Politics

By the middle of September, 2012, our great land was already suffering from the horrific policies of President Barack Obama.  Four Americans including our ambassador to Libya were killed in a terrorist attack on our consulate there.  The Arab Spring was underway with the Middle East in a meltdown.  The job-killing, fraudulently sold to us Obamacare was shoved down our throats.  The workforce participation rate was reaching the lowest levels in 30+ years.  The IRS was accused of unfairly turning down conservative organizations for non-profit status.  Then AG Eric Holder was pretending to not know anything about a DOJ operation to smuggle guns into Mexico called Fast and Furious.  Two incredibly liberal judges were added to the Supreme Court and that’s just the tip of the iceberg. It was so bad, the president actually started to sound like he was resigned to the fact that he could actually lose.  In fact, the president lost the first debate so badly the big media actually seemed to be in mourning.  Then Mitt Romney dropped the ball — big time.  Like John McCain before him, he had the nomination.  He was deemed to be the guy who could put our country back on the right path.  He was going to be the guy to put a stop to the out of control spending, tax increases and power-grabbing we all faced.  He failed — badly.  So now, four years later, Romney resurfaced publicly to repudiate the GOP front-runner, Donald Trump.  Yes, the same Donald Trump from whom he gleefully and thankfully accepted money and an endorsement in 2012.  Instead of utilizing 17 minutes of free network airtime to launch an attack on Hillary Clinton or Bernie Sanders, he spent that time using what good-will he still carries with conservatives and republicans to tell the tale of how horrific a Trump nomination would be. I don’t know what’s more startling, the gall and self-confidence he has in assuming we would listen to him then act on what he says after he squandered a great chance to get this country back on track when he was nominated or the idea that he was harder on a guy once touted as a very important supporter than he was on either President Obama in 2012 or the candidates on the other side of the aisle this time around.  Is trump the most conservative candidate available?  Not even close.  Would he be better than anything the democrats have to offer?  Immeasurably.  As the conventions get closer, establishment republicans are getting tighter and are joining forces but against the wrong person and for the wrong reasons. Many supporters have tried to compare Donald Trump to Ronald Reagan on many levels.  They are nothing alike at this stage of their running for the country’s top office.  So, I mostly reject that.  But, I do think there is a serious comparison to be made.  Ronald Reagan spoke of a republican party that had a big tent.  He got union labor votes, he had so-called Reagan democrats and electrified the electorate to a huge level of engagement.  We’re seeing people in this election cycle coming out of the woodwork and no longer sitting on their hands as they flood the primaries and caucuses to take part this time around.  I truly believe this would not be happening if it weren’t for Trump’s candidacy. As you know if you listen to my show, I’m a Cruz guy.  I will, however, vote for the most conservative person available in November.  If that’s Trump, so be it. But, what do I know? jp

Politics

There was a time we could turn on the news on radio or television and get real information about candidates in an election cycle.  Even though they would have their own personal feelings and biases, the prognosticators would do a good to great job actually explaining what it is we were watching unfold.  Not this time around.  Those who sit in seats of authority on TV and Radio and even on newspaper editorial boards (even though they don’t matter much anymore) have the job of being honest purveyors of truth when it comes to what’s unfolding in the races.  They are not. Since day one, we’ve heard nothing but predictions about how Donald Trump was a flash in the pan, Ted Cruz is so hated he could never win a primary or caucus and that Jeb Bush would be the heir apparent to his father and brother.  Not so much.  Not only has it not worked out that way — it’s almost the polar opposite.  Jeb is long gone, Cruz has won four states, Trump is well on his way to the nomination and we still have these dorks on the networks trying to explain to us how it still goes the way they predicted.  Enough. I editorialize, speculate, entertain and give information for a living.  But, I know the role of a journalist.  The show works because I base my opinions on hard fact and then opine from there.  Many in the media are just not doing that right now and it’s leaving them with massive egg on their faces.  So, what are the rest of us to do? That’s simple.  Do you own research.  Seek to watch or listen to voices that have been more right than wrong in this cycle.  Really notice the biases of those you’re paying attention to.  Then you’ll be well-equipped to make a great choice in your source for information. Keep in mind, the conventions aren’t until July and the general election is in November.  There’s a ton of time left for a million things to happen.  I love how engaged the electorate is.  I’d love it even more if the media got on board and was more engaged in truly giving the information followed by some opinion.. but, in this day and age, many seem to have blurred that line so much that what they say and feel is far from what is true.   But, what do I know? jp