Jack Wheeler: Not NeverTrump
"I'm not exactly Trump's biggest fan. But whatever his flaws, Trump is not evil. And Hillary Clinton is."
Dr. Jack Wheeler -- Indiana Jones of the Right, Architect of the Reagan Doctrine, absolutely more conservative than you, whoever you are -- has been one of Donald Trump's most vociferous critics. As in, wow.
Today, he wrote this essay, entitled "Not NeverTrump". It goes beyond that. It also sums up my feelings precisely, and for precisely his three stellar reasons.
Personnel is policy. Trump's Supreme Court list -- and more importantly, his utilization of the Federalist Society to produce it -- was out-of-the park (and seriously: who among our better candidates, except Ted, would have done so well? Any of them?). When Trump picked Laffer, Moore and Kudlow as his economic team, that started adding real depth: he was giving us the best of the best, across a range of issues. Tony Perkins’ tales of the Platform Committee were also beyond encouraging.
But Kellyanne Conway? My buddy Kellyanne? Gee whiz. Most people won’t get it, but you don’t pick Kellyanne Conway for a role like this if you don’t have some reasonably specific intentions (or at least, she won’t be able to keep her new job long if he doesn’t). Lots of people are good pollsters, and lots of people have longer campaign management track records. Kellyanne is both hard core in her conservatism -- in every possible way -- and also very specifically devoted to a complete revamp of how Republicans do things. And unlike Trump, she actually knows where the bodies are buried and what to do about it.
Which is to say, she’s kind of Ted in a skirt. But way more feminine. And way prettier. (Thank God.)
These things considered, plus the two policy speeches Jack describes below, almost make me feel obligated to endorse. I just could not be happier over this. -- RDM
Not NeverTrump
by Dr. Jack Wheeler
August 18, 2016
All [my readers] know that I am not Donald Trump’s biggest fan. That I think he’s a seriously flawed candidate and that primary voters had some kind of mental breakdown choosing him over Scott Walker or Ted Cruz.
Now it’s time for the other shoe to drop. I am not a NeverTrumper. The principal reason, at least so far, is this bottom line: whatever his flaws, Trump is not evil, and Hillary Clinton is.
Trump has no lengthy history of espousing conservative principles with which to govern so we don’t know what he’d do as president. But we do know what Hillary would do – and that it would be vastly worse for America. The odds are very substantial that whatever Trump would do, it would be vastly better than what she would do.
Which means that I have no choice but to want him to win in November. My fear is that he won’t for three reasons: his flaws as a candidate, the overwhelmingly massive bias of the Lying Swine Media against him, and equally massive Democrat voter fraud. That’s a triple whammy which may prove impossible for him to overcome.
Nonetheless, we must soldier on and hope he wins, but I must admit such hope for me was – until this week – without enthusiasm. That is, I want a candidate for whom I can be passionately for, like Ronald Reagan. Rather, his opponent is someone I am passionately against, thus he’s the only alternative.
Suddenly that has changed. Within the last 72 hours, three events occurred providing reason to be positively for a Trump Presidency.
On Monday afternoon (8/15) at Youngstown University in Ohio, Trump delivered a major speech on national security. The link is to the full text and I encourage you to read it entire.
This is no off-the-cuff undisciplined Trumpian stream of consciousness. This is a well-thought out truth-to-power address of presidential caliber. It’s 48 minutes long with several caveats, but they are greatly outweighed by applause-worthies such as:
“We will defeat Radical Islamic Terrorism, just as we have defeated every threat we have faced in every age before. But we will not defeat it with closed eyes, or silenced voices.
Anyone who cannot name our enemy, is not fit to lead this country. Anyone who cannot condemn the hatred, oppression and violence of Radical Islam lacks the moral clarity to serve as our President.
With one episode of bad judgment after another, Hillary Clinton’s policies launched ISIS onto the world. Yet, as she threw the Middle East into violent turmoil, things turned out well for her. The Clintons made almost $60 million in gross income while she was Secretary of State.
Incident after incident proves again and again: Hillary Clinton lacks the judgment, the temperament and the moral character to lead this nation. Importantly, she also lacks the mental and physical stamina to take on ISIS, and all the many adversaries we face – not only in terrorism, but in trade and every other challenge we must confront to turn this country around.
Hillary Clinton wants to be America’s Angela Merkel, and you know what a disaster this massive immigration has been to Germany and the people of Germany – crime has risen to levels that no one thought would they would ever see.
Just like we couldn’t defeat communism without acknowledging that communism exists – or explaining its evils – we can’t defeat Radical Islamic Terrorism unless we do the same.
This also means we have to promote the exceptional virtues of our own way of life – and expecting that newcomers to our society do the same. Pride in our institutions, our history and our values should be taught by parents and teachers, and impressed upon all who join our society.
Assimilation is not an act of hostility, but an expression of compassion. Our system of government, and our American culture, is the best in the world and will produce the best outcomes for all who adopt it.”
This was the best speech Trump has ever given – with one exception. That exception came Tuesday evening (8/16) in West Bend, Wisconsin, a few miles north of Milwaukee.
It is becoming known as his Decisive Moment speech. Again, the link is to the full text which I urge you read entire. There are moments that go beyond presidential to the truly inspiring:
“The violence, riots and destruction that have taken place in Milwaukee is an assault on the right of all citizens to live in security and peace. The main victims of these riots are law-abiding African-American citizens living in these neighborhoods. It is their jobs, their homes, their schools and communities which will suffer as a result.
There is no compassion in tolerating lawless conduct. Crime and violence is an attack on the poor, and will never be accepted in a Trump Administration.
Just like Hillary Clinton is against the miners, she is against the police. You know it, and I know it. Her war on our police is a war on all peaceful citizens who want to be able to work and live and send their kids to school in safety.
Our job is not to make life more comfortable for the rioter, the looter, the violent disruptor. Our job is to make life more comfortable for the African-American parent who wants their kids to be able to safely walk the streets. Or the senior citizen waiting for a bus. Or the young child walking home from school.
For every one violent protestor, there are a hundred moms and dads and kids on that same city block who just want to be able to sleep safely at night. My opponent would rather protect the offender than the victim.
Hillary Clinton-backed policies are responsible for the problems in the inner cities today, and a vote for her is a vote for another generation of poverty, high crime, and lost opportunities. The Hillary Clinton agenda hurts poor people the most.
There is no compassion in allowing drug dealers, gang members, and felons to prey on innocent people. It is the first duty of government to keep the innocent safe, and when I am President I will fight for the safety of every American – and especially those Americans who have not known safety for a very, very long time.
It is time for our society to address some honest and very difficult truths.
The Democrat Party has failed and betrayed the African-American community. Democrat crime policies, education policies, and economic policies have produced only more crime, more broken homes, and more poverty.
To every voter in Milwaukee, to every voter living in every inner city, or every forgotten stretch of our society, I am running to offer you a better future. I am running to listen to your voice, to hear your cries for help. The quiet voices in our society, not the loudest demonstrators, need to have their demands heard.
We reject the bigotry of Hillary Clinton which panders to and talks down to communities of color and sees them only as votes, not as individual human beings worthy of a better future. She doesn’t care at all about the hurting people of this country, or the suffering she has caused them.
The Democrat Party has run nearly every inner city in this country for 50 years, and run them into financial ruin. They’ve ruined the schools. They’ve driven out the jobs. They’ve tolerated a level of crime no American should consider acceptable.
Violent crime has risen 17% in America’s 50 largest cities last year. Killings of police officers this year is up nearly 50 percent. Homicides are up more than 60% in Baltimore. They are up more than 50% in Washington, D.C.
This is the future offered by Hillary Clinton. More poverty, more crime, and more of the same. The future she offers is the most pessimistic thing I can possibly imagine. It is time for a different future.”
Time indeed. I have to admit, reading it brought tears to my eyes.
The question is – two speeches do not a victorious campaign make, so are they a one-off or will his campaign keep this up to maximize its potential to destroy not just the PIAPS but the moral legitimacy of the entire Democrat Party?
Well, that brings us to the third event of the week which made the first two possible. That took place yesterday (8/17), with Trump’s announcement that Kellyanne Conway would now be his national campaign manager.
That’s the real game changer for me. I’ve known Kellyanne for well over 20 years. She is absolutely first-rate – as a patriot, a conservative, and as a wonderfully decent and nice person. She’s also really, really smart and savvy. Oh, yes, she’s a Ted Cruz Republican, which means Cruz’s 10th Amendment principles will now be increasingly infused into the Trump campaign.
And yes, Kellyanne was the force behind Trump’s terrific speeches this week, which means speeches and messages as good as theirs will the campaign’s new normal now. You see, she has known The Donald since she served on the condo board for Trump World Tower in Manhattan in 2006. They’ve been friends for over ten years, he genuinely likes her and trusts her advice.
Today (8/18), the best pollster in the business, Rasmussen, reports the race is a virtual tie: Trump only two points behind, 39 to 41. There’s now a reasonable chance that the polls, which the Lying Swine keep howling about with the PIAPS in the lead, will flip. That will drive many of them into catatonic shock.
November 8 is a very long ways away, eons in political time. But the three events of this week have suddenly changed the race’s entire calculus. Here’s to Trump and Kellyanne that they will keep changing it in America’s favor.
*******
P.S.: If you’d like to watch Trump’s Ohio speech, and/or his Wisconsin speech, there they are. Both are worth watching.