The Republican Establishment is Worse Than Trump, According to John Hawkins

Who is John Hawkins? Why is his viewpoint relative to the topic to be discussed? I will answer both questions, as I believe the answer to be salient in the discussion to follow. Mr. Hawkins is a well known Republican that makes his living writing articles about conservative issues for numerous publications, and described as "the premier interviewer on the Right". It is human nature to defend organizations we belong to or tenets we espouse, and difficult to discuss faults or shortcomings of said institution. It is rarer still for someone as prominent as Hawkins is in the GOP media to take a critical look at the disarray in the Republican Establishment and publish an article about it, warts and all.

Hawkins starts his article with several quotes, but the first paragraph after sets the tone for his position:

There are a lot of things I could say about Donald J. Trump, but he isn’t responsible for 95% of the problems the Republican Party has today. Do you want to know who is responsible for most of the problems in the Republican Party? It’s the Republican Establishment.

He goes on to name some of the GOP hierarchy, but the next segment scrapes the meat off the bone.

Being part of “the establishment” is more than just having power in the Republican Party or alternately being obsequious to the people in power; it’s a contemptuous attitude toward the concerns of grassroots conservatives and Americans in flyover country. It’s an attitude that says… * We don’t need to get the most votes to choose the nominee; we’ll just keep the candidates preferred by the peons from getting enough delegates so we can install someone we want at the GOP convention. * Yes, we promised you that we’d fight Obama on the campaign trail, but if you actually expected us to do it, you’re a chump. * Sure, we talked tough about illegal immigration to the yahoos to get elected, but now that we’re in office, we’re going to do the opposite. * We’re going to use the contributions and influence of Republican Party organizations to defeat electable conservatives in GOP primaries because we prefer go-along-to-get-along moderates in Congress. * We’re willing to do what you hicks want us to do on show votes, but when it really matters, we’re going to go against you and hope you’re not sophisticated enough to figure it out.

The self-deprecating manner that he goes about exposing the GOP Establishment was entertaining, humorous, and sincere. I found the article to be insightful, and at times, tinged with malice. Trump is discussed as a quandary to the Establishment, a problem to be rid of.

Ordinary people are afraid for their country and they become even more terrified when they listen to Mitch McConnell, John Boehner and the rest of a Washington Establishment that seems utterly incapable of dealing with America’s problems, treating the grassroots with respect or fighting for anything other than what some rich donor is willing to pay them to do. Today, the establishment Republicans say that Donald Trump is a horrible, awful, terrible monster who will lose to Hillary and ruin the Republican Party forever. So obviously, they’re bombing Trump with massive levels of negative advertising, endorsing the only candidate who could conceivably beat him (Ted Cruz) and encouraging Marco Rubio and John Kasich to get out of the race, right? Wrong.

I hope you enjoy the article as much as I did, and find it as relevant in the discussion of Republican hacks seeking to derail Trump's nomination as I have.
townhall.com...

a reply to: Boscowashisnamo

Who cares how he makes his living? I agree fully with him and I drive truck for a living. So my source of income makes or breaks my opinion?


Where's your protest when some flake actress or singer loudly states she/he would leave the U.S. if Trump is elected and receives massive MSM coverage.



Go back to sleep....

a reply to: Boscowashisnamo

What it comes down to is non-establishment candidates can't afford to run for office! Unless you're a billionaire like Donald Trump, the average guy on the street can't even contemplate running for office. If they do, they're left out of debates, and given very little media attention and speaking time to get the attention of millions of American voters.

The party system is rigged and prevents anyone outside the political establishment to run for president. This article explains it best.

Third Party Candidates' Mission Impossible.

originally posted by: nwtrucker
a reply to: Boscowashisnamo

Who cares how he makes his living? I agree fully with him and I drive truck for a living. So my source of income makes or breaks my opinion?


Where's your protest when some flake actress or singer loudly states she/he would leave the U.S. if Trump is elected and receives massive MSM coverage.



Go back to sleep....

Really? That's what you took away from the story? It's a rarity when someone so entrenched in one side of politics can look at his own house for defects and run the risk of loosing the contacts that puts food on his table. I thought that point was pretty obvious...

a reply to: Boscowashisnamo


Of course! Yet pointing that out doesn't necessarily make the statement false. That's my point. One might as well say that about every MSM reporter out there.

The intent, from my perspective, was to use it to invalidate the statement. One which I fully agree with. Obviously, many of us do. We've had out fill of Republican Establishment....almost as bad as the democrat establishment. Their acts are now biting them in the arse. Even more would please me no end....


P.S. I considered the republicans my house, as you say. I'm saying that house is SO full of defects, I'm moving out. Permanently....

originally posted by: nwtrucker
a reply to: Boscowashisnamo


Of course! Yet pointing that out doesn't necessarily make the statement false. That's my point. One might as well say that about every MSM reporter out there.

The intent, from my perspective, was to use it to invalidate the statement. One which I fully agree with. Obviously, many of us do. We've had out fill of Republican Establishment....almost as bad as the democrat establishment. Their acts are now biting them in the arse. Even more would please me no end....

P.S. I considered the republicans my house, as you say. I'm saying that house is SO full of defects, I'm moving out. Permanently....

Thanks for clarifying your take on it. I get were you're coming from, and can't say I'm in disagreement.

I've been watching Hawkins since the first Bush election. His star has gone up in the world.

But he's basically right. The Establishment crapped on their electorate and you can only do that for so long before they figure it out.

The political revolution Bernie talks about is here, but it's following Trump. And it has its own issues and worries and it HATES the establishment. And that is mostly their own fault.

a reply to: ketsuko

Maybe, just maybe, Trump is nothing but the new face of the Establishment. He made his fortunes in the establishment. But now that anti-establishment revolutionary sentiments are running rampant in the US populace, I think the Establishment may have found the perfect solution: put forth a candidate who pretends to be anti-establishment. The revolutionary ideologists cheer, and quit pushing for an anti-establishment armed rebellion.

originally posted by: ketsuko
I've been watching Hawkins since the first Bush election. His star has gone up in the world.

But he's basically right. The Establishment crapped on their electorate and you can only do that for so long before they figure it out.

The political revolution Bernie talks about is here, but it's following Trump. And it has its own issues and worries and it HATES the establishment. And that is mostly their own fault.

This was the first article of his I read. I liked his writing style, and thought the piece was spot on. I always find it funny when those that believe they hold the reins of power suddenly find they're not in control of the situation. You are correct though: the fault lies on them.

the only office left for republicans to take over is the POTUS, for god's sakes....they've got the majority of governorships, majorities in the senate, majorities in the house, the supreme court (until Scalia)....the death of the GOP is highly exaggerated, to say the least....crocodile tears is the only thing that I see.

originally posted by: swanne
a reply to: ketsuko

Maybe, just maybe, Trump is nothing but the new face of the Establishment. He made his fortunes in the establishment. But now that anti-establishment revolutionary sentiments are running rampant in the US populace, I think the Establishment may have found the perfect solution: put forth a candidate who pretends to be anti-establishment. The revolutionary ideologists cheer, and quit pushing for an anti-establishment armed rebellion.

Here's the thing - You may very well be right. And it could also be right that Trump is a successful businessman. You'll find if you look into the donation activities of many businessmen and corporations that they tend to stay centralized supporting politicians on all sides of the aisle because they know they can't afford to play too much one side or the other if they want to succeed. Government can put them out of business in a heartbeat if they back too many of the wrong horses and their "side" goes out of power. Look at what happened to Gibson Guitars for one example.

Now, just because a successful person knows how to play the game and has played it to succeed, doesn't mean they like it or think it's a good thing. It may even be that they can foresee a time when the game ends up destroying all of what they love.

Now, the question is: Which one is Trump?

a reply to: Boscowashisnamo

His original website is Right Wing News. I drop in on there from time to time to see which way the wind blows, but for obvious reasons I don't use it as a primary source here. Or at least, I wouldn't without a more corroborating mainstream source to go with.

I might pop it up to illustrate what the right tends to think on something or as a secondary.