Fire Trump

Loser. Lightweight. Bimbo. Pathetic. What do these words have in common? They are all among Donald J. Trump’s go-to words when it comes to insulting his opponents or really anyone who disagrees with him. (If you would like to further explore Donald's impressive insult vocabulary, the New York Times has very thoughtfully compiled every single one of his insults in one convenient place. You're welcome.) One would expect this kind of vocabulary on the grade school playground or at an insult comic's show, but it’s hardly the vocabulary of a man who aspires to become the leader of the free world. Despite his unconventional style, bombastic manner, broad generalizations, lack of serious policy ideas, and generally abrasive personality, Trump seems to have the inside track on the Republican nomination for president. Or maybe it’s not despite these qualities, but instead, precisely due to these qualities, that he is the front runner. In fact, I am convinced it is the latter.

Americans want nothing more than a straight talker; someone who tells it like it is. Americans are utterly exasperated with the empty rhetoric and politically correct posturing of politicians in this country. They have been lied to time and time again, by politicians in both parties. One party promises change and is brought to power with the expectation that they will fulfill this promise. But, once they get to Washington nothing changes. And so, next election, it’s back to the other party. This vicious cycle has repeated itself over and over, especially in recent years. Americans are so frustrated with this seemingly unending sequence that they will support anyone who seems to buck this trend. They want a doer, not a talker. They want someone who is not afraid to speak his or her mind, and who will follow through with what they promise to do. So, when these voters look at the 2016 presidential field, what do they see? They see two candidates whose families have probably been in politics longer than they have been alive, one of whom is embroiled in multiple scandals. They see a collection of senators and governors (past and present) who may be fresh faces but are still seen as a part of the hated establishment. They also see several outsiders who have a lot of nice ideas, but don’t seem qualified for the job. Then, they see Donald Trump who is nothing like any of these other candidates, and nothing like perhaps any other candidate in history. He has never held elected office, so he definitely qualifies as an outsider, which seems to be what voters want this election. He is so rich that he doesn't have to bow to special interests. He is a wildly successful businessman (at least if you believe his account of it). And most importantly, he is loud, obnoxious, exciting, and says exactly what he thinks. More specifically, he says what they think. Republican voters are fed up with political correctness, illegal immigration, radical Islam, Obamacare, etc. Trump unequivocally blasts each and every one of these things. While his supporters may not necessarily agree with all his proposed solutions for these problems, they like how he doesn't hold back when he talks about them.

So what is the problem then? Trump sounds like the perfect candidate for today’s America. Wrong. Let me explain. There are two basic components of a political candidate. The first and most visible side is that of rhetoric, or what he says and how he says it. The second is that of policy ideas. Unfortunately, in today’s 24 hour news cycle, a candidate’s policy ideas are oftentimes swept to the side. The networks would much rather cover Jeb Bush lambasting Marco Rubio for missing votes or Donald Trump saying he would “bomb the s—t out of ISIS,” than cover someone like John Kasich or Ben Carson laying out their plan to reform education or welfare. That’s just the nature of the media. Make no mistake, rhetoric is an important part of a campaign. As we've seen with candidates like Rick Perry, an otherwise highly qualified candidate can easily become a laughingstock if they appear to be unprepared or incapable of performing under pressure. This was also the case with Mitt Romney in 2012. By all accounts, Romney was a capable executive, both as a businessman and as a governor. He had very thorough policy stances, and was unquestionably knowledgeable on a wide range of issues. But, if that was all that mattered in a presidential race, we would likely be in the third year of the Romney administration. Mitt’s problem was with rhetoric. He failed miserably when it came to differentiating himself from Barack Obama and describing conservative principles to the American people. Voters desperately wanted a change in Washington. But Romney gave them no reason to believe that he was the change they wanted. Realistically speaking, it is rare to find a candidate with both the ability to express himself eloquently and well-developed policy ideas. Scarcer still are candidates with persuasive rhetoric and good policy ideas. Donald Trump possesses neither. Saying he is going to deport 12 million people or ban all Muslims from the country may win him votes in the primaries, they are hardly the comments that will appeal to the independent voters he will need to win in order to beat the Democratic nominee.

Rhetoric aside, many of Donald Trump’s policies would be detrimental to America. To start, while less publicized than some of his other ideas, his tax plan is not exactly what you would call conservative. According to the Tax Foundation, Trump’s plan would increase the federal deficit by over $10 trillion. It’s hard to believe that conservatives are supporting such a plan as this. While there are some good aspects about this plan, such as reducing the amounts of tax brackets no one would ever mistake it for conservative tax policy. It is blatantly progressive as nearly 50% of Americans would pay no taxes at all. Another of the policies he has advocated for, and one that might be the most concerning is his proposed 45% tariff on Chinese exports. Anyone with half an understanding of trade could tell you that this would be an unmitigated disaster. China would undoubtedly respond in kind, thereby hurting us probably more than we'd be hurting them. While this tariff may encourage or force American corporations to return to the United States, it would put a massive strain on our relationship with one of the largest economic powers in the world and is against every principle of free trade. If Trump wants corporations to return to the U.S. he should provide incentives for them to do so, not force them by taxing them into oblivion. Trump has stated that if elected, he would like to appoint his sister to the Supreme Court. His sister, Maryanne Trump Barry, is a circuit judge on the U.S. Court of Appeals, who happens to be a radical, pro-choice advocate. Finally, his plan to deport 12 million illegal immigrants is most likely impossible, outrageously expensive, and in some cases, downright unchristian. However, he knows it scores him points with his base, so he continues to double down. The inflammatory rhetoric that Trump engages in will do nothing other than to divide Americans, alienate our allies, and embolden our enemies. Nothing Trump has said or done during his time in the public eye suggests that he is a conservative since his new found conservative views are in stark contrast to what he said in the past. Here's a video showing all the times Donald Trump talked about how liberal he was. Trump supported and still supports universal government health care. He supported partial birth abortion. He supports eminent domain. He has praised both Bill and Hillary Clinton on multiple occasions. He supported the bank and auto bailouts. He has donated to the Clintons, Chuck Schumer, Harry Reid, and Nancy Pelosi, as well as the Democratic Party. He supported gun control. And perhaps most hypocritical of all, up until recently, he supported amnesty. How is anyone supposed to trust this man? There is nothing to indicate that he is a reliable conservative who would not merely revert to his liberal views once the general election cycle begins.

For a moment, let's assume that Trump’s rhetoric or his ideas are not a problem. Let’s assume that banning Muslims from America, monitoring mosques, shutting down parts of the internet, and everything else, are actually good ideas. Even if we accept that premise, Trump is still an unacceptable candidate. Pay attention to his speeches and interviews. If you really listen to him, you will realize that the man has laid out no real plans on how he will implement his ideas. When pressed on how he will implement his policies, he rarely can or will elaborate. His response is often, "we're just gonna do it." He is also ignorant on an alarmingly large amount of issues. For instance, when asked about the nuclear triad in one of the debates it was clear he had no idea what the triad was, and it fell to Marco Rubio to explain it. As someone who has never been involved in politics, he clearly has no clue how the political system works. Certainly, he won't be able to effectively work with congress if elected.

Perhaps most concerning of all is the damage Donald Trump is doing to the Republican Party. Republicans cannot remain a viable national party if they routinely insult women and minorities as Mr. Trump so routinely does. White baby boomers will not decide elections much longer. The electorate is becoming younger and more diverse. The GOP has been trying to re-brand itself in order to appeal to the essential demographics of millennial voters, women, and Hispanic voters. A Trump nomination would likely destroy whatever inroads that have been made. As Michael Medved put it, “Trump is the living, breathing, bellowing personification of all the nasty characteristics Democrats routinely ascribe to Republicans.” Additionally, if elected president, he would increase the size of government which would cause Republicans to lose all credibility when it comes to speaking of fiscal responsibility and conservative government. In short, Donald Trump would set the Republican Party back decades and deal a blow to conservatism that could very well prove fatal.

Recently I attended the First in the Nation Presidential Town Hall in Nashua, New Hampshire. Speaking at this town hall were presidential candidates Jeb Bush, Carly Fiorina, Marco Rubio, Rand Paul, Rick Santorum, and Jim Gilmore (yes, he is still running). While I don’t agree with everything these candidates stand for, each and every one of them would be a far better choice than Donald Trump. At this event these candidates laid out a bold conservative vision for America. They talked in detail about their plans for reviving the American dream, jump-starting the economy, reforming healthcare, and most importantly, keeping America safe from the global threat of terrorism. Unfortunately, most of this will be lost in the Trump mania as many Republicans continue to ignore the candidates who actually have a plan for the future.

Donald Trump is not a thoughtful conservative. Donald Trump is a demagogue. William F. Buckley Jr., the founder of the National Review and longtime conservative icon, said this about Trump in 2000: “Look for the narcissist. The most obvious target in today’s lineup is, of course, Donald Trump. When he looks at a glass, he is mesmerized by its reflection. If Donald Trump were shaped a little differently, he would compete for Miss America. But whatever the depths of self-enchantment, the demagogue has to say something. So what does Trump say? That he is a successful businessman and that that is what America needs in the Oval Office. There is some plausibility in this, though not much. The greatest deeds of American Presidents — midwifing the new republic; freeing the slaves; harnessing the energies and vision needed to win the Cold War — had little to do with a bottom line.” Trump’s following is a cult of personality, and that is exactly what is so dangerous about him. His supporters are so wrapped up in their admiration of him, that nearly nothing will sway their opinion. Trump himself admitted to this when he said, only half jokingly, that he could shoot someone in the middle of 5^th Avenue and not lose any supporters. This is similar to what we saw with Barack Obama in 2008. Obama excited voters in a way that has rarely been seen in American politics. People were obsessed with him. His rallies were attended by thousands of adoring fans, and seemed more like rock concerts than political rallies. Now, seven years later, the same thing is happening with Donald Trump. Beware of any candidate that can incite this type of adulation; they are likely not receiving this type of attention because they are a good candidate, but because they know precisely what people want to hear and are experts at exploiting this for their own political gain.

It is for these reasons I am terrified to think of the possibility of Donald Trump being elected President. Consequently, I am joining with other conservatives around America to denounce Donald J. Trump as a fraud, and as someone who would be bad for the party, for the conservative movement, and most of all, bad for the United States of America. It’s time for conservatives to unite and refuse to let Trump be nominated. We refuse to him speak for us or our party. Donald Trump must be defeated.