Conservatives pin hopes on convention to stop Trump

     It seems as though all I’ve written about lately is the current presidential election, but truth be told, there is so much available to write about it’s almost as if shooting fish in a barrel. The latest is the news that the establishment is possibly planning a convention in which the GOP front runner is going to be usurped by the establishment as they do not like that he’s leading the race. Think about that for a minute. While you do, let me remind you that I am a non-partisan writer, nothing more than an observer of history in the making. The purpose of this blog is to write history in a manner that is palatable for the average reader, not necessarily spew my ideas in an attempt to convince, but rather to provide food for thought. Now that you’ve had a moment to cogitate on my former sentence what does this usurping mean? Essentially it means that the person with the majority, or a total very close to what is needed to become the GOP nominee may not get the nod because the establishment doesn’t like him, his policies, or his attitude. While I may or may not agree with the reasoning, here is the rub. The process that is currently in place, the primary process, is supposed to be a whittling down process as chosen by the electorate, not the party officials. If, in fact, the electorate strongly indicate by a plurality of their votes that one candidate stands above the rest, that person should be the nominee. Sadly, this is shaping up not to be the case. Should you click the link at the top of the page, the reader will quickly discover that many in the party establishment are looking for a loophole to undercut the person the voters are choosing. Why? There are a few reasons at play. First, they are concerned that Mr. Trump, should he be chosen by the populace, will not have the support that he will need to win the general election against Hillary Clinton. This is of great concern to party leaders as the desperately want the presidency. Polls thus far indicate that the Mr. Trump does not enjoy the support needed, and this is of vital concern to the GOP. Second, Mr. Trump is a divisive force on the political landscape at present. This means that while he is running as a Republican, not all of his views fit into the narrow narrative of that political party. Some have even painted him a Democrat in Republican clothing. Mr. Trump does not believe that Planned Parenthood should be defunded as, in his words, “they do many great things for women”. While the standard bearer approach for the GOP is that Planned Parenthood should be defunded due to the videos that surfaced allegedly showing Planned Parenthood explaining the sale of fetus body parts for profit. Based on that video evidence, the organization should be defunded. Mr. Trump has pointed out that there are other services for women that are important and as a result, he feels that the organization should not be defunded in those arenas. To mainstream GOP members, the leadership, and the far right, this is treason, and one indication that he should be removed.
     The final, and I believe the most telling reason is that Mr. Trump is not a “member of the club” of politicians. This means to say that he is a businessman, a person who dealt with “club” members, and now wants to be one of them. They don’t like this at all. Listen to the narrative of career politician Mitch McConnell, the GOP leader of the Senate and you can judge for yourself. Even the Democrats are in agreement on this point about Mr. Trump. If the informed voter simply listens closely, partisanship aside, he or she can literally hear the gasps and the struggle to keep Mr. Trump at bay. The same could be said for the Democrats and Bernie Sanders, although to a lesser degree as Mr. Sanders has not only been a career politician, he almost perfectly fits the narrative of the far left who prefer socialism to our current quasi-capitalist model. Mr. Sanders is much better suited to slide in and work that angle. Mr. Trump? A complete outsider who has knowledge of the inside…and that is a significant problem for those currently in power.
     The narrative against Mr. Trump is full of vitriol, hate, and downright lies in many instances, and sectors of the public are buying into it. All one has to do is see the problems in Chicago to understand that. There is nothing new here, nothing that is groundbreaking in trying to undercut a candidate. Even in our political past, the election of 1800, such lying and trashing of a person’s character were almost the norm. The electoral process drove a wedge between two of the founding fathers, Thomas Jefferson and John Adams, who not only died on the same day, but resumed their friendship only in 1814 via letters. The Goldwater election of 1964 was filled with such rhetoric as well, illustrated best by the atomic bomb explosion behind the little girl. Here is the link: https://youtu.be/dDTBnsqxZ3k

     While those examples are in direct contests between candidates, I cannot recall a historical example in which an entire political party has organized against the leading contender. In addition, in the land of the free, which includes free speech, the amount of forced “hushing” by those that oppose Mr. Trump is astonishing. The amont of misinformation that is being put forth in order to fan the flames of discontent is astonishing, and this political season is amounting to nothing short of an assassination of a front runner. Historically, I cannot recall anything such as this occurring in our own history. If one were to examine the entire process free of the political bands to which one is tied, it is plain to see that there is an organized effort to spread misinformation to the voting public, like something out of the television series House of Cards. The problem? So much of the public is being inflamed and buying into it. Manipulation at its worst. 

     Should you be a Trump voter, this should greatly disturb you. Should you be a non-Trump voter, this should greatly distub you. See, its not about making sure your choice wins, but rather that on some level, the will of the voter should be recognized and adhered to without the “establishment” trying to undercut what the voters want. Want to block Trump? Simply don’t vote for him. There is no need to incite violence at a rally, no need to block access for someone who wishes to hear what ANY candidate says. Listen to all sides, think for yourself, and make your choice. Should Trump win, the voters have spoken. Should HIllary win, the voters have spoken. Bernie? Ted? John? The voters have spoken. That is what our system is set up to do. Be wary, however, of the efforts to silence those that wish to be heard in a nation that espouses democratic principles and free speech above all. “Thou dost protest too much” is something that voters should be concerned with when thinking about the movement to stop Mr. Trump’s, or anyone else’s campaign.