Where would we be today if Donald Trump had not won the Republican nomination in 2016? Hillary Clinton or Ted Cruz would be President today. While "chilling on my couch" recently I was reflecting on how the media is attempting to turn this Corona virus crisis into the Tet Offensive 2.0.; in other words, they were are lying about it to try ruin the President and turn public opinion against him. A technique I call "Cronkiting" after former CBS newsman Walter Cronkite. However, this is not 1967 and neither Clinton nor Cruz are Donald Trump. Once again Donald Trump is going to turn this around on them and they are again going to be hoisted on their own petard.
Is there anybody else on the modern scene who could do what Donald Trump has done? What do we think would have happened if Barak Obama had given the same set of orders? Does anyone think the American people would have rallied behind him to shut down our institutions? Or what about Hillary do you think sports leagues or schools would have shut down for Hillary? Or what if Ted Cruz had won the Republican nomination and election do you think Congress would have rallied behind his leadership? Let's look at each person one at a time.
Do you think that people who had seen how Obama had taken control of healthcare had bullied business to gain control of them for bailouts, or had they seen his misuse of authority against his political opponents would have so easily given up their freedoms? It amazes me that few people are asking Trump when this will end? Instead, many in the main stream openly are calling for our national condition to go on in perpetuity? What does that reveal about the American mindset do we believe that Americans think this situation is going to be permanent? I submit that if most people would have suspected that Barak Obama's control of their lives would be permanent, they would have resisted shut down orders. Would there have been riots in the streets?
What about Hillary? After abusing the poor people of Haiti after destroying the lives of her husbands accuser's, after being careless with her email would people have trusted her? Would Hillary have had to call out the military to enforce her dictates?
Or what about Ted Cruz? Cruz voted for the Corker Amendment authorizing the Iran deal even though he said he was against it. Cruz supports the H1N! guest worker VISA's that outsource jobs to India. Would people have given in to Cruz so quick? Would people have believed Ted Cruz?
The American people are not quick to give up their liberty. I have been astounded that Trump has so easily gotten so many people to brings their lives to a halt. What we are witnessing is truly astounding despite 4 years of denigration and accusation the American people trust Donald Trump, even those who oppose him politically. If a significant number of people had believed Trump stole the election or colluded with the Russians or that he is racist or a tyrant do you think they would have been compliant. Whether people like him or hate him they believe Trump has the best interest of the nation at heart and seeks to restore our Constitutional liberties, at least as he understands them. He has proved to be the man for the times, as Churchill was in 1939. It is that trust that Trump's opponents do not understand.
Trump is able to lead the American people to surrender everything they have, believing he will ultimately restore their liberty and prosperity, because they believe Trump is one of them. No one else on the modern political scene could do what Trump is doing because what the last 4 years show is that the media and the politicians have lost all credibility. Trump's power is in the fact that the people trust his intentions and his tenacity. While they don't think he may gotten everything right, the first time; they believe he will keep working until he does. That is why if this current crisis does not extend too long, it will be a triumph for him politically,
His progressive opponents will still scream that he acted slowly or was irresponsible. His conservative critics will say he was too quick "too cave" to big government, deep state solutions. Yet most believe Trump will restore our liberty after this is over.
Has there been anyone on the political scene since Franklin Delano Roosevelt who when the nation faced multiple crises have been as trusted? Would the people have rallied behind Joe Biden or Bernie Sanders? Really, do you think so?
Don't miss understand this could still go bad. Trump could wreck the economy, the country could erupt in violence; people could start suing for a return of their civil rights or we could be attacked by a powerful opponent taking advantage of our current situation. None of those outcomes seems likely at this point. Once again Trump is going to come out of this having succeeded; his opponent are going to look foolish and he is going to win by a large electoral majority. It is even possible that this situation could put some states in play for him that seem impossible a month ago, California, New York or even Washington.
Trump will win this because his leadership is moral leadership rather than ideological. I realize that in some people's eyes calling Donald Trump "a moral leader" seems oxymoronic. He built his career as a greedy, philandering, playboy. Trump has never claimed to be a saint. He has never claimed to be a model of virtue, and in some cases he has been dismissive of his bad behavior. Yet he is as transparent about his flaws and failures and he is about his triumphs, and that is how he identifies with people.
Any other politician accused of the personal foibles Trump has been accuse of has either justified them or denied them. Trump acknowledges them, recognized them as flaws and asked people to accept him as he is, and look beyond them. It is a refreshing approach because it is characteristically American. But what about "Stormy Daniels," or "Russian Collusion" you say Trump has been dishonest about those things. He has denied them. Why should we believe his denial? Most politicians lie to convince you they are better then they really are and are better than their voters. You can't believe their denial when they are confronted with their foibles, because nothing about them is credible. They are motivated to cover them up. Trump has no need to hide them. His whole life has been played out in public. Trumps peccadillo's make his denials seem credible.
Ironically, his foibles make him seem felicitous. Why would he lie to prove himself virtuous when every one knows he isn't? Trump does not have to lie to protect his image because his image has always been marred. So why lie about an affair with "Stormy Daniels." He has nothing to gain from it, and people lie because they think the truth will bring them disfavor or loss. No one would be surprised if Trump was discovered in an affair. No one would be surprised if he figured out some legal technicality to profit from his Presidency. Disappointed, yes, but surprise, no. So when he denies those kinds of accusation, his denials seem credible, because the accusation are not a threat to his reputation. People believe him. Ironically his ignominious past makes him seem real and credible and helps him identifies with people. He is the Great Uncle with the wild crazy exaggerated stories, that everyone enjoys being around, and finds his lack of couth refreshing.
This is what the media and the Demonrats don't get. You don't defeat Trump by attacking his character. We all know he's flawed, so are we, we vote for him, because he make us feel good about ourselves. You attack Trump by denying the reality of his accomplishment, by making people believe it is all a charade. That what you see is not what you get. His successes to this point have made that a near impossible argument to win.
So I ask again where would we be today if Hillary Clinton or Ted Cruz were President? And when you go to the poles November 3 ask yourself this question where would we be today if Joe Biden or Bernie Sanders were President? We can be sure that whoever is in the White House in four years will face another grave national crisis, who do you really think is best equipped to lead this nation going forward? Joe Biden, hardly. Bernie Sander, ludicrous. Trump will not be as much remembered for his slogan "Make America Great Again' (which he pilfered from Ronald Reagan) as he will for his repeated maxims to groups that are normally outside the Republican sphere of influence: in 2020 if you vote for Trump "what have you got to lose?"
