# GOPing on the Anti-Establishment



## Peony (Mar 10, 2016)

Republican voters are fed up with moderates, the beltway crowd, GOP elites.  Guys like McConnell, McCain, Bush, Ryan.  They are all about reaching across the aisle, compromising, forming consensus.  That sounds so civilized, except that their idea of compromise is giving in to what the democrats want. In short, they are doing a lousy job of being republicans.

Beltway style leadership tells us to be very afraid of a Government Shut Down.  Americans remember the “government shut down” in 2013.  Did the USA stop functioning because there was no budget?  Nope.  Some park employees got overtime fencing off public monuments. Other than that, things pretty much went on as usual.  Even though the shrill voices of our elected in Washington cried that if more money wasn’t pulled out of the taxpayers there would be chaos.  The mail would not be delivered.  Old people would run out of cat food.  Milk supplies gone, children would lie unconscious on grocery store floors.  Hard working government consultants would go out of business because Uncle Sam couldn’t pay them.  With no money for police and fire fighters, crime and fires would be rampant. 

This hysterical hyperbole is just one of the reasons people have had enough of the Washington Regulars.  Enter:  Donald Trump.  He doesn’t even need campaign donations, he’s got plenty of money, and his own plane. Trump’s slogan is Make America Great Again!  Now who can argue with that? 

His blunt demeanor left many saying, finally!  No more oh so polite not really getting to the point bland moderate wooden establishment candidates, like the last one.  Trouble is, before long it is clear that Trump isn’t really anti-establishment, as in, let’s get back to the business of government serving The People, not the other way around.  Trump is anti-establishment Trump style.  That is, Trump is in this presidential race for the same reason Trump does anything else.  That kind of power is hard to resist for a mercenary like Trump.

With Trump as president, will the government elite power problem be tamed?  Should Republican voters hope this bombastic man with no clear core beliefs (other than himself) can successfully lead the country?  Or will Trump be a variation on the last new and unique presidential disaster?

Meanwhile, the Beltway Gang is foaming at the mouth over Trump.  He will cut deals but he’s not really one of them, he’s too independent. They can’t support Ted Cruz who stubbornly holds on to weird promises such as, let’s not spend The People’s money like it’ll never run out.  Rubio is their manikin.  Unfortunately, the voters seem lukewarm to Marco.

What can the long suffering GOP elite do in order to maintain their comfortable gigs?  Take down Trump, of course!  Bring Romney back to offer insipid disapproval of Trump as a human being.  If that yawn fest doesn’t work, they might get Mitt to run again. 

It’s almost as though the GOP moderates’ choice is Hillary Clinton.  She is establishment.  They know how to work with her ilk.  There will be no chance of any pesky conservative new old ideas being tossed around with Clinton.  The GOP gang might as well move on over to the left side seats- save all that arm strain, reaching across the aisle.

Meanwhile, the democrats seem to be having some anti-establishment problems of their own.  Socialist Sanders is getting quite a bit of attention. There are democrats supporting Trump.  These are tough times for the establishment.  That, at least, is something good happening in this election.


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## JakeStarkey (Mar 10, 2016)

Certain "GOP voter" and some far right weirdos feel that way, Peony.

A majority of the actual GOP voters are supporting other candidates than Trump.


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## Valerie (Mar 10, 2016)

why do we want a president who is beholden to nothing but his own self promotion?

he indefensibly mocks our ideals and international treaties with way too much ease.







Trump seems to be friendly with at least one PAC created in his honor. He attended a New York fundraiser hosted by the Make America Great Again PAC in July and said he’s grateful for their support, reported Politico. The group also received a $100,000 donation from the in-laws of Trump’s daughter Ivanka.

The PAC shut down in October following allegations that it coordinated with Trump’s campaign.

Is Donald Trump self-funding his campaign? Sort of


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## Valerie (Mar 10, 2016)

*Big asterisks*

It’s worth noting a couple more caveats. First, Trump’s self-financing only really picked up in the last three months of 2015. From the start of his campaign in April through October last year, individual contributions made up about 67 percent of total money raised for his campaign.

Other media outlets who looked at this claim before the most recent FEC filings concluded that Trump’s claim was inaccurate because, at the time, most of his funding was coming from individual contributions.

But in the last quarter, Trump gave his campaign a $10.8 million loan, turning that balance around.

That brings us to the second caveat: The vast majority of Trump’s contributions to his own campaign — about $12.6 million — are loans rather than donations. This means he could expect to eventually recoup these funds.

Further, of the approximately $12 million Trump’s campaign spent in 2015, about $2.7 million went toward reimbursing Trump-affiliated companies for services provided to the campaign, such as traveling in his own plane and helicopter, according to a _New York Times_ analysis.

On whether Trump should describe his campaign as self-funded, given these caveats, it’s "sort of a judgment call," said Viveca Novak, editorial and communications director at the Center for Responsive Politics, which tracks money in politics.

"To me, it would be more accurate to say he was ‘partially self-funding,’ " Novak added.

Trump’s claim is accurate in part, but it needs a big asterisk, said Richard Skinner, a policy analyst at the Sunlight Foundation.


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## LoneLaugher (Mar 10, 2016)

Thank heavens! I was worried that we'd miss out on our regular Trump massage when Mrs M got a paying gig. 

Whew!


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## Picaro (Mar 12, 2016)

Trump does have policy positions, despite the media reports and astro-turfing ideologues. They are on his website, but apparently nobody ever visits it except foreign news vendors like *The Economist*. In any case, the GOP is bringing in cross-over voters in droves, something they needed badly and wouldn't get from their usual rubber-stamped Establishment gimp parade, and the establishment is spending tens of millions trying to sink Trump instead of Hillary, which is of course an indication of what the GOP leadership really is, a bunch of career hacks who don't want outsiders and regular voters disrupting their little clubhouse.

Too bad the Democrats are even worse hacks, and their establishment implemented their 'Super Delegate Rule' in the 1980's; anything to disenfranchise the unwashed masses who won't do what they're told to by the brie and chardonnay sets.


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## DarkFury (Mar 12, 2016)

LoneLaugher said:


> Thank heavens! I was worried that we'd miss out on our regular Trump massage when Mrs M got a paying gig.
> 
> Whew!


*Hey stupid, how about getting on topic? You know what topic is right?  Peony, you will have to excuse "clown trash". They make it a habit to attack OP/ED writers. And welcome to USMB.

Fury*


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## LoneLaugher (Mar 12, 2016)

DarkFury said:


> LoneLaugher said:
> 
> 
> > Thank heavens! I was worried that we'd miss out on our regular Trump massage when Mrs M got a paying gig.
> ...



You seem upset. I'm so sorry.


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## DarkFury (Mar 12, 2016)

LoneLaugher said:


> DarkFury said:
> 
> 
> > LoneLaugher said:
> ...


*The OP/ED section is for people seeking to be writers, PAID writers. NOT for marauding shit heads like yourself.*


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## JakeStarkey (Mar 12, 2016)

Dark is unhappy today?


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## DarkFury (Mar 12, 2016)

JakeStarkey said:


> Dark is unhappy today?


*Nah, but you have an OP here TRYING to do a job. And you have a self absorbed shit head {lone} trying to destroy the effort. It's certain he does not have the brains otherwise he would take the argument on points. But he can't, so he resorts yet once again to drivel.*


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## JakeStarkey (Mar 12, 2016)

DarkFury said:


> JakeStarkey said:
> 
> 
> > Dark is unhappy today?
> ...


Oh, little furee, you can tell us that you are unhappy.  It's OK.


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## tyroneweaver (Mar 12, 2016)

JakeStarkey said:


> Certain "GOP voter" and some far right weirdos feel that way, Peony.
> 
> A majority of the actual GOP voters are supporting other candidates than Trump.


Ya, you and that french mouse in your pocket  are the majority.


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