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“My men don’t dig foxholes. Foxholes only slow up an offensive. Keep moving.” –George S. Patton

 

Donald Trump is the greatest politician in American history. Keep in mind, I did not say he was the greatest president, greatest person, or my personal favorite. But, when it comes to winning elections, staying fluid with your tactics, and dismantling the opposition, nobody has ever done it better than Donald Trump.

One of the true marks of greatness is doing things that have not been done before. Many people can take what the last guy did and try to duplicate or improve on it. Very few people can take the rule book, throw it in the fire, and write a whole new one. Trump has done that and it confounds his critics to this day. “But…but…but…he can’t do that!!” No, the last guy couldn’t do that. And the guy before him. And the guy before him. Trump on the other hand, CAN do that. Partly because a lifetime in the public eye has given him the understanding of what works and what doesn’t. And partly because Trump has the audacity to try things that have previously been considered unacceptable.

This is a new era of politics. The news doesn’t trickle in at the end of the day when you finally put your feet up to watch the nightly news. Today, in this social media world, the news is CONSTANT. If you take even a day away from the news cycle, you have missed several ups and downs. Trump knows this and has made the appropriate adjustment for a constant deluge of information. He is always moving forward. Always. He doesn’t stop to smell the roses of victory as there is no time to do so. He doesn’t let setbacks slow him down. And he doesn’t let the Democrats or their media allies set the terms of any argument. He and he alone sets the terms. And he’s one of the first to use this tactic. His success should be a lesson to Republicans who come after him.

Trump is made for the TV era. When Trump announced he was running for president and made his infamous comments about Mexico sending drugs, crime, and rapists across the border, he did so with a plan in mind. For one, Trump knew the segment of the population that cared deeply about stopping illegal immigration was easily the most underserved portion of the electorate. There was a massive power vacuum to be filled there and with one speech, Trump filled it. This migrant caravan of thousands currently headed for our border, guess who’s going to benefit from that politically.

For two, he knew eight years of Obama lying to America had Americans uniquely thirsty for someone willing to speak uncomfortable truths. Whoever was willing to speak those truths would dominate the TV airwaves. It matters not if the coverage was flattering or not. Trump understands the most important thing is the spotlight. If it’s on you, then it is not on your opponents.

Trump is an attack dog that bites everything and everyone who challenges him. This can be a bad thing when he calls a woman “Horse-face”, but it’s often a necessary thing if one is to combat a Democrat/Media alliance that is getting more and more aggressive. Social Media, Entertainment, Academia, News Media, and Public Education have now fully merged with the Democrat Party and they are using this merger to great effect. They now have one voice and only one ideology will be tolerated. Conservatives can and should believe in a laissez faire attitude when it comes to the economy, but their survival depends on them taking a much more aggressive stance to avoid being completely shut out of the culture war. In short, we NEED an attack dog and we need him right now. Whether by design or simply by happenstance, Trump is exactly what the voters were looking for at this time and place.

The race to earn the Democratic nomination for president in 2020 is now a man short. Well, not a man. A woman. A white woman. A very white woman. Elizabeth Warren race-hustled for decades and recently decided to out herself as a massive fraud and a liar. But she didn’t do this in a vacuum. She didn’t commit presidential suicide all by herself. Donald Trump made that happen. His relentless mocking of her lies and calling her “Pocahontas” baited her into making the biggest unforced political error I’ve ever seen in my life.

This is not the first time Trump has pulled off something like this. He is CONSTANTLY playing offense and forcing his opponents to play his game on his terms. Remember the 2016 GOP primary when Marco Rubio abandoned the “nice guy” routine and accused Trump of…. lacking in certain areas. Or the time Trump, not even a candidate for office yet, got The President of The United States of America to publically release his birth certificate. You can hate these tactics from Trump. To each his own on whether it is acceptable to do these things. But what you cannot deny is the effectiveness of Trump’s style. By always being on offense, he forces his opponents into a constant defensive state of mind. And you do not win battles by cowering in a foxhole.

I can’t stand Tom Brady and I hate the New England Patriots. But, there came a point that I had to realize, nobody has ever done it better. Sometimes it can be difficult to simply step back and say, “Man, that guy is good.” But Trump is good at this. He stormed through a GOP primary and then wiped the floor with Hillary Clinton. Only a prideful fool would look at the things Trump has accomplished and convince himself it was all an accident. When it comes to playing the game of politics, Trump is the greatest of all time.