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EmailTrump’s Singular Advantage
Dec 29, 2016
21 Comments
Americans of every outlook can agree on President-elect Donald Trump’s status as a singular political personality, but even some of his most ardent supporters fail to grasp the singular nature of the opportunity that awaits him. Of the last eleven presidents, Trump is the sixth Republican, but he’s the only one of that group to assume power with uncontested Republican control of both houses of Congress.
Not since Dwight Eisenhower took the oath of office 64 years ago has an incoming GOP president been able to count on Republican majorities in both the Senate and the House….
Comments (21)
Leave a commentAnd do what exactly? The party of Lincoln, Reagan, Bush is dead. The party that nominated and elected Trump has shown it has no backbone and no principles. They have zero problem in expanding the debt to get rid of 11 million Mexicans, subsidizing companies to keep jobs for unskilled workers, joining the hoards of victims who feel entitled. Gone is the pride of pulling one's weight and wanting nothing more than to keep government out of their lives. Now they look toward one man and government to make things all better. The Dems must be laughing, for the Right has become them and we are about to enter the third term of Obama.
Nani…
And your answer is… Hillary Clinton?
Yeah, we get it, Trump ain't perfect. But, your alternative, is TOTALLY UNACCEPTABLE.
Right, Rizzo. … Nani, the difference between entering 2017 with Trump as opposed to Hillary is like entering a tunnel instead of a crypt.
Ironic. People don't seem to get that the choice wasn't between Hilary and Trump. It was between walking the walk vs. talking the talk. For years, conservatives spoke about limited government and spending only to elect someone who wants to expand the government and add trillions to our debt to get rid of Mexicans. For eons, they talked about principles only to support a man who shafted students who attended his university and a whole city who built around his promises. They claimed to be offended at the intellectual bullying of the Left, only to cheer on a bully who makes fun of the handicapped, intimidate women, and dismiss the sacrifice of captives donning our uniforms. This election was a test of the moral fiber of the party of Lincoln, Reagan, and Bush.
And it failed, big time.
Yes Nani… we do talk about principles. Unfortunately, Trump, just like almost every other Republican candidate in my lifetime, will not be perfect in adhering to conservative principles.
But, at the end of the day, it was Trump vs. Hilary. As Henry accurately described, it was the choice between "entering a tunnel instead of a crypt".
(smile) yep there is a huge difference between being alive and walking into a crypt…you can and do walk out. And entering a tunnel where the other side has fallen into a cliff where you fall to your death. Not all tunnels lead to light.
So, in your twisted world, we should have elected the most corrupt Presidential candidate in all of our collective lives, because Trump is an imperfect Republican/Conservative?
By that logic, we would never have elected any Republican to the office of President.
Your purity test is nothing more than a one-way, dead-end road.
And there is a huge difference between perfect and decent. We all should strive toward perfection; that is how we improve but at the very basic, we need to hold on to some measure of decency. Without the latter, society destroys itself. Saying we cannot expect anyone to be perfect is the Left's equivalency of saying that we shouldn't judge. You can't decide what is right or wrong without judgement and you can't expect leaders that are great if you won't hold them to the minimal standard of decency.
As for Trump, remember I was against him when there were 16 other Republican candidates. If decent conservatives had put aside their tantrum and joined me, we might have had a president elect that may not be perfect but would at least be decent. And I mean really, was that so much to ask?
The only real indecency, is the indecency of those who would have enabled the election of the most corrupt presidential candidate in our lifetimes.
So please, spare us… don't preach to any of us about decency.
Nani, you are simply mistaken. The very sad truth is that none of those other 16 candidates could have defeated Hillary. That’s because, combined with the 40-47% of the vote the Democratic Party receives ‘a priori’ in any presidential election, the party’s campaign of propaganda, hatred, and anger would have brought down any of those 16 as surely as it brought down Mitt Romney four years earlier. The sad reality is that Trump defeated Hillary because of his celebrity. His celebrity alone provided the edge that none of the other 16 would have had.
But it was a major breakthrough! For what matters most now is that the world is finally beginning to understand that the modern left is devoid of everything except their divisive propaganda, hatred, and anger. And therefore, as long as Trump does not fail, he will have made it possible for future ‘decent’ candidates to win the presidency and attend again to the serious business of running this greatest nation on God’s green earth. … Of course, were this to happen, Medved probably would have to add another chapter to his latest book. : )
Henry, what Trump's election showed was there is no difference between the sanctimonious Right and the Left. None. Everything the Right has complained about HIllary and the Left, Trump has done and the Right just ignores it or makes up excuses. As I said, what happened to limited government and spending? What happened to respect for the constitution? You honestly think that future presidents are going to be "decent"? Why should they? Why should they ever be civil or keep promises or be anything other than what they want? Trump has shown that a bully, selfish, know nothing, egotistical "celebrity" can do and say anything he wants.
And don't give me "but Hillary" nonsense. Trump's win took the conservative vs. liberal battle to conservatives have BECOME LIBERAL. Honestly, Trump brings CHANGE. We look toward him to expand government to take care of us. We blame everyone else for our problems and feel ENTITLED to more. We want government to provide jobs and demand job protectionism. Doesn't this all sound familiar?
This was never a choice between Hillary and Trump. This was a choice between a bully and civility. And we choose the former.
Nani…
Trump is imperfect, yes. But, to claim and act like Trump is just our version of Obama's "Hope and change", is ludicrous. NO CONSERVATIVE looks forward to "expanded government". We look forward to CONSTITUTIONAL Supreme Court justices, a restored military, the end of Obamacare, and the restoration of border security, among other serious conservative issues. None of which would be possible, under the leadership of your hero, Hillary. We Conservatives, will hold Trump's feet to the fire.
The bottom line for you Nani, is you are not a conservative.
Rizzo is absolutely correct, Nani. … Still, you are right if what you mean to imply is that it will be very difficult for Trump and the Republicans to cut back spending and downsize government without further harming that huge segment of society that the Obama administration utterly failed to advance despite all its spending. But the nation could not continue on the path it was on. Trump has to advance at least those items that Rizzo articulated. … If only the span of his tenure could also see a reversal in the leftist leanings of the entertainment industry, the news media, and higher education. Were that to happen, then yes decent candidates could again surface and further advance the nation. Otherwise, God help us. … Nani, you have to understand, … what Trump hit upon most is the realization that we can help foreign entities only insofar as doing so helps our own huge suffering class. And he is right!
Henry, we'll find out who is correct; I am actually hoping I am wrong but I grew up in a world where bullies were not tolerated and there was pride in honest work. Trump is not just imperfect, he is a bully and his pride is in the amount of scams he's pulled.
My greatest fear is that Trump is a symptom of America now. Once we took responsibility for our problems and when and if fate dealt us a bad hand, we turned to God and family. Now we look toward one imperfect human being and a faceless government to make our lives better. No human, no man made entity should have that much trust.
And if you listen to what you and others are saying…"give Trump a chance"…"Trump may reverse things"…"Trump may change the course America has been going on"…it sounds awfully a lot like "hope and change."
Nani, you have been thoroughly confused by the left’s propaganda, hatred, and anger. First, let me agree with you that Trump’s manner is repulsive. However, unless you are on the other side of one of his law suits, his ‘meanness’ is perfectly harmless in that it is just words and no action. (In contrast, his ‘political intent’ is extremely promising. Do not confuse the two. … BTW, the only ‘scam’ he likely pulled is Trump University. Otherwise, he’s just a wealthy man with a mix of good and bad ventures.)
But, think about the very words of your post.
– Pride in honest work: The modern left doesn’t even attempt to expand employment. Moreover it has dropped serious concern for wages, benefits, and working conditions. The left has chosen instead to buy votes via government aid to the disadvantaged they prefer to keep that way via high minimum wage laws and contempt for small business.
– Responsibility: The left today holds no worth whatsoever for personal ‘responsibility.’ They believe in ‘accountability.’ (‘Responsibility’ comes from within via such things as belief in God, strong families, such ideologies as the American founding, etc. ‘Accountability’ comes from the outside via such things as Big Brother, laws, regulations, etc.)
– God and family: Seriously? Today’s left detests both God and family. Partial birth abortions and fatherless families have become standard issue for today’s left.
– “One human being and a faceless government to make our lives better.”: My God, this is the calling card of today’s left! Have you forgotten the ‘Life of Julia’ 2012 campaign theme of the left? Have you forgotten that Hillary’s motto was “I’m with her”? Nani, the Republican victory of 2016 is a denunciation of the pipe dream that a faceless government and benevolent leader can better our lives. Government ought to be smaller and its leader shouldn’t push aside God.
Nani, think about the Democratic Party from JFK to Bernie and Hillary. Think about it seriously. And then ask yourself how in the world you got so stuck in the muck of what that party has become.
Henry, you have just proven my every point. Absolutely, these are all the mantras of the Left…and the Right IS NO DIFFERENT.
The Left believes in government providing jobs and job protectionism…and the Right wants the government to insure great pay for little skilled and to protect jobs that has been taken over by technology.
The Left blames everyone for their lot in life…and the Right joins them in blaming the rich, politicians, media, free trade, China, Mexicans and God knows what else.
The Left detest God and family…and the Right, don't turn to their families nor to God when times are hard. In fact, they wield His name and claim the moral high ground. Except when it comes to making excuses for a "repulsive" bully, then they are choosing between the devil and a flawed human being.
As for my being a Liberal. This makes me smile because I know you don't believe that. But yes, I am not a conservative, haven't been one since they took "loyalty" out of their principles. It took a while, months of listening to them JOIN the Liberal media in bashing GW and all things Republican but slowly I began to see that there wasn't much difference between Liberals and Conservatives.
Lastly, the "victory" of the Republican Party was a death knell. The party that stood for doing right no longer exists. The party of Trump are angry apologist whose only mantra is to stick it to everyone. I have no doubt that he will be re-elected. He need do nothing but be himself.
Nani, you continue to be wildly disoriented. The right does no such silly things as you suggest. Rather, it asks government to stop being a detriment to the creation of jobs, the advancement of the disadvantaged, etc.. … Sadly, I think you have no party affiliation of any kind today but prefer instead to act as a voice of a somewhat anarchical left: plant the seeds of confusion and hope the nation begins to unravel. But wiser voices are now aware of these tactics and are fighting back. Real ‘liberalism’ (i.e., the ideology of today’s right, not the modern left) has always had the upper hand ideologically. But they never understood the left’s tactics of propaganda, hatred, and anger—and how to push back—until now. So the question is what does Nani do next? Do you just dig in and try harder, or do you reexamine the present state of left vs. right, evil vs. good, anti-US vs. pro-US, pipe dreams vs. practical pursuits, socialism vs. capitalism, etc. Life is short, Nani. And after that you might just have to account for it. … Just saying. : )
Sigh, Henry, I really thought we would have some real discussion here but from your last post, I think you are one of those for which Trump's promises mean nothing. "Pushing back…" that's what this is all about. You KNOW that Trump is the right's Obama; someone who believes he is king, his wishes law, and his opinion is the only one that matters. For 8 years, you've watched Obama and the Left run rough shod over the constitution and Americans. Now it is pay back time.
Only you don't get see, you actually don't, that the foundation of this nation, what makes us special, is our refusal to be ruled by one person. Allowing one person to stick to the people means the rest of us gets hit too.
If all you got from my posts is that I am confused, I have truly wasted my time. True, it was my time to waste and I have the right not to continue to do so.
Let's be honest Nani. You don't really mind the concept of a King, you just wanted your King… or in this instance, Queen.
You obviously have no problem with the trajectory of America and would have preferred to have Queen Hillary continue to take us down that one-way, dead-end road.
Today is a GREAT DAY. There are no guarantees, but today, the potential of America has been released from the shackles of the left.
Nani, I do hope you don’t feel you’ve wasted your time here. Actually, you’ve wasted all the rest of us’ time. … Just kiddin’, just kiddin’!!!
Seriously, … I’m glad you understand that Obama’s administration was a failure. Few of us are happy with the persona of Donald Trump. But events have saved us from Hillary and the path the nation was on. For that we should all be grateful. … And you are correct that what makes us special is our refusal to be ruled by one person. That’s the whole crux of e pluribus unum, liberty, and In God we Trust. … Truth be told, the eight year term limit is among the most powerful securers of our nation’s greatness as anything one can think of. In fact, Michael Medved overlooked it in his outstanding book (I’ve read it, BTW, have you?): The miracle that every president after Washington followed his lead in thinking two terms was enough until it could finally be passed into law after FDR, the only man to break it.
But Trump has surrounded himself with very good people and there is little reason to buy into the left’s hate filled portrayal of what his office will bring. I say we give it a chance and hope for the best. … Can we at least agree on that? … I should point out that “giving it a chance” is now unavoidable by all, but “hoping for the best” is likely beyond the modern left’s disposition. : )