Trump or no Trump

[LarryFlew]

While I would agree Hailey could do the job do you really think we can get enough oomph to get a female elected? IMO too many good old boys that would push against it from all sides.

[Holland&Holland]

While I would agree Hailey could do the job do you really think we can get enough oomph to get a female elected? IMO too many good old boys that would push against it from all sides.

Then we are just effed and will always have a socialist overlord.

[Jackpine Savage]

Halley, Rubio feel a little too old guard establishment to me. I don't see any strong stands taken by those two, especially at the southern border.

At this point in time I prefer DeSantis, with Noem as VP.

[Jackpine Savage]

DeSantis Blasts Republican 'Boneless Wonders,' Totally Destroys 'Fake News' Media

Yes, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis is a man on a mission. Moreover, the popular Florida governor doesn’t suffer fools gladly — be those fools his fellow Republicans, left-wing loons, or anywhere in between.

A fired-up DeSantis went full metal attack mode at a Washington, D.C., Republican dinner on Tuesday night, effectively telling spineless Republican politicians to get hop aboard the train — or get the hell out of the way. “We don’t have time for boneless wonders,” he said.

More at link: https://redstate.com/mike_miller/2021/10/27/desantis-blasts-republican-boneless-wonders-totally-destroys-fake-news-media-n464675

[BigBlue]

Halley, Rubio feel a little too old guard establishment to me. I don't see any strong stands taken by those two, especially at the southern border.

At this point in time I prefer DeSantis, with Noem as VP.

Part of me wonders if it would be a better chance with Noem as the pres position. That might draw some of the moderate liberal support who always wants to see 'progress'. And she seems like a great leader.

[jdege]

https://www.bizpacreview.com/2021/10/27/no-time-for-boneless-wonders-desantis-has-scathing-message-for-spineless-gop-members-1154994/
No time for ‘Boneless Wonders’ – DeSantis has scathing message for spineless GOP members

[xd ED]

Halley, Rubio feel a little too old guard establishment to me. I don't see any strong stands taken by those two, especially at the southern border.

At this point in time I prefer DeSantis, with Noem as VP.

Part of me wonders if it would be a better chance with Noem as the pres position. That might draw some of the moderate liberal support who always wants to see 'progress'. And she seems like a great leader.

Hard to say if her gender would sway many. After all, Larry Elder was painted as the face of white supremacy in his bid to help fix California.
Gov Noem certainly has got the attention of the left/ media. She can't make a move without someone taking a shot at her. She has, in the past stated that she had no interest in going back to DC. But that was before the last election.
She has the talent to lead, and a great following across the country. I don't follow De Santis as much as I have Noem, but I'd vote for her in a heartbeat; likely DeSantis, as well...
Together they would be very popular among conservatives, hard to guess as to what the rest of the political spectrum will do.

[Lumpy]

My 2-¢:

I never thought highly of Trump; I thought he was an uncredentialed amateur, a buffoonish blowhard, and quite possibly a crook. But he was the alternative to Hillary Clinton. I hoped that at worst he was mostly harmless. I was confident that at the end of the day Trump was too chicken$hit and incompetent to be a real fascist, despite the Trump Derangement Syndrome pronouncements from the Left. The following essay from 2016 captured my reasoning exactly:

I Can't Stand Donald Trump. But I'm Voting For Him

So four years later? His presidency accomplished one thing of enduring value: conservative justices, including three on the Supreme Court. Otherwise he largely wasted his time and support on ineffectual posturing. He wasn't even any great friend of gun rights. But in my eyes he went from "at least not a Dem" to "an embarrassing disgrace" when he championed the whole "electoral fraud" narrative. Regardless of what you think progressive Democrats would do if they thought they could get away with it, the whole voting process was under too much scrutiny for any large-scale fraud to pass unnoticed. At some point you have to publicly declare what you'll accept as proof that you lost, and abide by your words. Trump decided if he couldn't get reelected he'd at least maintain his cred with the flat-out paranoids. In the process he maligned the integrity of the voting process- and if you truly believe that that's a lost cause, if "They" control elections already, then there's no point in even trying to win elections or complaining about the outcome, and you should be joining the armed underground.

I voted for Trump again in 2020 not because I thought his reelection wouldn't be a disaster, but more or less as a protest vote which I was certain would count for nothing when Minnesota's electoral college votes went to Biden anyway. Now I'm hoping that a lack of a Democratic supermajority and a conservative Supreme Court keep Biden in check until the 2022 elections. As for 2024... I keep finding myself wishing that Trump would pass away peacefully in his sleep of natural causes and someone more sane wins the support of the Republican party.

So who? I dunno. But certainly one very good guide would be the potential candidate's actual put-up-or-shut-up voting record on guns (which Trump failed incidentally). I'm indebted to L. Neil Smith for the following essay which states the case very succinctly.

Why Did it Have to be... Guns?

Make no mistake: all politicians -- even those ostensibly on the side of guns and gun ownership -- hate the issue and anyone, like me, who insists on bringing it up. They hate it because it's an X-ray machine. It's a Vulcan mind-meld. It's the ultimate test to which any politician -- or political philosophy -- can be put.

[Jackpine Savage]

I think Trump accomplished more than the judges. What gained him traction in the first place was illegal immigration. He was making progress despite opposition from both parties. And now we have an unmitigated disaster.

He was also right on trade. He got a better agreement with Canada and Mexico. He was the first one to finally challenge China.

I also think he was right about election fraud. The Democrats in the big cities cheat year in and year out. With the excuse of Covid they were able to bend enough rules to make the difference in the battle ground states.

[Jackpine Savage]

I will add that I think Trump needs a personality transplant. I wouldn't be surprised if he's on the autism spectrum somewhere around Asperger's.

My DW is much more worldly than me. She used to tour with biggest rock and roll bands and country western singers doing stage lighting. On one tour she ended up on a softball team with Marla Maples and they hit it off. She thinks Trump is a pig but she voted for him twice.

[BigBlue]

Trump was awful as the face of the presidency, for sure. But he did far more than just the conservative justices. He helped get the US to energy independence and show that we didn't need to depend on the middle east. The simple fact that his policies enabled that quickly and got us cheap gas, which was IMMEDIATELY reversed when Bidet took office laid bare the shenanigans that government can pull to affect industries. Now, at least, we know it is possible to produce plenty of our own oil and have it be affordable.

He also managed to get the left to reveal their hand on many different agendas that were 'known' but never openly acknowledged before. Seeing the enemy in their true form and their intentions has value.

I didn't like him either, but I liked some of the results. He advocated for America and those citizens that love her when she's at her best. Even the small concept such as "Make America Great Again" contrasts so well against the "We hate everything about this country and want to change it into something else entirely" of the left. Passion to do better is much different than passion to tear it apart. Both are change but one unites and one divides on its way (in general; obviously TDS led to division in both cases this time).

[Jackpine Savage]

Trump was awful as the face of the presidency, for sure. But he did far more than just the conservative justices. He helped get the US to energy independence and show that we didn't need to depend on the middle east. The simple fact that his policies enabled that quickly and got us cheap gas, which was IMMEDIATELY reversed when Bidet took office laid bare the shenanigans that government can pull to affect industries. Now, at least, we know it is possible to produce plenty of our own oil and have it be affordable.

He also managed to get the left to reveal their hand on many different agendas that were 'known' but never openly acknowledged before. Seeing the enemy in their true form and their intentions has value.

I didn't like him either, but I liked some of the results. He advocated for America and those citizens that love her when she's at her best. Even the small concept such as "Make America Great Again" contrasts so well against the "We hate everything about this country and want to change it into something else entirely" of the left. Passion to do better is much different than passion to tear it apart. Both are change but one unites and one divides on its way (in general; obviously TDS led to division in both cases this time).

Well said. A couple more points, I don't think anyone can seriously argue now that the legacy media is anything other than the propaganda arm of the DNC. Journalism is dead.

He also revealed the power and true nature of the 'deep state' or whatever you want to call the federal bureaucracy. We are teetering on the edge of a great abyss. If the next president doesn't manage to rein in the DOJ, FBI, NSA, etc, etc, we will be living 1984.

[xd ED]

Trump was awful as the face of the presidency, for sure. But he did far more than just the conservative justices. He helped get the US to energy independence and show that we didn't need to depend on the middle east. The simple fact that his policies enabled that quickly and got us cheap gas, which was IMMEDIATELY reversed when Bidet took office laid bare the shenanigans that government can pull to affect industries. Now, at least, we know it is possible to produce plenty of our own oil and have it be affordable.

He also managed to get the left to reveal their hand on many different agendas that were 'known' but never openly acknowledged before. Seeing the enemy in their true form and their intentions has value.

I didn't like him either, but I liked some of the results. He advocated for America and those citizens that love her when she's at her best. Even the small concept such as "Make America Great Again" contrasts so well against the "We hate everything about this country and want to change it into something else entirely" of the left. Passion to do better is much different than passion to tear it apart. Both are change but one unites and one divides on its way (in general; obviously TDS led to division in both cases this time).

Well said.

I doubt too many people really 'liked' George Patton, either, for similar reasons.
But neither man's accomplishments can be denied.

[Holland&Holland]

Trump was no Patton.