DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. -- Donald Trump is redefining what it means to be a Republican. If he wins, and perhaps even if he doesn’t, the Republican Party will be a far different animal than the one we have known. We older Americans may not always like the changes he is bringing, but we should applaud them and we must understand them.
I remember Ronald Reagan very well. I was seated in the crowd at the Capitol at his inauguration and, like every real American, I came to revere him and what he did for our country. But, like it or not, Reagan’s America is gone. Partly this is because he achieved so much and, satisfied with those achievements, the country and the world moved on. Partly it is because of the slow and insidious changes wrought upon us by the dangerous and unsustainable programs of the Left. And partly it is simply because the Reagan generation has aged and is passing from the scene. Whatever the reason, the impact of the end of Reaganism is upon us and upon the Republican Party.
Let’s face it – the Republican Party which so many of us knew, loved and mythologized -- is never going to win another national election. Its established leadership is too comfortable in their positions. Its core philosophy focuses on the America that was, not the America that is. Even its electoral techniques have fallen behind the times and, more importantly, behind those of the Democrats. And all the while our fundamental political and judicial systems have been so thoroughly corrupted by the Democrat Left that they can no longer be reformed from within.
Only the Republican Party can hope to resurrect our nation from the ruin visited upon it by the Democrats. But to do so it must have a leader who can seize the populist moment, grasping the heart of our faith in America and adding programs and outreach which enable our Party to be a meaningful alternative for those who are repelled by the failures of the Left and reject the spectre of leadership by a career criminal but fear that they have no place else to turn.
That leader is Donald Trump.
Trump is a product of the real world, outside of the Washington hothouse. An outsider; a true patriot; a sometime Democrat repelled by their excesses and failures; a canny and successful businessman who brings proven strategies and tactics to the political arena. Trump showed his mettle by defeating sixteen other Republican candidates, many of them traditional, well-funded and well known political leaders. In the process he won more primary votes than any other Republican in history.
Trump is a product of the real world, outside of the Washington hothouse. An outsider; a true patriot; a sometime Democrat repelled by their excesses and failures; a canny and successful businessman who brings proven strategies and tactics to the political arena. Trump showed his mettle by defeating sixteen other Republican candidates, many of them traditional, well-funded and well known political leaders. In the process he won more primary votes than any other Republican in history. A number of our Party’s leaders continue to oppose him but those who do either mourn the loss of their rice bowls or fail to understand what Trump is doing and why it is so necessary to the Party and the country that he succeed.
He raised the populist banner by telling it like it is – by calling out Hillary and the rest of the corrupt and failed Democrat leadership. He showed himself to be what the people demand and our country needs – a real American and a strong thoughtful leader who takes no crap!
Watch his convention speech again. The media tell us that it was dystopian, but the miserable picture he painted is exactly the state of America today under the destructive leadership of Barack Obama with worse to come under Hillary.
And now he is working as hard as he can to expand the Republican base beyond the traditional Reagan Republicans who are no longer numerous enough to win a national election.
Hear his calls to unionized blue collar workers driven from their jobs by leftist trade policies and the unrestricted outsourcing of labor to foreign shores. Witness his embrace of the African American community, so thoroughly betrayed by the welfare enslavement of the Democrat Party. Applaud his assurances to the LGBTQ community of the full rights and protections guaranteed to all Americans by our constitution. Cheer his pledge to unleash the forces of the free market to resurrect our regulation-ridden economy and again enable the middle class to grow in wealth and numbers. Support his plan to rebuild our military to protect our nation and make our word once again respected in the world. Rally behind his promise to ensure both liberty and security at home while visiting death and destruction on our blood enemies of terror. And just listen to his magnificent children!
What you see and hear is the framework of a program which can hold the heart of Reagan’s America while appealing to the broader audience whose votes and support we the people must have at all levels of the ballot if we are to make this happen.
Donald Trump has conceived a brilliant plan to remake the Republican Party into a juggernaut political movement which can restore a proud and prosperous America for all its citizens. He unveiled its beginnings at the convention. It is for all of us to give him and our other candidates total support. If we win, America lives and flourishes. The consequences of loss are too dystopian to contemplate.
Stanley Escudero writes his Guidepost exclusively for Headline Surfer. Escudero is a retired American diplomat who served in the U.S. foreign service in multiple capacities. He was U.S. ambassador to Tajikistan, 1992–1995, U.S. ambassador to Uzbekistan, 1995–1997, and U.S. ambassador to Azerbaijan, 1997-2000. Born in Daytiona Beach, FL, Escudero first came to prominence for his outspoken views on Iran in the 1970s. While serving in the U.S. Embassy in Tehran in the mid 1970s, he questioned the Shah's longevity in power. This challenge to the basic tenets of U.S. policy in the region would probably have ended his career, had the shah not proved him right soon thereafter. As the Iranian revolution was unfolding, Escudero was sent back to Iran with the mission of getting out in the street and finding out what was happening. He received his Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Florida and an associates degree from the former Daytona Beach Community College, now known as Daytona State College where he serves on the DSC Board of Trustees. Escudero and his wife, Jaye, reside in South Daytona.