It's time to send Trump to Republican Boot Camp

Who’d a thunk it?  Trump could win the nomination.  Right now he can’t win the election, not because Hillary or Bernie has anything more to offer, but because it is really hard for the mainstream Republican Party to get behind Trump.  Clearly half of the party wants someone else.

All of the candidates have pledged to support whomever wins the party’s nomination but there is support and there is lukewarm support.  Right now it is very hard for half of the party to get behind Trump but he may be the party’s nominee.

What are the viable options?

The open convention will eventually produce a nominee.  That does not mean that the party will get behind that nominee.  The nominee needs the enthusiastic support of the party.

So what is the party to do?

It is time to listen to the Americans that are coming to the Republican Party and to think out of the box.  It is time to consolidate, coordinate, and indoctrinate.  Republicans must get the party behind the new Donald Trump.

Who?  What?

It is time to send Mr. Trump to Republican boot camp.  He has the best chance of winning the party’s nomination but isn’t really a Republican.  He has brought some new issues and new people into the party but he has also alienated part of the party and the country.

Republican boot camp refines the best that Trump has and discards the worst of the man’s traits.

Boldness—by all means that needs to be refined and pumped up.

Arrogance—confidence is one thing, hubris and arrogance are not traits that anyone wants in a president.

Deal Maker—for all of his faults, Mr. Trump will not want to face four years of gridlock with congress and surely will be constitutionally checked if he tries to circumvent the lawmakers by those detested executive orders.  Encourage him to bring on everything he has as a deal maker.

Put downs—these need to go, especially for various ethnic groups and the disabled, and yes—even the media.  If you can’t handle the heat from the debate moderator, you sure won’t fare well with Putin.  Personal, ethnic, and other demeaning quips have to go.

Immigration—let him build the wall if he has to, but he needs to be more inclusive on the real solution.  Not every Republican wants every illegal immigrant run out of the country.  Not every Democrat wants an easy amnesty package.  The immigration solution for our nation of immigrants lies somewhere in between for the immediate fix; then there must be a workable and enforceable policy for going forward.

Commander in Chief—none of the candidates have ever been a commanding officer or even had military service.    The nation has real enemies.  Big talk for campaign sound bites doesn’t kill the enemy.  Colorful metaphors do not send terrorists running for cover.  Cavalier comments do not inspire victory.  The nominee, and in this model Trump is presumed as that person, needs to get better military counsel.  Trump need to be under the tutelage of General James Mattis for a week.  The retired general may summon as many assistants as he deems necessary, but the campaign stops for a week in April just to get this most crucial part right.  This is a time without speeches or interviews.  This is training. 

Taxes—the other candidates put more effort into this.  Let them synergize a little and come up with the best of everything.

Debt—the other candidates put more effort into this.  Synergize!

Obamacare—it is easy to bash it but before it is just wiped off the face of the earth, there had better be something on the table that is more than what it replaced.  People wanted it because what came before was not effective for most people.  Some of these people were fooled into thinking it was going to be something for nothing but enough were discontent with the state of health care in our nation to elect representatives that enacted this law.  Republicans need to be the party that addresses this issue with eyes wide open.  The founding fathers had wisdom and vision beyond anything the world has known before, but health care was not even the vaguest of concepts when they drafted what many in this party hold a sacred documents.  Conservative principles with creative and resourceful legislation that honors individual and state rights can still address this issue.  The party is running out of time to bash Obama and Obamacare.  Once they are gone the question becomes, what do you have that works?  A new administration will soon need to address the healthcare needs of the nation.  The Democrats would say that healthcare is a right.  Just saying, no, it’s not is not a solution.  This is a big one and the individual bickering and vitriol among the candidates needs to stop and post-Obamacare solutions for the nation need to be ready to go.

Christian base—it doesn’t matter if the Pope thinks Trump is a Christian or not, but it would go a long ways towards assuring this very viable part of the party if he was more conversant about this faith.  He needs to understand that being a tough guy before your enemies is one thing but the command that Jesus gave to those who follow him was to love one another.  That one needs to be evidenced more.  Many think that makes Christians wimps.  Not the case.  We are the ones who speak the truth in love to each other so we can grow in grace.  We need to teach our presumptive candidate how to do this.  If necessary, I will spend two days with him.

Efficacy—if Trump wins the presidency and the Democrats control the legislature, we should not expect much to improve.  The matter of the Republican nominee needs to be settled on 16 March 2016.  Unless there is a major turning of the tide from the current trend, everyone needs to get behind Mr. Trump and Mr. Trump needs to undergo a makeover.  He needs to keep those things that are bringing in new Republicans and get rid of those things that alienate and denigrate American.  That is not who the Republican Party is.  The efficacy—the ability to effect desired change—comes only with a Republican majority in both houses.  The party needs to get beyond executive bickering and bolster bids for the legislature.

There are surely other areas but this needs to be 15 days in April so that by May every Republican is looking forward to a November victory and has a candidate that they can support.  Paradigms shift. Who adjusts first and most effectively?

Establishment Republicans need to open their eyes to the discontentment in doing the same thing over and over.  That dog don’t hunt.  Get the message.  That’s why you can’t rack up enough votes to win.  Most didn’t see Trump coming.  Then didn’t believe he would last this long.  Now he is a reality and likely the Republican nominee.

The traditional model is that you become a Republican before you become a Republican candidate.  That model is no longer in play.  Trump will very likely be the party’s nominee.

The question is, will he be a Republican candidate with a bit of the wildcard in him or a wild card with just enough Republican seasoning to get on the ticket?

Republicans can fight for the nomination to the bitter end and get the latter, or rally and organize as Republicans have traditionally done for decades and get behind the former.

It is time to get behind Donald Trump, hold a 15 day Republican boot camp in April, and win the election.

Let’s not discuss the four year alternative.

In the shuffling madness...

I’m seeing and hearing all of the political rancor reach all time highs, perhaps it’s an all time low, and I am thinking that it should all be accompanied by Jethro Tull’s Locomotive Breath.

In the shuffling madness of the locomotive breath…

Between offering everything for free (paid for by 12 rich people and the Department of Defense) and Liar, Liar, Pants on Fire, I wonder if we can sink any lower.

I say elect them all.  Send them all to Washington D.C. and then build a wall around them and cut off all communication to the outside world.

America is obviously divided as to which direction we need to go.  That comes with attempting this thing call self-government, but somewhere along the way we have lost the ability to communicate in a civil manner.

In exchange for what we have lost, we have gained the knack of appealing to the lowest common denominator.  People cheer for kicking people out and keeping them out, getting something for nothing, or just blowing somebody to bits.  The rodomontade of Trump, the evasiveness of Clinton, the spitting contests of the also ran republicans, and the mindless following of the Bern has left us at a loss for this election year.

By the time we get down to just two, we will wonder--are there no more men or women of courage and character left in this nation?

Has our process become so ineffective that acrimony must prevail?

I say no!  I say that courage and character can win in our electoral process.  I am looking for the first candidate to confess his or her sins and commit to a campaign commensurate with the presidency that is promised if victorious.

Does anyone in the field have the backbone for this?  Now is the time to step forward.