President Donald Trump?

Donald Trump’s appeal as a GOP candidate for president seems to be on the rise. According to a Wall Street Journal/NBC News poll, Donald Trump is tied with Mike Huckabee for second place behind Mitt Romney among Republican primary voters. Is this the best the GOP can do?

Donald Trump does not fear answering questions with definitive answers. His interview with Bill O’Reilly produced some interesting views and personal solutions to problems, delivered with an honesty and conviction that is hard to find in the political world. Some of those views were somewhat extreme (some have called them goofy), but he was certainly fearless in expressing them.

The man on the Middle American street, tired of facetious, flip-flopping, and downright deceitful politicians may find Trump attractive as a candidate. Calling a spade a spade is an American trait that seems to be vanishing and Trump appears to be someone able to revive it. However, that does not make him an ideal candidate for president.

Trump seems to have latched onto the notion of Obama not being born in the US and is making that a key issue. With all the problems facing the country, that is surely a weak basket in which to put one’s eggs. It gets a lot of press, but it also portends a campaign of Obama-bashing. Conservatives looking to restore traditional values will not be impressed.

The GOP needs a serious, down-to-earth candidate with viable solutions who is capable of attracting independent voters. The press has attacked and mocked Sarah Palin enough to prevent her from being a viable candidate. They could, and would, do the same with Trump. In fact, they have already started. The GOP would be much better served looking elsewhere.

It is already getting late in the game and if the GOP does not get its act together soon, increased popularity could lure them into a Trump candidacy. That would be a losing proposition at a time when the country is ripe for real “change”. Donald Trump would certainly be a change, but change for the sake of change has already failed. The GOP can, and must, do much better.

David J. Hentosh

Warning to GOP: This is Not a Mandate

Democrats made a fatal mistake in 2008. They considered Obama’s win as a mandate from the American people to institute a far-left agenda, forgetting that the country has historically had a center-right majority. Obama’s election was more a rejection of the Republican Bush administration than approval of the Democrat ideology.

This November’s election was a rejection of the Obama administration’s far-left agenda rather than approval of the GOP platform. It was spurred by anger over the arrogance of an administration ignoring the will of the people and pushing ideological legislation through a rubber-stamping Congress – and runaway spending.

If the GOP begins to consider that this election gives them a mandate for right-wing policies or for blocking any or all administration initiatives, they will be the losers in 2012. The American people are now getting the hang of voting out arrogant politicians and, finding a voice through the Tea Party Movement, are making demands known. The GOP needs to listen if it wishes to be successful. The Democrats did not listen.

Regardless of this election’s results, the mainstream media is not going to magically begin leaning right. It can be expected, however, that the media will rediscover the investigative journalism they abandoned while shilling for Obama and apply it to the GOP winners. This means that there can be no “politics as usual”. The new House majority will be under an angry media’s microscope and flaws will be magnified.

This could be beneficial. The Tea Party Movement’s demand that all politicians be held to a high standard needs a watchdog media to help their cause. Winning Tea Party candidates, especially, will need to follow those high standards. This could make for better politicians and better governing. It will at least make our representatives more aware of constituents’ wishes.

Perhaps this is the “hope and change” we really need. Arrogance has historically been a catalyst for failure and the GOP needs to recognize its own history of arrogance. It must not let this victory instill a false sense of a mandate. If they do, the pendulum will quickly swing again.

David J. Hentosh

Crowded GOP Field Speaks to Party Diversity

Interesting letter to the editor in the 1/22 Bucks County Courier Times.

It is time that the conventional wisdom surrounding the Republican Party’s relationships with women and minorities be set aside. The developing field of candidates seeking the Republican nomination to defeat the liberal Patrick Murphy is incredibly diverse. To date, I am aware of two women, an African-American, a Pakistani and at least one person of Jewish descent.

The amazing thing about this field of candidates is that they are all united, despite their cultural differences, by the principles of individual liberty, fiscal responsibility and a strong national defense. The party did not need to change its platform, be “moderate” or institute a quota or preference in order to attract this fine field of candidates.

Republicans generally do not play on people’s victimhood. We do not place people in a stereotype box, assign them victim status and tell them we will fix their problems. We see the best qualities in people and try to put them in a position to excel. Our policies do not create the states of dependency we see in our poorest communities. Our policies encourage neighbors, rather than bureaucrats, to take care of the underprivileged, and we believe in the power of individuals to shape their own destinies and improve society.

Read the rest of the letter here.