After a primary and initial post primary period in which he consistently polled poorly against the Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton, the past few weeks have finally been good to billionaire businessman and Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump.
After his post-convention bump ran its course and with the pressure on against his November date with destiny the Trump campaign made its smartest move to date in replacing former campaign manager Paul Manafort and installing Former Breitbart Chief and Chairman of the Government Accountability Institute (GAI) Steve Bannon as CEO.
In the weeks following what was seen as an indicator of a crumbling campaign, we have seen the most disciplined, focused, and effective version of Mr. Trump since he launched his campaign last June.
Gone are the ideological inconsistencies and the late night twitter bombs. In their place have been focused policy speeches and a masterful manipulation of the media, most notably his birther press conference where he tricked the media into covering military dignitaries’ espousing Trump in the political “Rickroll” of the election season.
The only thing missing is support from some segments of the conservative base. The man seen as the leader of that movement and Trump’s main adversary in the primary, Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, made a shocking announcement via Facebook this past Friday declaring, “After many months of careful consideration, of prayer and searching my own conscience, I have decided that on Election Day, I will vote for the Republican nominee, Donald Trump.”
The announcement is important to Trump because the perception is that the 2012 election was decided by the the conservative base abstaining.
With estimates given that as many as 6 million conservative voters and 45 million evangelical voters stayed home, the coveted endorsement of the perceived leader of the conservative movement was essential.
Also essential to a Republican victory this November is the new, more disciplined Donald Trump performing exceptionally in the first debate. He is up against what he has called a “rigged system,” which protected Hillary Clinton through her various scandals and indiscretions. Speculation is that Trump is a marked man who may be attacked equally by debate moderators — in addition to his Democratic opponent.
Trump was seen by many as inconsistent through the primary in regards to his policy declarations but the new repackaged version seems better equipped to make a successful debut in the first of the presidential debates.
With firm stances on the tax reform, regulatory reform, immigration, the refugee resettlement and healthcare he is poised to offer the contrasting platform that many on the right did not see in Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., in 2008 and Governor Mitt Romney in 2012.
With the recent terror attacks in St. Cloud Minnesota and New York City, Trump should take the architect of American foreign policy to task in front of the national spotlight. Americans concerned with safety should be reminded of Clinton's intention to accept an additional 65,000 Syrian refugees in 2017 if she is elected President.
Also at his disposal this evening are the 189 pages of FBI records released Friday from the Clinton email investigation, including the bombshell revelation that President Obama used a pseudonym over a non-secure email system.
This was a major gift to a campaign looking to solidify its recent gains. Trump seemingly has all the necessary ammunition to win this first debate handily.
A path to the presidency exists for Donald Trump. Whether or not he takes it depends on whether or not he is willing to remain as disciplined and presidential as he has been over the past few weeks.
Julio Rivera is an entrepreneur, small business consultant and political activist. He contributes to RightWingNews.com and NewsNinja2012.com, and had previously covered boxing and baseball for the now defunct "The Urban News" in his native Paterson, N.J. For more of his reports, Go Here Now.
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