Thread: Donald Trump and How to Loose an Election

I was excited and a big fan of Donald Trump when he first announced he was running for President. I am really sad about this, but now I find it difficult to support him.

Here is why: I do not expect any candidate to agree with me 100%, but there are certain priority issues that are an absolute must. On illegal immigration and the border he was outstanding. He backed tracked a little on the Mexico thing, but I can accept that because of the “not 100%” thing.

But then came the faux issue of South Carolina removing the Confederate flag, and he failed miserably. He unequivocally said the Confederate flag should be removed. In one sentence he degraded himself from a frankly honest, independent citizen to just another politician. He could have “punted” like Mike Huckabee and said it was an issue for the State of South Carolina to decide for itself. He could have done like Rick Santorum and sputtered around vaguely talking about a “slippery slope” precedent and a political diversion from important issues, but no, Donald said flat out, remove the flag. And that was a slap in the face to many Southerners who would have enthusiastically supported him.

Like me, most Americans are yearning for a statesman of conviction and courage who would stand up to the forces screwing up this nation. But the first time he had to respond to a really tough issue (race related), he apparently capitulated to the mob. Surely Mr. Trump does not believe that the Confederate flag is exclusively a symbol for racial hatred. In spite of what he says now, what would he do in the White House when the pro amnesty open borders crowd unleashed all of their fury against any effort by him to stop illegal immigration? In view of his response to the flag controversy it is hard to believe he would build a fence and make Mexico pay for it.

Those screaming to remove the Confederate flag are mostly Marxists or paranoid blacks who would never vote for any Republican. So he would loose no votes there if he opposed the flag removal. But certainly he created a huge negative reaction from blue collar (Southerner) “Reagan Democrats,” people who otherwise would have been receptive to his populist message of jobs for American workers.

The independent voters do not care about the flag thing so he would not loose any votes from them if he opposed removing the flag or talked evasively about it.

In short, the one group that could make a huge contribution to creating a new winning coalition he threw away because, like almost all of the other ordinary politicians, he was frightened by the screaming from the crazy left.

I will make a prediction and remember I said it: the sudden rise of voter approval for Trump will flat line and gradually decline because many Southerners have lost respect for him over his reaction to the flag thing.

And that is my two cents worth.

Rick Santorum for President?