Winston Churchill was criticized for making an alliance with Stalin against Hitler. Winston replied:
“If Hitler invaded hell I would make at least a favorable reference to the devil in the House of Commons.”
– British Prime Minister Winston Churchill
The point being the ancient axiom still in play around the world every day “The Enemy of my Enemy is my Friend” .
I will take the lead of Winston Churchill. Trump is the enemy of my enemy and he is the last man standing, so he is my guy. I actually think he can win. His presence as the last Republican, with apparent blue collar democrats crossing over to vote for him, and Brernie’s strong showing against the anointed Hilary is an indication of how disgusted people are with the establishment choices of both parties.
We need to unite behind our nominee and elect him. Then we should watch him closely and hold his feet to the fire when needed.
I am not running for private citizen. Who I voted for in the past and who I plan to vote for, and why, are pertinent pieces of information for someone considering voting for me.
I have voted for Cathy McMorris Rodgers 6 times now and will again if she is the Republican nominee. I think she is doing the minimum expected of a Congressman and being well paid to do it. She adds no unique thoughts, experience or talent to the mix, except possibly her experience with and concern for Down’s syndrome families. She leads on no vital issue. She is seen as an expert on no vital issue. She has no record of accomplishment on any controversial or vital issue.
I have always voted Republican for President except in ’92 when I voted for Ross Perot. After Perot’s stupid stunt of pulling out of the election and then jumping back in, I knew I was throwing my vote away but I could not vote for Clinton and I was disgusted with GHW Bush for the illogical end to the first Gulf War. Saddam survived, a grave mistake, setting up the next Gulf War. GHW Bush abandoned Saddam’s opposition, that he had encouraged to rise up and Saddam massacred 300,000 of his own people very quickly after the war. TV coverage of the shameful abandonment of the Kurds and their ongoing massacre shamed GHW Bush into setting up protection for the Kurds with a No Fly Zone, otherwise, Saddam would have killed all the Kurds, 5 million of them. I regret throwing my vote away on Perot as 19% of us did, throwing the election to Clinton and setting the table for our current situation. I will not throw my vote away again. If necessary, I will pick the lesser evil. GHW Bush was not evil, he was the least bad choice, I should have voted for him.
I will vote for the Republican nominee for president, Donald Trump. These next few years and the next few Supreme Court picks are critical. A Democrat president would be a disaster. Trump might be a disaster, and ruin the Republican brand for a while, but he would be the lesser evil if the choice is between Trump or Clinton, Sanders, Biden, Kerry, Elizabeth Warren and maybe Bloomberg. The press will start doing it’s job and report on the President in a non reverential manner. The opposition party, the Democrats will be on him like ugly on an ape. The Republican establishment will be on him like white on rice. Trump won’t be getting away clean with the usurpations that Obama has been able to get away with.
Trump was not my guy, but I am glad he was in the race, I just wish he had not won. I am glad he was in the race because without him we would not be talking about immigration, not at all. After the election we would be on a rapid path to “Comprehensive Immigration Reform”, the Senate 2013 Gang of 8 bill. Not any more, thanks to Trump.
Also I am glad he was in the race because he showed the Republicans how to defeat the “War on Women” canard. He loudly, without the first bit of PC, pointed out the hypocrisy of Hilary Clinton’s attack on him for being sexist when she had enabled her husband’s serial adultery and serial abuse of women subordinate to him while a public official in Arkansas and as President. She added to the abuse of these women by leading the charge against them calling them liars. This avenue of attack on this issue has been open to us Republicans since 1998 but we have been too timid and PC to take it. Instead of making this obvious attack, we have bent over backwards to defend ourselves against the “War on Women” charge which has had the eager support of the main stream press. It was a no win situation, that Trump showed us how to win. There are places for boldness and audacity. Trump has shown us one of those places.
My Presidential preferences, were, in order:
- Scott Walker – successful governor, smart, winner of multiple campaigns and a recall, in a blue state. Took on public sector unions and won.
- Cruz. Accomplished lawyer, 9 cases at the Supreme Court. Conservative. I know most of his colleagues hate him. Why? I think it is because he has jumped the queue. He had the audacity to run against and beat the establishment supported Republican in a race for the open Texas Senate seat. As a first term Senator he is getting more than his share of attention due to his boldness, his speaking ability and obviously being one of the smartest people in the room. Now this first termer has the audacity to run for President, like Obama and Rubio. Unlike Obama and Rubio, Ted Cruz has had a distinguished career in appointed government office where he has been directly responsible for things. Cruz was not just part of a legislative body like Obama and Rubio where responsibility for bad outcomes is delayed and diffused and anybody can take credit for good outcomes, whether or not they had much to do with it.
- The field, in no particular order at this point.
- My last preference was pretty close between Jeb Bush and Donald Trump with Bush dead last.
We have 330 million people in this country. We don’t need to limit the presidency to members of two families, Bush’s and Clintons. That alone is sufficient reason for Bush to be at the bottom of my list. He was a poor campaigner and it looked to me like his heart was not in the effort.
Trump is my guy now, but I have not forgotten why I preferred others:
- He has been on both sides of most issues that define conservatism.
- His positions now may well be temporary.
- I don’t see him as honest, a man of character. He is a character.
- Prior to 2010 he supported more Democrats in elections, apparently including Hilary Clinton, and Harry Reid.
- I didn’t like his demeanor at the debates, turning them into food fights, with the whole hearted cooperation of the “moderators” and reluctant cooperation of the other candidates.
- I didn’t like his compliments to the thief and murderer Vladimir Putin and his defense of the murder charge “it has never been proven”. Trump is either ignorant or so blinded by a compliment that he cannot admit the truth.
At this point it looks like Trump is our nominee, I hope he will be the lesser evil, but no guarantee. I will support him, doorbell for him, host his yard sign and vote for him with my fingers crossed.