As we enter 2016, I have narrowed my list for President to Ted Cruz or Donald Trump. Ben Carson is a close third. If I were to vote today, I honestly do not know if Cruz or Trump would get my vote. Here are some of my thoughts.
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Listen to any of the mainstream media coverage of the call to defund Planned Parenthood and you will hear them refer to the Republicans shutting down the government. I expect that spin from them.
What is infuriating is that so many Republicans inside the DC beltway swallow that message hook, line, and sinker. They point back to effort to defund Obamacare and say that it failed. That line of thinking is just an excuse for inaction. Planned Parenthood is not Obamacare.
Carly Fiorina got a lot of attention at last Wednesday’s debate with her resolute and passionate call to defund Planned Parenthood. Then on Friday at the Heritage Action Take Back America Presidential Candidate Forum, it took 25 seconds for her to show how we should put the ball squarely in the President’s court.
On Friday, the US House of Representatives passed HR 3134 to place a moratorium for one year on funding Planned Parenthood.
(Note to Georgia 2nd District – Sanford Bishop Voted “NO.” )
Section 3a reads as follows: Continue reading
by I have been watching the pundits, primarily on Fox News, and continue to be amazed at their predictions that basically write off the top three candidates, Trump, Carson, and Cruz. They act as if they are the HR Department who will hand the voters their list of acceptable candidates.
At worst it is arrogance. At best it is elitism. I call it simply pompous punditry. Continue reading
by In my last Note from Don Cole, I made this observation: “Even though Trump is high in the polls there is one thing that I have not seen. I see no ground game.” That box is now checked in Iowa.
I saw more than one report during the week about the activities at the Iowa State Fair that specifically addressed Trump’s ground game in Iowa. Trump hired Chuck Laudner to manage his Iowa effort. Laudner was the head of Rick Santorum’s team that won the Iowa Caucuses in 2012.
A Washington Post article quoted an organizer for Rick Perry who made this observation, “You cannot swing a dead cat in Iowa and not hit a Trump person . . . . . The Trump people are everywhere with literature and T-shirts and signing people up.” Continue reading
by Donald Trump stayed front and center in the news cycle for the weekend. It sometimes appears that his political strategy is to make outrageous statements to guarantee that he stays in the center of attention.
When he is in the crosshairs of his attackers, they are still focusing on him and not looking at anyone else. Meanwhile, he continues to rise in the polls. It may be too early to determine the impact of his comments about Megyn Kelly but initial results look like his numbers stay high. Continue reading
by Last night’s main event debate was interesting. There was no clear winner in the prime time debate. With 10 candidates on stage, I did not expect to see any single one tower over all of the others. My observations are more about which ones got my attention. Continue reading
by The long-anticipated first Republican Presidential Debates are tonight. I have a few thoughts about both events.
There will be an earlier debate forum for the candidates who did not make the top ten list. Every candidate, no doubt, wanted to be at the main event.
For those who did not reach that threshold, the earlier event offers a unique opportunity to make lemonade out of lemons. There will be fewer of them on stage and there won’t be the drama of waiting to watch a crash. Continue reading
by Ohio Governor John Kasich announced his candidacy on July 21, 2005 at his alma mater of Ohio State University in Columbus, Ohio. His speech lasted a little more than 40 minutes.
After introducing his twin daughters and his wife on the stage with him, he turned to the American dream. He talked about drawing inspiration from the past in order to carry it forward to the next generation.
“…we can all work to make sure the next generation is going to be in a position of greater strength than what we received. And I get my inspiration from the people who came before me. And I want to tell you about a few of the ones that inspire me.” Continue reading
by New Jersey Governor Chris Christie became the 14th Republican to announce his candidacy for President. He made his announcement speech on June 30, 2015 at his hometown high school, Livingston High School, Livingston, New Jersey.
Christie spent the first few minutes of his speech thanking the people of Livingston and reflecting on growing up there. He moved to Livingston when he was four years old. He told of how his father and mother had both lost their fathers at a young age. His father, although admitted to Columbia University, could not go because he could not afford it. Continue reading
by Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker became the 15th Republican to announce his candidacy for President. He made his announcement speech on July 13, 2015 at the Waukesha County Expo Center, Waukesha, Wisconsin.
The stage was set to present Scott Walker as a candidate who is close to the people and a hard working leader. There was no podium on the stage. He stood in an area that was surrounded by the audience on both sides and in the front. He wore an open collar long sleeve shirt with sleeves rolled up to his elbows.
He opened his speech with three words, “I love America.” He went on to talk about two veterans who had influence his life. Continue reading
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