My Fellow Republicans, You are Being Played

This isn’t a political blog, and I have no intention of turning it into one. But I simply can’t sit on my hands anymore.

For my fellow Republicans who are smitten with Donald Trump, I must ask:

Why, why, why????

Why are we letting a man who was, until very recently, a Democrat run away with our party’s nomination? Yes, yes. I know the argument that Ronald Reagan’s opinions changed too, but there is no comparison. Reagan evolved over time and didn’t waffle back and forth. Trump evolved 6-12 months ago on many issues (conveniently about the time he decided to run for president) and lately his opinions seem to evolve on a near daily basis. What’s to say they won’t “evolve” again once he’s in office?

Why are we letting a man who can’t answer a straight question about anything run away with our party’s nomination? Seriously. Every answer is some muddy, vague declaration that we’ll get the best people to do the work, we’ll cut the waste and fraud and we’ll win again. And when asked for specifics, he just repeats the same thing, often to thunderous applause. Huh?

Why are we letting a man who can’t be bothered to get the facts right run away with our party’s nomination? Time and time again, Trump as shown he lacks even rudimentary knowledge of the issues. He thinks Common Core is run by the feds; he doesn’t understand the effect of tariffs on retail prices; he believe illegal immigrants get welfare. That’s probably why he can’t answer a straight question. And when confronted by the truth, he brushes it off because, clearly, he can’t be bothered with reality.

A vote for Donald Trump is a vote for a giant question mark.

The fact is we don’t know how Donald Trump will serve as president…because he has given us zero specifics. Do we really want to take that leap into the abyss and hope for the best? I’m no fan of Ted Cruz, but at least with him, we know what we’re getting. Donald Trump is a wild card, and my friends, when we’re talking about a man who’ll be negotiating with leaders who have nuclear capabilities, that’s not a good thing.

Are we going to hand over the problems of fixing the national debt, Social Security and Medicare to someone who either can’t do simple math or who can’t be bothered to care that the numbers don’t add up? You may not love Marco Rubio’s plan to raise the Social Security eligibility age for Gen X’ers and Millennials, but it sure beats what Trump has laid out (namely: nothing). I’d rather work until I’m 68 and get Social Security benefits (the Rubio plan) rather than work until I’m 68 and get zilch (seems to be the Tump plan).

Donald Trump doesn’t want to make America Great Again. He wants to make Donald Trump Great Again.

Many Trump fans point to the fact that he is already rich and successful so, obviously, he has nothing to gain from running for president. In their view, he is certainly running from the goodness of his heart.

Really?

You don’t need to know him personally to see that Trump as an ego the size of Texas. He isn’t running because of patriotism or benevolence. He’s running because it gives him another feather in his cap. After all the money and fame he’s accumulated over the years, what more could he possibly want? Leader of the free world sounds like a good way to cap off the resume, don’t you think?

So my fellow Republicans, you are being played.

You are being manipulated by a man who’s never been on your side before.

You are being manipulated by a man who openly admits to playing the system – giving out big donations in exchange for political favors.

You are being manipulated by a man who doesn’t really have a stake in making America Great Again. He and his family are rich. If he messes up while in office, the people he loves won’t pay the price; we will.

I know I will never sway diehard Trump fans, but if you’re on the fence, please, please jump off. Come down on the side of rational people who are voting with their heads. Don’t be fooled by this showman’s rhetoric.

For the record, I haven’t been firmly in anyone’s camp during this election, and I voted for John Kasich in my primary since I thought he had the best shot of overcoming Trump in Michigan.

There you have it. Flame away, Trump fans, flame away…

6 Comments

    1. Andra L.

      March 21, 2016

      Maryalene, I respectfully disagree with you. If you check out previous speeches made years ago, he is on the same themes as today. I for one have wondered why our nations leaders have made SO many bad agreementsn with other nations… I feel BAD about paying taxes to a government that spends SO poorly. Trump has specific answers… for instance, he plans on auditing every branch of government and changing the way it spends money. Currently, departments are awarded MORE money if they run out… vbut if they save money and do things wisely, they lose the support. He will negotiate better deals for our nation. NO ONE can buy him. I personally believe that THAT is why the establishment is so afraid of him. There are plenty of very intelligent people who know Trump fairly well and believe he would make a tremendous president. Chris Christie, Ben Carson, Franklin Graham, Sarah Palin, Jeff Sessions (of Alabama), Scott Brown (Massachusetts), House of Rep members and former members: Chris Collins of New York, Scott DesJarlais of Tennessee, Renee Ellmers of North Carolina, Duncan D. Hunter of California, Tom Marino of Pennsylvania, Tom Reed of New York, Virgil Goode of Virginia, Doug Ose of California; , Jeff Lord, former White House associate political director for the Reagan administration (1987–88); Former Gov. Scott; Gov. Chris Christie, New Jersey, Paul LePage, Maine, Rick Scott, Florida, Territorial Gov. Ralph Torres, Northern Mariana Islands, Former Govs. Jan Brewer, Arizona, Sarah Palin, Alaska; A.G. Bondi, Pam Bondi, Attorney General of Florida, Jeff DeWit, State Treasurer of Arizona, Sue Everhart, Chairman of the Georgia Republican Party, Adrienne Foster, director of the Kansas Hispanic and Latino American Affairs Commission, Kris Kobach, Secretary of State of Kansas, Henry McMaster, Lieutenant Governor of South Carolina, Jesse Singh, chair of Maryland Governor’s Association on South Asian A Atty Gen of Arizona Bob Corbin, Joseph Mondello, former Chairman of the New York State Republican Committee, Carol Springer, Frm. State Treasurer of Arizona; State legislators: Alabama State Representatives: Ed Henry and Jim Carns, Georgia State Senators: Burt Jones and Michael Williams, Iowa State Senator: Brad Zaun, Massachusetts State Representative: Geoff Diehl, Mississippi State Representatives: Becky Currie, Alex Monsour, Joey Fillingane, Margaret Rogers, Gary Chism, Charles Busby, Jeff Hale, Randy Patterson and Gary Staples; Nevada State Assemblyman: Brent A. Jones, New Hampshire State Representatives: Fred Doucette, Werner Horn, Joe Pitre, Stephen Stepanek (Deputy Majority Leader), Dan Tamburello, Joshua Whitehouse, Robert Fisher, New Jersey State Senators: Michael J. Doherty, and Joe Pennacchio; Oklahoma State Rep.: Mike Christian and John R. Bennett, Oklahoma State Senators: Ralph Shortey and Mark Allen, Rhode Island State Rep. Joseph A. Trillo,
      South Carolina State Rep. James H. Merrill (former Majority Leader), Utah State Rep. Greg Hughes (Spaker), West Virginia State Senators: Donna J. Boley and Mark R. Maynard, West Virginia State Delegates: Randy Smith, Ron Walters, Brad White, Ray Canterbury and Joshua Nelson; Former
      Arizona State Senators: Lori Klein, Robert Blendu, Frm. Idaho State Representative Phil Hart, Former New Hampshire State Senator Richard Ferdinand, Frm. New Hampshire State Representatives Jenn Coffey, Lou and Paula Johnson, Frm. Oklahoma State Rep. Mike Turner, Frm. South Carolina State Senators John Russell (also former representative and son of former Democratic Governor Donald S. Russell) and Jake Knotts; Frm. West Virginia State Senator Vic Sprouse, and over a dozen more mayers, sheriffs, municipal and county leaders, at least 25 prominent USA business leaders and the following international and national organizations: Le Pen at the presidential convention of the Front National, 2007; Jimmie Åkesson, Swedish MP, leader of the Sweden Democrats; Alexander Dugin, Russian political scientist and author; Petr Hampl, Czech politician, member of Dawn – National Coalition; Martin Konvička, Czech politician, member of Dawn – National Coalition; Jean-Marie Le Pen, French MEP, Holocaust revisionist, founder and former leader of the Front National; Miroslav Lidínský, Czech politician, leader of Dawn – National Coalition; Matteo Salvini, Italian MEP and leader of Lega Nord; Vojislav Šešelj, former Deputy Prime Minister of Serbia, and founder and president of Serbian Radical Party; Geert Wilders, Dutch MP and leader of the Party for Freedom; Tom Van Grieken, Flemish MP and leader of Vlaams Belang; a number of newspapers and magazine as well as a number of organizations, celebrities (including Stephen Baldwin, Gary Busey, Jon Voight and Clint Eastwood) and a large number of prominent athletes and sports figures. And that is still not the end of the list. I haven’t mentioned the long list of intelligent folks in the media (including Pat Buchanan, Ann Coulter and Michael Savage). I’m sure you get the idea. A lot of highly intelligent and wise people, many who know Mr Trump well, feel he would be the best thing ever for America. And I happen to agree with them.

      1. Maryalene LaPonsie

        March 22, 2016

        Hi Andra,

        Thanks so much for your thoughtful response, and I certainly agree Trump has racked up an impressive list of supporters.

        However, I’m not so sure he has specific answers. From my perspective, he offers vague proposals and when he does get into specifics, the numbers don’t add up. Here’s an example of where he suggested we could save “hundreds of billions” by negotiating better deals for a program that only spends $78 billion total: http://www.investors.com/politics/capital-hill/billionaire-donald-trump-has-a-big-problem-with-basic-math/

        To be sure, there is plenty of waste and fraud that could be cut from the budget, but Trump’s answers on the subject seem like simplified generalities that grossly overestimate the potential savings. And once you get beyond that, Trump really doesn’t have any answers on how he balances the rest of budget or pays for the enormous deficit his proposed tax plan would create.

        Trump may be a person who cannot be bought, but I also think he’s a person who is accountable to no one — including the American public. That concerns me. I’m also not sure how someone who’s default position is to insult anyone disagreeing with him will be able to work effectively with members of Congress and other foreign leaders. Being a President in a system with checks and balances is a lot different than sitting in a boardroom where everyone says “how high” when you ask them to jump.

        That said, I do appreciate your sharing your thoughts. Thanks for commenting and have a great day!

        Maryalene

      1. Lee

        October 1, 2016

        Maryalene, to bad you don’t know what your talking about. You sound like Hillary, which don’t have any common sense.

    1. Karin Waterbury

      April 1, 2016

      I am with you, Maryalene! Keep up the good work, and intelligent articles! I, too, voted for Kasich in the primary.

      Karin Waterbury

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