Why Trump is Failing

The Republican field with 17 candidates pursuing the GOP nomination was referred to as a great bench. Some we knew, many we did not. I listened to Trump’s announcement of his candidacy and he immediately got my attention after seven plus years in which I perceived that the Federal Government was at war with US citizens.

It was nice to see someone speaking out forcibly with no concern for political correctness. “I’ll make America great again, I will build the wall and make Mexico pay for it and the problem we have are stupid people making the decisions for our government.” These are just a few of the ideas and they may not be exact quotes, but they are close. He aroused the concern (some say anger) of millions of Americans.

Initially I thought Trump might be an option, but Trump didn’t stop there. He continued for months in a PG13 campaign. So it was Trump that convinced me he would be the worst of all possibilities.

So what did Trump do or say that turned me off? First, of all the candidates running from either party, he is most like Obama. He is thin skinned, vindictive, unprepared for the Presidency, surrounds himself with sycophants and totally unwilling to take responsibility for his actions. He really does act like a juvenile. He threatens, curses, lies about situations or people that he perceives didn’t treat him like royalty. It is clear that the Obama administration misused their power by having the IRS, EPA, Justice Department and other federal agencies investigate or harass religious groups, Tea Party Groups, True the Vote and others like Gibson Guitar. Obama never threatened such harassment while he was campaigning. However, Trump, while he is trying to get us to support him, is threatening members of congress, military leaders and anyone he thinks opposes him. What will he be like if he becomes President?

There are a couple of other things that influenced me. Trump says he is self-financing his campaign, He is, after a fashion, but he is loaning money to the campaign which will be paid back or will there be another bankruptcy? Also, when ask about specifics of his policies, he frequently changes the subject, interrupts or attacks. When asked about the three responsibilities of the federal government listed in the constitution he said security, health care and education. Only the first is correct.

I liked and looked into several candidates: Scott Walker, Dr. Ben Carson, Carly Fiorina, Bobby Jindal, Rand Paul, Marco Rubio and Ted Cruz. The more I studied Cruz and his campaign that was built on a foundation of the Declaration of Independence, The Constitution and the Bill of Rights, the more I liked him.

After all, as an old guy, they still taught these when I was in school. These documents are the ones that protect our freedoms such as freedom of speech, freedom to worship, freedom to own guns and freedom from unjustified search and seizure and protection from an overzealous government. I’m not concerned about these things for my sake, but I am concerned about the future freedom of my children, grandchildren and those yet to be born.

They say Ted Cruz is hated by career politicians. He doesn’t play their game and refuses to welch on his campaign promises. The main stream media (including FOX) oppose him because he is a straight forward, honest conservative. One of the things that meant the most to me was his record and reputation for absolute honesty. I also liked that he had argued before the Supreme Court, several times, and won in cases overturning federal overreach, restrictions on gun ownership, free speech and religious freedom.

If you watch Trump, you discover he is anything but honest. He tried to overcome Cruz’s reputation by calling him a liar and accusing him of dirty tricks. Trump said he would surround himself with the best people but he has done just the opposite in his campaign so far.

Trump’s success has been limited so far. Most of the voters in the Republican primary have voted against him leaving just 37 percent voting for him. He encourages supporters to react with violence and suggests there will be riots if he doesn’t get the nomination.

When I was teaching, some students applied themselves and worked hard resulting in good grades. A few spent their nights doing things that were more fun (like Trump tweeting) and received poor grades. I don’t recall any accusing those who worked hard of cheating.

Trump and his minions say Cruz is trying to steal the delegates. The fact is Trump didn’t do his homework and was not prepared. Cruz has thousands of volunteers (young, old and of different backgrounds) because he inspires them. In fact, the head of one of Trump’s Political Action Committees recently resigned saying that Trump entered the race to expand his brand. He never seriously considered he would be successful and did not prepare himself. Apparently he now seeks more power and money.

Trump leads in delegates and to date most of those delegated were earned when [the] vote was divided among many candidates and the primary was open to Democrats as well as Republicans. Trump is favored to win his home state but he has not done well in other recent contests, If he reaches 1,237 delegates on the first vote at the convention, he will be the Republican Presidential nominee. Many pundits are predicting that he will not succeed in the first round of voting and the nomination will go to someone else.

It is like a nightmare to consider that we might have to choose between two New York, liberal progressives. Many Republican and Independent voters will stay home and not vote and some will vote for the lesser of two evils. Almost every poll says Hillary will defeat Trump and recent polls project a double-digit trouncing. The Democrats could regain control of the Senate. Two more progressives on the Supreme Court could result in a more intrusive government and further loss of freedoms.

Usually the Montana Primary is so late that the Presidential nominees are already decided. This year our opportunity to vote on June 7 could have an impact.

This column was submitted in response to an article titled “Why Trump is Successful” in the April 6 issue of the Courier by Parker Kulczyk (Juvenescent Jots).