Donald Trump and Ben Carson: The Winning Ticket?

[Guest Contributor - Donald G. Mutersbaugh Sr.]

I have to confess that I do not understand the mentality of the Republican leadership.  It appears that they are more interested in losing the election than supporting Donald Trump.  It also appears that the majority of people who are professionally involved in politics that their real loyalty is to themselves or to people that will benefit them. Professional politics has become a way of life; and all of them are more interested in staying in power, whether as an elected politician, as a political pundit or political commentator. Anything that might disrupt the status quo must be fought.  This, unfortunately, leads to an outcome in which the Republican Party becomes noncompetitive in national elections.

Donald Trump is a businessman – a very good businessman.  He has made a lot of money over the years because he understands the economy, human relationships, commercial and industrial processes as an owner and investor.  He knew he would have to stay on the good side of the politicians on both sides of the aisle; that is why he has such a diverse pattern of contributions to both Democrats and the Republicans.  Now, it seems that they have turned on him. They no longer want to have contact with him because he is gaining traction with the electorate and threatening to do away with “business as usual.”


Voters are tired of candidate bashing. Candidate bashing has always turned out to be deceptive and a way for one individual to get their 15 minutes of fame. I would guess that if each candidate’s focus had been on the common enemy – the Democratic candidates – Trump would never have had the platform that he now has. But instead, they attack each other and lose sight of the brass ring – the White House. The ineptitude of the Congress is also fueling the anger that is now surfacing; if the Republican controlled Congress would only keep their promises, Trump would probably not resonate so clearly with the voters. The media is not creditable in the eyes of most (informed) voters; and the promises of career politicians who only want more power, money, and backroom games and influence are dampening any chance of a Republican victory. The result is that the Republican establishment is going insane trying to derail The Donald!

The RINOs are doing everything they can to take the focus off of Trump. I truly believe that most of the GOP base is looking for reasons to revolt. It is the “same old – same old” because the majority of the candidates are calcified bureaucrats or career politicians being managed by RINOs and consultants who espouse non-winning strategies. Establishment favorites of the politically connected seem to be terrified that they will lose their influence in the decision-making process – and rightly so.  However, many of the conservatives are disgruntled with the Party's officeholders; and they are angry about immigration, trade and a whole lot of other agenda items that the incumbents have pooh-poohed.

And it’s not just Republicans; it is a lot of ordinary Americans who are concerned because regular politicians aren’t addressing the issues they are concerned about. I wrote in a previous blog (2/11/2013): “The more studious historians will, of course, have many explanations of why elections are won and lost: employment or unemployment; interest rates; tax policies; disposable income and voting one's “wallet”; monetary policies; balance of trade; deficit reduction; quantitative easing; wars; the list goes on and on.  And I agree with them: there have got to be logical, motivating factors that drive people to the polls to vote for one candidate or the other. But I also thought about the cyclical swings: today a Republican, tomorrow a Democrat. This mood of the country – the zeitgeist – manifests itself in the actual electoral outcome….”


It appears, statistically, that the electoral outcome is primed for a Republican victory.  All the Republican Party needs to do is stop fighting with each other and herd the cats into the voting booths to pull the lever for whoever the Republican nominee is.  Why the leaders do not recognize the sentiment of the public is unknown – but sad.  Currently, both Trump and Carson are polling in double digits; all of the other candidates – 14 of them - are in single digits and trailing by a wide margin! 


The image of the Republican Party needs to be vastly improved, also; it will never happen in today’s mileau. I am hopeful that the power structure of the Republican Party will recognize that there has been an electoral paradigm shift, and they take that knowledge with them when they do their planning on how to win a national election. Regardless of who the final nominee is, I hope that the voters – conservatives and moderates – coalesce and recognize that the only way to recapture the White House is to put aside their petty differences and vote Republican – any Republican! Period.


Conclusion: “The lessons to be learned: 1) Barring voter registration fraud, stuffing the ballot box, and the Republicans managing to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory, political hysteresis smiles favorably upon a Republican Party win in 2016. 2) It appears that voters generally prefer a Republican as President; they just need a Democrat once in a while to remind them why….”

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Donald G. Mutersbaugh, Sr. earned his Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Maryland and his Master of Business Administration degree from Mary Washington College. He is the former Associate Administrator of Information Resources for the U.S House of Representatives under Speaker Newt Gingrich.