Three Strikes, Trump's Out
I have a unified theory of the newfound political popularity of Donald Trump. And I stole it from Dave Carter.
I think Dave was essentially right a few weeks ago when he wrote that Trump's appeal is based largely on his unapologetic pugnaciousness, a trait sharply in contrast to the sitting president's demeanor and one that the GOP base is clearly longing for. It's as if -- not having Chris Christie available -- a substantial part of the base is considering buying generic.
But while personality is a necessary quality for a viable presidential candidate, it's not a sufficient one. The more we see of Trump, the clearer it becomes that his potential candidacy will be a ratification of his previous reputation for unseriousness rather than a transcendence of it. It's for this reason that George Will, Charles Krauthammer, and Jonah Goldberg have all publicly dismissed him in recent days. I can't think of a single issue on which those three gentleman have agreed and I've dissented. And if there was one, I'd question my sanity before theirs.
Trump has already made three errors on substance that -- especially when taken as a whole -- disqualify him in mind:
- His enthusiastic embrace of the birther movement
- His affection for a Canadian-style healthcare system in the U.S.
- His proposal for a 25% tariff against China
If we have to have this sideshow, April 2011 is the time to do it. But if this goes on, it will be to the detriment of both Trump and the Republican Party.
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Comments :
Sep '10
Re: Three Strikes, Trump's Out
I'm beginning to agree with one of the commenters that this is Hillary Clinton's revenge for Rush Limbaugh's operation to mess with the Democratic primary when she was facing Barack Obama. In a bowl of cashews, he's the lone wingnut.
Jul '10
Re: Three Strikes, Trump's Out
Donated to Chris Christie against Marco Rubio, donated to Nancy Pelosi, but not to any Tea Party candidate. Mark Levin has a long list of particulars here.
Nov '10
Re: Three Strikes, Trump's Out
Frankly, I question his true net worth and remain suspicious of an undisclosed level of debt.
Edited on Apr 18, 2011 at 8:34pmMay '10
Re: Three Strikes, Trump's Out
Or an Obama plant to split the GOP and Tea folk? Divide and conquer?
Re: Three Strikes, Trump's Out
Troy, you didn't steal it. When you spread a good unified theory around, everybody wins. Actually, the more we look at Trump, as you spell out, the less serious he appears. From contributing the campaign coffers of leftists, to having a growing and changing list of "Worst President Ever," to referring to George Bush as "evil," he lacks the deep-rooted conviction and track record of a dedicated conservative and Constitutionalist that is crucial right now. We are at a desperate point in history, and we can ill afford that kind of candidate either as a Republican or as an independent splitting the anti-Obama vote. Ambassador to China perhaps. President? I don't think so.
Re: Three Strikes, Trump's Out
Trump's pugnaciousness vis a vis Obama makes him popular. End of story.
The Donald is mainly about securing publicity about The Donald. Just a year ago, Trump was praising Obama; before that he was calling for George Bush's impeachment--that's right, impeachment--over the Iraq War. He's a donor to Chuck Schumer and other Leftists. If this guy is a conservative, I'm Ethel Merman.
I enjoy a good Trump rant as much as the next guy, at least when he's directing his invective at Obama. But he represents the 2012 equivalent of Ross Perot: President Obama's last, best hope for reelection.
Apr '11
Re: Three Strikes, Trump's Out
Hey George (Ethel), could you sing us a few bars of "God Bless America"? Just kidding!
I supported The Donald in his "birther" rants, mainly because I felt it was a question that still begged an answer, but even as I did, I knew he would begin to step in it shortly...and he has. The only draw I could see in his "campaign" was his attitude and fight. Those have been the things missing from the Republican's campaigns for the past several election cycles, both mid-year and general.
I still expect to see Trump drop out or be sidelined shortly...probably as soon as serious candidates begin to really surface. But, I hope they (whoever they be) take at least the fighter genes from his sideshow and incorporate them in their own campaigns. This election is going to be a fight, no doubt, and the pugnaciousness will be necessary!
Oct '10
Re: Three Strikes, Trump's Out
Another Strike for Trump is that he plans to run as a Perot type 3rd party independent if he doesn't get the GOP nomination, snagging as many birther tea party voters as possible.
Apr '11
Re: Three Strikes, Trump's Out
Trump is something of an opportunist and the opportunist has found a opportunity. What's worrisome is that too many people see him as a serious candidate on the basis of little more than attitude. (Shades of Obama?) I hope people are more serious than this when the real primaries roll around.
Oct '10
Re: Three Strikes, Trump's Out
The frightening lesson is (a) how easy it is to enthuse the base and (b) how no-one else has been doing it.
Well, almost no-one. Trump is clearly a S*r*h P*l*n plant, just setting up her 'Ya miss me?' moment.
Aug '10
Re: Three Strikes, Trump's Out
One has to love all the snipers taking pot shots from the sidelines, offering a void as the alternative. I'm not a Trump fan at all, but at least he's showing up and showing something.
The GOP establishment also resents Bachmann and Palin. So that leaves us just where? Ready to throw our support behind nothingness?
Increasingly it seems the Tea Party is America's last best hope, but given that the Tea Party is not a party at all, it probably won't be enough to pull the Republic out of its death spiral.
Sep '10
Re: Three Strikes, Trump's Out
Levin has broadcasted a lot of info on Trump that absolutely disqualifies him for consideration as a good presidential candidate.
Trump practices cronyism regularly, and treats it as if it is, and should be, the norm. Realistically, it has almost always been the norm, especially for big, established corporations, but it shouldn't be. Cronyism is one of the major aspects of politics against which the Tea Party rails. On Book TV : Afterwords the other day, the author of The Politically Incorrect Guide to Socialism, Kevin Williamson, ranked cronyism as the worst sort of political behavior. Short of totalitarian acts such as genocide and the like, I agree.
P.S. I don't use the term "crony capitalism," since I see it as having nothing to do with real capitalism, or capitalism as it should be. I suppose "crony mercantilism" or "crony socialism" would work, too, although plain old "cronyism" is simpler.
Sep '10
Re: Three Strikes, Trump's Out
nordman: ...
The GOP establishment also resents Bachmann and Palin. So that leaves us just where? Ready to throw our support behind nothingness?
Increasingly it seems the Tea Party is America's last best hope, but given that the Tea Party is not a party at all, it probably won't be enough to pull the Republic out of its death spiral. · Apr 19 at 5:26am
Is Paul Ryan running? He might be a void-filler, but he, too, has some stains on his voting record. Voted for Bush's Medicare Part D, for one.
I like Bachmann, but both she and Palin need to lower their voice volumes and pitches (among other things) a tad to be less cringe-worthy when speaking in public.
Mar '11
Re: Three Strikes, Trump's Out
Trump can be outrageous because that is his brand! This is win-win for him, and may even have the additional bonus of earning NY Democrats' eternal gratitude if he splits off any of Obama's opposition. The MSM daily offers him a free ticket to America's TV sets. To paraphrase WFB: I'd rather vote for the first 500 contestants on Survivor than waste one minute appreciating anything but his pugnaciousness. However, if the birther brush is taken from David Plouffe, Trump will have done some service to this country.
Mar '11
Re: Three Strikes, Trump's Out
Dan Holmes
Is Paul Ryan running? He might be a void-filler, but he, too, has some stains on his voting record. Voted for Bush's Medicare Part D, for one.
I haven't done the research, but did Paul Ryan ever vote "Present"? I think he's more than a void-filler: he's genially pugnacious, in a polite, intelligent, altar-boy kind of way.
Apr '11
Re: Three Strikes, Trump's Out
It astonishes me how much support The Donald has among conservatives. If he hadn't recently declared himself a Republican and you just looked at whose campaigns he contributed to, and his public stances on various issues as of one year ago, you would think he's on the left. Are people just mesmerized by his celebrity? If someone continuously brags about how smart they are, will a lot of people just believe it? I guess it takes this thought process:
1. I hate Barack Obama because he's a leftist.
2. Donald Trump is the most fiery in his retoric about Obama.
3. Since DT hates BO, it must mean DT is a conservative, regardless of all the facts indicating that he's a liberal/statist himself.
Aug '10
Re: Three Strikes, Trump's Out
My hope is that Trump is just trying to stir things up by highlighting GOP's lack of leadership shaming the party out of its complacency and fecklessness and prodding it to step up to the plate.
If Republicans are upset with the Trump circus, they need to get an assertive, formidable candidate out front and center and stop whining about the leadership vacuum being filled by the first person who comes along with the courage to step up an fill it.
Edited on Apr 19, 2011 at 11:53am