American Thinker:
By M.B. Mathews
I recently wrote a column about why I believed Trump should not run in 2024. I was wrong. I allowed my distaste for Trump’s personality to override his virtues, which are considerable. Some people want Trump without his vices. I was among them — until yesterday, when I watched and listened to Tom Klingenstein’s speech titled “Trump’s virtues.” It was masterful and shamed me that I did not make the distinction between Trump’s character and his virtues, the former being deeply flawed, the latter being almost perfect. I need to man up in my defense of the former President’s virtues. The speech was among the most pointed I have heard and deserves some exposure. Klingenstein says:
Other Republicans say some version of “I like Trump policies but I don’t like the rest of him.” This gets it almost backwards. Although Trump advanced many important policies, it is the ‘rest of him’ that contains the virtue that inspires the movement… Trump was born for the current crisis, a life and death struggle against a totalitarian enemy I call woke communism… that control all the cultural and economic powers in America…
[Trump] revealed, not caused, the divide in this country. In war, you must make a stand… Trump is a manly man… traditional manhood, even when flawed, is absolutely essential… Trump plays to win… There are no clean hands in a fistfight…Trump is unreservedly, unquestionably pro-America… Trump is a refreshing break from the guilt and self-loathing that marks our age…
It is anti-Americanism that makes so many of us very angry: The Left have trashed America’s Founding and her history to the point where some believe it virtuous to hate America. Rather than advocating forgiveness for sins, the Left are advocating hair shirts, self-flagellation, and perpetual guilt. It is un-American and certainly un-Christian. more here
Self-flagellation and hair shirts?
That’s Catholicism, nor Christianity.
I never perceived anything awry in President Trump’s personality or his character.
mortem tyrannis
izlamo delenda est …
Trump 2024! I believe time will prove he is one of the greatest presidents ever.
@mathews – yeah, sure. You are in the anybody but Trump crowd. You are a hack who doesn’t want America to be the shining gate on the hill against communism / socialism. Try being a positive rather than a “fencer” or a negative. Stand for America. You live here, own it
keep sucking grobama/grobiden dick & swallowing if you don’t like djt
I think TRUMPS style is genius. Get the hair-on-fire folks all upset with the tweets and get the real work done while they’re busy
My German friend, who owns rental property here and goes back and forth to Germany, was fond of of saying that he didn’t like Trump because “he raised the fist instead of extending the hand”, and who was just fine with Merkel making deals with Russia, called me to complain that the county was raising his property taxes for the second time in two years, and he asked me if he should get a lawyer to fight it. I told him to negotiate himself, and follow the county’s process for tax reduction. I told him to make a list of reasons why his taxes should be lowered and send it to me for review before contacting the county.
He sent me this angry screed directed at the county, insulting the tax commissioner and calling the county “greedy” and “unreasonable”. I told him that he should “extend the hand, not raise the fist” when dealing with the county. I haven’t heard back from him since.
Anyone who decides who to vote for simply because of personality is shallow.
At least some people are coming to that realization.
It doesn’t help when the media constantly bombards us with style over substance in everything from politics to eating.
With Trump it’s what you see is what you get. I always felt that a businessman should run the country, not a politician but I never imagined it would be Trump. He did all right by me and hope he gets another 4 years, this time without the aswamp.
It’s a fetish to want to like a politician. I don’t need to like my dentist or my plumber or an electrician. I’d much rather have competence than like ability in the people I hire for difficult jobs.
Trump is an interesting character, admittedly abrasive and rude, even a bit uncouth. So was Patton. So was Grant. So was Pershing. JFK was not. He was wonderfully charming, good-looking and seemingly friendly. I can easily list his accomplishments on the back of a business card.
@ Thirdtwin
Most folks that embrace conservatism do it because it makes perfect sense for them, the values, and the ideology. Others do it because they were hit over the head and thrown to the other side by its adversary. My taxes/gas/food/cost of living is too high, my civil liberties are not respected, government sucks at pretty much everything so let’s limit its control, I prefer to be the captain of my own ship and take stock in its agency so get government intrusion out of my affairs.
The lightbulb goes on and they finally get it.
Many people don’t want to admit they were hoodwinked by the agenda-driven media, so they make up an excuse.
Usually a lame one.
Fuck this guy.
The Communist know they cannot win the next two elections fairly, just like they knew they couldn’t win in 2020. So they made damn sure that they had enough fraud eight ways to Sunday to pull it off.
What’s changed other than Trump getting way more votes which didn’t matter in 2020.?
The question becomes can they overcome the true amount of votes?
Or maybe enough Dems had had enough?
I allowed my distaste for Trump’s personality to override his virtues, which are considerable
No SH*T Sherlock.
Well, well, well, Mr. M.B. Mathews. Welcome to our well-established club; we have hats. POTUS Trump was simply a fellow tea party member with enough money to self-fund his campaign and the concomitant time to run for office.
Nothing at all wrong with POTUS Trump’s personality. In fact, his many personality traits spring — as they should — from his character. The harmony of his personality and character are what is called integrity; his public and private behavior aren’t at odds.
I’m a cold-hearted, unforgiving woman who disdains blue-nosed intellectuals when they don’t, or didn’t, understand POTUS Trump. I don’t celebrate their splashy epiphanies. They should walk around with a placard around their necks, “I’m Stupid”, and wear a dunce cap.
Just read this sentence from the link as an example:
“If you’re dying of thirst and there is only one person offering you water, you accept the water gratefully without much concern for the character of your rescuer.”
If there is ONLY one person offering water to someone dying of thirst, then he is the ONLY person WITH decent character.
As I say: Welcome to the club, Mr. M.B. Mathews, you slow-witted dullard.
Everyone needs to click through and listen the full speech by Tom Klinginstein.
It is very good.
…and now I will disclose something that I’ve been carrying around in my heart for the past six years. It’s as painful now as it was upon discovery. The man whose public persona is one of kindly, Godly, and wise elder, historian and writer of world renown; the man who gave us “John Adams” (both the book and the most historically correct film series) is one of the biggest anti-Trumpers and Trump-trashers: David McCullough.
When I listened to him, as he believed he was in a private setting, spewing his hatred and intellectual disdain, my heart broke. I’ll never be able to unhear what McCullough said. I’ll always wonder what else he got so very wrong.
@AbigailAdams July 28, 2022 at 10:47 am
> I’ll always wonder what else he got so very wrong.
That’s… let’s call it an… “interesting”… let’s call it, “take”.