The Republicans held their convention this week and as all political conventions are, it was a slobberfest for their nominee Donald Trump. My MAGA-wife watched most all of the event…four loooonnnng days…on NEWSMAX (what I refer to as Trump TV). After three days of political stagecraft, the convention climaxed with Donald Trump accepting the nomination on the fourth night and making his pitch not only to the Republicans, but also to the curious few who might not yet be fully committed to a 2024 presidential candidate.
The
common theme being circulated among political observers was that Donald Trump
was a changed man after surviving an assassination attempt. I think this was the motivation for many
people to watch his speech and pay attention to its content; at least, it was
for me. I regret to say that based on my
observation of his marathon oral exercise, and conceding that the man might be
changed inwardly; it appears to me that the failed attempt on his life did
little to mitigate his bluster, his ego, his arrogance, and his love affair
with himself. In fact, it might very
well have strengthened those unattractive personal traits.
I
consider an individual’s personal faith and relationship with God to be a matter
best left to the individual and the Almighty.
I myself have always…and continue to struggle with the eternal dynamic
of God’s will and that of mankind’s free will.
The degree to which our Lord intervenes in our everyday affairs is
simply beyond my understanding and I accept that. The degree to which I…and everyone else…am responsible for my own words and actions is
much easier for me to grasp. Was it “God’s will” that a bullet narrowly missed
killing Donald Trump? Or was it simply a
perfect storm of circumstances where a mentally unbalanced shooter was rushed
into taking shots that were poorly aimed and tragically found other random
targets? I do not know the answer to these questions.
However,
as much as I sincerely believe that my God knows all and works His will on this
planet’s affairs, I have difficulty believing that He would inject himself
directly into America’s political processes.
For my money, that particular area falls into the category of mankind’s free will. Apparently, Trump does not share my view on
this matter. Now given the fact that he was the person shot at, I will yield
the floor to him with no reservation.
But I will reserve the right to retain my own interpretation of what
might have occurred.
Judging
from Trump’s obsessive use of the word “I”
in his speech (memories of Obama) and
his exaggerated claims of what he had accomplished as past president and what
he might accomplish as a future president, I would have to infer that Trump’s
inflated opinion of himself has been somehow validated, increased, and has become
even more prominent in his aura of self-awareness. If Trump was humbled by this horrific event,
the effect was at best minor. I found the only authentic note of humility
in his entire speech was acknowledgement of the undeniable fact that each of us
should simply be thankful for our lives and take them one day at a time. To me, Donald Trump remains unchanged from the
man he was two months ago…or even four years ago. Trump is gonna be Trump.
By
any measure you might wish to select, Donald Trump has parlayed a privileged
youth with an adulthood of entitled opportunities into some pretty impressive
accomplishments. His personal survival
instincts have proven to be remarkable and he has clearly demonstrated the
courage and strength to have possessed the gift of grace under fire. But make
no mistake about it…anyone who holds the view that Donald Trump…or J.D. Vance for that matter…is a
principled conservative is unquestionably destined for one of two fates. They will either continue to live under the
veil of a false illusion…or they will eventually come face to face with one of
reality’s rude awakenings.
Just
as Trump’s excessively-long and annoyingly-repetitive speech represented (to me) a lost opportunity to strengthen
his presidential campaign…I found his selection of J.D. Vance as his
vice-presidential running mate to be of the same mistaken variety. It was not a bad choice; simply a lost opportunity. Vance has tremendous potential, but clearly does
not have the resume to be acting as president.
I can understand how Trump might relate to Vance as a kindred spirit
from outside of the political world; but a more seasoned candidate with
experience in governmental management would have been a better choice. A selection in that vein would not have just
made good sense; it would have gone a long ways towards settling this election
in Trump’s favor. It goes without saying that there were multiple candidates available
that would have fulfilled this promise.
Not that long ago, Donald Trump was a Democrat. And even though the political views of Vance are now framed within the confines of the Republican Party, the fact is that his populist positions on many issues are not that far removed from traditional (as opposed to modern progressive) liberal Democrat Party views. I suspect that if “hard and harder” Republican conservatives were honest with themselves; they might suspect that both Vance and Trump share these quasi-liberal views under the guise of Republican populism.
I do not see this as a bad thing;
I have always supported a balance between conservative and traditional liberal political philosophy. I personally like the Bush term “compassionate conservatism” and view
myself as a fiscal conservative that is moderate on social affairs. However, I suspect quite strongly that the
view of many Republicans is that Trump and Vance are much more conservative
than they truly are.
Notwithstanding
the fact that vice-presidents are typically low-impact political players, I
imagine that there will be some quite frustrating days ahead for J.D. Vance as
he is required to tone down his personal feelings about various Trump Administration
policy initiatives. I like the fact that
he could be a voice of disagreement and spur some further introspection on
various conservative positions; but unlike him, I won’t have to shut up, sit
down, and toe the party line.
Lest
I give any reader the wrong impression, I am not the least bit reticent nor
uncertain regarding my opinion that Donald Trump is clearly the best choice for
president come this November…no matter
who his Democrat opponent might be. I
am simply trying to counter what I consider to be a false vision of a new,
improved, and somehow more humble Donald Trump perhaps moving into the White
House. He might be wiser based on the
treachery he has been forced to deal with over the last decade and he will not
doubt be somewhat more introspective based on his advanced age and his brush
with death. But I predict a world of
disappointment for anyone who expects a triumphant Donald Trump ascending to
the presidency with anything much removed from his past modus operandi as
president. And all things considered, that will be quite an improvement over what
we have seen for the last three and a half years. After all…that is the entire point of
elections, isn’t it?
The
Republican Party is in a favorable political position for the upcoming general
election because it has a better roster of players, top to bottom, as opposed
to the Democrats. Also, it has done a better
job of resisting being taken over by the radicals within its own party. It continues to promote a superior list of policy initiatives as
compared to the Democrats. But let us be
real; Donald Trump is not some noble knight on a gallant steed riding in to
save this nation. He enjoys his good
prospects because he is opposed by a pathetic and incompetent fool (or someone similarly incompetent). The Republican Party and Trump are not that
good; the Democrat Party and Biden (or
his successor) are simply that bad.
It would be a potentially fatal and tragic mistake for the Republicans
or Trump to forget these truths.
Now…onto
to a few other news stories of interest….
Unfortunately,
this woman is a poster child for the incompetence
that is rampant throughout the Biden Administration: https://www.nationalreview.com/2024/07/secret-service-director-kimberly-cheatle-must-resign/
In
today’s America, our court system (notably SCOTUS) is the last firewall
between the lunacy of the Biden Administration and constitutional order.
Economic policy…here
is common sense…
https://reason.com/2024/07/18/heres-how-to-pay-for-trumps-tax-cuts/
And
here is madness…
https://mrctv.org/blog/craig-bannister/bidenomics-after-41-months-six-charts-media-dont-want-you-see
Will Americans wake up, pay
attention to the actions of those who control our government, and speak
definitively with their votes this November?
https://amgreatness.com/2024/07/17/the-republic-is-asleep/
https://amgreatness.com/2024/07/17/trump-and-the-fate-of-western-civilization/
Will they be given that
opportunity? https://amgreatness.com/2024/07/18/can-we-let-the-voters-decide-not-the-fbi-cia-doj-lawyers-prosecutors-and-judges/
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