"I am a soldier. I fight where I am told, and I win where I fight." Gen. George S. Patton, Jr.
August 23, 2017
By: Linda Case Gibbons
Bad habits are hard to break.
Like the way we have accepted that all politicians should talk like politicians, all bluster and no substance. And that, if you throw enough money at it, you'll win.
But despite a huge Campaign War Chest, Hillary didn't win. And the politicians who are talking like politicians aren't being listened to anymore.
The people are listening to Trump.
Hillary, Liberals and Republican Establishment-types refuse to understand why Donald Trump won, why his base remains loyal, and why he's winning despite their efforts to destroy him and his presidency.
But they already know.
Trump doesn't need approval from the media. He doesn't need to get rich in politics. He's a self-made man who proved there is an attainable American Dream, for everyone.
They are jealous because Trump supporters regard him as a friend. The rallies he holds are a way of coffee-klatching with his friends. He brings them up to date on what he's been doing, explains what may be confusing them, and assures them that he's the same guy they voted into office.
And he listens.
They know he's an odd duck. That's why he won. And they realize he'll continue to be the same odd duck. That's what they love about him.
If Trump is hated from both sides of the aisle, and everywhere Liberal in between, it's because he threatens the way of life of so many: Those in The Swamp, the Liberal media and his Republican colleagues, who have had "tenure" for eight years, but who are reluctant to get down to work. They have a lot to lose because of who he is and what he wants to do.
If he is hated, it is because, as someone put it, "He has magic." And he connects with people.
It is a quality that candidates like John McCain, Hillary Clinton, Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan didn't have, and still don't. Instead of learning from his presidential win, instead of doing some soul-searching, they have chosen to blame Trump for their own shortcomings.
The latest is the kerfuffle between President Trump and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell.
McConnell gossiped about the president at a Rotary Club meeting in Kentucky.
"Our new president, of course, has not been in this line of work before, and I think has excessive expectations about how quickly things happen in the Democratic process," McConnell said, referring to his and Republicans' failure to repeal Obamacare after eight years, never admitting that he himself had failed at doing his job.
But no one was buying it. And I'm certain some recalled the wealth of experience Barack Obama brought to the White House, and how he shoved through Obamacare without a single Republican vote, accepting no excuses from Congress.
Always ready to jump on the Bash Trump wagon, Ryan jumped on his high horse when he told CNN's Jake Tapper at a Racine, Wisconsin town hall, that he was disappointed Trump didn't provide "moral authority" when addressing the riots in Charlottesville.
"I do believe he messed up in his comments on Tuesday when it sounded like a moral equivocation...when we needed moral clarity," he said. "I do think he could have done better. I think he needed to do better."
And Hillary? She still can't accept that she lost. And she, too, has opted to blame Trump.
In an unsettling recital of an excerpt from her new book, "What Happened," Clinton proved how few presidential qualities she possesses, claiming Trump put her in fear for her safety during one campaign debate.
"We were on a small stage, and no matter where I walked, he followed me closely, staring at me, making faces. It was incredibly uncomfortable," she wrote.
"He was literally breathing down my neck. My skin crawled...What would you do? Do you stay calm, keep smiling and carry on as if he weren't repeatedly invading your space? Or do you turn, look him in the eye and say loudly and clearly: 'Back up, you creep, get away from me. I know you love to intimidate women, but you can't intimidate me."
This woman, this presidential candidate, could not decide what to do. Thank God she never had to make a decision about tackling North Korean President Kim Jong-un. It's a sticky wicket, a lot like the attack in Benghazi...
Now, with the Russian Connection on hold, Trump detractors have moved on to assault what they say are his poor communication skills. But it's not going to fly with the American people.
They know exactly what he's saying. And they know exactly what his detractors, McConnell, McCain, Hillary and Ryan are saying.
And they're listening to Trump.
Hold the line, America.