Footnotes to Plato from the foothills of the Superstition Mountains

Will I Vote for Donald J. Trump in 2020?

Absolutely.

I didn't support Trump's nomination. In fact, I wrote many posts against it, one example here.  But when Trump gained the Republican nomination, I realized that no serious conservative could fail to support him given the alternative.  So I decided to roll the dice and encourage others to do so.  The gist of my reasoning in two sentences: With Hillary, we know what we will get. With Trump, there is a good chance that we will get some of what conservatives want.  Ergo, etc.  A nice tight little enthymeme that I unpacked over many a post, e.g., in Catholics Must Support Trump.

What happened in the last two and one half years is that we conservatives got far, far more than we expected.  The Orange Man  is proving to be a great president:

. . . Trump has accomplished more in two years than his four immediate predecessors accomplished in four to eight years.

The economy is in the best shape in modern history. New and better trade agreements have been developed with the major economies. Our defense is much stronger, including a stronger and better funded NATO. Our principal adversaries — Russia, China, Iran, North Korea — are more off-balance than they have been in decades. Each of them is tough and ruthless, but they see in Trump someone who understands them and is equally tough in defending his country. And, with the collapse of ObamaCare, Trump has a huge opportunity to advance an effective, market-based approach to American health care coverage and cost control to help everyone.

Belying the hysteria of the left, all Americans are moving forward; these are not “sad times,” and there is no “crisis.”

This raises the central question to be framed in the next election: What should we demand of our president? If we’re looking for dignity, manners, grace and orderliness, Trump is vulnerable. If we’re looking for strong leadership to provide real opportunity for economic advancement for all Americans and a strong defense of America and its interests, then Trump has a claim to greatness over his current opponents and his predecessors.

The weak field of Democrats presents voters with a virtual Hobson’s choice. It will be interesting to see how they choose.

So yes, I will vote for Trump in 2020.  


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