Trump can beat Clinton if GOP unites: Column
She's weak and he's the radical change many voters want. Republicans should seize the moment.
In the election of 1800, Alexander Hamilton faced a choice — support Thomas Jefferson, with whom he rarely agreed, or Aaron Burr, whom he could not trust. Despite their numerous political duels, Hamilton and Jefferson ultimately put aside their differences for the good of the country. Lin-Manuel Miranda’s Broadway version of Hamilton put it like this: “I have never agreed with Jefferson once. We have fought on like 75 different fronts. But when all is said and all is done, Jefferson has beliefs; Burr has none.”
At the GOP convention in Cleveland, my fellow Republicans face a similar choice.
The Republican Party itself was founded in 1854 by Whigs and Free Soil Democrats, farmers and bankers, white Protestants and African Americans brought together by their common belief in freedom and economic liberty. Abraham Lincoln, the first Republican president, wrote in his address to Congress on July 4, 1861, that it is the leading object of government to “elevate the condition of men; to lift artificial weights from all shoulders; to clear the paths of laudable pursuit for all; to afford all an unfettered start and a fair chance in the race of life." In his State of the Union address later that year, Lincoln said, “Surely this upward mobility is central to the idea of America.”
Mike Pence's fatal political flaw: Matthew Tully
Right now, anti-Trump Republicans are focused on all the wrong things. They’re upset because Donald Trump hurt their candidate’s feelings during the primary. They’re outraged by his use of blunt, unorthodox language. They’re resentful that a wealthy non-politician was able to hack the political process. What they ignore is that Trump is the rare breed of politician capable of inspiring a movement. Certain establishment types have become fixated on the news media narrative that Trump is a divider, rather than recognizing he has achieved a wider cross section of support than almost any candidate in history. Occasional malapropisms serve as reminders that candidate Trump has been a politician for all of 13 months. But his messaging is getting tighter.
The American people want a disruption of the status quo for economic, not xenophobic, reasons. In a Quinnipiac University poll, voters in key swing states agreed overwhelmingly with the statement, "The old way of doing things no longer works and we need radical change." The vast majority of those polled also believe trade agreements have “hurt them and their families' financial situation.”
While establishment Republicans moralize, the Democrats are building a united front. Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., has begrudgingly endorsed Hillary Clinton. President Obama has taken to the campaign trail, recalling Clinton’s willingness to campaign for him in 2008 after a vicious primary. Back in 1860, William H. Seward and Salmon P. Chase put their weight behind Lincoln after a bruising fight for the nomination. Are we that righteous and sanctimonious not to do the same?
Mike Pence's fatal political flaw: Matthew Tully
POLICING THE USA: A look at race, justice, media
The stakes today could not be any higher. Divisive left-wing policies have led to sclerotic growth, stagnant wages, weakened national security and poor race relations. The fate of the Supreme Court for the next 20 years hangs in the balance. Clinton wants to take our country further down the path of poverty maintenance, rather than returning to the core American value of economic empowerment.
If the concern is Trump cannot win, it’s time to wake up. Last week’s Quinnipiac poll showed him pulling ahead in Pennsylvania and Florida, while Ohio is a dead heat. The most recent New York Times/CBS News poll shows the two candidates tied nationally, with 67% of voters saying Clinton is not honest and trustworthy. The Republican Party is up against a cartel whose dishonest behavior — from the Lewinsky scandal to Whitewater to the Clinton Foundation to the State Department email scandal to Benghazi — has cast a long, uncomfortable shadow on the nation. A united Republican Party has the chance to seize upon her weak candidacy to put America back on a more responsible and prosperous path.
“Talk less, smile more” was the dramatized Aaron Burr’s advice to a young, ambitious Alexander Hamilton. Hillary Clinton has followed that template more than 200 years later, her positions evolving with the tide of public opinion, her rhetoric shifting based on the audience. She hasn’t held a news conference since December.
Hamilton asked the rhetorical question, “If you stand for nothing, Burr, what'll you fall for?” Donald Trump might not be everyone’s perfect candidate, but we know what he believes in. In this election, Trump is America’s best hope for confronting today’s immense economic and security challenges.
Being a statesman means reaching across the ideological chasm to achieve common goals. I call on my fellow Republicans to come together this week for something bigger than ourselves. It’s time to unite behind Donald Trump’s strong, aspirational leadership.
Anthony Scaramucci, a leading fundraiser for Donald Trump's campaign, is the co-managing partner and founder of SkyBridge Capital, host ofWall Street Weekon Fox Business and a contributor to Fox News. Follow him on Twitter: @Scaramucci
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