In defense of Donald Trump -
By: Santa Barbara News-Press Editorial (Santa Barbara News-Press)
S E E D E D C O N T E N T
"Trump is the most towering political figure in living memory. He has, like it or not, defined the politics of our age.
Purely Political, By James Buckley
I know, I know. Enough with this Trump stuff.
We've got to move on.
I've said as much, though I have always insisted that if Donald Trump runs again, I'll vote for him.
For two important reasons.
The first being that as president, Mr. Trump tried mightily to fulfill every campaign promise he'd made. In the face of treachery from all sides, particularly from what he called the Deep State, and political intransigence from his own party, he risked everything, including — as the Founding Fathers once did — his life, his fortune, and his sacred honor — to complete his self-appointed task to Make America Great Again.
After all, as he would often say, he didn't need this. He had a great life.
The other reason being that a second term was denied him via a quasi-legal campaign of adjusting election rules, particularly in battleground states (using the ongoing pandemic as an excuse for doing so), ballot harvesting, creation of thousands of unguarded drop boxes into which anyone at any time could drop undetected and un-monitored, however many mail-in ballots one had "collected," and the like.
But you knew that, so as we enter a never-ending Election Month, I feel an urgent need to keep the distasteful 2020 campaign effort front and center so that voters don't forget.
The following are extracts I've pulled from a speech entitled "Trump's Virtues," given by Thomas Klingenstein, chairman of the Claremont Institute, who feels that way too. I don't know the man, but he was an early supporter of Mr.Trump, and his 17-minute speech encapsulates who the former and perhaps future president is and isn't, and why it's important to remember what he accomplished.
TRUMP'S VIRTUES
"Many leading Republicans and conservatives want someone other than Donald Trump to run for president in 2024.
"Other Republican politicians say some version of, 'I like his policies but don't like the rest of him.' But this gets it almost backward. Although Trump advanced many important policies, it is the 'rest of him' that contains the virtues that inspired a movement.
"Trump was born for the current crisis: the life and death struggle against the totalitarian enemy I call 'woke communism.'
The 'woke comms' clench the Democratic party by the scruff of its neck. They tell us lies and silence those who challenge the lies. Like most totalitarian regimes, they have a scapegoat (white males), a narrative (America is systemically racist) and a utopian vision of society where there are equal outcomes for all preferred identity groups in every area of human life. The woke comms control all the cultural, and economic centers of power in the country from where they ruthlessly push their agenda. That agenda rests on the conviction that America is thoroughly bad (systemically racist) and must be destroyed.
"Trump critics say he caused or exacerbated the divide in this country. No, he did not. He revealed — not caused — the divide.
"Trump is unreservedly, unquestionably pro-American. He makes no apologies for America's past. Trump is a refreshing break from the guilt and self-loathing that mark our age.
"Trump has said over and over exactly what political correctness prohibits one from saying: 'We have our culture, it's exceptional, and that's the way we want to keep it.'
"It is difficult to overestimate the significance of Trump's fight against political correctness, a fight in which most Republicans are reluctant to engage.
"Trump treated the woke media with the same contempt he treated political correctness, provoking their outrage and revealing their utter corruption.
"Unlike most politicians, Trump — when he sees a problem — goes out and fixes it. He fixed our porous borders, moved our Israeli embassy to Jerusalem, normalized relations between Arab countries and Israel, eliminated hate-America Critical Race Theory in his administrative agencies, developed a vaccine for the coronavirus in record time, achieved energy independence and much more.
"Trump is guided by facts and common sense. He has no use for theories. He knows that slavish devotion to theory can lead to nonsensical beliefs; for instance, that children should be able to change their sex; that police forces should be defunded; or that biological boys should be able to compete against girls in athletics.
"Trump taught us crucial things. For starters, that China is a mortal enemy. Before his presidency, the public did not appreciate this. Now it does.
"Trump smoked rats out of their hiding places. Because of Trump, we now know that our intelligence agencies are corrupt. We know also that the mainstream media is not just biased but is the propaganda arm of the Democratic Party.
"Trump also understands that what Americans of all races and creeds desire are stable communities and the opportunity to raise their families in a culture that values industriousness, self-reliance, patriotism and freedom.
"Trump is the most towering political figure in living memory. He has, like it or not, defined the politics of our age.
"Among the talked-about alternatives to Trump, I have not yet seen anyone who possesses, or even fully understands, Trump's virtues. Nor I have seen anyone with his backbone and fortitude. One does not appreciate the strength of relentless gale-force winds until one is in the eye of the storm. I am not suggesting that it is time for everyone to make way for Trump; rather that it is much too early to throw him overboard.
"If Republicans do choose another candidate to lead the Trump movement, they must do so in full confidence that (their candidate) will embody Trump's virtues. If not Trump himself, his virtues must be the standard by which we judge other candidates."
Readers should go online to YouTube and punch in "Trump's Virtues" and watch the entire speech. It's well worth your time.
James Buckley is a longtime Montecito resident. He welcomes questions or comments at jimb@substack.com. Readers are invited to visit jimb.substack.com, where Jim's Journals are on file. He also invites people to subscribe to Jim's Journal.
Obviously I dont believe a word of this insanity, but apparently this bizarre view of Donald Trump has a lot of traction in right wing circles.
Many people are hesitant to understand that we are in a battle, - battles have to be won, they dont often end with the bad guy saying "I was wrong".
The seeded article mentions a speech that was made by a Trump defender at the Claremont Institute . The Claremont Institute is a far right think tank that has been accused of xenophobia, anti-multiculturalism, and anti-government tendencies. It is the "intellectual" version of the worst of MAGA.
Saying you don't believe "...moved our Israeli embassy to Jerusalem,..." as promised, promised but never kept by previous POTUS', and in fact did even MORE for Israel, such as "normalized relations between Arab countries and Israel,..." and confirmed Israel's sovereignty over the Golan Heights, - that just discredits YOUR credibility, John. Give credit where credit is due and be critical where criticism is deserved (and criticism is deserved for most of what's said in that bullshit article) in order for yourself to be respected.
My opinion of the article is that it is generally bullshit because of what it omits, such as Trump's suggesting to the public to inject or imbibe bleach or disinfectants to prevent or cure the virus (and I'm sure Fauci didn't suggest that to him) or his delay doing anything meaningful to prevent the spread of the virus (as he admitted in a taped interview with Bob Woodward), a delay which IMO enabled it to spread beyond control causing more than a million deaths (and STILL causing them). AND China is NOT America's enemy - China has steadfastly asked for cooperation, rather than confrontation, for the benefit of Americans, Chinese, and the rest of the world, win-win, notwithstanding the constant provocations being inflicted upon it. I don't think enemies carry on such a huge amount of trade between them.
Buzz, you are approving the part of Trump that did what you like, and disapproving the part of Trump that did what you dont like.
I dont base my disapproval of Trump on his policies, per se. I understand that some people like his policies, but it is also true that some people dont. You and others may think it was great that the US embassy in Israel was moved to Jerusalem , but other people dont.
Trump's policies were generally in line with standard conservative ideology, and although I dont agree with a lot of it , conservative ideology is a legitimate belief. Trump's policies or ideology are not the issue , his behavior and personal actions are the issue.
Steve Schmidt , a former Republican who left the party over Trump, says Trump is the most immoral person to ever hold the office of president and among the most immoral figures in US history. That truth counts for more, much more, than any individual policy he might enact.
Does anyone in their right mind think Americans feel better about their country than they did before he came on the scene? He has been in large part responsible for destroying American self-respect and national confidence.
Because that's what sane adults do.
So if we took a pathological liar , accused rapist, unethical businessman, crook, tax cheat , narcissistic ahole, etc etc and made him mayor of your town, you would be fine with it as long as his policies as mayor aligned with what you want to see done in the town.
Sure.
I'm sorry, are you describing Trump or LBJ?
Sane adults are able to process the juxtaposition of a reprehensible person doing a good deed, even if it's done accidentally.
Thats not my point. Im sure even Charlie Manson did a good deed or two. My point is should such a person be given positions of responsibility in a community.
In an objective world, the idea of willingly giving a Donald Trump a position of authority in our society is absurd. We all know that. Some would rather pretend otherwise.
That's fair enough.
But once that person has that position, and they unexpectedly manage a good thing (not commenting on the Jerusalem issue one way or the other), a rational person acknowledges that.
I brought up LBJ for a reason. One of the sleaziest, most disgusting people to ever hold the office. He was most definitely in Trump's league morally.
But he supported the CRA, because he wanted "the n***** vote".
He was a terrible person with terrible motives who accidentally did something good.
It happens.
That may be YOUR point, but that was not the point I was making. There is a difference.
Sometimes they end with the good guy saying, "please don't hurt my family."
This article is what many MAGA's would like to say if they had the fluency with words and the desire to write an article.
We have at least one member here who tries his best to emulate this sort of utter nonsense with his writing. These people are a threat to our society whether we are willing to admit it or not.
As Bill Maher said The biggest problem with the Democrats is their woke baggage. They do and say things that make people go "Oh my god, this is the party of no common sense.” Stop talking about pregnant men and stuff that makes people go, “Who are these fucking people? What are they talking about? Men don’t get pregnant.”
Observing right wing love for Trump all these years, in the face of the most objectionable personal conduct possible, one can only conclude that no other Republicans and conservative politicians are qualified to hold high office because they cant do what Trump does.
“America has vanquished demagogues before. So how do we do it now?” Zakaria said in a promotion for the report, according to the complaint.
Trump alleges the report went too far because “a focal point of the report is a discussion of the ascendancy of Hitler and comparisons to the plaintiff, interspersing discussion of Hitler and Nazi Germany with footage of the plaintiff.”
Zakaria said in the report: “Let’s be very clear. Donald Trump is not Adolf Hitler,” according to the complaint.
Trump Sues CNN for Defamation, Saying Network Fears He’ll Run in 2024 (msn.com)
Apparently, pointing out that Trump isn't Adolf Hitler while also detailing his time in power which many rational thinkers show him to be very similar, is cause for a defamation suit.
I think the quote from Zakaria would have been fairer if it had read: “Let’s be very clear. Donald Trump is not the genocidal maniac Adolf Hitler after 1940, but Mr. Trump certainly seemed to emulate the Hitler of 1933 to 1939...Who knows what would have happened if America had given him another 4 years in office.”
Is this satire? LMAO, covfefe on that.
The author and Harry and Meghan live in the same town:
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's 'healing' £11m Montecito mansion they couldn't resist - photos
They really should have shopped around a little longer.
Montecito is about as nice as it gets.
If you want to have rich MAGA neighbors.
There are always a few crazies around. Do you think you don't have any MAGA voters where you live? Montecito is considered by analysts to be "somewhat liberal".
Oprah ?
Compassionate fascism.
That's a pretty silly comment, but you already know that.
"Somewhat liberal billionaires" is an oxymoron.