Republicans Expending More Energy To Dump Trump Than They Did To Dump Obama

Oh Good. Guy that lost one of the more winnable elections in history is gonna tell us where we're all going wrong...Josh Earnst Tweet (Parody account)
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I like Mitt Romney. Always have. But the man disappointed me today. And while I will support any Republican against Hillary Clinton, his shots against Trump today were hollow.  Where was this energy four years ago to beat Mr. Obama?  Instead, Romney decided to insult millions who now reside on the Republican side of the political isle---the very base that supported him in 2012.

Romney's comments:

"An extraordinary ability to understand how our economy works." His endorsement is a "delight."  {I'm} "honored and pleased" {to have Trump's endorsement}.

That was Romney in 2012 when Trump endorsed him for president.

Romney's Comments Today:

Trump is a "phony, a fraud...and a con man" (By the way, similar to comments by Rubio last week). Romney continued: "Dishonesty is Trump's hallmark."

So which Romney are we to believe?  The fact is Romney's speech today will only help Trump. It will not hurt him. More evidence the Republican establishment is out of touch with many in their own base.

At the risk of repeating myself for many of my regular readers, this is exactly why I've referred to the Republican Party as a "mirage."  It's why they don't appear to be an opposition party anymore. And it's their behavior that clearly illustrates why Trump appeals to so many voters.

One fact is now clear. The Republican establishment created Trump. They helped create his appeal.  And if they are still searching for answers, they just need to look into a mirror. Perhaps, if they focused more energy on dumping Obama in 2012 instead of Trump in 2016, we'd be witnessing a far different campaign today.

Re: This Campaign: The Question Conservatives Should Be Asking Themselves

Discovery of Bernie Sanders' 1972 essay on rape fantasies has resulted in this morning's official endorsement by Bill Clinton...WH Press Secretary Tweet (satire)
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I've been fortunate to have almost 14,000 Twitter followers.  Always amazes me that so many fine people are interested in what I have to write or whom I retweet.  Most of my followers are into politics---big time. So it's certainly not unusual for me to read a variety of political opinions ranging from the economy, to foreign policy, to domestic policy and even extending to this current political campaign.

It's the range and diversity of political opinion that fascinates me the most.  Admittingly, most of the opinions fall on the right side of the political isle. Although I'm an independent politically, my core political principles are conservative.  In previous posts, I've explained how I evolved from a liberal in my early years to a conservative. (Hey, if Obama and others can do it, why can't I?).

Those of you who are familiar with my work also know how much I dislike progressive ideology. I find it disturbing, dangerous and destructive. If you want to "count the ways." feel free to read any number of my previous posts.  There you will find all you need to know about my feelings regarding Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders.

In reviewing my archives, you'll also find I've taken Republicans to task.  Specifically, the Republican elite or as we now refer to them as the "establishment."  In short, they've also proven to be untrustworthy, weak and ineffective.  There have been numerous occasions when I even questioned if Republicans are an opposition party. Too often, they don't behave that way.  

Having said this, I find the current struggle between the Trump camp and the anti-Trump camp compelling and riveting.  My aim in this blog is not to convince anyone for whom to vote on the Republican ticket. That's up to each individual voter to decide.  The fact is both sides have appealing and even objectionable reasons in my opinion.

I've pointed out Trump's appeal should surprise no one.  His political sensibilities are often better than those of politicians.  His public relations sense is often pure genius. And he's been able to penetrate the dislike most conservatives have for the Republican political elite. He plays hardball with the media while others play T-ball.   Hence, he's where he is right now in the campaign---leading his opponents by significant numbers.

On the other hand,  Trump also has a lot of baggage that almost every conservative should show some cause for concern.  I've often taken Hillary Clinton to task for her pathological lying, double-talk, flip-flops and scandals.  And I have to be honest----if only to myself----I have to hold Trump accountable for his. In reviewing his past, I often find myself wondering what they heck he believes in---what the heck are his core principles. I know Clinton has none. But, all too often, Trump also appears to lack any himself.

As with Hillary Clinton, I'm obliged to ask myself:  Can Trump be trusted? I have my own reservations. But, as I referenced earlier, each voter has to decide for themselves. In addition , each voter should also pose that question to themselves.

Trump's Appeal Should Surprise No One

Trump Tells Iowa Dairy Farmers He Has Cows 500 Times Bigger Than Theirs...The Onion
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Prior to the last Republican debate, I posted a piece entitled: "The Establishment Is Trying To Figure Our This Rubik's Cube."  I was referring to the Republican establishment trying to understand Trump's appeal---especially to conservatives.  But understanding Trump should surprise no one. He's political sense appears to be better than most politicians. His public relations sense is pure genius. Consider this. Right after the debate last week, the narrative in most of the media was how well Cruz and Rubio performed. And they did a good job in my opinion. But what did Trump do the very next day? He received  the endorsement of Chris Christie and immediately seized the narrative in the media from Rubio to the endorsement.

I'm also old enough to remember Ronald Reagan was treated in similar fashion by the Republican establishment when he ran for president.  Reagan was criticized for being an entertainer, an actor. So is Trump. Reagan was a Democrat in his previous political life. Trump's earlier ideology was more aligned with Democrats than with Republicans. But more importantly, Reagan followed Carter.  Trump might follow Obama. Both Democrats were failures as presidents. Hence, both appealed (appeal) to millions of Americans fed up with disastrous Democrat (progressive) domestic and foreign policy.

In addition to those observations, Trump's attacks on his campaign competitors is also clever and brilliant.  In the past, he's taken shots at establishment Republicans including McCain, Lindsey Graham and others. His main target now is Marco Rubio. Yet, Trump continues to have the support of conservatives. Why? Because conservatives despise establishment Republicans. In other words, Trump gets it. Moreover, many voters believe he's not been complicit to what's happened to this nation under this administration..

As I've written in the past, I'm not a HUGE Trump supporter. In fact, my preference dropped out some time ago. Nevertheless, I would support any one of the Republican candidates opposing Hillary Clinton largely because she's a pathological liar and any one of them is more competent than she is.

So I believe I've solved the political Rubik's cube.  The question remains: Will the Republican establishment?