself and valuing all lives. That is the story of the Left and most politicians in general; they don't dare reveal their realness.
Hillary Clinton certainly won’t reveal anything about herself, real or otherwise. She hides herself from the media under the guise of ‘listening’ to voters. What is a better symbol for hiding than the placement of a government email server in your own home? As for Bernie Sanders, he is actually more aligned with Trump than any of his Democrat rivals. At least he’s authentic enough to tell people up front that he’s a socialist (Academically, he is a redistributionist not a socialist but what the heck?).
No one on the Democratic political stage today is more inauthentic than President Obama. While running for president in 2008, he had to disavow the ravings of his pastor who preached to him for 20 years. Candidate Obama told America that marriage is a union of one man and one woman. Now that he occupies the White House, it is bathed in a gay pride rainbow of floodlights. Obama said that he couldn’t unilaterally suspend deportation and then alters immigration law through executive fiat.
I was plenty upset during the big government years of George W. Bush but at least when he opened his mouth, you knew what you were getting. By the same token, you may not like Trump’s gasbaggery but his authenticity is no superficial patina; it is the real deal.
Even Trump’s hypocrisy is authentic. Regarding his donations to Democrats he told Sean Hannity that as a businessman he wasn’t stupid, “So, what am I going to do, contribute to Republicans… for my whole life when…against some Democrat. And the most they can get is one percent of the vote.” Trump’s move from pro-choice to pro-life was a gradual shift not an overnight flip based on some pollster’s advice. His trajectory on these matters has been anything but linear.
Humans are always inconsistent, contradictory and have a fleeting mind. F. Scott Fitzgerald said, “The test of a first-rate intelligence is the ability to hold two opposed ideas in mind at the same time and still retain the ability to function.” So, just maybe, Trump is a whole lot smarter than you.
Smart is as smart does. Trump does smart better than almost everyone. He is not an intellectual. He is a street fighter.
The only serious concern is his ethics. He is in a high profile, legally nuanced business where traps are set and sprung on the unwary every day. He survives (legal) attacks and achieves stupendous results.
Trump’s occasional holdings bankruptcy is SOP for business, any business. It merely reorganizes debt.
I get that he is firmly committed to the free enterprise system. That, alone, is good enough to be taken seriously.
He now claims to be pro-life. I accept that. Lots of people have become pro-life who were pro-abortion. It shows character and an ability to question one’s values.
His views on drugs, pornography, education, marriage, and all of the other cultural icons we are fighting about are, perhaps, less relevant. Certainly I do not want another Obama/Clinton in the WH with their jaundiced, unethical, tear society down chicanery.
We have time. The winnowing has not yet begun. So far Trump satisfies the visceral needs of a society that has been spurned and eviscerated by opportunistic media and politicians. I love that he puts the media in its place. So does Cruz. I love that he calls politicians liars. So does Cruz.
I pray we get what we need in leadership this time around, not what we deserve.
“Even for those who believe he is a jackass, he is inarguably authentic. Trump is supported by several million “McCrazies””
How can you have any pride as a journalist when you write this kind of screed
I believe that Cruz is Trump’s fall back position when he eventually bows out. Their rhetoric is very similar.
When they write this kind of screed, we know they are really scared…..
The thing I like about Trump is he isn’t a pandering apologizing pu$$y politician who seems more concerned with kowtowing to our enemies than with protecting and standing up for US!
And he banned the Des Moines Register...lol
Trump is authentic? Like P. T. Barnum was authentic? Gimme a break!
It wasn’t screed it was satire, the author was poking holes in McCain and Graham. That is his style.
Hm—guess I didn’t pick up on that…….
By far the most authentic person running, Cruz is the only other authentic candidate. Career politicians live by political scripts saying what they are told to say. They are party puppets controlled by those who pay lobbyists to dictate those scripts. Trump just cuts right through all that and gets to the truth. That is why leftists hate him as do the cinos.
Trump has always done things his way and still succeeded, that is because he is smart, very smart and knows how to get what he wants. Most people settle for less than best, Trump doesn’t he does what has to do be done to get the best results. He excels at success.
An imperfect man when the measuring stick is the status quo political puppet, but he will be a great President because he is exactly what America needs right now.
Why would the leading candidate bow out?
This is what I do not get.
At age 69, he's "authentic," but was he so authentic when he was supporting Hillary at age 62, saying how wonderful she was, or when boosting Clinton crony crook Terry McAuliffe and extreme leftist Rahm Emanuel less than 4 years ago?
How did that metamorphosis happen? Was he a BSer then? ...Or now? How does an inauthentic man suddenly become authentic? If he's "authentic" then I would like to hear more of his Damascus Road story.
Excellent points, all of them
Have you never changed your mind about something?
Well, I don't like guys that love getting big money deals more than they love America.
“How did that metamorphosis happen?”
He probably was dropped on his head by a huge shirtless man the last time he was on WWE Monday Night Raw.
Freegards
Is that Reggie Love after signing his huge deal with Vice Media?
Something, yes. Everything, suddenly, after 62 years of life? With no explanation, while saying "I've never asked God for forgiveness for anything"?
No, I've never done that.
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