Monday, August 10, 2015

Donald Trump Would Have Been the Tea Party candid in 2010 or 2012

Who is Donald Trump? Who Supports him? Why? The Tea Party came about in 2009 in the aftermath of President Obama’s inauguration. Anger arose over his fiscal and immigration policies. The indebtedness incurred by reckless and feckless spending scared these Americans. TARP, the Stimulus Bill, ObamaCare upset them. The foreign policy of rejecting American Exceptionalism is repugnant to them. The Tea Party pioneers are Americans who adhere to the traditional values that made America great. Their anger was directed at the Obama Administration and Republicans who appeared to be co-existing with the Democrats. They wanted fighters for their values. They see lacking in House Speaker Boehner and Senate Majority McConnell the strong leadership they want in Congress to fight for Republican/American principles. The Republican leaders seem too imbued with their duty to govern responsibly rather than stand on principle. The Tea Party lost faith with the Republican establishment. The Tea Party is not a formal party unlike the Democrats and Republicans. It is a loose confederation of volunteers in local groups. The Silent Majority of Richard Nixon is the Tea Party of today. They expressed their zeal in Republican primaries by nominating their candidates to run in the general elections, even when it tossing aside incumbents and party favorites. They elected Ted Cruz (Texas), Deb Fischer Nebraska), Mike Lee (Utah), Marco Rubio (Florida) and Rand Paul (Kentucky) to the Senate in 2010 and 2012 as well as Ted Scott to a House seat in South Carolina and Nikki Haley to South Carolina’s governorship. Congressman Tim Scott was subsequently elected to the Senate. The mostly White middle class Tea Partiers voted on the basis of expressed beliefs – not religion, race, ethnicity or sex. They also though did not vote based on electability. They nominated some real losers, who cost Republicans 4-5 Senate seats in the general elections: Todd Akins in Missouri, Sharron Angle in Nevada, Ken Buck in Colorado (He subsequently won a House seat in 2014), Christine O’Donnell in Delaware, and Richard Murdock in Indiana. Todd Akins and Richard Murdock uttered absurd statements about rape and abortion, insulting the intelligence of voters, especially women. Sharron Angle and Ken Buck had anti-Hispanic/illegal immigration rhetoric that doomed their campaigns. Sharron Angle was also accused of being tight (my phrase) with Scientology. Christine O’Donnell’s most famous campaign statement was “I’m not a witch.” Donald Trump’s extreme rhetoric wins favor with some of the ardent Tea Partiers. They want a candidate who calls it like it is rather than the double-talk common for many politicians. They like his outspokenness and directness. They like that he speaks truth to power. They are smitten with him. They are in the early stage of infatuation. He is the greatest. He can neither say nor do anything wrong. They believe they see in Donald trump the boisterous, ferocious fighter for America. They fail to realize they are witnessing a narcissistic bully. They also support Senator Ted Cruz as the backup. He too speaks truth to power. Another Newt Gingrich or Dick Armey is what they want. Donald Trump is not that person. He will be totally unable to govern. He is though a symptom of their discontent. Until a more electable candidate arises! If Donald Trump cannot handle the fair questions asked by Megyn Kelly, how will he respond in the general election to the ensuing down and dirty campaign? The vast American populace is repulsed by him. The Democrats and media love it. They see in Donald Trump the worse caricature of Republicans. Most Tea Party members now understand that they cannot prevail with a split government. Even control of Congress with the power of the purse is limited. Deep down, they know Donald Trump cannot win the Presidency and could well drag the Congressional Republicans down with him. Most of the Tea party will not go down with Donald Trump

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