Pure conservative ideology & strong national security - if those two don't shout out Republican, don't know what does. Not any more.
The presumptive GOP presidential candidate has zip conservative credentials, has supported some unabashedly liberal principles, has been married three times, twice to women who were not born & bred Americans. So buckled guardrail #4. Watch out, #5!
Donald Trump never served in the military (attending military school does NOT count), has no experience in military matters or foreign affairs, but he does have a long history of admiring authoritarian rulers. He slams NATO as obsolete, advocates withdrawing our troops from Japan & South Korea (and suggested each invest in some nuclear weapons). He also foresees Saudi Arabia getting some of the same. Fade to black, cue We'll meet Again.
When it comes to foreign policy, to the basics of maintaining national security, Donald Trump is most consistent in his utter lack of any consistency. He seems to consider our longtime allies as moochers, keeps his kudos for tough guys like Putin, pull out of our international agreements, retreat to home, locking us up snug behind The Wall.
Not sure if anything about the past year stuns me more than how the commie-hating GOP base has embraced a man who openly admires Putin, whose convention manager specialized in doing consulting for dictators including seven years at the beck & call of deposed Ukrainian strongman Viktor Yanukovych (whose estate makes Mar-a-Logo look like a shack), whose idea of being strong is to be Top Bully.
All his - and it is his, for sure - care about is that he belittles & threatens & promises to take down ISIS. They love his sound bites, ignore his substance. He paints a picture of an America ground down by our lattes & arugala salads, promised to restore our greatness while backing away from our role as world leader. Restore our tainted glory by becoming the Biggest Meanie on the planet.
William F. Buckley - behold what you have wrought. Spin in your grave knowing that what evolved from your conservative movement is a base that lacks all "energy & conviction" in the power of American leadership at home or abroad, in defending our nation's interest around the globe, is chomping at the bit to abdicate our influence & any chair at the international table.
Donald Trump & the base who loves him want all the perks of being a great world power without accepting any of the responsibilities; they want to be #1 while abdicating being a world leader. They talk big, but think small.
And the 5th guardrail is no more.
No comments:
Post a Comment