Franklin Graham at Trump Meeting

A good number of people who did not attend the event this week in New York where Donald Trump accepted an invitation to come answer questions from prominent evangelical leaders, have made many claims–some of them outright false about the tone of the event.

Some described it as a Trump campaign rally, some described it as brainwashing, some claiming the name of Jesus wasn’t even mentioned.

Some claimed everyone who attended were more or less party to heresy, and contributing to the moral decline of the nation.

Of course those who made such claims forgot about the reformed theological idea of reclamation and spherical sovereignty.

But I found the transcript of much of the day, and wanted you to be made aware of what one of these sellouts had to say while “pursuing his sycophantic support for the Donald.”

He also happens to have recently renounced ALL political ties to any political party.

But if you’re really super mad that your candidate didn’t win the primary–never let a few facts stand in the way of good polemic.

Franklin Graham: “It’s been my privilege these last few months to travel across the country, to hold prayer rallies at state capitals, on their steps. When we first pulled out permits, we pulled them for 500 people, but we had no clue how many would come. Thousands and thousands gathered, in the cold in some places, early in the year in snow, in rain. We had thousands come to pray. Not to hear me, but they’d come to pray because they know our country is in trouble. And ladies and gentlemen, I don’t need to convince you of that — you know that. And as we look at who is to be the next president of the United States, many people are looking at qualities. And I’d like to take just a moment to look at the Bible.

Some of the individuals are our patriarchs: Abraham — great man of faith. But he lied. Moses led his people out of bondage, but he disobeyed God. David committed adultery and then he committed murder. The Apostles turned their back on the Lord Jesus Christ in his greatest hour of need, they turned their backs and they ran. Peter denied him three times. All of this to say, there is none of us is perfect. We’re all guilty of sin. Franklin Graham stands here in front of you today as a sinner. But I’ve been forgiven by God’s grace. He forgave me. I invited Christ to come into my heart and my life. He forgave me. There’s no perfect person — there’s only one, and that’s the Lord Jesus Christ. And he’s not running for president of the United States. This year.

So I would just like to open up with a word of prayer. Our Heavenly Father, we thank you that you love us. Thank you for sending your son Jesus Christ from heaven to this earth to save us. To save us from our sins. Thank you that he took our sins to that cross, that you raised him to life, thank you, Father. And, Father — as we look at this nation, as we look at the trouble that we’re in — Father, we recognize as a people that we have failed. We have sinned. And we ask for your forgiveness, Father. And, Father, we pray this election that you will give a man to be the president of this country who will honor life, who will respect our Constitution, who will respect the authority of the office. And, Father, we pray that your will will be done. And, Father, we ask now that you would bless this meeting and this time together, as Mr. Trump is able to answer questions. And, Father, we pray that each one here today will leave this room with a new appreciation of this man and this family. So, Father, we thank you. And in Jesus’ name, we pray. Amen.”

Yep total-in the bag-sell out for political power from what I can gather…

So What Are My Options…

As I said on-air yesterday I am beginning to despise this election. I am growing to resent what it is doing/has done to our nation. And I am now all-out hating what it’s doing to friends and family in my life.

(An aside: If you’re one of my liberal friends who was always going to not vote for the GOP anyway then you’re exempt from this conversation.)

And here’s why I’m growing to despise it so much: I’m not that convinced that politics holds the real answers to life.

I believe they are important. I believe they are something we are required to deal with.

And I do hold this thought to be especially true: they do give us a measure of who and what we are as a nation.

Politics reveal our appetites, lusts, and cravings. And this year they have revealed some disturbing things.

This year we are more angry than able. We are more uninformed than unintelligent. We are more demanding than discerning. We are more exhausted than excited. And far lazier rather than laboring.

In short we’re spoiled children, who’ve eaten too much candy, sitting in the middle of our own stomach ache demanding it go away while refusing to eat our veggies.

The passion behind Bernie is driven by what America “owes” this selfish generation. The driving force behind Trump is driven by the idea that someone else “screwed us” and we won’t do the hard work of working for what we believe in but rather we want someone to wave a magic wand. In doing so we–the lazy electorate–expect him to make it better.

I see a LOT of heartache for us as a nation ahead. Because the front runners of the two parties are so much alike–no matter who we elect–disappointment is due to rain down.

Sadly I’m left with no great options. Only very flawed ones. Here they are.

1. Choose not to participate. In my past I have railed against this option, even condemning it from scripture. It is something I’ve never invoked. Even still, I believe the same things I have believed for the course of my life. To not be involved violates my obligations and responsibilities both as a man of faith and as a citizen of a nation where self determination is one of the sacred moral components of the blessings we enjoy. I have never advocated for anyone to “sit one out.” So to exercise this option would make me hypocritical. Integrity in all things is still a goal for me… Even though I muck it up pretty good from time to time.

2. Vote for Trump. As I typed the words I felt a bit sicker to my stomach. His estimation of people, his treatment of the disabled, his view of the people on his own side, his incapacity to admit wrong, his pride, his near deity like belief in himself, his complete and utter lack of understanding on policy, his willingness to destroy things grassroots non-establishment groups have fought for decades to reform, his inability to have empathy, his almost wholly incapacitated state of paralysis from the truth. To cast a vote for him is to be the hypocrite that I’ve been telling others you truly aren’t when invoking the “lesser of two evils” theory.

3. Vote for Hillary. This is anathema. It can not happen. It violates everything I believe on a set of core moral beliefs, but it further goes against every political principal I have and will ever advocate on-air. She will ruin our courts for 40 years. She will butcher more unborn children. She will advance the “crazy” when it comes to our hyper sexual society. She will abuse the powers she holds. She will brazenly work against the good of the American people. And she will leave our bravest behind, and blame it on others, or even worse a fictional video. She is an idiologue identical to Obama and in no way a more moderate democrat like her husband was forced into becoming. I literally would burn the polling place to the ground, cut off my own hand, or move to China before casting a vote for her.

4. Vote 3rd Party. There is talk like I’ve never seen about running a GOP alternative against the two front runners. The people now convinced that they can pull this off were the same ones telling us Trump would be stopped in the primary and wasted literally millions maybe tens of millions of dollars in a futile effort to do so. Many of these folks should have coalesced behind Cruz in New Hampshire and South Carolina. By not doing so because of some lame reasons like not liking Cruz’s commitment to his faith, or his drawl, or their belief that they were smarter… They created Trump, and once he realized their play he believed for the first time that he could now do it. These same geniuses in their vain attempts are now convinced that they can raise $250,000,000-$1,000,000,000 to best him. Good luck with that. The very best people you could put up are not interested and it is a suicide mission.

I have said repeatedly that Trump’s position with me has room to grow. Because while I don’t like how he’s run his race I’m willing to concede that he may just be ignorant on process. But every time I wonder if that’s the case he will do something even more offensive and unnecessarily stupid. His zeal for a statist, nationalist, vision for America rings both insincere (he ships jobs out of the states for his products, and hires foreign workers), and historically dangerous. His lack of any awareness of the constitution is profoundly disturbing. His level of cruelty to those beneath him is breathtaking. And his ability to turn on a dime and say, “Oh I didn’t mean any of that… This is what I think now…” is hauntingly scary.

So what is a true option for a person of conscience?

This is the question I have wrestled with since Trump won South Carolina and (as I predicted before Carolina) became the eventual winner.

I had hoped he might improve in his weaknesses and shore up on genuine strengths. Sad to say the first 100 days or so of this year appeared to be the opposite.

Sadly none of the four options I’ve listed above give me a moral outcome I can live with. None of them do.

It is just as evil to watch a reprobate statist progressive assume power and do nothing to stop it, as it is to discouragingly watch the party that traditionally stands in opposition to the progressive cause and wonder at the cuckholding about to be done. But voting third party will in essence have that same effect. And not voting will not only have that same effect but be in direct disobedience to my conscience as a man of faith.

In all likelihood I will never publicly reveal what my actual decision will be in the ballot box this year. Hopefully my children never ask me, and even at dinner parties I will very much avoid answering the matter.

But there are some things I can do. And these I commit whole heartedly to: 

1. Whoever does win can and should be held accountable by the Congress we send them. We will need strong Constiutionalists holding the executive branch responsible for their actions, investigating their wrong doing, and being a check and balance for the survival of the Republic. It appears that neither front runner of either party seems committed to this cause so if you have angst about the Presidential race, join the fight to put the best Congress in place that we can possibly get.

2. I can without hesitation point out the long litany of reasons voting for Hillary Clinton is perhaps the worst of the four options above. GOP friends will immediately say, “Perhaps? Kev did you see your own words about her?” I did. But the nature of Trump is such a question mark and so akin to her the question could be asked, “Could he be worse?” And I believe the depravity of man’s heart–especially when unchecked and unbothered with God–contains within itself the possibility of equal or worse evil. But that has not been revealed per sé so we stand at a cross roads. And while I am unsure of his direction, I can see where she’s been.

3. Lastly I can take significant comfort in knowing I fought the fight as well as it could have been fought. And this is my ultimate surrender, “Ok God… I told them the truth… I was faithful to YOUR calling on why I am here… And for that primary cycle I didn’t leave anything on the bench–every ounce of what I had got used in the field of battle.” There is a freedom there.

So to my Trump supporting friends, I can’t promise I won’t be tempted to make any more new memes but I will fight the temptation to make them often. To my #NeverTrump friends I respect your courage and I can never tell you what to do.

To my listeners and readers I will do my best to tell you the rock bottom truth and continue to attempt to obliterate confusion. And it’s my prayer that we can continue to provoke each other to think.

Lastly I commit that I will be on my knees in the early morning praying for our nation–regardless of the outcome. For unless we are His children these elections just turn into modern day “towers of Babel” thinking ourselves so wise that we can outdo God.

Here’s to our journey together!

Trump: (wants to) Win Without Competing

ICYMI: Trump lost his 12th state in 13 tries. But it’s how he loses them that’s intriguing. We’ll walk you step by step how we just never put his team on the field. We also go behind the scenes of the looming battlegrounds in New York and California with Ron Nehring. And getting out the Jewish and Milennial vote with Melissa Jane Kronfeld:


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He “wonders” why He Loses?

When Donald Trump looks back at the wasted time and money he put forward in producing the biggest flame-out in Presidential nominating history, he’s going to easily be able to point to exactly where he lost it.

I’ve long thought of elections as similar to prize fights or NFL football match-ups. And if that’s the case Trump keeps complaining that he doesn’t get acknowledged for gaining yardage, when the purpose of the game is to score points.

For the third or fourth time in a row now, Trump basically abandoned his team on the ground in a state where he presumably wishes to win delegates. Wyoming is poised to deliver the final 14 delegates of their state’s delegation this weekend. 

Ted Cruz is jetting over to make a speech to the convention (like he did in North Dakota, Iowa, and Colorado.) Trump decided to stay home in New York (where he’s going to easily win his home state on Tuesday to do? Only God knows what…

But what he’s NOT doing is going to a state where delegates are in play, where he could go make a speech, where he could seek to get voters to listen to his ideas, and try to actually earn delegates.

Evidently he didn’t even care enough about even TRYING to win delegates that he failed to help his state organizers field a full slate for the 14 spots that are open.  

 So… Of 59 spots that Trump could have worked to get delegates elected to run for the remaining 14 openings he somehow managed to get 5 elected?

UNDECIDED got six times more delegates elected to the final ballot than Trump did.

And I’m pretty sure UNDECIDED spent less money than Trump did.

See this:  That’s a local attendee to the convention tweeting a sample of what the Cruz team printed up to assist people in voting for their preferred delegates.

Notice what the attendee said in the second sentence. “No list for Trump yet.”

Meaning Donald’s team–because they were too uninterested–couldn’t be bothered with sending an intern to Kinkos to photo copy a list of names (all five that they slotted.) 

Couple that with The Trump team decision not to take his private jet for a quick jaunt to Wyoming to give a short speech and say, “Please vote for my delegates, I’ll make Wyoming and America great again,” and then shuttling back to New York where he leads by 35+ points?

Well at least send one of your high profile, conservative friendly surrogates right?

Heh…  

The campaign said the processes don’t work for them?

Of course they don’t geniuses. Because the candidate is supposed to be the one doing the work… You know… To EARN the votes of the people?

It seems increasingly that Donald doesn’t like to court the votes of the “little people.” He doesn’t seem to feel like he should be required to go out and earn the votes of the nominating process across 54 states and territories.

He seems lazy and entitled.

And while he wonders why he will have lost 12 of the last 13 contests for delegates. The proof is in the work–or the lack thereof–that he just seems disdained to do.

Cruz is getting his brains beaten in in New York, but he’s still there campaigning. He campaigned in Florida, and in South Carolina and every state where the polls showed Donald ahead. Cruz believes that he should respect the voters and go to them and try as best he can to earn their support.

Donald just ignores whole sections of the nation and then whines like a petty school girl when the people that he shunned (and later slanders) didn’t just rush to his support.

He should stop “wondering” and start “working,” if he really TRULY wants to represent the majority of Republicans in the Presidential race.

Yes Donald, Delegate Math is Hard!

Earlier on Friday I released the deepest number crunching I have done in any Presidential cycle of my lifetime. 

With only really one true optimistic finish for Ted Cruz in only one state, and very generous and favorable outcomes for Donald in many of the ones expected, I still had a fairly solid hunch that I am not far off.

Headed into the convention in Cleveland:
   Ted Cruz: 1198
   Donald Trump: 1131

As I pondered this potential I felt as though I just wanted a second set of eyes before I published it.

From two Trump-leaning analysts, and two Cruz-leaning analysts, the response was unanimous: “Seems strange after all this time of Donald leading… But not at all far fetched!”

This isn’t going to please the Trump supporters in my networks, but some of the people in your own camp were the ones that confirmed for me the rationale I used in coming to these landing spots.

I then headed over to see what Nate Silver and the FiveThirtyEight boys were seeing. Sure enough they were spotting the same thing I was and downgrading their original “easiest path” for Trump to 1237 considerably. 

They had projected Trump to win Wisconsin, they had him leaning in Indiana, and they had him projected better in California and New Mexico. (Donald only hired a California delegate recruiter this week. Cruz has had one for almost a year and it took him almost five months to get a full slate (169 delegates/169 alternates) for the 53 contests that vote there.)

But Silver’s reworking of the numbers did not improve Trump’s outlook. And while some of the contests in the Northeast may hit original FiveThirtyEight’s estimates, because of the losses in Wisconsin, North Dakota, Colorado, Utah and likely close to shut outs in Indiana and Nebraska, now Trump has to beat projections from earlier.

All told by Nate Silver’s “best case/least resistance scenario” for Trump puts him at -47 or so delegates. His “deterministic” projections (based on the strictest polling evidence available) puts Trump somewhere in the -82 or so delegate range behind projections needed.

My spread to 1237 is 106, but the more likely “who will have the lead” issue on my spread is 67.

So I’m not terribly far off from the most accurate predictor of the modern era.

But here’s the larger point: two candidates will arrive in Cleveland with roughly 1100 delegates. The one who will most likely be the nominee will be one who knows the rules best and builds the strongest relationships.

And that’s NOT likely to be the team that has whined like a school girl when losing and yelling taunts and insults at everybody while winning.

People matter… Relationships matter… Character matters… And knowledge matters.

Should be an interesting next few weeks!

PROOF: Trump’s Colorado Gripes Completely DEBUNKED!

For the past three days Donald Trump has lied about the good people of Colorado. He has maligned the entirety of the grassroots voters in that state. He has questioned their choices. He has sided with those who have now been proven to have fabricated stories of harrassment, exclusion, and prejudice.

He was about to get away with it. No media had called him out on it. But the truth of what happened in Colorado is there for anyone who cares to know the truth.

And all you have to do to know it for yourself is listen:

 

He is unbelievable… On Veterans

Trump has told us all along that what he says, and he will do, and what he will pledge to do will be incapable of being believed.

He’s said it from the very beginning.

It’s the most oft-repeated thing in his vocabulary. His own admission that what he says, and what he says he’s done, and what he says he will do, is simply not able to be believed.

Turns out that part is actually true.

Today’s untrustworthy, unaccountable, and un-believable discovery: his “I raised 6 million dollars for vets” brag on helping the vets the same night he pulled a media stunt on the eve of the Iowa caucus.

The Wall Street Journal, citing a survey of the 22 groups listed by Trump’s campaign as prospective recipients for the money, had obtained a total of only $2.4 million from Trump’s foundation or associates. 

Fox Business Network first reported in late February that only a fraction of the pledged donations had made their way to the veterans groups.
At the time, FBN reported, several groups said they had not received any money. And seven of the 22 told Fox Business Network they had received a total of $650,000. Other groups did not respond to inquiries at the time. 
Trump held the Jan. 29 benefit in lieu of attending a GOP debate hosted by Fox News. The real estate mogul had declined to appear at the debate, claiming that he had not been treated fairly by the network.
All groups that confirmed receiving money from the Trump event got checks in the mail. Sixteen charities saw donations arrive in late February in increments of $50,000 or $100,000. The other three reported smaller donations in March, with those amounts averaging between $5,000 and $15,000. 
Keith David of the Task Force Dagger Foundation told the Journal that he was confused about whether a $50,000 check from Trump associate Stewart Rahr’s foundation was tied to the Iowa event. He said he had been informed by a Trump representative that it was. 
“It’s a little weird,” David said. “It looks like it’s from a totally separate organization.”

The Journal, citing the Trump Foundation’s tax returns, reported that the nonprofit had given just $180,000 to veterans’ charities over the past decade. Hicks said that amount did not include personal donations by the candidate. 
At least one prominent charity declined to receive any money from the January fundraiser. Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America (IAVA) founder Paul Rieckhoff called the event a “political stunt.”

He’s really unbelievable.

So… all the really dirty, nasty, stuff WAS true?

Yep…

Absolutely!

All the grossly immoral, reprobate, disgusting piggish ugly nastiness that the tawdry scandals implied for one candidate turned out to be 100% true.

I knew he protested too much. I knew that he was squealing a little too much like a stuck pig.

I don’t know how women can stand behind the “man” but one thing is for sure. He’s a nasty, na-sty, na-sty, guy…

That…

Donald J. Trump.

Oh you thought I was referring to someone else? Why would I be? There is ZERO evidence of any other current presidential candidate ever having stepped out on his wife.

But we know that Trump did… multiple times.

But that wasn’t the nastiness I was referring to. The grossly immoral reprobate stuff is how he attempted to pretend he didn’t have anything to do with the affair accusations against Ted Cruz. But it turns out he did. His campaign even echoing the softly peddled, and completely unsubstantiated rumors through social media this week with some weird video claiming that one of the randomly pictured women in the National Enquirer story once “wore” a “suit jacket” that belonged to Senator Cruz.

Everyone knows how immoral it is for a true man to offer his suit jacket to a woman who may be freezing in one of those big event ballrooms at a hotel and such.

I somehow missed that the woman in question appeared on Jake Tapper last week and completely repudiated the claims made against her. A woman I’ve always believed to be honorable, God fearing, and an amazingly dedicated mother and wife (especially while leaving in and amongst the slimey non-human animal life forms in Washington DC) was wrongfully accused. What I appreciated most is that she didn’t merely repudiate the claims but went further to assert her life’s priorities and her ultimate goals in life.

So… to be clear #TrumpTrain did play a role in advancing these sick rumors, and attempted to slime good people. And for those who still claim otherwise–everyone involved is STILL considering legal action against those who are found to have been responsible for the smears.

But that’s only PART of the sleazy sickness that pervades the cesspool of Donald Trump’s mind and operations.

I mean lest we forget–he left two women he was married to–for *new* women to be in bed with.

I know that secular minded–non-morally bothered–people don’t seem to get worked up about it. But if you break your commitment to the person you supposedly love more in this life than anyone else… Heh?

But evidently there is another grotesque sickness he has exhibited and publicly joked about on multiple occasions: the sexual prowess of his daughters.

And not just ONE of his daughters, but BOTH of his daughters…

Honest to Pete, he just can’t let it go…

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Seriously… it’s ALWAYS on his brain… especially as it relates to her!

It’s just always on his mind…

DaddyTrump

I quit…

No Reince Priebus did NOT say that!

I’d like to issue a bit of a call to my fellow conservatives who have been sold (largely by rabid Tumpkins) that the GOP is out to work over the voters of their party.

“Calm down… it’s not going to be what they keep telling you it is going to be.”

I’ll admit I have regular bouts of insane conversations with conspiracy nuts who absolutely believe the GOP is trying to steal the election. They are almost 100% of the time Trump supporters, and they are doing it for a variety of reasons.

  1. Some are utterly ignorant of the process. Some of the loudest voices online and sadly on-air are those who feel like they’ve only been “allowed in” to the process for the first time in their lives in 2016. When asked about reasons why they’ve never voted before they say things like, “Oh yeah, well I was in the army, what’d you ever do for your country?” Great to know, but I don’t think being in uniform ever made you not vote. These folks “feel like” Trump is finally saying the things they’ve always wanted their elected leaders to say. The problem is they don’t know the other half of all things he’s said (even on the campaign trail) that completely contradict what they think he said that they liked. They don’t know how delegates are selected. They believe there shouldn’t even be a convention. And they think we all live in a democracy.
  2. Some believe the smears. As was evident in his campaign statement last night following his catastrophic loss in Wisconsin, the REAL Donald Trump is never far off from a tongue lashing especially if he got his third grade feelings hurt. So he says things, approves of things, and admits things aren’t true but allows, says, and admits them anyway because he’s angry. His most pure-hearted followers have forgiven him his many missteps in this areas because they are honest to goodness tired of the status quo and they are willing to put up with the non-sense even though they know its morally depraved. They’ve drank the kool-aid and believe that Donald really is being targeted by the media (in ways other conservatives haven’t been) and that they have to support this guy no matter who he smears merely to attempt the reform they genuinely want to see come about.
  3. Some completely know better but go along with it anyway. This is the group I really have a hard time with. Some of them have worked in politics. Some haven’t. Some have a book to sell, or media appearances to gain from this position so to heck with the commitment to conservative ideas and pushing forward the solutions that will help America. Some honestly believed Trump would turn out different, but now that they (and the world) see that he isn’t they are just unable to bring themselves to reverse course–hoping all along against hope itself that Trump isn’t going to wind up being even half as bad as he has been thus far.

Last night after the results were coming in, people in all three of the categories above believe they found the “smoking gun” that proves the theories that the GOP is out to steal the nomination process out from under the millions of voters who have put their hearts into 2016.

Reince Priebus is asked a simple few questions from Sean Hannity. Reince answers in a little bit of a clumsy way but he more or less assures the viewer of a few things:

  1. The GOP nominee will be required to assemble the 1237 delegate votes from the floor of the convention.
  2. The nominee will have to be someone who is “running.” (This effectively eliminates the helicopter candidate theory.)
  3. The nominee will have to live up to the bare minimum of Rule40b and win a majority of delegates in at least 8 states.
  4. The nominee will be one of the three men running in the race at present.

It’s that 4th assertion that Hannity (and every nutty Trumpkin in Trumpkinland) immediately jumped on.

“Ah hah!!!” they say, “See Priebus is indicating he’s going to insert John Kasich as the nominee.”

But there is zero evidence that Priebus is doing this, and even less evidence that he has any intention of doing it.

What he said was, “the nominee will be someone who is running, satisfies Rule40b, and reaches 1237.”

“Butttttttt Kev,” they respond breathlessly. “Kasich hasn’t hit the qualifications for Rule40b. Only Trump has,” they say.

Like I said, “Just… calm… down…”

Kasich as of today has not yet hit a majority in 8 states. He has hit a majority of delegates in 1 state. Which means he would need to hit the majority in seven more states before he qualifies.

But there are 19 more contests to go.

Suppose Le Tour de l’énorme infantile Terrible (#TrumpTrain) continues to implode. Suppose Kasich hits a hot streak in the Northeast and takes several states from Trump. How foolish would Priebus have looked in promising to only allow Cruz or Trump to be on the ballot at the convention if Kasich–by some miracle of the divine–garnered seven more delegate majorities?

It would have been WRONG for Priebus to promise to not let Kasich be in consideration if he has met the requirements–and with 19 states to go–anything could still happen.

Also realize this, by answering as he did, he also eliminated the possibility or smokey-deal-back-room muck that Trumpkins keep peddling. Jeb, Kasich, Ryan, nor Rubio are not going to be eligible for the second ballot because right now only two candidates have picked up delegate majorities in 8 or more states.

And for the record likely BOTH will add to the numbers they currently have. Presently Trump has delegate majorities in 10 states, Cruz has 9 states.

Had Sean changed the question to “If the convention were held today, would there be three people eligible for nomination.” And Priebus had said, “yes.” That would have been an actual “gotcha.”

But according to the rules that govern the process, according to the rules they all agreed to follow, and according to the expectation that the rules will not be pulled out from under everyone at the last minute…

Priebus answered exactly as he should have.

And even Trumpkins can take comfort in that!

Why TRUMP is not pro-life!

Why does Donald Trump assert that he is pro-life?

It’s easy to understand that if he is running as a conservative for the GOP nomination this checked-box would be necessary to survive the primary process. He is running against two other candidates who have clear credentials on the matter, and if he were to be found to still be pro-abortion it would doom his chances of securing the nomination.It might also be because he is ashamed of the pro-abortion views he has held for most of his sixty-nine years on the planet. 

It might be that he is filled with wonder at the birth of his beautiful and precious new grandchild. 

But if he wants any of the rest of us to believe this assertion, he’d better do a lot more to convince us.

Why?

Because he gives zero indication that this assertion is anything more than lip service.

This past week alone he said more things under direct questioning that gives everyone associated with the pro-life worldview abject reason to reject his claims, than anything he has said on the campaign trail to date that affirms them.

Yet even earlier in the campaign his assertion was under constant dissonance with things he would say.

Early in the campaign he claimed he would “completely defund” Planned Parenthood, and asserted that the baby body parts scandal proved what a horrible organization they were. In less than a week his position adjusted to reasoning that Planned Parenthood was a necessary organization doing “lots of good” for women. His position shifted to defunding only the funds that go “to abortion.” His current position would leave in place the funding as is because Planned Parenthood makes the assertion that none of its current funding goes to providing abortions.

To be clear the half billion plus forty-two million additional dollars that we gave Planned Parenthood last year kept the lights on for every abortion procedure in the Planned Parenthood clinics. It paid the rent. It gave the suction machines electricity. It paid the salaries. To be clear Planned Parenthood should have all federal funding ended. And anyone who can’t take the ten seconds to read this paragraph to understand why, is not pro-life.

This past week Donald Trump also took a position that has stood contrary to the pro-life effort since it began. He asserted in response to a direct question and a direct follow up question from MSNBC’s Chris Matthews that women who obtain abortions (if the procedure would become illegal) should in fact be punished.

In better than 90% of cases in America when a woman has an abortion performed, she has only in extremely seldom cases done it as a choice that she alone made. In more than 90% of cases there are other people—usually a man in her life—that push the woman into the decision. (So much for it being such a “choice” huh?)

The fact that he does not understand this plain reality… The fact that he does not seem to comprehend or in essence care about the women involved—and the likely punishment they endure in the process and for many years to come as a result of their own action… The fact that it didn’t cross his mind while saying it that it was not a wise response… 
Demonstrated that he is not pro-life.
In the next three days Trump claimed that his was the position of Ronald Reagan, his son attempted to argue for the justification of his “punishment” response on twitter, and finally they issued a written statement completely repudiating his original assertion and blaming the abortionist exclusively. Three positions in three days demonstrate that he is not pro-life.

On Sunday’s Face The Nation CBS News’ John Dickerson asks Trump to again clarify his series of odd and conflicting answers on what should be the easiest answer in a conservative’s wheelhouse of beliefs. Dickerson pressed Trump on whether abortion is murder. Again this is an easy answer to anyone who knows the issues involved. But Trump, lacking the moral insight to answer clearly, simply and finally (after a bit of uncomfortable squirming) lands on simply “disagreeing with it.”

At another moment Trump also says something rather unimaginable in today’s pro-life efforts: “At this moment, the laws are set, and I think we have to leave it that way.”
Leave it that way?

Well if we followed that advice, parental consent laws would never have been passed, partial birth abortions would never have been banned, nearly anyone who ever flunked medical school could open a clinic and charge $2k-$5k per procedure.

If we take the approach that the laws are set and we have to leave it that way, then it in essence means nothing to anyone to be pro-life.

And that is obviously what it means—or doesn’t—to Donald J. Trump.

Why The TRUMP *Gotcha* Just Isn’t True

A lot of chest puffing has been going around in the talk radio world this election cycle. Lots of people on talk radio’s right claiming that they will hold no ill opinion of any of the GOP candidates so that they won’t have to “eat any crow” when the general election gets here. They give it cutesy names like “#Switzerland” or “#NeverDems” or “#GOPTrain.”

The theory is simple enough, “If we ‘mask’ the weaknesses of the (sad) GOP candidate we put forward, then we’ll trick enough people into not seeing their weaknesses and perhaps enough of them will be fooled so that they can vote for them in November.”

One of the dumbest things the right has ever thought up if you ask me.

It is especially ridiculous thinking this year, as the likely nominee has considerable garbage that he’s not even trying to clean up. He just keeps rolling around in it, sadly, without learning anything.

With that said here’s my most important reasons why I refuse to play the charade.

  1. My listeners deserve better. In every election cycle I come off of doing massive amounts of other news, just so that I can talk about the political process. Average talk radio audiences can not hold up under 24/7 politics, 365. So for 2.5 years I talk about the things that impact their lives. Stuff from the front page. I explain to them my opinions about those stories. I make assertions, and I debunk assumptions. Unintentionally I am also doing a great deal of trust building and teaching. Trust building in that I never lie to my audience. If I bring them an issue, a story, a product, or a service, they know that they can trust it, because it comes from ME. This is key to my long time survival for my family, and my short term goals of career. If suddenly I started getting neutral in an area of moral clarity, when the rest of the years they hear me pronounce definitive positions, then they immediately know.
  2. I don’t care about tricking people. The most conservative candidate in the race when the general election rolls around will have weaknesses. Pretending they do not exist is dishonest and silly. With opposition research going down there will be things extrapolated, made up, or possibly turn out to be true. But it’s far better to discuss them openly, and have as much transparency to the process than to hide them and hope people don’t notice.
  3. Being tough helps the candidate. They will never admit it but dealing with tensions and stress (and specifically as early as possible) will make statements about the character and dependability about the candidate. How do they deal with being treated fairly with accusations that have merit. And the one I find more revealing–how do they respond when dealing with the things that are untrue? Character is refined and exposed under the bright lights of intense pressure. The campaign should be one of the most grueling things that person will ever have to endure. It should be that way so that those of us making the decision to hire or not hire have a clear understanding of what we are getting.

There are many more reasons I could list but for the purpose of this communique I’m gonna leave it there for now.

As 2016 has progressed I have been beyond dismayed at how this cycle has failed the voters. For having bar none the greatest field of candidates when we started the race we are closing it out with some of the oddest realities I’ve seen.

Somehow in a field that included a bunch of the most talented governors in our nation’s history, the three most visible U.S. Senators that had led the grassroots charge to reform DC from a thing called the Tea Party, and three of the most talented public sector candidates the GOP had ever engaged.

A Billionaire, a gifted female CEO, an African American Neurosurgeon, an Indian American southerner, two Cuban dissident children, a Rust belt Governor, a Mid-Atlantic Governor, a Corn belt Governor, and four Bible belt governors. We even had just a plain old former Senator from Pennsylvania.

I was guilty early in the race of saying, “elect them all, let the billionaire assign their positions, and turn ’em loose.”

And somehow, in some way, in a way that defies explanation that I can not even fully connect the dots to in terms of how it could have — but it ALL fell apart.

Most of the talented executive Governors were tossed in the early rounds. The only one who stayed in is one that has no prayer of winning.

As the field winnowed it was clear that it was the outsiders (Tea Party Senators, and public sector candidates) that had ALL of the momentum. And the two that have now ended up capturing more than 90% of the GOP Primary support was a tea-party Senator that tried to shut down Washington DC in order to keep promises to the people of America, and a Billionaire who on day one basically promised to blow everything up.

From that original talented field of orators we are left with three very different types of communicators. A bully, a boy scout, and the uncle who always laughs at the wrong things at family gatherings.

The billionaire who jumped out to the early lead, suddenly revealed that he himself had been tricking some people. We discovered that he had literally no limits. Journalists confessing that he had attempted to “woo” them just before announcing for President. Watching mortified as he made fun of disabled people. Slipping from time to time into hateful stereotypes of hispanics. Revealing that the secret to his way with women is to treat them like sh*t. And most annoying his preemptive marketing labels that he put on all of his opponents. But even that wasn’t enough…

During and through out it all I continued to say repeatedly that while I’m a fan of dislodging the brokered power-base in Washington DC, I am convinced that it is not necessary to elect the most profane human being to ever run for the office to do it.

I was chastised by fellow personalities on talk radio, internet, television, and in person.

I was told not to engage in “circular fire” because it was going to play into the hands of the new boogieman “the establishment.” (As if suddenly the elected choices of we the people were suddenly voided once they were elected.) But as time went by the profanity, the crass ugly, the inhumane mindset of the billionaire front runner never lessened.

Simultaneously another oddity began to occur. Said billionaire’s actual record began to be exposed. But since he’s never been in political office somehow his supporters believe his behavior will be different IN OFFICE than it was prior to office.

But has that ever been anyone’s experience?

Power hungry megalomaniacs have never improved their behavior once given absolute control.

As the investigation into his actual record began to be revealed it became obvious that he was a fraud on every level.

  1. He claimed he was against the establishment, and then it was revealed that he had been in bed with the establishment more than in other person in American history. He had played all sides–and still is. He is a great “deal cutter” became his motto. When we are trying to elect someone who doesn’t cut deals.
  2. He claimed to be pro-life. But continuously evolved even in the campaign cycle to demonstrate a hardness towards cutting funding for Planned Parenthood and whose position today would be to leave 100% of the funding they currently get–in place.
  3. He claimed he’d be tough on radical terrorists. But can not bring himself to define the difference between radical islamists seeking to destroy Israel, and the diligent people of Israel who seek merely to protect themselves.
  4. He claimed to acknowledge the problems of immigration but then told the New York Times in one interview that when the atmosphere at the rallies would hit a lull that he would “just say, ‘build the wall’ and the place would go nuts.” And in a later interview that he refuses to release, people with first hand knowledge of the recordings say that he said “ALL of his policies on immigration were negotiable.”

I could list a dozen more instances but for brevity’s sake…

The problem in not responding to these obvious hypocrisies is that they will be exposed and exploited in the general election.

And then my fellow media colleagues chastise me–using a method that Trump supporters use online, dozens of times, daily–they thrust me into the ultimate “gotcha” question. Or so they believe.

“Well if Trump is the candidate, who are you gonna support between him and Hillary?”

I’ve languished about it a good deal, and until day before yesterday–TO MY SHAME–I was STILL–undecided on what to do in such an equation. (My immediate strategy has been to remind everyone that we are still in the midst of a primary battle and that with each passing day and Cruz win the billionaire’s chances of reaching the convention cleanly get dimmer.)

But let’s just say for the moment that all the billionaire supporting mouth breathers are right for a minute.

Let’s suppose he gets the nomination.

Until two days ago I was still ready to consider pulling the handle for him.

The thinking is that he would have the support and be surrounded more people that I trusted than those that are on the other team. But watching his ability to wildly disappoint my expectations–that is not a given. And given his ability to throw people away like trash I can not trust his decision making nor his character.

And that was brought home very clearly two days ago…

I say it all the time, “The truest measure of a man is how he treats those people who can do nothing for them.”

My listeners hear it, my boys hear it, everyone on earth hears me repeat it.

But I forgot to measure Trump by those same standards. The assertion speaks to the moral core of the person. And because of this moral issue, I can no longer distinguish a moral difference between Hillary and Donald. They both use people for their own edification. They manipulate, lie, pivot, and adjust. Maybe in the business world they “have to” do it. I could talk to you for hours how hard it is to work very hard and come up short.

But its how they treat people that has me equally vexed.

Trump got mad two nights ago because a third party SuperPAC made an online ad about his wife. They did so using an easily accessible nude image of her. (In fact its harder to google her name and NOT have a copy of the image pop up in your search results than the other way around. Interesting aside: Also was photographed on Donald’s own plane.) Trump didn’t like the fact that this third party (with documented zero connection to Cruz in any way) simply pointed out that Mrs. Trump would be the first porn subject to become first lady.

In response over two nights he first threatened and then attacked Ted Cruz’s wife.

Heidi Cruz had no connection to anything. So why did Trump focus on her?

Because she couldn’t do anything for him.

So to be clear, the billionaire bully was willing to injure the most innocent person in the entire, sad, episode.

I suddenly realized, this is no better than lying to the Whitewater investigators, its no better than lying about your husband’s felony lying and infidelity, its no better than lying to the families of Benghazi–sorta similar in terms of the pain actually, and no different than lying about one’s emails.

Trump lies, Hillary lies.

They both live for themselves and believe themselves to be the center of the universe.

They both use people to reach objectives.

They both are so hungry for this job–and for all the wrong reasons.

Donald Trump never mentions the Constitution. Neither does Hillary. Both will fund Planned Parenthood at the same levels it is now. Both will put lousy judges on the federal judiciary–Trump saying maybe his sister would be great. Fantastic let’s make your son secretary of defense, and Ivanka the head of the IRS.

Hillary and Donald both exercise the cruelest form of payback. They are about the same on national defense, and neither of them are going to do away with the tax code. They both desire some form of Government involvement in health care. And they are both beholding to Wall Street.

So my answer when asked, “So between Trump and Hillary–who is it?”

The only honest answer is–they’re the same. Cruel, mean, vision-less people, who lack grace, decorum, or class.

So to go from in essence the most talented field of potential presidents and to now find ourselves lying in this gutter, it just doesn’t really matter.

#NeverTrump
#DevilYouKnow
#CruzOrBust

And I guess that makes me #NotSwitzerland… But you already knew that.

Analysis: What Trump Needs

My analyst hat on for a moment: I predicted a Trump primary win months ago. (Original prediction: whoever takes South Carolina would win the nomination.) 

As the election has gone by he’s limped along. 

In my non-analyst time I’m supporting almost any option but him–in the primary–because I don’t like people that generally comport themselves the way he does. As the campaign has toiled longer the less tolerable his actions have become.

But as an analyst there are some genuine weaknesses that his team have not yet been able to overcome and when you combine that with how slowly it has taken him to barely pass the halfway point in the attempt at delegates–if I were advising Trump 2016–I’d insist we need to address.

1. Crossovers aren’t real. Trump is consistently touting that he’s bringing new people out to rallies and to a lesser degree to the polls. This is true. But in head to head polling against the two Democratic candidates in one to one match-ups there has been zero movement. And in some cases a loss of territory. On the day before Utah, The Desert News released a poll wherein they *nailed* the exact predictor for the primary last night. They got the order of finish and the percentages pretty close. Scary close. So this means they had great accuracy in the execution of the poll. Now mind you this poll was released on March 20, 2016. So in relationship to this writing it is one of the most up-to-date snapshots captured of the electorate. And nailing with exact specificity of how the vote then turned out the next day–it is done with sobriety and accuracy. In that poll, questions were asked about head to head match-ups. Trump (again) lost to both Hillary and Bernie. Meaning he may have some crossovers turning out for him. But when asked about him in a general election match-up they are pulling the lever for Hillary or Bernie. This demonstrates that the crossovers aren’t real. They are plants. Plants most likely intending to attempt to pick the most beatable GOP candidate in the race.

2. Unity in the base: Assuming that Trump has difficulty reaching 1237 delegates, the convention will go to multiple ballots. It is required to by the rules. On the second ballot 82% of the delegates become unattached. And on the third 100% of them are free to vote how they choose. At this point they have a difficult job to do. As the democratically elected delegates it becomes their job to get one of the three candidates to 1237. Arguments can be made currently that hurt Trump in terms of being “able to win” in the general election. Losing states like Utah will work against him. But so will his inability to secure (thus far any majorities in his election wins.) If I’m advising Trump I’d be attempting to SOON begin trying to get a majority in a state so that we can say we brought people together. Right now Ted Cruz has put together majorities in 3 states, some in states where Donald currently will lose in the general–and Republicans can not afford to lose a single state that they normally carry. They need to hang on to those and expand the map. Trump needs to moderate his tone, and attempt more unifying messaging in order to gain the broad based support to win–especially if he lacks the votes going into the convention. Cruz is showing he can bring people together. Trump isn’t and that bodes poorly.

Having said that–I’m not a Trump supporter–I don’t really want his team to take my advice.

But if I were on his team I’d be losing sleep over what needed to be done to fix these issues given my candidate has the personality that Trump does. 

I don’t even that sucker’s job!

So about Trump “winning…”

So about that whole talking point that #TrumpTrain keeps making, constantly, on and on, until you wanna smash their lips through the thread of a tennis racket (*Trump’s idea for how to handle opponents, not mine*):

“Our guy is the only guy who can beat Hillary!”

Yeah… Except for being completely wrong it’s a really clever statement.

According to the latest poll–in a state where few have been done–Trump would lose BOTH to Hillary AND to Sanders… BAD!

  
See in order to win you have to get more votes than the Democrats…

I say this because the #TrumpTrain still doesn’t even tend to understand that a majority means 50% + 1.

I also say this because I grow tired of hearing #TrumpTrain accuse #NeverTrump of advocating cheating (though I’ve not heard even one #NeverTrump advocate or offer one strategy that would include cheating.)

Yet…

I’ve heard many, many, many–in fact mostly ALL–#TrumpTrain passengers actually insist that the nomination be “given” to Trump even if he never approaches 50.19% of the vote (1237 delegates to be precise.)

That in a word would amount to cheating because he would have failed to reach the minimum requirement necessary to have earned the nomination.

What’s also damaging to #TrumpTrain is just how well Cruz performed against Hillary and Sanders in the same poll.

He slaughtered both of them.

       Cruz 60% vs. Clinton 32%

       Cruz 52% vs. Sanders 38%

Incidentally he is getting 50% in the GOP match-up in the new polling in Utah. If it holds through tomorrow’s elections it would mean that he would now have registered actual majorities in 2 states of all the races held. No other republican candidate has even one state secured with a majority.

The GOP can not win in November by losing what should be strongly held red states. And Utah must be dependably red for the GOP to have a chance at defeating Hillary.

They need someone who can expand the base bring in *new* voters–while simultaneously getting past supporters activated as well.

And so far in poll after poll after poll…

Trump loses in general election match up after general election match up. And that means he is not bringing *new* voters into the process for the GOP. What he is doing is motivating Soros, MoveOn, and BlackLivesMatter to cross party lines in open states and vote for him because… He is the easiest to beat in November.

Democratic big wigs are even producing videos basically encouraging it!

In his own party’s primary it appears he will slip to third in Utah… In a three man race… That’s called last place.

We will soon see for real. Utah votes tomorrow!

Why “Contested” Is Not “Crooked”

It’s getting pretty tiring.

As we move closer to the GOP convention this summer, there is an increasing likelihood that GOP voters will face an unusual process.

The possibility of this process–I am constantly reminded–had “better be” determined by the voters.

Words like brokered and contested and open and fixed keep getting interchanged with one another. Most importantly, supporters of one candidate, also throw in an assumption–that what all those terms refer to is not only something the voters don’t have say over but that the process assumes those things are crooked and governed without rules.

Add to that the public idiocy of an unnamed GOP official who was dumb enough to tell a news outlet that the voting public doesn’t decide the nominee for the party, but that the party does.

It’s an idiotic thing to say because it’s both true and said in the most confusing way possible.

It’s true in that it’s not the voters themselves that cast the ballots to nominate the candidate. It is the delegates of the party who do. But it is the voters in caucuses and primaries whose votes secure the first ballot delegates that cast the vote for the nomination.

Simply because the party can’t accommodate several million citizens at its convention doesn’t mean in any way that the vote of the citizen doesn’t matter. The idea of having representatives act on your behalf is the core essence of our “representative republic.” 

I know–there may be much great shock when supporters of one candidate in particular hear for the first time that we don’t live in a democracy.

But we don’t. So get over it and move on.

The larger point is that a voter in a primary voluntarily chooses to participate with a private non-profit organization that holds a convention every four years, established through the will of its delegates what it’s platform and governing rules will be for the next four years, and also chooses who will represent that party to stand on the ballot of the general election.

Yesterday one candidate implied that if he comes in to the convention lacking the necessary delegate support to be nominated that he should be in essence “given” the nomination in complete non-compliance with the rules of the convention. He argued in essence that he deserved special “dispensation” or treatment because he’s who he is.

He also went so far as to imply that if he is not granted such special treatment that his supporters would be justified in reacting with violence. 

Violence has been a big theme of his. Some 30 protestors have been seriously injured at his rallies. And his reaction to protestors has been to encourage his supporters to “punch them in the face” or to “knock the crap out of them” or to “knock ’em the hell out.” This direct encouragement to escalate the violence has been followed by the declaration that he “promised” to “pay the legal bills” he “promised… he promises.”

Given that as his history to now basically blanket his supporters with permission to become violent at the convention because he first lacks the necessary votes and secondly doesn’t meet the criteria is sickening. 

Of course his followers believe it’s great. Literally on the social media feed of a “friend” I had a Trump supporter first threaten to KTFO of folks at the convention. (Knock the f&$k out.) And when called out on it was ready to don the gloves and “box” me at a place and time. I left the conversation for two reasons. I only talk to blocks of wood that I’m splitting into kindling. And… Well you know what they say about people who have to brag…

But I digress.

Across social media, my radio audiences, and correspondence from Fox viewers, the repeated meme that these types of supporters of said candidate continually say is that this had better not end up in a “contested convention.”

Only one problem. 

It probably is.

But contested is not the same as corrupt.

Everyone talks about the number 1237. Trump called it a “random” number set by “some guy.” 

It’s anything but.

1236 is exactly 50% of the nominating delegates needed to be nominated. 

The rules of the GOP nomination process–as determined by previous convention delegates that were elected by the people/voters–said that in order to be given the nomination automatically that a candidate would need “50% plus 1 vote.”

In other words a majority.

In terms of percent it works out to 50.19% of the total delegates available. 

Why did the past elected delegates to the previous convention(s) decide that 50.19% was the needed amount? We’d have to ask them.

But likely it was something to do with integrity.

The desire to be able to honestly say that the “majority” of the voices of the elected delegates of the voters themselves were being adhered to.

Why is that? 

So that they can go back to those same voters and explain that as they promised in their founding the party of Lincoln and Reagan would abide by “the will of the people.”

In an elected body of representatives it can not be asserted that the will of *most* of the people is done without achieving a majority.

So back to the scenario. What should happen if the delegates fall short of the majority.

It’s very simple, the campaign continues.

The candidates speak, the campaign’s call one another and if a majority does not exist on the first ballot, then one is sought on the second or third or fourth ballot.

Coalitions are formed and cooperation ensues to put forward a nominee/ticket that satisfies the requirements of speaking for the majority of the party.

The biggest point to understand that this process is lawful, is governed by rules the candidates have already (even this far out) agreed to, and has been in place since the last convention.

If the candidate fails to rally his turnout and get majorities in the primaries and caucuses then it’s unlikely that he/she will get a majority on the first ballot at the convention. 

Other nations like Israel face constant coalition building in order to maintain lawfully elected governments. We in the United States are not used to it because candidates usually rack up the delegates so early. And there are usually fewer candidates still in this late in the process.

But the GOP has four candidates that now have more than 100 delegates. In fact 1300+ of the delegates have been gobbled up. The chance that someone under 700 delegates this late in the process will get to see 1237 grows increasingly unlikely.

But it does not mean that following the lawfully and duly elected process of what happens according to the rules is in any way corrupt.

Because it’s not.

It is in fact preventing the “establishment” from doing exactly what so many Trump supporters are saying will be done.

And this final note: if the GOP were stupid enough to go into back room negotiations and attempt to insert someone who had not won any states in a “brokered fix” to solve the dilemma. That would be corrupt, and I don’t care who the nominee would be that they would attempt to insert, I would join forces with the Trump supporters and set fire to the convention personally.

But a contested convention is not the same as a brokered convention and everyone needs to take a deep breath and wait to see if we even need one.

And it would help Make America Great Again if A certain candidate would shut his flap and stop encouraging his people to punch, knock and riot when things don’t go his way. Truly!

Making Vengeance Great Again

There is a new export in the Tump Enterprises portfolio. 

Last week on twitter he bragged about a hotel he did not own in Waikiki. At his victory rally he also rolled out vodka, water, and wine that bears his name, and he daily claims business triumphs in everything from airlines to a university of higher education. Now there is another product that bears his name, likeness, and image.

Trump Violence.

The difference is, he has personally offered to finance those who end up in legal jeopardy for practicing it.

The cancelled rally in Chicago on Friday night was but the latest in a long series of evidence that points to physical danger when Trump’s persona and bluster run counter to those who happen to disagree.

In the last month at rallies where protestors got verbal but not violent Trump responded:
 “I’d like to punch him in the face.”

 “In the good ol’ days they’d have ripped him out of that seat so fast.”

 “Knock the crap out of him would ya?”

 “Seriously, OK, just knock the hell. I promise you I will pay for the legal fees, I promise, I promise.”

Nobody likes to be interrupted at their own events and its understandable that any person would become frustrated. But Trump in his frustration encourages those that are dealing with the protestors to “knock the crap” and “knock the hell” out of the people that are protesting him. He appeals to the lowest instincts of our human nature. 

He has the mindset of a mob boss. He feigns that toughness on the debate stage where he then feels the need to defend the size of his own manhood. He’s insecure. Bullies usually get that way because they are.

So is it presidential?

This narrative of Trump’s allowance of punitive violence to be exercised against those that seem to oppose him feeds the rhetoric that he’s a bully and incapable of exercising true leadership beyond that of brute force.

That in turn dismantles the entire caricature that he has painted of himself in this election cycle. He’s constantly posed as the “tough guy who will find solutions.” So is he going to be tough on Iran? Or cut a deal with them? Or tough on Mexico and China or more deals? 

His past has consisted of paying off whoever he needed to in Congress to get deals done. Who does he pay off when he represents us in the White House?

Trump is no innovator. He doesn’t use creativity to solve problems. He’s not even especially equipped in the area of thinking on his feet. His debate performances have demonstrated this in spades. 

He mumbles repetitive answers with little detail and has such thin skin that he feels he must respond to almost every perceived slight from opponents or moderators.

His most consistent claim through the campaign thus far is that he can strike deals better than anyone. That may be. Bullies are usually great in negotiations. Exploiting those who are weaker, dumber, and smaller than you doesn’t take a great amount of skill. It just requires larger resources.

It is however notable that Trump may be the thinnest skinned candidate to run for office. Lashing out at people is a habit for him. He does it because he has been able to his entire life. His inability to be criticized, critiqued, or in some cases just analyzed speaks to things that go beyond his control, and his response more often than is comfortable for me has been disastrous.

It is so because it speaks to a deeper issue, which is, the character involved in dealing with people.
Former FoxNews contributor and reporter for Breitbart.com (the most pro-Trump website on the web) Michelle Fields saw such a bad backhand from the “taking care of business” attitude that #TrumpTrain gives off that she found it necessary to file assault charges against Trump’s campaign manager.

Trump’s response—even after evidence surfaced that showed his campaign manager pulling on Fields, and her social media feed documented the bruises that ensued?

He blamed the victim.

“I think she made it up.”

Of course Trump isn’t responsible for any of the bad behavior of other people. And it seems that around him there is an epicenter of justified violence that breaks out no where else. A thinking person might ask, “why?”

But while he can’t be held responsible for the initial acts, he can and should be held accountable for the responses—particularly irresponsible responses—that encourage more violence to be allowed, occur, or even encouraged.

Trump often likes to compare himself to Ronald Reagan.

The problem being that Ronald Reagan had an element of character that while it suffered no non-sense, his inner circle, campaign, and staffers never found themselves constantly having to defend themselves against accusations of physical violence.

Reagan even engaged protestors in his runs for President.

The one thing President Reagan never did was give a racist attending his rally a blank check for legal support for “knocking the hell” out of someone for merely disagreeing with him.

Trumpangelicals… Who Is They?

Why are 32% of the Evangelicals who are voting supporting Donald Trump in the primary season this year?

Kevin? What? How can you say only 32% of Evangelicals are supporting the Trumpster?

Because that’s the way it is.

68% of Evangelicals are opposing him. And 70% of Republicans are opposing him. In fact IF he wins the nomination, he is at this point poised to do it with a lower percentage of the vote than Romney and McCain COMBINED.

And since Marco Rubio is losing Florida to Trump he should drop out and make this a true two man race.

But all that aside, my friend and fellow broadcast colleague at Salem Media Group – Steve Deace penned a superb analysis for actual evangelicals and their supposed support for the Trump, what it means, and why it is important.

We get into a lot of other items as well. And I want every one of you to buy his new book A NEFARIOUS PLOT.

But here’s a preview, and some pretty “yuggggggge” Binge Thinking for tonight:

Trump’s Grand Solution

I believe I have struck the solution that the GOP is looking for. The anxiety of the current 70% of the GOP electorate that does not support Mr. Trump has a way of being assuaged.

Of course that will require less megalomania and more leadership from the “‘Merica Eff-yeah” front runner.

But since I love to pose solutions to problems I believe many grassroots fears could be solved, then the Trump-identified-poorly-educated supporters could still say “‘Merica Eff-yeah” and the decent people in society could actually feel that their nation wasn’t being wholly co-opted for the worst piece if reality television in history.

I pose this solution because without some concessions on Anti-Trumper’s parts the bitterness that the electorate put forward a grown man with the temperament and vocabulary of a 3rd grader in the midst of the most accomplished, talented and dignified class of candidates the GOP has had in my lifetime will eat away at them like a cancer.

And since (even though he hasn’t figured it out yet) Trump needs the anti-trump GOP to support him vs Hillary, this solution might soothe tattered nerves, rattled sensibilities, and help the dignified people who don’t tell China to “eff themselves” some degree of justification for pulling the lever for the only man to ever run for office completely devoid of a worldview and conscience.

So here goes:

I absolutely believe that–given the energized turnout of the GOP primary–Donald can beat Hillary IF, IF, IF, he reaches out to those he’s offended.

For three reasons:
1. Hillary is the worst front runner the Dems have put forward in 50 years. (Think about the Charisma that Obama had…)
2. Even apart from her awful personality, she is vulnerable on fifty fronts… Exaggeration… But she has LOTS of weaknesses.
3. The energy and anger in the grassroots is setting records in every primary for the GOP. The Dems are recording record low enthusiasm for their process, the GOP is ready to burn down everything standing in DC and its reflected in 4 straight record turnouts, where second and third place finishes would’ve won any other year.

I have believed from the beginning whoever won South Carolina would win the nomination. That clearly is going to be Trump.

SO HERE’S the Grand Wager: I said months ago that because of the talent that was in the GOP field they should run the entire field as “the ticket/the cabinet.”

So Trump gets to play CEO. And his supporters keep telling us that he is the greatest delegater that has EVER come along.

Trump names Rubio as his running mate. Marco is the most likable candidate running. He’s too young to be the top dog. But he is a tea-party, establishment, and conservative appeal on the ticket that would be the ultimate “outsider” ticket in history. You also accomplish that very important goal of putting the most liked Hispanic on the ticket.

Trump names Cruz to the Supreme Court. The death of Scalia and the vapid emptiness of constitutional adherence that is in the courts presently scare conservatives literally to death. Cruz is the foremost constitutional scholar in the race. He’s actually argued and won 5 cases at the Supreme Court. He memorized it when he was 18. He lives and breathes to be its biggest defender. And he would be a JUST replacement for the former lion of the chamber. Cruz fans understand how this would in someways insure America’s constitutionality long past the Trump era.

With his two biggest rivals now turned into his two most important wing-men he would capture 95% of the GOP vote and have loyalty at every position.

He’ll probably also name a number of other candidates–Governors especially–to cabinet posts. Cristie is a shoo-in for Attorney General, Kasich is a natural for Labor Secretary, Fiorina for Secretary of State or Commerce Secretary, Carson for Surgeon General, Huckabee as Director of Faith Based Initiatives, Santorum as National Security Administration, Walker as Education Secretary, Jindal as Secretary of Agriculture…

Just suggestions but you see how deep the bench is.

If Trump is a serious patriot. This suggestion has rigorous merit. And it would silence a great deal of the worry that the anti-Trump universe has towards his recent conversion to “conservatism.”

And if he REALLY loves America, and REALLY loves the conservative ideals that have given her the greatness she has displayed, this is a win for all!

Binge-Cast: KTMcfarland/Gitmo, ADF/Trump/PPFA

I’d absolutely love it if you were joining me daily for the 4+ hours of new content we are producing each day. Having said that–I don’t even PRETEND to have the time to listen to four hours of radio per day so why should I expect something from you that I can’t do?

Having said that, I’m pretty sure you might be interested in the good stuff. And today we’ve got GREAT stuff. So in the national release today, lots of analysis of Obama’s Gitmo beg. KT McFarland, former Reagan Asst Secretary of Defense, will give us her thoughts on that, on the situation in the middle east, and on Hillary’s liability visa vie her emails. PLUS the Alliance Defending Freedom’s Casey Mattox joins me to decipher the confusing stand Donald Trump takes on Planned Parenthood.

I’m pretty sure you don’t want to miss this one.

And if you’d like to keep from missing any of them in the future, click through to my soundcloud page and subscribe.

Later I felt it necessary to respond to the guys named Vinny, Joey, Frankie, Stevie, and Angry Al. They don’t sound like the types you want to leave unaddressed. Then Karol Markowicz and KT McFarland.