Dragonfighter wrote:Just a couple of thoughts, then I'll get the popcorn out.
First, and I may be drummed out of the forum, but I've supported Trump from almost the beginning and I will be voting for him come general election. Had Cruz won, I'd have been almost as happy and would have put shoulder to the plow.
I don't think there will be a Trump/Cruz ticket simply because, despite his reputation for insults, Trump was magnanimous about Cruz as a person though he did have some choice words about his political acumen. When it came to talk about Cruz personally, he used words like "great man", "honest" and "honorable". When Cruz spoke of Trump he was acerbic to put it politely, especially at the end. That said, I'm with TAM; Cruz would be an excellent choice for SCOTUS and I would not put it past Trump to do that.
A lot has been said about Trump's conspiracy theory. Let's look at a couple.
Obama's Birth Certificate: All through his campaign and for years into his presidency Obama insisted there was no full birth certificate and presented a "Certificate of Live Birth". Okay, I am willing to give him the benefit of the doubt. Born on a bus instead of a hospital or while on a mission trip when out of country but to an American mother, then a Certificate of Live Birth can be plausible. So now we're entering the campaign season for re-election and Trump dips his toe in the water and calls out Obama on his birth right. Suddenly, there is a full and complete birth certificate available to download from the White House web sit (dot gov not dot com...completely different sites). So I went and downloaded one, I was truly happy to put this to bed. Then I hear it's a fake and I open it up in Adobe Illustrator and there were several visual layers that you could turn off and on with a mouse click. You could also see the difference between the scanned part and the digital part. The idiot who forged this thing didn't even have the competency to flatten the layers. TAM will know what I mean. So this thing spins up, starts spreading around and suddenly "THEY GOT HIM!". Bin Laden who had been living in close proximity to a CIA safe house was suddenly found and killed. The birth certificate kerfuffle dissipated. Maybe it was serendipitous, maybe not.
Raphael Cruz in Communist Rally With Oswald Photo: Okay, the gentleman has not been positively identified, sure favors the man though. But let's look at that a minute. He was Cuban born, joined the Cuban Revolution against Batista and for Castro (he claims he didn't know Castro was a communist), bribes his way out of Cuba and ends up a student at UT. He was KNOWN to live in New Orleans by 1967 though Austin ain't that far and communist or not, I can imagine an idealistic young man joining a rally against the discrimination directed at communist Amerikans. Has he changed? You bet. He's a God fearing minister. Which brings me to another side of the discussion.
Trump Changes His Mind: So What. One of the greatest presidents in my lifetime and maybe in the last 150 years was a democrat and an admirer of FDR who started the country on a downward roll. Ronald Reagan. One of the best governors of our great state (I'm not going to argue Gardasil or Imminent Domain) used to be democrat, Rick Perry. He was one of the greatest defenders of our 2A rights and the right to teach our own children though his predecessor is to be reckoned with. Raphael Cruz, a Cuban revolutionary who helped Castro in his coups against Batista, repented and became a preacher.
- Trump used to be pro-abortion and is now pro-life. If one listens to his explanation of why, it is the most introspective I have ever seen him.
- He used to be a democrat! So was Reagan and Perry.
- He's insulting. Maybe but usually in response to others insults.
- He's a liar? I am not so sure about that. He is most definitely unfiltered and in an era where you rarely hear a politician let fly with what's on his mind.
- He's inexperienced. In what, politicizing? I say yay. He took a small fortune and turned it into billions and the one thing he has consistently pointed out, both in his campaign and his, ahem, television career is that he didn't get there without surrounding himself with the best and the brightest.
- He's just saying what he thinks his audience wants to hear. And that's different from all of the others how? He's not the most moral man; Reagan had an affair with a young Nancy Davis while he was married to Jane Wyman. He says he has changed his mind on being pro life and he has flat said he was wrong about gun control. His statements over the last several years have been consistently demonstrative of these more enlightened views. I will also say that his words at least have struck a nerve with me and many others with his views on business in this country, illegal immigration and foreign aid.
I could go on but it would just get tedious and I am sure that there would be plenty here with ready answers to these and any other pros I could come up with. But he has come out in favor of the 2A and I believe him. He has come out on a lot of issues and with specific plans, some possibly naive, concerning stopping foreign aid to countries that obviously hate us, stopping or at least drastically reducing illegal immigration and bringing business back to the united states. He is a jerk, but I think he is a big enough of a jerk to get these things done. I also think he appeals to enough of a cross section to win handily against Clinton or Sanders.
For years I've been told on this forum I need if I vote for X or I will share in the responsibility for Y winning. I always found that tactic repugnant and insulting. Now, some of those same members are saying in effect, "I'd rather not vote than vote for Trump".
I vote my conscience. However and all too often, following my conscience has meant that I have had to hold my nose and pull the lever for the lesser of two evils. Being most discouraged and hopeless I have voted for the lesser evil if for no other reason than to stem the tide until and adequate defense can be rallied.
Regardless of what I think, here we are. Like Trump or don't. Support Trump or don't. Vote your conscience. Even if I couldn't stand Trump, I'd agree with Charles in this as my conscience cannot rest knowing I had a hand in placing Clinton or Sanders in the White House. Vote your conscience. I will vote my conscience and I will vote for Trump.
