Michael Gaynor
Donald Trump won't be bullied. Period. Full stop.
By Michael Gaynor
The Constitution does not exempt from counterattack Gold Star families that choose to attack others in the political arena. Trump refused to be bullied by a Gold Star father and banked on most voters preferring a President who won't be bullied and won't let the United States be bullied either.
There's no dispute that Army Capt. Humayun Saqib Muazzam Khan died heroically more than a decade ago in the service of the United States during the war in Iraq.
2016 Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump promptly acknowledged that and has not uttered a word of criticism of him.
There's no dispute that his parents appeared at the Democrat National Convention to support 2016 Democrat presidential nominee Hillary Clinton.
They certainly were entitled to do so.
Khizr Khan, the father, spoke at the Convention, with his wife standing silently by his side showing her support.
Mr. Kahn turned out to be a Clinton attack dog.
Mr. Khan took the opportunity to attack 2016 Republican presidential nominee, perhaps in the belief that as a Gold Star family member he was immune from counterattack and perhaps in the belief that he could "bait" Trump into counterattacking by charging that Trump had sacrificed "nothing" and had never read the Constitution.
President Obama showed himself to be a bluffer by not backing up with military action his warning to Syrian President Assad not to cross a "red line" by using chemical weapons.
Trump is no Obama.
Trump defends himself and counterattacks.
It's an approach that would work well for a President of the United States.
Dana Perino, former press secretary to President George W. Bush, predictably opined that Trump should have dealt with Kahn's personal attacks the way her boss handled Cindy Sheehan's personal attacks on him.
Trump is no George W. Bush either.
Many Clinton apologists and Trump critics appeared to be horrified that Trump had counterattacked and attributed his counterattack to political amateurism.
Conservative icon Rush Limbaugh opined that Trump had been "outfoxed" by Democrats and insisted that Trump "doesn't see liberalism" (www.newsmax.com/Politics/rush-limbaugh-donald-trump-muslim soldier/2016/08/01/id/741646/#ixzz4GBeMmMcK).
Limbaugh opined that Trump "does not...see[] things through an ideological prism" and that he should, or else "he will never understand the method, the motive and the how and why these attacks against him happen."
Limbaugh stated, "It's clear that [Mr. Kahn] and his wife were put on that stage as props, disguised as the Democrats being thoughtful and compassionate and understanding."
Yet Limbaugh thinks that Trump missed the real point of the Democrat strategy of giving a platform and a spotlight to the Kahns.
Trump didn't miss it.
In Limbaugh's view, "Hillary Clinton is always the target. The Democrat Party should always be, and Hillary Clinton should always be the target, not [Mr. Kahn]."
Trump realized that Mr. Kahn is a provocateur who should not be ignored, lest silence be perceived as a sign of acquiescence or guilty.
To be sure, Hillary Clinton and the Democrat Party are Trump's main targets, but they chose to use Mr. Kahn as a major weapon and ignoring their major weapons suggests weakness, not strength, and encourages more attacks.
The Constitution does not exempt from counterattack Gold Star families that choose to attack in the political arena. Trump refused to be bullied by a Gold Star father and banked on most voters preferring a President who won't be bullied and won't let the United States be bullied either.
© Michael Gaynor
August 2, 2016
The Constitution does not exempt from counterattack Gold Star families that choose to attack others in the political arena. Trump refused to be bullied by a Gold Star father and banked on most voters preferring a President who won't be bullied and won't let the United States be bullied either.
There's no dispute that Army Capt. Humayun Saqib Muazzam Khan died heroically more than a decade ago in the service of the United States during the war in Iraq.
2016 Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump promptly acknowledged that and has not uttered a word of criticism of him.
There's no dispute that his parents appeared at the Democrat National Convention to support 2016 Democrat presidential nominee Hillary Clinton.
They certainly were entitled to do so.
Khizr Khan, the father, spoke at the Convention, with his wife standing silently by his side showing her support.
Mr. Kahn turned out to be a Clinton attack dog.
Mr. Khan took the opportunity to attack 2016 Republican presidential nominee, perhaps in the belief that as a Gold Star family member he was immune from counterattack and perhaps in the belief that he could "bait" Trump into counterattacking by charging that Trump had sacrificed "nothing" and had never read the Constitution.
President Obama showed himself to be a bluffer by not backing up with military action his warning to Syrian President Assad not to cross a "red line" by using chemical weapons.
Trump is no Obama.
Trump defends himself and counterattacks.
It's an approach that would work well for a President of the United States.
Dana Perino, former press secretary to President George W. Bush, predictably opined that Trump should have dealt with Kahn's personal attacks the way her boss handled Cindy Sheehan's personal attacks on him.
Trump is no George W. Bush either.
Many Clinton apologists and Trump critics appeared to be horrified that Trump had counterattacked and attributed his counterattack to political amateurism.
Conservative icon Rush Limbaugh opined that Trump had been "outfoxed" by Democrats and insisted that Trump "doesn't see liberalism" (www.newsmax.com/Politics/rush-limbaugh-donald-trump-muslim soldier/2016/08/01/id/741646/#ixzz4GBeMmMcK).
Limbaugh opined that Trump "does not...see[] things through an ideological prism" and that he should, or else "he will never understand the method, the motive and the how and why these attacks against him happen."
Limbaugh stated, "It's clear that [Mr. Kahn] and his wife were put on that stage as props, disguised as the Democrats being thoughtful and compassionate and understanding."
Yet Limbaugh thinks that Trump missed the real point of the Democrat strategy of giving a platform and a spotlight to the Kahns.
Trump didn't miss it.
In Limbaugh's view, "Hillary Clinton is always the target. The Democrat Party should always be, and Hillary Clinton should always be the target, not [Mr. Kahn]."
Trump realized that Mr. Kahn is a provocateur who should not be ignored, lest silence be perceived as a sign of acquiescence or guilty.
To be sure, Hillary Clinton and the Democrat Party are Trump's main targets, but they chose to use Mr. Kahn as a major weapon and ignoring their major weapons suggests weakness, not strength, and encourages more attacks.
The Constitution does not exempt from counterattack Gold Star families that choose to attack in the political arena. Trump refused to be bullied by a Gold Star father and banked on most voters preferring a President who won't be bullied and won't let the United States be bullied either.
© Michael Gaynor
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