March 6, 2016 (LifeSiteNews) – Reporting newsworthy developments on Donald Trump, no matter how calmly and accurately done, has unique risks. Trump fans tend to have zero tolerance for anything that appears to be critical of their man. They also don’t read what we write or they read everything with a Trump-truth-avoidance filter. And yet, they feel completely justified in trashing our reports. This especially happens with Facebook postings where normal human communications standards are believed to not apply.
Here are a few samples of responses we received:
“Moral? You idiots like the Pharisees! ! Abortion? That's all that God is angry about ???”
“Why would I read your articles when you take half a quote to misrepresent what Trump stated? You don't care about Truth.” (a common complaint. We include precise quotes and often video showing him making the statements in full context)
“Lifesite news… we don't need to read your article and small print at the bottom of the page (there was no small print)… most of us adults heard what he said from his own mouth! (we quote him exactly) Trump has my vote. Where was lifesite for the last 10 years on exposing PP….. yeah just what I thought!” (a Search for “Planned Parenthood” on LifeSite brings up 41,000 results)
“Was this article actually written by Mitt Romney or did he just provide talking points LSN?”
“But why mess around? Why not just go full Godwin: “Trump is Hitler.” It'll save us all so much time with your future pseudo-journalism clickbait.”
And here is my favorite,
“Anyone who believes this CRAP- needs to have their heads examined. When Trump wins, AND HE WILL WIN, I hope he passes a law to put scumbags like you in jail or fine the hell out of you. I'm sure you guys call yourselves Christian, don't forget, GOD IS WATCHING!! Scumbags like you…”
Gosh, it seems we have a lot to look forward to with a Trump presidency.
LifeSite does not make recommendations for or against Donald Trump or any of the other candidates, but we do publish candid reports. We have admittedly been reporting more on Trump simply because he provides by far the most newsworthy material.
We are not a political service, but we must follow this race since the American presidency has a massive influence on all things related to life and family.
However, Trump fans demand affirmation. If it appears that we don’t support The Donald – look out, they go after us with all the irrationality and anger they can muster.
This cartoon might seem a stretch, but it has become a common experience.
In his First Things article, The Age of Outrage, Matthew Block writes the following,
“… Trump and his followers are a symptom of a much deeper problem. The greatest danger is not Trump but rather the diseased culture that makes Trump possible. There has been a death of reasoned discourse and civil disagreement in North American society. Argument has given way to anger. Dialogue has given way to diatribe. And civility is considered a sign of weakness. We need not even know who precisely we are angry at or why, so long as we rage loudly enough.”
Mollie Hemingway in 5 Takeaways From Last Night’s GOP Debate In Detroit writes in The Federalist,
The (March3) debate was a low-point not just in the history of American democracy, but democracy itself. We’re talking end-of-Rome-levels of bad. Actual debates, where intelligent men come together to argue a position of importance, are important for free people. Televised debates of the type we’ve seen for the last half-century began as somewhat substantive pseudo-events and have deteriorated into the spectacle they are today.
Trump kept interrupting everyone non-stop. A few times, Cruz treated him like a child. At one point he said, “Donald, I know it’s hard not to interrupt but try.
Breathe.
Breath deep Donald
Breathe. Breathe.”
Donald J. Trump has a tenuous relationship with the truth.
Posted by Ted Cruz on Thursday, March 3, 2016
He (Trump) was a tangled mess of word salad and gratuitous insult after gratuitous insult after gratuitous insult.
Horrified parents took to social media to complain that their children were watching the debate out of civic virtue or as homework, only to hear Trump deal with his insecurities about his manhood live on television. Others were simply upset that they or their children had to hear Trump’s gratuitous and constant insults when asked to answer a question. The first question to Trump was about whether he could respond to Mitt Romney’s criticism of him without insults. (He couldn’t. He launched right into them and didn’t care.)”
Trump speaks in a way that we have not heard in recent memory from a leading candidate running for President of the United States. That’s simply a fact. It’s about as low a level of public communications by a national political figure as we can imagine today and has been like watching a modern television reality show.
The video, Your Drunk Neighbor: Donald Trump, would normally be seen to be a in bad taste, but Trump invites this stuff. Using only actual recorded words from The Donald himself throughout the video, in a satirical setting of two drunks, the creators expose how really awful Trump talk can be. These are words of a man who may be chosen to run for the most powerful government and military position in the world.
However, it has to be admitted that Trump has correctly identified what many Americans are generally justified in being angry about. Betrayal by those voted into positions of trust, both Republicans and Democrats, has gotten to a point that is intolerable and dangerous for the nation. America is on the verge of a precipice and everyone knows it. It’s time for radical change, and many want, demand – a savior who will kick butt.
In the age of the Internet, entertainment saturation and celebrity and image cultivation, as has never existed before, along comes Donald Trump.
But is he The One who can save America?
Trump Unexpectedly gets huge gift from Pope Francis
Despite all of the above, just a few days before the South Carolina primary, Trump got a totally unexpected, huge gift from Pope Francis. In his response to a question about Trump's immigration policies, the pope stated, “A person who thinks only about building walls, wherever they may be, and not building bridges is not Christian”. Immediately I realized that Trump would exploit the comments to his advantage – and he did, quite masterfully.
The loser from the Pope’s imprudent words at a critical time of the primary race was Ted Cruz. Many Evangelical South Carolina primary voters who had planned to vote for Cruz, likely switched to Trump to spite the Catholic Pope’s interference in American political affairs. No doubt many thought that because they supported much tougher application of U.S. immigration laws, which Obama has been suppressing, the pope also considers them to be “not Christian”. I am told there were only Evangelicals voting in the primary. The Pope's timing was inadvertantly very helpful for Trump and the many primary voters who strongly agreed with Trump on immigration.
Others came to similar conclusions:
* Mary Matalin: Pope Francis Just Gave Donald Trump ‘A Big, Fat, Wet Kiss’
* Pope Francis’s comments will only help Trump
* There is no doubt in my mind that Pope Francis helped Donald Trump to win big in South Carolina
* Trump Tiff with Pope Francis Probably the Latest Thing Not to Sink Him
* Peter Lucas: Pope's criticism turned out to be blessing for Trump
* Why Anti-Catholicism Will Rise
Andrew Brietbart's prophetic words on Trump
Five years ago and a year before his death, the very influential Andrew Brietbart, founder of Breitbart News and a close collaborator of Matt Drudge of the Drudge Report, had some eerily prophetic words to say about Donald Trump.
Brietbart emphasized the importance of “celebrity” and how critical knowing how to “play the media” is in presidential campaigns. He warned that Trump was a master at this.
Ted Cruz
The only person who might possibly be able to catch up to and defeat Trump now seems to be Ted Cruz.
I have only seen a few of the debates. Other staff have that task. But just listening to points made by the Republican candidates, Ted Cruz and Marco Rubio seem impressive to me, especially on our life issues. However, these days it seems that a candidate’s record and what they say is not nearly as important as how they say things and how they look.
Even among our staff, there are sharp differences of opinion about who would be best. I have been surprised at the severe criticisms from conservatives about just not liking Ted Cruz, not trusting him, “he is arrogant”, “he is a liar”, “ he is a total phony”, “he mentions prayer and God too much.”
That causes me to wonder what I am missing. Last week I came across a list of what are stated to be many impressive accomplishments by Ted Cruz. I had no idea he did all that so I posted it to my blog so that others would be similarly informed.
How could someone who has achieved so much be “a liar” or a “total phony”? To me, it does not make sense. Maybe now and then he has lied, I don’t know, but all in all, that record has to reflect a pretty impressive personal character, comparatively speaking.
Then I saw the video below. Oh my. This again reveals how low we have come. Richard Cytowic, Professor of neurology at George Washington University, goes so far as to claim that “Ted Cruz's face keeps him from getting elected”. Cytowic says, “He doesn’t come across as sincere at all. Some perform better than others. Cruz doesn’t perform at all.”
However, the video did help me to better understand how, in our super saturation media/entertainment, dumbed down culture, judgments about how a candidate looks and talks are given the most weight by many rather than whatever the person has actually achieved and stands for.
To me, the professor is insulting and arrogant. He has a point to a limited degree. Image has always been important, but to indicate that voters now hardly give any consideration to substance, ability or experience seems insane. And yet, it seems too many may have indeed descended to such utterly shallow criteria for evaluating candidates who will lead the nation and determine their future.
Trump, Cruz or Rubio?
If Trump wins, maybe he won’t be as big a risk as it seems to me. He has repeatedly stated that he will defund Planned Parenthood if they do abortions, although he also strangely continues to praise them for all the supposed good work they do for women. Phyllis Schlafly strongly endorses him. She is very seasoned on politics and policital strategy. Maybe his rough, vulgar, get it done no matter what style is what is needed for a period of time. I don’t know, but it does cause concern. Deep concern. We shall see.
Marco Rubio or Ted Cruz should be far less concerning for pro-life Americans. Both have solid pro-life records. Trump is extremely unpredictable.
If you are a Trump fan and are angry about this article, I suggest you instead spend your energy going after the conservative authors of the much more critical articles below. You will have more fun doing that.
* An appeal to fellow Catholics
* Dear Trump Fan, So You Want Someone To ‘Tell It Like It Is’? OK, Here You Go (Matt Walsh – The Blaze)
* Three Simple Questions for Trump Supporters (American Thinker)
* 5 Reasons Every American Should Oppose Donald Trump (The Federalist)
* Donald Trump Is a Scam. Evangelical Voters Should Back Away (Christian Post Editorial)
* Donald Trump is the Very Demagogue the Founders Feared (Josh Hammer – The Resurgent)
* Ben Shapiro Explains in Under Six Minutes Why You Shouldn’t Back Trump (Breitbart)
