Donald Trump hasn’t been in politics long, and he sure hasn’t been a Republican very long. His affiliation with the GOP is quite recent. Evidently there is some confusion with The Donald about Republicanism.
For example, Trump seems to think the Republican position on abortion is that it’s murder. He’s heard that espoused for years from the GOP, and he missed the nuances. Clearly, he must have been surprised when not only Dems, but Republicans, came out so strongly against his suggestion that women that have abortions should be punished by the legal system.
Well, of course, it is the case that murderers should be incarcerated. What he missed was that it is the position of the Republican Party that abortion is kinda like murder, but not really murder. He got tuned up after making the blunder, and corrected himself with a reversal on what he’d said. No doubt he anticipated that his position would be decried by the liberals and moderates, and perhaps the non-crazy element of the conservatives, but he didn’t expect that nearly everyone in the Republican Party would disavow his position. Trump just doesn’t understand.
Trump seems to think it’s OK to be blatantly racist. Saying Mexico sends rapists to the U.S. shows he lacks the subtleties of nuanced racism. Republican racism is meant to be expressed in less overt terms. Trump doesn’t understand.
Sexism, too, is a minefield for The Donald. Calling women pigs, referring to Carly Fiorina’s face as disqualifying her from high office, directly comparing his wife’s appearance to the wife of his primary primary opponent. Trump just doesn’t understand.
Torture is another area where The Donald doesn’t quite follow the script; he hasn’t been on board as a Republican long enough to express opposition to torture, unless it is called something else, like enhanced interrogation. He questions whether our country should continue to agree to adhere to the strictures of the Geneva Convention. Again, subtlety and nuance on this issue are to be in effect; one is to voice support for the Geneva Convention, and then drift to, or past, the edges. This is an area in which he might wish to consult those of the Cheney/Bush administration. Trump just doesn’t understand.
But there is hope for Donald. Trump has shown remarkable growth in his ability to pander to the working class. Is this really reflective of ideals held to as belief, or was his statement “I love the poorly educated!” indicative of maturing political saavy? Is this pandering actually an area that Trump can hold the party banner high? We see signs of growth.
The Republican field has narrowed from 17 to three thus far during the primary season. One of those three, John Kasich, is getting almost no traction at all, though he did win his home state. Trump is essentially in a two-man race with Sen. Rafael “Ted” Cruz, R-Texas, who was described at the most despised man in the U.S. Senate. Cruz’s behavior toward Dr. Ben Carson, in the Iowa Republican Caucuses, was suggestive of a man not bound by moral qualms, a man who would do anything to get elected. Reports have it that Cruz is a serial philanderer. If true, this would set him up this self-described evangelical for branding as a hypocrite – something not likely to be said about the crudely and openly boastful Donald Trump.
Stay tuned. The Republican National Convention in Cleveland, Ohio, July 18-July 21, could be quite a show.
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