You are not likely to find another political Jekyll and Hyde like you have in Donald Trump ever again in the future of our country. You won't find one like him in our past either. For better or worse, Donald Trump has taken a page out of Reagan's playbook by talking directly to the people (I can only dream of Reagan having a Twitter account), but unfortunately, Trump's lack of skill and political tact mean that it's a double edged sword.
In Trump, you have a President who has exploded the GDP, brought back American manufacturing, restrengthened America's military, fought for religious freedom, opened up new energy sectors, gained American energy independence, received increased military spending from NATO Allies, strengthened ties with Israel, distanced us from the Palestinians, the Iranians, the Chinese, and the Russians, and so many other good things, that you would think EVERYONE who considers themselves a conservative would be voting for him, right? Wrong.
You see you also have a President who has made disparaging remarks about illegal immigrants, insulted handicapped people, spoken about grabbing females by their genitalia, spoken rudely about people in low income housing, and many other glaring statements that have caused many "values voters" to recoil in horror, and has made them really step back and consider if they want to vote for the man.
You see one of the things that has kept the Republican Party afloat over the years is their "Big Tent" philosophy. Interestingly enough, instituted by Ronald Reagan. This philosophy brought together a coalition of values voters, policy voters, and fiscal voters into one solid political bloc. That bloc, however, is threatened by the very same man who should be hailed as a Conservative hero. It's so mind blowingly maddening that I can't even explain my feelings to you.
As the Democrats shrink with their throwing out of everyone who doesn't pass their political purity test, you would think that the Republican Party is growing, yet what we see is one of the largest coalescing of people to a third party as Jo Jorgenson gains enough momentum to make Gary Johnson jealous enough for five lifetimes. But why? If values are the reason why people are leaving the Democrat Party, then why aren't they going to the party who is known to be the values party?
The answer, the same man who is doing all of these great things for the country.
It was said early on that if Trump would only put away his twitter, or turn it over to someone who could write it in such a way that they didn't grossly offend over half the country at a time, that Trump would be reelected in the most lopsided election in American history. Yet here we are, and Republicans are sweating bullets and are working overtime and half to raise money for the next election?
Why? Simple. Because those values voters, while they will hold their nose and vote for him, are going to use the one power that they have to attempt to get someone in his administration to reign him in, their wallet. It's a dangerous game, and it might cost them in the end, but for many of the values voters, his behavior is so egregious, that it's a danger worth risking. Now, the rest of the party will say, you're throwing away good policies over a personal difference! But to say that is the same kind of thing that the Democrats are doing by saying that anyone who is not pro-choice is not welcome in their party. It's pushing out part of your coalition, and believe me Jorgenson and the Libertarians are waiting with open arms for them, even if they don't align perfectly on moral issues (though Jorgenson has signaled that she may remove a few platform planks to court conservative values voters turned off by Trump). It's destroying the big tent, and rather than demand that Trump pull back in order to keep the coalition together, they chastise the values voters right out the door to their own demise. How sad.
It's likely too late to repair his image before the election, but Trump still has the ability to turn things around. However, this can only happen if he steps back from Twitter and lets smart and savvy people like Kelly Ann Conway and her staff work for him instead of having to cover for him. He's hired an incredible team, he needs to put them to work and let them do their job. Even he knows it. He recently stated in the media that people don't like him because people don't like his personality. Here's the thing, knowing the problem and being willing to help fix the problem are two very different things.
The President had better figure out how to fix it before November, or all of these great policy achievements will be in great jeopardy. Big tents win, coalitions win, lone rangers and small parties don't. Just ask Gary Johnson.