Links: A. Trump for President Official Site.
B. Real Clear Politics- Presidential Polls, GOP
I admit it- I'm just as surprised as all the media analysts and talking heads regarding Donald Trump's seeming inevitable March to the GOP nomination. Immediately following the latest offensive comment, I always expect to see Trump's numbers take a hit. But if we are to believe the polls, and there are reasons to approach them with a cautious eye, The Donald seems to just build on his advantage. I've heard the whispers in some Republican conspiratory circles, that the media is doctoring the polls, to create an air of invincibility in Trump. Why would the media do something to benefit Donald Trump? Because they realize that when Nov. 2 rolls around, he is the one GOP candidate that Independent voters will have the hardest time supporting over Hillary Clinton. I can't say that I'm anywhere ready to sign on to that theory, but strangely enough, I'm having trouble finding folks down south in Red State Country, who will openly declare their support for Trump. But he is getting tremendous support from somewhere. I don't like Trump, and I'm going to tell you why.
Trump is a "sound bite" candidate if there ever was one. He makes grandiose announcements, with no follow-up. Its not difficult to do...just fill the empty air with another sound bite. Trump will build a wall, and make Mexico pay for it. And just how will this be accomplished? I'm not looking for an answer in two sentences, I'm looking for an actual well-thought piece that takes into account all the factors and variables included in public policy. How much will it cost? Who will pay for it? How long will it take to build? About the mechanics...how will the wall be constructed and with what materials? Will there be breaks in the wall for Ports of Entry? Will it be necessary to build the same wall on the Canadian border? Does Congress need to approve this action? How will it impact our already existing treaties with not only Mexico, but other Latin American countries? How will this wall impact the environment? Will it destabilize the migratory patterns of wildlife? I am using one of Trump's more famous pronouncements as an example of his addiction to sound bites. The questions that I have listed took five minutes to create; I'm sure with a bit of time, experts could come up with quite a few more questions, most with more substance. The reality is, he never has to give an answer. He has his own version of "Trump Answers", which are dismissive at best and insulting at worst. You see, Trump thinks that any idea he has must be genius, and if you can't see it well enough to understand all the answers already, then you are an idiot and a moron. Oh, and you're ugly to boot. And possibly a pedophile.
Trump believes he can develop a foreign policy based on his business experience. Nothing personal, Mr. Trump, but one of the reasons I voted for Mitt Romney was because of his business acumen. But he chose to keep his business credentials where they belonged...in conversations relating to economics. Trump's forty-year record as a businessman is difficult to really grasp. He has had his share of successes, and also a few high-profile train wrecks. But foreign policy must always be more about people than money, more about compromise than victory, and more about friendship than hostile takeovers. Trump compliments Putin, and says that the Russian leader "is a man I can work with". I find Putin to be a 21st century fascist, whose actions in Ukraine and Georgia over the past decade show a complete contempt for international law and the integrity of national borders. Putin is militarizing Russia in the same manner than Hitler did Germany in the 1930s....getting rid of dead-weight, simplification and modernization, and the skirting of international laws and treaties. I don't admire Vladimir Putin, but if Trump thinks Putin is going to fold like the chairman of some company Trump Enterprises has just swallowed, he has a few surprises coming. Trump scares me for a number of reasons, including the vision I have of Trump losing his temper because he can't "swing the deal" he wants, and all of a sudden the U.S. military becomes the wild card.
I don't trust Donald Trump. For some people, maybe that isn't a problem, but it is for me. I'm not so jaded about our political system that I'm ready to vote for someone that I do not trust. My lack of trust stems from a simple examination of history. Just a few years ago, Trump was a Democrat. Probably a decade ago, he was a Republican, who knows. I'm sure it made sense at the time, to be on the same side as the political winning side (of the moment). But Trump professes to be a "life-long Conservative". How can any life-long Conservative admit to donating money to the Clintons? As for his claim to being a Conservative, I will give him the benefit of the doubt that he is certainly "pro-business" (a bit too pro-business for me), but what are his opinions about the other issues that are important to many Conservatives? Is Trump pro-choice? What is his opinion regarding the Marriage debate? More importantly, how often has his opinion on these issues changed? Personally, I'm not looking for a political ideologue as a candidate. But with Trump, I'm just sure what I'm getting, and just how far I can throw it.
My final reason for not supporting Donald Trump, is that I don't want a bigot and a misogynist for a president. I don't think I will ever get past his comments about Carly Fiorina. What's really sad is that Trump supporters know in their hearts that the only reason he apologized was for political expediency, but yet they don't care....depressing. Donald Trump is also a first-class Ass Hole. Excuse my descent into profanity, but for some reason, that title just seems perfect. He is the perfect example of a school-yard bully, who has spent most of his business career intimidating people with less resources. Actually, its a bit of a play on the Napoleon Syndrome. Trump has always bragged about his ability to outspend people; I've never heard him brag about his ability to impact another person's perspective through honest dialogue, have you? If we are faced with a President Trump, exactly how will he conduct a meeting with a female foreign leader, whose appearance he doesn't appreciate? Watching Trump respond whenever another candidate improves in the polls is like watching a World Champion Prize Fighter who will stop at nothing to keep the title. He threatens (usually by bragging about how much money he is prepared to spend), and then he makes good on his threats. Ben Carson did not lose his momentum because of his lackluster debate performances, he fell victim to nasty accusations regarding the truthfulness of his biography. A few weeks later, when all the dust had settled, Carson had reasonably addressed all the questions, but the damage was done. Trump publicly called Carson a liar and compared him to a pedophile. Of course, it took some time for Carson, a very decent man who lives his life for philanthropy, to come out from under the stench of "liar and pedophile". But being a jerk doesn't disqualify someone from being president.
The greatest Presidents in the history of our Republic were able to effectively persuade because of the conviction of their beliefs, not because of the size of their pocketbook. I'm worried that Donald Trump believes that the President of the United States carries a wallet with the title, "Armed Forces of the United States of America". And I have no doubt that he would use that wallet unwisely.
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