[Guest Contributor - Donald G. Mutersbaugh Sr.]
With the Republican Convention looming, I hope that the
handful of people that cannot seem to accept the reality that Trump won the
nomination fairly will embrace him. “Many say, like him or not, Trump won and
efforts to dump him would be crushed and would devastate the GOP. According to
The Associated Press, Trump has 1,542 delegates, including 1,447 required by
party rules to back his nomination, well above the 1,237 needed for victory.” http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_GOP_2016_TRUMPS_PARTY?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT He is the (presumptive) Republican nominee –
if you believe the millions of voters who voted for him in the primaries. I
hope that these maverick dissidents realize that a vote for Trump is a vote to
save the nation; any other alternative is to return a Democrat to the White
House. It is hard enough to have to tolerate the MSM which is doing everything
to discredit Trump and many of the other Republican candidates. We do not have
a fair and balanced approach to our reporting media any longer. Reading some
blogger’s comments bolstered my confidence that the electorate is catching on.
For example, “Polls like this mean nothing,
all slanted by the left trying to push the attention away from all the Clinton
money scandals.” How about: “Well when almost all media outlets are bad
mouthing and highlighting his negatives what do you expect? Can we hear all of
Hillary's lies, scandals, and hypocrisy? Trump's issues are repeated 100 times
while Clinton's mentioned briefly at best.”
I am incredulous that there are still those who think
replacing Trump at the convention – using whatever tactic they can including
changing the rules – and putting somebody else in his place is a viable
solution. To say this is just plain stupid. I guess that desperate people do
desperate things. The Republicans need to unite – now, not later – if they are
to have any hope of winning the White House. Further, any attempt to replace
him would be an unmitigated disaster. “‘It's
a fantasy, it won't happen,’ said Morton Blackwell, a Republican National
Committee member from Virginia who initially backed Cruz.” Another voice of
reason: “‘We have a responsibility to respect
our democracy, and that means we accept the outcome of the vote,’ said Rep.
Austin Scott, R-Ga., who supported the presidential bid of Sen. Marco Rubio,
R-Fla.” (Ibid) Further, there is no guarantee that their replacement
would fare any better (still dealing with a Republican, you know); and worse
yet, besides losing the election, they would definitely lose millions of voters
– many of whom stood in line for hours to vote for Trump – and therefore bring
about the ultimate demise of the Republican Party. I think that the Establishment
members who are pushing to dump Trump have overlooked the fact that they can be
replaced, too. Our career politicians have been silent or otherwise ignored
their elected responsibilities as legislators to be a check and balance on the
Executive Branch – and now they want us to listen to them? Ask yourself: what
have these dissenters accomplished in the last 7+ years?
Politico states: “While Trump’s insurgent candidacy has
spurred record-setting Republican primary turnout in state after state, the
early statistics show that the vast majority of those voters aren’t actually
new to voting or to the Republican Party, but rather they are reliable past
voters in general elections. They are only casting ballots in a Republican
primary for the first time.” http://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2016/05/donald-trump-2016-polling-turnout-early-voting-data-213897
But even if that’s true, it is exciting because it bodes well for capturing
voters who stayed home the last two elections (at least now they are motivated)
and says nothing about independents and perhaps even Democrats who may vote for
him. Granted, there may be Republicans who are going to vote Democratic. But I
have written in previous blogs that there has been a paradigm shift in the
electorate; I may be hopeful, but I believe that November will fool many people
– pundits included (maybe me too, but I’m an optimist!). I do not think that
either political party gets this. However, I think overall that the electorate
is tired of being taken for granted; they are also tired of the career
politician’s deceitful promises, their lying and their manipulations. We are
taxed to cover absurd social programs, have experienced an influx of illegal
aliens and are paying for their healthcare – but yet we have to pay for our
own? Finally, we can’t forget the generous retirement packages these same
career politicians have given themselves. Maybe we should help them take advantage
of their retirement packages!
So here’s what’s at stake in November. Of primary importance
are the nominations to the Supreme Court. Trump will nominate judges that know
the law and how to interpret the Constitution; he has already released a list
of those he would consider. He is a successful manager of money, people, and
projects; he knows about
spending, debt, and wealth. He understands the economy both domestic and foreign, job
creation and the business world; he is financially independent and beholden to no one,
especially donors – possibly one of the reasons why the current Establishment
is afraid of him. He has an excellent attitude regarding our military –
rebuilding it and especially, taking care of our veterans. He is – and this is
important – an excellent negotiator. But most importantly, he loves America! In
summary, he has real-world experience; he is resourceful, creative, and results
driven to get the job done. He has viable accomplishments. He is not
politically correct, and this is a tremendous part of his popularity: I believe
people are fed up with political correctness. Granted this may make him a little
“rough around the edges,” and it sometimes gets him into trouble. But because
the MSM hates him, anything that he says that can be misconstrued, will be.
Also, if he becomes President, many things will have to change. For one thing
the largesse of the Washington arena will change; Trump is also probably
“stepping on the toes” of others, maybe threatening their power base. I believe
that there will be a major impact on the media; he routinely asserts himself
and insults them (justifiably) for their lack of integrity, misrepresentation,
being biased and agenda driven, and for their failure to report the facts honestly
and accurately. And if he becomes president, it should serve as a message to the
entire Establishment that the people have spoken and chosen their leader based
on results and not their political ideology and agenda.
Because Mr. Trump is not a polished, political candidate, he
needs to learn to tone down his presentations and off-the-cuff remarks. I think
people believe he is genuine, but he needs to be more diplomatic and
professional; maybe then the rest of the Republican Party will back him. We
have serious problems in this country, and his tone is not as important as his
ability to be President. Trump is the answer to the problems this nation faces.
Unfortunately, it may come down to whom the electorate feels is the
"lesser of the two evils"; it’s a shame when you have to vote for a
candidate you may not like because you like the other one even less! Will he
win? All the pundits have guessed wrong on most things until now. There is
strong evidence that a lot of public opinion surveys may hide a segment of
Trump’s supporters. Many voters are reluctant to admit in a live interview (vs.
online survey) that they support Trump. This creates the possibility of a large
block labeled the “silent majority” – does he have one?
In closing, the Republican Establishment has no one to blame
but themselves for this situation. It has been posed whether Republican voters
share the values and principles of the Republican Party; I would guess that the
10.7 million votes cast for Trump during the primaries say no. I believe that
if Trump’s ground game is good, he will win. Here’s a sample of why: http://www.donaldjtrump.com/media/donald-trumps-campaign-draws-dedicated-followers
I think Mr. Trump hit the nail
on the head when he said to the leaders: “This is too tough to do it alone, but
you know what I think I'm going to be forced to….Be quiet. Just please be
quiet. Don't talk. Please be quiet. Just be quiet ....We have to have our
Republicans either stick together or let me just do it by myself."
____________________________________
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.
