For my followers and viewers or those new to my blog, I encourage you to go out and vote tomorrow. America is the example of freedom still today that allows all eligible people to vote for who their government elected officials are in their state and country. Yes, your one vote does matter. We here in Connecticut have an example of one state seat being won by a single vote. This was in the early 2000’s so that end result would probably not turn out the same today. Recounts have changed dramatically since this time, despite any continued good intentions versus the bad ones that have found opportunistic results however odd to switch the outcome.
That said, candidates that deserve your vote tomorrow across the nation from state office to national seats, in my vue, are the following with quick and short notation:
Candidates for Governor:
Lee Zeldin (NY-R) Governor – I know this state well. It deserves a sounder voice for its residents/taxpayers. The by-default incumbent, Lt. Governor Kathy Hochul, trying to be elected by New York voters for the first time with elected three term Governor Andrew Cuomo having to resign after personal scandals in 2021, is in many ways worse than Cuomo.
Kari Lake (AZ-R) – very impressive candidate who has walked the walk during her entire campaign despite her democrat incumbent hiding in the basement and unwilling to debate.
Bob Stefanowski (CT-R) – his second run against trust funder and incumbent Ned Lamont. Stefanowski lost by only 44K votes in 2018. More appealing personally and hard working, over taxed and regulated voters in Connecticut are hoping he wins this November 8th, 2022.
Brian Dahle (CA) – wouldn’t it be great if California voted in Dahle over Newsom? Newsom and his supporters seem to believe he has an even greater future in politics but this is not going to happen. Having lived in CA for 14 years, I feel for the many Republicans, Conservatives and Independents who still continue to live there for needed reasons. Looking at a red/blue map, most of the state votes red but the big hubs smoke them out. It’s a sad story.
Ron DeSantis (FL-R) – Amazing Governor. Check out his resume if you are unfamiliar with it. Incredibly accomplished individual, Veteran, scholar (Yale/Harvard degrees) and politician.
Sarah Huckabee Sanders (AR) – Former Press Secretary under President Donald J. Trump (45) and daughter of former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee – she’s got it all.
Candidates for U.S. Senate that are in the five heated toss-up races going right into tomorrow plus other important contests:
Senator Ron Johnson (WI-R) – Absolutely deserves re-election. A hard worker who is sincere in his concerns about the future of our country and his state residents.
Candidate Dr. Mehmet Oz (PA-R) – who worked his way through medical school and became a success with old-fashioned hard work. His Democrat opponent is perhaps the worst candidate I’ve ever covered when reporting live or doing research. A trust funder who now perceives himself as a blue collar worker is not only dishonest in his campaign stumps to the true hard backbone of PA, but not capable of fulfilling his job if elected.
Candidate Herschel Walker (GA-R) – so impressive he had to jump so many hurdles to get where he is as an athlete. Not easy to get into the NFL let alone become a star. A team player, Herschel knows how to work the field, take a pass, block the opposition and make a touchdown whether rushing or receiving. Put him in this Senate seat so he can win the game for America.
Candidate Blake Masters (AZ-R) – a young, dedicated, strong voice for Arizona and the many problems it has with its borders and for America as an extra sound voice in the U.S. Senate.
Candidate Adam Lexalt – (NV) Another young contender to bring patriotism back to D.C. and stop the border crisis.
Candidate for U.S. Senate – General Donald Bolduc. No comparison between Bolduc and the incumbent Democrat Maggie Hassan.
Candidate for U.S. Senate – U.S. Representative Ted Budd (NC-13) from North Carolina.
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All Navy Seals (Retired) running for office in addition to other veterans. Exceptional patriots and candidates who made your life still a peaceful one despite their sacrifice still standing along with many lost Brothers in Arm.
Incumbent Senator Marco Rubio (FL-R) – Rubio has grown into a true patriot for our country and continues to please his state constituents and national caucus. John Kennedy LA-R is a needed voice in the South that delivers common sense for his constituents and country. Rand Paul (KY-R) is one of the most impressive men I can think of today with his medical knowledge and fortitude.
George Logan for U.S. Congress (CT-5) – A toss up race as of tonight. November 7, 2022. Only candidate I saw out on the trail most of this year with my own U.S. Senate Candidate I was an advisor for, Peter Lumaj, that could keep up with Peter. Not an easy thing. An engineer, he is a former State Senator who is a hard working family man, moderate in policy (which is good for the majority of Connecticut voters) and dedicated. The Constitution State has had zero balance in terms of party leadership since U.S. Rep. Chris Shays lost his re-election in 2008. It’s time to bring at least one Republican voice to represent Connecticut people fairly to Washington.
{Editor’s Note: Anyone I’ve left out – my apologies. The list is long of great candidates in 2022. Best of luck to you this Election Day, 2022.}
Former United States Ambassador to the United Nations {photo:commdiginews.com}
CPAC 2014
Written by Juliana Simone
National Harbor, MD –
The annual Conservative Political Action Conference was held this past March 6th, 7th and 8th and brought to the event most of the strongest voices in the Republican Party, whether current or former elected officials, political commentators or lesser known advocates who work hard behind the scenes in leadership roles. The big draws are Republicans who are considering seeking the Presidential nomination to run for their party in 2016. They usually have the biggest and boldest speeches that make audience members rise to their feet.
The first day of CPAC 2014 showcased these men: Texas Senator Ted Cruz, Florida Senator Marco Rubio, New Jersey Governor Chris Christie, and Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal. Wisconsin representative Paul Ryan, who ran as the vice president candidate along with GOP presidential nominee Mitt Romney in 2012, Kentucky Senator Mitch McConnell, and New York businessman Donald Trump also spoke. Of this list of speakers, Rubio, Christie and possibly Jindal have their eye on a run for the Oval Office in 2016.
Thursday, March 6th, 2014
Senator Ted Cruz (R-Texas)
Cruz, another favorite with CPAC attendees and libertarians, known for his brave posturing in the Senate and his filibustering, opened the convention with a roar. His spirited speech and fiery delivery awakened any audience member who stayed up too late after checking in to their hotel room or just got off the red eye.
Senator Marco Rubio (R-Florida)
Senator Rubio used his time to address the young members of the audience reminding them of what communism was as a man whose mother and father fled Cuba and its communist dictator for Florida to live the life of freedom in the United States. He also talked about the veterans of World War II and how the young people did not remember this war now and how our country’s soldiers and so many others fought and lost their lives to keep the world free.
New Jersey Governor Chris Christie (R)
At the CPAC convention you can always tell when someone important is about to take the stage because there’s suddenly standing room only. It was this way when Governor Chris Christie (R-NJ) stepped out to address the conservative audience. How one is covered in the press in a year’s time can make a big difference on how you’re perceived both to your own caucus as well as the other. In 2013, Christie wasn’t even invited to speak at CPAC since many Republicans had soured on the Governor with all the feel-good footage of him walking with President Obama on the shores of New Jersey discussing the major hurricane damage on the homes there. Some felt this helped Obama look good during a pivotal Presidential election year, instead of the party’s own candidate. (Mitt Romney)
Now, with the overly obsessive coverage the mainstream media latched on to for days if not weeks, which led to Gov. Christie firing a staff member for telling a DOT friend to close down traffic lanes on a bridge as payback for the town’s mayor not endorsing Christie. The Governor told the press later he did not expect that mayor to endorse him and never sought his endorsement since he was a democrat. What became known as ‘bridgegate,’ conservative journalists wondered if the overinflated story was really more about the fact Christie had just come out ahead of Hillary Clinton in a major poll asking who people would vote for to be the next U.S. President.
Things like this can make the tide turn with how party members see you as a candidate and elected official. Clearly there to impress, Christie wore a more conservative hat than usual and took repeated jabs at the President he so merrily walked down the coastline with in 2012, on his poor handling of budget negotiations, and Obama’s belief that there is income inequality in America. The Governor also took a strong stance on a touchy social issue by proclaiming he was pro-life, even though he governed a blue state, but believed in being pro-life from leaving the womb until death.
He informed the audience that as a new Governor he fought public employee unions and tamed out of control labor. In advice to his party, Christie urged fellow Republicans that our ideas are better than their ideas and we need to start saying what we’re for and not against.
Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal (R)
Bright and assertive as always, CPAC regular Bobby Jindal failed to disappoint once again. Sharp insight, direct words and clear points keeps him a strong contended and viable candidate for the President of the United States anytime in the future. The popular Louisiana Governor, whose state boasts one of the strongest economies, here is an excerpt of his speech:
“President Obama is the most liberal and incompetent President in my lifetime ever since Jimmy Carter (D). Having witnessed the events abroad these last several days, as we see the President of Russia invade a neighboring country, our President wants to downsize our military; Our President brags about the increased spending on food stamps. Seeing a President that doesn’t understand a strong America leads to a peaceful more stable world; a weak America leads to instability. Seeing a President who doesn’t understand our allies and enemies alike need and want a strong America.
We have long thought and said this President is a smart man. It may be time to revisit that assumption – or at least make a distinction to being book smart and truly wise. So today, let it be heard, and I hope he’s watching, to President Carter, I want to issue a sincere apology. It is no longer fair to say he was the worst President of this great country in my lifetime. President Obama has proven me wrong.”
Friday, March 7th 2014
The second day of the convention had more big draws to regale their party loyalists. Among them Texas Governor Rick Perry, former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee, and former Pennsylvania Senator Rick Santorum, all three of whom have sought their party’s nomination to run for President before – Perry and Santorum in 2012 and Huckabee in 2008 – and CPAC favorite Senator Rand Paul (R-Kentucky), son of beloved CPAC participant, newly retired U.S. Representative Ron Paul Potential Republican Party presidential candidates.
Texas Governor Rick Perry (R)
Governor Perry opened the day’s itinerary with a lively speech which was well received bringing the crowd to its feet. The longest serving Governor in the state of Texas, though not seeking reelection this year, still may have his eyes on another run for his party’s nomination to be on their Presidential ticket in 2016. If he keeps the energy and ideas up he gave here, he may have a shot. His speech crescendos right until the end. Here is the final portion:
“It is time for Washington to focus on the few things the Constitution establishes as the federal government’s role. Defend our country, provide a cogent foreign policy, and what the heck, deliver the mail, preferably on time and on Saturdays.” (Loud applause) Perry charged: “Get out of the health care businesses, get out of the education business, and create prosperity again. My fellow conservatives, the future of this nation is upon you, it belongs to you! You have the power to change America. You are the path to the future, a light on a distant shore. And you represent the renewed hope that America can be great again!”
Former Governor Mike Huckabee (R-Arkansas)
Former Governor Huckabee, who also hosts the most popular Saturday talk show on Fox News, took the podium with his usual good natured manner of the man of faith he is, and delivered a mix of goal and insight. Sharing with viewers he only had ten minutes to speak he joked that Barack Obama uses just this much time to complaining about Fox News before every press conference he holds. Huckabee delivered his speech with most of his insights starting with the words, “I know” where he would then add some other fact he was sure of.
“I know there’s a God and I know this country would not exist if he was not the midwife at its birth,” he began, adding “there is no other way to explain our history but by the hand of his providence.” The former Governor remembered how when Barack Obama was first campaigning (he assured Americans in terms of foreign policy) “he would charm the snakes back into the basket, but the snakes are everywhere.” “We don’t have one country we have a better relationship with in the five years he’s been President,” Huckabee observed. “I know you can’t keep your doctor,” he continued in regards to Obamacare, and “I know parents raise their children better than the government.”
“I know four Americans were murdered in Benghazi and it had nothing to do with some video…and with all due respect to Hillary Clinton, “it does make a difference.” “I know the IRS is a criminal enterprise,” declared the popular cable television host. He proposed as a solution “to enact a fair tax and eliminate the IRS once and for all.” (Applause)
“I know life begins at conception, and a society that sacrifices its own children are no better than the Philistines.” Huckabee also asserted he knows all men are created equal and no one is better than anyone else, and that respect for our military soldiers should be given on their return and through their care.
“I know a government that spies on its peoples and lies to its people is putting us in the direction of tyranny.” “I know the only time Putin shivers is when he takes his shirt off on a cold winter day.” “I know no one fears us; no one.” “I know Israel has been terribly mistreated by this government. They get more pressure to stop building bedrooms in a land given to them by Abraham than Iran does to stop pointing weapons at us.” He said it was for government to make us more secure, not less.
Addressing the first amendment, Huckabee said, “I know it is prohibitive of the government to say how much faith we can have – religious freedom should be unimpeded in this nation!” Addressing the second amendment, he said he believed it was the right of all Americans to own guns to protect themselves.
In parting, he said to tell conservatives to stop fighting with each other to save our country. “That’s the fight.”
Former Pennsylvania Senator Rick Santorum
2012 Presidential candidate and former Pennsylvania veteran Senator Rick Santorum, who was one of the last to stay on a populated stage for his party’s nomination before losing the convention to former Governor of Massachusetts businessman Mitt Romney, spoke with his usual even toned and serious list of facts and objectives.
Senator Rand Paul (R-Kentucky)
Electrifying the crowd was CPAC convention-goers leading conservative, Rand Paul. In jeans, blazer and tie, Paul opened his speech asking the audience to “imagine a time when liberty again spread coast to coast; imagine a time when our great country is again governed by the Constitution; imagine a time when the White House is once again occupied by a friend of liberty.”
Showing his libertarian roots, Paul then added, “You may think I’m talking about electing Republican’s, I’m not. I’m talking about electing lovers of liberty. It isn’t good enough to elect the lesser of two evils. We need to elect men and women of principal and conviction and action who will lead us back to greatness.”
“There is a great and tumultuous battle underway for the future – not of the Republican party, but the future of the entire country,” Paul warned. “The question is, will we be bold and proclaim our message with passion, or will we be Sunshine Patriots retreating under adverse fire?”
Connecting the Constitution throughout his speech to illustrate the basic freedoms Americans are losing every day, the Senator’s speech also referred to famous quotes and history from many revered figures throughout our country’s past for emphasis: William Lloyd Garrison, the Sons of Liberty, John Adams, Daniel Webster, and James Madison.
Addressing the fourth amendment, Paul proclaimed. “As our voices rise in protest, the NSA monitors your every phone call. If you have a cell phone then you are under surveillance. I believe what you do on your cell phones is none of their damn business!” (Applause) He wondered can a single warrant be applied to millions of Americans phone records, emails and credit cards. The fourth amendment is very clear: warrants must be issued by a judge; warrants must be specific to the individual; a single warrant for millions of American phone records hardly sound specific to the individual; warrants are supposed to be based on evidence, a probable cause, that an individual’s committed a crime; generalized warrants that don’t name an individual and seek the records of millions of individuals goes against the very fabric of the fourth amendment.”
Paul exclaimed, “There is a great battle is going on. It’s for the heart and soul of America. The fourth amendment is equally as important as the second amendment and conservatives cannot forget this.” He posed to convention members, “Will we sit idly by and let our rights be trampled upon? Will we be like lemmings rushing to the comfort of Big Brother’s crushing embrace? Or will we stand like men and women of character and say we are free, and no man, no matter how well intentioned, will take our freedom from us.”
Moving on to trial by jury, Paul spent a good portion of his almost twenty minute long address on this topic and condemning President Obama for his lack of leadership in this front as well as the NSA. “A great President would have protected us from the prying eyes of the NSA; a great President would have proclaimed I will not abide it. The Constitution will not abide it.” Paul continued detailing it isn’t so much what President Obama has done with his power, but it’s the procedure of lawlessness that will follow – amending legislation, recessing Congress, writing laws because one has a pen and a phone – then government becomes noting short of tyranny
“We must stop this President from shredding the Constitution!” Paul cried. (Applause/cheers)
“It isn’t just the harm this President is causing. It’s the future harm that he allows by destroying the checks and balances that once restrained each of the branches of government. Progressives by their own assertion don’t want to be bound by any original intent of the Constitution or its authors. They believe the Constitution is whatever the majority says it is. Progressives believe a majority may separate you from your rights. Paul gives a few examples of this with Jim Crowe and the Japanese internment. “Our rights come from our Creator and no government can take them from us!”
Coming to a close, the Kentucky Senator told his supporters, “Our future hangs in the balance. You can’t have prosperity without freedom. America’s greatness will not flicker if we believe in ourselves.” “It’s going to take a National revival of our liberty…It’s a Republic that restrains the government not the individual.” He asked people to stand with him and reminded them when he heard about the NSA he took a stand, filibustered, and sued the President! (Cheers) “It is decidedly not a time for the faint of heart,” Paul reminded his fellow Americans.
Dr. Ben Carson
Introducing Dr. Carson, was Tim Goeglein, from the group Focus on the Family. He reminded the room that our forefathers disagreed on a few things: whether we should have a constitution, a federal bank, and what our standing army should be – but one thing they agreed on was Judeo-Christian values.
With his usual cheerful spirit, Dr. Ben Carson began his speech describing America as the land of dreams and that it’s fulfilled the dreams of so many. He recounted how as a youth he always knew he wanted to be a doctor, and with the luck of a ‘no excuses’ and ‘I believe in God’ mother he was able to accomplish his dream. Retiring from practicing medicine last year as a neurosurgeon, he told the convention room he thought he would learn to play the organ and golf, but God had a different plan. Carson said he didn’t know what it was yet, but for now he was enjoying traveling around the country talking to large crowds with his wife Candy.
Dr. Carson went on to muse “I am not a fan of political correctness. I hate political correctness. I still believe marriage is between a man and a woman.” (Cheers and applause) He explained the political correct police have beaten the people into submission and use their tactics of making the majority think they’re wrong and old-fashioned in how they think. “It is time for the people to stand up for what they believe and stop being bullied!” he asserted. “The only people who can stop the ideologues’ is us!”
“Of course gay people should have the same rights as everyone else – but they don’t get extra rights. They don’t get to redefine marriage.” (Applause) Talking to supporters about how the mainstream media takes all of his statements out of context he used his time to repeat what the media reported he said, and then in contrast, what he actually said. One of these was a statement about President Obama. Carson said he said “Obama’s the worst thing that’s ever happened to us since slavery.” “We need to put the power back in the hands of the American people to keep it there.”
In regards to the media and their twisting of his words, he said, “the left repeats these lies because they cannot argue the facts. Americans need to understand the tactics they use. Referring to the book “Rules for Radicals” Dr. Carson said it’s all in there, citing one example where the book tells radicals never to talk to an adversary because it will humanize them, and you need to demonize them.
He said recently a place that was going to have him talk to their youth was being pressured to cancel his visit, saying he will tell them poison. Is teaching self-reliance and self-respect poison, he wondered…telling minorities to turn the money over a few times in their own community before turning it out because this is what creates wealth…the value of education…the importance of putting what God says in front of you…is this poison?
Dr. Carson appealed to the government to save our healthcare. He asked viewers to go to the American Legacy PAC he is associated with now and to sign the petition. He addressed the country’s seventeen and a half trillion dollar debt and explained, “The only reason we can do that is because we can print money.” He noted, “Greece can’t print money or it wouldn’t be in trouble. They could once, but they were irresponsible, and look what happened to them.” “We’re in a ship that’s going over the Niagara Falls,” he warned. People would look at the ship and say, oh, but there are barnacles all over the bottom – we need to get rid of them first – no, Carson defined; we need to right the ship first and keep it from going over the falls.
About future elections, he told the convention crowd, “when it’s time to vote, if your guy didn’t get it, you can call him whatever you want – a RINO, a teabagger – but vote for them! We need them in there.” He reminded the audience “don’t let the left shut you up” and that everybody needs to talk to everybody about all of these issues and our country and its direction. He said to include old people in your discussions because maybe the greatest generation can save this country once again.
His final words remembered World War II as an example of why are nation was great – how the whole world was about to go under tyranny – except for our country, who sent our boys to fight and our women to build weapons in factories. Carson believes on D-Day our soldiers didn’t shot on that beach and step over their dead comrades for leaders to pick and choose laws we will follow…this is the land of the free and the home of the brave. “Remember we cannot be free if we are not brave.”
Saturday, March 8th, 2014
Representative Michelle Bachmann
The third and final day had the convention’s always popular Rep. Bachmann kick off the proceedings. The tax attorney reminded convention members that it was the Republican party who first put a female on a presidential ticket in the last century, and the same party who had a female candidate for President in 2012 (Bachmann) who ran against Obamacare and no nuclear weapons for Iran. She added if the democrat party has a woman on its ticket this time for President she’s going to have a lot of questions to answer including Benghazi among other scandals the former First Lady, New York Senator and former Secretary of State is tied to while filling these roles.
Former U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations John R. Bolton
Bolton gave a wise and provocative speech that asked very direct questions. His overview consisted of the contrast between former President Reagan and how he knew strength was what kept peace, and former President Theodore Roosevelt (the Republican one, as Bolton noted) believed we had to make the world safe for us. Bolton perceived Obama as one who weakens our military and foreign policy; one who allowed the representative of our President in Benghazi to be murdered and who has done nothing to retaliate his murder; and has shown enemy countries you can murder our representatives and fear no repercussion.
Panel discussion: Will, Corbin and Keene
A panel consisting of columnist George Will, U.S. Senator Corbin (R-OK), and David Keene gave the convention a thorough discussion of some common political issues like term limits, limited government and more control to the states.
Former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich
Former House Speaker and former presidential candidate Newt Gingrich, the second big draw for convention goers this third and last day, came on after noon. With occasional offside yells of “Neewwttt” which come from his supporters, Newt laid down his ideas with his customary pattern of emphasis and repetition.
Quoting Texas Governor Rick Perry from his appearance the day before, Gingrich reminded members Perry said ‘it’s time for a little rebellion on the battlefield of ideas.’ Newt says the only way he would change this, would be to make it a big rebellion. Talking about 2016, the former house speaker says electing Hillary Clinton would be the same as electing a President for a third term. In terms of party goals, he suggests Republicans should stop being the opposition movement and be the alternative movement.
On Barack Hussein Obama going to Key West during the Ukraine crisis, “The President spent all of last week proving he can be ineffective. He can be as ineffective in Key Largo as he is in the White House.” Gingrich pointed out much of Russia’s PM Vladimir Putin’s power comes from the price of oil. He suggested ways to change this scenario.
What Newt coined as ‘prison guards of the past’ where these guards block the road to the future, he explained he is trying to set up a conversation among all of us so by 2016, Hillary Clinton is the biggest prison guard of the past. The Republican Party will show we will restore the healthy economy and regain national security that no other country can compete with. He brings up the smart phone technology Dr. — has invented that allows many common medical tests to be done by users phones. http://www.youtube.com/embed/r13uYs7jglg
Gingrich lauded Kahn academy for having ten million visitors a month for free.
“We stand for an effective limited government.”
CPAC Straw Poll Results
At CPAC, the one big agenda item that does not have a famous speaker on stage is the announcement of the annual Straw Poll winner, now almost thirty years old since it was established in 1986. The winner this year, Rand Paul (R-Ky), was no surprise. With 2, 459 people voting, the popular senator came in first at 31%. Coming in second, was conservatives number two favorite, Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Tx) coming in still well behind Paul with 11%.
Third place showed a different outcome from the previous afternoon when preliminary totals were showing New Jersey Governor Chris Christie was taking the number three spot. An extra day of voting put Dr. Ben Carson ahead by one percent, for him to take third with 9%. Christie took fourth receiving 8% of the tally. Tying for fifth was noteworthy Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker, who took hold of the Executive Branch of a traditionally blue state, and former Senator and 2012 presidential candidate Rick Santorum at 7%.
An interesting change in the tide, showed Florida Senator Marco Rubio coming in seventh, at 6% this 2014 convention, when only a year earlier he placed second. This noticeable downhill slide can most likely be attributed to the amnesty issue. In eighth place, was Wisconsin representative Paul Ryan, who ran as the vice president candidate on the 2012 republican ticket with Mitt Romney at 3%. Texas Governor Rick Perry also received 3% of the vote.
Last but not least by any means, receiving 2% of the votes were: Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal, former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee and former Alaska Governor Sarah Palin. GOP pollster, Tony Fabrizio, said there were write-in votes, as well, which included former Florida governor Jeb Bush and Calvin Coolidge.
Who voted? Fabrizio acknowledged almost half of the almost 2500 CPAC attendees voting were between the ages of 18 and 25. Good news for all Republicans and/or conservatives that our youth today does not only consist of indoctrinated young men and women lacking in morals with no clear goals of how to keep America free and prosperous.
Former Alaska Governor and 2008 VP Candidate Sarah Palin
Closing the event and virtually burning down the house with her scorching commentary, was the tea party’s favorite girl, 2008 Vice President Candidate and former Alaska Governor Sarah Palin. Rightfully so. In previous posts about Mrs. Palin, it’s been written how impressive and entertaining she is to see in person. The liberal mainstream media, how has dogged her since day one over little to nothing except their own jealousy and fear of her accomplishments, makes average citizens assume she is all these negative things their news assures them of almost nightly – but, it’s actually the complete opposite. She’s smart, she’s confident, she’s amusing and she’s a true patriot.
Taking the stage, she thanked our military for our freedom. She chided the young members of the convention calling them Obamacare suckers – that they were the change Obama campaigned for and now they had the change Obama and his administration were looking for – in their pockets and in tens and twenties. She reflected on the greatness of this venue; CPAC was where it all started for so many of our finest voices – Ronald Reagan who appeared on this convention stage in 1975 and now Dr. Ben Carson last year. Palin also thanked the audience and viewers for their commitment to making this event continue.
The former Alaskan Governor said she was feeling happier this year in her appearance. A year ago, she remembered, how our Americans decided to double down on the ‘hopey and changey’ theme of the Obama campaign, and how surprised and in disbelief all of the CPAC attendees were months after the President’s reelection. But from this, she said, something did happen – we became a wiser Republican a year ago.
Recalling great conservatives like Reagan, Friedman and Thatcher, she noted people have learned there is no free lunch, no free ride; someone always pays, and if you don’t know who, that someone is probably you! She told supporters that the government has learned “Americans aren’t quite as obedient as they thought we were,” and when they told us there was nothing to see in Benghazi, and to move along, there was nothing new to see with the IRS – we didn’t jump through those hoops! “It’s like y’all went rogue,” she cheered. {a reference to her own bestselling book title “Going Rogue.”} (cheers)
Palin then thanked Texas for electing Senator Ted Cruz and joked because “congress needs Cruz control!” She lauded Cruz for his filibustering that kept us awake, and told colleagues to use the tools of the Constitution and to keep their campaign promises. She mused at the clever way he filibustered by reading Dr. Seuss’s “Green Eggs and Ham” and admired how he was telling his children at the same time he was thinking of them.
The 2008 vice president candidate reminded viewers she has five children and so she has read this book many times, most recently to her youngest son. To make the familiar rhyming words new and fun to her, she said, she changed the words a bit for her youngest son Trig.
I do not like this Uncle Sam
I do not like this health care plan
I do not like these dirty crooks
And how they lie and cook the books
She continued with many other humorous verses to great cheers and laughter.
Moving on, Palin said, “We are a nation with a government – not the other way around.” She appealed to her constituency that it is time to send them reinforcements, because families are hurting from crony capitalism and income redistribution that benefits the politically favored, not the folks who do the working, serving and taxpaying. (Cheers)
Keeping positive, she mentioned some of the solutions that were heard over the last couple of days by speakers, like proposing how to lift the middle class; that just letting Washington, D.C. control our country and fundamentally change it was not the solution. “I do feel the eyes of America are open,” she said adding some would like you to hit the snooze button and say go back to sleep little lambs – even some in our own Republican party – lay low; stay out of the way; while the economy stutters to a halt and internationally we tick off our allies. She cheered the military and then party loyalists by saying “we’re going to stop them in 2014 – and those of you shining the boot of Obama – you complacent ones – 2016, too!”
Considering the other side of the aisle, Palin told the convention, she felt sorry for some who just carry the water. Like, Secretary Kerry? “He doesn’t look happy. He looks dazed and confused. No need to ask him why the long face?” (Laughter) Musing about the weak Obama administration’s policies and how Russian leader Putin is reacting she chided about the President’s message to him; ‘don’t mess around because you’re going to feel our flexibility! I’ve got my phone and my pen!’
Returning to President Obama’s original campaign promises, she reminded the audience how he was the guy who promised to insure jobs for the jobless, but the average family in America is now bringing home four thousand dollars less a year than before he was elected. “He’s got Al Queda on the run! Yeah, perhaps towards us! Mr. President – the only thing that stops a bad guy with a nuke, is a good guy with a nuke!” (Applause and cheers)
“He promised to heal the planet and stop the oceans from rising, but the only thing rising is Russia!” “Their agenda is failure and fiasco on steroids!” Republicans can’t blow it, she continued in regards to the current mid-term elections and 2016. In her words, any Republican who like the Democrats was raising taxes and agreeing to amnesty – why reward them with your vote, she asked.
GOP beltway boys –
“You didn’t build that. The Tea Party did.”
“Dance with the one that brought you,” Palin said. “And you want another sweep, then grab a broom and join us at the party.”
Palin said the Tea Partiers are stronger, smarter, and hungrier and that is why conservatives must not retreat.
“Reid {Senate majority leader Harry Reid (D-Nevada} will either be the senate minority leader or a black jack dealer where everything stays in Vegas!” Palin mused.
The former Alaskan Governor talked about the politically correct professionals, and the media minions who are quick to seek them out and show their manufactured outrage. In contrast, growing up she said, they were taught to “buck up or stay in the truck!” Bringing up the number one cable show “Duck Dynasty” she reminded viewers how they made a difference when it came to the lead Phil. Sarah chuckles Phil’s first mistake, of course, was agreeing to do an interview with GQ (Gentleman’s Quarterly) magazine and then his second mistake was to quote from the bible.
Summarizing the popular story, Palin recounted how the network that carry’s the program, canned the devout Christian from the devout Christian show with the devout Christian family. “In another time, Phil would have stayed fired – but not this time – people all over America knew his fight was our fight – and we pushed back and won.” (Applause, cheers)
Moving on to the opposite party, Palin said it was the democrat leaders who were demeaning. “Democrats seem to think women are just cheap dates!” She explained their view was not to bother their pretty little heads with taxes, foreign policy, etc. Asking the men in the room for a moment with her sisters on hand in the convention hall, suggesting they busy themselves with their cell phones or the like, Palin told her fellow females that ‘we know better’ and appealed to them to set their sisters and girlfriends straight and not to vote for someone who puts you in a box and defines you by your body parts. “That’s not liberation but subjection” and this sisterhood fights against that; we fight the mastery.
She asked liberals can you really sing “I Am Woman”? No, donkeys just bray – only Mama Grizzlies can say “hear me roar.” We’re the heirs of {Susan B.} Anthony and (former Prime Minister Margaret} Thatcher; if the boys aren’t up to the challenge women are happy to head the charge. We protect even our little sisters in the womb!”
In closing, former Governor Palin said to stand on the stage at the Conservative Political Action Conference was to stand on the shoulders of giants. She brightly informed her fans “the age of Obama is almost over!” (Applause) “The end of an error.” (Applause) “He is the lamest of lame ducks.” (Applause) Cheering on her fellow conservatives, she ended with the uplifting memory of the band of brothers who dumped tea in Boston Harbor and how “we need to be the Band of Brothers again to save the country.” “Stand up and stiffen your spine – the best is yet to come!”
New Mexico Governor Susana Martinez speaking at the Republican National Convention August 2012 (photo: Politico)
Written by Juliana Simone
May 24, 2016
Governor Susana Martinez has explained to her New Mexico constituents and party voters that she is too busy to attend Donald Trump’s rally in her state today. She apparently is also too busy to meet with him while he is visiting Albuquerque, prior to the sold-out event at the convention center.
Martinez, who had endorsed Florida’s U.S. Senator Marco Rubio earlier in the race to become the Republican Party’s presidential nominee, perhaps still holds a grudge for her fellow Hispanic colleague in the GOP, who was challenged by Trump with remarks he made during the debates. Rubio returned the negative comments to his competitor Trump in public statements, but it was not enough for him to win his state of Florida in the primaries over the New York businessman, who considers Florida his second home. Rubio suspended his campaign, but still is holding on to the delegates he acquired in previous primaries.
The New Mexico Governor, considered a popular figure in the Republican Party, was all out for 2012 nominee Mitt Romney, and spoke at the Republican National Convention in support of him and his run to be the next President of the United States. Romney, it is well known, has been anti-Trump since the 2016 presidential race showed American voters gravitating more and more towards Trump and his message.
Add Martinez to the list as a noted party establishment member who possibly would rather lose the White House to the Clinton’s than help the popular presumed Republican nominee make America great again.
To refresh reader’s memories, this is how Governor Martinez sounds when she endorses someone:
{Ed. Note: This is an archived portion of an article I wrote about night two of the Republican National Convention on August, 29th, 2012}
New Mexico Governor Susana Martinez is next:
She tells the audience a personal story about her mom and dad taking a risk to start a security guard business with no savings that were living paycheck to paycheck from menial jobs that became a success. Martinez says she went on to law school and became a prosecutor who specialized in child abuse cases. She was fired and ran against her boss for DA and beat him by a landslide.
She tells the convention, our leaders today have lost the courage to stand up. She was a Democrat for many years as were her parents. The Governor remembers when two Republican’s invited her to a lunch where she knew they wanted a party change from her, so she told her husband let’s go have a free lunch – but we talked about serious issues and after that lunch I looked at my husband and said “I’ll be damned! We’re Republican’s!” Cheers.
This election shouldn’t be about parties but economy and jobs. In New Mexico, I inherited the largest debt in our history and we turned that deficit into a surplus in a bipartisan way without raising taxes, she told members with pride. In talking about President Obama, Martinez said he promised to bring us together, reduce unemployment, the deficit…but they haven’t even passed a budget in three years…he can accept responsibility for adding five trillion dollars to the national debt because HE DID BUILD THAT! Cheers.
The promise of America must be saved for the next generation. It is success and success is the American dream, not something to be ashamed of or demonized, she said in her last minutes. Mitt Romney must be the next President of the United States!!
Governor Martinez and Condoleezza Rice were exceptional warm up speeches for the Vice President nominee who was the key note speaker of the evening.
March 8th Republican primary candidates (l-r) Ted Cruz, John Kasich, Donald Trump, Marco Rubio {photo: Fox News}
Written by Juliana Simone
March 9th, 2016
With three states in the United States holding primaries March 8th, and a fourth, Hawaii, holding a caucus, more delegates were up for grabs among the remaining four Republican candidates for President: Businessman Donald J. Trump, Texas U.S. Senator Rafael Edward (Ted) Cruz, Florida U.S. Senator Marco Rubio and Ohio Governor John Kasich. The state of Michigan had the largest delegate count at 59; Mississippi came in second at 40 delegates; Idaho, had 32 delegates. Hawaii, holding a caucus this evening, had 19 delegates for the Republican winner.
The Idaho primary was only for the Republican Party today. Democrat’s primary in Idaho will be held later. Statistically, less than one in ten voters are Democrat’s in the very red state of Idaho. Rubio visited Idaho three times, Cruz and Kasich twice. Trump did not visit Idaho to talk to their constituents.
After the results came in, Trump once again was the big winner. Michigan, the largest prize in terms of delegate counts for the candidates, voted strongly with 37.5% for Trump. A close second place went to Cruz who came away with 24.9%, while Kasich was edged out and placed third with 24.3% of the vote. Rubio placed fourth and last with 8.5%. Kasich had hoped to win his neighboring state of Michigan, for a much needed boost in a campaign that’s produced little results.
On the Democrat side, Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders beat former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton soundly, earning 50% to Clinton’s 17%, giving him his one win for the night. Michigan made it clear, regardless of party affiliation, they prefer the anti-establishment candidates to be the nominees.
Mississippi also preferred entrepreneur Donald Trump, with the highest total return of any Republican candidate in all four states, by achieving almost half the voters nod with 47.3%. Ted Cruz, again placed second, with a respectable 36.3%, almost the amount that won Michigan for Trump. Rubio finished at 5% and Kasich with 9%.
Idaho was the one state won by Senator Cruz, who got the second largest return after Trump’s win in Mississippi, at 45.4%. Trump, though second, had his lowest return at 28.1%. Still, even so, that’s a favorable outcome for the one candidate who did not make a campaign stop in this state. Senator Rubio, who visited Idaho three times, still came in well behind at third, with 15.9% of the vote, which was his only double digit return in the three primaries. Kasich, who made two trips here, as did Cruz, came in with 7%.
Why Trump didn’t visit Idaho, could be for a couple of reasons. One, either his campaign believed with Idaho being such a red state, they would vote for Trump as the frontrunner whether he visited or not, or two, intel told his campaign Idaho was so strongly for Cruz, it wasn’t worth a campaign stop on this tour.
The Hawaii caucus was the third win for Trump Tuesday evening out of the four voting states with delegates up for grab. Trump, with a big percentage of caucus members choosing him to be their choice for President, got 42.4%, the third highest return for any Republican seeking the nomination. Cruz, repeating the pattern of the evening, placed second with a respectable 32.9%. Rubio, came in third with 13.1%, the second time he was able to get above ten percent. Kasich received 11%.
Still, despite the popularity of Donald Trump with the voters, he did not sweep the delegate counts as easily. As a result, the delegate rewards were split more evenly, which brought Senator Cruz closer to Trump in terms of total delegate counts to date.
Michigan, the most sought after reward for the evening that went to Trump, had split results among the delegates, giving the winner twenty-five delegate votes, but then seventeen votes also went to both Cruz and Kasich, with none for Rubio.
Mississippi, with the largest percentage for Trump out of the four states participating, delegates divided their results between Trump and Cruz. Twenty-five went to Trump; fifteen went to Cruz. Kasich and Rubio did not receive any.
Idaho, Cruz’s big win, received the majority of delegate votes at twenty, but twelve still went to Trump. Again, despite the campaign stops both Kasich and Rubio made here, they both failed to earn one delegate.
Hawaii delegates – Trump – 10; Cruz- 6; Rubio and Kasich – 0.
Going into yesterday’s primaries, Trump had the most delegates at a total of 384. Ted Cruz, who did well on Super Tuesday, was now is a closer second, at 300 delegates. Marco Rubio had a count of 151 and John Kasich held 37.
Last night’s returns leave the four Republican candidates with these current totals:
Trump: 458; Cruz: 359; Rubio: 151; and Kasich: 54. Cruz, now is 99 delegates behind Trump. Before Tuesdays four state returns, Cruz was 84 votes behind Trump. The numbers remain close between the New York businessman and the Texas Senator.
Today, former businesswoman, Carly Fiorina, who was one of the original seventeen Republicans seeking the party nomination, endorsed U.S. Senator Cruz. No surprise she would choose Cruz over Trump, after the ill feelings that grew between Trump and Fiorina in the early debates.
Speaking of ill feelings, former candidate Jeb Bush, who went into this race from the beginning with the largest amount of money raised and an important family behind him, with his loss in South Carolina, New Hampshire and Iowa in February 2016, and low polling numbers for months, Bush suspended his campaign. It was announced yesterday, that now Jeb’s brother Neil, will be raising money for Ted Cruz, to help Cruz beat Trump.
There are 1,435 delegates left for the four candidates to win in their column, assuming all four candidates stay in the race, and Rubio and/or Kasich don’t suspend their campaigns. 1,237 are needed to win the national convention that is being held in Ohio.
Daily news reveals more facts that the Republican establishment continues to discuss how they can unseat Trump as the probable party nominee, and speak outwardly to the press against him. Former Massachusetts Governor and previous Republican Presidential nominee, Mitt Romney, who lauded the endorsement he received from Donald Trump when he was running against Democrat incumbent Barack Obama in 2012, came out last week in a press conference saying Trump was a fraud, a phony, and the worst choice for the 2016 nominee as a man he did not perceive to be a true conservative.
He also recorded a taped message for robo calls to be sent to voter’s phones in all four states Tuesday, which encouraged them to vote for any of the other three candidates than Trump, particularly Rubio. With the heavy losses Senator Rubio saw last night, Romney’s message didn’t show much influence. Romney keeps swinging though on his public campaign against Trump. He appeared on the night time talk show with host Jimmy Kimmel, to read some of the insulting tweets Trump had made about the former presidential candidate over Twitter. Though Romney kept his appearance light and took the remarks with a sense of humor and some fair rebuttal, it’s clear the democrats and competing Republican candidates, can count on Romney to keep hitting the frontrunner for them in any venue, given the opportunity.
Apparently, secret meetings are being held, as well, among Republican leadership where they discuss, one, how it can have happened that Trump is so popular and be the preferred nominee, and two, what can they do to take a perceived endorsement away from him. Some of these Republicans have said they will vote for former First Lady, N.Y. Senator and SOS Hillary Clinton before voting for Trump. (It should be noted Clinton was never a New York resident until she chose to run for the U.S. Senate after leaving the White House as First Lady…with quite a bit of furniture, and other White House antiques the Clinton’s felt fine with taking on their exit.)
Fox News Anchor, Megyn Kelly, still wore her personal distaste for Trump on her sleeve, (if she wore one) repeating comments Trump made in his press conference after the results from Mississippi and Michigan came in, with a sneer and a laugh.
Anyone over forty recognizes objective journalism is a thing of the past. Anchors have interjected themselves into a whole new persona, where in their minds, their remarks are more important than the people covered in their lead stories. Despite trying to lead the narrative for at least two decades, and sway the opinion of Americans who don’t follow politics 24/7, it must be frustrating to them to see they haven’t been able to dispose of successful businessman Donald Trump this far into the process.
From Florida, taking the podium to address his supporters last night, in a lengthy appearance, Trump took a higher road and said kinder comments about those who have said derogatory things about him over the past few weeks, including Romney and Kelly.
Plainly answering Mitt Romney’s attacks in his press conference the other day, he rebutted the negatives about some of his brand name spin-offs, such as Trump steaks, Trump water, Trump magazine and Trump University. {In re the latter, he explained in detail that Trump University was still in a lawsuit and explained he had been taught that when one was in a lawsuit, one never settled, because if one did, everyone then could sue.} He assured once the lawsuit was settled, Trump University would start up again and go on to be a success. He cited numbers from participants at TU, that were high up in the ninety percentile, that there was no reason to settle when that many people said it was a good experience.
He also mentioned in regards to his product, Trump Vodka, for the press to please check the records on how well it was doing. He added he owns two thousand acres in Virginia, close to the Jefferson estate, that produces the finest wines.
On the positive, Trump said statistics were showing people who had never voted before for a Republican, voted tonight for the first time. He then thanked the lobbyists for their influence on getting out the vote from this group. He also noted turnout was tremendous – 102% over a year ago.
He thanked golfer Jack Nicholas for his support and Ohio native former Yankee player Paul O’Neill, who endorsed Trump and was in the crowd. Trump is popular with other famous athletes, as well. New England Patriot Quarterback Tom Brady is a Trump supporter, as well as Red Sox pitcher Clay Buchholz. Brady even wears Trump’s baseball cap with the Trump slogan “Make America Great Again.”
He said he would like to congratulate all of the candidates – “it’s not easy stuff.” Trump said he hoped all of the House Representatives and Senators are re-elected despite whether they supported him or not. He thanked House Speaker Paul Ryan, New Jersey Governor Chris Christie for his endorsement, as well as Arizona’s Maricopa County Sheriff, Joe Arpaio. Arpaio is another advocate for stopping the influx of illegal immigrants into the United States. Former Arizona Governor, Jan Brewer, has also endorsed Trump.
Arizona, a southwestern state, greatly affected by illegal immigration that bears the weight of this invasion every day, in terms of jobs, state assistance, education, crime, incarceration and drug cartels, would naturally support a candidate tough on securing America’s borders.
Donald Trump told the crowd and reporters that tonight’s primary results show, “advertising is not as important as competence.” In talking about U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham, he said “he’s a nasty guy.” “Hostility works for some people; not for everybody” he noted when asked about Rubio and others who have recently attacked him. Looking back at his campaign, the billionaire remarked that every person who has attacked him is gone, and that out of seventeen candidates, we’re now down to four.
The victor also noted there’s never been more money spent than what is being spent now to take him down.
With big wins in Mississippi and Michigan, Trump said even Kelly and Charles Krauthammer said I did well tonight; he’s been waiting a long time to hear Charles say this. With Florida voting next, it’s an important last breath for Florida’s Senator Rubio to win, but with Florida being Donald Trump’s second home, and as a businessman whose provided many jobs there, it will be a tough challenge.
As for the second place winner, the Cruz campaign released the fact they only spent one thousand one hundred in advertising dollars in Michigan to come in second, while Rubio and Kasich spent the most. Rubio’s Conservative Solutions Super PAC spent 1.2 million to walk away with zero delegates. Kasich’s PAC spent $770,000. For the record, Trump spent far less at $184,000. for the win.
Cruz also has his sights on Florida, opening ten campaign offices there to get out the vote hoping to come in second over Senate colleague Rubio. The Florida primary will take place on March 15th and has 99 delegate votes. Rubio trailing Trump in the polls in his home state, could get a boost from former competitor for the nomination for President, and former Florida Governor, Jeb Bush, with his endorsement, but it is not expected for Bush to endorse his former colleague Rubio at this time.
Other states voting on March 15th, will be Kasich’s Ohio, Illinois, North Carolina and Missouri. The five states together have 358 delegates for the four candidates to earn. After this primary, it would be surprising to still see four candidates in the Republican race.
Businessman Donald Trump won seven states: Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Massachusetts, Tennessee, Vermont and Virginia. The numbers vary, but according to the New York Times, Trump now has 319 delegates, gaining 237 Tuesday night. He was in the lead before Super Tuesday with 81 delegates from wins in New Hampshire, South Carolina and Iowa.
Texas U.S. Senator Ted Cruz won three: Alaska, Oklahoma and Texas. He now has 226 delgates, with a gain of 209. The state of Texas on Super Tuesday, had the largest amount of delegates to award at 155. Cruz, like Rubio, going into Super Tuesday were tied with 17 delegates each. It’s interesting Alaska went for Cruz, when their former Governor and Vice Presidential candidate Sarah Palin, had just endorsed Trump for President. But Cruz was also endorsed by Palin, and she stumped for his Senate win in Texas.
Florida U.S. Senator Marco Rubio finally won one something with a win in Minnesota, which was a caucus and not a primary. He also was able to inflate his flagging delegate numbers from 17 to 110 with Tuesday returns. He came in second in Virginia, losing to frontrunner Trump by 3%.
Kasich came in second in Vermont with 30% of the votes tallied after Trumps 33%. He gained six votes yesterday, coming into this important primary day with 19 delegate votes. He now has 25.
Revered Dr. Ben Carson did not win a state and with Super Tuesday had eight delegates, and gained three at the final count for a total of eleven delegates. These results produced a statement from his campaign released this afternoon:
I have decided not to attend the Fox News GOP Presidential Debate tomorrow night in Detroit. Even though I will not be in my hometown of Detroit on Thursday, I remain deeply committed to my home nation, America. I do not see a political path forward in light of last evening’s Super Tuesday primary results. However, this grassroots movement on behalf of “We the People” will continue. Along with millions of patriots who have supported my campaign for President, I remain committed to Saving America for Future Generations. We must not depart from our goals to restore what God and our Founders intended for this exceptional nation.
I appreciate the support, financial and otherwise, from all corners of America. Gratefully, my campaign decisions are not constrained by finances; rather by what is in the best interests of the American people.
I will discuss more about the future of this movement during my speech on Friday at CPAC in Washington, D.C.
So what do these results mean? For starters, the assault on Donald Trump by the RNC and its leadership, in addition to the state party leaders who quickly tow the line, is really a disgrace and more proof the Republican Party will never be able to pick the candidate who can actually win an election when it comes to our nations’ highest office. It’s more important to them to control the choice, regardless of what their actual registered voters believe, so they can maintain power and essentially keep their jobs.
This history with party leadership, is what has led the public to casting so many votes for any anti-establishment candidate. For those U.S. citizens paying attention, they are choosing Trump, to yes, as his campaign slogan states, “make America great again.” Tired of politics as usual, with the elected officials driving around in their limos, flying to events in chartered jets, staying safe with their security details, and living the high life on taxpayer’s dimes attending cocktail parties and cutting occasional ribbons at some local event to keep it real with their actual constituents, the general public is sick of this decades old pattern, and want someone from the outside who does not drink from this well.
The media has blatantly been against Trump from the beginning, way back to the first Republican Presidential primetime debate in August of 2015, with Fox News anchor Megyn Kelly foaming at the mouth on her first question to Trump. She addressed him believing she was still a prosecutor, not mentally making the transition she was now simply a debate moderator and journalist, who should not appear biased. Thinking their daily diatribe could quickly eliminate him that evening, or soon after time, they’ve dug deeper as his popularity has grown.
The only Republican candidate they perhaps despise more than Trump, is New Jersey Governor Chris Christie who dropped out of the race for the nomination more recently. Christie, a strong, bright alpha-male who made it clear to the media on assuming office during his press conferences, he was not going to address their questions that bore only progressive agenda for a daily soundbite. As a result, they made a mountain out of a mole hill on a non-story, that involved a Christie staffer who organized two lanes on the Tappan Zee Bridge being closed for a short while during rush hour, when in the media’s view, the Mayor of Fort Lee, a Democrat, did not endorse Christie for President.
This high profile story dictated by the media, actually makes no sense since no Republican, or few and far between, would expect any Democrat to endorse the Republican candidate over their own party’s candidate for any office. Nevertheless, the staffer was fired, and Christie, who always maintained he knew nothing of the call to the DOT, was cleared of all charges in this small incident. The mainstreammedia, however, dragged it out for weeks as a top news story.
Guns still aimed at Christie, his endorsement of Trump couldn’t have been better news for the media’s narrative…it kept him in their sights while they were lamenting his pulling out of the race, so he could no longer be daily fodder for their vitriol.
To their delight, Christie stood behind Trump on stage Tuesday evening, which oddly allowed collective hours of commentary ensued on how Christie even appeared in the background. Totally bizarre. Rush Limbaugh noted this today, as well, during his nationally syndicated talk radio show, and asked, well, what was he supposed to do?
To anyone normal watching, obviously not jumping jacks. I suppose like so many anchors on network shows, the botox could have kicked in, and he could have worn a frozen smile or stern frown.
Voters should see what the media has done to Christie over his years in service as a Governor, a candidate for the President of the United States, and now colleague of Donald Trump, that this is what they will continue to do to anyone anytime unless things change in Washington. More importantly, voters should notice how there is hardly any equal time given to Democrat President nominee Hillary Clinton, who is laden with so many scandals, the dedicated broadcast time could fill at least a year of discussion.
Moving on to Texas U.S. Senator Ted Cruz, who is placing second in the Republican challenge, and like Trump, is controversial in that his party does not want him to get the nomination either, as someone who bucks the status quo of how things get done in Washington. Cruz, has his devoted fans and an education a minority of Americans will achieve. Most reading this piece know his history, as Canadian born to an American mother and Cuban father, a Harvard Law graduate who went on to be the captain of the Harvard debate team, earning the highest of praise from even Professor Alan Dershowitz, a staunch liberal,who publicly acknowledges Cruz is one of the best debaters he’s ever seen.
The negatives with Cruz today, are some foul play outcries from competing campaigns that say he has used social media, robo calls and public remarks to mislead voters prior to primary dates in hopes of switching their votes. His likability is also considered, as D.C. colleagues argue he does not get along with any of his fellow legislators and has few allies there. Cruz supporters would say this is a good thing. How this resonates with voters and delegates is a more serious concern.
Florida U.S. Senator Marco Rubio, as of Super Tuesday, had the one state of Minnesota under his belt, interestingly the only state Ronald Reagan did not win in his landslide victory in 1984. For someone perceived by party insiders and Rubio himself, as the candidate most like Reagan, this is an odd note. Minnesota also chose Democrat candidate Bernie Sanders over the presumed nominee Hillary Clinton. Rubio is under-performing among voters despite the push he’s getting from Washington and party supporters. His answer to this, he told the press as polls closed, was it did not matter as only the delegate count at the Republican convention mattered, so he was staying in the race because it was up to the delegates to pronounce the nominee, not the people.
This comment, illustrates how voters in terms of party nominees, have little to do with who the nominee is that appears on the ballot. In published stories weeks ago, former First Lady, New York State Senator and SOS Hillary Clinton, already had the Democrat superdelegates sewn up in the bag, so it ultimately didn’t matter how much of the youth vote competitor Vermont U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders had, or how many states he eventually wins during the primary process. He will not win the nomination at the National Democrat Convention. The fix is in for Hillary and had been before Bernie even knew that much about the process.
The question is, will Sanders supporters roll over in the traditional democrat way regardless of outcome, and just say, ‘okay, not happy it’s not Bernie, but we’ll just vote for Hillary instead.’
1,237 delegate votes are needed at the Republican Convention. Although even higher numbers were expected for Trump on Super Tuesday, he still was way ahead of any contender even with the RNC and their state leaders nipping at his heels.
In terms of funding, anyone who has ever worked or volunteered for a campaign, or their state party, a primary argument for choosing a nominee is always the money – who has the most funds or can raise the most funds to use them to get elected?
Many unqualified candidates have been given the nod because they could bankroll their campaign regardless of outcome. Additionally, the usual party insiders with multiple lost races on their resumes, can be rehired or business contracts can be signed that will leverage support and votes.
With Trump, within the Republican Party, has anyone heard mention of how much money he has to spend? How he could even top the Clinton’s with all of their questionable donations to their foundation and typical donators like George Soros and other liberals? The only large treasure chest the public ever heard about on the Republican side was former Florida Governor Jeb Bush’s, who spent over one hundred million dollars for naught.
He had the Bush family influence behind him, but in regards to the so-called political wizards backing him, they somehow failed to recognize what the general public did. In a Bush vs. Clinton race, Clinton would win – no matter how damaged a candidate she is, for two reasons.
One, the mainstream media hammered the Bush name for years, tarnishing it among the younger generations and uniformed voters, however wrongful the message was, and two, the mainstream media will never hammer the Clinton’s on the innumerable crimes, lies and corruption under any elected office they’ve held, or Hillary alone on anything unethical that’s plagued her throughout her career even before ever going to Washington.
For once, the Republican Party establishment needs to stop meddling with the nominee and start endorsing the candidate favored by the public. Their current excuse for not standing behind Trump is because if he wins the nomination, the U.S. Senate and Congress will lose the majority’s they hold today. But to anyone who follows politics, we’ve seen the majority gifted to these legislators in the past two elections, has amounted to little to nothing.
The power they were bestowed they did not act upon, and left them lamely and publicly shrugging their shoulders, basically asking, what can we do? So, this argument holds no water at all. Ultimately, it just sounds like they’re worried about keeping their jobs and the luxurious lifestyle that goes along with it. So much for “We the people…”
The momentum from the GOP establishment to stop Trump is in full swing.
Florida U.S. Senator Marco Rubio, competition for the nomination for President with Trump, spent every moment speaking in public up to Super Tuesday, insulting Donald Trump with words and comments that made him look anything but Presidential. With catty remarks about Trump’s bad spray tan and small hands, he also continually calls the successful businessman and Wharton Business School grad, a con-artist. Rubio, is not problem free and should have taken a higher road to appeal to the public.
On Super Tuesday, House Speaker Paul Ryan, came out publicly to pick up the media’s latest anti-Trump message that former Ku Klux Klan leader David Duke had endorsed him, and basically say the Republican Party could not have anyone as their nominee who did not reject any group that is built on bigotry, as the party of Lincoln. The story turned out to be false, like so many mainstream media attack pieces, with Duke himself saying he’d never even endorsed Trump. Regardless, Trump said innumerable times in every venue, including a press conference he disavows any endorsement from Duke.
This Thursday morning, 2012 Republican Presidential nominee Mitt Romney, also took a turn at trying to tear Trump down from becoming the nominee, and urged voters to vote for three good candidates still in the race: Rubio, Cruz or Kasich. “Dishonesty is Donald Trump’s homework,” Romney said, giving examples of contradicting statements the front-runner has made on what he’s supported over the years. Romney scolded Trump for his insults, conduct, use of profanity, and lack of conservatism.
Donald Trump greets Republican presidential candidate, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, after announcing his endorsement of Romney during a news conference, Thursday, Feb. 2, 2012, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/Julie Jacobson)
Romney has demanded Trump release his tax returns. Romney said it’s an issue to him personally, since he was repeatedly asked to produce his tax returns when he was running. In tweets on Twitter, Romney has called Trump a phony and a fraud and claims his domestic policies would put the nation into recession. One tweet included this: “He has neither the temperament nor the judgment to be president. And his personal qualities would mean that America would cease to be a shining city on a hill.”
Critics of Romney making these tweets and calling for this press conference today, wonder why Romney never came out this strongly against his Democrat opponent in 2012, Barack Obama, and if he had, maybe he’d be President today and would have spared the country of four more years of Obama’s bad policies.
Remember when Romney was running for President, he was happy to receive Donald Trump’s endorsement and had completely contrary things to say about Trump at that time, in that they were all positive. For me, Romney is just another Republican doing the Democrat’s work for them and another who failed to honor Reagan’s eleventh commandment where no Republican should speak ill or another Republican.
We’ll have to see what else Washington will pull out of their hat next as they continue to attack the popular front-runner. An older argument the GOP maintains today, is that Trump’s background is a problem. I’ll take his background over Hillary Clinton’s any day.
Lastly, “likability.” A very important component to anyone who knows or works in politics and something that still holds fast and true. If you don’t have it, it does not matter how long your resume is, how many colleagues you have in D.C., how much money you have, or how hard you try…the public either likes you or they don’t. True, Trump has his haters, but Clinton certainly does, too. As the only Republican candidate bringing in cross-over votes from democrats and independents, which are unquestionably needed to win the general election in November, clearly he has many more supporters than adversaries.
Really thorough research in these articles about Rubio’s voting record vs. his current campaign stump speech.
Big topic on syndicated talk radio today: http://dailycaller.com/…/what-really-happened-when-marco-r…/
Click on the “report” link within this article which brings you to www.eagleforum.org and has transcribed debate speeches and talking points from Senator Rubio. This information reveals how these candidate’s words are different than his actions.
Though Florida U.S. Senator Rubio is admirable in many ways, it is important to read in these two publications where he stands on stage and on the Senate floor. However, like any Republican candidate seeking the highest office in the United States of America, as President, would be better than any Democrat alternative, what candidates say and how they actually perform is of note.
With 99% reporting, businessman Donald Trump wins the South Carolina primary. More notable he won the conservative vote. At this time, his return is 32.5%, and coming in second, Florida Senator Marco Rubio, with a small percentage over his colleague Texas Senator Ted Cruz, Rubio’s returns are at 22.5% vs. Cruz’s return at 22.3%. The second and third finish could change after a 100% return, but at this time, Rubio has already taken the stage and thanked voters for his second place finish. He also said in this speech, he expects to beat frontrunner Trump for the nomination. Right now, the network news anchors are calling the second and third finish as too close to call.
Out of due respect, U.S. Senator Ted Cruz, did leave South Carolina to attend Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia’s funeral this morning. He had served as a law clerk under Scalia for one year in the late nineties, and has maintained a relationship with him for over a decade. Did his time away to show respect to Justice Scalia cost him the slim margin of votes that put U.S. Senator Rubio in second place tonight? Hard to say. One would not hope so, as this was a fine reason to briefly leave the campaign stump and attend a parting ceremony for one of the finest conservative voices in American history on the Supreme Court.
Former Florida Governor Jeb Bush’s numbers at this minute are showing at 7.8% over Ohio Governor John Kasich’s at 7.6%. Bush took these results to bow out, and gave a moving speech in regards to his elimination after a strong last push for votes that included his brother, former President George W. Bush, stumping for him in this campaign. Dr. Ben Carson came in not far behind Bush or Kasich at 6.9%. He has recently maintained he will stay in it until the end.
Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich said it is important to perceive Donald Trump’s win shows that 62% of voters show they’re dissatisfied with government today. Gingrich also noted Trump continues to learn every day as a candidate for the better. In regards to Rubio, he said he needs to continue to wrap up the establishment choice, and Cruz needs to continue as a “cheerful warrior” admiring his attending Justice Scalia’s funeral today.
As far as the Democrat primary in Nevada went, former First Lady, New York Senator and SOS Hillary Clinton is being declared the winner at 52.6% with her opponent Bernie Sanders at 47.3%. Although the Clinton campaign sees this as a big win, it’s not by a large margin as with her previous results in Iowa and New Hampshire. Regardless, superdelegates in the Democrat party determine who the nominee is, and Clinton’s history, however perceived, has most in her pocket. However many vote for Sanders, ultimately Clinton will exceed his popularity at the national convention when the party’s superdelegates give her the win.
The speech former SOS Clinton gave in regards to Wall Street deserves more discussion as it was quite hypocritical in regards to her tie with this group. More later.
Republican presidential candidates (L-R) Ohio Governor John Kasich, Jeb Bush, Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX), Donald Trump, Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) and Ben Carson, February 13, 2016 observe a moment of silence for Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia in Greenville, South Carolina (Photo by Spencer Platt/Getty Images)
Greenville, S.C.
Written by Juliana Simone
Appearing Saturday evening in a debate broadcast by CBS, were six candidates still seeking the Republican nomination to compete against the next Democrat nominee for the important role of becoming the next President of the United States. Participating on stage were: Donald Trump, Dr. Ben Carson, Jeb Bush, John Kasich, Marco Rubio and Ted Cruz.
It seemed at times more like theater than a debate. Exchanges between the men could be described as hitting below the belt whenever necessary. All alpha males, understandably, as the field narrows, verbal fisticuffs have to come out to mark the differences between policies and experience among these men still in the running with the highest polling numbers. Fortunately, more good notes came out than bad in terms of overall exchange of ideas.
It seemed five of the six candidates mostly abided by former President Ronald Reagan’s eleventh commandment, which was that no Republican shall speak ill of another Republican, unless they were directly attacked by the sixth candidate, Donald Trump, whose derogatory comments and accusations flowed freely throughout the entire debate. Perhaps the other men still seeking their Party’s nomination do not see Trump as a fellow Republican, so the eleventh commandment did not apply to him.
Trump has switched his party affiliation as a voter a few times in the state of New York and has been a registered Democrat for many years throughout his adult lifetime. However, his years as a registered Republican from voter registration records back in the mid to late eighties, exceed the amount of years he was a Democrat. He also was registered with the Independent Party for less than two years. Now a registered Republican once again, he explained soon after announcing his candidacy, he made this switch because he wanted to serve as President of the United States as a Republican.
In writing my articles, I make a point not to listen to or read other commentary until I’m finished so my own perspective isn’t tainted. Watching only the first few minutes after the South Carolina debate to get the gist of who the usual analysts would target for negative or any positive commentary, it seemed this debate their primary focus was on Jeb Bush.
Mainstream media talking points and post-debate analysis always follow the same page, so one of their items tonight was the negative view of former Florida Governor Jeb Bush and his using debate response time to defend his brother, father and mother. Is there anyone else with family in the game? No. It is rare in this country when elected Presidents come from prior office-holding bloodlines, but this should not have to make the former Governor spend any of his time as a candidate taking insults about his father or brother who both served previous terms as Commander In Chief in the White House. He had every right to say he was proud of his father and brother and how they served as Presidents of the United States. Bush said Trump had the gall to bring up his mother, Barbara Bush, and that she is the strongest woman he knows. Trump said, “She should be running.”
The media and social media commentators on Twitter and Facebook who clearly don’t like the Bush family, also found his defending his family amusing, weak and childish as some apparently wrote. The audience in South Carolina did not agree with the media pundits or the jeering tweeters, and they applauded and cheered loudly when Jeb stood up for his family. I agree. It would look odder to let some loud outspoken guy insult them and say nothing, in my view. Back in colonial times, Bush could have walked across the stage and slapped Trumps face with a glove, and called for pistols at dawn. But trashy remarks are the trend these days, and gentlemanly behavior is unknown or unembraced.
The mainstream media always prefers to use these Republican debates as venues where they can pit upstanding candidates against one another, and make them announce in a televised forum their rival’s weak points, rather than address their opposing party’s weaknesses.
There is no question that both Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders don’t hold a candle to any of the original sixteen announced candidates for the Republican Party nomination, or to the last six standing, but the liberal media gives Barbara Walters style questions to the Democrats during their debates asking softball questions such as who someone’s favorite President is or coming up soon what is their favorite tree.
If the media doesn’t have the nerve to ask Democrat candidates these questions directly, why then are none of these informed and vocal Republican candidates asked serious questions about their Democrat opponents? Why were they never asked about former First Lady, New York U.S. Senator and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s current email scandal that is under intense investigation by the FBI? Or about her inability to answer an Ambassadors plea for help in Benghazi which he sent thirteen times with no answer from our government who should have given an immediate response? Why were they not asked about Senator Bernie Sanders socialist agenda for America today if he is elected in November? The usual censorship of any negative portrayals of the Democrat candidates presided in this ninth debate now.
Who won? Opinions always vary on this, but in trying to remain objective, Florida U.S. Senator Marco Rubio had a good night as did his fellow state colleague, former Florida Governor Jeb Bush. Rubio did a good job at illustrating how conservative he is, to counter those who feel he’s a closet moderate and establishment choice; Bush did a polished job of showing his knowledge about many of the issues covered in these two hours, even while being engaged constantly by Trump’s negative comments; Texas U.S. Senator Ted Cruz also performed well, making it very clear he was the strongest Constitutionalist on the stage who would stand by this document as President and also was the true conservative.
Dr. Ben Carson still had a few unique perspectives he’s delivered throughout this run, as well as getting out some endorsements he’s achieved since his campaign began from respectable sources. Ohio Governor, John Kasich, who given some new life with a second place finish in the previous New Hampshire primary, also did well if the message a voter is looking for is safe and congenial. Kasich seems the most even-toned in delivery. Frontrunner businessman Donald Trump, did not have his best showing, by being too belligerent while reciting some common liberal talking points as someone running for the Republican nomination.
One of the most significant things that occurred during this debate, was the moment of silence dedicated to Supreme Court Justice Scalia who passed away suddenly at the age of 79. Appointed by President Ronald Reagan in 1986 he was the longest serving Justice for thirty years. A fine conservative, who was pro-life on abortion arguments, upholding of the Constitution and what the Founders intended, and admired for his intelligence, he is considered irreplaceable.
Some highlights from the forum: (for those who missed this debate, a full transcript can be found on-line as well as the entire video on CBS)
When the Candidates were asked if President Barack Obama in his final year of holding office as a lame duck President should have the right to appoint his replacement, Rubio and all other candidates on stage agreed that no, it should be up to the next President of the United States to make this important decision.
Donald Trump said Scalia’s passing was a tremendous blow to conservatives, and that Obama will try to appoint someone to replace Justice Scalia whether he was okay with it or not, but he hopes the Republican Majority Leaders in the House and the Senate will stop it, even if it’s just delay, delay, delay.
Kasich said if he were President we wouldn’t have the divisions we do in our country today. He wished it wasn’t partisan, and wished that President Obama would put the country first for once, but since he didn’t believe this would be case, then yes, the next President elect should appoint the new Supreme Court Justice.
Dr. Carson pointed out the constitution doesn’t address this particular situation and reminded viewers that when the constitution was written the average age of men at the time of their death was fifty, so he feels this needs to be looked at again. He added he saw people making nasty remarks and felt it was a shame. He fully agreed a new judge should not be appointed at this time under Barack Obama.
U.S. Senator Marco Rubio (FL-R) said, “Scalia understood the Constitution better than anyone.” He said it has been over eighty years since a lame duck President appointed a Supreme Court Justice. (cheers from the audience) He continued (Senate Minority Leader) Reid and Obama would ram down our throat a liberal Justice as they have already.
Former Gov. Bush said we will nominate someone with a proven record. He regretted too many Judges are appointed without established records and thought more time had to put into who was nominated. He said he is a lover of liberty and limited government and he will fight for that nomination.
“I’m an Article II guy in terms of the Constitution,” he declared. In his view, Obama will not have a consensus pick when he nominates someone.
Texas Senator Cruz said, “Justice Scalia was a legal giant. He was somebody I knew for twenty years. He was a brilliant man. He was faithful to the Constitution. He changed the arc of American legal history.” His concerns were that we are now one Justice away from rulings on abortion, reversing the Heller decision on the second amendment, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/District_of_Columbia_v._Heller and religious liberties of millions of Americans. He told the South Carolina people they needed to decide who to nominate and confirm as the most principled Constitutionalist to the court as the next President of the United States.
Moving on to National security, the panel started with front runner in the polls, businessman Donald Trump. He was reminded he said if elected he’d get up to speed very quickly on foreign policy, so what three questions would he ask of his appointed leaders.
Trump answers, “What we want to do; when we want to do it; and how hard do we want to hit.” He replied we’re going to have to work very hard to knock out ISIS and learn who our real allies are. He said we are spending billions of dollars in Syria and maybe that should be moved to Russia. The Iran deal was the worst deal he’d even seen. (Applause) He reminds viewers and the audience he was always against attacking Iraq and was for keeping the oil.
Rubio replied his three questions would be, number one, what are we doing in the Asian-Pacific region, where both North Korea and China pose threats to the national security of the United States. Number two is what are we doing in the Middle East and the growing threat of ISIS, and the third is rebuilding NATO in Central and Eastern Europe in regards to Russian President Putin, who is now threatening the territory of multiple countries.
Rubio is asked by the panel what the hardest thing he has had to decide that shows he’s been tested in a crisis and can respond as President.
Rubio reflects, “One of the hardest decisions you’ll ever make in Congress is when you are asked by the president to authorize the use of force in a conflict. You’re now putting your name behind a military action where Americans in uniform could lose their life.
In 2014, Obama said he would not take military action against Assad unless it was authorized by the Senate beginning on the Committee of Foreign Relations, where I am one of its members. it was hard, because you looked at the pictures. As the father of children, I saw the images of these little children– gassed and poisoned by their own leaders.
We were angry. There was the sense that we needed to seek retribution. I looked at Obama’s plan. Barack Obama’s plan, which John Kerry later described as “unbelievably small,” – I concluded that that attack would not only not help the situation, it would make it actually worse.
It would allow Assad to stand up to the United States of America, survive a strike, stay in power, and actually strengthen its grip. And so it was a difficult decision to make. When we only had a few days to look at it, I voted against Obama’s plan to use force; it was the right decision.”
To Ben Carson, the panel asks the retired neurosurgeon about his belief he’s had to answer more 2AM emergency calls than anyone else, so to explain how we would respond to a crisis as someone who’s done amazing political work but has no political foundations.
Dr. Carson asks to go back to the issue of appointing a Supreme Court Justice nominee. He observes that there’s some left-wing media they will try to make hay on that and then jests, “thank you for including me – two questions already.” (cheers) He then says that we are in a situation we’ve never been in before in terms of danger and that’s where judgement comes in.
Kasich said we need to arm the people in Ukraine who are fighting for their freedom and that any attack against NATO countries were against us. In an idealistic view, he observes “I think we have an opportunity as America to put something really great together again. The Egyptians, the Saudis, the Jordanians, the Gulf States, it’s– they all know they’re at risk.” Saying we need to look into the attacks being made in Europe, France, Belgium, Germany and Britain they’re all being threatened by radical Islam. “The world is desperate for leadership.”
Bush says we need to destroy ISIS and dispose of Assad and create a stable Syria so four million refugees aren’t a breeding ground for Islamic jihadists. He differs with Trump, saying Trump believes Putin is helping take out ISIS, but Putin is attacking the team we’ve been training and supporting. He says as President he would restore the military and not allow Iran to move towards a nuclear weapon.
“You’ll get along with Putin” he says to Donald Trump.
Trump states how wrong Jeb Bush is and says, “You have to fight ISIS first…they’re chopping off heads…these are animals…you have to knock them out.” Trump notes the boos coming from the audience when he speaks are coming from Bush lobbyists. He continues, “We’ve been in the Middle East for fifteen years and haven’t won anything.” He mentions former competitor for the 2016 Republican nomination for President, Senator Lindsey Graham, in prior debates used to always talk about going back in and spending more. He scoffs and says he had a zero in the polls. Rebuild our country, he sums up.
Short barbs continued to pepper the debate dialogue between Trump and Bush with Bush remarking, “This is a man who thinks Hillary Clinton was a great negotiator in Iran; we’re living in dangerous times.” Trump answers, “New Hampshire” and “thirty-four million”…
Senator Cruz explains the three greatest threats to our security is a Nuclear Iran, so he would shred the Iranian nuclear deal on day one; as CIC he’d utterly defeat ISIS through air power and arming the Kurds who can be boots on the ground, and not allowing politicians to decide what needs to be done but military expert judgement who will carry out the objectives of the CIC.
The panel notes to Cruz that the Kurds can only do so much with their territory and it’s small and if they make it to big it starts war with the Arabs. Cruz responds we have Kurds in both Iraq and Syria fighting ISIS now and winning. ISIS is using American weapons they seized in Iraq, and Obama refuses to arm the Kurds. We need to arm them. Cruz points out in the first Persian Gulf War we would be doing 1,100 air attacks a day and now we’re only doing 15-30 a day because the Commander in Chief isn’t focused on beating the enemy.
Trump is reminded former President George W. Bush will be helping his brother Jeb Bush campaign in South Carolina this week. You’ve often said you were opposed to the Iraq War and in an interview in 2008 you told Wolf Blitzer you didn’t know why Nancy Pelosi didn’t impeach him, which you thought would have been a wonderful thing, because he lied, and lied to get us into the war.
Trump responds saying he is a businessman and self-funded, and that all he has tonight in the audience is his wife and son. (Cheers) He says he gets along with everyone, but the war in Iraq was a big fat mistake. He complains when Jeb Bush announced his candidacy for President, he was asked if the war in Iraq should have been fought, and that it took him five days to respond and say it was mistake, it wasn’t a mistake, finally deciding it was a mistake. Trump says the war in Iraq cost two trillion dollars, thousands of lives and we don’t even have it. Iran is taking over Iraq with the second largest oil reserves. So George Bush made a mistake. We can make mistakes, “but that one was a beauty.” We should have been in Iraq. We have destabilized the Middle East.
Former Gov. Jeb Bush tries to get in saying it’s his turn. Trump gets in one last liberal mantra and belief despite evidence to the contrary, and says, “They said there were weapons of mass destruction. There were none. And they knew they were none.” (Booing)
The moderator agrees when a member of the debate’s brother is named he can rebut – Bush says he should be able to five or six times then.
Jeb Bush says, “Here’s the deal. I’m sick and tired of Barack Obama blaming my brother for all the problems that he’s had.” (Applause and cheering) He says he doesn’t care about what Trump says about him, its blood sport to him and he’s happy he enjoys it. “But I am sick and tired of him going after my family. My Dad is the greatest man alive in my mind. (Cheering and Applause) While Donald Trump was building a reality TV Show, my brother was building a security apparatus to keep us safe. I’m proud of what he did. (Cheering and applause)
Trump interjects the World Trade Center came down…more bantering between the two with the audience booing Trump and Jeb concluding this isn’t about my family or his family but who South Carolina families that need a Commander In Chief who can lead.
Kasich joins in and says in regards to the in-fighting on stage, “This is just crazy. This is just nuts.” He continues with his thoughts on foreign policy andstates that Colin Powell, who is one of our most distinguished Generals in modern times thought there were weapons of mass destruction there. (Applause) Kasich says he doesn’t believe the U.S. should involve itself in civil wars and reminds viewers he served on the defense committee for 18 years and was called to the Pentagon by defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld on 9/11 to deal with serious problems we were facing. He summed up saying we should not be the policeman of the world, but when we go, we mean business, do our job, and tell our soldiers once they’ve done their job to come home.
Marco Rubio with another great statement this debate states, “I thank God on behalf of my family, George W. Bush was President of the United States on 9/11 and not Al Gore.” (Cheering and applause) He said President Bush kept us safe, and not only did he keep us safe, no matter what you want to say about weapons of mass destruction, Saddam Hussein was in violation of the U.N. resolutions, in open violation, and the world wouldn’t do anything about it. George W. Bush enforced what the international community refused to do, and again he kept us safe. I am forever grateful for this.
Trump continues with blaming Bush in another burst. “How did he keep us safe with the World Trade Center? (Cheers and applause) I lost hundreds of friends. The World Trade Center came down under his reign. He kept us safe? That’s not safe.”
Rubio rebuts and says, “The World Trade Center came down because (President) Bill Clinton didn’t kill Osama Bin Laden when he had the chance.” (Cheers)
Jeb Bush rescinds his invitation to Donald Trump to be a guest at the rally Monday. Trump doesn’t care and says he doesn’t want to go.
Dr. Carson is asked if he’s too nice to be tough on terrorists and about his calling on the loosening the rules of engagement for the military which could lead to more civilian casualties.
Carson says he wasn’t particularly in favor of Iraq because he’s studied the Middle East and their countries are run by dictators and have been for thousands of years. And when you go in and remove one of them, you’re going to have chaos. “We were able to stabilize the situation. It’s the current administration that turned tail and ran and destabilized the situation.” (Cheers and applause)
Carson says in terms of the rules of engagement, “Obama’s said we shouldn’t bomb tanks because there may be people in there or the environment might be hurt. That’s just asinine thinking.” He suggests we have to be able to assess what is acceptable and what is not.
Before cutting to commercials, a quick and heated exchange followed but all were good points:
Donald Trump: “The Iran deal, it’s one of the worst deals I’ve ever seen negotiated in my entire life. It’s a disgrace.” Senator Marco Rubio adds, “The constitution is not a living and breathing document. It is to be interpreted as originally meant.” Governor Jeb Bush: “We need to destroy ISIS and dispose of Assad.”
Governor Kasich and Jeb Bush then get into a banter about their policies on Medicaid and large government. Bush refers to the Cato Institute, the libertarian public policy research organization, who makes lists that show the standings of candidates on their voting records and/or policies and place them by rank who in their view does the best or worst, and brings up Cato has Kasich on the bottom of the list on these issues and he is on the top.
Kasich responds by first noting Medicaid grew twice as fast under former Florida Governor Jeb Bush’s first term as his, and that President Ronald Reagan also expanded Medicaid five times to give people an opportunity to get a job.
Jeb Bush is asked about his proposed tax on hedge fund managers. It’s noted The Americans for Tax Reform, a conservative tax group you’re probably aware of, has said, “No Republican should be for higher taxes on capital gains.” many conservatives wonder if this proposal of yours would undermine that philosophy but undercut your projection of 4% economic growth annually under your presidency.
Bush replies: It won’t have an impact on hedge fund managers paying ordinary income. It’s not just hedge fund people but people that are doing the business of investing other people’s money. Getting capital gains treatment is not appropriate. They should be paying ordinary income. That’s their business. They’re grateful to be able to make a lot of money. We lower the rates. It’s not the end of the world that private equity people and hedge fund folks are getting capital gains treatment for the income they earn pay ordinary income like everybody else in this room. That’s not a problem at all.
What we need to do is to reform the tax code to simplify the rates to shift power away from Washington, D.C. and that’s what I did as governor of the state of Florida. $19 billion of tax cuts. Seven out of the eight years Florida led the nation in job growth.
Moderator Major Garrett: Very good. (Cheers)
Dr. Carson says in regards to the Cato Institute, Cato said he had the most pro-growth tax plan as did WSJ and it’s based on real fairness for everyone. He specifies it starts at the 150% poverty level, but even the people below that have to pay something. Everyone has to have skin in the game. (applause) He adds his plan deals with the corporate tax rate and it makes it the same for everyone else. But in terms of Medicare and Medicaid, his main goal is to get rid of Obamacare.
On immigration, Donald Trump is asked for a humane solution for those who “remain in the shadows.” Trump says, “We have no borders. People are flooding across. Five don’t have borders. We don’t have a country.”
Senator Rubio says you have to go back to 1986, after legalizing three million people and saying that was it and now they would secure the border, it didn’t happen. People lost trust in the government. They want to see the wall built, additional border agents, E-verify, and entry-exit tracking…Americans are reasonable people, but want to see who passes background checks, who pays a fine and taxes if they want a work permit. This can’t be done until illegal immigration is under control once and for all.
The panel asks Senator Ted Cruz if he would deport people. Cruz sites, “Everyone’s against illegal immigration in a Republican primary, but they don’t walk the walk. He reminds the audience of his record and says he stood with Senator Sessions and was against the Rubio/Schumer plan. Addressing Rubio’s record, Cruz says Marco supports citizenship for twelve million people here illegally, he was for in-state tuition, and on Univision, the Spanish speaking network television station, he said he would not rescind Barack Obama’s amnesty plan. (Cheering and Boos)
Rubio and Cruz got into a spat, where Rubio chided Cruz, saying I don’t know how he even knows what I said on Univision because he doesn’t even speak Spanish… Cruz replies to Rubio brazenly in Spanish to counter. Regardless, everyone knows Rubio said this on Univision because it was reported and translated after the fact. Cruz gets back on point and says without him and Jeff Sessions the bill would have passed.
Bush says somewhat amused, he has to find his inner (Governor) Christie, listening to two U.S. Senators argue over two bills that don’t pass.
New Jersey Governor Chris Christie said in prior debates as a fellow candidate that U.S. Senators did nothing but talk all of the time and got little done, unlike Governors who have to lead and make decisions every day.
Bush said, in regards to illegal immigrants, the reason people come here is because they’re unhappy about their countries and where they come from. They’re not all rapists like you know who said…
Trump rebuts Bush and says he never agrees with Rubio or Cruz but here he does. “Bush is so weak on illegal immigration and everyone knows it.” Bush makes a return remark. Trump tells him to go spend more money on commercials. Bush says to Trump, “It’s weak to disparage women and minorities…”
Kasich steps in and says this is the ninth debate and some of these attacks are personal. He suggests they just talk about what we’re here for. He says, in terms of his position of illegal immigration, he’s for sealing the borders, a guest-worker program, make them pay a fine for staying. It’s too hard to track eleven and a half million and get them out of their homes.
Carson adds, “Please read my immigration policy on my website because it makes sense.” He feels too many government agencies consider how much they cost. Two trillion. Twenty-four thousand per family – same money as poverty level of a family of four.
Senator Cruz asks, who’s been hurt the most? He says under Obama it’s been our most vulnerable and that we have the lowest amount of workers since 1977. Young people, Hispanics, African-Americans and single moms. Two-thirds of jobs come from small businesses. Lift the burdens on small business so you have jobs, and we need welfare reform to get people off of welfare and back to work.
Donald Trump is asked to comment on taxes in South Carolina. He responds that he does not like the idea of using Executive Orders, China bought the Chicago Stock Exchange, refers to the air conditioning business Carrier is moving to Mexico, and concludes, “We’re killing ourselves with trade pacts.”
Trump is again addressed by the panel, and is told Presidents have to be firm but flexible, and that he has been flexible on issues like Hillary Clinton and abortion, but his response is Ronald Reagan changed his mind, too. He’s asked why when he changes his mind he’s like Ronald Reagan and when Senator Cruz changes his mind on immigration, he has a huge character flaw? (laughter)
Trump agrees you have to be flexible in life, even when fighting a war because plans change. He says Ronald Reagan was a “somewhat liberal Democrat” who became a “somewhat pretty strong conservative.” He said older and wiser now, he feels he’s a “common sense conservative” because he doesn’t agree with all conservative views. He thinks people agree with him based on the response he’s getting.
Trump is asked which conservative idea does he not agree with.
Donald Trump replies these people hit me on Eminent Domain. He said he doesn’t love it but it’s strongly needed. He makes an example of Jeb Bush saying he was using eminent domain to build a parking lot, but it was going to be a small office tower that would have employed people. This was private eminent domain. He says they used private eminent domain to build a stadium in Texas.
The moderator says to Bush, he must mean your brother. Bush, says, yes, and this is something I don’t agree on with my brother. I don’t think eminent domain should be used for stadiums of parking lots for limos. Short spat between Trump and Bush again. Bush continues that he thinks eminent domain is okay for transmission line, pipelines, highways and bridges – to Trump: not to try and steal an old ladies home for a parking lot for high rollers at a failed casino. (Cheers)
Senator Cruz says flexibility is a good thing but not on core principles. He says, he likes Donald Trump, he is a good entertainer, but his policies for most of his life have been very very liberal. Cruz says most of his life he was pro-choice, supported partial-birth abortion and even now said he would keep funding for Planned Parenthood.
Trump yells at Cruz and calls him a liar, worse than Jeb Bush. He lied about taking votes from Ben Carson in Iowa, (Cheers) and today we got robo calls saying I’m not going to run in South Carolina, so to vote for Ted Cruz. He’ll say anything. He’s a nasty guy. “Now I know why he doesn’t have one endorsement from any of his colleagues.”
Cruz is asked to respond to Trump’s remarks. He says he’s surprised to see Trump defending Carson now after he called him pathological and compared him to a child molester, both of which were wrong. Trump says, he just quoted from his (Carson’s) book. The two then argue over where and when Trump said he was going to continue Planned Parenthood. Cruz says he can watch it on the video on his website. Cruz says if Donald Trump is the President of the United States he’ll support liberal’s to the Supreme Court.
Former Gov. Jeb Bush says, “Reagan didn’t tear down people like Trump, he tore down the Berlin Wall.”
Ted Cruz remarks nobody who cares about judges will vote for Donald Trump who supported Hillary Clinton, John Kerry, and Jimmy Carter.
Senator Marco Rubio smartly changes topic and speaks about ending poverty and believes Governor Niki Haley would do a better job. Back to immigration, he says people want to see the wall, e-verify and enforce the law – then we’ll talk about what to do. He finished his time saying “anyone here on stage is better than what’s on the other side. We should not tear each other down.”
Dr. Carson is asked to please tell people something not politically correct. He talks about the economic collapse and how our country is nineteen trillion dollars in debt, the Feds have to keep rates low, and Sanders and Clinton think taking the rich’s money will solve everything.
To John Kasich: You’re the Democrat’s favorite Republican. Why?
Kasich says because he can grow the economy and believes in a trained workforce. Blue-collar Democrats have been left by the liberal Democrats – they see hope in me.
Donald Trump is asked who is someone why can tell him he is wrong? Donald says, “My wife.” He adds he does listen to people – experts. I’ve spent three million dollars on my campaign and Bush has spent forty-two million – special interest money.
The moderator tells Donald they wish he wouldn’t use profanity as often as he does. Donald says sometimes I use profanity…you all said I said something the other week. I did not. I’m trying not to.
Of note here, as someone who lived in Manhattan for nine years, that is just how people talk there. Maybe not as much now as the city’s been cleaned up a great deal and is only affordable to those with very high incomes for the most part – but pre-2000, every sentence spoken has a profanity in it. Just like the southerners have their expressions and lyrical twang, in New York City and its surrounding Burroughs, just about everyone swears. Everyone is so used to it, no one notices. I had to retrain myself how to speak without using profanity when I moved away.
Jeb Bush interjects for another heated interaction between the two and announces that we need a proven leader, someone who doesn’t cut and run, who’s been bankrupt four times!
Trump rebuts I have never been bankrupt four times. I never went bankrupt. Never. Let’s talk about Florida. He puts so much debt on Florida, it crashed as soon as he left as Governor. It’s my second home. He was not a good Governor.
Bush argues back while he was Governor Florida was one of only two states with a triple bond rating, that personal income was up by four percent, and they had one of the best economies.
Rubio takes a turn and gives another excellent statement in this debate, and says, “The President of the United States I grew up under was Ronald Reagan. This is the worst President of the United State we’ve had in thirty-five years. Before that, it would have been Jimmy Carter. Reagan was able to turn our country around. I hope our next President of the United States is even half of what Ronald Reagan was.”
In closing remarks, where all six candidates tried to use this last camera time and opportunity to specifically address South Carolina voters, Ohio Governor John Kasich was called on first.
Kasich gave a positive speech saying he was going to send a lot of power and influence to every town. “I believe we’re all part of the big mosaic.”
Dr. Ben Carson tells viewers “This is the first generation not expected to do better than our parents.” He talked about spiritualism and politics and how to tear down the United States based on Stalin-like policies. He reminded voters “don’t let the media pick your candidates.”
Former Florida Governor Jeb Bush asked, “Who do you want sitting behind the big desk?” He promised he would unite this country around current purposes, and would not focus on polls but keeping you safe.
Florida U.S. Senator Marco Rubio gave a very conservative and sincere closing statement. Domestically, he warned our culture is in trouble and he believes that life begins at conception and marriage is between a man and a woman. Internationally, he observed our allies don’t trust us, and our adversary’s don’t fears us.
Texas U.S. Senator Ted Cruz asked if voters wanted another business as usual legislator. He proclaimed he would repeal Obamacare, abolish the IRS, establish a flat tax and secure our borders.
Businessman Donald Trump closed with his final remarks that politicians are all talk and no action. He reminded the audience that we’re nineteen trillion dollars in debt – and that they all voted for it. He surmised how as a country we don’t win with health care, ISIS, anything. Using his campaign slogan, he promised we will make America great again. He reminded South Carolinians he has no lobbyists or special interest groups contributing to his campaign. “I’m working for you, not anyone else.”
Governor Christie and Businesswoman Carly Fiorina suspend campaigns in the aftermath
Written by Juliana Simone
New Hampshire –
“Republican’s win when people are demoralized and turnout is low.”
This is the view of the twenty-somethings give or take a few years who primarily support Vermont U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders, who won the New Hampshire caucus with 60.4% of the votes and 15 delegates. Other statements made by Sanders in his speech after being pronounced the winner of the Democrat caucus were: “Now it’s Wall Street’s time to help the middle class” after which he rambled on for a lengthy thirty minutes reiterating his usual talking points of unfair income distribution, raising taxes on the rich, and free this and free that for all.
Ironically, what Sanders fails to see in his vision of America today, is how the people became demoralized and why now a Republican would win. As a sitting U.S. Senator, he somehow does not see Americans have slipped into this negative state of mind after seven years of President Barack H. Obama, and living with the “change” Obama promised if elected in 2008, is change they now see for the worse not the better. This Democrat President has been a virtual wrecking ball to the country most Americans know, past present and future.
Democrats will say they are not entirely to blame for the mess we’re in right now, noting correctly that the U.S. Congress and the U.S. Senate have Republican majorities, so they are equally at fault. Yes and no. Yes, the Republican leadership has frittered away its advantage by remaining lax in any effort to stop the Democrat agenda, and by failing to support any of their brave and vocal colleagues when they attempted to block bad bills and policies. But, no, Obama had his phone and his pen, as he always liked to remind the people, and when the Republicans didn’t cave, he would just push through his agenda through executive orders.
Former First Lady, New York Senator, and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, who expects to be the Democrat Party’s nominee no matter how well her popular challenger does, came in second to Sanders with 38% of the vote and nine delegates out of twenty four. There is a news story being reported about how the New Hampshire delegates will ultimately be awarded to Sanders and Clinton, due to super-delegates votes that move her from nine to fifteen votes. For those familiar with the state party conventions, this portion of the story won’t be new. To read more on this: http://thehill.com/blogs/ballot-box/presidential-races/268935-clinton-likely-to-leave-nh-with-same-number-of-delegates
Barely “winning” the preceding Iowa caucus as she and Sanders basically tied, a series of coin tosses repeatedly called in Clinton’s favor, deemed her the winner of certain precinct delegates. Heading into New Hampshire, with Sanders showing huge leads in the polls, her campaign told the media throughout the day they would be happy if she at least kept Sanders winning percentage in the single-digits.
She was trounced by Senator Sanders by 22 points – an enormous spread. Adding insult to injury, she also failed to win the women’s vote over challenger Sanders. She is expected to do better in South Carolina, the next primary on the calendar, due to what analysts say is her popularity with minorities.
Others too point out that the Clinton’s, long known as a force to be dealt with, will pull out all of the stops now to assure Hillary wins upcoming primaries and the nomination. Behind the scenes in her second attempt to become the first female President of the United States, is her email scandal which apparently is being reviewed quite seriously by the FBI owing to her breach of top secret documents and classified information meant for her-eyes-only while serving as Secretary of State. The mainstream media rarely addresses this growing scandal, and wouldn’t be heard at all were it not for talk-radio and political blogs.
General David Petraeus was forced to resign his position in an earlier case similar to this but not as severe. Petraeus received two years’ probation after pleading guilty to a misdemeanor crime, and paying a hundred thousand dollar fine.
What lies ahead for Hillary Clinton both in terms of her campaign which does not seem to be resonating with voters, and in terms of the email and other scandals, should keep this election season interesting in itself.
What is clear from the New Hampshire results last night, is that voters regardless of party, recognize Washington is broken, a common political phrase for years now. Both men who won big on Tuesday, are considered anti-establishment choices.
Taking the stage as the Republican Party’s winner of the caucus with 35.3%, twenty points above the second place winner, and ten delegates, businessman Donald Trump thanked New Hampshire for the support which brought him this huge win. He also thanked Democrat winner Bernie Sanders for winning on his message that ‘we’re going to give America away.’ Trump said his goal was different – in that he wants to ‘make America great again’.
Trump made it clear he wants to rebuild our military, take care of our veterans, establish strong borders where people can only enter the U.S. legally, build the wall that will keep out illegal migration, and he addressed the drug problem New Hampshire and other states are dealing with in terms of heroin addiction. Other goals Trump announced with his usual use of superlatives that resonates with his voters, were if he’s elected “Obamacare will be gone; Common Core will also be gone.” The second amendment will be upheld under his Presidency, he said. “We’ll knock the hell out of Isis,” he asserted with zeal. “We’ll take care of unemployment…” He reminded people our country is 19 trillion dollars in debt… “We don’t win as a country anymore,” he told supporters and under a Trump Presidency, using his campaign slogan, he proclaimed “We’ll make America great again!” He told everyone he loved them, thanked them and said it was now on to South Carolina for another win.
Ohio Governor John Kasich pumped some life into his otherwise floundering campaign by coming in a surprising second to Mr. Trump with 15.8% and four delegates. One source http://www.lifezette.com/polizette/soros-adviser-gave-200k-to-boost-kasich/?utm_content=bufferb13d7&utm_medium=social&utm_source=facebook.com&utm_campaign=lifezette_buffer reports that a long-time associate of George Soros, Scott Bessent, was the third largest donator to Kasich contributing over two hundred thousand dollars. Kasich’s moderate stances and establishment ties make him stand out to Democrats and donor’s that contribute to both parties, as the Republican who,if elected, would be the easiest to work with – or to use democrat language, would be the most easily manipulated and influenced, unlike some of the other formidable contenders. Bessent has donated to candidates from both parties, 65% to Democrats as well as a few Republicans running in 2016, such as Jeb Bush’s Super Pac and Senator Lindsey Graham, as well as other Republicans in prior elections. But none received anywhere near the amount Kasich did this campaign.
Still, Kasich had a good ground game in New Hampshire holding the most town halls with voters in more intimate venues for Q and A, and made many appearances as a nice guy who left people feeling good about voting for him; money alone didn’t get him to second place. It will be interesting to see if this continues for him in South Carolina and Florida.
Texas Senator Ted Cruz, winner of the Iowa caucus, came in third with New Hampshire voters with 11.7% and three delegates. He also is perceived to be anti-establishment even though he is a sitting Senator in Washington. But this is because he has shown himself to be one of the few elected officials in D.C. who bucks the system and goes against his party’s leadership. In the New Hampshire debate, Cruz summed up his goals if elected President: he would repeal Obamacare, establish a flat tax, and abolish the IRS. His detractors point out he may not be qualified to run for President, having been born in Canada, though his mother was American. Well-known for his debating skills, he doesn’t seem too worried about this topic when it’s been brought up in various venues.
Interestingly, Senator Cruz spent the least amount of money in New Hampshire, and was still able to earn the number three spot, showing that a candidate’s message and appeal can beat the campaign with the largest treasure chest.
It’s worth a small digression here to go over some of the amounts campaigns spent in New Hampshire, according to data given out during Rush Limbaugh’s radio show this afternoon. Former Florida Governor Jeb Bush spent thirty-six million dollars and finished in fourth place, with 11.0% over Marco Rubio in fifth with 10.6%, comes out to $1,200. a vote. Governor Christie spent eighteen million and came in sixth around $850. a vote; Governor Kasich spent twelve million to come in second; Rubio spent just over $500. a vote. Trump and Cruz were the most fiscally conservative, Trump spending about $40. a vote and Cruz $20.
Early returns showed Florida Senator Marco Rubio as coming in fourth, but with final tallies recorded, he placed fifth. His mentor and fellow Florida Republican, former Governor Jeb Bush, who appeared to be in fifth until late last night, edged out his protégé after 100% of the polling places have reported today. Each received three delegates. Delegates totaled 23, and after the top five finishes no other candidates received a delegate vote.
Though the two have bantered between each other during some of the debates, it’s not clear what these New Hampshire results show other than Rubio came ahead of Bush in Iowa and behind Bush by a small margin in New Hampshire. Rubio, who gets static for his original participation as one of the ‘Gang of Eight’ immigration legislation, the Comprehensive Immigration Reform (CIR) Bill, maintains he has now changed his position on this issue, and feels stricter laws need to be passed in regards to illegal immigration.
He points out Bush, in comparison, is much softer on all immigration policies and future goals for those illegally already here and those who want to immigrate to America. Bush does not deny this and steadfastly maintains his initial position that some who have gained illegal entry into the United States, should be allowed to remain here if they meet certain conditions.
Coming in sixth was New Jersey Governor Chris Christie with 7.4%, after spending more time than any other Presidential candidate here and garnering the endorsement of the states oldest newspaper; Christie hoped to do better. The Mainstream Media seemed unusually excited by his poor showing; his results were almost as big a news story last night as Trump and Sanders big wins. Remember it was the Mainstream Media who sought Christie’s demise when he first appeared in polls as being the only Republican potential Presidential candidate that would soundly beat media darling former First Lady, Senator and Secretary of State Democrat Hillary Clinton. Featuring a non-story in the fall of 2013, about a bridge lane closing at commuter time in New Jersey causing traffic jams – dubbed “Bridgegate” – the Main Stream Media made this a top news story for weeks to tarnish the popular Governor’s reputation and bring his polling numbers down.
Cleared in an investigation of the scandal, Christie suffered irreparable harm from the coverage. After calls all night from the media for him to drop out, after his formal announcement suspending his campaign, high-fives must have flied around all the newsrooms across the country. Governor Christie, in his announcement said, “he has no regrets” in terms of his run and he shouldn’t – he would make a fine Attorney General if a Republican is elected this November.
Following his announcement, Carly Fiorina, former Hewlett-Packard CEO whose story about starting out as a receptionist and working all the way up the ladder to be the CEO of one of the largest companies touched many, came in seventh with 4.1%, also announced she was suspending her campaign. She chose to do this on Facebook. In her press release, Carly said, “This campaign was always about citizenship—taking back our country from a political class that only serves the big, the powerful, the wealthy, and the well connected. Election after election, the same empty promises are made and the same poll-tested stump speeches are given, but nothing changes…. While I suspend my candidacy today, I will continue to travel this country and fight for those Americans who refuse to settle for the way things are and a status quo that no longer works for them.”
To young girls and women she said, “Do not let others define you. Do not listen to anyone who says you have to vote a certain way or for a certain candidate because you’re a woman. That is not feminism. Feminism doesn’t shut down conversations or threaten women. It is not about ideology. It is not a weapon to wield against your political opponent. A feminist is a woman who lives the life she chooses and uses all her God-given gifts. And always remember that a leader is not born, but made. Choose leadership.”
The Mainstream Media, in this instance network ABC, which the Fiorina campaign amusingly dubbed “Anybody but Carly” refused to let her partake in the New Hampshire debate. Appeals to the Republican National Party and leadership to help get her on stage apparently went unheeded. The Mainstream Media did their best to keep the only other female running for our highest political office out of view. Those who watched the preliminary debates that took place two or three hours before the prime time debates, all were impressed with Fiorina’s debating skills.
Clear on policy, always with a plan, familiar with all world leaders names and having even met with many of them when working as the CEO for HP, she stood out among her colleagues as someone who was well-researched, focused and quick on her feet. If the United States of America were to have a first-female President in our history voted into office this November, Carly Fiorina would have been a far better choice than the scandal riddled Hillary Clinton, so intent on stressing her gender in order to capture the female vote. The debates between the two women would have been enlightening entertainment and there is little doubt Carly would have run circles around Hillary. Let’s hope there is a cabinet position for this fine lady, under a Republican President.
Last, but certainly not least, in New Hampshire last night, was Dr. Ben Carson with 2.3% of the vote. The media didn’t even mention him in their analysis as results came in, which was the case with Fiorina, as well. Again, they were much more interested in calling for Christie to drop out. Dr. Ben Carson deserves way more respect than what was given him in this run. He is an amazing man with one of the most impressive stories out there in terms of making your life into all that it can be trusting in God, hard work and dedication. Carson says he’s in it until the end. Fine with me.
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