Becoming Small: A Letter to President Trump

 

Dear President Trump,

First, I hope you will forgive me for being blunt.

It’s time to pivot into your new role.

But before I tell you what that role is, here are my observations.

  1. You love this country.
  2. You love the people of this country.
  3. And you see yourself as the savior, the only one who can turn the ship around.

The first two are beautiful and right.

The third was true for a season. In 2016, you were called by the Almighty to stand as a lightning rod, to take the hits, to hold firm in the face of relentless attacks. You have done that, and done it like no other man could have.

As a result, you punctured the bulwark, exposing those who oppose the foundational values of this country for the misguided people they really are, and for the falsehoods and destructive lies they truly believe. In response, they have come out in full force against you and against this country without shame, willing to compromise their own integrity in the pursuit of power and control regardless of the utter destruction their efforts have wrought. No one is, or ever has been, exempt from their aim. No one.

Despite the horror of what lurks behind the facade, we are wiser for the experience of your disruptive impact on the establishment’s system of corruption. All things have been opened and laid bare for all to see.

Through the battle, you have been demonized, vilified, and systematically accused without one moment’s peace. And you have withstood the pressure. A miracle.

What does all of this amount to? A great deal, President Trump. A great deal.

You have set the stage for more of us to lead and turn the ship around with an undeniable force that promises to endure for the next several decades.

But your job in that role, the role you stepped into in 2016, has been fulfilled.

It is time for you to move into your new role.

President Trump, it is no longer about you.

But you matter now more than ever before.

If you love this country, get behind the strong ones who can take the reins forward into the next few decades. Be their supporter, cheerleader, advisor, and confidante. Do all of those things for them that so many have done for you.

As for the millions of Americans who want you to run in 2024, you must resist the lure of their expressed affections for you. They trust you, your insights, and your artistry in deal-making. If you agree that I could be on to something, and I think I am, I know you can change the conversation within the base. You have done it before.

Dear President Trump, you are an amazing person. And it is now time for the 2016 Donald Trump to become small, make some room for others, and to take on the new role that I believe has been reserved for you, and you alone.

You can make the difference.

Either way. If you love this country and the people of this country, get behind the emerging leaders. You will be amazed at what can happen.

Unify, support, cheer the team on.

You will always be my favorite president for so many reasons.

Sincerely and with love,

God-Loving Woman

[1]24 Truly, truly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit.

[1] Crossway Bibles. The Holy Bible, English Standard Version (with Cross-References) (Kindle Locations 169180-169182). Good News Publishers/Crossway Books. Kindle Edition.

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  1. Annefy Member
    Annefy
    @Annefy

    The very qualities that make Trump, Trump, are the very same qualities that prohibit him from “becoming small”. He will be like Churchill, and to a more limited degree Margaret Thatcher. Cast aside and rejected by his own because we’re over him.

    I had a marriage epiphany very early and it added to the quality of my life and my marriage immeasurably. People are not a la carte, you can’t surgically remove a certain quality without it effecting everything else.

    I appreciate that you are heartfelt and in your way and want what’s best for DJT and for the country. That said … ain’t gonna happen.

    Why? Because Trump is Trump.

    Audacious. Like this post.

    (slight edit)

    • #1
  2. God-LovingWoman Coolidge
    God-LovingWoman
    @GodLovingWoman

    Annefy (View Comment):

    The very qualities that make Trump, Trump, are the very same qualities that prohibit him from “becoming small”. He will be like Churchill, and to a more limited degree Margaret Thatcher. Cast aside and rejected by his own because we’re over him.

    I had a marriage epiphany very early and it added to the quality of my life and my marriage immeasurably. People are not a la carte, you can’t surgically remove a certain quality without it effecting everything else.

    I appreciate that you are heartfelt and in your way want what’s best for DJT and for the country. That said … ain’t gonna happen.

    Why? Because Trump is Trump.

    Audacious. Like this post.

    I’ve been known to not allow the impossible to dissuade me from trying.

    • #2
  3. Annefy Member
    Annefy
    @Annefy

    God-LovingWoman (View Comment):

    Annefy (View Comment):

    The very qualities that make Trump, Trump, are the very same qualities that prohibit him from “becoming small”. He will be like Churchill, and to a more limited degree Margaret Thatcher. Cast aside and rejected by his own because we’re over him.

    I had a marriage epiphany very early and it added to the quality of my life and my marriage immeasurably. People are not a la carte, you can’t surgically remove a certain quality without it effecting everything else.

    I appreciate that you are heartfelt and in your way want what’s best for DJT and for the country. That said … ain’t gonna happen.

    Why? Because Trump is Trump.

    Audacious. Like this post.

    I’ve been known to not allow the impossible to dissuade me from trying.

    What is the “impossible” that you are attempting? For Trump to stop being Trump?

    • #3
  4. God-LovingWoman Coolidge
    God-LovingWoman
    @GodLovingWoman

    Annefy (View Comment):

    God-LovingWoman (View Comment):

    Annefy (View Comment):

    The very qualities that make Trump, Trump, are the very same qualities that prohibit him from “becoming small”. He will be like Churchill, and to a more limited degree Margaret Thatcher. Cast aside and rejected by his own because we’re over him.

    I had a marriage epiphany very early and it added to the quality of my life and my marriage immeasurably. People are not a la carte, you can’t surgically remove a certain quality without it effecting everything else.

    I appreciate that you are heartfelt and in your way want what’s best for DJT and for the country. That said … ain’t gonna happen.

    Why? Because Trump is Trump.

    Audacious. Like this post.

    I’ve been known to not allow the impossible to dissuade me from trying.

    What is the “impossible” that you are attempting? For Trump to stop being Trump?

    Yes…I’ve seen people change in dramatic ways. There is always hope.

    • #4
  5. Annefy Member
    Annefy
    @Annefy

    God-LovingWoman (View Comment):

    Annefy (View Comment):

    God-LovingWoman (View Comment):

    Annefy (View Comment):

    The very qualities that make Trump, Trump, are the very same qualities that prohibit him from “becoming small”. He will be like Churchill, and to a more limited degree Margaret Thatcher. Cast aside and rejected by his own because we’re over him.

    I had a marriage epiphany very early and it added to the quality of my life and my marriage immeasurably. People are not a la carte, you can’t surgically remove a certain quality without it effecting everything else.

    I appreciate that you are heartfelt and in your way want what’s best for DJT and for the country. That said … ain’t gonna happen.

    Why? Because Trump is Trump.

    Audacious. Like this post.

    I’ve been known to not allow the impossible to dissuade me from trying.

    What is the “impossible” that you are attempting? For Trump to stop being Trump?

    Yes…I’ve seen people change dramatic ways. There is always hope.

    Like I said in comment #1: audacious.

    How would you like it if someone said the same thing to you?  I really like you, GFW, and I think you’re a terrific wife, mother and person. But if you changed X,Y,Z (X Y and Z being fundamental to who you are, like a God Fearing Woman …)

    Let’s start again: I really like you GFW, and I think you’re a terrific wife, mother and person. But you’d be so much more awesome if you didn’t fear God and if you became a man.

    So … do you think my original comment, “I really like you” was true?

    (my bad: should have been God LOVING Woman. Point stands)

    • #5
  6. God-LovingWoman Coolidge
    God-LovingWoman
    @GodLovingWoman

    Annefy (View Comment):

    God-LovingWoman (View Comment):

    Annefy (View Comment):

    God-LovingWoman (View Comment):

    Annefy (View Comment):

    The very qualities that make Trump, Trump, are the very same qualities that prohibit him from “becoming small”. He will be like Churchill, and to a more limited degree Margaret Thatcher. Cast aside and rejected by his own because we’re over him.

    I had a marriage epiphany very early and it added to the quality of my life and my marriage immeasurably. People are not a la carte, you can’t surgically remove a certain quality without it effecting everything else.

    I appreciate that you are heartfelt and in your way want what’s best for DJT and for the country. That said … ain’t gonna happen.

    Why? Because Trump is Trump.

    Audacious. Like this post.

    I’ve been known to not allow the impossible to dissuade me from trying.

    What is the “impossible” that you are attempting? For Trump to stop being Trump?

    Yes…I’ve seen people change dramatic ways. There is always hope.

    Like I said in comment #1: audacious.

    How would you like it if someone said the same thing to you? I really like you, GFW, and I think you’re a terrific wife, mother and person. But if you changed X,Y,Z (X Y and Z being fundamental to who you are, like a God Fearing Woman …)

    Let’s start again: I really like you GFW, and I think you’re a terrific wife, mother and person. But you’d be so much more awesome if you didn’t fear God and if you became a man.

    So … do you think my original comment, “I really like you” was true?

    Hah … interesting. I was definitely not tracking with you on this, but I think I understand where you’re coming from now. I still think, regardless of Trump’s behavior and what you make of him in terms of his character, that there’s a chance that he’s thoughtful enough about his place in history to see that there may be a different path for him to take at this point. 

    • #6
  7. WillowSpring Member
    WillowSpring
    @WillowSpring

    @GLW – You have written – much better than I could – what I wish we could get Trump to understand.  Unfortunately, I also agree with the first comment by @Annefy that we are asking/hoping for Trump to not be Trump.

    It reminds me of the greek tragedies, where the hero is brought down by his own internal flaw.

    I wish there was some way to get your post to him.

    • #7
  8. God-LovingWoman Coolidge
    God-LovingWoman
    @GodLovingWoman

    WillowSpring (View Comment):

    @ GLW – You have written – much better than I could – what I wish we could get Trump to understand. Unfortunately, I also agree with the first comment by @ Annefy that we are asking/hoping for Trump to not be Trump.

    It reminds me of the greek tragedies, where the hero is brought down by his own internal flaw.

    I wish there was some way to get your post to him.

    I agree that Trump may be too entrenched in his own behavior habits, but I still think it’s worthwhile to make the suggestion about another path. We should do what we can to avoid a division that will undermine the 2024 election opportunity.

    And thank you for your kind words. 

    • #8
  9. She Member
    She
    @She

    WillowSpring (View Comment):

    @ GLW – You have written – much better than I could – what I wish we could get Trump to understand. Unfortunately, I also agree with the first comment by @ Annefy that we are asking/hoping for Trump to not be Trump.

    It reminds me of the greek tragedies, where the hero is brought down by his own internal flaw.

    It reminds Victor Davis Hanson, too.  (He still doesn’t sound too sure how it’s going to turn out.)

     

    • #9
  10. Annefy Member
    Annefy
    @Annefy

    WillowSpring (View Comment):

    @ GLW – You have written – much better than I could – what I wish we could get Trump to understand. Unfortunately, I also agree with the first comment by @ Annefy that we are asking/hoping for Trump to not be Trump.

    It reminds me of the greek tragedies, where the hero is brought down by his own internal flaw.

    I wish there was some way to get your post to him.

    So you really think such a post as this – as heartfelt as it is – would make a difference to DJT?

    No. It wouldn’t. For if he were the man who appreciated such a heartfelt plea, he would not be the man who we appreciated for so many other qualities.

    Had DJT actually had a first term, I’d be philosophic about him being cast aside. But he WAS robbed of that first term. There’s a lot of blame to be cast for that fact.

    Regardless, there is much to be done if this country is to be saved. To those who think DJT can be cast aside, I ask: seriously? Things are a lot worse than they were in 2020 when DJT lost. A LOT.

    Oh wait. There’s a successful governor you think can right this ship?

    Nope. We need the bull in the china shop more than ever.

    As an aside, I blame every pissant R who spent four years calling “balls and strikes”. There was an opportunity. An opportunity that was lost. Perchance that opportunity lives.

    • #10
  11. MarciN Member
    MarciN
    @MarciN

    God-LovingWoman: President Trump, it is no longer about you.

    I have heard versions of this said about President Trump quite often. And there’s no doubt that in “polite society,” it is grating and frowned upon to hear any speaker talk about himself or herself as often as Donald Trump does.

    But I have known a great many prominent people over the course of my lifetime, and I have never known a single one who did not talk this way in private. “After all I did for that guy, . . . ” “I remember so-and-so from an earlier time when he did thus-and-such.” Prominent people got that way from making myriad connections. How did they do that safely? Gossip. Pure simple gossip. Trump just makes the gossip public.

    I find it refreshing that Donald Trump does not have two personas: one private, one public. I think that’s what the voters are tired of, the highly polished, rehearsed, careful lawyerly-like speech that is full of glittering generalities and meaningless platitudes. They are tired of the politician who smiles while he says he’s just hired 87,000 IRS agents and armed them with guns. The voters would prefer a straight-talking person who looks around the world with the same skepticism they do.

    And he hails from the private sector where he has experienced the full brunt of the government’s actions on individuals. That’s at the base of his bitterness sometimes, and it is the frustration he shares with his supporters.

    We may elect another president, but we will never replace him. He really is a president for the common man. He’s on our side. It was really nice having him in office. Like a lovely vacation. I hope he doesn’t leave, and I plan to vote for him wherever and whenever he is on my ballot, just to make a statement to the Democrats on their aggressive bullying postelection behavior both throughout his term in office and after Biden was elected and to thank him for standing up to Iran and the Democrats who support Iran, for recognizing Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, for fixing our lopsided trade agreements, for cutting thousands of federal innovation-suppressing and costly regulations, and for selling America on the world stage as a truly good and great country.

    • #11
  12. Columbo Inactive
    Columbo
    @Columbo

    She (View Comment):

    WillowSpring (View Comment):

    @ GLW – You have written – much better than I could – what I wish we could get Trump to understand. Unfortunately, I also agree with the first comment by @ Annefy that we are asking/hoping for Trump to not be Trump.

    It reminds me of the greek tragedies, where the hero is brought down by his own internal flaw.

    It reminds Victor Davis Hanson, too. (He still doesn’t sound too sure how it’s going to turn out.)

    President Trump is in fact a tragic hero of Greek legend. Or a more recent tragic cowboy hero.

     

     

    The brand sticks. There’s no living with it. And the good parts of the brand stick in your mind longer if he just rides into the sunset or mountain backdrop and speaks no more.

    But, if he turns around to speak on his own behalf and becomes the victim, he loses the strength of the hero and the good memories of him, which get drowned out by these recent words (from the VDH article linked by @she):

    Those earlier rumblings were only amplified after the unexpectedly anemic Republican midterm performance. Trump sent out a disjointed, almost unhinged letter damning DeSantis as disloyal, without gratitude (to Trump), mediocre, and overrated. 

    The indictment was ill-timed to DeSantis’ landslide victory over Charlie Crist. DeSantis’ long Florida coattails fueled the only red tsunami of the entire evening. If Trump thought he would employ the battering-ram tactics of his first presidential debate of 2020, then he should remember they failed (in contrast to his effective second debate against Biden). And in reaction, DeSantis’ rope-a-dope silence is effectively designed to let Trump punch his way out and down to the low 30s in approval.

    Back to the OP, I think that perhaps the word ‘small’ could be substituted with ‘humble’ or something similar. As @annefy points out, one can not expect President Trump to be something that he is not. To ask him to change something that is fundamental to his being would be wrong. I would agree with that. However, I don’t think asking him to step back and assess the new environment and be humble is changing something that is fundamental to his being. If it is, then that is certainly tragic. The more that he continues in this tragic hero phase, the hollower he sounds. Sad.

    Worse still, Trump highlighted his self-obsession over party concerns by weirdly celebrating the loss of fellow Republican senatorial candidate Joe O’Dea of Colorado. His RINO crime was spurning Trump’s support. Stranger still, Trump attacked popular Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin for supposedly having a “Chinese”-sounding name.

    Oh well. It just doesn’t matter. Because in this post-Covid world of elections that “have radically shifted to mail-in/early/absentee voting rendering Election Day a minor event”, a Republican will never win the White House again.

    • #12
  13. Bob Thompson Member
    Bob Thompson
    @BobThompson

    MarciN (View Comment):
    I find it refreshing that Donald Trump does not have two personas: one private, one public. I think that’s what the voters are tired of, the highly polished, rehearsed, careful lawyerly-like speech that is full of glittering generalities and meaningless platitudes. They are tired of the politician who smiles while he says he’s just hired 87,000 IRS agents and armed them with guns. The voters would prefer a straight-talking person who looks around the world with the same skepticism they do.

    Well, some voters are tired of it, that’s for sure. There’re two potential ways President Trump can do this. I’m with him, either way.

    • #13
  14. OwnedByDogs Lincoln
    OwnedByDogs
    @JuliaBlaschke

    Trump only cares about Trump. He will do what he thinks is best for Trump. He always has. He always will.

    • #14
  15. Columbo Inactive
    Columbo
    @Columbo

    OwnedByDogs (View Comment):

    Trump only cares about Trump. He will do what he thinks is best for Trump. He always has. He always will.

    If that were true, he never would have run for President in 2016. All he earned for that was scorn, derision, calumny, fake allegations, anal probes from the federal government and New York state and city, and reputational harm to his brand and businesses.

    • #15
  16. God-LovingWoman Coolidge
    God-LovingWoman
    @GodLovingWoman

    Annefy (View Comment):

    WillowSpring (View Comment):

    @ GLW – You have written – much better than I could – what I wish we could get Trump to understand. Unfortunately, I also agree with the first comment by @ Annefy that we are asking/hoping for Trump to not be Trump.

    It reminds me of the greek tragedies, where the hero is brought down by his own internal flaw.

    I wish there was some way to get your post to him.

    So you really think such a post as this – as heartfelt as it is – would make a difference to DJT?

    No. It wouldn’t. For if he were the man who appreciated such a heartfelt plea, he would not be the man who we appreciated for so many other qualities.

    Had DJT actually had a first term, I’d be philosophic about him being cast aside. But he WAS robbed of that first term. There’s a lot of blame to be cast for that fact.

    Regardless, there is much to be done if this country is to be saved. To those who think DJT can be cast aside, I ask: seriously? Things are a lot worse than they were in 2020 when DJT lost. A LOT.

    Oh wait. There’s a successful governor you think can right this ship?

    Nope. We need the bull in the china shop more than ever.

    As an aside, I blame every pissant R who spent four years calling “balls and strikes”. There was an opportunity. An opportunity that was lost. Perchance that opportunity lives.

    Trump is a fixture. How he chooses to leverage his undeniable influence can make all the difference. If he can look at things more strategically, which I know he can, he may recognize that unity in the Republican Party is paramount. A unified team including Trump  and the emerging leaders, who are also committed to finishing the job of draining the swamp and restoring our country for the sake of posterity, is more important than Trump aiming solely for his own retaking of the office. We cannot afford distractions caused by unnecessary division in the party.

    • #16
  17. God-LovingWoman Coolidge
    God-LovingWoman
    @GodLovingWoman

    MarciN (View Comment):

    God-LovingWoman: President Trump, it is no longer about you.

    I have heard versions of this said about President Trump quite often. And there’s no doubt that in “polite society,” it is grating and frowned upon to hear any speaker talk about himself or herself as often as Donald Trump does.

    But I have known a great many prominent people over the course of my lifetime, and I have never known a single one who did not talk this way in private. “After all I did for that guy, . . . ” “I remember so-and-so from an earlier time when he did thus-and-such.” Prominent people got that way from making myriad connections. How did they do that safely? Gossip. Pure simple gossip. Trump just makes the gossip public.

    I find it refreshing that Donald Trump does not have two personas: one private, one public. I think that’s what the voters are tired of, the highly polished, rehearsed, careful lawyerly-like speech that is full of glittering generalities and meaningless platitudes. They are tired of the politician who smiles while he says he’s just hired 87,000 IRS agents and armed them with guns. The voters would prefer a straight-talking person who looks around the world with the same skepticism they do.

    And he hails from the private sector where he has experienced the full brunt of the government’s actions on individuals. That’s at the base of his bitterness sometimes, and it is the frustration he shares with his supporters.

    We may elect another president, but we will never replace him. He really is a president for the common man. He’s on our side. It was really nice having him in office. Like a lovely vacation. I hope he doesn’t leave, and I plan to vote for him wherever and whenever he is on my ballot, just to make a statement to the Democrats on their aggressive bullying postelection behavior both throughout his term in office and after Biden was elected and to thank him for standing up to Iran and the Democrats who support Iran, for recognizing Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, for fixing our lopsided trade agreements, for cutting thousands of federal innovation-suppressing and costly regulations, and for selling America on the world stage as a truly good and great country.

    You quoted the one line without the one that follows directly after. 

    “But you matter more now than ever.”

    This post is about anticipating outcomes and identifying alternative paths that may be better for our country in the long run. Trump is a key player, no doubt. What he does now will carry such weight that it could very well set our destiny for 2024 and beyond.

    • #17
  18. OwnedByDogs Lincoln
    OwnedByDogs
    @JuliaBlaschke

    Columbo (View Comment):

    OwnedByDogs (View Comment):

    Trump only cares about Trump. He will do what he thinks is best for Trump. He always has. He always will.

    If that were true, he never would have run for President in 2016. All he earned for that was scorn, derision, calumny, fake allegations, anal probes from the federal government and New York state and city, and reputational harm to his brand and businesses.

    He got to be President. 

    • #18
  19. HeavyWater Inactive
    HeavyWater
    @HeavyWater

    God-LovingWoman (View Comment):

    Trump is a fixture. How he chooses to leverage his undeniable influence can make all the difference. If he can look at things more strategically, which I know he can, he may recognize that unity in the Republican Party is paramount. A unified team including Trump and the emerging leaders, who are also committed to finishing the job of draining the swamp and restoring our country for the sake of posterity, is more important than Trump aiming solely for his own retaking of the office. We cannot afford to be distracted caused by unnecessary division in the party.

    I don’t think Trump’s need for attention and adulation is more intense than Trump’s interest in assisting the long term interests of the Republican party and the country.  

    He might wants what is good for the country.  But what really gets him up in the morning is his need for attention and applause from his base.  If you tell him that the best thing he can do for the Republican party and the country is just retire from politics, he won’t be able to do it.  He won’t admit to himself or anyone else that he might be a drag on the Republican party’s fortunes.  

    • #19
  20. God-LovingWoman Coolidge
    God-LovingWoman
    @GodLovingWoman

    Columbo (View Comment):

    She (View Comment):

    WillowSpring (View Comment):

    @ GLW – You have written – much better than I could – what I wish we could get Trump to understand. Unfortunately, I also agree with the first comment by @ Annefy that we are asking/hoping for Trump to not be Trump.

    It reminds me of the greek tragedies, where the hero is brought down by his own internal flaw.

    It reminds Victor Davis Hanson, too. (He still doesn’t sound too sure how it’s going to turn out.)

    President Trump is in fact a tragic hero of Greek legend. Or a more recent tragic cowboy hero.

     

     

    The brand sticks. There’s no living with it. And the good parts of the brand stick in your mind longer if he just rides into the sunset or mountain backdrop and speaks no more.

    But, if he turns around to speak on his own behalf and becomes the victim, he loses the strength of the hero and the good memories of him, which get drowned out by these recent words (from the VDH article linked by @ she):

    Those earlier rumblings were only amplified after the unexpectedly anemic Republican midterm performance. Trump sent out a disjointed, almost unhinged letter damning DeSantis as disloyal, without gratitude (to Trump), mediocre, and overrated.

    The indictment was ill-timed to DeSantis’ landslide victory over Charlie Crist. DeSantis’ long Florida coattails fueled the only red tsunami of the entire evening. If Trump thought he would employ the battering-ram tactics of his first presidential debate of 2020, then he should remember they failed (in contrast to his effective second debate against Biden). And in reaction, DeSantis’ rope-a-dope silence is effectively designed to let Trump punch his way out and down to the low 30s in approval.

    Back to the OP, I think that perhaps the word ‘small’ could be substituted with ‘humble’ or something similar. As @ annefy points out, one can not expect President Trump to be something that he is not. To ask him to change something that is fundamental to his being would be wrong. I would agree with that. However, I don’t think asking him to step back and assess the new environment and be humble is changing something that is fundamental to his being. If it is, then that is certainly tragic. The more that he continues in this tragic hero phase, the hollower he sounds. Sad.

    Worse still, Trump highlighted his self-obsession over party concerns by weirdly celebrating the loss of fellow Republican senatorial candidate Joe O’Dea 

    Becoming small is more than becoming humble. It is certainly that. But it is also a phrase of the faithful who seek to die to self in order to become more “willing” to be used as a vessel of the Spirit. As you know my beliefs, I trust that God uses the willing to do mighty things. Trump is in a position to be used in mighty ways if only he might be willing. 

    • #20
  21. God-LovingWoman Coolidge
    God-LovingWoman
    @GodLovingWoman

    Bob Thompson (View Comment):

    MarciN (View Comment):
    I find it refreshing that Donald Trump does not have two personas: one private, one public. I think that’s what the voters are tired of, the highly polished, rehearsed, careful lawyerly-like speech that is full of glittering generalities and meaningless platitudes. They are tired of the politician who smiles while he says he’s just hired 87,000 IRS agents and armed them with guns. The voters would prefer a straight-talking person who looks around the world with the same skepticism they do.

    Well, some voters are tired of it, that’s for sure. There’s two potential ways President Trump can do this. I’m with him, either way.

    Me too

    • #21
  22. Bob Thompson Member
    Bob Thompson
    @BobThompson

    HeavyWater (View Comment):
    He won’t admit to himself or anyone else that he might be a drag on the Republican party’s fortunes.

    This is a very reasonable position to have until it is clear that the country is in good hands. No other national leader has taken up that mantle.

    • #22
  23. OwnedByDogs Lincoln
    OwnedByDogs
    @JuliaBlaschke

    HeavyWater (View Comment):
    He might wants what is good for the country.  But what really gets him up in the morning is his need for attention and applause from his base.

    Trump only cares about his base because it feeds his ego. If anyone in that base, even slightly, suggests that Trump should retire, Trump will turn on that person viciously. He only cares about himself and his vindication. He has to be the only one who can fix. He has to be a winner. If he loses, it is because he was cheated. The alternative is completely unacceptable to him. 

     

    • #23
  24. MarciN Member
    MarciN
    @MarciN

    God-LovingWoman (View Comment):

    You quoted the one line without the one that follows directly after. 

    “But you matter more now than ever.”

    This post is about anticipating outcomes and identifying alternative paths that may be better for our country in the long run. Trump is a key player, no doubt. What he does now will carry such weight that it could very well set our destiny for 2024 and beyond.

    I’m sorry if I offended you. I did not mean to. I thought you zeroed in on the problem people have with Trump. I find it fascinating that no one criticizes what he did in office except people who think he should have fired Fauci. It’s not clear to me that he had the legal authority to do so, and if he had, the maelstrom of public opinion against him would have been epic from many on both sides, especially if he had tried to do it early on, when firing Fauci might have changed the course of the pandemic. 

    I wasn’t trying to contradict you as much as discuss that one point more broadly. 

    • #24
  25. Bob Thompson Member
    Bob Thompson
    @BobThompson

    MarciN (View Comment):
    I thought you zeroed in on the problem people have with Trump. I find it fascinating that no one criticizes what he did in office except people who think he should have fired Fauci

    This says that the problem is really with those who devote themselves to describing the person that President Trump is instead of the policies he supports and where he wants to take the Party that opposes Democrats.

    • #25
  26. MarciN Member
    MarciN
    @MarciN

    Bob Thompson (View Comment):

    MarciN (View Comment):
    I thought you zeroed in on the problem people have with Trump. I find it fascinating that no one criticizes what he did in office except people who think he should have fired Fauci

    This says that the problem is really with those who devote themselves to describing the person that President Trump is instead of the policies he supports and where he wants to take the Party that opposes Democrats.

    That is how the situation appears to me, yes. 

    • #26
  27. God-LovingWoman Coolidge
    God-LovingWoman
    @GodLovingWoman

    MarciN (View Comment):

    God-LovingWoman (View Comment):

    You quoted the one line without the one that follows directly after.

    “But you matter more now than ever.”

    This post is about anticipating outcomes and identifying alternative paths that may be better for our country in the long run. Trump is a key player, no doubt. What he does now will carry such weight that it could very well set our destiny for 2024 and beyond.

    I’m sorry if I offended you. I did not mean to. I thought you zeroed in on the problem people have with Trump. I find it fascinating that no one criticizes what he did in office except people who think he should have fired Fauci. It’s not clear to me that he had the legal authority to do so, and if he had, the maelstrom of public opinion against him would have been epic from many on both sides, especially if he had tried to do it early on, when firing Fauci might have changed the course of the pandemic.

    I wasn’t trying to contradict you as much as discuss that one point more broadly.

    Not at all!  Your comment was only a chance for me to clarify. I wrote the post as a letter to President Trump. And in a letter it’s not always helpful to spell things out in starker terms regarding the whys and wherefore. There is a need to read between the lines on this one. Many of the comments indicate to me that my message was not understood. So Marci, you gave me a chance to elaborate. 

    • #27
  28. OwnedByDogs Lincoln
    OwnedByDogs
    @JuliaBlaschke

    Bob Thompson (View Comment):

    MarciN (View Comment):
    I thought you zeroed in on the problem people have with Trump. I find it fascinating that no one criticizes what he did in office except people who think he should have fired Fauci

    This says that the problem is really with those who devote themselves to describing the person that President Trump is instead of the policies he supports and where he wants to take the Party that opposes Democrats.

    Trump doesn’t care about the Republican Party. He doesn’t care about his voters either. He only cares that they support him so he can be vindicated and reinstated as President. He did some good things but not because he believed in the policies. He believed the policies would get him what he wants.

    Much like Biden and most other politicians.

    If Trump cared about good policy and the Party, he would step down and endorse DeSantis. 

    • #28
  29. Bob Thompson Member
    Bob Thompson
    @BobThompson

    OwnedByDogs (View Comment):
    Trump doesn’t care about the Republican Party.

    I’m sure there is some truth to this. President Trump might be a little disappointed and frustrated that he made so little progress in actually dismantling the establishment Republican Party that in its current form failed to prevent radical Leftist ideology from taking over America’s established institutions, led by public and higher education, followed by public media, and now prominent in the field of medicine, energy, law enforcement, and national defense, which includes border control, intelligence and military functions.

    The Republican Party has been mostly an observer of this deterioration and disappearance  of  hard-won institutional excellence.

    • #29
  30. HeavyWater Inactive
    HeavyWater
    @HeavyWater

    OwnedByDogs (View Comment):

    Bob Thompson (View Comment):

    MarciN (View Comment):
    I thought you zeroed in on the problem people have with Trump. I find it fascinating that no one criticizes what he did in office except people who think he should have fired Fauci

    This says that the problem is really with those who devote themselves to describing the person that President Trump is instead of the policies he supports and where he wants to take the Party that opposes Democrats.

    Trump doesn’t care about the Republican Party. He doesn’t care about his voters either. He only cares that they support him so he can be vindicated and reinstated as President. He did some good things but not because he believed in the policies. He believed the policies would get him what he wants.

    Much like Biden and most other politicians.

    If Trump cared about good policy and the Party, he would step down and endorse DeSantis.

    When George Herbert Walker Bush lost to Bill Clinton in 1992, there was no “The election was stolen” garbage, nor was there any January 6 violence.  Instead, there was a peaceful transfer of power, which allowed the Republican party to reset and win big in the 1994 midterm elections.  

    Trump, however, did the opposite of George H W Bush.  And the result is that our midterm election ended with the Democrats either retaining a 50-50 split in the Senate (thus retaining their majority) or actually gaining a seat for a 51-49 seat majority.  

    If Trump cared about anyone other than his own ego, he would retire as George Herbert Walker Bush did.  

    • #30
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