Random thoughts about last night’s debate:
Kasich, Bush, and Christie should go away. This doesn’t look
like the year for liberal RINO’s not named Trump.
Fiorina and Paul are admirable, principled and quite sharp.
But they have Achilles’ heels—Fiorina on political correctness (how many
sensitivity seminars do you think she’s attended?) and Paul with respect to his
childish naivete on foreign policy (utopianism is dangerous whether it comes
from the Right or the Left).
Carson is nice, trustworthy, and more respectable than
anyone with a D currently after his or her name. But it’s painful to watch the guy
try to answer questions in that halting, deer-in-the-headlights voice. He seems
out of his depth on foreign policy, though not as badly as Trump. This electorate
is too angry for a softie. He’s done.
Trump spent an hour saying nothing, while the two candidates
who flanked him took everyone to school with their mastery of detail and
specificity. The last 30 years of his career have spoken louder volumes than
anything he’s saying right now: he’s supported single-payer health care,
advocated for open-border amnesty (until about 10 minutes ago when he changed
his mind), donated heavily to both Clintons, voted reliably Democratic in the
last three decades of elections, and sued for the right of eminent domain as a
corporate entity. This is what has traditionally been called a “Democrat.” The
fact that none of his followers seem to know this is strange. The only real
rationale for his candidacy is his “winning” motif….and once the caucuses start,
none of those internet troll-Trumpkins will be trudging through the snow to
make rational arguments in a loud room with other caucus-goers….this is
strictly a grown-up affair. He’ll lose Iowa and South Carolina, and the
drumbeat for his surrender should start around the 2nd week of
March. Side note: voters who like him typically issue the same reason that
Obama voters used to support Obama in 2008; they see him as a messianic figure
who will fix things. That’s not how the American executive branch works. It’s
sad when the dummies who never passed senior civics class swing elections. Same people who don't understand the electoral college, or the difference between a democracy or a republic. It wouldn't surprise me to learn, in the final analysis, that these are actually THE SAME PEOPLE. Keep your eyes peeled for someone in your life who voted for Obama in 2008 and plans to vote for Trump in 2016. Good chance they didn't pass high school civics. In any event, their eyes probably glazed over last night every time a candidate started talking about actual policy. I doubt if any of them are motivated to even read this far in these musings.
There isn’t too much daylight between Cruz and Rubio. Both of them capture the flag for people who are angry with both parties and with the Media, though these two guys can actually give you deeper detail and a better rationale for voting for either of them. Yes,
Rubio fell into that unfortunate Gang of 8 trap in 2013…but he’s recanted his
heresy, and his immigration plan is almost identical to everyone else’s now
(and WAY more detailed and knowledgeable than Trump’s). He is reliably
conservative, sunny in disposition and temperament, is encyclopedic in his attention
to detail, and would make a formidable general election opponent. Cruz, also,
is exceedingly knowledgeable with respect to both foreign and domestic policy.
He has the integrity that Rubio might have lacked in 2013, as well….he has kept
every one of his campaign promises to Texas thus far. He has been a principled
conservative who (unlike Trump) has actually stood up to Obama, the Democrats,
the Media (but I repeat myself) and the liberal RINO Republicans in Washington.
He was a championship debater who is brutally effective in cross-examination. This
is a man who has argued in front of the Supreme Court and won…he has a ton of
experience in the judicial branch of the government, more involvement in the
legislative branch than Obama ever had, and is an actual constitutional
scholar of repute (unlike Obama). The
media hate him, their sycophantic fans in the Left hate him, and those who
regularly subscribe to conventional wisdom hate him…..this is the perfect
storm. For those not old enough to remember 1980, this was the exact same
situation with Ronaldus Magnus…..hated and feared by the Leftist media, adored
by those who were sick of being exploited by Washington. And that guy won the
largest landslide in the history of American politics. Don’t look past Cruz’s
ground game, either…..he’s got precinct chairmen in every county in Iowa, South
Carolina, and all the states for Super Tuesday. He may have enough delegates
locked up by mid-March, while the media is still over-covering Trump. Trump’s
fans, meanwhile, aren’t sure what “delegates” are….they honestly think that “rolling
daily average” poll says something important.
The only daylight between Cruz and Rubio is foreign
policy: Rubio seems to tilt a tad toward the old Bush Doctrine, though without all
the Wilsonian “export democracy” utopianism. Cruz correctly gets to the right
of that view…..though both of these guys are knowledgeable about the topic and
would make good commanders-in-chief. They are reliably pro-American. They are
not ashamed of their patriotism, and are desirous of defeating the enemy that
has declared war on us. Either of these guys would do the job well, and either
of them would make formidable opponents to Hillary Clinton, whose ineptitude and dishonesty has already caused the loss of American life. Both of them
possess the ability to debate both the Democrat and the Moderator/Media, which
is necessary (and which Romney/McCain, et al, could never do).Yes, the Hard Left, Marx-loving, Climate Change-obsessing, anti-GMO, political correctness-embracing, Euro-weenie wanna-be, Language Police will hate either of these two. But there aren't as many of these geniuses as they believe....and their hatred will act as a propellant in the eyes of the rest of the country.
It is distressing to hear so-called conservatives claim to
plan on sitting the election out if Trump is nominated. Trump is a buffoon and
I do predict he’ll fade away before summer. But if I’m wrong, he’s still a way
better choice than the other Democrat in the race, Clinton. To not vote for the
guy is to vote for her. Did you folks learn NOTHING from 2012? Romney got ALL
the coveted “independents” and lost the conservatives, who stayed home dejected
and throwing a tantrum. Grownups know the system: you vote your heart in the
primary and your head in the general. Get fired up in the primary, and grit
your teeth and pull the lever in the general. Even Democrats know this…..that’s
how they win. It’s certainly not because the country suddenly fell in love with
Marx and political correctness. It would be nice for our side to have the
grownups again.
