Rise of the Donald Signals Sea Change in U.S. Politics

By Patrick J. Buchanan —

If his Republican opponents will not take down Donald Trump, Fox News will not only show them how it is done. Fox News will do the job for them.

That is the message that came out loud and clear from the Republican debate in Cleveland on August 6, which was viewed by the largest cable audience ever to watch a political event—24 million Americans.

As political theater, it was exciting and entertaining. But what was supposed to be a debate among the top-10 Republican candidates turned into a bear-baiting of Donald Trump.

Make no mistake. The issues Fox News raised were legitimate.

Trump’s threat to run third party, his remarks about women who have affronted him, the bankruptcies that four of his companies went through as he built his real estate empire—these are all fair game.



 

What was wrong here was that it was not his Republican rivals raising these issues or taking on Trump. It was the Fox News “moderators” of what was supposed to be a candidates’ debate. They came into the arena to do to Trump what his GOP rivals have been too timid or reluctant to do.

Chris Wallace and Megyn Kelly came with their opposition research done and attack questions prepared—to sack Trump in the end zone and send him to the locker room on a stretcher.

When did that become the job of a “moderator,” who is supposed to be more of a referee than a middle linebacker?

With the exception of Rand Paul on the opening question about Trump bolting to run as a third-party candidate, no Republican chose to follow up the Fox News attacks on Trump that were disguised as questions. They let Fox do the wet work.

The anger of Trump and his followers that he was being singled out and sandbagged is understandable, even if his reaction revealed that Fox News had drawn blood. Indeed, this debate will be recalled in political lore as the night Fox News tried to take down the Donald.

Did they succeed? What do the early returns tell us?

According to an NBC poll, taken in the 48 hours after Cleveland, Trump has held first place and has risen a point to 23%. Senator Ted Cruz (R-Texas) had vaulted into second place with 13%. Dr. Ben Carson had risen to No. 3 with 11%. Carly Fiorina, who was not in the top 10 a week ago, is now fourth with 9%.

Together, these four outsiders can claim the support of well over half of all Republicans, while the beltway favorites—Senator Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) at No. 5, Jeb Bush at No. 6 and Scott Walker at No. 7—can together claim less Republican support than Donald Trump alone.

Who won the debate? According to the NBC poll, it was Carson, Trump and Cruz in that order.

What is now clear is that the Republican establishment wants Trump out of this race, and, frustrated at his continuing strong support, is less and less willing to wait for him to implode.

Over the weekend, we heard talk of a John Kasich-Marco Rubio ticket, or vice versa. Yet, in that NBC poll, Kasich remains dead in the water after the debate, dropping from 3% to 2%, while Rubio is at 9%.

A real danger is emerging here of the split inside the GOP deepening and widening. For if it is seen that Trump has not been rejected by the voters, but driven out of the race by the establishment and the elites, the value of the nomination will be vastly diminished.





 

Thus far in this presidential season, the rise of the Republican outsiders, insurgents, non-politicians and anti-politicians reveals how far the people of the United States are estranged and alienated from their political leadership.

In the Democratic Party, too, we have seen the rise of outsider-insurgent Socialist Bernie Sanders to within single digits of Hillary Clinton in New Hampshire, and the fall of Mrs. Clinton to where she is underwater in the polls on issues of trust and, “Does she care about people like me?”

If there is one lesson to be taken from this run-up year to the presidential campaign of 2016, it is that a huge and growing segment of the nation does not want what the establishment of either party has on offer.

And as insurgent parties spring up all over Europe, and the two-party system disintegrates there, the Europeanization of American politics may be at hand.

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Patrick J. Buchanan is a writer, political commentator and presidential candidate and the author of the new book THE GREATEST COMEBACK: How Richard Nixon Rose From Defeat to Create the New Majority.

9 Comments on Rise of the Donald Signals Sea Change in U.S. Politics

  1. Borders must be opened with Mexico before the peons starve. There is no other solution except to make Mexico the 51st state.
  2. Trump could be a Trojan horse, and he’s starting out like Perot did in ’96—making too much sense. Perot was put in there by the PTB to absorb the head of steam that was building for a serious third-party candidate. He withdrew in June (some BS about his daughter’s wedding) then got back in two months later, picking Stockdale, the one-eyed, one-legged war hero, bless his soul, who you’d pick as your VP only if you wanted to turn away voters and throw the fight. I quit watching “fair and balanced” Fox long ago ‘cuz they’re neither.
  3. It is very interesting how the extreme right and the extreme left are lashing out at Donald Trump. He says it as it is and this hurts their ears; the system is broken: the country is broke; we are missing tremendous opportunities for economic growth. They want to continue the status quo—the complete evisceration of this nation. They want war with Iran and Russia, but they don’t want to address our domestic crisis. It was amusingly obvious that the candidates, other than The Trump, meticulously read from their prepared and memorized scrips. Heaven forbid they wander without their collar and leash. Trump is the only credible candidate and the only candidate on both sides of the aisle who understands the harsh realities of our situation and offers credible solutions; no grandstanding, no posturing, just says it as it is. He has my vote!
  4. What has Mr. Trump said about the ANITCHRIST STATE of “ISRAEL”? Sums up where his delusion is. Also it shows how delusional the American populace really are. I have yet to meet an honest billionaire who has NOT trampled under his feet the poor people to get their “wealth.”
  5. He’s a megalomaniacal Zionist! Check out the Trump video at REALJEWNEWS! He has millions invested in his daughter’s Khazar FAKE “j-w” hubbie’s company, and his son is wrapped up in another one! He will be their puppet, as he inflates his ego.
  6. Professional politicians are disgusting shills for corporate interests. Trump is not a puppet because of his personal wealth and self-esteem. He is unbeatable by any hag or wimp. His brilliance and entertainment value is a gift to Americans.
  7. Mr. Trump’s popularity can be attributed to two things:

    1) He is addressing issues that the other politicians won’t touch

    2) The abject hatred the American public have for the Democrat Propaganda Machine (a.k.a. mainstream media).

    The more these career criminal politicians and their complicit media hacks rally against Mr. Trump, the more popular he will become. Dr. Ben Carson and Carly Fiorina could enjoy similar popularity if they also attack these crooked politicians and the duplicitous mainstream media and expose them for the frauds everyone know them to be.

  8. Donald Trump stood firm on his vow to build a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border.

    “If it weren’t for me, you wouldn’t even be talking about illegal immigration,” Trump said, blasting “stupid leaders” in the U.S. harboring illegal immigrants.

    However, Donald Trump must be either extremely stupid or a brazen liar for denying the fact that the Zionist fake Jewish Oligarchs are busy creating a totalitarian One World Government, through the Security and Prosperity Partnership of North America (SPP), modeled after the European Union, and signed into law by President George Bush, composed of Canada, Mexico, and the United States, which means open borders between Canada, the U.S., Mexico, and Europe.

  9. “Make no mistake. The issues Fox News raised were legitimate.”

    It was no such thing. Megyn Kelley’s question was simply a continuation of the Democrat’s meme of the “war on women.” This is yet another example of Fox News taking an active role in establishing the liberal ideology of the extreme left rather than calling it out as simply a political ruse perpetrated by the Left. Megyn Kelly and Fox News ought to be ashamed of themselves.

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