A year ago, when Donald Trump announced his candidacy, very few people gave him a chance. Many thought he was simply seeking publicity. After a few months of primary elections, a Trump nomination seemed inevitable. Now he's neck and neck in the polls with Hillary. If you haven't been following his campaign, and wonder where he stands on key issues, pick up Crippled America: How to Make America Great Again.
Trump is the Republican nominee, and has been criticized by many for not being Republican enough or not being conservative enough. But if you read Crippled America, you'll see that for the most part, Republicans and conservatives will be comfortable with Trump's positions. He is more stringent on immigration than some Republicans, but many, many more Americans are on board with Trump. On health care, he calls for a complete repeal of Obamacare, which most conservatives love. However, I'm not sure how his health care solutions will sit with conservatives.
The big question is, no matter how good Trump's ideas are, can he get anything passed? I'd seriously like to see him try. While he's mostly conservative in his views, his positions in Crippled America are better described as common sense populism. Trump is a guy who has gotten things done in business. Now he's identifying problems in the U.S. and he's ready to offer solutions.
Is Trump a perfect candidate? Clearly not. He has lots of baggage, and has said some dumb things. There are several Republican candidates I would rather have seen as the nominee. I will admit that I would vote for just about anyone rather than Hillary. But Crippled America encouraged me; there were many points at which I was nodding along with him. I hope Republicans and other conservative voters will get past their offense at Trump's (unfortunately numerous) offensive remarks and pay attention to his positions. A Hillary presidency wouldn't be the end of the world, but I dread the way she'll expand the government and I dread her Supreme Court appointments. I can certainly live with a Trump presidency over another Clinton presidency.
2016 Reading Challenge: A book by a Presbyterian
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