Have you noticed who is calling for Judge Roy Moore to withdraw from the Alabama senate race? It's the idiot establishment Rino Republicans. The Democrats don't have to do anything. They'll take care of it for them, just like they with Todd Akin in 2012. They don't want Moore because he believes in the Constitution and stands for Christian moral values. They're so anxious to get rid of him they hardly waited for the first accusation to be thrown before they started blathering without the first look at the evidence or the character of the woman involved. Anybody remember Anita Hill?
These fools are willing to cannibalize the party and lose everything we gained in the last election before they will allow someone to win who will actually support President Trump and keep the campaign promises they are betraying. They weren't this vocal against Clinton when he was impeached. They are as two-faced and corrupt as Hillary and Obama and the first two that ought to be resigning are McConnell and McCain.
Saturday, November 11, 2017
Semper Fi 2017
Today is sort of a double celebration. In order to have a three day Veteran's Day weekend some businesses and schools are celebrating today. My son, Ethan's, school had a special program to honor veterans this morning. Congratulations and thanks to all who have served. My dad was in the Coast Guard, my brother Steve was in the Air Force, and I served in the Navy. But prior to that I was a Marine.
And that's the other celebration that we won't forget today. On November 10, 1775 the Continental Congress established the United States Marine Corps. Originally intended to be sharpshooters in the rigging on warships, the role of the Corps expanded until we became involved in every aspect of every major conflict the United States has ever been involved in. Lieutenant Pressley O'Bannon led a squadron of Marines on the Shores of Tripoli and defeated the Barbary Pirates in 1805. Marines stormed the gates of Mexico City at Chapultepec, the Halls of Montezuma, in 1848.
The first Marine Medal of Honor winner was John Mackey during the Civil War. The fighting Leathernecks became "Teufelhunds," Devil Dogs, following Sergeant Dan Dailey into the Belleau Woods where Daily survived to win two Medal of Honors in World War I. The Marines became amphibious warriors in World War 2 taking Guadalcanal, Tarawa, Saipan, and dozens more before climbing Mt. Suribachi and raising the flag at Iwo Jima in February 1945. Abandoned and surrounded at the Chozin River in Korea the Marines fought their way out. When asked if they were retreating, General Oliver P. Smith replied, "Retreat hell. We're advancing in another direction." The Marines advanced to Vietnam where in epic battles they held on to Khe Sanh and rescued Hue City. The Marines have served in every climb and place including the Middle East and have an untarnished record of duty, honor, country.
Many thanks to the Marines I have known, Al Goosman, Bob Epperson, John Mitchell, Audrey Hairgrove, my very good friends who became missionaries, Greg Kent and Dave Simpson, to Clebe McClary who gave an arm and an eye in Vietnam, to those I went through OCS with including John Pechiney and Boyd Campbell, my best friend through flight school, Dennis Gately, those I served with including Cal Jumper and Chris Gaddis, and Captain John Enoch whom I served under, to Bryce Gearhart for whom I flew the Missing Man, Jaime Richards, Mark Gelegan, and others who gave their lives, and many more. You have served, protected, and preserved our America. We don't bow the knee in shame. We stand proudly in support of the greatest flag representing the Constitution of the greatest nation ever raised on God's green earth.
SEMPER FI MARINES.
And that's the other celebration that we won't forget today. On November 10, 1775 the Continental Congress established the United States Marine Corps. Originally intended to be sharpshooters in the rigging on warships, the role of the Corps expanded until we became involved in every aspect of every major conflict the United States has ever been involved in. Lieutenant Pressley O'Bannon led a squadron of Marines on the Shores of Tripoli and defeated the Barbary Pirates in 1805. Marines stormed the gates of Mexico City at Chapultepec, the Halls of Montezuma, in 1848.
The first Marine Medal of Honor winner was John Mackey during the Civil War. The fighting Leathernecks became "Teufelhunds," Devil Dogs, following Sergeant Dan Dailey into the Belleau Woods where Daily survived to win two Medal of Honors in World War I. The Marines became amphibious warriors in World War 2 taking Guadalcanal, Tarawa, Saipan, and dozens more before climbing Mt. Suribachi and raising the flag at Iwo Jima in February 1945. Abandoned and surrounded at the Chozin River in Korea the Marines fought their way out. When asked if they were retreating, General Oliver P. Smith replied, "Retreat hell. We're advancing in another direction." The Marines advanced to Vietnam where in epic battles they held on to Khe Sanh and rescued Hue City. The Marines have served in every climb and place including the Middle East and have an untarnished record of duty, honor, country.
Many thanks to the Marines I have known, Al Goosman, Bob Epperson, John Mitchell, Audrey Hairgrove, my very good friends who became missionaries, Greg Kent and Dave Simpson, to Clebe McClary who gave an arm and an eye in Vietnam, to those I went through OCS with including John Pechiney and Boyd Campbell, my best friend through flight school, Dennis Gately, those I served with including Cal Jumper and Chris Gaddis, and Captain John Enoch whom I served under, to Bryce Gearhart for whom I flew the Missing Man, Jaime Richards, Mark Gelegan, and others who gave their lives, and many more. You have served, protected, and preserved our America. We don't bow the knee in shame. We stand proudly in support of the greatest flag representing the Constitution of the greatest nation ever raised on God's green earth.
SEMPER FI MARINES.
The Legacy of a Moral Deviant
So Hugh Hefter has kicked off to his final reward which I'm quite sure will not be a happy one. The man was a sleaze ball exploiter of women and tempter of men, whose only claim to fame was that he did more to destroy the moral fabric of American society than any other individual person in our history. How successful was he? Listen to all the accolades being heaped on him for being an innovator and cultural icon by the main stream media including Fox News. Wake up America. He was a pervert of the highest order, an unrepentant purveyor of smut, a godless lubricious and salacious deviant who left a legacy of moral turpitude with no redeeming value.
Thursday, June 15, 2017
Congressional Baseball Shooting
Several years ago when Democrat congresswoman Gabi Giffords was critically wounded in a shooting at a public meeting, the MSM and liberal Democrats immediately blamed the NRA and the rhetoric of such conservative figures as Sarah Palin whose only "hate" speech was that she supported the NRA. Such angry oratory, they said, is what instigated the shooting. It turned out the shooter was a deranged liberal Democrat.
Today another deranged liberal Democrat Bernie Sanders supporter attempted to take out the entire Republican caucus baseball team prior to their annual game with the Democrats tomorrow. He deliberately asked if they were Republicans before he started shooting. I suppose he could have been an over zealous baseball fan trying to give his team an edge, but if you believe that I have a bridge to sell you in Brooklyn.
The reality is this: since President Trump was elected eight months ago there has been an unprecedented deluge of hate speech spewed against him by the MSM, Hollywood elites and faux entertainers who have no clue as to propriety or decency. Jokes about shooting Trump and cutting off his head are all over the airwaves.
So the question is, where is the outrage? Where are the calls to end hate speech (which really is hate speech!), and the efforts to unify a country that is descending into a divided chaos? Where are the accusations that this evil rhetoric influenced this shooter?
I suppose we could take comfort in knowing that the MSM has not yet accused him of being a deranged conservative Republican. Kudos to the Capital Police who subdued the shooter and prayers for Congressman Scalise and the staffers who were wounded.
Today another deranged liberal Democrat Bernie Sanders supporter attempted to take out the entire Republican caucus baseball team prior to their annual game with the Democrats tomorrow. He deliberately asked if they were Republicans before he started shooting. I suppose he could have been an over zealous baseball fan trying to give his team an edge, but if you believe that I have a bridge to sell you in Brooklyn.
The reality is this: since President Trump was elected eight months ago there has been an unprecedented deluge of hate speech spewed against him by the MSM, Hollywood elites and faux entertainers who have no clue as to propriety or decency. Jokes about shooting Trump and cutting off his head are all over the airwaves.
So the question is, where is the outrage? Where are the calls to end hate speech (which really is hate speech!), and the efforts to unify a country that is descending into a divided chaos? Where are the accusations that this evil rhetoric influenced this shooter?
I suppose we could take comfort in knowing that the MSM has not yet accused him of being a deranged conservative Republican. Kudos to the Capital Police who subdued the shooter and prayers for Congressman Scalise and the staffers who were wounded.
Friday, March 3, 2017
Update
Over the last year I've had a lot of trouble with the Internet and with a collapsing laptop computer. First the keyboard stopped working, and then after several months of using an alternate keyboard it quit altogether. Turns out the problem was the motherboard, but it took two months to get the part and I've mostly been offline or borrowing other computers. During the time frame I seldom visited the blog and things I had written were stored on Facebook or elsewhere.
So here I am catching up over the last year. Most of these are in chronological order backwards. To those following my blog if you care to read my comments about the campaign season last year it's all here. If not, I'll try to be back on the blog more often to stay current with my posts.
Thanks to everyone who reads.
So here I am catching up over the last year. Most of these are in chronological order backwards. To those following my blog if you care to read my comments about the campaign season last year it's all here. If not, I'll try to be back on the blog more often to stay current with my posts.
Thanks to everyone who reads.
Republican Debate Minus Trump
1/29/16
This was a great debate in many ways. Trumps absence actually allowed the others to get more of their own ideas presented. There were hard questions and there was some back and forth with the moderators. The worst part came at the beginning when Kelly tried to get Cruz to attack Trump. He wouldn't do it and Trump only came up again at the end of the debate by Bush.
Carson I think got the shaft, the least time of all the debaters, although Kasich also complained of not being given a chance to answer some questions. Cruz struggled to explain his position on immigration and the gang of eight issue, but overall had a pretty good night. Bush had probably his best night since the debates started. If he had been like this in the beginning he might have held more of his support.
Rubio's problem still seems to be consistency on immigration, but I think he had the best night of all. He was forceful, firm, and fired up. There is conviction in him that you hardly see in some of the others. I think he would be a great debater in the elections if he's the nominee. I think everyone did well in this debate, but Rubio was spectacular, and I'd say he won this round.
This was a great debate in many ways. Trumps absence actually allowed the others to get more of their own ideas presented. There were hard questions and there was some back and forth with the moderators. The worst part came at the beginning when Kelly tried to get Cruz to attack Trump. He wouldn't do it and Trump only came up again at the end of the debate by Bush.
Carson I think got the shaft, the least time of all the debaters, although Kasich also complained of not being given a chance to answer some questions. Cruz struggled to explain his position on immigration and the gang of eight issue, but overall had a pretty good night. Bush had probably his best night since the debates started. If he had been like this in the beginning he might have held more of his support.
Rubio's problem still seems to be consistency on immigration, but I think he had the best night of all. He was forceful, firm, and fired up. There is conviction in him that you hardly see in some of the others. I think he would be a great debater in the elections if he's the nominee. I think everyone did well in this debate, but Rubio was spectacular, and I'd say he won this round.
Newsweek Goes Under
1/29/16
The liberal rag Newsweek has gone belly up and is closing its doors, but before it goes, in its last edition is an article by Matt Patterson, no relation, about obama. It may be the first time in history the magazine has told the truth. Most importantly, the article exposes obama's weaknesses as a speaker.
"In 2008, many who agreed that he lacked executive qualifications nonetheless raved about Obama's oratory skills, intellect, and cool character. These people - conservatives included - ought now to be deeply embarrassed. The man thinks and speaks in the hoariest of cliches, and that's when he has his Teleprompters in front of him; when the prompter is absent he can barely think or speak at all."
FINALLY. I've been saying this for eight years. BHO is a disaster at public speaking but even conservative pundits rave about his skill. He has none, and it's taken a liberal magazine going out of business before somebody has woken up to the truth.
The liberal rag Newsweek has gone belly up and is closing its doors, but before it goes, in its last edition is an article by Matt Patterson, no relation, about obama. It may be the first time in history the magazine has told the truth. Most importantly, the article exposes obama's weaknesses as a speaker.
"In 2008, many who agreed that he lacked executive qualifications nonetheless raved about Obama's oratory skills, intellect, and cool character. These people - conservatives included - ought now to be deeply embarrassed. The man thinks and speaks in the hoariest of cliches, and that's when he has his Teleprompters in front of him; when the prompter is absent he can barely think or speak at all."
FINALLY. I've been saying this for eight years. BHO is a disaster at public speaking but even conservative pundits rave about his skill. He has none, and it's taken a liberal magazine going out of business before somebody has woken up to the truth.
The Fairness Doctrine
2/10/16
Bernie Sanders: economic idiot, history dunce. He wants to create an economy that will help all people by stealing from the rich to give not only to American poor, but to all the poor countries in the world because it's not fair that America has more than anybody else, because a founding principle of America is fairness.
First, fairness was never a principle of any of our Founders, neither is it written in any of our founding documents. It is a socialist principle designed to consolidate power in the government at the cost of personal liberty. Our founding principles are based on freedom and limited government, the opposite of what Sanders is proposing.
Second, Robin Hood is a mythological legend who never improved anybody's life by taking from the rich to give to the poor. The 20th century is littered with socialist failures all around the world because socialism is the slippery slope toward the total destruction of not only the economy, but the society. It is the one thing that socialists like Sanders, Hillary, and the liberal university propagandists who pretend to be educators never learn.
Hillary is no different except that she's also a bald faced liar.
Bernie Sanders: economic idiot, history dunce. He wants to create an economy that will help all people by stealing from the rich to give not only to American poor, but to all the poor countries in the world because it's not fair that America has more than anybody else, because a founding principle of America is fairness.
First, fairness was never a principle of any of our Founders, neither is it written in any of our founding documents. It is a socialist principle designed to consolidate power in the government at the cost of personal liberty. Our founding principles are based on freedom and limited government, the opposite of what Sanders is proposing.
Second, Robin Hood is a mythological legend who never improved anybody's life by taking from the rich to give to the poor. The 20th century is littered with socialist failures all around the world because socialism is the slippery slope toward the total destruction of not only the economy, but the society. It is the one thing that socialists like Sanders, Hillary, and the liberal university propagandists who pretend to be educators never learn.
Hillary is no different except that she's also a bald faced liar.
Biden's Night at the Oscars
2/29/16
Did you see Vice President Joe "the plagiarizer" Biden at the Oscars? He was bringing attention to the problem of sexual assault on college campuses and wanted students to take the pledge to step in and help whenever they saw someone being forced against their will.
HEY! What about the Green Beret your administration just drummed out of the Army for preventing a five-year-old boy from being raped by a Muslim pervert in Afghanistan? A little double standard here? Who cares what the Army policy about local involvement is? The soldier rescued a child from being sodomized by a deviant pedophile. You kick him out and want us to believe you're serious about preventing sexual assault? Hypocrite isn't a strong enough word for the depraved, nefarious two-faced slugs in this government.
The Oscars was the right venue for Joe's plug. The elite of the celluloid universe worshipping themselves because they can undress and use four-letter-words in front of a camera, making jokes about boobs and adultery, and promoting everything antithetical to good government, good morality, and decent society seems the right place for an administration bent on the destruction of America's Judeo-Christian values to play the self-righteous game. It's all about image with no character; a bunch of holograms without substance.
This country is heading to blazes, and if Americans don't have the brains to defeat hillary in the coming election we will, like a bunch of mindless lemmings, follow her into the pit. It's time to send Biden to the old folks home, obama back to crime-ridden Chicago where he can live in a gun-free zone with the highest crime rate in the country, and hillary to jail.
If Christians and evangelicals don't have the common sense to come together with conservatives and moderates and vote for the Republican candidate, even if it is potty-mouth playground bully Donald Trump, they'll have no right to complain when they lose their religious freedom and everything else in the next election.
Did you see Vice President Joe "the plagiarizer" Biden at the Oscars? He was bringing attention to the problem of sexual assault on college campuses and wanted students to take the pledge to step in and help whenever they saw someone being forced against their will.
HEY! What about the Green Beret your administration just drummed out of the Army for preventing a five-year-old boy from being raped by a Muslim pervert in Afghanistan? A little double standard here? Who cares what the Army policy about local involvement is? The soldier rescued a child from being sodomized by a deviant pedophile. You kick him out and want us to believe you're serious about preventing sexual assault? Hypocrite isn't a strong enough word for the depraved, nefarious two-faced slugs in this government.
The Oscars was the right venue for Joe's plug. The elite of the celluloid universe worshipping themselves because they can undress and use four-letter-words in front of a camera, making jokes about boobs and adultery, and promoting everything antithetical to good government, good morality, and decent society seems the right place for an administration bent on the destruction of America's Judeo-Christian values to play the self-righteous game. It's all about image with no character; a bunch of holograms without substance.
This country is heading to blazes, and if Americans don't have the brains to defeat hillary in the coming election we will, like a bunch of mindless lemmings, follow her into the pit. It's time to send Biden to the old folks home, obama back to crime-ridden Chicago where he can live in a gun-free zone with the highest crime rate in the country, and hillary to jail.
If Christians and evangelicals don't have the common sense to come together with conservatives and moderates and vote for the Republican candidate, even if it is potty-mouth playground bully Donald Trump, they'll have no right to complain when they lose their religious freedom and everything else in the next election.
Fox News Republican Debate 2
3/5/16
In the past week several events have taken place that not only added to the expectations for this debate, but raised questions about the candidates and whether or not the Republican Party has become so divided that it will split. With Jeb Bush no longer in the race Marco Rubio has apparently become the Republican establishment’s attack dog trying to take down Donald Trump, and he has boasted that his mission is to make sure Trump does not get the nomination.
Claiming the mantle of the conservative movement, which he has not earned, Rubio warned that Trump would destroy the party. His attacks last week got so low they sounded like something a drunk would say in a dingy barroom brawl. Trump’s hands are small, he said, and implied other parts of his anatomy are too.
Adding fuel to the fire a report came out last week saying that David Duke of Ku Klux Klan fame had endorsed Trump. When questioned about it Trump vacillated on whether he would accept Duke’s support or not. Interestingly enough, and something the media hasn’t covered, on Monday Duke issued a statement saying he had not endorsed Trump, but Trump’s flip-flopping could not have helped him.
Several key Republicans stated emphatically that they would never vote for Trump. Many evangelicals are saying the same thing because of his changing positions on abortion, immigration, and moral issues. They are wondering if he can be trusted to really act like a conservative now that he’s talking like a conservative.
Ted Cruz, who had stayed above the fray until Trump started calling him a liar and challenging his eligibility, ran some campaign ads that were so far below the belt that he fired his campaign manager the night before Super Tuesday. His ad against Rubio was so shameful that many evangelicals, the ones that are supposed to be his base, are questioning his Christian credentials. However, an Illinois judge threw out the case against his eligibility, so that’s no longer an issue.
Cruz’s personal enemies from the Bush Administration have written articles defaming his character, while others who know him well, and including James Dobson and Franklin Graham, have painted a completely different picture of him. Considering Bush is a part of the establishment one has to wonder if those attacks are not a hatchet job by the Republican leadership to keep the truest conservative from the nomination, because he, even more than Trump, would wrest control of the party away from them. On the other hand, campaign scandals certainly haven’t helped Cruz.
Super Tuesday was a huge win for Trump who won seven states. Cruz took three including the biggest prize, his home state of Texas, but with only 43% of the vote. Rubio surprisingly took Minnesota and was a close second in Virginia. Kasich gave Trump a run for Vermont and Massachusetts, but he’s staying on hoping a win in his home state of Ohio on March 15, will thrust him forward to the nomination.
Dr. Ben Carson, every bit a gentleman, finally facing the reality that he can’t win, bowed out on Wednesday. Carson had good results in Virginia and Rubio immediately complained that if Carson had gotten out before Tuesday he might have been able to beat Trump, but that’s not necessarily true. Carson’s votes would more likely have gone to Cruz or even Trump.
After his victories Tuesday a very different Donald Trump emerged. Rather than boasting and trashing his opponents, he gave a very conciliatory victory speech, praising Cruz for his hard work in Texas, and then took questions. One has to wonder if now sensing he’s on his way to the nomination he wasn’t trying to mend fences.
Wednesday produced one more moment of drama when Mitt Romney, who lost his presidential bid against Obama in 2012, gave a speech condemning Trump in every possible way and concluding he’s not presidential material. Trump had supported Romney in 2012, which made this betrayal even more incredible. Pundits have been talking all week about the possibility of a brokered convention if none of the candidates reaches the 1237 delegates needed to win the nomination in Cleveland next August. Then, just before the debate got under way, it came out that Romney might be preparing to offer himself as a candidate at the convention if it is brokered. So there is method to his madness.
As if all of this hadn’t been bizarre enough, the debate was hosted by Fox News with the same three moderators as the last two Fox debates. Trump did not threaten to boycott this debate even though Megyn Kelly was on the panel, and the much anticipated debate was finally ready to begin.
Chris Wallace opened the discussion by asking Trump about Romney’s comments. Without missing a beat Trump pointed out the Romney was a failed candidate and an embarrassment who had begged for his endorsement in 2012. Wallace followed up by asking about the KKK, which Trump emphatically disavowed. Wallace thanked him for his answer and Trump thanked him for the question.
Bret Baier then asked Rubio about how low his attacks against Trump had been in the last couple of weeks. Rubio responded that Trump always attacks everybody and the media gives him coverage. The people want to discuss policy so let’s talk issues, he said.
Trump, again sounding conciliatory, took back his “light weight” comments about Rubio. Then he showed his hands and mentioned how large they are, and said he has no problems with other body parts either, which brought a loud laugh. Actually by being nice he made Rubio look bad without even trying.
Megyn Kelly next asked Cruz about losing the evangelical vote. He didn’t answer the question but launched into his campaign talking points attacking Obama and claiming he was the only one who could beat Trump. Trump jumped in to remind everyone who had won the most states.
Then Rubio went into attack mode saying two-thirds of the Super Tuesday votes were against Trump, and Trump did not hold conservative principles of limited government.
When Trump tried to refute the criticisms Rubio kept interrupting until the dust up almost went out of control. In the end Rubio again looked bad. Being the attack dog doesn’t really suit a guy with his good looks and polished demeanor.
Baier then asked Kasich if he was just in trying to get a brokered convention. Kasich responded that he beats Hillary in polls by the widest margin. He then touted his record of balancing the budget under Clinton for four straight years and did the same as governor of Ohio. Although he has a great record, Kasich is often like a broken record. It’s the same thing over, and over, and over.
Wallace then asked Rubio about his comment that Trump is a con artist. Rubio took the bait and went after Trump saying he was not a successful businessman because he had inherited 100 million of wealth, and never created jobs because the private sector creates jobs not the government.
Trump responded in kind saying Rubio lied, and referring to him as the “little guy” again. Trump explained that he started with a one million dollar inheritance and that the answer was cash flow. The fact that he’s worth ten billion dollars should give anybody listening a clue that he knows something about business. At that pointed I just wanted to shout the obvious: Trump works in the private sector!!! He is a jobs creator.
Rubio called out Trump on changing his mind so much saying he is untrustworthy and won’t do what he says. Whenever someone brings up his failures Trump goes on the attack rather than sticking to the issues. The problem here was that Rubio started the attack.
Cruz hit Trump on foreign workers in his hotels and called on Trump to release a tape of a conversation he had off the record with the New York Times that could verify if he was telling the truth or not. Trump refused to turn over something that was private and off the record.
The debate actually covered a lot of issues from where to make cuts in the budget, to immigration, the border fence, the military, ISIS, work visas for foreign workers, Edward Snowden and more. Many of the criticisms of Trump were legitimate concerning his constant switching on issues. Rubio seemed to have him cornered about the failure of his “Trump University.” Kasich gave a good answer about education being handled at the local level instead of the Federal.
When the bickering got heavy Kasich offered a passionate appeal to stop the fighting. People are suffering and want to know who can fix this, he said. Let’s stop fighting.
Baier gave Kasich the only question of the night on gay issues. His answer was very diplomatic, saying the law has been changed, we need to be tolerant, but at the same time there needs to be common sense. People shouldn’t be forced to make cupcakes for someone’s gay event if they don’t want to. Cruz chimed in that the Supreme Court got the issue wrong. Marriage and adoption should be left to the states, but when it comes to religious liberty he will not compromise. Trump agreed with him.
All agreed on no restrictions on the Second Amendment. Wallace made one last attempt to get Kasich into the brouhaha against Trump but he wouldn’t oblige.
The highlight of the debate might have been when Kelly asked Trump about his constantly changing positions. Trump replied that successful people are flexible, that he has studied the issues, and when he found he was wrong he changed his mind. Trump wrong? About anything? Wow. That was an admission for the ages.
This was the best debate of them all so far. The moderators were tough, but fair. They kept control of the flow for the most part and gave everyone a chance to speak. More importantly, what they did at the end of the debate may have saved the Republican Party. The last question to Rubio, Cruz and Kasich was if Trump were the nominee would they support him. On the
spot they all said yes.
Trump was then asked if he didn’t get the nomination if he would still support the nominee or run a third party ticket. With a little touch of humor he thought out loud, me not win the nomination? He answered that he would support whoever the Republican candidate is.
That may have been the most comforting of anything said in any of the debates so far, and for all the angst conservatives have with the media, the Fox News moderators may have just saved the Republican Party and the next election.
Who actually won the debate? Kasich probably comes out on top. He stayed above the pettiness and was solid in all his answers, and he was given more time to express himself. He made one comment about friends telling him he was the only adult on the stage, and tonight that comment was very true. He refused to get drawn into the schoolyard banter and looked better for it. It was a very good night for him.
Trump was on the defensive most of the night with both Rubio and Cruz going after him. He had answers for most of the accusations, but some of them didn’t ring true. He definitely did not have the kind of night he’s had before where he was completely in control. Rubio was his usual smooth self, but this new role as attack dog made him look bad. He had some good things to say, but wasted most of it attacking Trump. Cruz did the same, although not as viciously as Rubio. He has all the right positions but is quite irritating when he feels the need to go after Trump more than putting out his plan.
Overall it was a great debate. I guess we’ll know more what the general public thinks by March 15.
In the past week several events have taken place that not only added to the expectations for this debate, but raised questions about the candidates and whether or not the Republican Party has become so divided that it will split. With Jeb Bush no longer in the race Marco Rubio has apparently become the Republican establishment’s attack dog trying to take down Donald Trump, and he has boasted that his mission is to make sure Trump does not get the nomination.
Claiming the mantle of the conservative movement, which he has not earned, Rubio warned that Trump would destroy the party. His attacks last week got so low they sounded like something a drunk would say in a dingy barroom brawl. Trump’s hands are small, he said, and implied other parts of his anatomy are too.
Adding fuel to the fire a report came out last week saying that David Duke of Ku Klux Klan fame had endorsed Trump. When questioned about it Trump vacillated on whether he would accept Duke’s support or not. Interestingly enough, and something the media hasn’t covered, on Monday Duke issued a statement saying he had not endorsed Trump, but Trump’s flip-flopping could not have helped him.
Several key Republicans stated emphatically that they would never vote for Trump. Many evangelicals are saying the same thing because of his changing positions on abortion, immigration, and moral issues. They are wondering if he can be trusted to really act like a conservative now that he’s talking like a conservative.
Ted Cruz, who had stayed above the fray until Trump started calling him a liar and challenging his eligibility, ran some campaign ads that were so far below the belt that he fired his campaign manager the night before Super Tuesday. His ad against Rubio was so shameful that many evangelicals, the ones that are supposed to be his base, are questioning his Christian credentials. However, an Illinois judge threw out the case against his eligibility, so that’s no longer an issue.
Cruz’s personal enemies from the Bush Administration have written articles defaming his character, while others who know him well, and including James Dobson and Franklin Graham, have painted a completely different picture of him. Considering Bush is a part of the establishment one has to wonder if those attacks are not a hatchet job by the Republican leadership to keep the truest conservative from the nomination, because he, even more than Trump, would wrest control of the party away from them. On the other hand, campaign scandals certainly haven’t helped Cruz.
Super Tuesday was a huge win for Trump who won seven states. Cruz took three including the biggest prize, his home state of Texas, but with only 43% of the vote. Rubio surprisingly took Minnesota and was a close second in Virginia. Kasich gave Trump a run for Vermont and Massachusetts, but he’s staying on hoping a win in his home state of Ohio on March 15, will thrust him forward to the nomination.
Dr. Ben Carson, every bit a gentleman, finally facing the reality that he can’t win, bowed out on Wednesday. Carson had good results in Virginia and Rubio immediately complained that if Carson had gotten out before Tuesday he might have been able to beat Trump, but that’s not necessarily true. Carson’s votes would more likely have gone to Cruz or even Trump.
After his victories Tuesday a very different Donald Trump emerged. Rather than boasting and trashing his opponents, he gave a very conciliatory victory speech, praising Cruz for his hard work in Texas, and then took questions. One has to wonder if now sensing he’s on his way to the nomination he wasn’t trying to mend fences.
Wednesday produced one more moment of drama when Mitt Romney, who lost his presidential bid against Obama in 2012, gave a speech condemning Trump in every possible way and concluding he’s not presidential material. Trump had supported Romney in 2012, which made this betrayal even more incredible. Pundits have been talking all week about the possibility of a brokered convention if none of the candidates reaches the 1237 delegates needed to win the nomination in Cleveland next August. Then, just before the debate got under way, it came out that Romney might be preparing to offer himself as a candidate at the convention if it is brokered. So there is method to his madness.
As if all of this hadn’t been bizarre enough, the debate was hosted by Fox News with the same three moderators as the last two Fox debates. Trump did not threaten to boycott this debate even though Megyn Kelly was on the panel, and the much anticipated debate was finally ready to begin.
Chris Wallace opened the discussion by asking Trump about Romney’s comments. Without missing a beat Trump pointed out the Romney was a failed candidate and an embarrassment who had begged for his endorsement in 2012. Wallace followed up by asking about the KKK, which Trump emphatically disavowed. Wallace thanked him for his answer and Trump thanked him for the question.
Bret Baier then asked Rubio about how low his attacks against Trump had been in the last couple of weeks. Rubio responded that Trump always attacks everybody and the media gives him coverage. The people want to discuss policy so let’s talk issues, he said.
Trump, again sounding conciliatory, took back his “light weight” comments about Rubio. Then he showed his hands and mentioned how large they are, and said he has no problems with other body parts either, which brought a loud laugh. Actually by being nice he made Rubio look bad without even trying.
Megyn Kelly next asked Cruz about losing the evangelical vote. He didn’t answer the question but launched into his campaign talking points attacking Obama and claiming he was the only one who could beat Trump. Trump jumped in to remind everyone who had won the most states.
Then Rubio went into attack mode saying two-thirds of the Super Tuesday votes were against Trump, and Trump did not hold conservative principles of limited government.
When Trump tried to refute the criticisms Rubio kept interrupting until the dust up almost went out of control. In the end Rubio again looked bad. Being the attack dog doesn’t really suit a guy with his good looks and polished demeanor.
Baier then asked Kasich if he was just in trying to get a brokered convention. Kasich responded that he beats Hillary in polls by the widest margin. He then touted his record of balancing the budget under Clinton for four straight years and did the same as governor of Ohio. Although he has a great record, Kasich is often like a broken record. It’s the same thing over, and over, and over.
Wallace then asked Rubio about his comment that Trump is a con artist. Rubio took the bait and went after Trump saying he was not a successful businessman because he had inherited 100 million of wealth, and never created jobs because the private sector creates jobs not the government.
Trump responded in kind saying Rubio lied, and referring to him as the “little guy” again. Trump explained that he started with a one million dollar inheritance and that the answer was cash flow. The fact that he’s worth ten billion dollars should give anybody listening a clue that he knows something about business. At that pointed I just wanted to shout the obvious: Trump works in the private sector!!! He is a jobs creator.
Rubio called out Trump on changing his mind so much saying he is untrustworthy and won’t do what he says. Whenever someone brings up his failures Trump goes on the attack rather than sticking to the issues. The problem here was that Rubio started the attack.
Cruz hit Trump on foreign workers in his hotels and called on Trump to release a tape of a conversation he had off the record with the New York Times that could verify if he was telling the truth or not. Trump refused to turn over something that was private and off the record.
The debate actually covered a lot of issues from where to make cuts in the budget, to immigration, the border fence, the military, ISIS, work visas for foreign workers, Edward Snowden and more. Many of the criticisms of Trump were legitimate concerning his constant switching on issues. Rubio seemed to have him cornered about the failure of his “Trump University.” Kasich gave a good answer about education being handled at the local level instead of the Federal.
When the bickering got heavy Kasich offered a passionate appeal to stop the fighting. People are suffering and want to know who can fix this, he said. Let’s stop fighting.
Baier gave Kasich the only question of the night on gay issues. His answer was very diplomatic, saying the law has been changed, we need to be tolerant, but at the same time there needs to be common sense. People shouldn’t be forced to make cupcakes for someone’s gay event if they don’t want to. Cruz chimed in that the Supreme Court got the issue wrong. Marriage and adoption should be left to the states, but when it comes to religious liberty he will not compromise. Trump agreed with him.
All agreed on no restrictions on the Second Amendment. Wallace made one last attempt to get Kasich into the brouhaha against Trump but he wouldn’t oblige.
The highlight of the debate might have been when Kelly asked Trump about his constantly changing positions. Trump replied that successful people are flexible, that he has studied the issues, and when he found he was wrong he changed his mind. Trump wrong? About anything? Wow. That was an admission for the ages.
This was the best debate of them all so far. The moderators were tough, but fair. They kept control of the flow for the most part and gave everyone a chance to speak. More importantly, what they did at the end of the debate may have saved the Republican Party. The last question to Rubio, Cruz and Kasich was if Trump were the nominee would they support him. On the
spot they all said yes.
Trump was then asked if he didn’t get the nomination if he would still support the nominee or run a third party ticket. With a little touch of humor he thought out loud, me not win the nomination? He answered that he would support whoever the Republican candidate is.
That may have been the most comforting of anything said in any of the debates so far, and for all the angst conservatives have with the media, the Fox News moderators may have just saved the Republican Party and the next election.
Who actually won the debate? Kasich probably comes out on top. He stayed above the pettiness and was solid in all his answers, and he was given more time to express himself. He made one comment about friends telling him he was the only adult on the stage, and tonight that comment was very true. He refused to get drawn into the schoolyard banter and looked better for it. It was a very good night for him.
Trump was on the defensive most of the night with both Rubio and Cruz going after him. He had answers for most of the accusations, but some of them didn’t ring true. He definitely did not have the kind of night he’s had before where he was completely in control. Rubio was his usual smooth self, but this new role as attack dog made him look bad. He had some good things to say, but wasted most of it attacking Trump. Cruz did the same, although not as viciously as Rubio. He has all the right positions but is quite irritating when he feels the need to go after Trump more than putting out his plan.
Overall it was a great debate. I guess we’ll know more what the general public thinks by March 15.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)