Backstory
So recently I posted something on Facebook about how Republicans need to work together and support the frontrunner Donald Trump because everything they post and say against him will lead to the victory in the general election of Hillary Clinton.
I received many anti-Trump comments from friends and family and even a few questioning my intelligence, faith, common sense, etc.
At first I cried. Then I ate an entire bucket of cheese curls. Then I watched Twilight (That was a joke, Kristen Stewart can't act)
But I did realize that most of my friends if not all had never met anyone personally, much less a Mormon, that supported Donald Trump. So after responding about 20 times to their comments I decided to make a blog post.
Romney v. Obama 2012
The economy crashed in late 2008 and as such, people voted Barack Obama for president of the United States. He won on a platform of "hope and change" and correcting the problems that had led to economic recession. Four years later the economy was just as bad, and people just as poor, as they had been before Obama. After many brutal Republican primaries complete with name-calling and religion-bashing Mitt Romney arose as the Republican Nominee for the 2012 presidential election. Mitt was a business man who entered politics and won as governor of the liberal state of Massachusetts. He was good looking, smooth talking (mostly), and a devout member of the LDS church, having even been a stake president. He picked Paul Ryan as his running mate, a nice-looking, economically-savvy member of the House of Representatives.
Romney was running against Barack Obama who was not nearly as popular as he had been four years previously. The people wanted a better economy and it wasn't better. Additionally, a scandal occurred weeks prior to the election in Benghazi, Libya where the President failed to act and people died as a result. Republicans were so certain that Romney would win that even popular conservative talk show host Rush Limbaugh spectulated about how he thought Romney would win in a landslide.(romney wins in landslide) On the day of the election, Barack Obama won 332 electoral votes and Romney won 206. Obama won 51.1% of the popular vote and Romney won 47.2%. It wasn't even close.
Mitt Romney was the perfect candidate. Good looking, conservative but not extreme, polished, economically savvy, and yet he lost. Many Republicans think that if he were more conservative enough then the extreme right would have shown up to the polls. Others think that being a Mormon scared many potential Romney votes. I fear that the answer is none of these, but that Republicans are losing supporters and Democrats are gaining them every year.
This could be due to many things:
Regardless of the cause, Republicans do not have the support that we have traditionally had.
This could be due to many things:
- anti-American doctrine taught in public schools and colleges
- failure of parents to teach their children about hard work and the virtues of capitalism
- anti-religious movement occurring in the United States
- mass immigration to the United States from cultures where security matters more than liberty
- less people paying taxes, and as such, more votes for the party that offers more benefits
Regardless of the cause, Republicans do not have the support that we have traditionally had.
The Plight of the Republicans
For years Republicans have voted for politicians who outline conservative strategies and preach about preserving American freedoms. We hope and pray that these men will show up to Washington and limit spending, protect religious rights, and improve economic policy mainly by reducing taxes. We are disappointed time and time again by politicians who don't do as they say and oftentimes remain in power until they die. (John McCain, John Boehner (didn't die but stayed in there far too long)) With the exception of a select few (Ted Cruz), Republican politicians recently have not met their goals and have lied to the American public by stepping into office and not delivering on their promises. Republicans say they'll cut spending but are afraid of losing votes if social security, welfare, or Obamacare were cut. They also realize that it is easier to maintain power by giving away benefits. The politician who offers the most in 2016 oftentimes wins whether Republican or Democrat. On top of that, these politicians receive money from corporations and big donors that influence their policy, more often than not, in a direction away from the best interests of America.
In contrast to Republican politicians, Democratic politicians almost always keep their promises. They promise to increase spending, increase taxes on the rich, and fight global warming (through taxes). They do as they say they will because it is easier to create programs than to remove them and increasing taxes on the rich gives them more power to give checks and benefits to the poor. This helps secure their votes and keep them in power.
For years Republicans have voted for politicians who outline conservative strategies and preach about preserving American freedoms. We hope and pray that these men will show up to Washington and limit spending, protect religious rights, and improve economic policy mainly by reducing taxes. We are disappointed time and time again by politicians who don't do as they say and oftentimes remain in power until they die. (John McCain, John Boehner (didn't die but stayed in there far too long)) With the exception of a select few (Ted Cruz), Republican politicians recently have not met their goals and have lied to the American public by stepping into office and not delivering on their promises. Republicans say they'll cut spending but are afraid of losing votes if social security, welfare, or Obamacare were cut. They also realize that it is easier to maintain power by giving away benefits. The politician who offers the most in 2016 oftentimes wins whether Republican or Democrat. On top of that, these politicians receive money from corporations and big donors that influence their policy, more often than not, in a direction away from the best interests of America.
In contrast to Republican politicians, Democratic politicians almost always keep their promises. They promise to increase spending, increase taxes on the rich, and fight global warming (through taxes). They do as they say they will because it is easier to create programs than to remove them and increasing taxes on the rich gives them more power to give checks and benefits to the poor. This helps secure their votes and keep them in power.
2015 The Rise of "The Donald"
In 2015 every Republican who has the slightest chance decides to run for president of the United States. At one point there were 17 candidates appearing at media debates. The Republicans sensed a 2016 victory and as such they decided to all run. Among those announcing their candidacy for president were non-politicians Ben Carson, Carly Fiorina, and Donald Trump.
In Donald Trump's campaign speech he said "When Mexico sends its people, they're not sending their best... They're sending people that have lots of problems, and they're bringing those problems with us. They're bringing drugs, they're bringing crime, their rapists, and some, I assume, are good people."(Trump's Presidential Announcement Speech)
You would have thought he had announced a genocidal plan to kill all baby seals by the reactions he received. (Of course, the MM misquoted him by inferring he called all of Mexico rapists) Univision decided to stop hosting the Miss America pageant. Macy's stopped selling Donald Trump merchandise. Actors and actresses denounced this man as crazy and racist and everyone thought (pundits especially) that Trump was done. But he wasn't. He started going up in the polls. People really liked what he had to say.
Months later, after attacks by Isis around the world, Trump said he was going to ban all Muslims from entering the United States. Everyone cried "racist" and the media once again denounced his plan as terrible, unconstitutional, and lacking common sense. Once again, Trump went up in the polls.
It seemed as though everything controversial he said only increased his popularity with the American people. Trump went from being a "joke" candidate to becoming the frontrunner and more recently winning the majority of the delegates in the Republican primaries.
You would have thought he had announced a genocidal plan to kill all baby seals by the reactions he received. (Of course, the MM misquoted him by inferring he called all of Mexico rapists) Univision decided to stop hosting the Miss America pageant. Macy's stopped selling Donald Trump merchandise. Actors and actresses denounced this man as crazy and racist and everyone thought (pundits especially) that Trump was done. But he wasn't. He started going up in the polls. People really liked what he had to say.
Months later, after attacks by Isis around the world, Trump said he was going to ban all Muslims from entering the United States. Everyone cried "racist" and the media once again denounced his plan as terrible, unconstitutional, and lacking common sense. Once again, Trump went up in the polls.
It seemed as though everything controversial he said only increased his popularity with the American people. Trump went from being a "joke" candidate to becoming the frontrunner and more recently winning the majority of the delegates in the Republican primaries.
Populism
For years now Republicans have wanted to build a wall to limit illegal immigration and secure our borders. We have elected many politicians who have claimed they had plans to do so but have not accomplished anything. For example, in 2010 career-politician John McCain released a commercial saying he'd like to "complete the danged fence". John McCain has been an Arizona senator for decades now and as an Arizona resident I can promise that he has no interest in doing so and only wants more votes. Illegal immigration is somewhere between 11-30 million, because it's almost impossible to count, with no sign of stopping or even slowing.
When Donald Trump stated that illegal immigration was a problem, Republicans, like myself, found the answer to their predicament. Rather than elect a nice-looking, smooth-talking, big-donor-funded politician, we had the option of electing a man who would do whatever he felt best for the country and better represent the views of the American public. There are a small percentage of racist Republicans who liked that Trump talked bad about some illegal immigrants. But the vast majority found solace in the fact that Trump would take action for the people and not in spite of them
When Donald Trump said that he would ban all Muslims from the U.S., once again a certain percentage supported that decision because of unwarranted racism. But others felt peace knowing that Trump recongized Isis as a real threat and not a "a jayvee team" as Obama had called them. Trump said what he thought and although not the best plan of action, it was fueled by fear of a rapidly growing terrorist organization that has killed more than 18,000 people in the past two years.
When Donald Trump said that he would ban all Muslims from the U.S., once again a certain percentage supported that decision because of unwarranted racism. But others felt peace knowing that Trump recongized Isis as a real threat and not a "a jayvee team" as Obama had called them. Trump said what he thought and although not the best plan of action, it was fueled by fear of a rapidly growing terrorist organization that has killed more than 18,000 people in the past two years.
Donald Trump has become popular off of the fact that he says what the American people want and not the most politically correct or reasonable approach. Whether by intelligent research or good ol' fashion patriotism, Donald Trump has struck a nerve and is changing American politics.
Proposals
Donald Trump doesn't have 17-page papers on his proposals and changes his mind quite frequently. His voters don't care. It isn't that they are necessarily uneducated or misguided, it's that they understand that a businessman of a lifetime has more experience with the economy than any politician running for the office of president. Donald Trump may not have any experience in American politics, but he has experience leading one of the world's biggest companies. He has hired more people than possibly anyone to ever run for president and works with people on a daily basis. When a politician is responsible for economic failure or deaths of innocent Americans, he/she stays in power, apologizes, and moves on. When a businessman is responsible for economic failure or innocent deaths he gets sued or loses his job. For that reason a businessman has to be extremely prudent and knowledgeable. Donald Trump has a strong background in leadership and wise decisions and his proposals are based on nationalism, pragmatism, and populism.
Proposals
Donald Trump doesn't have 17-page papers on his proposals and changes his mind quite frequently. His voters don't care. It isn't that they are necessarily uneducated or misguided, it's that they understand that a businessman of a lifetime has more experience with the economy than any politician running for the office of president. Donald Trump may not have any experience in American politics, but he has experience leading one of the world's biggest companies. He has hired more people than possibly anyone to ever run for president and works with people on a daily basis. When a politician is responsible for economic failure or deaths of innocent Americans, he/she stays in power, apologizes, and moves on. When a businessman is responsible for economic failure or innocent deaths he gets sued or loses his job. For that reason a businessman has to be extremely prudent and knowledgeable. Donald Trump has a strong background in leadership and wise decisions and his proposals are based on nationalism, pragmatism, and populism.
Let's look at a few of Donald Trump's proposals
Build a wall
I'm LDS. We believe that Joseph Smith restored Jesus' true church in 1830 and brought forth additional scripture known as the Book of Mormon to help complete Christ's teachings. We believe that through faith and the grace of Christ, a man can repent of his sins, be baptized, receive the Holy Ghost, and live with God again.
I would
Ted Cruz is a constitutionalist-conservative and if elected would try to cut spending and lower taxes. However, he is totally unlikeable and unelectable. He is very divisive and extreme with his policies. He wouldn't win over any independents or democrats. He is seen as a "religious zealot" by some and the media has been favoring him recently knowing they have a great chance of beating him. He never smiles and doesn't have very adept social skills. Cruz wouldn't be able to work well with Congress and help the country even if he were able to get elected.
Marco Rubio would do a fine job as president. He has a probable chance of getting elected if nominated. He's not as adamant about building a wall as Trump but would still be conservative on foreign policy. He does not have Trump's populist appeal and has only won one state in the primaries. Also, over the past few weeks we've seen his true character leak out. And after almost a year of trying to be a nice guy with concerns only for America, he has recently been attacking Trump on all of his failed business pursuits, his policies, and even his spray tan. Although able to act as smooth talking politician for many months now, the threat of a Trump presidency and of losing the nomination has shown the American public Rubio's true character. To quote Heath Ledger as the joker: "When the chips are down, these people will eat each other."
Trump has the best chance of winning of any Republican currently. Not only is his quasi middle-of-the-road-approach appealing to independents, his strong nationalism also appeals to many low-income workers and minorities. His populism shows the people he will do what America wants. Without any Super-PACS or big donors, Donald demonstrates that he will not be bought and paid for.
After 8 years of a weak economy people will vote for the candidate that can beat other countries in trade and lower corporate tax to incentivize corporations to bring jobs back to the United States. People want jobs. Donald Trump promises to keep us safe. Months of observing his bully behavior show the public that Trump won't be bossed around or persuaded. North Korea and Iran are frightened of a Trump presidency. Trump promises religious freedom. Although not really religious himself, Trump understands that this country is built on Judeo-Christian values and as the United States moves away from that it loses its power. Trump is not a king and has stated that Obama's numerous executive orders are unconstitutional. He wants state governments, not federal, controlling public education. Trump will appoint better Supreme Court justices than Hillary Clinton or Bernie Sanders. As evidenced by Obama's selection of Sotomayor and Kagan, the democrats will pick pro-abortion, pro-gay marriage, anti-constitutionalist justices. Trump will do a better job and appoint justices more in line with LDS principles.
Low-educated voters like Trump. High-educated voters like Trump. New Yorkers like Trump. Rednecks like Trump. Unions like Trump. Minorities like Trump. (Except Hispanics of course) College graduates like Trump. I like Trump.
Trump will make America great again.
Build a wall
- Illegal immigration is between 11-30 million with no foreseeable end
- It isn't fair that a woman 9 months pregnant crosses the border illegally, has a child, and that child receives benefits for the next 90 years
- Illegal immigrants who commit crimes are deported and oftentimes come right back
- America cannot sustain an influx of non-taxpayers that come freely and without reprimand
Ban all Muslims temporally
- Isis is rapidly growing and has killed 18,000+ people in two years
- Islam has not worked towards stopping Isis and oftentimes encourages this behavior
- With links inside the U.S., Isis could present a threat to national security
- Isis' goal is killing infidels without fear of jail or death
Cut taxes
- Americans are leaving the U.S. to avoid paying taxes (Mark Zuckerberg)
- Businesses are leaving the U.S. to avoid paying taxes
- People are more free when they are able to choose where there money goes
- The economy is strengthened as people can invest their money more freely and create jobs
Although I do not agree with banning all muslims, I understand that that proposal was made with intelligent thought and research. Many who do not understand Donald Trump claim "racist" but with more understanding one can see how his proposals are nationalist, pragmatic, and populist. Unlike politicians, Donald Trump is able to do things for America based on his own understanding and not the will of donors or establishment leaders.
My faith
I'm LDS. We believe that Joseph Smith restored Jesus' true church in 1830 and brought forth additional scripture known as the Book of Mormon to help complete Christ's teachings. We believe that through faith and the grace of Christ, a man can repent of his sins, be baptized, receive the Holy Ghost, and live with God again.
I would
The Other Republican Candidates
Ted Cruz is a constitutionalist-conservative and if elected would try to cut spending and lower taxes. However, he is totally unlikeable and unelectable. He is very divisive and extreme with his policies. He wouldn't win over any independents or democrats. He is seen as a "religious zealot" by some and the media has been favoring him recently knowing they have a great chance of beating him. He never smiles and doesn't have very adept social skills. Cruz wouldn't be able to work well with Congress and help the country even if he were able to get elected.
Marco Rubio would do a fine job as president. He has a probable chance of getting elected if nominated. He's not as adamant about building a wall as Trump but would still be conservative on foreign policy. He does not have Trump's populist appeal and has only won one state in the primaries. Also, over the past few weeks we've seen his true character leak out. And after almost a year of trying to be a nice guy with concerns only for America, he has recently been attacking Trump on all of his failed business pursuits, his policies, and even his spray tan. Although able to act as smooth talking politician for many months now, the threat of a Trump presidency and of losing the nomination has shown the American public Rubio's true character. To quote Heath Ledger as the joker: "When the chips are down, these people will eat each other."
Trump
Donald Trump has been criticized by many Republicans, including the mormon 2012 Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney, for his lack of morals and proposals. Donald Trump has committed multiple affairs, has been mean to his fellow presidential candidates and oftentimes does not act as a typical presidential candidate. Mormons especially tend to dislike Trump for his bully behavior and lack of morals outlined in the LDS religion. There is nothing wrong with disliking Donald Trump's person. That is completely normal and rational behavior.
However, with all of Donald's flaws, I know that right now he is the best man for the presidency of the United States. And even if he weren't he has the largest chance of winning the general election and saving the GOP. Republicans and media oftentimes point to this poll to prove that Trump will lose to Hillary and Rubio or Cruz could do a better job. Either by flaw or malicious intent, this is completely inaccurate.
Trump has the best chance of winning of any Republican currently. Not only is his quasi middle-of-the-road-approach appealing to independents, his strong nationalism also appeals to many low-income workers and minorities. His populism shows the people he will do what America wants. Without any Super-PACS or big donors, Donald demonstrates that he will not be bought and paid for.
After 8 years of a weak economy people will vote for the candidate that can beat other countries in trade and lower corporate tax to incentivize corporations to bring jobs back to the United States. People want jobs. Donald Trump promises to keep us safe. Months of observing his bully behavior show the public that Trump won't be bossed around or persuaded. North Korea and Iran are frightened of a Trump presidency. Trump promises religious freedom. Although not really religious himself, Trump understands that this country is built on Judeo-Christian values and as the United States moves away from that it loses its power. Trump is not a king and has stated that Obama's numerous executive orders are unconstitutional. He wants state governments, not federal, controlling public education. Trump will appoint better Supreme Court justices than Hillary Clinton or Bernie Sanders. As evidenced by Obama's selection of Sotomayor and Kagan, the democrats will pick pro-abortion, pro-gay marriage, anti-constitutionalist justices. Trump will do a better job and appoint justices more in line with LDS principles.
Low-educated voters like Trump. High-educated voters like Trump. New Yorkers like Trump. Rednecks like Trump. Unions like Trump. Minorities like Trump. (Except Hispanics of course) College graduates like Trump. I like Trump.
Trump will make America great again.
