Is Trump Done? (Revised)

After much thought and deliberations I have decided to resind what I have written below. I don't think I wrote the post in anger. I did write with some despair. I watched us lose several elections that were very winnable. Probably taken via shenanigans. I also watched out GOP "leadership" fail in more ways than I can count.

They didn't provide the campaign funding necessary to win.

They have not, and will not, put forth any effort to overcome the strategies, both legal and illegal, that the progressives have honed to an art form.

They will not recognize the party has changed. Yes, we are still moral in how we live our lives. But no longer are we the party of big businesses. Take a look at the top 10 richest people in the USA. Eight of them donate solely to progressive causes and candidates. Only Peter Theil and Elon Musk donate to conservatives. And Musk is not fully on board. Nearly every company in the USA (and the world) have gone woke. Yet our party "leaders" continue to beg for table scraps.

Initially, my thoughts ran towards DeSantis. But the more I read about him the more I become concerned. That the McConnell/Romney branch have remained quiet regarding DeSantis says volumes. While I still feel, outside of Trump, DeSantis is our best options, I am no longer comfortable throwing my support behind him.

TRUMP 2024!!!!

I am going to say something that is going to be unpopular here. It is time we moved away from Trump. Not because I want us to go back to the old ways, but because he has become a bit of a liability. Before we go too far down the road here I will acknowledge that his track record endorsing candidates was nearly perfect. 93% of the candidates he endorsed won at all levels, including primaries, state level and national offices. The caveat here is nearly all of those wins were in districts that really weren’t all that competitive. In districts that were close, his track record wasn’t as good. In Washington state, his endorsed candidate lost. The previous District 03 representative was a republican. However, she made a mistake in voting to impeach Trump, which put her in the cross hairs. I’d bet a dime that she and her team tried to make a calculated decision for her upcoming 2022 campaign. In a purple district, sometimes one has to make decisions that MIGHT go against your normal stances. She was primaried and lost to Joe Kent who was endorsed by Trump. This district is and has been purple. A region that might not take to Trumpism. While I was in favor of taking down those republicans who voted to impeach Trump like Cheney and the putz from Illinois, Herrera-Beutler needed to be saved. Yes, she voted against Trump. But she was a reliable, if squishy, republican, and most importantly, represented a purple district. Incumbency has its benefits, and I have no doubt she would have won fairly handily. In Pennsylvania his endorsed candidate lost to a man who has the mental capacity of a 12 year old (just a guess, not a medical diagnosis). I wonder if Dr. Oz could have won if he didn’t have Trump’s endorsement. Considering how corrupt Pennsylvania elections can be, I do have my doubts. But maybe if Oz wasn’t endorsed by Trump, the cheating apparatus would have not swung into full gear. Who knows.

By no means am I suggesting that we should go back towards the McCain-Romney model of the republican party. We have been trending for years towards the party of the working and middle class. All one has to do is look at the base of Trump supporters. We’re talking about plumbers, construction workers, people who attend church, folks who have families. We haven’t been the party of the rich for many years. Oh sure, we do have the wealthy within the base, but the old model of working class being with the progressives is no longer the case. The one thing that Trump has done is awaken many. We no longer have to settle for the Mitch McConnell’s of the world. We can support candidates that better meet our expectations and desires. Candidates have risen across the country that will keep the Trump fire alive without the scorched earth policy that comes with Trump. While it is much too soon to talk about him, JD Vance had a pretty convincing victory in Ohio. In Florida, Ron DeSantis won by an astonishing 20%. Each of them carries the America First torch proudly. The biggest question that needs to be answered is whether the MAGA movement can be sustained without Donald Trump at the helm. It would be a risky move. Given the way Trump can be vindictive (See DeSantis, et al), asking him to hand over the reins could cause problems. Even worse would be taking the reins.

What has made him so popular among the vast and wide base has also made him a liability. We are not likely going to change the minds of progressives, they are much too attached to power. Many of them are drunk with the possibilities of what unlimited power could bring. It is the independents that we must reach out to. This where we have our Trump problem. If you really bother to look at most of what his stances are, very few people could argue against his policies. Strong military, robust economy, energy independence, sovereign borders. It is his way of articulating those policies that drive just enough away from the party. He needs a filter. Everyone knows this. I have no doubt that many of his advisors have tried to shut him up, take a step back, quit putting your foot in your mouth. But he just seems incapable of this. And it is hurting our chances. And his.

Trump seems to have lost a bit of focus on just what is at stake here. When he ran and won in 2016 he was able to put on the brakes of the fundamental changes that Obama started. He needs to remember that he is an instrument that is necessary to stop our slide towards Marxism. It is not about him; it is about what direction the country is heading. When he makes the elections about him, he begins to alienate many, including some within his base. If he is able to pivot away from his me-first attitude over the next two years and show me that he truly believes in what is best for our country, then maybe I will soften my stance.

One position that Trump must absolutely abandon is that the 2020 election wasn’t legit. Don’t get me wrong, 2020 will go down as one of the most corrupt elections to ever occur in western civilization. Not a single person who says the election was fair and square can point to something that proves it was fair and square. That they fight tooth and nail every effort to make elections transparent is very telling. Those of us who believe without hesitation that there was much chicanery going on the night of 3 Nov 2020 can point to many things that show not everything was on the up and up. I also believe that many on the progressive side of the issue know deep in their cold dark hearts that 2020 was not one of our finer moments. But we need to move on from that stance. I certainly am not saying we need to forget. NEVER FORGET!! As we move forward, we need to ensure that elections from here on out (2022 seems to have had several issues) remain free, fair, and transparent. It doesn’t help the America First cause when on the one hand we have Trump ALWAYS making it a point in his speeches. It energizes the progressives and alienates the Independents. Very few America First conservatives believe the 2020 election was clean, but to keep harping on it does us no good. It gives the progressives a hammer in which to nail us. Look at Arizona. Kari Lake should have absolutely crushed Hobbs. The polls were in her favor. Her rallies were well attended. She was able to articulate her views clearly and concisely. She was able to smartly deflect nearly all of the gotcha questions from the democrat-controlled media. The Hobbs campaign and her sycophants in the media were constantly grilling her on her stance on 2020. She did well to deflect those questions, but the die was cast for many voters. She had attached herself to Trump. Once the “counting” began in Maricopa County, the fix was in. Because she was a Trump endorsed candidate, very few people pushed back on the shenanigans going on in the Phoenix area.

Let’s not forget that nearly every single institution in America will do everything in their powers to keep Trump from office. Other than us normal Americans he has no allies. He has a huge target on his back, and they are firing everything they have at him. It all starts with the media. Anyone who says that media bias doesn’t exist needs to read the following.

Kelly’s campaign had focused on winning over that state’s independent voters. He had at times sought to distance himself from Joe Biden and pitched himself as a moderate foil to his opponent.

…snip…

Kelly’s 2022 campaign largely focused on his support for abortion rights, protecting Social Security, lowering drug prices and ensuring a stable water supply in the midst of a drought, which has curtailed Arizona’s cut of water from the Colorado River.

Masters, 36, is a venture capitalist without political experience who was backed by billionaire tech investor Peter Thiel. Like other Republicans running for statewide positions on Arizona’s ballot, Masters denied the 2020 election results and repeated false claims of election fraud. He has falsely suggested that the January 6 insurrection was secretly directed by the FBI, has endorsed the white supremacist “great replacement” theory and blamed Black Americans for gun violence.

Not a single policy position of Masters was noted within this article ran on The Guardian.com on 11 Nov. Kelly’s positions were pointed out in somewhat glowing terms. It really wouldn’t have been that difficult for the author to point out that Masters supports the 2nd Amendment, or that he supports a secure border. Plus, the article doesn’t support in any manner that the 2020 elections were on the up and up. There is plenty of evidence that while there might not have been outright fraud (there was, see 2000 Mules), there is no doubt unconstitutional rule changes were made. The author also made sure to note that Masters’ campaign was supported by a supposedly controversial billionaire, yet no mention that Kelly’s campaign received large sums of money from George Soros, who in many circles, is a very controversial figure.

We all can point to many policy positions of Trump's that helped ever day Americans. Energy independence. Secure borders. No new wars. The area that he failed miserably was his response to Covid. He allowed unelected bureaucrats to guide and make policy decisions that harmed us all. Trump did make some smart decisions during the pandemic. Using the Declaration of Emergency, he was able to shift manufacturing to making necessary medical apparatus such as N-95 masks and respirators. But the whole “14 days to flatten the curve” was just plain bad. It allowed petty tyrants at both the national and state levels to gain a toehold. Under the direction from the White House many states instituted lockdown measures never seen in this nation. I could go on here. I do envision the decisions he made during this time will have a negative impact on his campaign.

As if this all isn’t enough, the guy will be 79 years old when (and if) he takes office in 2024. Trump is a very robust individual for his age. He is certainly doing better than the current occupant of the White House. But there comes a time in everyone’s life when age catches up. Our health deteriorates very rapidly. It is apparent this hasn’t yet happened to Trump, but it will. When? I have no idea, but the odds are stacked against him, and only will get worse as time marches along.

If he runs, and he is selected as the nominee in 2024, I will vote for him with absolutely no hesitation. He did many awesome things during his four years. I, like many Americans, happen to like cheap gasoline, a robust economy, and a secure border. I want more of that. But I fear he will lose to almost anyone who is the progressive candidate. Even if the current VP in name only runs, Trump will lose. There are too many forces allied against him. First and foremost is the establishment. This includes both progressives and RINOs. They have already stated they will do anything within their power to stop him. The question becomes can he overcome all the forces allied against him? He did the impossible back in 2016. I’m just not sure he can do it in 2024.