How Trump Can Win in a Landslide
Submitted by Soren K. with no comment.
Summary
Written by Vince Lanci
Trump can win. Ignore the polls. Polls are meaningless in an election with so many “shock events”. The truth is Donald Trump can win the election in a landslide. He is a Progressive Republican in all but name. If he owned that label, he’d be a real alternative to Hillary Clinton. Progressive Democrats and Moderate Republicans would flock to him while he kept the hardcore GOP. He already has the edge among the Washington outsider vote behind him. If Trump “came out” in this way, he would be viewed as what he is, a Roosevelt Republican. But he has to execute properly. The key to executing is honesty, humility, and tapping the patriotism the man truly has.
Honesty and Humility
Having lived in New York most of my life, I’ve seen the man in many lights. Honesty is not hard for him when called out on something. I’ve seen him be genuine many times. His compliment to Hillary on her “never quitting” was real. However humility, even when genuinely apologizing are not so easily conveyed. But he has one advantage in this. Trump has lowered the bar so much over the years; an honest, humble, patriotic speech by him would lock it down and destroy Hillary Clinton’s chances. Trump could shed the elitist label, move left socially of her, while personifying the American Dream. That would mean real internal and behavioral changes for him first.
What If?
The next part is the author’s opinion based on personal experience and conversations with others. The last section labeled “Trump for America” is purely hypothetical and for the most part not even opinion. It is intended as a thought piece. What If? First we have to address the bizarre statement Donald made on mic.
Trump’s Apparent Misogyny
Donald Trump is a lewd man with a huge fragile ego. He is by many accounts a bully. And he is a misogynist by all appearances. In fact he’s over-the-top like an insecure 16 year old is in these areas. Something is up. Before we speculate on what that something is, a couple things should be clarified first, especially for any women reading this.
Problem One: Phrasing
Let’s start with the “I’d grab..” phrase. What if I were to tell you there isn’t a man on earth that has used that phrase in or out of a locker room other than Trump? That I have heard many things said by misogynists, sexists, alpha types who need to dominate; and no one I know has ever heard that phrase used to demonstrate dominant or sexist behavior. It just doesn’t make sense. It is stupid.
Ladies, ask the men in your life if they have ever heard that phrase before. Under examination it looks like a mixed metaphor. So, how do men really talk when they are demeaning women?
A Peek into the Men’s Room
Here are examples of “grabbing” to establish dominance, man-to-man.
- He really had me by the stones, I had to give in
- I grabbed him by the b-lls and said “ I’m your boss”
There are only 2 misogynist and/or dominant type phrases involving grabbing on a woman that I know of. One is hair. The other involves another female anatomical part. And when that is used, it is a variation of the old cliché “He really got his _ _ _ in a wringer that time”. Note it is used by men to describe a painful situation.
Both can be construed as sexist, as much as saying “I had him by the b-lls” can be sexist from a woman. Both are definitely demeaning. The point is this: Grabbing anything implies pain. But no one I know has ever heard the Trump utterance before him. The man coined that phrase.
Conclusion: His phraseology and etymology are red flags. That alone smacks of a big problem; including but not limited to misogyny.
Problem Two: He’s Doing it All Wrong
Macho rants by insecure men, homophobes, gay men trying to blend, guys trying to be Alpha among peers, and men with real issues; these are the reasons for misogynistic statements. And no reason is an excuse. In fact I have not personally heard any of those statements said after the age of 22, with the exception of lampooning a sexist jackass or two.
How to Speak Sexist
Whether it is a good man in an angry moment regressing, or a truly hateful misogynist speaking, the phraseology is the same. And it does not involve what Donald Trump described. The words always involve at least one of three concepts. Yes, they are definitely demeaning to women. They all involve types of congress. Donald’s statement did not. The concepts included are: the speaker’s pleasure (mandatory), the speaker’s dominance (almost always), and/or the counterparty’s discomfort/pleasure (sometimes both).
Nota Bene: they always involve the misogynist having physical pleasure. The other concepts of dominance and counterparty discomfort are almost always included in the debasing comment, but the first one is necessary. What Donald described did not involve his physical pleasure.
Conclusion: That’s two problems with Mr. Trump’s statement; 1) an idiotic metaphor, 2) and no satisfaction.
Problem Three: How Old are You, Six?
To be fair, the “problems” are interrelated but treated here as different. If a 6 year old boy made that statement I’d almost understand purely due to his utter ignorance of male/ female differences. But this was an allegedly grown man. What if his use of that statement was a sign of several other disturbing things? Beyond misogyny I can think of: arrested emotional development, lack of empathy, and inability to connect intimately with a woman (as a byproduct of the others), to name a few.
But no one as far as I know has thought (survey of friends) much less said that ridiculous phrase until Trump was “outed”. So, why is this being brought up? Because something else may be going on here. I know people who know Trump family members personally. From their comments, the women are not idiots. Neither are they “victims”, nor do they come across as shallow and/or materialistic. Frankly, I can identify at least one in his family that may be better qualified to run for President than he is.
Liberal Democrats Only Please
What if Donald Trump were compensating for something in his mind far worse than being labeled a misogynist? What if his condescending attitude toward minorities and sexism were a reaction to something? What if his fear of failure was so consuming that it drove him to demean the people he was afraid of becoming? A man with such fears could most definitely have schadenfreude tendencies. But really? His chances of being poor, black, or female are non-existent.
Paternal issues are possible. A father who casts a long shadow can make a son do crazy things to succeed or win the parent’s respect. A bigoted, sexist, elitist father can be a catalyst for good or bad choices in life decisions. That is no excuse for behavior. But what would you, the liberal, empathetic human do if the man really shed the causes of his (mostly) past behavior? And what if, in doing that, the man became stronger for it?
Who would win the election if Donald Trump gave the following hypothetical speech?
Trump for America- Hypothetical speech
I'd pay to watch Hillary Clinton's face as Trump says some version of the below. Trump would own the left and right sides politically. And if he conveyed these things truthfully, the middle would go to him. Hillary stands for nothing. And in doing this, Trump would stand for everything. Trump should come out. He is a Roosevelt Republican who just could not get out of his own way. This country needs a Progressive Republican now. (N.B.-The wording is poor. I'm no speechwriter. Hopefully the point comes through.-vbl)
1-Apology
I have come to realize that the words I use to elevate myself are wrong. And I asked myself why my behavior was thus. Further, I am a homosexual and have been for as long as I can remember.
It was a scarlet letter to me, and I sought to compensate for it by overachieving. I sought inclusion in the very group that most dismisses minorities, women, and gays. That is not a political comment. It is a comment on the accepted behavior of elitists regardless of party affiliation.
Rich democrats and Republicans both contain a minority of people who behave in this manner behind closed doors. I was one of them. I became the person I feared most. In my desire to be included I demeaned many people with my words and actions over the years for fear of discovery. I was afraid of being found out. And I apologize. My fears skewed my judgment.
2-Realizations
My campaign promises are real. My goal is to fight for the average American. I love this country, but could not understand why my behavior was so self-defeating of my stated goals. This election has forced me to grow. I was never self-aware enough to understand these things. My loving family who has stood by me through everything helped me work this out. And they urged me to be who I truly am to the American people. And so I am.
My huge yet clearly fragile ego will not change overnight. But I now see my past behaviors are at odds with my goals for this great country. They were attempts to fit in among others who I thought would otherwise reject me if they knew my secret. I chose to elevate myself at the expense of others.
I have come to realize over the years slowly, and during this campaign quickly, that I am no less of a man regardless of my sexuality. More importantly, no one in this country is less of a person for their race, color, or creed. Being gay and being a man are not exclusive.
Admitting this with family help has lifted a great burden from my soul. I again apologize for my past behaviors in subservience to my need to not be “outed”
3-America Now
I want to heal this great nation of ours, this melting pot of cultures. I want to do what is best for America. And my first impulse toward withdrawal from Syria rings now with more clarity than ever.
We know what we are about. We are about helping the world when we can. But we must take care of ourselves first.
When we re-strengthen ourselves we will be better positioned to help if a crisis happens. Let’s fix us first. Only by being strong can we help others. And right now we are spread too thin as a nation. We insert ourselves for honorable reasons into the affairs of others only to be compromised in our ability to decide clearly right from wrong for many reasons. Chief among them is corporate influence and the hubris of past successes.
4-Heal Thyself
I do not believe in my heart globalism, NAFTA, and a one world concept are bad. They are noble ideals of human unification. But we have forced it to those not ready or in agreement with our ideas.
American Values are noble. Judeo-Christian values are what built this country. I cannot speak for Islam’s values personally, but they can’t be much different at their core. We just need to get to that core, just as Christianity had to get to its own core values.
Noble as ideals like democracy are, forcing them on other cultures can be disastrous. Sometimes we act prematurely. And in expending our resources to democratize others we have seriously weakened our core. The time has come for the USA to pull in its reigns a little bit and heal ourselves. The UN and Nato need a little tough love. I’m not proposing withdrawal. I’m just going to ensure all do their part.
Our reach has exceeded our grasp in some parts of the world. We are behaving as the USSR did by overextending ourselves there. Meanwhile Russia is not strong. They are weak. And this is their front door. We are forcing a country to act against its own best interests. They are cornered and reacting like anyone with no protection. And our diplomacy has made it worse. For what? Oil. And we have plenty of that here now.
5-Russia and the Middle East
Do you think we should be afraid of Russia? They are scared of us. Putin wants me to be President because he knows I’m about healing the USA. I will not risk nuclear war over a piece of dirt on his border. Neither will I tolerate aggression in our hemisphere. He should try me on that one.
But Putin is truly petrified of my opponent. Russia is not pro-trump. It is anti-Clinton And if that person is president, there is no knowing what a cornered Russia will do. And right now they are cornered by us.
We will have unnecessary military escalation worldwide if my opponent is elected and it serves her purposes. If it also serves the USA, then consider us lucky. We weren’t paid money for favors by both sides of every conflict over there. “America Second” should be my opponent’s motto. No More
Can you honestly say that when Iran gets the bomb we won’t have to respond to Saudi Arabia’s request for one in its defense even as a true ally, Israel protests. And based on our past behavior of arming the opposition, that will happen if the next president is Hillary Clinton.
The USA will not turn its back on the Middle East or the rest of the world. Too much is at stake to cut and run. But can you tell me Assad’s atrocities are worse than those committed by ISIS? That Sunnis murdering Shias is a lesser evil than the opposite?Enough.
6-America First
It doesn’t have to be about oil or corporate greed. We have oil right here. Becoming energy independent takes time. And it involves cheap oil as a bridge to cleaner, more efficient sources.
Yes, nature will be at risk. But we are a long way from the ignorant conglomerates that polluted as they pleased 100 years ago.
But thousands, maybe millions of human lives may be saved. And those lives are worth it.
I’m asking the USA to take its medicine as I am now. I’m asking the corporations that have enjoyed profits, lobbied loopholes, and international access to be patriots. Corporations have all the rights of people. I want them to start acting like people. There is a social contract that people honor. Companies need to honor it too.
We are not the country that saved the world in WW2. That country had healed itself and was ready to help. Here we are now, post WW2 seeking to prevent WW3 by intervening everywhere. And that intervention has cost us. And frankly, things are barely balanced in Syria. It is so bad that a feather of an error in judgment may spark a World War.
7-An Idea to Live and Die for
Globalization and corporatism has compromised our integrity. Politicians are for sale. Influence is a revolving door in D.C. And the people who play the game best are winning. Clearly I’m not good at the game. I’m too transparent, too impulsive. But what is my opponent other than the best game player in town?
Ask Hillary what she stands for at her core. She stands for herself. And the rest is a moving target depending on who the audience is and how much they have to spend. Her own aides know this. Look it up.
Our economy has suffered here as we try to help those abroad. Meanwhile politicians line their pockets selling America’s soul to the highest bidder. This has also diminished our ability to be effective in a crisis situation. Whose side are we on?
Wars will happen whether we intervene or not. And we will intervene, but we are not policemen. Better small limited ones that clear bad blood, than bigger ones that create holocausts and end in the use of nukes. That, my friends is where we are right now in Syria.
Clarity of purpose is not governed by my own need to be recognized or my fears anymore. I’ve taken my medicine and it has made me stronger for doing it. America is an idea I can live and die for. That is what I stand for.
8-Economy
Do you want progress? The path to progress is through honesty with ourselves.
Here’s some truth you already know. We are spread too thin. Corporations have piggybacked our desire to spread democracy to help their bottom line. And now look at our economy. Stocks are up. Do you own stocks? Or did you sell them to pay bills? Do you feel you are doing better than you were 8 years ago? I do not, and I can guess how you all feel.
We are domestically being hollowed out while the Fed is perpetuating the illusion that a higher stock market means a good economy. Guess what? It doesn’t. The tail is wagging the dog folks. And you know it. It is time to help yourselves, and not blindly trust leaders who are “here to help us”. The Federal bankers and economists who operate like mad scientists testing ideas like negative interest rates on the back of the people must stop.
The roots of US capitalism and our economy are sick. And while the academics with no real life experience direct our attention to the pretty flowers on the tree, that tree’s roots are dying.
9-America is Already Great
I want to help. Elect me as your president and you will see a difference. Sometimes painful for people who may need to be reminded of their progressive roots. It was those people who spurred this country to the greatest reforms ever. And it was not easy. I’m calling on that generation to remember what they stood for. If not for themselves, for their grandchildren. The difference will ultimately leave a stronger nation for the next 5 generations. We need progressively minded people now. Not just socially, but economically progressive too. Sadly economically progressives are simply people with common sense and the ability to act on it. Where are they?
Fix the economy from the inside out and other reforms will happen side by side. The alternative is no social security, lower standards of living, and a legacy of self-destruction for our children. The idea is not to make the rich poor. The idea is to raise the standard of living for all. The gap between the haves and the have nots will sadly always exist. But it is our duty as Americans is to close that gap by raising the level of opportunity for those not so lucky.
America is great now. It needs a tune up. All the ingredients are here. Let’s do it together
Thank you
Email: Vlanci@echobay.com
Twitter Vince Lanci: @VlanciPictures
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