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Close Your Eyes and Think of America
If the Republican Party is not “ride, or die” with Donald Trump in this hour, it is the end of any shred of a claim to be the law and order party, the constitutional party, the federal republic party, or the civil rights party. The Democrats think they have created what Scott Adams describes as the “two-way win”: Republicans dump Trump, they win; Republicans don’t dump Trump, they win. Only the first of those is absolutely true, but the second one is also if Republicans do not “turn as one.”
No one expects unity behind Trump, the man. But it is critical to unify behind Trump, the everyman. The Republican Party must adopt the Trump meme, above. Trump is not the target, but our constitutional rights are. But, you say, “Trump is unworthy!” I respond, “So what?!” Safeguarding the rights of good people is easy; safeguarding the rights of all is hard. As soon as you accept that it is okay to deny someone equal protection of law, no one is safe.
William Roper: “So, now you give the Devil the benefit of law!”
Sir Thomas More: “Yes! What would you do? Cut a great road through the law to get after the Devil?”
William Roper: “Yes, I’d cut down every law in England to do that!”
Sir Thomas More: “Oh? And when the last law was down, and the Devil turned ’round on you, where would you hide, Roper, the laws all being flat? This country is planted thick with laws, from coast to coast, Man’s laws, not God’s! And if you cut them down, and you’re just the man to do it, do you really think you could stand upright in the winds that would blow then? Yes, I’d give the Devil benefit of law, for my own safety’s sake!”
― Robert Bolt, A Man for All Seasons: A Play in Two Acts
This is a test. It is a great and difficult test. The title to this post is a formulation of the famous expression, “close your eyes and think of England.” It was an admonition to take on an unpleasant task (for some) to ensure the future of the nation. The original statement came from a lady’s diary that I will not quote and which was more explicit, but you can look it up.
Am I overstating the case? I don’t think so. Read a couple of commentaries on Powerline here and here. We are nation run by the most lawless group in our nation’s history. Every Republican candidate other than Trump should suspend their campaigns in solidarity. If that is not their inclination, if that is something that their major donors resist, that should tell you something about these people’s dedication to the rule of law. Rhetoric is not enough. It is a time for action.
Watch and see who does what. You might say, “Why doesn’t Trump do the right thing and remove himself as a distraction?” It is too late for that. Trump adopted the role of symbol, and has suffered mightily for it. The Democrats have embraced him as that symbol and continue to attack. If Trump removes himself now, the furies will be even more bold and simply expand the target list.
Close your eyes and think of America.
Published in General
https://twitter.com/nancymace/status/1667256535494414337?s=61&t=05E4YG30hl1n56_lKtyAgQ
Well said. But blind spots are blind spots, and so many are being rewarded for their anti-Trump stance, whether financially or because of their self-image. And their minds will not let them see what threatens their financial well-being or identity.
A million likes. Thank you.
I’m not sure of much anymore, but I am absolutely certain about this: I will not vote for or support financially any GOP candidate who will not promise to do two things upon taking office. First, pardon Trump. Second, fire Chris Wray.
Ride or die? You may get both.
A powerful post, Rodin. Much to contemplate. Then again, if I’m going to stand up for what is true and right…
I’m not buying it. Trump has to earn my vote, as does anyone seeking my vote. I would rather not have another elderly man in office, I question his judgment, and frankly I have other options. If Trump is the nominee, I hope he wins, as Biden has been the absolute worst, most destructive president in my lifetime, but I don’t feel any need to vote for him unless he makes a compelling case for me to do so.
There is a difference between rallying behind Trump while he is being unfairly persecuted and supporting him for president. In fact, the best way to support Trump in his travails might be to nominate DeSantis so that we would have a candidate who could actually beat Dementia Joe and then pardon Trump.
Did he earn your vote in 2016? If not, were you still satisfied by and large with his economic policies, foreign policies, border policies? If yes, did he earn your vote in 2020? If not, what is it about Biden that you saw as preferable?
I am sympathetic with the general notion that every primary season is new and no one should be granted an automatic nomination. But do you really think we are in the politics of the usual? Do you not see the danger of being ambivalent about President Trump’s fate? If not, then nothing I am going to say will persuade you. I am just hoping that enough people support my concerns that we make the Party act.
Check his polling. Whatever his merits he is not reaching the voters in other states he needs to reach. And a campaign of “nominate me instead of Trump and will pardon him when I win” is tailored to keep Republican Trump supporters on board but how is it a draw to the non-traditional Trump voters that are needed for DeSantis to actually win elections? Do you think the supposed “suburban moms” that defeated Trump in 2020 are going to embrace Ron? What is the argument? He’s just “nicer”?
And by the way, DeSantis is not going to keep Republican Trump supporters on board when he said he wouldn’t run if Trump ran, and then broke his promise. That promise got him support as Governor. His breaking that promise showed no regard for Trump, so why would he pardon him after he has secured the Oval Office? For a second term? Four years is four centuries in politics.
Yes, I do. I know a lot of conservative women who are just utterly disgusted with Trump’s language, crudeness, and that he can’t keep his pants zipped up. My mom included, who voted for him twice. He doesn’t have the self-discipline to clean up his act and stop using the F-bomb in public and calling women horseface. You can only hold your nose and pull the lever for him so many times before you say “Enough is enough.”
When has Trump ever been loyal to one of his subordinates, allies, or associates? Breaking faith with Trump is not a very persuasive argument because you know he’ll screw you at the first opportunity. For example, how much money has he donated to help out the J6ers who are sitting in prison on his behalf?
You miss the entire point of the OP. This is not for Trump, the man. And you seem to agree with Trump that DeSantis was “disloyal”. So if you believe that why would you buy his promise to pardon Trump? I guess I should have phrased the sentence you quoted as “His breaking that promise showed no regard for keeping promises.”
In my opinion, anyone who votes for some candidate in the primary other than Trump is merely a stooge for the deep state.
We are at a great testing, and some will meekly do as they are told and some will not.
I didn’t vote for him in 2016, as I feared he would cave to the Democrats as he had been a Democrat in the past. I was delighted to be proven wrong – loved the judicial appointments, the move of our embassy to Jerusalem, the promotion of energy independence, the getting out of the ludicrous Paris accords, etc. So I voted for him in 2020 – even had a good-sized Trump lawn sign. But I think he’s too old. I’m tired of the White House being an old folks home. And since he has declared his candidacy, he’s just plain turned me off: the stupid, childish name-calling, the lies about Florida’s Covid record. Maybe it’s his age catching up with him, but he sure comes across as flailing. I want many of his policies, but I don’t want a near-octogenarian.
Anyone who thinks that electing DeSantis is the solution is delusional. And since some moderators who I will not mention are over-interpretive let me say I’m not talking about anyone specifically. But to say that electing DeSantis will assuage the deep state is laughable. First, if DeSantis was the nominee, which he won’t be, he would be subjected to the same onslaught as Trump. All you people (and I’m not pointing fingers at anyone specifically) who think that Trump “brings it on himself” would be in for a rude awakening. Second, if DeSantis were elected, which he won’t be, and if he pardoned Trump, which he won’t, he would be impeached.
The fundamental mistake that some of you — I’m not singling anyone out — make is to think that you can appease the mob. You can’t. They will never be sated.
Who here actually thinks that electing DeSantis would, to use your words, “assuage the deep state”? Does anyone? Doubt it. Anyone who’s paid attention to politics for any length of time knows that whoever the Republican candidate is will be the new Hitler, with the media arrayed against him or her.
And what do you mean by “the fundamental mistake that some of you…make is to think you can appease the mob”? Again, who actually thinks this? Can you give names, or quotes, to show that such people actually exist?
Who is doing the telling?
Yes, ma’am. Whatever you say, ma’am. Please don’t redact me anymore. I agree with whatever you say, ma’am.
If someone — not you — were to say something similar to what you said, then I would hypothetically come to the conclusion that that person — who definitely is not you — has been asleep for the last 8 years, and certainly for the last three while the deep state wrecked our economy and our civil liberties. I would wonder whether this other person — who is most certainly not you — had dutiful worn a surgical mask over an N95 mask while she — or he! — drove alone in a car, because the CDC told her — or him! — to Follow the Science.™️ But for the record, I haven’t come to any conclusion because this is purely an abstract thought experiment.
Agree with PJ and SF. Why this guy was running his mouth about military plans to take out Iran (which I think would be a good thing) when he was not president is ridiculous. He has run the course. Did a good job for the most part. Didn’t finish the wall; not all his fault. Didn’t do much on spending. Could not keep a good team together in the White House. Just have the other R’s say they will pardon Trump if he is convicted of bad recording keeping should be enough. Then set the legal hounds loose on Biden and Garland after the election.
”If DeSantis is the nominee……he will be subjected to the same onslaught as Trump”
Correctomundo!
”Trump is not the target, but our Constitutional Rights are”
The absolute truth.
When the leading Republican candidate, who is leading by something like a 3 or 4 to 1 margin is indicted on absurd, spurious and fabricated charges at the same time when there is also evidence that your sitting President took a $5 million bribe and is not indicted after 3 years, you are living in a Godforsaken Banana Republic. End of Story. Period.
The issue of “Banana Republic “ style Justice then should rise to the number One issue in your mind, far above any other issue if you have a brain. This issue at this point in time is a hill to die on. If we lose this issue , we definitely will lose the next Presidential election in a fabricated landslide, no doubt about it.
I am not a Trump or DeSantis guy. I can find fault with both of them. But if the choice is between Trump and a Banana Republic Police State, which it really is, there should not be any choice.
Did you forget an “allegedly” in your second sentence? (I know that it has fallen out of favor in the Age of Trump but…)
One wonders if someone — not named navyjag — who believes the blatantly political indictment also believed that Trump said that American WWI soldiers were “suckers”? Because that was a lie. It didn’t happen. The Atlantic claimed to have anonymous sources. Dozens of people went on the record to refute it. But hypothetically speaking, someone who believes that Trump “was running his mouth about military plans to take out Iran” probably also believed that Trump gave classified information to the Russians in 2017. That was another fake story from an anonymous source that wasn’t in the room when Trump met with the Russian foreign minister in the oval office. The people who were in the room went on the record to say it didn’t happen. But someone who believes what’s in a corrupt indictment — the purpose which is to prevent Trump from running against Joe Biden — probably believes that Trump told people to drink bleach and called nazis “very fine people,” even though Trump said neither of those things. This person, who is not navyjag, would be a very gullible person whose capacity for being duped has no limit.
No, no, no! You forget, @philo, that when it comes to Trump, some people (who shall remain nameless lest a certain moderator get mad at me again) will believe anything. It’s too good to check, as it’s say. Every accusation is believable. Like that Trump grabbed the wheel of the presidential limousine to try to Subvert Our Democracy™️.
These people will believe anything.
In the last three days, I’ve heard two versions. The first said that Thoroughly Modern Milly was trying to dissuade Trump from following this path, AND that the idea was Milly’s in the first place. Who knows for certain which version is true?
Trump supporters care about polling now? have fun riding and dying with Trump
Trump supporters won’t be the only ones to die if he gets, as it appears he may, a ride on The King’s Elevator.
I agree.
The Democrats want Trump to be the nominee because that way lots of voters will feel compelled to vote for Biden despite Biden’s awful record as president.
If Republicans want to win again, the first step is pushing Trump aside and nominating people who don’t constantly hand ammo to the Left and complain that the Left is shooting at him.
I’ve heard other people make this argument and I thought those other people were dimwitted.
People who think that “Trump brings it on himself” don’t understand that Trump gets attacked for literally everything he does. He does not “bring it on himself.” His opponents are insane. They are rabid animals.