Posted on 04/03/2011 12:53:30 AM PDT by 2ndDivisionVet
Donald Trump will announce in June whether he plans on being a contender for the presidency in the Republican primaries later this year. For several reasons, my excitement over the prospects of a Trump candidacy is mounting.
Let me say first, that in a perfect world, the very idea of a man like Trump running for the presidency, on either party's ticket, would be unthinkable. This isn't to suggest that Trump is a bad man, but only that he has no experience in the art of governing. It is a common misconception among many on the right that success in business is likely to translate into success in politics. Not only does this assumption ignore the fact that the frameworks of incentives and constraints within which politicians and free enterprisers respectively operate are by and large mutually antagonistic; it ignores as well the fact that success in business could just as easily portend political failure.
Any business is an enterprise. An enterprise is defined by the goals toward which it is oriented, the goals toward the realization of which each of its members is expected to contribute. Now, obviously, the enterprises that constitute a "system" of "free enterprise" are not compulsory organizations. However, a state is indeed such an organization. It is a mistake of the first order, then, to confuse government with a private employer and citizens with employees.
Free citizens must be free to determine enterprises of their own choosing -- not those that the government decides to impose upon them. And what this in turn implies is that a government belonging to citizens, not subjects, free men and women, not servants and/or slaves, simply cannot be patterned on a business or enterprise model, for it exists for no other reason than to facilitate peaceful and orderly co-existence between individuals engaged in all manner of self-chosen pursuits.
A wildly successful businessman like Trump is no less likely to lose sight of this than someone devoid of all business experience.
There is another reason why, in a perfect world, no conservative would treat Trump with any seriousness in connection with the presidency -- namely, Trump is no conservative. That "business" and "conservative" are considered virtually synonymous terms by right and left alike is a standing testimony to how effectively the left trades in fictions. A person's involvement in business is no signifier of his political orientation, it is true, but it is also true that the tycoons of the largest businesses -- what the left derisively refers to as "Big Business" -- usually donate to Democrats. That he has contributed to the coffers of no small number of Democratic politicians proves that Trump is no exception to this rule.
Still, our world, the real world, is far from perfect. Given current political realities, Trump may be just what Republican voters need at the moment.
As Trump himself has noted, if not for pervasive voter disenchantment with President George W. Bush, we wouldn't now have President Barack. H. Obama. In 2008, voters in both major parties and everywhere in between had grown weary of Bush's "compassionate conservatism." Of course, being but a euphemism for ever larger government -- that is, exactly that thing against which Republican campaign rhetoric rails -- it was neither compassionate nor conservative, as conservatives understand these concepts. The Republican Party claimed to have learned this lesson, but beyond vague references to "spending," no GOP 2012 hopeful has so much as explicitly repudiated Bush "conservatism," much less specified the respects in which their governance will differ from that of the last Republican president.
Trump, in glaring contrast, has already indicated the willingness, the eagerness even, to make it abundantly clear to both the party and the nation how and why he will be no Bush Republican. This the party faithful and -- more importantly, to hear the Republicans tell it -- the independents and "moderates" regarding whom the politicians from both parties spare no occasion to woo both need and deserve to know.
But this is not all.
It would be a gross understatement to describe The View as Obama-friendly. Yet just this past week while making an appearance on it, Trump did what no other Republican, much less a Republican with presidential aspirations, would so much as think of doing: he unabashedly expressed his skepticism concerning Obama's birth certificate. With a single utterance, the Donald in effect legitimized a group of people whose concern for this very same issue earned them the scornful name of "birthers" and rendered them a collective object of derision by left-wing pundits as well as such "respectable" right-leaning personalities as Bill O'Reilly and Michael Medved. And what Trump did for this issue, he will be able to do with any number of issues that McCain and the GOP establishment sought (and continue to seek) to avoid like the plague.
This is the point: there is simply no way that anyone can succeed in depicting someone as internationally famous as Donald Trump as a fringe figure. This, obviously, isn't to suggest that Trump would be anything at all like an invulnerable candidate; no one is without weaknesses. But Trump's enemies (among the establishments of both parties) will simply not be able to dismiss him as an "extremist."
Finally, there are enough disenchanted Democrats, along with similarly disenchanted independents and Republicans, who would be more than willing to give Trump their ears. When this Washington outsider -- indeed, outsider to politics! -- promises that upon his election to the presidency, "business as usual" in Washington will become a thing of the past, they will have good reason to believe it.
Trump in 2012? This may not be such a bad thing.
“Removing liberalism from the Republican party is far more important than beating Obabbler.”
Sorry. Removing Obozzo is priority 1 period. Obama and his Chicago mob and czars are the single most threat to this country.
I think Trump could do it.
And I agree he’s not a shill for Hillary, I suspect Hillaries people call Trumps people and ask for a meeting, not the other way around.
Look - we need a change. The old style party politics has COMPLETELY failed. We end up with a middle-of-the-road fence-sitting lowest-common-denominator bunch of spineless wimps who are totally destroying this country.
Trump is not beholden to the Democratic party machinery. He is not beholden to the Republican party machinery. Is he a “perfect conservative”?
There is NO SUCH THING. We see conservative people here on FR EVERY DAY who disagree about things. So much, in fact, that that is just about what “RINO” means. A conservative who believes in everything I do EXCEPT... (fill in the blank with your own special issue).
I get the feeling Trump supports Americans.
Not Specifically Hispanic-Americans.
Not Specifically poor Americans.
Not Specifically union Americans.
Americans.
He has a little bit of experience in business. He knows how to put people back to work. He knows about the financial costs of excessive regulation. He knows we are being taken advantage of by the Chinese, who can build a refrigerator using workers who make like what? Sixty cents an hour?
And I’d like to see the look on the Congressional leaders faces the first time they send him a 2000 page bill, and he sends it back and tells them to cut it down to ten pages and he MIGHT sign it!
Just my thoughts on the issue.
Trump would rip Utah bailout, Detroit bailout, Hillary/Romney/Obama care, Mr. “Conservative” Mittens appart. Poor Mitt, loves the middle of the road and keeps getting run over.
Hopefully we'll have a good enough field that my toaster doesn't have to run...
3 marriages. No vote from me.
...”I agree. I’ve had it with my party (Republican). As a whole they are gutless and flacid. Trump intrigues me, to say the least. He has courage and yes, he’s a smart guy who knows how to get a job done. And, he has smart people behind him to back him up. I’m going to give him a chance. Right now Trump is at the top of my vote list for President in 2012”...
I am with you 100%!
...”Hahahaha! It hasn’t gained traction? Are you serious?”...
How could anyone who has been alive for the past couple of weeks think Trump’s questions have not gained traction?
Trump is a Complete Republican...Obama the Complete Democrat. The election would be a perfect good cop/bad cop situation.
Screw that. Defeating obama in 2012 must ne goals 1 through 100 for all of us.
Obama, samantha powers, cass sunstein, holdren, van jones, salazar, axelrod, jarret, et al thank you for their support and two next supreme court picks.
“Removing liberalism from the Republican party is far more important than beating Obabbler”
Your not even funny...just dopey!!!!! a. The Republicrats are a subsidary of the Democrats. They job is to make Democrat (communist) programs more effective. You and all the tea in the world will NEVER change that.
b. You are right about not beating Obummer. He has allready won. The dictatorship is place. Your freedoms and financial future gone. If you still think you might have a life you should at least support someone who isn’t a coward (All Sitting Republicrats (socialists) and traitors (all General Officers and sitting Republicrats (socialists).
The reason Obummer has been so effective is the Republicrats (socialists) have totally enabled him.
Sucks to be you...
The Big Boo
I have seen nothing to indicate that Trump is a “complete” Republican. He seems to be more of an opportunist and publicity seeker. I’m going to watch the debates carefully before I even think about jumping on his bandwagon.
You have got to be kidding me.
Not just no, but hell no.
I wouldn’t vote for Trump for dogcatcher. I have met few people with lower character than this man. He is trash, pure and simple.
From bad error to bad hair? Sure, why not.
I've followed Trump before "The Apprentice". He is a conservative. My favorite is still Michele Bachmann but I wouldn't hesitate to vote for Donald Trump.
Who would you prefer? Mitt Romney (Romney Care), Huckabee, (non-entity), Newt Gingrach (more baggage than a 747 could hold), Tim Pawlenty (governor of one of the most liberal states in the USA........................
Quit bashing Trump. Google documents every single post made on Free Republic and they will use this against us in 2012.
Either you are a troll or misguided.
If it comes down to Trump vs. Obama and you prefer Trump. In the immortal words of Glenn Beck, "GET OFF MY WEBSITE!!!"
While that doesn’t thrill me either, this might be a case where we have to look at the big picture. Did you reject Reagan for being married twice?
And you are worried that Trump is a RINO?????????????
WTF is John McCain and Bob Dole? I'm sure you voted for the both of them and they are WAY to the left of Donald Trump. Look on the issues please show me how Bob Dole and John McCain are more conservative than Donald Trump!!!
In a perfect world Michele Bachmann would win, she is my favorite hands down! I already plan on voting for her although in Illinois our votes are irrelevant.
But if it is Romney, Newt or Pawlenty we are finished and we have 4 more years of Nero.
Everybody always asks that as if I am some old foggy. I was not able to vote for President Reagan....way to young for that. However, I really despise it when people compare President Reagan’s ONE divorce 40 years prior to running for Office and Newt’s millions of divorces and cheating and Donald’s millions of divorces and cheating. Can’t compare and should not be allowed to compare. I again will NEVER vote for a person who has been married three times. Just is not going to happen.
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