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Trump’s Virtues: An Important Speech
Very short and very challenging food for thought. I was drawn to read the entire piece and that proved to be a most rewarding exercise as it introduced me to an excellent short talk on the virtues of Donald Trump and why we shouldn’t be turning our backs on him at this early stage of the 2024 Presidential Campaign. Here, before linking to the video itself, is the opening paragraph of the article, which can be found here:
I recently wrote a column about why I believed Trump should not run in 2024. I was wrong. I allowed my distaste for Trump’s personality to override his virtues, which are considerable. Some people want Trump without his vices. I was among them — until yesterday, when I watched and listened to Tom Klingenstein’s speech titled “Trump’s virtues.” It was masterful and shamed me that I did not make the distinction between Trump’s character and his virtues, the former being deeply flawed, the latter being almost perfect. I need to man up in my defense of the former President’s virtues. The speech was among the most pointed I have heard and deserves some exposure. Klingenstein says:
Other Republicans say some version of “I like Trump policies but I don’t like the rest of him.” This gets it almost backwards. Although Trump advanced many important policies, it is the ‘rest of him’ that contains the virtue that inspires the movement… Trump was born for the current crisis, a life and death struggle against a totalitarian enemy I call woke communism… that control all the cultural and economic powers in America…
[Trump] revealed, not caused, the divide in this country. In war, you must make a stand… Trump is a manly man… traditional manhood, even when flawed, is absolutely essential… Trump plays to win… There are no clean hands in a fistfight…Trump is unreservedly, unquestionably pro-America… Trump is a refreshing break from the guilt and self-loathing that marks our age…
How wonderful it is to hear a speaker in this age of wokeness and cowardly cancellation for saying the “wrong” thing, i.e., something not within the approved narrative of the Ruling Elite come right out and refer to someone as “a manly man”! I must admit I had to go back and rerun that part of the video I enjoyed hearing it so much! I am sending this video along not in the interest of starting any kind of debate about the 2024 election as it is far too early to be joining that battle. I am, however, sending it along as I think it represents a very valuable contribution to that future debate and the decision we will all be required to make in the future. I hope you find it as interesting and illuminating as I did.
God Bless America!
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I don’t think either would have made it as a Navy SEAL or NFL middle linebacker.
FTR, neither would I.
I don’t doubt that there is some truth in that claim, but who can blame him? It is also possible that he believes, as I do, that every RINO and/or fool who just thinks we should “move on” will ensure that the repub loses in 2024 unless the legitimate issues Trump raises are addressed.
Interesting observation! Maybe so
Awesome speech, but DJT’s greatest virtue is that he tells the truth. Nobody cares about his self-superlative exaggerations, except the whining garbage children. His second greatest virtue is that he provokes weaklings to self-identify. President Donald Trump kept every campaign promise.
I think DJT’s greatest virtue is that he is not a professional politician.
A professional politician has enormous incentives from graft, corruption, and pocketing a percentage while draining the treasury.
This is more important today given the amount of money China, Soros, and other enemies have at their disposal for bribery, as well as all the money laundering operations available.
I think his second greatest virtue is his ability to devise creative out-of-the-box solutions to previously unsolvable problems. Which is exactly what entrepreneurs do for a living.
Absolutely
How did that happen? Was voting involved?
Several important takeaways from that speech.
Ron DeSantis seems to have some of the same virtues, but I wouldn’t rule Trump out for the reasons stated above. We’re not even sure either of them will run at this point. And even if one or both do, we have to get past #1.
He made his fortune(s) in the private sector, not be selling influence the way the members of the Swamp did, two examples being Slow Joe and The Turtle. Also, in the private sector when one takes risks, there can be consequences. Trump had experience sizing up situations, making decisions, and cutting his losses when necessary. Too bad he trusted the wrong people, but maybe he thought they were team players who shared his goals for America.
Oh, and this:
https://amgreatness.com/2022/07/29/going-on-offense/
See the Trump Big Lie and the January 6th Insurrection. Biden would destroy the economy. Trump would destroy the Republic itself.
Live not by lies.
Spouting this nonsense is just a reflex with you, isn’t it? No thought required.
Well, if they win, I will have no choice but to vote for the Democrats for Governor, Secretary of State and AG. As for Senator, I am open to simply leaving it blank. The Trumpy primary victories would then become Pyrrhic victories, and Democrats win.
“Look what you made me do!” is a child’s defense.
And yet you keep responding. Interesting.
Interesting that the use of state power (FBI) to punish political opponents and cover up crimes committed by members of the party is not considered a threat to the Republic.
It’s also what domestic abusers say to their victims.
If I have to choose between an election denying 100% Trumpist, or a relatively moderate Democrat, I will take the Democrat. Arizona has a history of relatively moderate Democrats, and not AOC’s, for state-wide positions.
The U.S. Senate is a different issue. I don’t want to empower Schumer while I don’t want to empower a Trump nominee. A quandary. One solution is to withhold my vote from both candidates. We shall see.
See Comment #79.
I am truly impressed! I had no idea your single vote would be so influential.
I think that I speak for a small but significant portion of the Republican vote. We refused to vote for Trump in 2020, and flipped 5 states. After Trump’s Big Lie and the January 6th Insurrection, our numbers have only grown.
So there are five of you now? And you all trust Crazy Lizzie and Crybaby Kinzinger? Reminds me of the old P. T. Barnum quote about what happens every minute. BTW, I speak only for myself.
No there are tens of thousands of us in Wisconsin according to Senator Ron Johnson and Georgia according to Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger. We voted Republican in non-Trump elections, and against Trump himself. Now that we have Trumpy True Believers in Trump’s Big Lie, I expect the same will occur as to other races.
I noticed you didn’t have the guts to respond to Kash Patel and Chris Miller saying that Crazy Lizzie lied about their testimony. We know who the liars are, though truth is an endangered commodity in politics regardless of whether you are a Demo-rat or a member of the GOPe.
“Accuse your opponent of that which you yourself are guilty.” – Joseph Goebbels
“Repeat a lie often enough and it becomes the truth.” – Joseph Goebbels
Bumper sticker slogans are no replacement for reasoned thought.
I didn’t know you and Biden were friends.
Heh. Let’s just say there have been several Bidens in my life. I know the type all too well. They’re dangerous people.
People deranged with hate are not capable of reasoned thought.
It is remarkable how everyone afflicted with Trump-hatred ends up behaving like a leftist.
☑️ Accepts corporate media narratives unquestioningly.
☑️ Repeats bumper sticker slogans as though they were arguments.
☑️ Parrots Democrat party talking points verbatim.
☑️ Cannot address any argument that falls outside the party narrative.
It’s just uncanny, and it’s everyone from Jonah Goldberg to Adam Kinzinger. It’s like when it comes to Trump, the rostrolateral prefrontal cortex, the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, and the inferior parietal lobule (the parts of the brain that reason) just shut down.