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Open Letter to the Pro and Anti Trump Freepers
August 10, 2015 | Self

Posted on 08/10/2015 7:35:54 PM PDT by SamAdams76

I'm in the mood to ramble a bit so please excuse me for this rather long-winded vanity. Feel free to move on to another thread if you wish. Or you can pour yourself your favorite adult beverage and read on if you dare.

No, it's not one of those infamous swan-song "I'm leaving and I'm not coming back" vanities. We used to have a name for those kind of vanities but it slipped my mind. You should all be so lucky! That will never happen. Been here since the very beginning (changed my screen name back in '97) and I'm sticking it out to the end. So you guys are stuck with me unless I get the zot treatment or I check out of this world. I don't intend either to happen for a very long time.

So I'm coming off a long summer vacation and had some extra time to spend here recently. These are definitely interesting times we are living in. As the 2016 election season heats up, I think we are in for quite a ride. Which leads me to the motivation to write this vanity.

The Donald Trump phenomenon has caught everybody by surprise. When he jumped into the race just about two months ago, we all saw it as some much needed comic relief. Most of us figured he'd be out of the race in a matter of a few weeks in his typical spectacular fashion and we'd get back to serious business. I don't think any of us predicted he'd be topping the polls and by a rather comfortable margin at that. Even after making a series of blunders that would run the campaign of just about anybody else off the rails.

It is safe to say that nobody has ever seen the likes of Donald Trump before in a presidential campaign. We are like people on the ground seeing a 747 jet flying over us sideways at a 90 degree angle. We can't take our eyes off of it because we are waiting for it to crash. We are amazed however that it hasn't crashed already and that it is somehow keeping itself up in the air. Of course, we are all rooting that it finds a way to right itself so that it can make a safe landing (we are wishing for that, aren't we?).

So back to Trump a little later. After taking some time to study the other candidates in the race, I am convinced that we have perhaps the strongest field of presidential candidates ever assembled for the Republican Party. We have a total of 17 major candidates and with the exception of just a few of them, I would be proud to have any one of them as our next president.

I especially want to point out the virtues of Ted Cruz and Ben Carson. Two finer men can probably not be found to lead our nation. These are truly exceptional people with a long list of accomplishments, solid conservative values and they are both terrific family men. The accomplishments of Ted Cruz need not be rehashed here as any Freeper worth his/her salt will already be well familiar with them. But if you haven't had a chance to explore the resume of Ben Carson, please take the time to do so. You will not be disappointed.

So on one side you have Donald Trump and on the other side you have these very fine conservative candidates who are inarguably better credentialed than Donald Trump to be our next president.

Donald Trump. Where does one begin? Had Trump announced back in June that he was running for president as a DEMOCRAT, I don't think too many people would be shocked. Surprised yes, but shocked, probably not.

Well like him or not, we have him as a Republican candidate and up to now, he has been running away with this race, despite his many missteps and blunders. Trump's candidacy has been falsely declared dead more times than Bob Hope and Queen Elizabeth combined. Yet each time he bounces back stronger than ever. Even Keith Richards is getting jealous of Trump's almost supernatural resiliency.

What is it about Donald Trump? Many conservatives (including myself) have fallen under his spell. After years and years of seeing our conservative icons attacked and usually destroyed by a relentless left-wing media establishment, we are finally seeing somebody who can dish it right back and then some.

Now there is definitely something un-artful about the way Trump fights back. It is off-putting to most conservatives to see the way that he attacks back. All those Twitter messages that sound like they were written by some overgrown kid in his mother's basement, for example. But they seem to be not only working but setting the mainstream media back on their heels. They have no idea how to deal with this guy. And we love him for it. He's like the scrawny kid in school that fights back against the schoolyard bully, pins his arm behind his back, shoves his face into the mud and tells him to holler uncle. Many of us are cheering for this guy, even though deep down in our hearts, we know it probably won't end well in the long term.

So while this schoolyard brawl goes down between Trump and the media, our conservative candidates are finally starting to gain some traction. After strong debate showings on Thursday, both Ted Cruz and Ben Carson have taken to the road and are drawing large crowds and much needed donations to fuel their campaigns. They are moving up in the polls and in one NBC post-debate poll (it must have pained them so to put it out), Cruz and Carson are #2 and #3 respectively behind Donald Trump while establishment favorite Jeb Bush slips towards the middle of the pack. Even Carly Fiorina, another non-politiican, is rising fast.

Now the discussions here on Free Republic are getting quite heated between the pro-Trump folks and the anti-Trump people. The anti-Trumpers see Trump as a false idol who is not a true conservative. They see Trump as a disruptor who will end up dividing the conservative vote, resulting in a slam-dunk victory for the Democrats. On the other hand, the pro-Trumpers are just plain fed up with the political process. They have been burned in the past by career politicians and their false promises. After all, what has the GOP majority in both houses done for us lately? In there minds, our leaders have failed us and it's time to give an outsider like Donald Trump a chance, even though he's not a fully vetted conservative by any means.

I hate to see this division in the ranks although I do see and understand the passion on both sides of the fence.

What I want to say here is that regardless of how we feel today about one candidate or the other, we are still nearly six months (half a year!) away from the beginning of the primary voting. A lot can change between now and then. Trump may not even still be in the race by the time the Iowa caucus rolls around. So what I'm saying is let's not make enemies of each other at this time. I like to think that we here on Free Republic are all on the same team, even though we do have our differences. A Trump voter today could easily be a Cruz voter come January, as circumstances are likely to change between now and then.

Ridiculing or attacking each other for taking a pro or anti Trump position is not likely to win each other over. That's not to say we shouldn't have vigorous and passionate discussion (and be prepared to intellectually defend our own positions.) But we should not consider each other enemies - at least not when we are still six months away from the voting.

Now I'm as guilty as anybody else when it comes to this sort of thing. So I'm not claiming any high ground for myself. I will vow however to keep the discourse between my fellow Freepers more civil and respectful going forward.

Speaking for myself, while I am taking a pro-Trump position today, I am paying very close attention to Ted Cruz and I'm liking what I'm seeing. He was phenomenal in the "debate" last Thursday night and his campaign appearances in the Deep South this past weekend were electrifying. And to think that the media tried to destroy this guy.

I think win or lose this go-around, Ted Cruz has a great future ahead of him (he's only 44!) and has potential to be a historical figure along the lines of Ronald Reagan. A man of his caliber has nowhere to go but up.

So while I'm currently supporting Trump, if by the time my Connecticut primary comes around on April 26, Cruz is in the running for the nomination and that Jeb Bush has been knocked out, I will likely switch my vote to Ted Cruz. Even if Trump is still in the race at that time. So while I will vote for Trump over Bush, I will vote for Cruz over Trump, provided Cruz at that time has a shot at the nomination. I think a lot of the other Trump voters of today feel the same way.

Bottom line, many of us conservatives are fed up with politics as usual and especially with the way the GOPe has rigged the nomination process to eliminate true conservatives from the race and nominate middle-of-the-road milquetoast candidates who become easy pickings for the Democrat nominee.

Think about the dismal performance of the GOP nominees since Ronald Reagan. Sure, Bush Sr. won big in 1988 but he was still riding Reagan's coattails and it didn't hurt that the Democrats fielded one of the worst tickets ever (Dukakis/Bengtson). Since then, the GOP nominee lost big in 1992 and 1996. In 2000, GWB squeaked in only as a result of a handful of Ralph Nader votes in Florida. He then barely held off Kerry in 2004. Then it's been a train wreck ever since.

No wonder so many of us are enamored of Donald Trump. He is showing us how to fight back and how to win. Sure, he's a bull in a china shop and he's likely to eventually blunder his way out of contention, but for the moment, we are observing in awe, like that earlier described 747 flying sideways through the air.

And look at who's riding in Trump's wake. We have Ted Cruz, Ben Carson and even Carly Fiorina gaining on and even possibly surpassing the choice of the establishment, Jeb Bush.

Another Freeper in these forums described the situation perfectly. Look at Donald Trump as the delivery mechanism with Ted Cruz, Ben Carson and other conservatives being the payload. As for Bush, we'll just jettison him overboard like a blue ice cube from an airplane toilet.

So thanks for entertaining my vanity ramble and let's see where all this takes us.


TOPICS: FReeper Editorial; Mexico; News/Current Events; Political Humor/Cartoons; Politics/Elections; US: California; US: Florida; US: Iowa; US: New Hampshire; US: New York; US: South Carolina; Your Opinion/Questions
KEYWORDS: 2016election; carson; cruz; election2016; newyork; rambling; renttoohigh; samadams76; tedcruz; tldr; trump; vanity
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To: fr_freak
You watch Cruz with a wary eye based on where his wife works yet you have faith in lifelong liberal Donald Trump?

lol! OK.

121 posted on 08/11/2015 1:27:59 AM PDT by South40 ("Florida Governor Jeb Bush is a good man," ~Donald Trump)
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To: Albion Wilde
Carly: a flawed candidate: http://www.americanthinker.com/blog/2015/08/carly_a_flawed_candidate.html

Fiorina, al-Mansour and the World Economic Forum: http://canadafreepress.com/article/23814

Carly Fiorina Attacks Cruz: ‘No Honor’ In Fight To Defund Obamacare: http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/3322644/posts

Carly Fiorina is open to legal status for adult illegal immigrants, citizenship for their kids: http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/3322641/posts

Fiorina ‘relieved’ Baltimore cops charged: http://thehill.com/blogs/ballot-box/240947-fiorina-relieved-baltimore-cops-charged

Fiorina is open to legal status for adult illegal immigrants, citizenship for their kids: http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2015/jun/15/carly-fiorina-open-legal-status-adult-illegal-immi/

More information for your list ... Both Carly and Meg Whitman ( candidate for California Governor in the same cycle ) were pure (R)epublicrat candidates, and they ran away from Sarah Palin and the TEA Party freight train. In Nevada, to the chagrin of the (R)epublicrat establishment and many of our friends in the blogosphere, Sharron Angle embraced the movement. So let's go to the videotape ...

TEA Party landslide year 2010


-=[ Nevada Senate ]=- 
Harry Reid       362,785 ( 50.3% )
Sharron Angle    321,361 ( 44.6% )

-=[ California Senate ]=-
Barbara Boxer  5,218,441 ( 52.2% )
Carly Fiorina  4,217,366 ( 42.2% )

-=[ California Governor ]=-
Jerry Brown    5,428,458 ( 53.8% )
Meg Whitman    4,127,371 ( 40.9% )

Angle came much closer to unseating the sitting Senate Majority leader than Carly did for a Senate seat against a weakened liberal opponent. And that is saying something because of the machine that Reid had working in Nevada. It was a mere 40k votes and 6%. Carly lost by 1 million and 10% after not letting Sarah help her out.

Yet we have the major media and (R)epublicrat establishment incessantly pounding Sharron Angle mercilessly as the "TEA Party loser". The chutzpah of the (R)ats in astounding. But facts are facts, and Rove can choke on it.

There should be no mystery why the (R)epublicrat establishment and major media like Fox News are trying to inject life into her robotic campaign. She is their favorite kind of "conservative", a proven loser. A sacrificial lamb to the two party duopoly.

To everyone just discovering Carly now, when you turn on the TV and see the talking heads (R)epublicrat consultants and elitist jackasses like Krauthammer and Will and Rove talking her up, there is only one thing that should pop into your head ...


122 posted on 08/11/2015 1:38:45 AM PDT by Democratic-Republican
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To: South40
No, you misunderstand me completely. If Trump were to make it to the final round, I would watch him with the wariest eye of all. In fact, I would almost EXPECT him to do things that I don't like. But this is the devil's choice that all real Americans face: there IS NO REAL CONSERVATIVE IN THE RACE. Cruz is probably the closest thing to that. I'll say it again - I respect the man and I'll be happy if he wins. But to put my full faith in Cruz that he'll be everything I've ever wanted in a president would be beyond foolish. He wouldn't have gotten this far with GOP support if he were the conservative we all need. If Cruz follows through with HALF of his stated beliefs I will be happy, because all GOP candidates for the last 20 + years have followed through with damn near ZERO conservative ideas. Maybe Cruz will follow through with 100%. I don't dare to hope.

The point with Trump is that he will be a complete wildcard. He will be a wildcard as to whether he does conservative things, but he will also be a wildcard as to whether he does things that the Marxists that run our government want. That is the core of his appeal - he appears to be outside of the game, and I will take that over yet another GOP drone any day. And don't get freaked that I may be implying Cruz is a drone. I hope he isn't.
123 posted on 08/11/2015 2:24:33 AM PDT by fr_freak
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To: SamAdams76

Bookmark


124 posted on 08/11/2015 2:37:47 AM PDT by jimjohn (You don't get the kind of government you want, or the kind you need. You get the kind you deserve.)
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To: Randy Larsen

+1+1.


125 posted on 08/11/2015 3:55:30 AM PDT by gogeo (If you are Tea Party, the eGOP does not want you.)
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To: SamAdams76
Many of us "Trump Supporters" really support Cruz (or perhaps one of the others), but recognize what Trump brings to the game - PC crap has killed the Nation/Constitution/Freedom and the way to fight it is with the pure, harsh Truth and then remain in-your-face unrepentant when the PC crowd howls.

For me, personally, my money is going to Cruz (and FR) and I'm cheering Trump on to keep it up - our Nation needs what he is dishing out.

I pray I get to vote for Cruz in the election, but if Trump were to be the last man standing, I could vote for him with a clear conscience.

Supporting/rooting for Trump doesn't always indicate that he is the preferred candidate, but more that he is (to loosely quote a line from "Thunder Road") "Taking roads that even angels fear to tread" and showing what some spinal fortitude can accomplish.

Go Cruz!!! Keep it up Trump!

126 posted on 08/11/2015 4:22:22 AM PDT by trebb (Where in the the hell has my country gone?)
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To: SamAdams76
The same could he said for Golda Meier, although she'd be more grandmotherly than feminine.

-PJ

127 posted on 08/11/2015 6:07:22 AM PDT by Political Junkie Too (If you are the Posterity of We the People, then you are a Natural Born Citizen.)
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To: SamAdams76
My thought on Trump not backing down is this:

Trump is about doing things; politicians are about the illusion of doing things. The MSM is about selling the illusion to the masses.

Trump is not going to back down because a politician or "journalist" ginned up a faux illusion of a controversy. Eventually, the mirage fades as one gets closer to it.

Business entrepreneurs know that some businesses succeed and others do not. Some succeed for awhile, and then market conditions change; competition emerges, technology advances, tastes change, costs change, subsidies run out. The businessman moves on.

Trump is not going to let a self-important no-accomplishment person drive him out solely by the force of their own self-importance.

I think Trump's positions are grounded in one non-partisan thing: he hates what Obama is doing to the country, and he hates how the Republicans in Congress are letting him run wild.

Trump sees everything he's built up for himself and his family and friends being threatened by radical leftist policies, and if Republicans are too old, too tired, too afraid, or feel to cozy to stop it, then he's going to step in and try to fix it himself.

So the question is what makes the likes of John McCain, Mitch McConnell, John Boehner, Hillary Clinton, Bernie Sanders, John Kerry, Bob Dole, and the like, qualified to run for office, but a business leader like Donald Trump is not?

The answer is that those on the inside get to decide on who can be inside. Trump's not qualified because they say so, and that's it. And Trump's not buying the "because we say so" argument.

Would Trump as President vascillate between liberal and conservative policy decisions? Maybe. Would Trump make liberal social issues his priority? Right now, he's saying we don't have time for that, and that he's running on more urgent needs. Is Trump to be believed that his Job #1 is restoring American jobs, manufacturing, security, and negotiating strength with our allies, and that he's not going to pivot left on other things once in office (like McConnell and Boehner) and abandon his campaign promises?

That's what the primary is all about. That's why we need an honest debate where the issues are fairly framed and the debaters (not the moderators) do the rebutting. Let's see who's willing to take on whom, who's willing to take a position on which issues, what are those positions, what are the oppositions to those positions.

This is what the Fox moderators stole from the candidates and the viewers on Thursday night. They usurped the role of rebuttal and made the candidates individually argue their positions with themselves instead of the other candidates. And then knowing this was going to be the format, they staged meaningless personal questions that had no viable rebuttal opportunities from the other candidates.

What candidate is going to interject in the middle of a crude mysogeny question? What candidate is going to rebut an "any word from God" question? What candidate is going to jump into Megyn Kelly's question to Jeb Bush that "your brother's war was a mistake" or the Bush dynasty question?

There were a half-dozen questions where one candidate was asked to attack another candidate.

With questions like that, how can we truly see the positions of each candidate? When the questions are lowball and undeserving of the stature of Governors, Senators, and business leaders, then why should we take seriously the fallout from such a farce?

I'm willing to let this smear job go by and wait for some real journalism, if you will, before I start eliminating candidates.

-PJ

128 posted on 08/11/2015 8:10:31 AM PDT by Political Junkie Too (If you are the Posterity of We the People, then you are a Natural Born Citizen.)
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To: SamAdams76
I'm a little late to the party, nice ramble (your word) post.

I'm not particularly a Trump fan, but I love what he's done to the race with his salvos on illegals,and his unflinching no regrets style that has cowed the media. How he would govern is a big mystery, I fear he would let us down more than most candidates, but there's nothing much we can do about it at this point.

The truth of the matter is, whether we like it or not: This is Donald's race to lose. Unless he flames out on his own (which is distinctly possible), or there is some mysterious turn in the public, he could waltz to the finish. He could flame out by doing something supremely stupid, and if nothing else it's going to be entertaining.

If he flames out, Jeb will still not benefit, more than likely one of the demonstrable conservatives (Trump is not that) such as Cruz will step forward, which would be wonderful.

In the mean time, running mean spirited posts against Trump won't help as you have pointed out. All we can do is try to point out the inconsistency of the Donald when it's appropriate to do so.

I love what he's done for the race, hope he doesn't bite conservatives in the ass too much, and hope for the best. Whatever happens, it's going to be fun to watch.

129 posted on 08/11/2015 10:16:37 AM PDT by Lakeshark
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To: All

Trump is a narcissistic dictator. He rules by intimidation and force.
He wants to be in control and doesn’t like to answer to anyone else.

I imagine that the Oval Office has been his desire for a long time but never before did the position appeal to him because of... The Law. He always assumed that the Constitution and the balance of power would frustrate him. He likes absolute control.

Until 7 years ago when he learned that this country would gladly tolerate a narcissist dictator who rules by intimidation and force. Then he changed his mind.


130 posted on 08/11/2015 11:29:23 AM PDT by kinsman redeemer (The real enemy seeks to devour what is good.)
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To: South40

Well, at least we know Trump was a liberal before he’s running as a conservative ... not great but better than most of the GOP “professional politicians” (presidential candidates since 1990; most GOP members of the House and Senate; most on last week’s “debate” stages) who are conservative until they win an election, then they vote and act very much like “liberals”/”progressives”.


131 posted on 08/11/2015 11:34:06 AM PDT by glennaro
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To: SamAdams76

Y’all are busy watching the ‘big game’, while the real action is in the parking lot. What makes good ‘Reality TV’ isn’t necessarily the basis for selecting the POTUS. Strip this crap of the personalities and get back to the issues.


132 posted on 08/11/2015 12:54:00 PM PDT by Smokin' Joe (How often God must weep at humans' folly. Stand fast. God knows what He is doing.)
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