Jumping the Shark: a few thoughts on the RNC

What the hell?

This political year has been a strange, surreal experience for me and for many conservatives who take serious issue with Donald Trump. For months, he's bullied and insulted his way to the top, and now, it's time for the coronation as the GOP's El Jefe.

Many of the speeches were fantastic, to be honest. I liked Pat Smith's heartfelt testimony and hard words for Clinton, and I admired Sheriff David Clarke as he talked about the war against our law enforcement officers. All strong, standard conservative themes. And then it got strange on Tuesday, as they started to talk about business and job creation. Traditionally, conservatives favor the free market and look to competition and international cooperation to develop the economy and create jobs. This classic video below will give you a pretty good idea of the power of the free market.

I doubt Donald Trump would agree with this, considering he wants to impose tariffs on nations like China. (THIS article explains the problem with tariffs). Trump's ignorant oversimplification of the trade problem with China, in fact, could cost Americans a lot more in the long run. He wants to impose a 45% tariff on goods imported from China, but that's really just a band-aid over a bigger with labor overall. If those other problems, such as the high cost of doing business in America, aren't addressed and remedied, then the cost of goods will skyrocket and damage the economy further. Take a look at THIS and THIS from the National Review for more information. Trump's short-sighted, quick-fix mentality is further shown by Kevin Williamson from the National Review: "For many years, nearly half of our trade deficit came from imports of a single product: oil, not Hondas or cheap flip-flops from China. Oil accounted for 40.5 percent of the trade deficit from 2000 to 2012."

Wasn't Trump supposed to be a sharp, fierce businessman with a deep understanding of industry and trade? Then again, he wants to build a wall to protect us from illegal immigrants, as if that's the big solution.

What particularly appalled me these last couple of days were the speeches by Rudy Giuliani and Mike Pence, both of whom went out of their way to insist that Trump is a good guy with a big heart. A real pussy. (the kitty cat kind, of course...). "I am sick and tired of the defamation of Donald Trump by the media and by the Clinton campaign — I am sick and tired of it!” Giuliani said. “This is a good man!”

So let's review and see whether this is correct. Let's start with "Lyin Ted" and "Little Marco," and even "Crooked Hillary." These are schoolyard taunts, not appropriate for an adult seeking the highest office in the land. We teach children not to call people names, so shouldn't we hold adults, especially those running for public office, to the same standard? That doesn't say "good man" to me.

OK, how about some of the other things he has said over the last several months. Do these show him to be a good man? I found these at refinery29.com

• Regarding his wall, Trump told the Wall Street Journal that U.S. District Judge Gonzalo Curiel has "an absolute conflict" in the case because he is "of Mexican heritage."
• In a 2004 interview with Dateline, Trump spoke about his response to a former employee’s pregnancy by calling it "inconvenient" for a business. “[It’s] a wonderful thing for the woman, it’s a wonderful thing for the husband, it’s certainly an inconvenience for a business. And whether people want to say that or not, the fact is it is an inconvenience for a person that is running a business."
• "She's a woman that's been very ineffective, other than she's got a big mouth," Trump saidof Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren at a press conference Thursday. "I don't know if you'd call it a fraud or not, but she was able to get into various schools because of the fact she applied as a Native American, and [she was] probably able to get other things," Trump added.
• "All of the men, we're petrified to speak to women anymore. We may raise our voice. You know what? The women get it better than we do, folks. They get it better than we do. If she didn't play that card, she has nothing." — on Hillary Clinton and the "women's card" at a campaign rally in Spokane, Washington, in May 2016.
• "You could see there was blood coming out of her eyes, blood coming out of her wherever. In my opinion, she was off base." — on Fox News host Megyn Kelly, after she moderated a GOP debate
• "When Mexico sends its people, they're not sending their best. They're sending people that have lots of problems, and they're bringing those problems to us. They're bringing drugs. They're bringing crime. They're rapists. And some, I assume, are good people." — on Mexico and immigration

Then there are the "mean tweets":
​

The verdict: Sorry, Rudy, but you're wrong. Thanks for playing.

So this is the guy the GOP is supporting (noses pinched tightly closed)? Then it's no longer my party. If they are so cowardly that they can't stand up to this bully, preferring to lose their reputation and honor for the sake of power, then I don't even know what to say. I just hope that Ted Cruz will say some good things and tell the truth about this man. I'd like to think that he's got a moral scope and a lot of integrity, so I guess we'll see. In the meantime, I'll continue to reel from the disgusting display Mike Pence gave  yesterday, equating Donald Trump to Ronald Reagan. SMH

#micdrop