2016 Election

[Ryan Ruck]

My write-in if Trump gets the nomination!

REALLY glad to see his name get some serious, public mention.

If Cruz does get the nomination, however, he would be an excellent VP!

This Man Can Save Us From Trump—and Clinton

March 26, 2016

He’s retired Marine General James Mattis. He’s an extraordinary American. Yes, it’s a longshot. But he is exactly what we need.



As the inevitability of a Donald Trump nomination grows, many Republicans are moving to the acceptance stage of grief. Trump’s unfavorability ratings are historic for a presumptive nominee. Some reputable polls have him as high as 60 percent negative, many others have him losing by double digits to Hillary Clinton. Retention of the Senate, already an uphill climb in an election year swelling with vulnerable Republican incumbents, is an equally dim prospect.

Not all conservatives have given up the ship. The presumptive Democratic nominee is a hair away from federal indictment. The presumptive Republican nominee is a reality-TV lunatic who has run multiple business ventures into the ground. Never before has a third-party candidate looked so viable, even the odd duck 1992 election that saw Ross Perot earn a generous share of the popular vote.

This third-party option would need to thread a needle. The candidate would have to be conservative, enough so that non-Trump conservatives —keep in mind this is a strong majority of traditional Republican voters—have reason to show up and pull a lever for him and the party’s Senate candidates. The candidate would also need to be sensible, experienced, and respected—not a demagogue like those who have so excited Republican voters this cycle. The name would need to be recognizable, but not in the garish celebrity sense like Mr. Trump. The candidate would need to convey strength in a year teeming with voter concerns about ISIS, cybersecurity, a rising Russia, and Chinese shield-thumping in the Far East.

So who better than retired Marine General James Mattis?

Mattis is a battle hardened warrior, renowned for his humble leadership style and aggressive pursuit of America’s enemies. Nicknamed the “Warrior Monk,” Mattis is something of a cult figure in the Marines. One such tale had the general relieving a young Marine captain of sentry duty on Christmas Day, taking up the post himself so the young officer could be with his family. He’s known for his excellence in both the arts of combat and diplomacy alike. Mattis led the First Marine Division in an aggressive thrust into the Euphrates River Valley in 2003, but also skillfully managed the kaleidoscope of conflicting diplomatic relationships as Commander of U.S. Central Command.

Mattis is a student of both history and economics, known for quoting Greek sophists but unafraid to dabble in some occasional profanity—though his famous blunt talk, famously known as Mattisisms, would seem mild in a year laced with Trump’s vulgarities.

He neuters both party frontrunners’ perceived strengths. Trump’s faux-tough guy act would crumble when met with an actual warrior, and Hillary Clinton’s foreign policy chops would seem like an 100-level International Relations course next to Mattis’s experience and expertise.

Mattis is vehemently apolitical and would likely be repulsed by the mere suggestion that he run. But so was another former general turned president, Dwight Eisenhower.

Eisenhower, history buffs will recall, was a late draft in the 1952 election. He was initially mortified by his name being mixed up in politics. After thousands showed up to a “Draft Eisenhower” rally in New York City, Ike reportedly wrote a friend saying, “I’ve never been so upset in years.”

Eisenhower was in Paris during the early primaries, commanding NATO forces and helping oversee implementation of the Marshall Plan. He did not campaign or make political media appearances. Yet Ike comfortably won the New Hampshire primary on March 3. It wasn’t until June 4 that Eisenhower made his first political speech, only after retiring as Commander of NATO forces in Europe two days prior.

Why the swell of support? The Draft Eisenhower movement exploded during the 1951 “Winter of Discontent,” when Americans were frustrated by an unpopular president, a stalemated war, and a sluggish economy. All this may sound familiar.

Americans were hungry for an outsider then, and are hungry for an outsider now. In an election year with voters on both sides of the aisle thirsty for a non-politician, who better than the reluctant General Mattis, whose first and foremost love is duty to his country?

Like Ike, Mattis would need to be pressed into service. It’s a tough proposition given Mattis’s long and selfless commitment to his republic. But tough times call for tough measures. He’s a man who has always answered the trumpet’s blast of flag and freedom. He knows, as do many voters, the ugly prospect of a Trump presidency and what it would mean for the rule of law, the sacredness of the office, and the integrity of the Constitution. He also knows how tough things have grown oversees, with America’s special role in the world slipping away each day.

So, if General Mattis does decide to help save America, does he have a shot? Absolutely. Donald Trump’s ceiling of Republican voters hovers around 40 percent. Many state polls, particularly those west of the Mississippi, have suggested that over 40 percent of GOP voters would pull a lever for a third-party candidate. In a year when Democratic primary turnout is low —a reliable forecast for low enthusiasm common of an incumbent party— and vice versa on the Republican side, there is plenty of room for a no-kidding American hero and political outsider to hit 35 percent of the vote in key states. If Trump, Clinton, and Mattis are all denied an outright majority in the Electoral College, the decision goes to the House of Representatives. There, Mattis has a real shot of cobbling together enough state delegations to crowd out Clinton and Trump alike.

Americans are craving a strong leader, one who is upright, honest, and unstained by political blood sport. General Eisenhower was one of America’s finest presidents. General Mattis would undoubtedly continue in that great tradition. Even in this screwed up political era, service and integrity still count for something. They’ve always been the backbone of this republic, and we could use a little of both right now.

So help us General Mattis, you’re our only hope.

[Backstop]

Hello folks! Long time no see!

Well, here's my stance.

Background: I think the nation is screwed and it's only a matter of time before it collapses from any one of several reasons: economy, TFP, islamoterrorists, etc. I figure my grandkids will see it, but I'll be dead and buried.

I think what sealed it for me was the USSC's ruling on the ACA. That set a precedent that greatly concerns me.

I firmly believe Hillary will win this election....by whatever means necessary.

Trump...holy cow Trump is stirring them up all right, and frankly I like it. And he's got the GOP Establishment running scared. Scared because he represents the end of their reign. And I'm absolutely convinced their reign needs to end.

Things need to be shook up right now, and Trump's doing it. Out with the old and in with something else.

That said, I firmly believe the GOP will also pull out all the stops to stop Trump. I'd wager the farm the GOP Convention will go brokered - I figure the GOP Establishment will ensure that it will by any means necessary.

I think Trump has a chance of winning enough delegates if things were left alone, but who really knows for sure.

That said, does Trump have the skills to turn this nation around, is he the best candidate...oh heck no. What he does represent is something different.

So what all that means is I think we're toast, I wouldn't mind seeing Trump win as it'll stir things up and maybe either the GOP will take the hint and find a more-Conservative course or go away all together. Trump won't do a lot of good, at this point I just don't think it matters, and the entertainment value is pretty good.

And if Hillary wins. I named her The Nail a while back. The Nail because she'll be the final nail in the coffin of this nation. IE: she'll do damage there's absolutely no turning around from.

[vector7]

Hi Backstop,

Good to see you again!

Yes, we are in deep trouble.

[Ryan Ruck]

Wow... An actual challenging interview for The Donald, unlike his visits to the Morning Schmoe, and choked hardcore.

And this is the guy that's supposed to beat Hillary with the entirety of the MSM backing her.

Trump Completely TANKS Interview with Wisconsin’s Charlie Sykes

March 28, 2016

Total annihilation — a radio interview with prominent Wisconsin conservative radio host Charlie Sykes quickly became Donald Trump’s most challenging of the entire campaign.

The interview left Trump sounding petty, uninformed, and childish.

Sykes began by asking Trump to apologize to Ted Cruz’s wife Heidi for attacking her personally. Trump refused to do so and repeatedly claimed that Cruz had circulated a picture his wife Melania had taken for a GQ photo shoot. Each time, Sykes correctly informed Trump that Cruz was not responsible for the ad he is referencing.

After coming across quite horribly on the personal feud with Cruz, Trump said he wanted to focus on policy — a conversation that also did not go well for him.

Sykes already had his gloves laced. He laid into Trump immediately, citing hundreds of thousands in donations to infamous liberals like Hillary Clinton and Harry Reid, Trump’s trashing of Ronald Reagan in his book, and a history of liberal positions included support for single-payer government run healthcare.

I was nearly cheering! Finally someone gave Trump the interview he deserved; finally he was asked tough questions from a critical host. This was a small example of how the media will treat him if he does win the nomination. There will be no more free rides, at that point they will destroy him for the ratings.

But for now, at least someone exposed that Trump has no cloths.

Take a listen:

"He started it! He started it! He started it!"

I'd expect to hear that shit from my 8 year old nephew and 5 year old niece, not from a Presidential candidate.

It would be hilariously comical if it didn't have such dire consequences.

[vector7]

This is like watching a train wreck in slow motion.

[Ryan Ruck]

This is like watching a train wreck in slow motion.

[vector7]

Yep that's it.

[Brian Baldwin]

Ryan, General Mattis would, IMO, make a great president. It's too late for him to really run though with so many debates missed, and primaries already done. I know some are suggesting third party or write in, but that would guarantee Hillary's victory. My personal hope is that Cruz can close the gap enough that he can get the nomination at the brokered convention and then as you say, nominate General Mattis as his VP maybe. In the meantime I'd like to see General Mattis making some public appearances to bolster his own brand in readiness to be accepted as the VP choice amongst the voters. Failing that, he'd be ready to run in 2020 for certain should everything go sideways for the GOP this election.

In my opinion I always thought that a presidential candidate should have military experience of some sort, (not that the service guarantees a great leader). Just never really sits well with me when someone without it wants to be Commander-In-Chief. Our nation and it's freedoms many times hinge on a strong military and decisive CIC. Of course this isn't to say there haven't been bad presidents that served and good ones that didn't, but then it's just my preference.

Either way I'd love to see such a fine military leader involved in the next administration at some level.

[MinutemanCO]

Hello folks! Long time no see!

Hey! Backstop. Good to see you. Hope all is well.

[Ryan Ruck]

Donald Trump: Security, Health Care, and Education Top Three Roles for Federal Government

March 29, 2016

At a televised town hall on CNN tonight, Donald Trump was asked what he believed the three most important priorities of the federal government. After saying he'd like to name "security" as all three top priorities, he gave host Anderson Cooper two more, healthcare and education.

So the frontrunner for the 2016 Republican nomination for president believes the top three roles of the federal government are:

1. Security
2. Health care
3. Education

You can consult the U.S. Constitution here to try to find where healthcare and education are enumerated as federal responsibilities.

The "cuckservatives" look like they're inside the house. Donald Trump's supporters have spent the last nine months arguing his conservative opponents weren't really conservatives.

Cooper seemed surprised, and asked what kind of role for education and healthcare the federal government should have. Trump gave a rambling answer about "the country as a whole" or something like that. Constitutional limits, pth. Your 2016 Republican frontrunner.

[Malsua]

Hi Backstop.

I agree with you. The only guy who represents even the slightest end to Status Quo is Trump.

Do I think he'll be a good president? Maybe, maybe not. The real answer is I DON'T CARE.

What I do care about is closing off immigration and kicking all the government ticks and leeches out of Washington.

Short of a bloody revolution, right now, Trump is the only one who will even remotely shake things up.

He may be all those things Ryan complains about. An idiot, clueless, out of his depth, whatever. Promoted to his level of incompetence? Probably, who cares.

If he goes in to Washington and reverses even a little bit of the insanity that emanates from there, we're ahead of the game.

At this point, I don't see Cruz doing that. In fact, the more I'm seeing of Cruz lately, the less I like of him. He's ok, and I think he'd be a fine president but I'm not sure that's what we need.

We need a category 5 super hurricane to just wreck everything, good, bad, great, horrible, doesn't matter. You have to cut away the dead tissue before you can heal.

[Backstop]

vector, minuteman, mal - good to be back. Thanks

-----------------------------

Mal, that's exactly what I'm thinking. Gotta admit I haven't done a lot of reading on Cruz because frankly I don't think he has a chance. For one thing I think he's alienated too many with his religious stance. FWIW I don't really have a problem with it.

Yeah Mal, I really really want someone to clean house in D.C. Fire them all, let's start over. Even though it's a slim chance (of recovery) it's the only chance we have.

Hi Backstop.

I agree with you. The only guy who represents even the slightest end to Status Quo is Trump.

Do I think he'll be a good president? Maybe, maybe not. The real answer is I DON'T CARE.

What I do care about is closing off immigration and kicking all the government ticks and leeches out of Washington.

Short of a bloody revolution, right now, Trump is the only one who will even remotely shake things up.

He may be all those things Ryan complains about. An idiot, clueless, out of his depth, whatever. Promoted to his level of incompetence? Probably, who cares.

If he goes in to Washington and reverses even a little bit of the insanity that emanates from there, we're ahead of the game.

At this point, I don't see Cruz doing that. In fact, the more I'm seeing of Cruz lately, the less I like of him. He's ok, and I think he'd be a fine president but I'm not sure that's what we need.

We need a category 5 super hurricane to just wreck everything, good, bad, great, horrible, doesn't matter. You have to cut away the dead tissue before you can heal.

[Malsua]

This article sums it up nicely. Read the entire thing.

My opinions run similar to Mike, Jack and especially Brendan as described below.
-

http://www.americanthinker.com/artic...upporters.html


Some of my best friends are Trump supporters
By Oleg Atbashian

Trump supporters are, perhaps, the only group of voters in this nation's history who have been so viciously and consistently maligned, and in such a coordinated manner, by both political parties. At the same time, not much is known about them, despite the recent spate of articles attempting to explain the phenomenon. The problem with that is that the authors admittedly don't know any of the Trump supporters themselves. Well, I happen to know quite a few of them personally.

Full disclosure: first, I can't vote because I'm not a U.S. citizen yet, despite my best and decades-long efforts -- but let's leave the immigration system's misplaced priorities for another day.

Second, I like to form my opinions about the candidates and their supporters independently, without taking advice from media pundits or Facebook messages from pro-Cruz acquaintances.

Third, I like both Cruz and Trump. I'm not as passionate about them as some; I'm merely pragmatic: I like anyone who can stop America's descent into socialism or, better yet, reverse the course entirely. I also realize that America has come to a point when having big ideas is no longer enough; in order to shake up the system and get the economy moving the next president must also be a bigger-than-life mover and shaker.

Since I'm not allowed to vote, I remain simply an objective observer of American politics, judging the process from the perspective of a former Soviet citizen, who during the times of the glorious Union of Soviet Socialist Republics was forced to cast single-name ballots for candidates I didn't know nor cared about. A total 100% voter turnout in practice meant total apathy: most people dropped paper ballots into the boxes without reading them. The occasional rare signs of passion were the ballots with crossed-out names and large capital letters saying, BLOODSUCKERS ALL; those were extracted by the KGB for handwriting analysis. Voting had become a periodic ritual of obedience and surrender before the powerful state and a reminder that we were all equal slaves in the eyes of our masters.

That memory makes American elections even more interesting. First it's the primaries, where candidates from each political party position themselves in a circular firing squad, trying to assassinate each other's character and reputation. Once only a few of them remain standing, their supporters start fighting and demonizing each other on social media to the point where to an objective observer every candidate looks like the most corrupt and immoral scoundrel and the worst human being who ever lived. Finally, the two surviving candidates from each party, badly wounded and bloodied, begin to punch each other in the wounds during the general election, as their supporters continue to fight and demonize each other on social media. The one who still stands by November is then declared Leader of the Free World.

At least that's how most foreigners see it, especially if they are unfamiliar with the differences between the two parties and get their facts from the mainstream media which always promotes one party and pretends to be fair to the other. Democracy is the worst form of government, except for all the others, said Winston S. Churchill, and he had his own political wounds to prove it.

This year's election especially fits the above caricature. The strongest fire from all media portholes and loopholes is directed at the Republican frontrunner, Donald Trump, and his supporters. They are being described as uneducated, angry, vengeful, racist, xenophobic, and plain stupid. Authors of these assumptions, mostly writing from within the Boston-New York-Washington corridor, admit that they don't even know anyone who likes Trump. But how can they write about what they don't know? When the electoral map is fluid, when things are happening rapidly in real time, and when no reliable historical data exists, we rely on personal experiences and anecdotal evidence. In the absence of such, the writers simply fill the gaps in their knowledge with their own prejudices, similar to how medieval mapmakers marked unexplored areas with "here be dragons."

There's a big probability that Trump supporters are, in fact, all around them, even in their own families -- and the reason why these writers don't know it, is their own snobbery. No one likes to be called stupid, his IQ questioned, or presumed to be an unthinking herd animal, and many simply don't have the time to stop and explain their reasons whenever a #Nevertrump activist feels like trashing Trump voters. Many simply choose to remain silent.

This study explains why many polls underestimated Trump's support: Trump has consistently polled better on anonymous online polls than on phone surveys because some of his supporters were unwilling to identify themselves publicly. In other words, public shaming didn't unwean Trump from his supporters but caused them to go underground.

Doesn't this also describe how the majority of Americans have felt in recent decades, being constantly shamed into silence by the "progressive" media, education, and the cultural establishment? I know this too well, having worked in New York's "progressive" corporate environment. My co-workers would ask me about life in the USSR and I would tell them exactly what I thought about socialism and political correctness until I realized that most of them didn't like my answers and I was only hurting myself by speaking my mind. Some gave me frightened looks, others stopped talking with me. I might as well have told them that life in the USSR was similar to life in New York, where people had to learn to keep their mouths shut and to look over their shoulders before saying anything remotely political. So much for emigrating into a free country. It felt like history was about to repeat itself. Until now.

Consider this story: there lived an apathetic silent majority, maligned and shamed by its leaders and the official media, and they thought it would never end. But one day a miracle happened: they suddenly heard a voice that articulated their own forbidden thoughts -- something they had been afraid to articulate in public, even though it was common sense -- words not dressed in flowery rhetoric and rounded sentences, but delivered roughly, in a regional accent of the common man -- plain and truthful words coming from the highest pulpit in the nation. Millions of people recognized their own voices in his, lending him their support -- silently at first, but more and more vocal as time went by -- to a point that they went out into the streets to defend him in the face of violent and dangerous opposition from the far Left.

I am talking, of course, about Mikhail Gorbachev and the reaction he first received from the Soviets when he started his Perestroika and Glasnost in the USSR. I remember it clearly because I was one of them. Gorbachev wasn't perfect by any measure, and yet he started a process that shook up the corrupt establishment, ended the rule of the powerful Communist Party, liberalized the economy, and opened the country to an honest debate about its problems. The parallels with Donald Trump, his message, and his appeal with America's silent majority are unmistakable.

That the Soviet Union's problems turned out to be irreconcilable wasn't Gorby's fault; the country had already been damaged beyond repair by seven decades of ruthless socialist experimentation. America hasn't yet gone that far, but the wild popularity of socialist Bernie Sanders with the "screaming minority" of young voters may be an indication that this election may be America's last exit before the road ends off a cliff.

Giving voice to the silent majority is one of the factors why Trump leads in the race. Some other factors will become clear if we look at some of his individual supporters. I know who they are because they aren't afraid to open up to me. They know that unlike the above established essayists, I won't be calling them names or trying to shame the silent majority back into silence. For the same reason I'm not using their real names.

Jack

Jack is an accomplished classical musician, a fine wordsmith, a long-time conservative, and a devout Christian. When a broken shoulder made him unable to hold the instrument, he used his sharp, perceptive mind and his degree in economy to make himself a fortune in the financial markets. Now he can afford to relax and write novels.

Jack gave me his take on the demonization of Trump and the stereotyping of his supporters as poorly educated, low-information rubes. According to Jack, both the Republican and the Democrat establishments are corrupt and dysfunctional, but the one thing they can do well is manufacture media narratives that infect people's minds with notions that are beneficial to the respective branch of political aristocracy, while causing aversion to anything that endangers it.

Trump is a clear and present danger to this corrupt and elitist system. He is willing and fully able to blow to smithereens all their carefully established social hierarchies and to change the entire political culture, which will make the elites unnecessary and expose the uselessness of their cherished and very expensive apparatus. The GOP establishment's fear and loathing of Trump is so intense that even losing the election to Hillary seems to many of them a lesser evil.

The same establishment remained ineffective throughout the Obama presidency. Obama didn't threaten their careers and each one of his disastrous policies was to them a lucrative fundraising opportunity. In contrast, Trump threatens their very survival -- and suddenly the establishment's speed and effectiveness is phenomenal. Their quickly constructed #NeverTrump narrative is targeting conservative "purists" and die-hard Ted Cruz supporters, infecting them with hostility that reaches and surpasses the ill-famed Bush Derangement Syndrome.

The sad irony of the #NeverTrump movement is that these self-proclaimed "true conservatives" and "anti-establishment rebels" have swallowed the establishment's narrative hook, line, and sinker. Worse yet, they now indiscriminately share social media links from previously despised leftist sources, as long as they attack Trump. So much for their stereotyping of Trump supporters as gullible, angry jerks.

Jack isn't a Cruz-hater. In fact, he would just as much like to see Ted Cruz become president, if he can win in the general election -- which is unlikely. Like most Trump supporters I know, Jack doesn't treat other candidates with the same hostility. There's no organized #NeverCruz movement to speak of, and no one except Cruz supporters are creating blacklists targeting the other side. Jack is sad to see that so many good, previously sane people have succumbed to the #NeverTrump lunacy.

Mike

My other friend, Mike, who is a conservative writer, approaches this from a different angle. He likes Ted Cruz because Cruz has all the right answers, but that's not enough. Mike compares Cruz to a professor who can recite the chemistry textbook by heart. Trump, on the other hand, is a wild man who wants to use the formulas in that same textbook to blow away our enemies. At this point in history we don't need a professor, we need the wild man.

Brendan

Brendan is an immigrant from Ireland, who says that when he came to the U.S., he expected to see an American leader to be more like John Wayne -- a decisive and confident guy with swagger -- and not like Pee Wee Herman or a European-style spineless socialist.

Brendan has spent years working on New York construction projects, including some that involved Donald Trump. He witnessed Trump getting personally involved with contractors and workers without any mediators, not afraid to get dirty and drive a hard bargain. Trump has never lost his lower-class accent he picked up growing up in Queens, and he was never accepted by the snooty New York elites as their own. But he has always been liked and accepted by the working classes as a "people's billionaire."

He doesn't see anger among Trump's supporters, but rather optimism and love for the country. He also scoffs at those who compare Trump to Mussolini or Hitler. Trump has been in the public eye for almost 70 years, running a large business, producing a TV show, and nobody ever complained about him acting like a despot. Don't you think that if Trump had the slightest trace of a dictator in him, someone would have brought it up and the media would have trumpeted it all over the world?

Brendan also likes Ted Cruz and shares many of his ideas. But even if Cruz is president, says Brendan, he'll be lucky if he's able to implement at least 10% of those ideas in practice. Trump, with his ability to overcome obstacles, will probably get at least 70% done. Brendan may not share 100% of Trump's ideas, but he would rather see 50% of them implemented by Trump than 10% by Cruz, or 0% by Bernie or Hillary.

Ann

Ann has recently parted with feminism and quit the NOW over what she describes as the betrayal of women's rights by feminist leadership. The politically correct, leftist feminist establishment has done nothing to oppose the oppression of women in Sharia-dominated societies, and continues to oppose any attempt to prevent the spreading of the patriarchal and misogynistic Sharia values through Muslim immigration in America. In Ann's words, by supporting pro-Sharia multiculturalism, NOW effectively sided with male chauvinists over women's rights.

Ann isn't buying the divisive argument that Trump is anti-women, saying that giving women special allowances because of their gender is condescending. You can't eat cake and have it, too. If you demand equal treatment, be ready for equal treatment. One can't beat Hillary if one is too concerned with sparing her feelings. We are all adult individuals.

While fighting patriarchy in our society, she says, the radical leftist feminists went too far and destroyed manhood itself, along with fatherhood. It's bad for the families, for the children, and especially for women. Ann sees Trump as a successful male role model and a father figure. If he weren't one in real life, his own children wouldn't have turned out so well.

The Left has emasculated our men, she says. Fathers in popular culture changed from "Father Knows Best" to Homer Simpson: the butt of all jokes and the last to get the joke. Fatherless children who grew up watching The Simpsons are father-hungry. Trump, she says, will be like the dad who comes home to an out-of-control house party, makes the kids clean up, kicks out the troublemakers, and sues their parents for damages.

Ann sees today's emasculated warrior class, with new recruits using time-out cards if under too much stress, and she is worried about their ability to defend us. She sees the European "men" who do nothing to protect their women or their nations from organized, systemic rape by Sharia-fueled "guests," and predicts that will happen to us, too, if we don't change course.

She sees the spineless millennials wishing for Bernie Sanders to ensure their perpetual childhood, and she blames the leftist education for crippling their minds and souls. The worst part is that these young doormats hate, not those who disabled them, but those who keep spines intact. Ann believes we have entered the age of fear and denouncements, where anyone with a spine is automatically perceived as a fascist, racist, homophobe, Islamophobe, and so on.

Trump is giving American men permission to be men again, to say what they think, and to stand tall without guilt or fear, says Ann. She quotes Billy Graham: "Courage is contagious. When a brave man takes a stand, the spines of others are often stiffened." No wonder Graham's son endorsed Donald Trump. With Trump as president, a new generation of Americans will have a chance to grow up having a spine, with a positive male role model to compensate for their fathers who are either missing or have been neutered. His campaign slogan may as well be, "Men! Take back thy manhood!"

After seven painful years of watching our Commander-in-Chief bunny-hopping down plane and helicopter steps, struggling to lift one-pound barbells, girl-throwing first baseballs in mom jeans, and dressing up in little cowboy outfits, the country needs a masculine reset.

The return of a strong, manly man to our culture will be great news for women, who have grown tired of being single-income mothers, leaders, fighters, and protesters, Ann says. And America will have a chance to get back its emotional and psychological health, confidence, optimism, and positive disposition that's been missing for too long.

Colin

Colin had a successful international career as a dancer and choreographer, ranging from performing and teaching classical ballet to modern dance, from acting on Broadway to choreographing dances for some of the most famous pop stars, whose names I'm withholding for obvious reasons. In case anyone is wondering, Colin is not gay and lives with a long-time girlfriend. He also has a sizable collection of guns, likes hunting and fishing, and drives an SUV. Having been to every corner of the earth, he retired and became my neighbor here in Florida, where we became good friends and have spent many evenings playing music and sharing stories.

Colin never spoke about politics and whenever I or anyone else touched on that subject, he would start singing some silly tune in a loud, raspy voice, ending any possible debate. That was until this summer, when he decided to support Donald Trump. Not only did he tell this to all his friends and neighbors, some of whom were die-hard liberal leftists; he also called everyone in his phone book, encouraging them to vote for Trump as well, thus becoming an unaffiliated Trump campaign volunteer.

His reason for the sudden change of heart was that for the first time in his life he heard a presidential candidate whose words made perfect sense. All the others, according to Colin, were trained weasels giving rehearsed performances, which he could instantly spot with his professional background. Unlike the rest, Trump spoke off the cuff, didn't mince words, called things by their real names, and used strong language when necessary, unconcerned about what society and the media would say about that behind his back. I couldn't help noticing that, in a way, Colin was describing himself. If he were ever to go into politics, he would've done it pretty much the same way, except for the hairstyle.

Christina

Christina has a PhD in literature, but her academic career ended when she evolved from a liberal into an outspoken conservative. All her previous activism in helping the inner city families, being involved in refugee resettlement programs, working with the ACLU, and other liberal credentials didn't matter anymore. She became an untouchable and soon lost her job. Since then she has been active in local Republican politics and Tea Party circles, exposing the rot in America's education system, fighting Common Core, and organizing book tours for conservative authors.

She sees Trump as the only candidate who is not buying into the neurotic identity politics that's currently driving both political parties. In her experience, identity politics and political correctness are the drivers of fascism in America today. In that sense, Trump is the most anti-fascist candidate in the race -- and the most optimistic one, too.

The first Trump rally she attended was different from all other political events she has seen, which usually attract party regulars and the party elite. The people in this crowd weren't very political; many of them first-timers -- those who don't live and die over the latest little fluff-up in DNC or the GOP or even the Tea Party. Christina thought that was very significant.

There were old people, young families, teenagers, blacks, whites, and a good number of Southeast Asians. This was in Norcross, Georgia, which has one of the most ethnically varied populations in the South and maybe even the U.S. It's a major refugee placement site and also attracts immigrants from India, Asia, and Africa. So there are a lot of immigrant entrepreneurs and small business owners in Norcross, and she saw a lot of that actual diversity -- including economic diversity -- in the crowd, says Christina.

She doesn't understand how anyone in the GOP could be so recalcitrant as to not see this as an extraordinary opportunity to grow the GOP brand. Trump alone has the ability to move people towards conservatism: doesn't the GOP get that? Christina sees Trump as an object lesson in moving towards conservative values in his own life, and he can move other people in the same direction.

She objects to the description of Trump supporters as angry. There was no love lost for either political party or for the media in that crowd, she says, but the people weren't angry at all: they were optimistic. It was the sort of optimism people felt when Reagan was elected. Trump's message was patriotic and positive, praising America's virtues and the value of hard work and self-sufficiency. It's sad that the Republican Party couldn't see the extraordinarily positive message Trump was delivering, and the positive spirit with which it was received.

At that moment, the election could have been in the GOP's hands, had they not launched a coordinated assault on Trump and his followers. The editors at National Review and others of their ilk ought to be on their knees celebrating their good luck that someone like Trump has come along at this particular moment in American history. But instead, they're so angry they're overturning their sandboxes and pitching tantrums, she says.

Imagine how different this race would be if the GOP hadn't tried to salt the earth around Trump and his supporters, says Christina. She believes that if they had only remained neutral, the party would currently be growing by leaps and bounds. The very landscape of the electorate would be shifting towards conservatism and away from liberalism. But it was more important for the party elites to control people than to listen to them.

* * *

At the risk of alienating many of my readers (if they are still reading, of course), let me say that I share all these opinions and have plenty of my own to add, but that would have to be my next essay.

Oleg Atbashian, a writer and graphic artist from the former USSR, is the author of Shakedown Socialism, of which David Horowitz said, "I hope everyone reads this book." In 1994 he moved to the U.S. with the hope of living in a country ruled by reason and common sense, appreciative of its freedoms and prosperity. To his dismay, he discovered a nation deeply infected by the leftist disease of "progressivism" that was arresting true societal progress. American movies, TV, and news media reminded him of his former occupation as a visual propaganda artist for the Communist Party. Oleg is the creator of a satirical website ThePeoplesCube.com, which Rush Limbaugh described on his show as "a Stalinist version of The Onion." His graphic work frequently appears in the American Thinker.

[American Patriot]

1) Welcome back.
2) Dead on accurate all the way through.

Hello folks! Long time no see!

Well, here's my stance.

Background: I think the nation is screwed and it's only a matter of time before it collapses from any one of several reasons: economy, TFP, islamoterrorists, etc. I figure my grandkids will see it, but I'll be dead and buried.

I think what sealed it for me was the USSC's ruling on the ACA. That set a precedent that greatly concerns me.

I firmly believe Hillary will win this election....by whatever means necessary.

Trump...holy cow Trump is stirring them up all right, and frankly I like it. And he's got the GOP Establishment running scared. Scared because he represents the end of their reign. And I'm absolutely convinced their reign needs to end.

Things need to be shook up right now, and Trump's doing it. Out with the old and in with something else.

That said, I firmly believe the GOP will also pull out all the stops to stop Trump. I'd wager the farm the GOP Convention will go brokered - I figure the GOP Establishment will ensure that it will by any means necessary.

I think Trump has a chance of winning enough delegates if things were left alone, but who really knows for sure.

That said, does Trump have the skills to turn this nation around, is he the best candidate...oh heck no. What he does represent is something different.

So what all that means is I think we're toast, I wouldn't mind seeing Trump win as it'll stir things up and maybe either the GOP will take the hint and find a more-Conservative course or go away all together. Trump won't do a lot of good, at this point I just don't think it matters, and the entertainment value is pretty good.

And if Hillary wins. I named her The Nail a while back. The Nail because she'll be the final nail in the coffin of this nation. IE: she'll do damage there's absolutely no turning around from.

[Backstop]

Thanks...just wish I had better news. HAHA!

[Brian Baldwin]

https://www.washingtonpost.com/opini...cf6_story.html

The above Washington Post article proclaims once again that Trump is finished. He may be right, but not for the reasons he states. He speaks about his gaffs and running behind in Wisconsin's primaries. His flip flops and more. He admits that these articles have been written a dozen times or more and have all been wrong again and again, but this time is different. He's completely off base on them all. First the American voting public doesn't care about any of his failings. He literally could kill someone in Times Square and still get the votes as he once suggested.

No, I think Dionne's main purpose for his article is to make a "prediction" to help lube the public's collective ass for the coming convention. Now I've stated many times that I'm a Cruz supporter. I'd like to see him as the President this time around. He knows the Constitution frontwards and backwards. But I've also stated I'll support whomever wins the nomination, because we can't sustain the current status quo. I've also stated that if Trump in all his loud proclamations keeps even a small percentage of his promises, he couldn't really be considered a bad president. The fact is that the pressure has built up in this country to dangerous levels and we need relief. Trump or Cruz either one could present that relief. Neither is a fix even if Congress were to back their every whim. It's just gotten that bad. 8 bad years in a man's life can crush his spirit; Imagine what 8 bad years of an administration will do to a nation... Now add 8 more if we don't pull together.

My greatest concern is a repeat of the 2008 election cycle where we, the voting republicans, were so upset our candidate didn't get the nomination we voted third party or not at all and in my very strong opinion elected Obama to the presidency as a result. We may as well have cast the ballot ourselves. I see it happening again and it has become my biggest worry. But just as with the toddler who won't quit climbing on the couch, perhaps this country needs to fall in order to learn. I'd like to think everyone is smarter than that this time around, but I'm guessing most out there aren't. So perhaps Obama hasn't been a big enough booboo to the nation's head and the country is going need some serious stitches this time around before they knock off their nonsense. I don't know.

But, be it Trump, or Cruz, or even Mitt Romney that comes out of the convention, I'll vote for that person with full knowledge that if it isn't Trump it won't be because of his gaffes but rather a spoiled GOPe that never intended to run their convention in the conservative way Ronald Reagan insisted it should be ran, instead of the corrupt way the Democrats like to run theirs. And this reporter that swears this time it's over? As he's eating soup out of a can during the election; no one will remember his article no matter how smug he is that his "prediction" may end up correct even if for the wrong reasons.

And to be perfectly honest with all of you, my good friends, with no offense meant towards any of you, I may change from Cruz to Trump just to piss off more people. I'm like that.

[Ryan Ruck]

A huge win for Cruz last night in Wisconsin!

It's now looking like a near certainty that neither Trump nor Cruz will be getting to 1,237 in the delegate count.

That means this is going to a contested convention.

This also means there's a very good chance Cruz can pull this off. Here's why...

Cruz has the ground game and is pulling in delegates left and right outside of the voting. Trump thinks that all that matters is a checkmark in the "W" column on election night.

Trump has been banking on an outright win of either 1,237 or a first round ballot win at the convention. This is now coming back to bite him in the ass. Trump has failed to do things like keep campaign infrastructure in place after the state election is over to maintain his delegates and so Cruz is coming in and cleaning up afterwards.

Now, I'm sure there is some concern about the establishment coming in during the contested convention and inserting the candidate of their choosing. This can't happen! The reason being is that between Cruz and Trump, more than 70% of the rule making delegates belong to Cruz and Trump and, though I'm not 100% sure, I believe most of that 70% may be Cruz's people. The party establishment cannot overrule the supermajority that has been set up and rewrite the rules to be beneficial to them.

So the first ballot at the convention comes and goes. Trump doesn't get the required 1,237.

Second ballot comes and between the unbound delegates, delegates from other candidates that have dropped out that are picked up, and Trump delegates that are pulled away Cruz wins the second ballot with well over 1,237.

[Malsua]

I think Paul Ryan will be the GOPe Candidate for 2016.

Ryan vs Hillary

[Ryan Ruck]

Despite the party's hardest wishes, that won't be possible because of Rule 40 and the party doesn't have enough people on the Rules Committee to change it.

Because of Rule 40, there will only be 2 names on the ballot - Cruz and Trump. Kasich doesn't even qualify.

Their own shortsightedness to keep Ron Paul out is coming back to bite them in the ass.

[Malsua]

Despite the party's hardest wishes, that won't be possible because of Rule 40 and the party doesn't have enough people on the Rules Committee to change it.

Because of Rule 40, there will only be 2 names on the ballot - Cruz and Trump. Kasich doesn't even qualify.

Their own shortsightedness to keep Ron Paul out is coming back to bite them in the ass.

I have no doubt there will be shenanigans. They won't play by the rules.