Update: “Indiana Governor Mike Pence, with no baggage behind him, is considered a safe choice who will appeal to social conservatives.”
There are many variables as to who a presidential candidate should pick for their Vice President on their ticket for the highest office in America. High paid campaign managers, political directors and analysts all spend hours/days/weeks determining just what the right fitting puzzle piece is to make sure they win on Election Day. Discussion over fine dinners and cocktails for those who imbibe, with rolled up sleeves on expensive dress shirts, and high heels eventually dropped to the floor, campaign staff will argue whether a gender, race, heritage, religion or political disposition will make the difference as to how voters decide to fill in their ballots.
Historically, that choice has rarely made a difference. This hotly contested election year may be different. With two candidates who can be considered as polarizing in views that they represent the far left and right, maybe the Vice President choice could make a difference with voters. The heavily saddled democrat presumptive nominee, former First Lady/U.S. New York State Senator/Secretary of State, has zero following with republicans, naturally, little among independents, and even scores low with the moderate democrats within her own party.
Scandal after scandal has plagued her career from the beginning and continues to be front stage on the day of this post. A sad day for America, where five fine Dallas policeman were gunned down unexpectedly by a former enlisted soldier who said his choice to shoot police in the back with no warning was in retribution to the recent kills of two black men while being arrested, has taken the glaring spotlight off of the Hillary Clinton email scandal for now. This topic was being largely discussed and dissected the day before – not only on conservative talk radio or blogs, but even in some of the most liberally considered mainstream media publications such as the associated press, Reuters, the New York Times and cable’s CNN.
In the background for the moment, Mrs. Clinton’s email scandal is still simmering on the stove. There is no get out of jail free card, just yet. She may hide behind the skirts of FBI’s James B. Comey and Attorney General Loretta Lynch, but the holes that still exist in terms of the many damaging details in the story, allow further investigation into this serious national security breach, which shows at best, she is too incompetent and reckless to ever even potentially be conceived as President of the United States.
Further, more information will continue to expose how the preceding Secretary of State lied to the people, American citizens who she now asks for their vote to make her executive-in-chief; lied on the tarmac about some unknown video no one in terms of volume had seen that instigated this attack on the embassy in Libya; lied to the family of the people killed in Benghazi under her watch despite the numerous cries from Ambassador Christopher Stevens, Information Officer Sean Smith, and Glen Doherty and Tyrone Woods, who were both formerly Navy Seals, before being murdered; and has lied a multitude of times since her initial entry into politics from Washington to Arkansas.
Hillary Clinton at the Benghazi hearings {photo: Breitbart}
More notably at this time, she will also be under scrutiny for how the Clinton Foundation has received millions of dollars from questionable donors over the years, since her first failed attempt to win the nomination as the democrat candidate for President. It is presumed by analysts that she has received these donations by telling these VIP’s she will be the next President of the United States, and therefore, if they want to do business with her going forward, they’ll need to pay to play.
Mrs. Clinton, who claims to be an advocate for women on her campaign stump, might have to explain during the debates or to any media not in her pocket, how she makes this assertion, when she allegedly took part in destroying the many fancies of her husband’s personal life once discovered. The former President, William Jefferson Clinton, is an awkward spouse to have as someone who is seeking this esteemed office, however delusional but ambitious. Long before the famed sex scandal that involved his young intern, Monica Lewinsky, there was quite a list of women who allegedly claimed to have had affairs with the former President and had non-consensual sex with him.
His old ways according to news agencies, have not changed, and he allegedly has frequented a private island owned by Jeffrey Epstein, where reportedly underage prostitutes service any visitors seeking this activity. There is no actual proof of what the 42nd President did if and when he was on the island, or in the air on the private jet taking men to the Caribbean getaway, however. There are several accounts of these activities both in and out of the court rooms and many respectable publications for those inclined to form their own judgment.
For the many who don’t want to see Hillary Clinton ever elected, who wants to see her husband, if you will, as who knows how many years it was they last lived together as husband and wife, back in the White House, as well? One can’t even ponder the perspective scandals that would come from that potential situation. Good news for the tabloids, though, definitely, as the mainstream media will do their best to cover none of it.
Back to V.P. picks – any consultant could only objectively ask who would want to affiliate themselves with Hillary Clinton? It certainly doesn’t appear to be a foot up in one’s career. It would most likely be a tarnishing title that would lead one to ruin along with the upper tier they tied themselves to for whatever potential promotion.
The only other way to skew this as a democrat being considered by Clinton as the vice presidential nomination on her ticket, would be that in a larger scheme, as the continued scandals Clinton is involved with emerge, one could then assume office on default, or if Hillary once again remains above the law, and runs for a second term with even more public disgrace, the V.P. appears as the solution and not the problem – thus, a savior to a wart ridden POTUS to be schluffed off, and could oppose her for the presidential nomination and win.
For now, of course the man no one thought would have a chance since the day he announced, Vermont U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders, has to have been promised something for him to sort of kind of endorse Clinton today, after basically humiliating her by winning so many states throughout the primaries, when he was supposed to not even show a beat in his pulse. Perhaps the pass given to her from FBI’s Comey the other day was what he finally needed to hear, before deciding to actually call it quits.
Massachusetts U.S. Senator, Elizabeth Warren, has also been said to have meetings with the former Secretary of State. Known to many as the woman who claimed to have a Native Indian Cherokee heritage, and reportedly has been found to have no such documented lineage, it’s now perceived she was actually related to the government soldiers who marched the Cherokee’s on the Trail of Tears from their homeland.
With polls today showing Trump gaining or tying Clinton in key states, her campaign will have to make an important choice to get this riddled candidate anywhere near electability beyond the female check mark on her paperwork.
As for Donald J. Trump, the presumptive Republican Party nominee, who certainly earned this status, but with the whisper campaign of overthrowing his nomination at the national convention in Ohio next week still at work, a few names are holding firm on the potential list of his VP choices:
New Jersey Governor Chris Christie {photo:freedomslighthouse}
New Jersey Governor, Chris Christie, who assumed office in January 2010, and was appointed by President George W. Bush as the U.S. Attorney of the District of New Jersey in 2001, quickly became known for his brazen and outspoken style with the liberal media and their agenda, at each of his press conferences with his dismissal of their questions and forthright answers. Like Trump, he is a man who does not mince words, and makes it clear what his agenda for the future of America is as a true patriot.
For those who dismiss his party allegiance to a walk on the beach with current President Barack Obama, after Hurricane Sandy devastated much of the New Jersey shoreline and property, people should recognize he was truly concerned about his constituent’s losses, and thankful for any federal help he could bring them through his talks with Obama. This is a Governor’s job. If not Trump’s pick for Vice President, many believe Christie would be a great choice for U.S. Attorney General.
Former House Speaker and Presidential candidate Newt Gingrich
Fiftieth Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives, Newt Gingrich, for those who love him, he is intelligent, clever, learned, and experienced. For those who don’t, they see him as someone from the past whose previous associations with former administrations that won’t bring a new voice to the Trump ticket. Both are arguable. Voters should remember his record, in that he was the only House Leader to actually shut down the government, not once but twice, something conservatives and liberals always pine for and say is not done commonly enough in today’s politics. Time magazine voted him to be their choice for “Man of the Year” in 1995, for ending forty-years of democrat rule in the federal House. In 1998, he also passed the first balanced budget since 1969 and passed a capital gains tax cut.
“…the possession of great power necessarily implies great responsibility…” which was said in regards to the press, and the media still likes to bring up Gingrich’s failures in his personal life and with his ethics violation due to tax exemption violations and false information given to the House Ethics Committee in 1997. Does this matter today? When half of American’s marriages end in divorce or when his tax exemption issues are minuscule next to the magnitude of irregularities the Clinton’s will be facing with the donations made to their foundation among other things? It’s hard to say with voters in these times.
Texas U.S. Senator and Presidential candidate 2016 Ted Cruz
Senator Ted Cruz, (R-Texas), one of the only original seventeen candidates for the Republican nomination for President who gave him any competition during the primaries and state caucuses, is also on the short list. Conservatives and libertarians should love this news. Cross over unaffiliated voters, or independents, maybe not so much. If not the Vice President Choice, many admirers or even objective constitutionalists, agree Cruz would be the perfect choice for the United States Supreme Court. Cruz, is best known for his diligence in upholding The Constitution despite being born in Canada to an American mother and Cuban father. The Princeton University and Harvard Law School grad is well known for his excellent debate team skills.
This choice would also fend off the rumored “Never Trump” republicans who eschew his background as someone never previously elected to office and perhaps disapprove of how he made his money, his former off and on registration as a voter and contributor to the democrats over the decades, and any policies he upholds which are not conservative enough for them, or on the opposing end, too extreme. This group still hopes to somehow stop his nomination as the party nominee in Ohio through the rules committee, bound delegate counts, and ballot rounds.
Indiana Governor Mike Pence
Indiana Governor Mike Pence, with no baggage behind him, is considered a safe choice who will appeal to social conservatives. Originally a Cruz supporter, he now stands behind Donald Trump as the people’s choice and presumptive party nominee. Said to be the favorite choice with Donald’s children, it remains to be seen if Trump will pick a Governor who does not represent a battleground state. Pence also served in the Congress from 2001 to 2012.
Retired Lieutenant Governor Mike Flynn {photo: NBC News}
A retired Lieutenant General, Michael Flynn, is also on the short list. An advisor to the Trump campaign for months, the 57 year old does not get accolades from conservative republicans like Mike Huckabee. Pro-choice, Flynn does not pass the test of party colleagues who do not share his position.
Some analysts have even suggested Senator Jeff Sessions from Alabama could be a possible pick, as well as Dr. Ben Carson, who was one of the original candidates seeking the nomination in fall of 2015. Most absurdly among the names being brandished about, is his brilliant and elegant daughter Ivanka, who like all of his children, is an impressive offspring, but who is there to support her father not to run with him.
Whoever Trump picks as his vice presidential candidate, they will be an asset to Trump. If Trump put all of the original seventeen candidates for the republican nomination for the President of the United States 2016 into cabinet positions, this country would be humming. It might take a term to undo so much damage done by the current administration after almost eight years, but sooner rather than later, we’d see America become great once again.
Cuts had to be made and so simple things like closing an educational and historic icon like the Old State House was an easy selection, whereas tougher choices that included annual raises for tenured UCONN employees, http://ctmirror.org/2016/06/22/a-few-top-uconn-officials-get-hefty-pay-increases-despite-tough-times/ special interest groups, major city grants and perks, transportation growth plans that never make any notable improvements but continue to feed perhaps the hungriest mouth in Connecticut, were stricken off the list in what was once known as “the Constitution State.” Liberals here have long preferred its second nickname, “the Nutmeg State” which is much better as it stands now, especially when one drops the ‘meg.’
Yale University, Connecticut’s Ivy League college has made national news recently as the once fine institution which continues to back down to demands by young students who feel it’s their right to dictate in today’s social makeup what the academic program should consist of – or not. Apparently, classic English authors like Shakespeare, Eliot and Milton are being described by this minority group as “dead white men” who “create a culture that is hostile to students of color.” http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2016/jun/2/yale-students-white-male-writers-hostile-culture/
The Connecticut General Assembly has also become more and more lenient in terms of its “Early Release Programs” that allow felons to get out of prison much sooner than their original sentences. Prison guards were another cut from this session’s budget since they are not needed anymore, with fewer and fewer prisoners to watch over every day. Many of the early-released inmates had records which included assault, rape and burglary. Early on when this legislation passed, the test period quickly showed it was a failure with these newly released criminals, immediately returning to a life of crime. http://www.myrecordjournal.com/News/TopNews/5512239-154/republicans-blast-early-release-program-following-southington-death.html
The Old State House, which first opened in 1792, was purportedly designed by architect Charles Bulfinch, and designated a national landmark in 1960. It is something the liberal legislators down at the Capitol, could easily dispense with in terms of financing, and in terms of satisfying their supporters who continue to fight to erase America’s forefather’s from our currency, to call for statues of our finest Presidents to be taken down and even for classic movies like “White Christmas” to be deemed offensive and either stricken from airplay or remade.
Despite all the bizarre, unbalanced and inflamed politics that exist today, in Connecticut, throughout the country and the world, something as informative and inspiring as the Old State House in Connecticut should not be closed. For many children, it is a field trip that first opens their eyes to the wonders of history and the lessons behind it. For adults who revisit either with their own children, to attend an event or take in an exhibit, the Old State House has always made a case for why it was an important museum and fixture of downtown Hartford.
On May 3rd of 2011, an original copy of the July 4th, 1776 Declaration of Independence was made available for viewing at the Old State House. Writing for Ameriborn News, an on-line news site based in Connecticut, I covered this story. It was a thrill to stand in front of the document and read it line by line.
Americans and all people who cherish freedom and liberty should remember this Independence Day and what July 4th really means, and what had to transpire to make the United States what it is today, even if it means including voices of dissent who don’t really understand they are fighting against something that gave them this privilege. Let’s hope the Old State House reopens soon and that current and future generations can learn from all the vast information that it contains within its walls.
Juliana Simone in the Old State House with the Declaration of Independence, May 2011 {All photos in this article by Juliana Simone except photo of Simone by William Landers}
{Editor’s Note: Still searching, but at the time of this post I’m unable to find the original article I wrote about this event at the Old State House. Over the years, writing for Ameriborn News, when the site would suddenly be taken down, some articles would be lost if not backed up yet at the time. Still have the photos, however, and if anyone wants to see the two-headed calf from the mammal room, I’ll post my photo but here’s a link about the small room on the top floor: http://www.atlasobscura.com/places/museum-natural-other-curiosities }
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.
U.S. Senate Candidate August Wolf Petitioning to Primary
Written by Juliana Simone
May 11th, 2016
Hartford, CT –
Arguably, for all of America, the best thing Trump and Sanders have done for the general public today, is awaken them to how the political insider system works and why their vote prior to Election Day, doesn’t matter in terms of who they want to see become the next President of the United States. I’ve been saying this for weeks.
For the newly informed Donald Trump or Bernie Sanders backers who have only recently learned about conventions, delegates and super-delegates, when it comes to who their nominee will be regardless of how people voted in state primaries, our own Connecticut Republican Party’s state convention held on Monday evening is a good example of the process.
Delegates who volunteer or who win by a majority vote usually through their party’s town committee, but less often through a popular vote as a town registered party member who does not sit on the committee, are by large, a group of party members who toe the line. In Connecticut, 79 of the super delegates are members of the republican caucus in the General Assembly and the rest are members of the State Central Committee.
This is because most delegates are affiliated in some way with the party leadership – whether it’s as an elected official serving a municipality, state house or state senate district, or as a town committee chair, officer, staff worker at the capitol, or seasonal campaign staff member. There is a minority who does not belong to this group, but for the opportunity to experience a state convention for the first time, perhaps, the appointed delegates usually agree to vote for who they are told to vote for by those appointing them. There may be a few renegades here and there, of course, but they won’t be asked back.
With the presumed Republican nominee New York businessman Donald Trump, beating out all of the other original seventeen challengers which included many respected sitting and former Governors and Senators, who were also seeking the title of the next President of the United States, as well as a retired brain surgeon and retired CEO who was the only female in the group, Trump learned a little late in the game that the party nomination was not just a matter of winning the most state primaries, vote totals cast or delegates.
Businessman and Republican Presidential candidate 2016 Donald Trump
On the Democrat front, Vermont U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders, is the equal to Trump, as someone who entered his party’s race but was expected to go nowhere. As with Trump, he lit up his party on the campaign stump, bringing out huge crowds at his rallies and events. He was considered by his party leadership as someone who would just serve as a vehicle in debates for the presumed nominee, former First Lady, New York U.S. Senator and Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton, to allow his opponent to make her comments look more moderate and put her in the middle. Sanders quickly showed among his voters, especially the millennials, he had the popularity and appeal Clinton has never been able to achieve.
Clinton was the presumptive nominee in 2008, but a new freshman Illinois U.S. Senator Barack Hussein Obama, quickly swept registered Democrat’s away, along with the unaffiliated and even some Republicans, who in casting their vote, despite feeling proud to help elect the first African American, just found him more likable.
As it stands today, Sanders has won 19 states in primaries to Mrs. Clinton’s 23 – something unimaginable to the Democrat leadership initially. Maybe more notably, Sanders has won the last ten of the fifteen primaries held in the U.S.
Sanders, a proclaimed socialist, actually resonates more with voters than Mrs. Clinton. Despite the resume full of titles, but thin on accomplishments made while holding these positions, she continues to showcase this paper a second time around, yet her connection to voters largely falls flat.
Donald Trump, despite any verbal gaffe according to the politically correct, which is then repeated ad nauseam by the mainstream media, has prevailed to outlast and out survive every opponent regardless of credentials, history or message. Voters have noticed finally how the many problems with Mrs. Clinton and her past with every title she’s worn, have been muted by the media, including her own consistent verbal gaffe’s that come out as regularly as Trump’s.
Back to Connecticut where its Republican State Convention was held Monday evening, and where it was quite clear how candidates get the nod at their conventions.
Dan Carter (R-2), a state representative in the Connecticut General Assembly, getting the nomination among delegates made up of a majority of party colleagues, is comparable to August Wolf, a former Olympian, getting the nomination among delegates made up of a majority of Olympic team members.
Though Wolf has been working for almost a year to earn the nomination, and has raised five hundred and seventy-five thousand dollars in his effort to beat incumbent U.S. Senator and former Connecticut Attorney General, Richard Blumenthal, he’s also put in two hundred thousand dollars of his own money to show his commitment to this cause. Monday’s winning nominee, State Representative Dan Carter, had managed to raise six thousand dollars pre-convention and post announcement.
Wolf says, in his own words, he is not a rich man. Certainly, compared to many recent Republican federal candidates selected at the CT state conventions like World Wrestling Federation’s wife of Vince McMahon, in back to back U.S. Senate races the multi-millionaire lost both times by the same notable percentage points.
One of the most glaring examples of convention tinkering from the establishment is the Republican race for the U.S. Senate nomination between former U.S. Congressman and retired U.S. Army Colonel, Rob Simmons. Going into the 2010 convention, Simmons was assured of a win on the first ballot. Once McMahon achieved enough votes to primary, the “switching” began until the numbers for McMahon finally beat out the experienced and respectable Simmons.
Former U.S. Congressman Rob Simmons (CT-2), retired Army Colonel and First Selectman of Stonington.
If the right person had been nominated, many don’t doubt Simmons would have beaten Blumenthal in the Senate race, and for the first time since Congressman Chris Shays was voted out as the last Republican in all of New England still serving in D.C., a Republican would have been sent back to Washington. For the record, Shays was the opponent in the second race where McMahon hoped to become a United States Senator, and he fell victim to the same negative advertising and lack of support from the party as Simmons.
It is the same with the entire sitting federal democrat delegation in Washington that represents Connecticut. All five congressional districts are represented by democrats, Congressman Larson (serving since 1999) and Congresswoman DeLauro (serving since 1991) the most tenured, and both U.S. Senate seats are also represented by Democrats, former Attorney General Richard Blumenthal and former Congressman Chris Murphy.
The Republican Party leadership and establishment, clearly choose the wrong candidates time and time again at the state conventions time and time again. Whether it’s the money that motivates their bad decisions, as with McMahon, who spent 100 million dollars over two campaigns to lose to both Blumenthal and Murphy, but provided many jobs to Republicans, or whether it’s promoting one of their own in the General Assembly over an outsider, either choice remains ineffective. They can orchestrate the convention, and believe they’ve won once again with the choices they’ve made, but their record produces nothing more than one big zero with federal candidates. It’s not always the candidates fault. Many complain they received no help from the party once earning the nomination, but this is usually from the newcomers who have no affiliation with the party establishment.
For candidate August Wolf*, a proud father of four wonderful adult children, three in college and one about to enter her freshman year in college after finishing high school, he has personal priorities that take a toll on his income. Your children come first for most people, and Wolf’s are all achievers. But apparently this is not enough for the Connecticut leadership to endorse him. They cited dramatic issues with his campaign and even made condescending remarks about his qualifications, saying someone who just threw shot put in the Olympics, was hardly enough….maybe they prefer wrestling. Wolf, a business leader, after his Olympic career and a graduate of Princeton University, qualifies more than some of the candidates the CT GOP has promoted. He even received high approval ratings in the polls, a rarity for any Republican in CT.
August Wolf, CT U.S. Senate Candidate 2016
Arguments for not choosing Wolf, and throwing in Connecticut State Representative, Dan Carter one month before the convention, was the drama the Wolf campaign produced. One, was a personal relationship between staff members, that Wolf knew nothing about, and two, interestingly, came from someone party leadership themselves interjected into his campaign for a decent monthly fee. A State Senator suggested Wolf hire his friend as his Campaign Manager if he wanted to get anywhere with his candidacy.
Not knowing any better, or who any of these people were, as is often the case with all new entries into the political field, he did so, and this move also proved to be a problem. The referred hire left Wolf as soon as it seemed well-known CNBC conservative television host Larry Kudlow might enter the race for U.S. Senate in Connecticut. He told Wolf that he needed to move on to a race that could win.
As any true athlete would do, the former Olympian kept running, and hired reputable staff from resumes that included national winning campaigns. Together, they were all moving forward on the right track until running into the same wall as 2016 President of the United States candidates, Donald Trump and Bernie Sanders find themselves.
Regardless of how voters vote on Primary Day, the delegates and party leaders will determine who their nominee is at their convention, and that is someone who is often one of their own or someone who has a great deal of money that will provide jobs to friends of the party and needed donations to GOP staff.
With Wolf earning the needed 15% to primary Monday evening, actually even originally having 17%, a third candidate whose run for two offices prior to this without success in 2004 and 2010, seventy-year old Jack Orchulli, had someone make a motion for him to take the stage to address the delegates, which was seconded with some inaudible grunt from the back row but accepted. Taking the stage, as if he was a party uniter and the man of the hour, he asked all of the delegates who casted votes for him this evening to give them now to State Representative Dan Carter.
State Rep. Dan Carter (l) and Jack Orchulli (r) CT State Convention 2016
Allegedly, it’s reported that he has said his sole goal in joining the race late and running was to prevent August Wolf from receiving the nomination. Those analyzing this now after the fact, wonder if Orchulli’s entrance in the race wasn’t a canard in the first place, and was a placement just to set up this whole event where knowing he’d never get the nomination, could take votes from Wolf and then throw them to Carter during the convention.
In case these votes weren’t enough to take away Wolf’s 17% to below the needed 15% to qualify for a primary, the famous “switching” or Act II at conventions took place, known now to those following Trump, as the second ballot.
The usual party loyalists ran up to the microphone to announce their delegations switches from Wolf to Carter. For the record, our delegation never “switches” and remains true to their original casted vote. In terms of election law, if anything should be looked into or stricken from the books, it’s “switching.” A totally false concept which either allows party members who temporarily strayed to move back into the fold for re-admittance, or for the rules committee or establishment to call the shots, and achieve the outcome they’ve planned all along.
This convention in itself was a first of a kind, in that under a newly elected state chair, the U.S. Senate candidate videos which used to be produced and shown to delegates before voting, were not allowed. More strikingly, the traditional projection screen that has always hung behind the stage to show the counts of delegates as they were announced for each candidate and what number their percentage was as the voting went on, was nowhere to be seen. Delegates were left in the dark as to which candidate had x amount of votes and what their percentage was as votes were cast.
The chair quickly offered to the convention that they could just load or click an app on their phone and follow along. If a delegate was a senior who didn’t use apps, or was someone who couldn’t afford an expensive mobile phone to provide this app, or was someone who didn’t have the app loaded going into the convention, among other possibilities, then a large portion of the delegation was blacked out. People just stared at the one or two people on stage who seemed able enough to punch in numbers on their laptops as they came in as reported from the five congressional districts.
Another change of note was where delegation Captains no longer were required to hand in a paper form that checked rows to show how many of their delegates were for which candidate. This paper record now no longer needed, apparently whatever was said in the microphone was fine. The party leadership keeping track got it. The only paper they did take was the “switching” forms at the end. Perhaps they believed this might be some cause of concern so hard copies were necessary.
With two congressional nominations that were contentious, in the Fifth, where an exceptional and conservative candidate Bill Stevens*, did not achieve enough to primary, and the win went to party-endorsed Sherman First Selectman Clay Cope. Stevens, who entered late, said in his words, when he saw who the choices were that would go up against incumbent Elizabeth Esty, he felt he had to enter the race. Negative literature about Stevens was even left on every Fifth District delegates chair prior to the vote, something normally not allowed. In the Second, conservative Daria Novak, the candidate who has run twice before and lost, squeaked out a win for a third try over newcomer and challenger Ann Brookes by 5 votes. First District Matthew Corey will run again against John Larson; Angel Cadena, Jr. will run against DeLauro in the Third; and John Shaban will take on incumbent Jim Himes in the Fourth.
Veteran CNBC host Larry Kudlow addressing delegates at the Connecticut Republican State Convention 2016
The only highlight of the evening was Larry Kudlow’s speech to the convention. People had been asked to pay to hear him at a fundraising event before the gavel at 4PM not knowing he was going to address the whole delegation for free later where he addressed the entire delegation from the stage. Nevertheless, despite this ruse, Kudlow gave a sincere and passionate speech which left him so emotional in closing, he fought tears to stress his love for his country and concern for its future.
Post-convention, August Wolf, made the decision to petition his way on to the ballot and collect the needed signatures to primary. If party members respect the process, they should not slander Wolf now for this choice. In terms of election law, and the process, this is something any candidate can decide to do. It’s their choice and their campaign.
CT Republican’s should also remember their current party Chair also chose the petition option for a former U.S. Senate candidate he was the campaign manager for in 2010.
Knowledgeable political veterans say a primary is the best thing for two new candidates facing the public – it gives them extra publicity and more name recognition. As an outsider and congressional candidate has always maintained with insight and conviction, “let the people decide.”
With what appears to be a disingenuous convention which left delegates not in the wink or in the fist-bump crowd totally disenfranchised, this convention could very well be a prelude to what lies ahead in Ohio for both Republican Donald Trump and Democrat Bernie Sanders, despite their numbers, money and popularity.
Donald Trump? Bernie Sanders? Take note.
http://www.ctv13.net/ – tab Watch Online; search “Conservative Chat” episodes #105 to watch half-hour interview with Bill Stevens; episode #106 to watch half-hour interview with August Wolf.
With tonight’s primary win in Indiana over challenger’s Texas U.S. Senator Ted Cruz and Ohio Governor John Kasich, Trump is the projected winner with 52.9% to Ted Cruz at 36.7% with 60% reporting. Kasich is coming in with around 7.8%. This win with 57 delegates, will bring the delegate count for Trump to 1,041, less than two hundred from the 1,237 total needed to get the Republican Party nomination at the Ohio convention in July on the first ballot.
Kasich is saying he is going to stay in despite winning one state, Ohio, and with nothing else to bring to the table except maybe his moderate position. In a statement released tonight, Kasich’s campaign said their goal is to win the nomination in an open convention. Cruz always maintains he will stay in the race.
Tonight in Indiana, numbers are tight between the Vermont Sanders who has a large following of his own, and Mrs. Clinton. Reporters on the mainstream media are saying they have to keep refreshing the pages showing results to find out who is ahead by mere numbers. With Sanders appearing to be the winner at just after 8PM, with Sanders at 53.1% to Clinton’s 46.9%, with 55% reporting, he is appearing to be the projected winner.
But with any frontrunner of a political party, when the numbers separating two candidates aren’t far enough apart, changes can be made to switch the results, whether its “missing” ballot boxes found, or late reporting large districts, or last hour votes from who knows who, the end result isn’t called until its called. Regardless, this Indiana win is important for Bernie Sanders, and continues to illustrate many democrats are not finding Mrs. Clinton too likable.
Earlier on the democrat front, MSNBC this evening had an interview with Jeff Weaver, Vermont U.S. Senator Bernie Sander’s campaign manager, as results still stream in. He was asked about the drop off in contributions between March and April, citing Sanders donations dropped 20 million from previous months. Weaver replied their average has been 17 million a month but numbers like this are not sustainable.
It’s worthwhile to point out small grassroots donations, as Sanders has achieved in much larger numbers than presumed nominee Hillary Clinton, hold a lot of weight on Election Day. Others would argue it’s more important to get the large donations from lobbyists and PAC’s, as former First Lady and SOS Clinton does regularly. Liberal Hollywood, who has never understood where they fit on an economic map in terms of individual earnings and capitalism, and the vitriol agenda they promote as if they were have-nots, also holds incredibly high ticketed fundraising dinners for Clinton. Recently, actor George Clooney and his new wife had to pay 353K to Hillary for her to appear at their event.
Any voter who thinks this woman, is in touch with their lives or needs, or even cares if she does know, better take another look. This is a woman who has lived off of taxpayer money and flown only on private jets for decades, has lived a life of a bon vivant, which was something in olden days that only attractive and entertaining people could pull off. Would she even know how to board a commercial jet? Does she even know how to drive?
Mrs. Clinton told the mainstream media in interviews looking for sympathy, she went from being so poor when moving out of the White House, she and the former President of the United States, William Jefferson Clinton, didn’t know how they would prevail, to an amazing achievement of an accrued nest egg of thirty-one million dollars. Her husband, in name only, as the two have not lived together, for…? Fifteen years? Is worth eighty-million. Perhaps they can afford to return the White House furniture they took with them when leaving for the chosen exit strategy location of New York, for Mrs. Clinton to run for the U.S. Senate, if she actually gets elected.
With Sanders a presumed winner, Clinton pundits are quickly noting how unimportant this win is for Sanders, and how it means nothing in terms of Hillary’s outcome with upcoming primaries and the ultimate nominee. The narrative is always so blatant. Of more concern to Sanders supporters, the fix was in a long time ago, and no matter how well he continues to perform, Clinton will get the nomination both due to super-delegates pledged even before the first primary, and the large funding behind her whatever the source.
Going forward, all Americans can hope for a more positive arena that talks about the important issues today. The below the belt comments made by Senator Cruz in regards to Trump, and the abstract comments made by Trump today in regard to Cruz’s father really need to stop. These exchanges would make fine former President Ronald Reagan not only cringe, but be truly dispirited.
Cruz, in his comments after his loss tonight in Indiana, referred to Reagan and spoke at length about what the former beloved Republican President believed. To do so, after completely ignoring Ronald Reagan’s well-observed eleventh commandment, “though shalt not speak ill of any fellow Republican” which he did not follow today or in days earlier. His pronounced would-be running mate, former businesswoman Carly Fiorina, followed suit, and spent much of her stump speeches insulting the frontrunner.
Trump, has not abided by this Reagan commandment either. Perhaps he gets a bit more of a pass in that one, he’s from New York, where New Yorkers speak frankly and loudly, and two, he has not always proclaimed to be a conservative and has not always been a registered Republican. For the record, he has been registered as a Republican for more years than a Democrat.
Still, the mudslinging needs to stop. Perhaps Senator Cruz realized this, too, as he just announced he was suspending his campaign.
Texas U.S. Senator suspends campaign for President in Indiana May 3, 2016
An admirable man, his run and patriotism should be admired. More amazing to many, is Kasich’s staying in, who has won only one state compared to Cruz. There is a method to every campaign. Perhaps Kasich feels he can enough anti-Trump votes at the convention to somehow someway become the nominee.
As for Clinton and Sanders, to the Democrat leadership, they once again have to face another evening that shows them the man they considered no challenge at all, is still beating the anointed woman they believe will aside from all scandal and lack of achievement regardless of title, become the first female President of the United States.
Cruz Announces VP Pick Businesswoman Carly Fiorina and Looks West for Wins
Written by Juliana Simone
Donald Trump, Republican Candidate for President of the United States in CT 2016
Winning projections for both frontrunners, Republican Donald Trump and Democrat Hillary Clinton were validated on Tuesday, April 26th, with Trump winning all five states up for grabs, and Clinton winning four out of five states with final totals reported over their opponents.
It was clear before 1AM the numbers for Rhode Island still seemed too close to call. News the next day showed with the final count, Vermont U.S. Senator Sanders beat the 2008 democrat presidential candidate Clinton in Rhode Island, 55% to 43.3%. As a result, the former Arkansas and U.S. First Lady did not have the same five state sweep Republican opponent Trump achieved, nor were her numbers as good as the ones Trump won overall.
Too early to project except for the temptation of the sensational news headline, the media reported Tuesday evening Hillary had a huge night and easily won all five states in this late April primary in the northeast. Mrs. Clinton, naturally, quick to embrace the moment in a campaign that has surprised supporters how difficult it has been for her to compete with U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders, happily chose this moment in the sun to pan to voters and the cameras that she is a popular candidate, despite the unexpected success of her challenger.
In terms of the Rhode Island results, a difference of 12% is considerable, and it should make voters wary of what the agenda driven mainstream media reports. Numbers like that are way too large to call for any election. Messaging must have prioritized the iffy statistics that those who chose to call Rhode Island for the former Secretary of State, believed would go their way, and rushed to embellish Clinton’s win as equal to those of Trump’s.
What’s clear to those who have followed this race from the beginning, is she is not a popular candidate, and polls continue to show she has a high percentage rate as someone who is not likable. According to polls, for whatever they’re worth, Republican opponent Trump has the same. The difference is in the numbers.
Holding true to the pattern that began early on with the beginning of state primaries, the turnout for Trump and the Republican Party far exceeds the turnout for Clinton and the Democrat Party.
The Republican Party is seeing a record high turnout on primary days and in terms of people registering to the party to be able to vote for their preferred candidate in these primaries. Most of the unaffiliated and moderate democrats are making this switch to vote for Trump in states whose election laws do not allow open voting where any registered party member can vote for whomever they choose on the ballot.
The Democrat Party has seen its voters very unenthusiastic about getting to vote for either of their two candidates. Records show four million less democrats have cared to cast a ballot this election year in their primaries. The only candidate motivating any new group in droves who often don’t care to vote, is Sanders with the millennial group made up of young adults between twenty and thirty.
Statistics and analysis show the Trump campaign even outperformed the estimates polls provided going into this latest Super Tuesday. What the mainstream media chose not to emphasize was that Donald Trump, not only won all five states in the Tuesday primary, but he won every county of all five states. Neither of his Republican opponents were able to win one county in this primary. Clinton could not say she also won every country of the four states she was declared the winner.
How the five candidates performed on the 26th:
Connecticut: Trump @ 57.86% (votes cast: 123,367) to Kasich @ 28.37% (votes cast: 60,481) and Cruz @ 11.71% (votes cast: 24,969); Clinton @ 51.8% (votes cast: 170,075) to Sanders @ 46.42% (votes cast: 152,410). Trump took all 28 delegates; Clinton took 28 delegates to Sanders 27.
Delaware: Trump @ 60.8% (votes cast: 42,472) to Kasich @ 20.4% (votes cast: 14, 225) and Cruz @ 15.9% (votes cast: 11,110); Clinton @ 59.8% (votes cast: 55,950) to Sanders @ 39.2% (votes cast: 36,659). Trump took all 16 delegates; Clinton took 12 delegates to Sanders 9.
Maryland: Trump @ 54.4% (votes cast: 236, 623) to Kasich @ 23.0% (votes cast: 100, 089) and Cruz @ 18.9% (votes cast: 82,038); Clinton @ 63.0% (votes cast: 533,247) to Sanders @ 33.2% (votes cast: 281,275). Trump took all 38 delegates; Clinton took 61 delegates to Sanders 33.
Pennsylvania: Trump @ 56.7% (votes cast: 892,702) to Cruz @ 21.6% (votes cast: 340,20) and Kasich @ 19.4% (votes cast: 304,793); Clinton @ 55.6% (votes cast: 918, 689) to Sanders @ 43.6% (votes cast: 719, 955). Trump won all 17 delegates; Clinton took 105 delegates to Sanders 83.
Rhode Island – Trump @ 63.8% (votes cast: 39,059) to Kasich @ 24.4% (votes cast: 14, 929) and Cruz @10.4% (votes cast: 6,393); Sanders @ 55% (votes cast: 66, 720) to Clinton @ 43.3% (votes cast: 52, 493). Trump took 12 delegates, Kasich 5 and Cruz 2; Sanders took 13 delegates to Clinton’s 11.
Connecticut was the state most analysts and polls believed could go to Sanders. He was well in the lead through much of the day, then a slim lead through the evening, but final tallies pushed Clinton over the edge to win. Connecticut has a history of funny math on ballot mishaps on Election Days, so it’s tough to say if Sanders didn’t actually win this state.
Sanders, who wanted to speak at UCONN, on one of his campaign speeches, couldn’t meet their terms and had to go the New Haven green and Hartford the next morning. It is of note that UCONN presented an award to former President Bill Clinton for human rights in October, and the UCONN Foundation paid Hillary Clinton $251,250. As a resident, I see Sanders lawn signs and bumper stickers on cars a lot and have yet to see anything for Clinton.
Trumps biggest wins were in Rhode Island and Delaware in the low sixties percentage wise. The other three states he still performed well in, with two in the high fifty percentiles and Maryland, his lowest at still just under 55%. Clinton has one state that gave her a return in the low sixties – Maryland. Delaware had her second best returns at almost sixty percent, and her two wins put her in the low to mid-fifties. Rhode Island, which she lost put her in the low forties.
Sanders highest percentage was his winning state, Rhode Island, of course, at 55%. Kasich’s highest return was in Connecticut, known for its large group of moderate Republicans, at 28%, and Cruz’s best state was Delaware at just under 16%.
Of all the candidates the winner of who won their home state by the largest percentage goes to Bernie Sanders, where the Vermont U.S. Senator won by a whopping 86.1%, faring much better than fellow colleagues in the Senate, Cruz and Marco Rubio, who failed to win over challenger Donald Trump, who considers Florida to be his second home. Trump won his home state of New York with a respectable 60.4%, Cruz won Texas with 43.8%, and Kasich won Ohio as sitting Governor, with 46.8%.
It’s tough to say what Hillary Clinton’s home state is and she claims a few to hold that distinction. Born and raised in Illinois, she attended Wellesley College in Massachusetts and Yale Law School in Connecticut. She met her future husband on this Ivy League campus, the 42nd President of the United States, William J. Clinton, who proposed marriage, but a staff opportunity in Washington D.C. that made her future there a bright one, was her preference at this given time.
But failing to pass the District of Columbia bar exam to become an attorney there, she took the bar in Arkansas where her boyfriend Bill Clinton was returning. Passing that exam, she agreed to marry Clinton, where they lived and worked for almost twenty years.
Winning the White House in 1992, put Mrs. Clinton in Washington, D.C. for eight years. When her husband’s two terms ended, she did not want her spot in the political limelight to end, so she cherry picked New York as her choice to run for the U.S. Senate. Plunking down money on a 1.7 million dollar home in Chappaqua, to qualify her for the run as a resident, she eventually won over the New Yorker’s who recognized her as a carpetbagger, with the general consensus that maybe more state money would come to them with someone as powerful as a former First Lady as their U.S. Senator.
Though New York is actually listed as her home residence, she has spent little time in that home since its purchase in 1999. Its former President Bill Clinton who has lived in the house since the Clinton’s bought into the Empire State. Once Hillary won her Senate seat through New Yorker’s votes, the Clinton’s purchased a home for 2.85 million in what is known as the upscale area of northwest Washington as “Observatory Circle.” The brick colonial is located on a dead end street.
Whichever home she designates at the moment, in Illinois she won with 50.5% of the vote, just slightly over opponent Sanders who came in with 48.7%. In Arkansas, the home of her husband who was the Governor there and a former President, she faired the best at 66.3%. In New York, the blue state she’s spent a fraction of the time, she won with 58%. In Massachusetts, where she attended college, she just beat Sanders 50.1% to 48.7%.
In caucuses, Cruz won in Wyoming with his highest percentage achieved at 66.3% with 644 votes cast, while Trump in this state caucus gave Trump his lowest figure to date at 7.2%. Idaho went to Cruz with 45.4% to Trump’s 28.1%. Trump did not visit Idaho unlike Cruz. Idaho also chose Sanders over Clinton by a large margin: 78% Sanders to 21.2% Clinton. In Alaska, both Cruz and Sanders one. Cruz, by almost three points, but Sanders ran away with it beating Hillary 81.6% to 18.4%.
On a larger scale in terms of the numbers, as noted in an earlier post, Trump has already received 2.1 million more votes before this five state primary, than Republican Presidential nominee Mitt Romney in 2012. This is an amazing figure.
On the Democrat Party side, the party has seen four million less people care to cast a vote in the primary process. Whether Democrats don’t care for either choice enough to go vote, or will just pull the lever for whoever becomes the nominee, remains to be seen. People can only wonder what the turnout would be with Clinton on this second try versus any other opponent than Vermont U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders, in challenging her.
The candidate who has ignited the Democrat Party, as Trump has lit up not only Republican Party supporters, but democrats and unaffiliated, is Sanders. Sanders is the politician who has brought out masses of followers to his rallies, has won ten states over the media’s anointed Clinton the Party did not believe perceivable, as well as nearly tying her in states like Missouri.
He’s received more private grassroots donations, has kept Clinton’s winning margins in many primaries and caucuses far from solid leads, and could arguably be the frontrunner if not for the Democrat Party’s super-delegate system. Professionals and voters have speculated over whether or not Sanders knew Clinton had all these super-delegates in the bag, before he even began his campaign. Did he know he would never have the opportunity to become the party nominee, no matter how popular his campaign became? Certainly his voters did not.
An interesting local news highlight here in New England, reported on Tuesday’s five state primary, which illustrated how popular Sanders is among his party’s voters and devotees, on a small but impressive note for those of who know the area, ” Democrat turnout was so high on Block Island that a ferry had to ship extra Democratic ballots to the remote community Tuesday evening.”
For those not familiar with this region, Block Island is part of Rhode Island – an island off of the shore of Rhode Island which is a local tourist attraction for both sailors and visitors who take the ferry there and stay in hotels as a summer getaway destination.
Despite his large following, mostly with the youth vote, as pointed out earlier, this is not his sole demographic. A pronounced Socialist, Sanders appeals to disenfranchised Americans, big government fans and most likely Democrats who don’t care for Hillary, or maybe even both Clinton’s.
Still, with the northeast four state sweep on Tuesday, Sanders said Wednesday with last night’s returns, he would now be laying off hundreds of staff employees around the country and focus on California, which he considers to be a state he can win. He explained in regards to the campaign layoffs, that in states whose primaries already have passed, he did not need staff their anymore and needed to focus on the remaining 14 states whose delegates and voters were still important going forward. The Vermont U.S. Senator also said he will remain in the race until the convention.
Trump, has his own possible battle awaiting him in Ohio at the Republican National Convention with many party candidates, leadership and advisers not hiding the fact they are doing everything they can to keep him from becoming the nominee. Whether it’s Cruz and Kasich with their news announcement this week on teaming up to not campaign or advertise in states that favored either over the other, to keep more delegates from Trump acquiring the 1,237 needed to not go to a second ballot at the convention, when bound delegates can then vote for whomever they choose, or if its reputable long-serving Republican’s whether elected into office or not, saying they’ll vote for Hillary before Donald, Trump and his millions of supporters have to prepare themselves for a showdown on in July.
If Trump continues to win the remaining primaries, and falls just short of the total delegates needed only to have the national convention delegates award the nomination to someone else, leaves supporters wondering if Trump should run as an independent. On the democrat side, Sanders is wondering this, too, with his large following and earned primary and caucus wins, why should he bow out because the party already had given the nomination to Hillary through their super-delegates despite his hard work and positive response?
Trump, a businessman who’s made billions of dollars in real estate investments and other ventures, is the only self-funded candidate out of the remaining five, and also out of the original seventeen Republicans. This is something conservatives in the Republican Party usually laud, as it means the candidate won’t be prone to backroom deals and secret handshakes with lobbyists, special interest groups and politicians across the aisle, since no money had to exchange hands between them in the form or campaign contributions or PAC money.
This advantage Trump has and also gives voters, now is hardly ever mentioned in the media and the Republican Party seems mute on this positive. The argument stands that this is because the insiders in D.C. want everyone to have the same strings tied to them as are tied to everyone else there. A man with no strings is free and clear and does not need to respond on demand. Clearly a dangerous concept to the establishment.
Carly Fiorina with Texas U.S. Senator Ted Cruz as she becomes Cruz’s running mate as VP if he gets the nomination
An interesting turning point that followed Tuesday’s results, was Texas U.S. Senator Ted Cruz, exiting the northeast and leaving his losses behind to announce he had picked his running mate for Vice President, if he can somehow achieve the nomination at this time. He chose the only female Republican who sought the nomination for President of the United States in 2016, former business executive Carly Fiorina.
A good choice in that it brings a female on to his ticket for those voting for Hillary simply on gender alone. She is not a party insider, as Cruz wrestles with the constant argument between those who claim he himself is one as an elected Senator, and those who maintain he is anything but, as someone who’s always bucked the system and stood alone on some important issues his colleagues would not join him on.
She also must have appealed to Cruz as she was born in Texas to a father who was an attorney, law professor, deputy U.S. attorney general and judge on the U.S. Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals.
In the debates, one prime time and the others in the pre-prime time broadcasts for lower polling candidates, she made it clear she was very sharp on policy and could run circles around Hillary if they’d ever have the opportunity to debate. This, of course, is the reason the media never gave her much airtime. Yes, they want a woman to become President, but, no, not a Republican one.
Pundits saw both negatives and positives in his decision. Negatives cited were her inability to win a primary or caucus and poll numbers that kept her off the prime time debate stage except for once. Positives were her college and business connections to California and again, the fact she is a female.
Personally, for those who listened to the debates, one has to wonder if her accepting the invitation to be Cruz’s running mate was because as she stressed in every opening or closing statement, she’d been told no her whole life, and she found a way to get what she wanted anyway. Perhaps this is her drive in that she’s turned a public and party no into a yes.
Additionally, it gives her more on-camera time to say negative things about Donald Trump. The two had their moments on national television during the debates, and it’s clear there is no love between the two of them. If her coming back into the spotlight means she’ll be spending her time criticizing Trump with snarky remarks, (she’s already said “Trump will be a disaster for this nation” if elected) instead of being at her best and highlighting Clinton’s many weaknesses and troubles, then perhaps she should have passed on a possible run with Cruz.
The etiquette of Reagan’s eleventh commandment is perhaps now off the table as her own election is at hand along with Senator Cruz. So for now, the campaign speech will be its Trump who is the projected disaster, not Clinton. For his part on Cruz teaming up with Fiorina, Trump has said the Cruz-Fiorina announcement was a waste of time.
Polls in Indiana, which is holding its primary this Tuesday, May 3rd, show an uptick for the Texas Senator since announcing Fiorina as his VP choice. With what little polling has been done, there, however, polls currently show Trump still leads by around 5%.
Total delegate counts going into this Tuesday stand with Trump at just under one thousand at 996; Cruz with 565 and Kasich with 153. Florida U.S. Senator, Marco Rubio, who suspended his campaign after his loss in Florida to Trump, with 164 still holds more delegates than Kasich, but with Kasich staying in until the end, despite only winning his state of Ohio, should pick up enough by the end of the primaries to exceed Rubio. Unbound delegates for Rubio, most after the first ballot will be up for grabs.
With the primaries coming to a close, ten remaining states for the Republican candidates, including California, will have the final say if Donald Trump can go to the Ohio convention with the needed delegate count to become the nominee with no second, or possibly more, ballots, and the potential to become the 45th President of the United States.
(l-r) Texas U.S. Senator Ted Cruz, Ohio Governor John Kasich, Businessman Donald Trump {photo: dispatch.com}
Written by Juliana Simone
April 26, 2016
With the recent news story that highlighted a new pact between Texas U.S. Senator Ted Cruz and Ohio Governor John Kasich, where they will work together in the forthcoming weeks to alter the outcomes of delegate votes for frontrunner New York businessman Donald Trump, it appears that the Republican Party’s establishment, still hopes to stop Trump from becoming the 2016 nominee for President of the United States under any circumstances.
Five states are holding presidential primaries today: Connecticut, Rhode Island, Maryland, Delaware and Pennsylvania. There are still 733 delegates up for grab out of the 1,237 total needed at the national convention by a candidate to secure the nomination and not have the vote go to a second ballot. For those who have read my previous posts, as I’ve mentioned before, many tricky things happen once it goes to a second ballot, or more if necessary.
Trump is showing high polling numbers in all of the five states voting today and is expected to win them. In our state of Connecticut, polls have Trump winning at 40% with Cruz just over 20% and Kasich in the high teens. With that in mind, Cruz and Kasich apparently have decided to move forward to upcoming primary states like Indiana, who along with Tennessee, have their primary on May 3rd.
The pact between Senator Cruz and Governor Kasich has the two contenders agreeing to not challenge each other in a state where one clearly has higher expected returns. Strategically, this means they each will be more likely to win the state, or at least many of the state’s delegates over Trump.
Kasich, still the candidate who has only won one state, his own, and is perceived by many as someone who should have suspended his campaign months ago, continues to enjoy his time in the spotlight, and remains ambitious in his campaigning. Proof of this was his remarks yesterday that he still hoped to win Indiana, even though he’d just agreed with Cruz he would not campaign in this state to give the edge to Cruz and thus help to eliminate Trump. Cruz, in turn, would not campaign heavily in New Mexico and Oregon to give an edge to Kasich.
But, Kasich, quickly showed the true nature of politics, when hours later from the announcement of their agreement, he said at an appearance in Philadelphia Monday, “Indiana voters should vote for me.” Yes, he did withdraw his public appearances to stay true to the pact with Cruz, but he still plans on meeting with Indiana Republicans, including their Governor, and attending a fundraising event there. In return, Cruz’s campaign said they would never tell any voter who to vote for and told supporters they did not endorse tactical voting.
Upon hearing this news, frontrunner Trump addressed this pact from an appearance in Warwick, Rhode Island, calling it conclusion, and saying in business or the stock market, if you collude, you’d be put in jail, but in politics, because it’s a rigged system, a corrupt enterprise, in politics you’re allowed to collude. He said he was happy with this news, in that it showed how weak and pathetic the two were, as they are just getting killed…it shows complete weakness…two long time establishment guys now had to get together to try and beat the guy that speaks what the people want.
Of note, heading into this late April five state primary, Donald Trump now has had 2.1 million more votes cast for him than Republican Presidential candidate Mitt Romney in 2012. As the projected winner over Ted Cruz and John Kasich by sizeable percentages, Trump’s count will continue to grow this evening when final tallies are posted.
Texas U.S. Senator Ted Cruz has acknowledged Trump will win the five states today, but believes once the primaries head back towards the western states, results will change and not favor Trump. After May 3rd, the states of Nebraska and West Virginia have primaries on May 10th; Kentucky, Oregon and Washington hold their primaries on May 17th; big-prize state California, along with Montana, New Jersey, New Mexico, and South Dakota primary on June 7th, and lastly Washington D.C. (democrat party only) on June 14th.
The discussion that remains as the main talking point, is whether or not Donald Trump can achieve the total of 1,237 delegates needed at the national convention in Ohio to become the nominee without heading into the second ballot. At this time, he is the only Republican candidate remaining of the three that has the potential to achieve this feat. Whether or not the Republican establishment hopes to derail this effort remains to be seen.
Businessman and Republican Presidential candidate 2016 Donald TrumpTexas U.S. Senator and Presidential candidate 2016 Ted Cruz
Written by Juliana Simone
The reason one state counts this far into the game comes down to two words: Second ballot.
Most readers probably thought they would see the words ‘contested convention.’ Also important in that one leads to the other.
But for those in the know, where things get tricky at a state or national convention, is when a candidate well into the lead and has been told by numerous delegates they were the sure winner by a healthy percentage, suddenly find themselves short enough to have to go into a second ballot.*
Wisconsin’s numbers tonight award the winner 18 delegates. Three delegates for each of the eight congressional districts within the state are then distributed. With polls showing Texas U.S. Senator well in the lead over businessman Donald Trump on the Republican side, strategists show no matter how it’s cut up, Trump won’t come out with enough to call it a win heading into the national convention after tonight.
This is good news for Cruz supporters, or the ‘I’ll-vote-for-Hillary’ group before Trump, despite their patriotic stance presented to the public. Anyone who has served on the municipal level, no matter how small a town, can tell you how every vote matters. Town board seats and State House seats have been won by one vote. One vote. Something sadly much of America, whose citizens have the privilege to vote, does not recognize each Election Day.
The Kasich camp, still believes somehow somewhere the Ohio Governor can become the nominee, even with only winning one state to date, his own, out of thirty-two primaries/caucuses held to date. Many people believe he should have left the stage some time ago. Arguably, if there was a third man (or woman) still standing, the list is long in terms of exceptional candidates who were presented to us originally back in late 2015.
Both Donald Trump and Ted Cruz voiced their opinions pre-Wisconsin vote that Kasich should drop out with only one state under his belt. But the long-serving Republican Party candidate says he is staying in until the convention. He has noted in public comments that no one outside of Ohio even knew who he was before running for President of the United States, so perhaps this achievement accompanies his view of what America would be under his leadership.
“Up until now, no one knew who I was. They thought my name was ‘Governor of Ohio.’ Finally I’m getting some attention! People can hear my message!” This may be true in some circles, but most people didn’t even know he was the Governor of Ohio. Other Governor’s had more national media attention going into this competition. Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal, New Jersey Governor Chris Christie, Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker, former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee, former Florida Governor Jeb Bush and former Texas Governor Rick Perry.
Understandably, this is a shining moment for John Kasich, the current Ohio Governor. Considered a moderate who has made statements of note during his campaign, including the idea he would perhaps pick a democrat to be his Vice President on the ticket.
Also, like Republican Party nominee veteran John McCain, (who lost to Illinois U.S. Senator Barack Hussein Obama in 2008), Kasich says he will work with both sides of the aisle, and is described as a big government legislator. For these reasons, Kasich is not popular with conservatives, libertarians, right-sided Republicans and some of the blue-collar demographic who support Trump.
New York businessman Donald Trump has connected with voters from a vast amount of demographics and appears to be the only Republican who currently can assure cross-over votes. Kasich’s camp would disagree with this assessment and argue because of his moderate stance, he will appeal to these groups, as well. But this is old strategy from the current GOP establishment which continues to believe, if we’re more like them they’ll vote for us. Election results have not proven this to be case in terms of who wins the highest office politically. (McCain 08; Romney 12.)
Federal offices hold Republican majorities in the U.S. Senate and the U.S. Congress with a mix, depending on the state, but notably with the addition of new conservative faces. Texas Senator Ted Cruz is one of those. Endorsed by former Alaska Governor and 2008 Vice President Candidate Sarah Palin, he won his U.S. Senate seat in 2012. Governor Palin now has endorsed Donald Trump for the party nomination for president, but either way, she clearly stands by candidates who are anti-establishment.
Cruz has made this reputation by his actions as a constitutionalist in Washington D.C., who stands firmly on the Founder’s principles and his, while Trump presents this status as a businessman who has never held public office but has made major achievements over his lifetime. Both men have Ivy League degrees (Cruz: Princeton/Harvard; Trump: Wharton Schol of Business, University of Pennsylvania) and are happily married with children.
They each have their critics, too.
Cruz, has people who staunchly insist he is not qualified to run for the office of President of the United States since he was born in Canada. His mother, an American, married a Cuban native. He also is said to have few allies among his colleagues in the U.S. Senate for his strong approach in fighting the insiders and business as usual.
Trump, the media has pulled out all stops to try and bury every day, as both the never-perceived front-runner, and due to personal vendettas apparently from some of the media’s upper tier. A blunt man, who speaks plainly with no apology, receives constant criticism from the commentators and politically correct crowd who does not believe any lets-cut-to-the-chase speak, should ever be allowed (regardless of how they talk amongst themselves privately with no cameras rolling.)
But both of these aforementioned things the two men bring to the table, who presumably will be the nominee coming out of the national convention in July, are what brings them their devout fans.
Interestingly, the location of the convention is in the home state of Governor Kasich, where the third man hoping to somehow grab a seat in this game of musical chairs, still hopes for some miracle that can happen with the arm-twisting and madness of the super-delegates.
On the democrat front, things are even bleaker for Vermont U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders who has won the last states over presumed former First Lady/NY Senator/SOS Hillary Clinton despite her serious woes with the FBI in re her email server scandal. For this party, primaries have just been an expense for taxpayers, as Clinton already had sewn up all her caucus’s super-delegates before even starting the process. It must be a concern to those who immediately ushered her in to this front-line position and ignored her pockmarked veneer that the massive youth turnout for Sanders would not take kindly to learning their vote never mattered due to these party logistics.
Sanders who has out-performed her in many states throughout the county, has left the democrat party in a dilemma. With large wins in Alaska, Hawaii, Washington, Idaho, Utah, Colorado, Nebraska, Kansas, Oklahoma, Minnesota, Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine, and one really close win in Michigan, he has outperformed what any pundit conceived after his announcement. His supporters maybe at best can hope for a FBI arrest for Clinton, which is far more deserved than what General Patraeus was found guilty of – but even he made recent comments Clinton under the Obama administration and the current Department of Justice will sweep under the rug to keep their liberal agenda for the country going.
On the Republican front, somehow this group needs to form an alliance whoever the nominee is after the convention. The country continues to diminish as Democrats are elected or re-elected due to stubborn Republican voter divide.
*{Ask former Congressman and retired U.S. Army Colonel Rob Simmons, (CT-2), who was assured he would beat the democrat nominee, Connecticut’s long-serving Attorney General, Richard Blumenthal, once becoming the official nominee in 2010, but a second ballot flipped the vote for newcomer WWE co-owner Linda McMahon.}
{Editor’s note: these choices are in no particular order. They are my top ten in my view. It would be easy to add another five, all worthy of mention. Of course, there are many others beyond that…but, this is a top ten list.}
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Okay. For those who need to know who the other five would be:
Alfred Hitchcock
Sydney Pollack
Anthony Minghella
James Ivory
Ang Lee
{Editor: Honorable mentions to both exceptional directors Martin Scorsese and Mike Nichols. Favorite Scorsese film “Raging Bull”}
“Raging Bull” still from end of film with actor Robert De Niro – “you didn’t knock me down, Ray”
{” Favorite Nichols film “Wolf.”}
Michelle Pfeiffer and Jack Nicholson in Mike Nichol’s “Wolf”; intellectual and witty script albeit traditional over-the-top horror film ending with James Spader – though this arguably is what it should be given the genre.
Commentary and Rhetoric from Politics to Entertainment
In My Vue 