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.
It’s okay. I still got my idea out there. lol
Thanks for the post. My only disagreement with you is about Carly Fiorina. Carly Fiorina is the establishment fall back candidate for Jeb Bush.
Great post. No zot here.
Can you imagine what International Leaders are contemplating for reasons of the very statement you made. You can be assured they are not only watching but if they have any leverage in the US they're going to use it to ‘not’ see Trump or Cruz make it to the Presidency.
Trump made an interesting comment regarding Putin, that they'd get along fine. Both are businessmen (money makers) first and both nationalists( a stable country is best for business deals)...those two things alone put them on a level playing field.
Europe won't know what to do or think regarding Trump. ..because they do see him like Putin. And of course Cruz saying “you fight Jihad against this country, you've signed your death sentence” isn't making our M.Eastern foes comfortable by any means.
What fun we're having this election! Trump reminds me of Nebuchadnezzar.....we shall see.
Trump getting the nomination will surely result in the death of the GOPe. They will never recover from that. Up until last week, I would have agreed with you on Cruz (as not being a street fighter). I think Cruz showed some pep on the campaign trail this past weekend and he may have some momentum building for him. He has been meeting privately with Trump and I wouldn’t be surprised Cruz was taking some coaching from him.
Way to sum up how I feel and I believe most of us feel the same way. I am also fascinated by The Donald because of how he runs circles around the media and that is the reason I believe he is leading in the poll. We are tired of Republicans who promise to change Washington but never do except of course Cruz and a few. I admire Cruz and Ben Carson and hopefully in the end Cruz, Ben or Trump will be the last one standing. I know Trump will not hurt the Republican party by running as a 3rd party candidate unless if the GOP elites keep on treating him like an outcast. For now I will continue to support Trump, donate to Cruz and Ben. Trump is bringing up issues that the Republican will dare not do because they fear the media.
“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.”
“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.”
How many of them are in it to win it, as opposed to running interference for Yeb? Why would so many that know they haven’t a snowball’s chance in hell to win the nomination jump into the primaries, other than to split the votes (and delegates) from their “home town crowd” that can later be given to Yeb at the convention?
From The Conservative Treehouse, outlining GOPe strategy to ensure Yeb is the nominee.
“Most of you are familiar with our earlier prediction. In essence, based on historical and current GOPe events and action, we predicted the GOPe leadership, along with Wall Street and Tom Donohue, would devise a roadmap for Jeb Bush to win the 2016 Presidential nomination.”
http://theconservativetreehouse.com/2015/08/09/gope-2016-road-map-to-victory-tree-house-challenge/
Also from the treehouse, “How Super-Pacs are being used by the big money people buying our politicians.”
The only one that can wreck this plan is Donald Trump and explains, at least to my mind, why the establishment is so set on getting him out of the race. He’s the only one that doesn’t need the Super-Pac money and I don’t think he can be bought at the expense of America like so many of the current and recent past politicians have.
My first choice in this race was Ted Cruz, but I don’t think he has it in him to overturn the money changers table the way Trump will. I don’t think any of the others have the will or desire to return us to the Constitution.
America has been on this downward trajectory since our beloved Ronald Reagan left office and even though he doesn’t have a long term record of conservatism, I think Trump is our last, best chance to return a spirit of American exceptionalism to this country before it’s too late.
Last but not least, as a California conservative, the only meaningful vote for president that I might make could only be for Donald Trump.
Precisely. We can have the greatest Conservative who ever lived run, and it would just be another Goldwater blowout without populist appeal.
Lest we forget, many of those "bitter clingers" are unionist DEMOCRATS. In any contest between Hillary and Trump, they'll laugh at their international's recommendations.
“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. “
What I suspect is that we have a lot of ringers among the 17, who are part of a Jeb Bush operation. The plan is to dilute any effective opposition to Jeb so that the GOPe can safely give their man the nod. Cruz isn’t part of that game but he’s probably not strong enough either inside the party machinery to take the nomination away from Jeb.
But Trump is something that Jebster and his cronies weren’t counting on, and he is turning out to be a real threat to their plan on crowning Jebster the king of America and Mexico without any serious trouble. My hope is that a Trump/Cruz alliance can take the nomination away from Jeb and the rotten GOP establishment.
Good point about Cruz only holding elected office since 2012. But technically, he has held various appointed government positions so okay, maybe not a career politician but definitely a career in the public sector. I get it though. Cruz is definitely not in the mold of “go along to get along” and he’s defending conservative principles even if he has to go against his own party. And a very smart and accompished man to boot.
At least Trump wouldn’t be ‘bowing’ down to every dictator, and yes, I have my popcorn and pepsi ready everyday, cleaning my home, cooking meals, tending my 5 yr old grandson, and running my business...
I love life and Trump...
That's what American women don't get. You want to play with the boys, you better FIGHT, not cry "FOUL."
I love the circus he has created. Who ever expected he would make such a splash?
I've read several biographies of Eisenhower and both parties were heavily courting him. Yes, he would have had the nomination of either party. I believe he went with the Republicans because the Democrats had held power for so long (FDR/Truman) and he wanted to be his own man. The "big fish in a small pond" syndrome. He felt that under the Democrats, he wouldn't have as much power within the party. Whereas with the Republicans, he would be top dog because he alone brought them back into power.
Of course it was a different world back then. Harry Truman would be considered right-wing these days.
As for Bush, we'll just jettison him overboard like a blue ice cube from an airplane toilet.
Ground Control to Major Jeb
Your circuit's dead, there's something wrong
Can you hear me, Major Jeb?
Can you hear me, Major Jeb?
Can you hear me, Major Jeb?
Can you...."Here am I floating in a tin can
Far above the Moon
Planet Earth is blue
And there's nothing I can do."
There have been a record number of mobys and trolls on FR this season, causing many Freepers to distrust even those on 'their side'.
Between the Dims, the GOP Establishment, and the full-time paid trolls and teams of Government disinfo agents, it's been too much for the mods to handle with any real degree of effectiveness.
So, with so much noise and outright disinformation in the threads, it's only to be expected that some real posters get out of hand as well.
AmIrite Guys (and Ladies)?
Very nice!
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