Trumping Fleischman

Jon Fleischman
Jon Fleischman
Jon Fleischman

Yesterday, I reached out to FlashReport publisher Jon Fleischman for a comment on the all-but-certain nomination of Donald Trump as the banner carrier for the Republican Party in November’s presidential election.  I told Jon I was writing a post about it.

Jon didn’t send a comment and instead offered this post for his own readers.  Since he sent me the link, I’m running it in full here.

Trump Is The GOP Nominee — Where Does That Leave Me? Posted by Jon Fleischman at 10:44 pm on May 05, 2016

The GOP Presidential primary ended fairly abruptly earlier this week. For my part I came home from the seemingly-relevant California Republican Party convention more excited and motivated to help elect Senator Ted Cruz than ever. Having had an opportunity to hear in person from all three candidates at mealtime speeches, the contrast between the three was stark, and clear. GOP “Presumptive Nominee” Donald Trump Ted Cruz presented himself as a strong constitutional conservative, an ideologue committed to our United States Constitution and ready to fight to make our nation a better place. Governor John Kasich of Ohio reinforced in his remarks that were he the nominee he would be the latest in a failed lineage that most recently has included John McCain and Mitt Romney — an establishment favorite who would seek to embrace the failed status quo on Capitol Hill rather than reject it.

And then there was Donald Trump. Sitting through his non-substantive remarks, filled with name-calling and one-liners, I found myself anxious for that moment in a serious address when the speaker pivots away from the lighter “icebreaker” introduction and digs into the real issues and challenges facing our nation. The pivot never came as I observed a showman, obsessed with himself, who clearly is enjoying the spotlight. One came away truly wondering if it is actually the campaign itself that is alluring to Trump, rather than the task of actually leading the nation. In fact, I came away from that lunch completely unconvinced that Trump has the strength of character, let alone the commitment to a set of values and principles, to truly be a great leader of any country – let alone the United States of America.

Perhaps most frustrating about Trump is that he is such a flawed warrior in the battle against political correctness. So much of what the left has foisted upon us is such utter crap. But “Trump as culture warrior” falls flat on its face because replacing political correctness with rudeness and being a jerk in the long run makes our efforts to bring good values back to our society that much harder.

Yet, just a few days later, the largely binary choice between someone I believe to be a man of strong character and principle — versus someone who seems totally consumed in idolatry of self — evaporated.

And now I sit here, as someone who has not only worked hard for nearly thirty years on conservative causes, but for Republican causes as well. There is a distinction between these two of course, but now is seems there is a virtual chasm between the two.

For conservatives, the end of Cruz’s candidacy marked the end of any opportunity have a conservative succeed Barack Obama in the White House – the first real chance to have a strong conservative ideologue as our President since Reagan departed Washington, D.C. in 1998. (ed note: Reagan left office in January 1989, perhaps a transposition error)

So what now? What is the road forward at this point for those committed to intellectual conservatism? For those who believe that more than ever the path to a prosperous future for our democratic republic will be found in looking back the genius of its founding? We face two unappealing choices.

Between the pretender who has usurped my party’s nomination, a celebrity who has perfected using his irate temperament to capture the votes of so many GOP voters, many righteous in their anger at the establishment leaders of our party who idolize those on Wall Street and K Street to a point whether the average American feels unrepresented on Capitol Hill…

And Hillary Clinton – who has a definably ideology, which is evil. She is corrupt, and represents at best another four or eight years of left-wing policies advanced by our current President.

Wow this movie just doesn’t have a good ending.

So what am I to do? This is where an effort to thoughtfully reason through a tough predicament falls prey to something more… physical. Which is that when I think in any meaningful way about Donald Trump being my party’s nominee for President, or being President, I get sick. Not a “rhetorical prose” kind of sick. But rather I feel unwell physically. Imagine mixing one part nauseous, one part dread, and one part hopelessness into an amazingly toxic cocktail and then going bottoms up. That’s where I am.

As a conservative, I will never find Trump appealing. Like ever.

As a Republican, I will once again be asked to “overlook the flaws” of our nominee and charge into battle against the Democrats. That certainly isn’t something I feel like doing today, or really can imagine doing at all. I had similar if less intense and illness-inducing thoughts about McCain and really didn’t end up doing much to help his candidacy. I’m not a very good “situational voter” — my vote has to be earned by a candidate in whom I believe. If there is no such candidate on the ballot, I just won’t vote for that office.

For now I think I will spend some time figuring out where to take my family during a week in July that had been previously blocked out to go to Cleveland. Somewhere tropical… Preferably with no television. –

I’m happy to point out for Fleischman the many successes of our current president, the successes of Bill Clinton and the achievements of Hillary Clinton — as First Lady, as a US Senator, and as a Secretary of State.  I’ll also remind Jon that conservatives and Republicans only have themselves to blame for the rise of Donald Trump.  It’s often said there are two kinds of Republicans — the 1% and stooges.  Check your bank account to see which one you are.

 

14 Comments

  1. Jon writes:

    “….the battle against political correctness.”

    I know he will never answer. What is the concept of political correctness preventing him from doing that HE isn’t doing now?

    The rest of this screed is the usual soundbite palooza that we have come to expect from the intellectually lazy and factually challenged.

    He writes:

    “And Hillary Clinton – who has a definably ideology, which is evil. She is corrupt, and represents at best another four or eight years of left-wing policies advanced by our current President. ”

    This says it all. He has supported one failed conservative politico and personality after another for almost three decades. He claims to have had a relationship with Reagan because Reagan sent Jon a thank you note for carrying his bags at the Western White House in Santa Barbara. Somehow we are to believe that Reagan was having a deep policy discussions with a 22 year old that was available to move luggage from one spot to another.

    Jon is just another pathetic conservative who clings to an era of faux Reagan greatness that never existed. It has become cliche, but Jon’s idol, Reagan, could never get elected today as a republican. That’s based upon his record as governor. As president he would be considered a liberal or at best a RINO.

  2. As you pointed out. The GOP only has themselves to blame for Trump. Once upon a time the concept of what it meant to be a conservative was led by thoughtful intelligent individuals. Rockefeller, Goldwater, and Buckley. All very intelligent individuals and well educated. Now the punditry is led by college dropouts like Limbaugh and Hannity. Folks who prey upon the fears of an aging white male populace that yearn for an era that never existed.

    They are stunned at the idea that they created a monster that is now eating them.

  3. The majority of Republican voters have chosen to reject the establishment and support a bravado messaging outsider. Jon should realize that he is part of that establishment and rejection. Maui in July (or most any other time of year) is nice.

    • Jon is a coward just like the rest of the GOP. He was a big supporter of Bush in 2000 and 2004.

      Yet he never even considered joining the military to support the president. He was well under the max age for military service.

  4. Damn, Russian Youtube has finally taken down that sickening video Jon made of his worshipful holiday visit to then-Senate leader Dick Ackerman, I was going to share it. That’s the one I treated as though it was Colbert-like parody, because it was so hard to believe it wasn’t. (Google Holiday Greeting Fleischman Satirical Masterpiece.)

    When I showed it to Beth Krom she agreed that it should “only be watched on an empty stomach.”

  5. Jon writes:

    “the first real chance to have a strong conservative ideologue as our President since Reagan departed Washington, D.C. in 1998.”

    One last point. When will the GOP get past their faux reminiscing of Reagan? They person they have mythologized is nothing like the actual person who governed.

    It has become cliche to say. Reagan’s record as governor would get him kicked out of today’s GOP during the primary. His record as president would have him running as a democrat or at best a RINO.

    He’s another in a long line of GOP presidents who made lots of promises to the white working middle class and delivered very little.

    When the GOP can come to grips with the reality of Reagan vs. the myth they might be capable of starting to rebuild themselves into a viable option.

  6. Here is a paragraph from an on-line story I think says a lot to those on the far right that have been controlling the Republican party:
    Trump is the candidate who finally figured out how to exploit the fact that much of the Republican voter base does not share the policy preferences of the Republican donor class, and that it is therefore possible to win the nomination without being saddled with their unpopular policy preferences.

  7. Jon Fleischman is part of the Establishment.
    The Republican Party base is also challenging House Speaker Paul Ryan in Wisconsin’s August 9th Primary; because of his support for the Trans-Pacific Partnership. Democrats: Stop the TPP by donating $25 to candidate Paul Nehlen. http://www.politics1.com > Wisconsin > District #1

  8. While Jon Fleischman sees himself as a true conservative, he needs to step back, take a hard look in the mirror and ask himself if he is really a conservative or a member of the Republican establishment. Over the years, the Republican Party nationally and locally has gone from conservative to maintaining the status quo and in many cases going along to get along with Democrats. Often times in Congress you can’t tell Republicans from Democrats without a program. Yes, the Republican establishment is in the pockets of the same globalists (NWO) that rule the Democrat Party and those forces have driven our country to the brink of ruin. People are mad as hell about this.

    Let’s be clear about Donald Trump on a number of issues. He is not a clear cut conservative, nor is he a warm, fuzzy, likable guy you would want to be BFF’s with. In case anyone hasn’t noticed, our country is so far down the toilet that “Mr. Nice Guy” would be eaten alive by the NWO and Washington establishment. Make no mistake about it, Donald Trump is a ruthless, goal oriented individual, whose leadership style is somewhere to the right of Attila The Hun. He is experienced at hostile take overs of major corporations and either demolishing them or reorganizing them to success. He is not hesitant to cut off the heads of executives not doing their jobs. These are exactly the qualifications we need in a President, if the country is to be saved for those who would finish destroying it.

    While I speak only for myself, I suspect millions of other Americans see the same thing in Donald Trump. As the campaign moves farther down the line, Trump will start to lay out the specific details of his strategy to “Make America Great Again.” My guess is when he goes toe to toe with Hillary Clinton, she will have met her worse nightmare. Many of the naysayers who now condemn Trump will have to look at his programs vs those of Clinton, get off the fence and make a decision on whether they want to save our country. As for this conservative, Donald Trump may not be the guy I want to go on vacation with, but I like his chances of achieving a hostile take over of the Federal Bureaucracy and getting my country back on track. He has my support and vote.

    • I have never had a discussion with a mosquito on crack. Though I’m sure the memory span of conservatives would be an apt comparison.

      LtPar, we in CA had someone who was an “outsider” that promised that he would “terminate” the bureaucracy by “blowing up the boxes.”

      The GOP supported him despite having a “true” conservative (the hypocrite known as Tom McClintock) as a choice.

      Remind us how well that worked out.

      Trump is nothing more than Arnie at the federal level. That any GOP living in CA would support him is a mystery to me, but I’m not surprised.

  9. More to the point of the Trump supporter fantasy.

    Trump wants to return us to the 50’s and 60’s. Is he willing to increase the top marginal tax rate to 90% like it was during the 50’s? Does he want to abolish Civil Rights and allow states to have enforced segregation? Do we restrict the opportunitis for women that existed back then? Does he support organized labor? The U.S. private sector was far more unionized than it is today. I don’t think it is much of a stretch to believe the blue collar middle class existed because of unions. We’ve seen a decrease in union membership over the last 30 years and a corresponding decrease in the middle class. IMO, those aren’t hard dots to connect.

    I could go on and on. When I hear someone reminisce about that era I shake my head. The idyllic society they embrace had a price that few individuals would be willing to pay today.

  10. Just read the endorsements at OJBlog. Paul Lucas is a critical voice on drug policy and policing issues?! Are the handcuffs too tight MrLucas?

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