Open Letter to the Pro and Anti Trump Freepers

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.

Agree with your analysis of the situation. I’m pro Trump for sure but that doesn’t mean he has to be the nominee.

My picks would be Cruz, Jindal, Huckabee, Walker, Trump, Carson.. More or less in that order and mixing both merit and electability.

Trump is a big story but so is Jeb as a non starter. He was barely breathing in that debate.

I like that Trump is antagonizing the media and the GOPE, but yeah, Trump can often be vulgar in a way that will turn off a lot of the electorate. More importantly, at some point you have to elect a President and not an antagonizer, and in that department, I just don't trust him.

I liked Walker - he's the only guy who's said he's against any legal immigration policy that doesn't take American employment FIRST into account. But he can put a coffee bean to sleep.

I liked Cruz - he's the guy who actually fights in the Senate. But he's for increasing the H1-B visa system - the very one that causes the incredible agony of long-term unemployment for American engineers like me - a whopping 500%!

I'm from the Silicon Valley and I can tell you that Fiorina is a non-starter and may be a fake in her recently found conservative stands. She couldn't even beat Barbara Boxer.

Carson? Run for Mayor dude! Show you can be effective! Then we'll talk about Presidential aspirations.

Bush/Christie/Paul/Rubio/Kaich - business as usual bottom of the barrel.

Who am I down to? Jindal. Bring him up from the minor league debate circuit to the major leagues, and let's see what the kid can do.

I’ve made numerous posts about all this but I don’t think that I’ve said anything derogatory about any Freeper. This isn’t about Freepers. This is about the respect due the frontrunner in a campaign for the presidency. Specifically, how blatant can members of the media be when they are campaigning for one candidate and campaigning against another candidate?
If they get carried away with their campaigning and become so blatantly unfair to a frontrunner that they lose their credibility, should they pay a price for their stupidity? Are we allowed to comment on their stupidity?

I’m with you all the way on this. I have plenty of reservations about Trump—whether he’s really a conservative—and I’ve expressed them in the past. But I’m holding off on that for now. I’ve really enjoyed the way he’s been blasting the enemies, and the media. Whether he really means it or not, it’s been a lot of fun, and it’s good to see everyone in the media and the GOPe lying their heads off and getting nowhere against him.

Anyway, for the moment, I’m sitting back and enjoying the fun, and refraining from expressing my doubts.

I suspect that the lefties may have pushed Trump, thinking that he would disrupt the Republican contenders. If so, they’ve bitten off more than they can chew.

My first choice as the BEST candidate for POTUS is Sarah Palin. But the odds seem to be against that happening—although as you say, we’ve plenty of time before the real fight takes place. Meantime, let’s continue to trample on Jeb Bush, who is beginning to look even worse than Romney.

I am on the Trump band wagon because I want ALL of these GOP-E
heads to explode when he takes the nomination!!!! As far as I am concerned the country CAN NOT get any worse with Trump at the helm, and the GOP-E gave us 4 more years of Obammie which was VERY DESTRUCTIVE to our country!!!! I would LOVE to see Cruz get the nomination but he is not a street fighter and you NEED a street fighter to beat the CORRUPT Clinton machine!!!!

I agree Sam and make the same pledge. I am vociferously pro Cruz and would sooner drag my hind end through broken glass than vote for Trump. I’ve said a couple of slightly off color things to some pro Trump folks and immediately regretted them. So my pledge is made.

One thing that you said though I find curious...you said Trump supporters like him because he fights back and is not a career politician. If true, that exactly is what I think exasperates Cruz supporters. Cruz has been in office for two years (hardly career) and has done nothing but fight everyone including his own party in defense of conservative principles. Now, factor in his intelligence and ability to debate without turning off half the population.

NOW factor in Trump’s Johnny-come-lately alleged love of conservatism and what appears to be a temperament that is decidedly un-Presidential and the whispers of Clinton collusion....

There just seems to be only one choice after 30 in the RINO wasteland.

Cheers to you, sir.

Good one, Sam.

I am just where you are.

6 months to a primary and 15 months before an election—both are lifetimes in politics.

I am enjoying what Trump is doing. He is taking the blows the GOP-E means for anyone who is not their anointed one.

And fighting back.

And if he were not in the race today, those blows would undoubtedly be directed to Cruz.

And I think we all sense how important 2016 is to the future of America and the future for our loved ones.

But your larger point is not Trump or Cruz or Carson.

It is that we do not forget to be civil to each other.

I have had my moments when I could have been a better Freeper, but I get all caught up in the excitement and forget my manners too.

There is no better site for politics and conservatism than Free Republic. There is more news, faster and with wide ranging analysis and humor that cannot be found elsewhere.

More than we think, big names monitor this site for their show prep and when they need a fast read on a topic.

Thanks for your vanity—glad it was not an opus—and let’s see if we can’t all raise the level of discourse.

After all, that is what we do best here.

I’m betting Trump will rile up the electorate, spice up the conversation, and then withdraw and support Cruz.

Fiorina would be terrible. Can’t stand the way she played the outraged woman card so early on with Trump, over something only inferred, not said. She’s glib, but shallow. That sour puss of hers would be a big turn off too.

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.

I really don't think that is a problem.

Nickcarraway can tell me to kiss his ass. TNMOUTH...not so much.

We know our own.

I agree with you and let's roll with this Trump Ride as the best conservative on the ballot as is CRUZ and Carson got a boost! I wish instead,although I'm a Texan I do like Jindal over that Carly! Do not like her at All! On point..I agree with your post.overall! I've spent too many years accepting our nominee! But I'll NEVER forget how MAD I was on how I saw the establishment bellied up on on Sarah Palin and the leftist bottome-dwellers in media ripped her! Remember Trump is not Palin or a easy person to prey upon or attack because ...HE needs Nothing from them! Difference ,he's nonpolitical and owes nothing to anyone! HA! Drives the status-quo CRAZY! I'm for once loving it! I've paid in over the years way too much effort for support to those that get nothing done,but this past election! I'm sick of them!

The problem is... while you have rinos.. you also have a another problem... cowardly Conservatives

while you have rino that govern like dems.. you also have cowares or weak Conservative that just do not have the strength to fight back

Trump appeal is the fact that he is so willing to fight and win... he play to win...he may be a sob but he our sob....he Patton ..so while he maybe a loose pain in the ass cannon..he also just happen to be tearing up the enemy

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