CLICK

Do you hear it? That loud clicking? That is the sound of presidential power ratcheting up.

We have heard this same clicking sound during nearly every crisis our nation has faced since George Washington turned down his chance to be King. Usually, it is justified by a true emergency. However, as history shows, once the power ratchets up, it seldom retreats.

According to the Brennan Center for Justice,

Although the very concept of “emergency” suggests a temporary, short-term event, states of emergency last a long time, and they’re getting longer. Thirty-one of the 58 states of emergency declared since the National Emergencies Act [NEA] was passed are still in effect today. The average duration of declared emergencies is 9.6 years. Twenty-five emergencies have lasted 10 years or longer [with]  the longest-lasting, Blocking Iranian Government Property, being persistently renewed for 39 years.

Now, despite legislative action mostly in his favor, President Trump has declared an emergency on the southern border for the express purpose of freeing up money to build a wall he could not get funded (to the level he wanted) through proper channels.

Do not get me wrong, we need a wall.  But not at the cost of trashing the Constitution and the checks and balances that have kept us free from tyranny for over 200 years.

According to the Constitution, the decision on how to pay for federal expenditures is the exclusive responsibility of Congress. In this most recent crisis, the more important question is whether Trump’s extra-constitutional methods to fund the wall is more dangerous than the threatened influx of illegal aliens if we don’t build it.

I think they are.

Calling the border crisis a national emergency is disingenuous. It’s nothing more than a straw man created to build support for legislation unlikely to pass otherwise. Rahm Emanuel put it best a few years ago when he instructed his fellow politicians, “You never want a serious crisis to go to waste.” I’ll add, even if you have to manufacture the crises.

The good news for Trump, however, is that there are no definitions in the NEA laying out the elements of a national emergency. However, common sense (and any dictionary) tells us that a national emergency, like any other emergency, ought to be unexpected, unusually dangerous, and require immediate attention to avoid catastrophic disaster.

Using this definition, it is hard to say illegal border crossings are unexpected since presidents and legislators have been looking for solutions for years. Legislative incompetence is not a National Emergency. And while the crisis has caused some dangerous situations, according to U.S. Customs, border crossings have been steadily decreasing since 2000. Arguably, the only thing that has changed is the recent political emphasis on immigration as both parties try to claim the high ground.

The NEA does not give any specific additional powers to the President. However, it opens up a broad range of additional powers across a broad range of other programs and regulations.

For example, the Brennan Center for Justice provides a list of additional powers the executive Branch gains when he declares a national emergency. It is 41 typewritten pages long.

The list includes emergency powers that enable the President to take over all U.S. citizen communications, an expedited ability to seize citizen property under eminent domain, and the ability to re-allocate funds from one government agency or department to another.

Most of these additional powers are reasonable in helping a sitting President react quickly during a time of severe crisis. However, they are also easily abused if the emergency declaration is just a smoke screen to bypass legislation the executive does not like.

Jonah Goldberg writing for National Review last week put it this way, “There is no national emergency now, but he steered himself into a political one. And neither he nor his cheerleaders can see the difference.”

Keep in mind, many Democrats are only against this action because it is not their man in the White House. For now, they can only dream of the day they regain the presidency and they can use this new power established through Republican precedent.

Meanwhile, the power of the president and the importance of the presidential election ratchet up and the Congress becomes even less relevant. If you are counting on the Supreme Court to save us – do not hold your breath. The Court’s historic reluctance to limit executive emergency powers is what got us here in the first place.

So lobby for the wall, write your legislators, but be cautious about supporting a plan that abandons the Constitution just to check off a campaign promise. We will all regret it when the next President decides that gun violence, the new green deal, or any other liberal cause is suddenly a national emergency.

 

Read Full Post »

Happy Anniversary

Be careful what you wish for – you might just get it.

One of my wishes was always to meet a politician that spoke their mind without political filters. But in President Trump, I got more than I bargained for (or wanted).

Yet at the one-year anniversary of his presidency, I find myself starting to settle into his style. It’s like in the Shawshank Redemption when Morgan Freeman, playing the part of Red, says:

“These walls are funny. First you hate ‘em, then you get used to ‘em, enough time passes, you get so you depend on them. That’s institutionalized.

I’ve been institutionalized.

I still hate it when Trump sounds off with some comment that is unfair, untrue or uncouth. But I have to admit, I like seeing a politician who is not cowed into silence by political correctness. I think it’s fun watching liberals pale at his brazen, brash, and often outrageous comebacks.

Unlike the leftist media, I actually care more about what he does than what he says. So let’s take a look at the Trump’s first year:

The good

• He kept his word and nominated a fantastic Supreme Court Justice. Since then, he has gotten a record number of Federal Appellate Judges through the nomination process.
• The economy is booming for the first time in years, thanks, in large part, to an improved attitude among savers, shoppers and sellers who believe that with tax cuts and less government regulation the economy is bound to improve.
• He is enforcing immigration law and attacking what John Wohlstetter, writing in The American Spectator, calls “the unholy Trinity [of illegal immigration], the visa lottery tilted towards migrants from culturally incompatible places; unchecked ‘chain migration’ of distant relatives; and keeping open a largely unprotected Southwest border.”
• He is taking meaningful action to stop the proliferation of nuclear weapons in North Korea and Iran.
• He has put the UN and NATO on notice that financing men and money to keep the world safe is not just a U.S. responsibility.
• He has strengthened the relationship between the United States and Israel by recognizing Jerusalem as their capital.
• He is not the despot many worried he would be.

The Bad

• Obamacare still exists (although weakened).
• The far left and the far right are even farther apart and even less willing to negotiate.
• Political drama is crushing any good news on policy achievements.
• As one blogger put it, “Trump uses Twitter like cat owners use laser pointers.”
• As of this writing, the government is shut down.

The Politics

The controversy surrounding Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) is the “official” reason for the government shutdown.

Democrats say the Republicans will not negotiate on fixing DACA. Republicans say DACA has no place in budget negotiations. However, the Republican argument is weakened by the fact that they did the same thing in 2013 when they held the budget hostage to negotiations over Obamacare.

According to a recent CNN poll taken just before the government shutdown, a majority of Americans (56 percent) say finding a solution for the DACA program should not be allowed to derail a budget plan that keeps the government operating. However, that same poll finds that a slim majority of Americans will still blame the Republicans for any shutdown.

Here is an email I got from the Democratic Party (I keep my eye on what they are doing):

It’s official — Republicans have shut down the federal government.

They control the White House and both chambers of Congress, and under their watch, they haven’t been able to govern and keep the lights on.

If they’re not capable of doing the job they were elected to do, we know plenty of Democrats running across the country who are up to the task.

Pitch in $10 right now to throw Republicans out and elect Democrats who will get the job done.

With your help, we’ll make Republicans pay for this.

Thanks,

The Democrats

It’s all a political game designed to raise money.

However, like my wish for a straight talking politician, Democrats may not get exactly what they want. Without the news screaming how terrible the shutdown is, most Americans will never notice the loss of these “non-essential services.” Realizing that, instead of turning against Trump, they might instead start supporting his government trimming.

Achieving world peace and perpetual prosperity could not convince the far left that Trump is anything but an obnoxious entertainer who snuck into office because of stupid clingers and haters. Reasonable conservatives, however, will probably now admit that Trump’s first year, overall, was pretty good. If the economy continues to improve and we don’t end up at war with North Korea, his first term has a good chance of success.

That is a big change in where I stand. What do you think?

Read Full Post »

“I Hate Trump”

Hating Trump, as far as I can tell, must be the primary driving force behind what appears to be a clinical level case of insanity currently sweeping the Democratic Party.

Consider the craziness from the left following the firing of the former FBI director James Comey. What else can explain how a group that only months ago was screaming for his firing, now complains when it’s finally done?

Admittedly, Trump being Trump, did a poor job of releasing the news and taking the action, but that does not make Trump an evil mastermind – it makes him a bad politician – and we already knew he was that.

Predictably, pundits like Bob Schieffer, a leftist apologist at CBS, said the situation reminded him of the conspiracies surrounding the Kennedy assassination.

“This is Nixonian,” said Sen. Bob Casey, Democrat of Pennsylvania.

“Not since Watergate have our legal systems been so threatened and our faith in the independence and integrity of those systems so shaken,” said Senator Richard Blumenthal, Democrat of Connecticut.

The complaints are overblown to the point of insanity – not even considering the hypocrisy.

Conservative journalist Matthew Continetti puts it in perspective,

“Throughout his time in Washington, Comey had managed to annoy no less than three presidents — Bush on surveillance, Obama on law enforcement, Trump on Russia. Bush and Obama worried about the backlash that would ensue if they derailed Comey … Trump has no such hang ups.”

Regardless of whether you believe firing Comey was a good thing, the truth is, the left’s complaints are driven more by their hate for Trump and therefore, anything he does, than it is by the facts of the matter – and that is crazy.

But this is not new stuff from the far left. Demonizing opponents rather than arguing the issues has been their primary tactic for decades.

And now, with a Republican President willing to join them in the melee, the chances of our divided politic doing anything together that is truly meaningful, has about as much chance as there is that Berkeley will invite Rush Limbaugh to be their next commencement speaker.

Only unreasonable hate explains why, according to the far left and the media, everything Trump does or says is wrong. When your best argument is that the other guy is a fascist, homophobic bigot, you cannot afford to let anything pass that might make them appear human.

It seems insane that most of the media ignores an improving economy, reduced illegal immigration, the confirmation of Gorsuch, and a foreign policy that, in comparison to Obama, is not the complete train wreck that many expected.

But we cannot let Republicans completely off the hook either. Is there any doubt, that if Nancy Pelosi came up with a perfect bill that put healthcare back in the hands of the market, insured that everyone got great medical care, while costing the taxpayers nothing – that the Republicans would reject it simply because it came from Pelosi.

This needs to stop.

There has been some small progress. More politicians are running as uniters and some, like Joe Machin, the Democratic Senator from West Virginia, and yes, even Paul Ryan, the Republican Speaker of the House, seem to be trying to reach across the aisle and reject hyper- partisanship. Perhaps they are the first to see the frustration of the silent majority – I prefer to believe they are finally doing what’s right.

Pulling back from the abyss of a deeply divided country is not going to be easy or fast. It will take the combined efforts of brave, independent politicians, and a push to action from the people.

Bryant McGill, author, activist, and social entrepreneur writes, “One of the most sincere forms of respect is actually listening to what another has to say.”

Often, what we discover is that the divide is not as big as we thought.

The vast majority of Americans, on both sides, are good and reasonable people who want what is best for the country. The problem is (thanks to yellow journalism, which seeks the spectacular over the truth) is that the reasonable people are drowned out by those on the fringe who get all the headlines and therefore the larger voice.

We need to stop hating Trump. We need to stop hating Pelosi. Remember, even a broken clock is right twice a day. Listen to understand, take the good from what you hear, and use the truth wherever you find it – despite the partisanship of the politicians and the pundits.

Punchbowl Shelter

Read Full Post »

Fake News?

The headlines read, “Trump says media is the enemy of the American people.” Could this be true?

Better check for “fake news.”

After all, one of the biggest news stories last week was the ongoing war between Trump and the mainstream media, and against this background, I was betting the headline was a little overblown.

Here is the actual tweet from Trump:

“The FAKE NEWS media (failing @nytimes, @CNN, @NBCNews and many more) is not my enemy, it is the enemy of the American people. SICK!”

Obviously, the tweet was in response to all the heat he has been taking from particular media outlets – which he names. The truth, unlike what the headline suggests, is not that Trump hates media, but that he is concerned about biased reporting.

But is Trump right? Have these selected media outlets become our enemy? It is an important question.

Thomas Jefferson, in 1787, wrote “The basis of our government being the opinion of the people, the very first object should be to keep that right; and were it left to me to decide whether we should have a government without newspapers, or newspapers without a government, I should not hesitate a moment to prefer the latter.”

Abraham Lincoln wrote, “Whoever molds public sentiment goes deeper than he who enacts statutes or pronounces judicial decisions.”

No one argues today against the vital role media plays in our democracy. However, many argue that unless media remains fair, unbiased and trustworthy they cannot do their job properly. If they ignore the moral responsibilities of a free press, and move from watchdog to lapdog, for either side, how can they be anything but an enemy to freedom?

It was grassroots media such as Common Sense, by Thomas Paine that convinced our founding fathers to fight a war they could not possibly win – and then win it. But when modern printing methods first combined with a free press and capitalism – yellow journalism ruled – for a while. Nevertheless, by the mid-20^th Century, modern Journalism was back to work (mostly) doing its job as the Fourth Estate with reporters such as Woodward and Bernstein speaking truth to power – even to bringing down a dishonest President.

Now, in less than a generation, we’ve gone from newspapers and evening TV news to a flood of constant news updates, available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Everyone is a reporter and everyone can choose the flavor of news they wish to hear.

For the most part, this is a good thing.

However, like with any new technology, with great potential comes great risk. Professional news sources now compete with fake news peddlers who can make a fortune in advertising fees by publishing anything that gets attention on Facebook.

A recent paper in Human Communication Research discovered that the key mechanism in determining how much a story is shared on Facebook is how angry it makes the reader. The more anger you generate, the more your story is shared, and the more money you make.

The mainstream media is not immune to this reality. Combine that with the political bias of most media outlets (proven by scientific studies and by just watching the news) and you have media headlines that scream about the Trump administration deporting transgenders while leaving out (or burying deep in the story) the fact that the individual deported was a repeat criminal offender.

Or how about the NY Times Headline claiming a Russian/Trump connection and then waiting till well into the article before mentioning that there was no proof that there was actually any connection at all.

This is yellow journalism again – and yes – if that is what Trump was referring to, it is a serious danger to our freedom. It throws gas on the fire of divisiveness, which is already near as bad as it was just before the Civil War.

Should Trump be more careful with his tweets? Of course. While most Americans are glad to see a politician actually speaking his mind – they also recognize that sometimes we think things we ought not to say – especially if we are President of the United States.

Today, we still need journalists willing to speak truth to power. Journalists with the guts of Paine and the tenacity of Woodward. Journalists who report the facts honestly, regardless of their party’s platform.

I have no problem with the press being tough on Trump. I wish they had had this much fire in the belly during the Obama Administration. I also have no problems with Trump being hard on the press. They are both adults – so handle it!

True journalism will eventually win, just as it did after the flirt with yellow journalism at the end of the 19^th Century. The sooner Americans demand it, the sooner it will happen. There will always be a market for the unvarnished truth and professionals willing to dig for it. And if I’m wrong, then at least those journalist who tried, can go to bed at night knowing they were no enemy to the American People.

Punchbowl Shelter

 

Read Full Post »

No More Bandwagons for Me

I have to admit to enjoying, at least a little bit, the consternation, gloom and doom on the left as Donald Trump became president.

I justified this glee by comparing how those on the losing side reacted when compared to those of us who were the losers last time.

Here is what I wrote in January 2013:

“The question remains, what can conservatives do about it.

I think we keep fighting … in the arena of ideas, Conservatives have the advantage since the truth, when well presented, is very persuasive.  That advantage, coupled with a sincere concern for the future of our country will easily win at least the extra five percent we need to haul the politicians back in line with basic American principles … It is always hard to lose a close fought competition, and the first day after the election, I was ready to concede the country, cling to my religion and guns and consign the American people to their justified fate. But that’s not my way – and I’ll bet it not yours … Besides, there will always be a next time.”

I think the contrast is most stark when compared with the immaturity of the far left who sat out the inauguration, rioted, and are now filing frivolous lawsuits. It seems most Conservatives, faced with political loss, move on – looking for better ways to make their argument. Too many Liberals whine, complain and look for an opponent to demonize.

Nowhere was the whining more evident than in Wired magazine this month. I subscribe to Wired for the latest communications technology news. In this last issue, however, nearly every article had outrageous prophecies about how Trump would destroy personal communications. That is, except for when they complained about how he had unfairly used Twitter to bypass the liberal media.

I could not believe an otherwise top-notch technology magazine turned itself into an attack dog for the left.

I am firmly convinced that this type of unreasonable political discourse is what cost the left the election and is now driving their sense of desperation. When you paint your opponent as the worst possible human being, and they win anyway, it will seem that your way of life is over.

The world of liberals, however, is not ending. The same system of federalism and divided government, which I have often talked about protects conservatism, will also protect liberals – despite their dire warnings otherwise.

James Lileks writing for National Review gives a great example. He says the Left fears that Trump will abolish the Department of Education (DOE) and education for the poor will disappear. In reality, he continues, the Department of Education doesn’t actually educate anyone, and even before there was a DOE, “somehow we invented flight, built the Hoover dam, and went to the moon.”

But instead of arguing the issue, the left demonizes Betsy DeVos (Trumps pick to head the DOE) because she supports school choice (a non-union friendly position). Yet studies show that under the DOE, minority students in our largest cities continue to score well below their peers in practically every state. And States, according to the U.S. Constitution, still control education – especially K-12. There is then, only so much that an education secretary can do, so calling DeVos a “grave threat” to education is both ridiculous and un-informed.

However, the bigger problem is how they deify their own party candidates. By refusing to look critically at Hillary, they put Trump in the White House.

The Republicans are now making the same mistakes.

If there is a bright spot in all this, it’s that with the left scrutinizing everything Trump does – and about half of the Republicans doing the same thing, we may actually achieve a level of citizen engagement worthy of a free people.

Remember after the first inauguration of Obama when several Hollywood stars created a video where they pledged themselves to him?

I found that a little creepy.

But it will be just as creepy if Republicans start pledging undying devotion to Donald Trump.

If you feel the need to pledge, pledge yourself to the Constitution, freedom, equality, or peace – not to a politician.

That can never end well.

Gordon B. Hinckley, past President of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (the Mormons) once told his membership.

There is a terrible ailment of pessimism in the land, it’s almost epidemic. We’re constantly fed a steady and sour diet of character assassination, faultfinding, evil speaking of one another. …I come … with a plea that we stop seeking out the storms and enjoy more fully the sunlight. I’m suggesting that we accentuate the positive. I’m asking that we look a little deeper for the good, that we still our voices of insult and sarcasm, that we more generously compliment virtue and effort.

Joe Bouchelle (my dad) says, “If the looney left and the radical right would give it a rest and the MSM would do an honest job, maybe…just maybe…the United in the title of our country might be meaningful again.”

That’s where I stand too.

Read Full Post »

Thankful for … Trump?

I never thought I would write these words, but I am glad Trump won the election. Let me tell you why.

Like many Americans, it’s mostly because Hillary did not win.

Imagine a year from now with Hillary Clinton as president. The government remains bitterly divided and unable to accomplish anything of value. Hillary operates under the cloud of an indictment for illegal activities within her foundation. The threat of impeachment, especially with a Republican Congress, is no longer a far-fetched notion, but a real possibility. The government and the nation are in a constant state of turmoil.

After several tries at nominating a far left Supreme Court Justice, Hillary finally submits a name that the Republicans, tired of the haggling, hold their noses and approve. They do it for strictly political reasons, and to avoid being called obstructionists in another “do nothing” Congress.

With a liberal-activist majority on the Supreme Court, the Second Amendment is in serious jeopardy. The power of the President to ignore the Constitution, the separation of powers, and to write new laws in the form of executive orders and new regulations is practically unhindered. As a result, the economy, which has struggled to recover under the oppressive, nonbusiness friendly regime of Obama, continues to stagnate as illegal immigrants continue to flood the country looking for jobs.

Identity politics increase exponentially under Clinton, and with the increase, race relations continue to deteriorate. The Justice Department and the IRS remain weapons of the President who continues to use them against those who question liberal orthodoxy.

Hillary continues her pattern of weak and ineffective foreign policy, and the world continues to laugh at the United States.

That imagined scenario, not at all far-fetched, had me cheering the election results.

But will Trump be better?

We do not have to guess for this scenario, we only have to wait and see. But at the very least, we will have someone tougher on illegal immigration, tougher on foreign trade deals, tougher on international treaties that do not serve American Interests, tougher on taxes and tougher on regulatory overreach.

If he proves good to his word, we can count on at least one and maybe three Supreme Court Justices who will interpret and not create new law.

And Trump has already started draining the swamp with his nomination of Jeff Sessions as head of the Justice Department. Sessions will move the Department from its current role of enforcer of Liberal policy, regardless of the law, to enforcer of the law as written by the legislature.

Perhaps, under the leadership of Betsy DeVos, the Department of Education will start serving students instead of the Teacher’s Union. Math, science and reading scores, which have not changed significantly in the last ten years, might actually improve.

And then there is this.

I think Donald Trump never actually believed he could win the Presidency. That is why he said and did things that that real Presidential candidates never say or do. Now, however, reality is setting in, and the mantle of the presidency is beginning to weigh heavy on the shoulders of Mr. Trump.

That is good news for the American people.

He has already started to moderate his tone and rhetoric. He seems less willing to trade barb for barb and seems to be trying to raise himself above the fray.

Liberals, of course, worry that he is a dictator in waiting. Good! It is about time they joined many of us on the right who have similar concerns with anyone who takes the oath of office for President of the United States. Even with separation of powers and Constitutional limits, we have seen how a president (think Obama) can skirt and even ignore these limitations.

The advantage with Trump is that under the now watchful eye of the left (and their media lap-dogs) combined with a steady gaze from those non-Kool-Aid drinkers on the right, this President will be more critically watched by more Americans than any president in modern history.

Mike Lee, Senator from Utah, recently wrote in a National Review article that one advantage that populists (like Trump) have, is their uncanny ability to identify social problems. Their weakness, however is that without a coherent philosophy, they tend toward inconsistent solutions. Working with Conservative Republicans who can supply these consistent solutions, we might just have a synergistic relationship that works for the American people.

I think that is what the voters wanted this last election – I am praying that is what they get.

Punchbowl Shelter

Read Full Post »

Trump’s Road to victory – through the ghetto?

If you have read my blog before, you know that I am no supporter of Donald Trump. However, you also know that in a head-to-head contest between Trump and Hillary – I will hold my nose and vote for Trump because of his stand on the Second Amendment and his promise to nominate conservative Supreme Court Justices.

However, ever since the bump in the polls Clinton got after her convention, many pundits are already counting Trump out.

You have to giggle at that one.

How many times over the last two years, have the “experts” told us that Trump’s campaign was dead in its tracks?

How often have I made the same mistake? With a nominee as weak as Hillary, Democrats cannot afford to underestimate Trump.

Even so, most agree that this is a tough row to hoe for Trump.

Recently, however, he may have stumbled on a good tactic – appeal to the black vote.

Okay, I can hear you laughing already. However, it may not be as crazy as you think. While according to a recent Quinnipiac poll, Hillary Clinton is beating Trump among Blacks 91 to 1 – that just means Trump has nothing to lose by chasing the African American vote.

All the dissatisfaction in the African American community may have created the perfect storm where black leaders (just like the droves of Republican voters who turned to Trump as an alternative to the same ole-same ole) are finally starting to question their loyalty to the Democratic Party. Trump can make a legitimate case, without pandering, that if his policies can really improve the American economy, it will help all Americans regardless of the color of their skin.

Some African American leaders seem to agree.

Quanell X, a New Black Panther Party leader in Houston said this about Trumps outreach to the black community, “It is a fact that for 54 years we have been voting for the Democratic Party like no other race in America. And they have not given us the same loyalty and love that we have given them. We as black people have to reexamine the relationship. We’re being pimped like prostitutes…”

Former Black Panther Clarence Mason Weaver says democrats are the party of groups. He said he supports Trump because, “…what Donald Trump will do for taxes will help black taxpayers and white taxpayers. What he will do for jobs will help black workers and white workers… [and] what he will do, he will do for America and not my pigmentation.”

Last week on CNN’s New Day, Chris Cuomo brought in Marc Lamont Hill, author and host of BET News and Dan Bongino, former Secret Service agent and current candidate for Congress to discuss Trump’s polling poorly with African-Americans.

At one point, Dan Bongino said:

If I was granted omnipotence by the Lord tomorrow to change one thing, it would be to be able to walk into the black community, largely in inner cities, and say, please, look at what’s happening here. I mean, these communities have been ruled monopolistically by far left big government liberals for decades. In some cases since the ’20s and ’30s. These communities have been driven into the ground. I mean, you don’t have to be a scientist to look at the evidence, the correlational evidence right in front of you. Liberalism correlates with poverty and high crime every single place it’s been tried. Yet, you have some members of the black community which support the democratic party, which continues to bankrupt them. I wish I could change it. I wish the Trump campaign could as well.

Lamont Hill, did not like that statement, but his response made a similar point:

… we need a new way out, but the new way out isn’t to just crack down on Democrats and bring Republicans in. We need new policies that bring in jobs, that bring in investment, and that change the relationship between police and community. That’s not a partisan issue. That’s a much bigger issue.

One of Trumps few strong points is his perceived expertise on the economy. If he can convince voters he will focus that strength in troubled, poor, inner city communities, he might attract some minority support and make the moderates a little more comfortable in voting for him. As Trump might say, “What have you got to lose?”

Alveda King, civil rights activist and niece to the late Martin Luther King Jr. said perhaps the African American community should “forget the personality and look at the platform.”

Perhaps that, hope and prayer, is the best any of us can do this election.

Read Full Post »

The power of honest critisism

 

You know what a “yes man” is – right? They are typically mid-level supervisors whose main value is their willingness to agree with everything the boss says and call it inspired. Good leaders ignore these leeches; bad leaders promote them.

The problem with “yes-men,” is that they shield the boss from reality. The Boss then, basking in manufactured glory, sits fat, dumb and happy while it all comes crashing down around him. In a culture of “yes men,” everyone eventually loses.

Too many in the Trump camp are becoming yes-men.

I was reading a column Last week where a conservative pundit was questioning Trumps commitment to freedom of the press. In the comments, an obvious Trump supporter lambasted the reporter for questioning Trump when all his efforts (according to this Trump supporter) should be targeted at Clinton. “Questioning Trump,” the commenter wrote, “was doing nothing more than helping the Clinton campaign.”

That simply is not true.

Only in the upside down world of Trumpian politics does questioning our political leaders equate to supporting the opposition. It is our patriotic duty to speak up and let political leaders know what we think. To do less is to ignore our responsibility as citizens of the republic.

Many Trump supporters claim they like Trump because he is not a politician.  They’re joking – right?

Trump is the ultimate populist politician – a master at using entertainment, shock and awe to garner political support for his political ambitions – regardless of his policies.

And it has worked, so far.

But is there any doubt, in any rational mind, that Trump tests the political wind every morning before deciding which way to blow.

Therefore, questioning Trump serves two valuable purposes.

First, it builds consensus that Trump, the politician, feels compelled to follow.

Why do you think, after refusing for days to support the re-election of House Speaker Paul Ryan and Senator John McCain, Trump finally announced last Friday that he would support both? Just like any politician faced with a strong voice of the people, he reacted in his own political interest, and in this case, did the right thing.

Second, if we abandon our principles just to get someone elected, isn’t that defeating our own cause?

Doesn’t that put us in the same boat with those politicians who will say or do anything to get elected?

And is that really what being Republican is all about – electing anyone, as long as Republican is attached to their name?

If, as the Trump supporter said in his response to the columnist, Trump is our only realistic choice for beating Hillary, we need to push him to the right at every opportunity. He needs to understand that he needs conservatives to win, and that many conservatives are still not convinced.

In a recent Washington Post poll, 70 percent of the respondents said they were anxious about Trump becoming president. If Trump shows no willingness to respect conservative principles, what is the advantage of voting for him over Hillary? It would serve us better to start concentrating on Congressional races and hope the founder’s design of checks and balances is enough to get us through another four years of feckless presidential leadership.

Right now, the only reason I will vote for Trump is his promise to select conservative judges to the Supreme Court. If he is good to his word, we will at least have conservative leaders in two out of the three branches of government.

Abraham Lincoln, who some consider the greatest President, was known to select Cabinet members that disagreed with him just to make sure he was getting a fair picture of the Country’s situation. He was also brilliant at dealing with personal political attacks. Once, after hearing he had been called a “damn fool” by the Secretary of War, responded, “Well, Stanton speaks what is on his mind, and he is usually right about what he speaks, so if he called me a damn fool, I must be a damn fool. I will go to him now and find out why.”

Not exactly a Trumpian response – was it.

Even if I concede (and I am not ready to do that yet) that Trump would be a good President, I will never be a “yes-man” for any candidate – it’s bad for politics and bad for democracy.  If I have to choose between horrible and catastrophic, I want the candidates, the party and the public to know how I feel, and that I will try, as best I can, to move horrible closer to my way of thinking.

I suggest you do the same.

Read Full Post »

Survival Mode

Benjamin Franklin, as he left the Constitutional Convention was asked what government the convention had rendered, “A Republic,” he replied, “if you can keep it.”

A republican form of government, guaranteed by the Constitution, is one in which the people remain sovereign and government operates on their behalf through chosen representatives. Federalism (the separation of powers between the states and the federal government) and the separation of powers within the federal government (the three branches of government) were not just random thoughts, they were specific structures designed to limit government power and protect the freedom of the people.

This limiting of government power, at its core, is what conservatives are trying to conserve.

Sadly, too many Americans today have forgotten how vitally important limited government is to the future of individual liberty.

Hillary Clinton understands the meaning of a Republican form of government – but she could care less. Like most Liberals, she thinks government should rule the people – for their own good. Her goal is increased government power, especially that of the President, and she wants to yoke the people to government dependence in all its varied forms.

Donald Trump, the presumptive Republican nominee, too often sounds like Hillary, as he promises outrageous government solutions to every problem. I don’t believe that he completely understands what he is proposing – it is just his way of playing to the masses – but it has worked brilliantly so far.

He and his core supporters care much more about winning, than about old-fashioned political principles – from either side of the isle. Therefore, he will be just as conservative as he needs to be to win in November.

And that may be all abandoned conservatives need to survive.

Trump’s recent announcement of a list of conservative judges that he would choose from to fill Supreme Court vacancies was only the first in what many conservatives hope will be a continuing effort to woo them into the “big tent” he will need to win the Presidency.

If he follows through, however, it will mean much more than a win for populist politics.

Federalism only works when each branch of the government assumes and exercises their proper governing role. If Hillary Clinton becomes president, and then nominates her liberal activist friends to the Court, she will have effectively turned it from an independent branch of government into a pawn of the liberal agenda. Liberals, keep in mind, could care less about the proper role of the Supreme Court. They are perfectly happy with it enacting policies through judicial decree that otherwise had no chance of passing through the proper legislative process.

However, if Trump keeps his promise, conservatives will reinvigorate the Supreme Court to act in its proper role of conserving the political structures that have made America great. They will honor the Constitutional, separation of powers, States’ rights, and reign in the power of the president to write law – making the possibility of an Emperor Trump less likely.

Hillary is right when she accuses Trump of pandering to the NRA to gain conservative votes. But again, if he follows through after the election – all the better. It is one of the few issues where Trump is honestly to the right of Hillary.

The next step I suspect in this war for the hearts and minds of conservatives will be when Trump selects a proven conservative as his Vice Presidential running mate. He will do it to help him win, but Vice Presidents also can help a President in getting things done in Congress. If he takes this step, it will be another sign of his willingness to work with conservatives to get things done. We will see.

In short, given the situation as it currently stands, conservatives are correct to hold their nose and vote for Trump rather than waste their vote on a third party, not vote at all, or vote for someone who will pack the Supreme Court with liberal activists.

This is not an endorsement of Donald Trump.  I am not a Republican partisan whose principals fly out the window as soon as the political winds change, I will not endorse a power hungry, un-principled, narcissist who is only the nominee because his showmanship, not his principles, mattered more in this primary from hell.

But unless something new comes up, I will support his candidacy as the best of the worst options placed before conservatives in decades.

It is a vote for survival of the Republican form of government, the form given to us by the founders, but only we can keep it.

Read Full Post »

Trump

I just got back from a self-imposed, three week long news blackout (my wife calls a vacation), to discover some good news and some bad news.

The good news is that the Bush and Clinton political dynasties are being seriously challenged.

The bad news is that Trump is still leading the Republican pack.

I realize this may not be a popular position with some of my readers. But I make no secret that my political home has always been with traditional values and political conservatism.  Trump represents neither. So, if by some miracle he were to end up actually winning the Republican nomination – I guess I’d be homeless.

Two months ago, I said Trump was handy to have around, because, like the loudmouthed pilot in the flight platoon, he would say the things others were thinking but afraid to say. I stand by that assessment. However, what Trump supporters, and Trump, are missing, is that sometimes we think things that should not be said – mainly because they are wrong.

I am disappointed that so many people are willing to give Trump a pass simply because they enjoy watching him crush the politically correct like cockroaches caught in the middle of the kitchen when the light comes on. He is like the playful pup that chews your best shoes and pees on the carpet. You keep him around, hoping he grows out of it.

Ann Coulter, by her own admission, is “obsessed” with Trump – probably – because just like her, he makes his living being outrageous. But at least Ann tries to back her bombast up with a basic understanding of the issues. Trump has forgotten that part, as evidenced by his recent interview with conservative radio talk show host Hugh Hewitt.

Hewitt nailed Trump with what Trump would later call “gotcha” questions on foreign policy. Call me old fashioned, but I think knowing the differences between Hezbollah and Hamas might be critical knowledge for someone who says they want to be leader of the free world and an ally of Isreal.

Here’s the rub, while me we may want to keep the crazy rich guy around to keep things stirred up (I have to admit, he is fun to watch) do we really want him as President of the United States?

It is hard to put Trump into a box – but he is not a conservative. He is, however, a talented politician/entertainer who is able to slink from one position to another, at will, and get away with it. I worry that in today’s world of soundbite politics and uninformed voters, being a talented entertainer may trump (pun intended) being a talented statesman.

As a CEO, Trump comes from a background where essentially what he said was law. However, as President, he will run smack dab into this annoying little thing called the Constitution and separation of powers.

Even though Obama has come close to destroying the concept, just like the old veteran down the street who still keeps his gun in the closet in case he is ever needed again, that pesky constitutional construct is just waiting in the wings – likely to rear its patriotic head,  again and again. A President Trump will have to adjust his CEO tactics to convince two thirds of the government, the American people, and the media to support his ambitions for the country. You do not accomplish that by insulting your opponents.

The former Florida governor, Jeb Bush, who may have absorbed the biggest and heaviest hits from Donald Trump, put it this way, “Donald Trump is trying to insult his way to the presidency. It’s not going to work. People want an uplifting hopeful message.” I might add they also want a President to act presidential.

With Ben Carson, and Carly Fiorina (two of my favorites) also making significant advances in the polls, there is solid evidence that people are looking for an outsider – a different type of politician. However, I am not convinced they are looking for an entertainer that will turn the Office of President into a reality show.

Therefore, if I have to choose between a clueless, bombastic, self-absorbed outsider, or the boring conservative with a decent track record, who happens to be an insider – I’ll stay inside the house.

And if the choice becomes either Trump, or any of the Clinton, Sanders, Biden cartel, well I guess I’ll be living on the streets, politically homeless again.

Read Full Post »