Charles Cooke and Ann Coulter duke it out over Donald Trump’s candidacy
“I have to say I’m astonished by the collective insanity that seems to have marked the conservative movement over this man.”
Thursday night, National Review’s Charles Cooke joined author of Adios America!, Ann Coulter, on Sean Hannity’s Fox News show.
The exchange is particularly interesting because it perfectly illustrates the deep divide in the conservative ranks over Trump’s candidacy.
The segment begins with Coulter and Hannity exchanging their favorite Trump insults of the day.
“He’s a funny insulter, but he’s more than that,” Coulter said. “I mean, he’s clearly right about the Mexican wall thing. This is part of what’s appealing about him. Not only is he the only one seriously talking about immigration and the only one I think saying, he’ll believably build a wall while the rest of them are coming up with nonsense excuses.”
Before turning the conversation over to Cooke, Hannity said, “You know, I might say it a little differently than Donald because the bottom line is — Mexico has no problem at all with people crossing our border. They’re doing nothing to help us, nothing to assist us. So in many ways, it takes away some of their problems, poor people, other issues that they may have. Some of their population coming here has been good for them, we give them aid money. And I think Donald Trump’s right. You withhold the aid money, you put in a tariff, they’re going to get more concerned about it. Makes sense to me.”
“I have to say I’m astonished by the collective insanity that seems to have marked the conservative movement over this man,” said Cooke as Hannity interrupted. “Donald Trump who has put forth no plan whatsoever except to pretend that Mexico is going to pay for wall…” and then Hannity interrupted again.
“I think the objections are that you have a man in a Republican debate who praised single-payer. You have a man still talking about funding Planned Parenthood, A man who has flip-flopped perhaps on the wealth tax and gun control. A man who in any other circumstances would have been laughed at for the primary. If you look back to when Mitt Romney was running, flip-flops that were not remotely as substantive as Donald Trump’s…” continued Cooke before being interrupted yet again.
Cooke persisted, managing to put Coulter on the flustered defense — a rarity for her.
“He’s making it up as he goes along and we’re all falling for it for some reason,” said Cooke.
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Comments
What’s far more puzzling than the Republican base’s affinity for Trump is the Republican political class’s disdain for their base and their affinity for progressivism.
You shouldn’t be puzzled about that. There are lots of Progressive Republicans, just as there are Progressive Democrats. Don’t forget that Progressivism was started by a Republican. Democrats would have you believe that labeling themselves “Progressives” means that they are believers in Progress. But that is not what Progressivism is at all. It is a century-old political movement which has not yet exhausted its energy.
Yes, another name for “progressivism” is FASCISM, aka “crony capitalism”. The reason the country club types and chamber of commerce promote it is SELF INTEREST! IOW they MAKE MONEY off it and to hell with the country and the “little people”. Quite a few people got rich off Mussolini and Hitler. Just like today in China, lots of millionaires and billionaires.
Dude! You’re NOT supposed to talk bad about Trump like that!
Jeebus, there are people at worship here!
If Cooke, National Review, and other establishment types want the base to support someone other than Trump with strong no flip flog credentials that plainly states just as clearly as Trump they will build a wall and make Mexico pay for it. Build a real wall no virtual walls. Build a wall that runs from the Pacific Ocean to Corpus Christi Texas. Put a moratorium on legal immigration. Start effective operations to deport all illegals who came here after 2006. Pledge to put Jeff Sessions and Tom Tancredo in charge of immigration policy and ICE/homeland security. Change the law to make children born here of illegals who came here after 2006 also illegals.
If they do that Trump’s support might evaporate and go to the other candidate.
What Cooke and the establishment rino’s don’t understand is that as Pat Caddell’s polling firm found over a year ago 25% to 40% of the republican base is ready to walk away from the republican party because of the behavior of Boehner and McConnell, et al.
I accidentally up-thumbed your stupid comment.
If you think Charles C.W. Cook is “establishment”, you’re an idiot.
As to your concept of a “wall”, I’ll just remind you of Gen. Patton’s observation…
“Fixed fortifications are monuments to man’s stupidity.”
We have to control our border, but a “wall” won’t do that.
Ragspierre:
1. Patton was talking about the Wehrmacht army and not a bunch of illegal immigrants.
2. Israel is one among many nations with very effective border fences.
3. Donald Trump will not only get Mexico to pay for the border fence, but he’ll get Israel to build it for us!!!1!
We need a wall, Rags. It worked for the Soviets for keeping people in, the Chinese keeping invaders out, feudal lords over the millennia to keep invaders out. the Israelis use one to great effect.
Rick will build it.
Walls, by themselves, don’t work. Even short, ity-bity walls like the one in Berlin or the Israeli wall segments won’t work, and never have by themselves.
Like Patton knew, if mountain ranges and oceans won’t stop invaders, nothing man can build will.
During the various sieges of Confederate cities, people got in and out pretty freely. And that was through lines and lines of armed men.
If you have to do a lot to keep your wall effective in places like Big Bend, you might as well just do a lot.
There ARE places on the border where walls or fences make sense. But our border with Mexico is unique in all the world, and a simple solution is not going to work. It will take some creativity, adaptation, and…above all…resolve.
I don’t recall anyone saying a simple wall all by itself will seal our southern border. Everyone advocating one seems to be in favor of increasing the Border Patrol and supplementing a wall with technology.
We need to make unauthorized violations of our borders and overstaying of visas felonies.
“Walls, by themselves, don’t work.”
You are correct. I, for one, and many others (including trump) recognize that walls are just part of the strategy. Walls are placed to slow the illegals down, place a barrier in their path. By their selves, walls accomplish nothing. The full strategy requires walls were appropriate and border patrols along the border among many things. Drones can be used to monitor the border.
It will not stop everyone, but it will stop the hordes.
It really isn’t hard. It does work. But our ruling class has no desire to do this, and that includes just about every r candidate for president.
It is much simpler and cheaper than building a wall. Build an effective e-verify system for employment screening and pass a law that would jail the CEO, head of HR and hiring manager of any company found to have hired an illegal alien for a term of 20 years. If an individual hires an illegal to cut their grass or clean their house? 5 years. Dedicate $5 billion a year to enforcement. Problem solved, no wall needed.
Uh Huh. You do realize the illegal problem is not just those that desire an opportunity to work in the USA?
A wall will certainly slow things down at the border. A wall will do nothing to stop the 40% illegals who just overstay their visas…
Rags I knew general Patton. General Patton was a friend of mine. You are no General Patton and he would want you to shut up and stop qouting him. Save your comments for Hillary or the Daily Kos.
Flag down! ad hominem. Loss of down and repeat the play.
Biting rags’ butt is officially defined on LI as a dangerous act of hubris. Watch yer back.
Yes! Thank you for bringing the issue of flip flog’s to the fore! We need more flip flogs, I mean no flip flogs! Damn it! We need something!
LOL! Trump flip=flops day to day, just to keep the attention on himself. Fools don’t notice he’s the worst RINO to ever come down the pike because of hyperbolic claims that he’s going to do this or that, then back-pedals a day or so later. The dumshietz followers don’t notice. Since none of his positions are firmly held, they just brush it off. They hear the bluster and get suckered while other candidates may modify or change a position they’ve held with conviction for a long time get blasted by the same idiots. It’s the difference between someone picking their nose ALL THE TIME versus a good, loud sneeze once in a great while.
Oh, and building a wall to Corpus Christi would, most assuredly, piss off a LOT of Texans.
Look at a map.
If you want a wall build a financial one so huge that the Mexican government will put a stop to the flow of its unhappy citizens into America.
Sanction them, not sanctuary them. Put them in check. Do not write them a U.S. aid check.
Thwart, hinder, block, frustrate, bar and impede the flow of unhappy Mexicans with big stick diplomacy.
Thousands of Americans travel to Mexico every year, feeding Mexico’s economy (and the narco-economy, btw). Americans are free to travel as they wish.
We tell Mexico that for every American who travels to Mexico a very large tourist tax must be paid to America before entry or no touristas. Of course, once paid, Mexicans will have to raise sales and other taxes which will further hurt their tourist industry. Qué lástima.
Ford Motor Co. now has a large new auto plant in the state of Sonora. (I’ve been there.) Anything shipped to the U.S. would be heavily taxed, thereby impeding the flow of goods out of Mexico. NAFTA should be rescinded until the illegal immigration stops. Restore tariffs on Mexico’s imports.
Create a barrier to trade instead of a wall.
One negative effect out of the NAFTA agreement: “dumping” -a kind of predatory pricing. Now we see predatory “dumping” of human lives along with the “dumping” of narcotics and criminals. No mas!
In other words, make Mexico take responsibility for its country, for its sorry state of affairs and for its negative effects on the U.S. Hold them accountable.
Warn Mexico that they too will become another Venezuela if they keep this up. We won’t subsidize their bad behavior anymore.
But don’t worry-too much, Mexico, you won’t be alone in this world after this.
The pope will pronounce a blessing upon your increased socialism and a non-blessing on the sun god Ra and on thousands of your global warming (I jest) carbon dioxide emitting buses. Al Gore will also give “How to Become a Climate Change Leader” seminars in your country if you pay him in U.S. dollars.
No more Mr. Uncle Sam nice guy.
YES. Thanks for the details. As with energy, we need an all of the above strategy.
The problem with the “Mr. Uncle Sam Nice Guy”, or Jeb’s “act of love”, or Perry’s “have a heart”, is that weakness overshadows the greater point. Generations fought and died for our liberties, fought against communism and top down control. There is NOTHING nice or big hearted about selling short hundred year family histories, to support the elite’s servant class. Nor in giving Democrats their permanent welfare un-American majority, at the expense of the whole of the generational American working middle class. Even the legal immigrant is harmed, though they have less heritage at stake.
The astounding public and private debt have allowed us to live in a fantasy world, where we have yet to recognize the ultimate ramifications of our ballooning welfare state, and our trade deficits with enemies. TARP, ZIRP and trillions of QEs are likely the end of that road, though they have kept US on life support through Obama’s reign of terror.
“Diversity and tolerance” only work one way … AGAINST the forgotten
manworking American. The working middle whose forefathers fought, must surrender to third world illegals, deemed the “right thing” for Christian America to do? NO no NO.For even when we were with you, this we commanded you, that if any would not work, neither should he eat.” Paul dealt with slothfulness, and America has thrived by being the place where hard work is rewarded, not punished with taxes to pay for some other country’s socialist problems, nor to supply the elite with more subservient serfs.
Anyway, it always riles me when the hard working American whose family fought, is told to surrender to the illegal invasion, as if losing the real America will bring global peace. It’s all a deliberate scam from the sixties (and way before that), and is why the Trump chant “make America strong again” works, despite the messenger being “The Donald”.
This isn’t just for Ms. Johnson, but for everyone who thinks economic sanctions against Mexico are a good idea: Mexico is our second-largest trading partner, and can retaliate.
Chew on that before you start any economic wars.
And they would do what? Not send anymore illegals over?
Economic sanctions are not required. Trade deals that are not negotiated in our favor are the problem.
I never said that there wouldn’t be pain.
Major surgery is now required to remove the cancer especially because Progressives are pathologically affixed to illegal immigration (much like the Progressive EPA spoiling the Animus River to secure super-funding: create a problem and then spend tax revenue billions to fix it.)
It will cost the U.S. less if we amputate now our trade with Mexico…until health is restored.
This immigration issue is ball game.
The last amnesty flipped California into a permanent Democrat State. The next amnesty will flip Texas, Colorado, Mississppi, and pretty much all of the West and most of the Midwest into permanent Democrat States.
Another Amnesty and politics will be competing racial groups voting on racial lines. If you think it will turn the country into Brazil, notice that Brazil has organized black power gangs. It’s also an affirmative action nightmare.
As bad as Obamacare is, as bad as abortion is, nothing else matters but stopping this amnesty. (Which btw is fully funded by the Republicans and just waiting for the Appeals court to overturn an injunction).
Some Republicans still pretend that the difference between legal an illegal immigration still matters, but if pretty much all of the immigrants are legal, there is no room to finesse the middle class voters (who are going to get pay cuts or lose their jobs) and the rich donor class.
Bush and Rubio are actually in favor of Amnesty. Cruz is running scared of the issue. Walker is trying to finesse an issue that can’t be finessed.
Most of the rest of them are, per Coulter, liars. Anybody talking about “border security” or “electronic surveillance” is lying to us.
Build the wall, institute e-verify, give the death penalty to business that import workers, no federal funds to sanctuary cities, and start deporting criminals.
LOL! Do you REALLY believe that garish, ostentatious, bombastic, ‘rat charlatan Trump is ever going to build a wall, with or without the revolving door in the middle of it that he, himself, described to bring back the ones that are “terrific”? Really? Deep down, REALLY you believe that? If so, just know he’s also got some “terrific” real estate to sell you in Atlantic City – looks just like the Brooklyn Bridge!
I gave you an up-vote, rotten but this is TOO strong: “give the death penalty to business that import workers”
Here’ my counter: Confiscate EVERY belonging of business owners who hire illegals, put them in jail for life without parole and throw their spouses/kids out on the street.
Sure, Trump is an ass and probably a Dem at heart, but until Repubs are willing to fight FOR instead of AGAINST America, I see no sense in saying a word against him.
We HAVE some very good conservative candidates who are NOT DC insiders and HAVE held conservative positions their entire political lives.
Do NOT shoot yourself and the rest of us in the foot because of your emotional state about the political climate. Most here and all conservatives share that anger, but it makes no sense to jump from the frying pan into the fire. Trump is a RINO. set your anger aside and use your HEAD. READ about the man. Watch how he operates. Look at what he’s REALLY doing. READ his record. You are falling victim to professional sleight of hand. If you knew anything about him, you’d know his word is no good and he is not and never has been a conservative in any way, shape or form. He is a wolf in sheep’s clothing hoping to sucker you in by using your emotion – anger – and hope you set aside logic, critical thinking and the truth of what is RIGHT IN FRONT OF YOU.
So, Trump should get the death penalty? I’m just asking because has and continues, to this minute, to import workers from Mexico. He used them to build his hotels and uses them to staff his hotels.
He outsources his Trump clothing line to China and Mexico.
So, the DP for Trump? Even I find that a little harsh, as much as I despise the two-bit hustler.
…Aaaand how do you suggest we address California and other sanctuaries? Please don’t say “withhold Federal funds” because you’ll never get the votes for that.
Please continue with your active fantasy life.
Trump can claim he’ll do all sorts of things when he’s elected because he’s full of it. He has no skin in the game. For most politicians it’s their life profession. For Teh Donald it’s a hobby. He can make all the promises he wants because he faces no downside.
“America was designed to restore and preserve the Anglo Saxon rights of Englishman, for Englishman and the occasional Scot.
“The constitution is an English document articulating English rights, for English men and their families, justified as necessary using Natural Law thought beneficial for all men.
“The source of the declaration constitution and bill of rights was English, Anglo Saxon, Norman, Germanic, Indo-European traditional common law.
“Everyone else is a free rider.”
– Curt Doolittle, The Propertarian Institute
Huh.
How does the fascist piece of shit feel about Jews, the Irish, and Italians, to name but a few?
if you think that ANYONE working at NRO is NOT establishment you are a moron …
Ann Coulter’s history of candidate support is alarming. She backed McCain early, early on. She began talking up Mitt Romney well before he declared his candidacy. She supports every RINO loser that comes along, and that is precisely what Trump is – the biggest RINO to ever come along.
Coulter has absolutely ZERO credibility on this subject nor on any other political subject. She’s a funny girl with a quick wit. That’s where it ends.
Remember when Coulter was saying that anyone who didn’t support Chris Christie for president was an idiot? Coulter isn’t supporting Chris Christie for president now, is she?
Maybe she’s an idiot. I read her columns, and while she is a master at turns of phrase, she does nothing but state the obvious in a snarky manner.
About the Trump Culters: “I have to say I’m astonished by the collective insanity that seems to have marked the conservative movement over this man,” said Cooke.
Welcome to my world, Charles.
I’m tired already and November 2016 is a long way off.
Come on liver…. you can do it. After this one, I promise… purified water and carrot juice only. Just get me through this one and you will have a spot in the liver hall of fame.
Trump is the only candidate willing to battle the unfair exchange rates which benefit the rich and hurts the middle class. Immigration benefits the rich and hurts the middle class. Our criminal cartel, that runs America, is all about eliminating the middle class. The middle class has given up MOST of its wealth to the rich over the last 30 years. Trump is the only candidate that benefits the middle class. Is it really that hard.
Trump hasn’t hesitated to give material support to Democrat-leftist candidates and organizations in order to fatten his own bank account. And now he’s going to be the uniquely incorruptible, rock-ribbed agent of conservative principle?
Mr. Establishment…the very model of an American oligarch…is going to save the middle class…
That is crazy beyond my comprehension.
The key to your post is the part where you state it is beyond your comprehension. Based on your other posts simple things like walls are beyond your comprehension as well.
Except clearly NOT.
You, on the other hand, are so stupid you cannot read a map and draw any synthetic thought from it.
So you project your own deficiencies on me. Trump IS Mr. Establishment. He IS an American oligarch, right alongside George Soros.
Now, deal with that, please, and keep your, “Shut up, he exlained” BS to yourself. We all get enough of that from the Collective.
Or is reasoned opposition to Trump not PC enough for ya…???
Except clearly YES !
Rags, You confuse name calling and other ad hominems for reasoned argument. When in fact you are just a child with nothing of any intellectual merit left to say so you resort to shouting and stomping your feet. For your next post try holding your breath.
I made several arguments AND observations of fact.
You made yourself a parody.
Heh…!!!
Yes, because a 2,000 mile-long wall is such a great idea. Several good observations just in this thread:
-Texans will fight it
-it’s insanely expensive
-it’s easy to bypass
-at least a few states support sanctuaries and will not cooperate with respect to a wall.
Insulting people who disagree with you just makes you look like a rude jerk. There are several effective approaches, but the Trump-humpers tend to display a preference to simplistic solutions. In the real world, complex problems require non-trivial solutions. Not to mention that -like it or not- we will never get rid of illegal immigration absent gunning down everyone we find crossing the border illegally.
“Trump is the only candidate that benefits the middle class. Is it really that hard.”
Is it that hard to understand these are just words without plans from Mr. Trump, that he has never held office, and has no record by which we might judge his ability to get things done via government actions? Is it hard to understand that what record we do have is of citizen Trump buying off politicians in furtherance of his business dealings between multiple bankruptcies? Is it hard to accept that Trump’s blatant crony capitalism and corruption – as a way of life – does absolutely nothing for the middle class, in fact, they combine to support big business at the expense of small business – where the middle class works?
Is it hard to consider the possibility that Trump is liked because he claims to share the anger so many voters feel, and says things angry voters wish the other politicians would say, on issues that rest like bricks on our tired hearts?
And last of all, is it hard to accept that Trump is only doing what any one of us could do – talking tough. But, other than cutting checks to campaigns and funding local do-gooders as a marketing team-recommended, business-related PR effort, what has Trump actually ever done in politics?
What does a bored egomaniacal billionaire do when he’s looking at 70 next summer and senses he may in fact be mortal after all? When he’s long been atop the mountain of big business and seeks new frontiers to conquer? Perhaps he stokes his ego by using the country as a toy to play with, by pretending to be…. hmm, what shall I be? What do the people want? Ah, a candidate who is’conservative’, that’s the ticket, a candidate who is Mad As Hell, a candidate bound for glory on the Train of Truth. THAT’S what I’ll be! That guy! They’ll love me!
But it’s all just words. Nothing but the tired hopes of his supporters points to Trump being able to do anything if elected. There is no empirical evidence he could manage the federal government, deal with congress, handle the media as a GOP president, or defend himself from the GOP establishment which will have the long knives out for him. Trump knows he’s play-acting yet another TV show, this pilot titled “The Trump Campaign,” and I’m sure he and his advisors are having big time laughs over how they’ve taken over the GOP primary race and gotten so many so upset.
A good salesman knows how to turn the objective potential buyer into a subjective gotta-have-it buyer. There is no art to Trump’s latest deal.
“…what has Trump actually ever done in politics?”
Buy and sell.
Influence.
He’s one of the Top Pigs from “Animal Farm”.
I’m listening to Coulter’s book “Adios America”. She’s right that we have to stop the deluge of third worlders that are immediately put on an already overburdened welfare system. And that the left is deliberately importing Democrat voters to replace “us”. Fortunately the wall (at places), along with the Giuliani plan, polls very well.
Coulter has her champion in Trump for now, but she also says she really wants another candidate to take up the Trump charge on stopping illegals, and reducing legals even. She said Trump asked for an advanced copy of her book, and thinks that is where he got much of his early material, and Trump has given her credit in smaller venues. I think she liked Romney, also for his tough on immigration stance, as she perceived it at least, as that’s her big issue.
But with Trump already hedging on how he may lose votes because he has such a big heart, and he will make a very fast way for illegals to come back as legals, it seems Trump just plays the momentum topic flavor of the day. It’s all talk and there is never a contract to sign, so he can play hardball to the end.
I think I heard Carly say never give illegals citizenship. That is most important to me, even if some stay and get identified and (finally) pay taxes on those landscape/nanny jobs, at least for a transitional period.
I’m thinkin’ rejecting the anchor baby problem also polls well, and should be added to the right border control candidate’s platform.
Even Hannity seems to have the Trump bug. He got in Carly’s face about “you’re outspoken, why are you so critical of his outspokeness?” Carly said she is not, but she is critical of anyone that paints with a broad brush and insults when it’s not necessary”. She even got in how she was equally critical of Obama for his insult routine.
I’d hate to see Trump with the power of justice and the IRS when he decides he wants to destroy his enemies, as he does now with just bluster. He sounds as dangerous as Obama or Hillary, in that respect.
Trump has boasted that he “beats the he11 out of people” until he gets what he wants. That isn’t exactly the kind of temperament I want to see in the White House.
…ever again. The prospect of ANOTHER narcissist in power is appalling.
We HAVE great candidates. Even considering this man…who personifies the Establishment…is mind boggling.
You’re on the Titanic.
There’s a campaign to elect a new Captain. There are many candidates, and they talk about many problems; quality of the banquet food in First Class; adding a few more wireless telegraphers so messages don’t back up so severely; getting the orchestra to keep better tune; excessive prices of tickets; changing the port of destination from New York to something different. All genuine issues, perhaps.
But only one candidate is talking about the really big problem—the ship is filling with sea water and rapidly settling by the bow. Now this particular candidate is not a terribly good fit for the post of Captain; he has no experience as a navigator; no history of demonstrated seamanship; he doesn’t even have a Master’s license. But … since he’s the only candidate willing to even talk about the problem which is very likely to shortly kill everyone on board (and render the election moot), he becomes the best candidate, by default.
Obviously, this is not a good position for a ship to be in. And it’s not so good for a country, either. But if he’s the best you’ve got, you seriously consider voting for him, despite his obvious weaknesses. This is hardly “collective insanity”; it’s making the best of a pitiful situation. It’s insanity to do otherwise.
It’s a good analogy.
Except everything after “You’re on…”
Our Republic is NOT a ship, our president is nothing LIKE a captain on a ship, and Trump is not the Lone Ranger in saying ANYTHING that he’s saying.
PLUS, if anything, he’s one of the First Class passengers who would, on the REAL Titanic, insist on buying his way onto one of the lifeboats ahead of the women and children.
Because his importance is YUUUUUGH!
Exactly. Just look at his support for, and the way he makes use of, eminent domain, for an example.
I don’t want a jerk who tried to get the State to evict an elderly lady so that he could bulldoze her house and use the land as a “limousine waiting area” for his casino, as “captain” of my ship.
Rags, since your a lawyer, and sound with the use of the English language, I’m going to guess you know what an “analogy” means.
Yep. And I know that some just fail. Like that one. Because they are wrong on their parallels. Like that one.
Cooke should read something other than G. Will’s idiotic “analysis” of Trump’s candidacy. Maybe both Cooke and Will should read Trump’s 2011 book, “Time to get Tough,” in which Trump lays out a number of goals on various key topics in this 2016 election race.
Reading this book probably wouldn’t change Will’s opinion of Trump since there seems to be something other than reason behind his opinion; evidenced by Will’s obvious venom when discussing Trump. Don’t know about the basis for Cooke’s opinion yet it’s seems very much based on whatever the MSM types are saying, or maybe just what Krauthammer is saying on the subject, another highly vaunted member of the DC cabal, otherwise known as the GOP Elite Club; let’s see, the GOP Elite’s as represented by Rove, Will, Krauthammer, and JEB; ah, the wise men of the party; orders are orders as they go forth to do their bidding’s.
I’m beginning to doubt that Trump will self-destruct, as some of his critics are doing now; yet anything is possible under our sun, moon, and stars. Watch Trump’s behavior and notice how he’s slightly modifying that public behavior, especially in regards to the MSM types; his game is on and he’s swinging for hits and advancing base runners. However, ah ha, Trump is not perfect, as Lawrence of Arabia was not either.
Trump’s only observable political talent…and it has likely served him well in business, too…is reading people and even groups of people, and immediately reshaping his positions to appeal to them.
You saw it on display this week in remarkable clarity.
He started the week with “defund Planned Parenthood”, conforming to the Zeitgeist. He reverted to his thoroughly Eastern Progressive self when he retrenched to, “Fund Planned Parenthood, but not for abortions”. This also showed the man hasn’t the slighted concept of economics. When he saw the negative reaction to this, he immediately reshaped himself to suit.
I can readily see this talent has served him well when he’s wooed investors. When he has their money, how’s that worked out in the past? What other character traits are on display in that condition?
“… hasn’t the slightest concept of economics,” and he pronounced a belief that the economy does better under Democrats than under Republicans, and that George Bush wrecked the economy.
It’s as though, with all his experience in real estate, he didn’t know what caused the mortgage crisis or what prevented it from being staved off during the Bush administration; nor had he paid much attention to the interplay between the executive and the legislature in making policy, or the fact that there have been different approaches to governing among Democrats and among Republicans, or the fact that not everything that happens in the economy is a result of political design and direction.
But sure: he’ll save the country, and no one else could possibly do it.
I wonder if he’s aware that Pres. ScamWOW has been busy re-inflating the real estate bubble?
Or, as he’s tossing of a tariff here and a tariff there, does he know that tariffs are part of the reason the Great Depression was SO “great”?
Naw, THAT’s just Trump hate on my part.
What constantly amazes me is the level of hatred and fear expressed about trump by those who are otherwise, at least seemingly, opposed to the ruling cabal now in place and running for president. I get that the ruling class cheerleaders are frightened trump will take away their “special place”. Trump is a chainsaw. He has rendered the R party. Good deal. The R’s have done nothing they have run elections on. Nothing They run on one set of principles and rule on another. Time to destroy them before they finish our destruction.
Is every presidential candidate a member of the “ruling cabal” except for Trump? He has cultivated friends in very high places and his bought influence to advance his own financial interests, so how is he more distant from the “ruling cabal” than, say, a neurosurgeon, or even a first-term senator?
Once the GOP is destroyed in your fantasies, who exactly will be governing? Who will control the legislature? Or will Donald the Great just do everything on his own — a decree here, a decree there?
What constantly amazes me is how little thought the Trump fans give to the implications of their fantasies about The Donald taking a buzz saw to the Republican Party.
Who would replace the GOP? The tea parties, the 9/12 groups and the liberty groups.
What constantly amazes me is how little thought the Trump haters give to the implications of their fantasies about The republicans taking a buzz saw to the democrat Party.
Tell me again, what have the republicans done since gaining the house and senate? Anything? Live up to their promises?
We all know the answer.
6 downvotes so far, 0 answers as to what the R party has done.
Telling. You people pretend to be conservative just like the assholes you elect.
Your preposition is bullshit, Barry. THAT’s why people are down-voting it.
You START from “Trump haters”.
Then you state a tautology (i.e., the CONGRESSIONAL LEADERSHIP has done nothing) to which we all can agree.
But those two things are not comparable.
IF the Congress was populated with people like Cruz and Lee, things would be different, as we’ve seen.
But that has NOTHING to do with Mr. Trump and his phony run to be king.
No, no BS. The R party is a PARTY. It is not a conservative party. The republican voters may be conservative, but they continue to elect non conservatives. Cruz and Lee are among the few exceptions.
You know this as well as I do. As I’ve said, your hatred of trump doesn’t allow you to see the benefit.
Nothing in this election was going to change. Not one damn thing. Pretending Cruz had a shot doesn’t change history. he had none. Ne does now. Might be a small one, but it is better than zero.
The pearl-clutching class of self-appointed keepers of conservatism are too busy trying to keep their positions within the political machine of Washington. Harry Truman had to be taught to say “manure” instead of another word. And being polite and politically correct and cooing some focus-group styled sanitized soundbite really worked well for President McCain and President Romney, didn’t it?
Politeness and political correctness are different things. Trump confuses them as a way of justifying a lack of old-fashioned manners.
As Breitbart said, politics is downstream from culture. Trump is part of the culture. Millions of people know him and trust him. He is breaking the 2016 race wide open, to the benefit of whoever gets the nomination, by making it okay, in the sense of social approval, to vote Republican.
“Millions of people know him and trust him.”
Like they trust Kim Kardasian or Snookie. They trust him to produce a few minutes of mindless “entertainment” for them, based on the lie that his show has SOMETHING to do with real businesses.
(Pro-tip: it doesn’t. It’s like professional wraaasling.)
It’s fascinating to see how the “trust” concept pops up among Trump fans, and how absolute and unquestioning that trust appears to be. You bring up doubts, or mention his friendship with the Clintons, and they’ll say, “I don’t care! None of that matters! He’s a fighter! He’s a patriot! There’s no one else!”
See far, the only revelation about Trump that appears to have shaken the faith of his fans is his statement that he might, with reservations, be able to support Jeb.
Which, typically, is a reversal of his debate statement that he couldn’t commit to supporting anybody BUT himself.
The two statements are different. One is about commitment; the other is about hypothetical support.
Don’t hit me, massa. I be quiet from now on.
Dude. Why would you talk to me that way?
I’m not one of the “Shut up, you Kos Kid” idiots here.
You and I are on equal footing, and only the merits of our respective comments carry any particular weight.
Now, when some asphole tries to slime me because I watched Milton Friedman and William F. Buckley on PBS back in the day, I will push back. I always had the ability to change channels and the discretion to use that ability. I used to watch CBS news, too, when there were four channels. My children have vivid memories of me arguing with Dan Rather in passionate terms.
BTW, if you want to watch some great stuff, go to PBS or Amazon Prime and look up “Case Histories”. Super writing and acting, and great stories.
As Breitbart also said, Donald Trump is not a conservative.
I’m amazed that people are using the “branding” of Breitbart, and the Tea Party movement, to push Donald Trump. They’re actually illustrating Trump fanboi pieces with photos of Tea Party gatherings past (which Trump never attended or supported), and of Andrew Breitbart (who was smart enough to be skeptical of this faux-conservative parvenu). And look at Breitbart-dot-com’s own fawning coverage of this opportunistic RINO at the expense of Republican politicians who actually are conservative. Andrew would be rolling over in his grave.
These people are delusional.
No, Amy, I am not delusional. I am fed up. Fed up with the GOP and their “selected candidate(s)”. Fed up with cowardly crybabies in charge of Congress who care more about what table they get at the best DC eateries than the wishes of the people. Fed up with those same congresscritters who are not ashamed to be drunk in front of the cameras.
Thanks to Jugears, the bar has been dropped to the floor and kicked under the coach. Nothing Trump thinks is as bad as King Jackass.
It’s sad to see so many RINOs here, who don’t support the frontrunner of the GOP.
Not surprising; we got a Republican House (yay!) next we got a Republican Senate (YAY!)- and so naturally, the Republican Congress is doing the bidding of B.H. Obama as fitered through Hairy Reed and Madam Pelousy. Um, what?
I always thought that Republicans were the “conservative” party, but lo and behold! They’re just part and parcel of the same exact machine. For slow readers, that’s the. same. exact. machine! Ted Cruz calls it the Washington Cartel; good a name as any. I refuse to support it any more! I’ve cast my last vote for the “lesser of two evils.”
I support Trump; he may not be “conservative” the way that British snob from NRO would like, nor is he “conservative” the way I am; but he’s American, he recognizes and speaks strongly about issues that I care deeply about, and none of the other candidates are!
I am furious that our once-great country now has over 42 Million immigrants here. That’s FORTY-TWO MILLION! Our country is being flooded with people who are NOT like us; they don’t have the same values, the same culture, the same morality- yes, they are human, and I don’t blame them for wanting to come here, but they ARE NOT AMERICANS!
And so many here think Trump is the problem. SMH. Here’s another thought that you will snap those trap-door minds shut on instantly: Trump has appeal to a broad range of Americans. That includes black, Hispanic, and even women!
(Shhhh… that’s why his numbers keep going up. Don’t tell anyone, and if they mention it on NRO, they’ll scrub it from their comments, just like they do on RedState!)
The best thing Donald Trump has done is shine a bright light on all the cockroaches in the kitchen; the machine might get the light turned off, but the roaches remain. We see them now.
Thank you for saying quite well what I’ve been thinking, and saying, to others. There are way too many, here, and here abouts, who refuse to see past the “fact” that it’s Trump who is saying that; Trump is expressing what many of us are thinking.
Well done, sir, thank you!
It’s sad to see so many Obama-style FOLLOWERS who call others stupid names because those others won’t suspend critical thought and join them in hooting adoration of a braying jackass.
It’s sad to see them LIE to themselves and others about the lack of messaging from other, MUCH more trustworthy, candidates. Well, and about so many other things.
Trump’s “appeal” to a “broad range of Americans is very like that of Obama in 2007; he’s PRETENDING to be what you PROJECT on him.
And you’re emoting, not thinking. And, somewhere, you know it. That’s why you Trump-cultists are so venomous. You can’t stand for any blaspheme against your little yellow god.
“Obama-style FOLLOWERS”
Pathetic. Every candidate has some “followers”, but most of the ones here that are not trump haters are nothing more than Americans tired of the ruling party. That is all the R party has become. Dole, McCain, Romney, the only R party nominee’s since Reagan not named Bush.
But that’s a restatement of delusion.
You don’t have to “hate Trump” to recognize what he is, and to support a REAL, ACTUAL Conservative.
Dole, McCain, Romney, the only R party nominee’s since Reagan not named Bush.
Your wrong. Your trump hatred clouds your judgment. Those are the nominee’s of the R party. Any “conservatives” in there?
I support Cruz, have from the beginning. I also know from historical FACT, the R’s will not nominate him. A buzzsaw has been turned loose on the party that might make it possible. I cannot predict how it will turn out. But it is easy to predict how it turns out otherwise, we’ll just name them, in order:
Bush 1
Dole
Bush 2
McCain
Romney
???
No conservatives in that group. Spending up. Illegal immigration up. Taxes up.
Every single “conservative” metric went the wrong way during the time they held office. They all ran as conservatives. If trump is nothing but a liar, he is in good company with the R party.
On a personal level, I like all those men but one. But conservative? No, no way.
Correction, of course only the Bush’s held office. But there would have been little difference if the others had. I think you know it.
I’m not trying to beat up on you, but I’m not the one whose irrational.
Consider another self-contradictory statement…
“I support Cruz, have from the beginning. I also know from historical FACT, the R’s will not nominate him. A buzzsaw has been turned loose on the party that might make it possible.”
History includes Ronald Reagan, too, if you don’t cut it off too short.
“I’m not trying to beat up on you, but I’m not the one whose irrational.”
You are when you ignore the history since Reagan.
Has it ever occurred to you that the R party has made sure not to get another Reagan?
You can use the terms “irrational” and “delusional” as often as you like but it doesn’t change the facts – since RR, the R party has nominated only non conservatives.
I’d like to see Cruz win the nomination. If not him, there are some others acceptable. None of them had a chance before Trump. History substantiates this. Now, trump may not change that, they still may not get the nomination, in fact trump may get it. But without trump I see zero chance Cruz could get the nomination. It is now at least above zero.
Which, of course, I didn’t.
I left out –
Why do you think Cruz, your candidate as well, is one of the only R’s not dissing trump?
“It’s sad to see so many RINOs here, who don’t support the frontrunner of the GOP.”
Cruz supporters get called “right wing extremists” by Leftists and GOPe’s, and “RINOs” by Trump Humpers.
Really, Trump Humpers? REALLY?
Tell me all the ways Trump is a “true conservative,” and Cruz is a RINO.
GO!
Cruz is my top choice. He is brilliant, a movement conservative, clever, has a good sense of humor (Green eggs etc), and is willing to stand up to the corrupt GOP Establishment.
He is also smart enough not to try to smear and attack Trump or refer to 28% of the Republican voters as Trump-Humpers, low-information voters, or whatever the tantrum nom d’ jour is.
Also, this is all happening at a time so early in the campaign that bad choices bring no consequences as yet.
People can (and do) support Trump on nothing more than the feel-goodiness of Trump’s putting mouth to grievances only whispered by other politicians – because they know they’ll have to live with their words. Trump can say whatever he wants because he knows he’ll never have to live up to it.
No Dreamer Amnesty! Re-unite families through repatriation! Build the Wall!
Who else is saying this so clearly?
Bonus footage: Chuck Todd Melts Down attacking Trump —
http://www.nbcnews.com/meet-the-press/donald-trump-undocumented-immigrants-have-go-n410501
Yes, Trump could do a 100% flip-flop on illegal immigration. In which case he’d perhaps be just as bad as Bush, Graham, Kasich, and the Amnesty pushing backstab America set. They don’t have to flip-flop, they are pernicious enough
sticking to their swizzle sticks.
Cruz, Walker, and Carson look better than Trump to me, but watching Trump smacking that Massengill dispenser Todd today makes it just a little bit closer.
Love Ann Coulter, have her book “Adios America”, but Charles Cooke is absolutely right about Trump. He is an unserious candidate who is going to sink Conservatism come election time. We dont need clowns like Trump when there are serious other candidates like Carly Fiorina around. Its amazing to me that people teat Trump seriously.