A leading conservative news blog says Donald Trump is shaping up to be the Mitt Romney of the 2016 presidential election — a big loser for the GOP.
"Even if Trump takes over the establishment lane, conservatives still have better choices," writes Jeffrey Rendall at
Conservative HQ.
"Trump isn't the well-mannered pol that Mitt Romney was, but his argument for why people should choose him isn't all that different from the Massachusetts establishment candidate," Rendall says.
"Romney ran as a successful businessman who turned to politics as a form of selfless service and promised to correct all the problems inflicted on America by a bunch of Democrats who couldn't manage their way out of a paper bag. Sound familiar?
"Let's not forget, Trump endorsed Romney early on in the last nominating cycle (early February 2012 after Iowa, New Hampshire and South Carolina). He could've chosen [Rick] Santorum or [Newt] Gingrich as the
'conservative not-Romney' choice at that time, but didn't."
Rendall argues that Trump, the Republican presidential front-runner by double digits in the national polls, uses his opposition to the Iraq War and free trade "as examples of how he'd break with Republican leaders past and present."
"But notice how he rarely makes the argument government should be smaller as opposed to just inefficient. Instead, he calls people 'stupid' and rails against incompetence," Rendall says.
"The main difference between Trump and Romney is The Donald lumps in the Republican leadership as the source of the problem. It's true . . . and music to the ears of many. In this world, 'competence' is the main argument. Listening to Donald Trump and his 'it's a mess' main selling point, you grasp his lack of ideology in full view.
"Conservative? No. Popular, yes. What do we really need to make 'America Great Again,' a manager or someone who will get government out of the 'fixing' business? Take that question with you to the booth (or the caucus) on Election Day."
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