The cohort of voters who will not vote for Trump under any conditions exceeds the number who would vote for him - and there is no longer any undecideds to pull one way or the other. That's just a fact that us Trumpists need to accept. He cannot win. Time to pour our energy into a new candidate who can win.
There's also another point I'm trying to make. What would Trump do as President that one of those other candidates wouldn't? In terms of policy, Trump doesn't really bring anything unique at this point. He served a good purpose with his 2016 win, and did some good things. The next guy (cough cough DeSantis) would do similarly good things. So, there's really no down side to moving on, is there?
The downside Trumpists see is that anybody else is unproven and potentially suspect. Where Trump is "perfect" anybody else would at best be "near-perfect" - or much worse. In the human condition, we tend to inflate our worst fears, and I think that's what a number of Trumpists are doing. So it's either Trump or a disaster.
And that's the point of my strategy of simply stating the fact that "Trump cannot win" - I know I can't convince them there's a better candidate (because I don't buy that myself). The problem with Trump is he cannot overcome those committed to ensuring he NEVER gets in again. WF Buckley said we should vote for the most conservative candidate WHO CAN WIN - not to dump our aspirations into a losing cause every four years. This has always been my point to my Libertarian friends as well - vote for the most libertarian candidate WHO CAN WIN. We lead relatively short lives in the grand scheme of history - we need to make our votes count.
Ask them when Trump humbled himself and asked for forgiveness. There’s a famous video clip of Trump saying he doesn’t think he has ever done anything that he needs to ask God for forgiveness for. Remember the term, “Servant Leadership?” How is that reflected in Trump’s behavior? All I hear from Trump, is, “Me! Me! Me! Mine!” - just the opposite of what Jesus did while on Earth.
Arguing with them is no different than arguing with AOC-adorers. You can't logic them out of their beliefs. Perhaps, instead, ask if Trump has led a pious or righteous life...
“Everybody already knows what they think of him. Very few Americans seem inclined to change their minds about Trump. His agenda is the same as before: Build the wall. Root out the ‘deep state.” He’s a victim. “Make America great and glorious again.” It is that same old narcissistic view of the world through a fisheye lens, where all good things come from him and his self-described “very stable genius,” and all bad things are somebody else’s fault. On Election Night last week, Trump summed up his worldview succinctly: “If they win, I should get all the credit, and if they lose, I should not be blamed at all.”
I got a text yesterday asking for Trump contributions. I responded with "why would I do something as stupid as that?". I held my nose to vote for him in 2020 because the alternative was so odious. That he raised $100 million for 2022 and didn't use it for his chosen candidates speaks volumes about his integrity. Loyalty? Phfft! My ass. I'd vote for a ham sandwich before ever considering him in the future. Go away Donny. You just crapped all over whatever was left of your legacy.
I've internally debated the existence of God, swinging from one end of the pendulum to the other. But if one truly believes in a God that loves us, I can't fathom that He would see Trump as a humble human who accepts that we are all sinners (or at least most of us anyway). You simply cannot make that connection. He actually had a chance to redeem himself, but his words and actions show him to be anything but a pious man. I pity anyone who fails to recognize this. I wanted someone to disrupt the deep state, and he did that to some degree, but his hubris overtook what I once thought was a virtuous effort and he revealed his true self to us.
Transactionally considered, Trump served a purpose. He upset the apple cart, his election revealed some very troubling truths, and he actually did a few good things. But, as you note, his true self overrode all that.
There's a misguided loyalty to him in some, for having done served as he did. Things have changed now, though. The reasons to elect him in 2016 aren't there any more, not when every other candidate will continue in the same vein without being scattershot erratic and mercurial.
Just replied to a Trump email this morning “TRUMPS NEEDS TO GO PLAY GOLF ... QUIETLY!⛳️🏌️”
The cohort of voters who will not vote for Trump under any conditions exceeds the number who would vote for him - and there is no longer any undecideds to pull one way or the other. That's just a fact that us Trumpists need to accept. He cannot win. Time to pour our energy into a new candidate who can win.
There's also another point I'm trying to make. What would Trump do as President that one of those other candidates wouldn't? In terms of policy, Trump doesn't really bring anything unique at this point. He served a good purpose with his 2016 win, and did some good things. The next guy (cough cough DeSantis) would do similarly good things. So, there's really no down side to moving on, is there?
The downside Trumpists see is that anybody else is unproven and potentially suspect. Where Trump is "perfect" anybody else would at best be "near-perfect" - or much worse. In the human condition, we tend to inflate our worst fears, and I think that's what a number of Trumpists are doing. So it's either Trump or a disaster.
Sadly, that puts such people into an unreachable zone. The "you can't reason people out of something they didn't reason themselves into" bit.
And that's the point of my strategy of simply stating the fact that "Trump cannot win" - I know I can't convince them there's a better candidate (because I don't buy that myself). The problem with Trump is he cannot overcome those committed to ensuring he NEVER gets in again. WF Buckley said we should vote for the most conservative candidate WHO CAN WIN - not to dump our aspirations into a losing cause every four years. This has always been my point to my Libertarian friends as well - vote for the most libertarian candidate WHO CAN WIN. We lead relatively short lives in the grand scheme of history - we need to make our votes count.
I still see some people saying that Trump “was appointed by God” to lead the nation. What do you say to people who believe that?
Ask them when Trump humbled himself and asked for forgiveness. There’s a famous video clip of Trump saying he doesn’t think he has ever done anything that he needs to ask God for forgiveness for. Remember the term, “Servant Leadership?” How is that reflected in Trump’s behavior? All I hear from Trump, is, “Me! Me! Me! Mine!” - just the opposite of what Jesus did while on Earth.
Arguing with them is no different than arguing with AOC-adorers. You can't logic them out of their beliefs. Perhaps, instead, ask if Trump has led a pious or righteous life...
Jim Geraghty, NR’s “Morning Jolt,” 11/16/22:
“Everybody already knows what they think of him. Very few Americans seem inclined to change their minds about Trump. His agenda is the same as before: Build the wall. Root out the ‘deep state.” He’s a victim. “Make America great and glorious again.” It is that same old narcissistic view of the world through a fisheye lens, where all good things come from him and his self-described “very stable genius,” and all bad things are somebody else’s fault. On Election Night last week, Trump summed up his worldview succinctly: “If they win, I should get all the credit, and if they lose, I should not be blamed at all.”
I got a text yesterday asking for Trump contributions. I responded with "why would I do something as stupid as that?". I held my nose to vote for him in 2020 because the alternative was so odious. That he raised $100 million for 2022 and didn't use it for his chosen candidates speaks volumes about his integrity. Loyalty? Phfft! My ass. I'd vote for a ham sandwich before ever considering him in the future. Go away Donny. You just crapped all over whatever was left of your legacy.
I've internally debated the existence of God, swinging from one end of the pendulum to the other. But if one truly believes in a God that loves us, I can't fathom that He would see Trump as a humble human who accepts that we are all sinners (or at least most of us anyway). You simply cannot make that connection. He actually had a chance to redeem himself, but his words and actions show him to be anything but a pious man. I pity anyone who fails to recognize this. I wanted someone to disrupt the deep state, and he did that to some degree, but his hubris overtook what I once thought was a virtuous effort and he revealed his true self to us.
Transactionally considered, Trump served a purpose. He upset the apple cart, his election revealed some very troubling truths, and he actually did a few good things. But, as you note, his true self overrode all that.
There's a misguided loyalty to him in some, for having done served as he did. Things have changed now, though. The reasons to elect him in 2016 aren't there any more, not when every other candidate will continue in the same vein without being scattershot erratic and mercurial.