CNBC STUNK UP DEBATE—GOP CANDIDATES SHOWED THEM UP
If you could stand watching the two hour “gotcha” debate hosted by CNBC last night, several things became very clear. The bias in the mainstream media, as portrayed by CNBC’s moderators and their questions was beyond blatant. Everyone saw that, including the audience. What stood out?
Marco Rubio (the candidate I like most—and is most acceptable to all parts of the GOP) for three or four notable accomplishments:
1) He called out the mainstream media for its obvious liberal bias, and called the Mainstream Media the Democrats SuperPAC.
2) He called out Hillary Clinton as a liar—in no uncertain terms—for the hearing facts and emails that proved she quickly told Chelsea, and leaders in Libya and Egypt that the attack was al Qaeda sponsored, while she and Barack Obama and their minions were telling the American people it was spawned by a nasty video for almost a week. (Note: Obama was lying too—but in his clever parsing the truth kind of lying.)
3) He shut down Jeb Bush’s snotty attack without ever directly attacking Bush—who asked about whether he should resign his Senate seat—and drew comparisons to former Democratic Senator/Presidential candidates—John Kerry and Barack Obama—both of whom missed even more votes. Rubio just used facts to shut down Bush—who still looks like he doesn’t belong up there.
Ted Cruz (who I still do not like—self-centered—and too far right to be electable) Still had the best outburst of the evening—directed at the moderators and their questions. For that he gets the Newt Gingrich “straight talker” award of the night. Cruz is bright, passionate, and articulate. He is also widely disliked by colleagues in the Congress—both Houses—for his grandstand plays and contentious attitude. Even if he is largely right—that things must change—the way he’s going about it will NOT bring about that change. It will stiffen resistance. As much as Cruz intentions are good (e.g.,regarding the debt ceiling increase) his solutions have proven to make things worse, not better (e.g., shut down the government—which the biased media Rubio referred to—paints as the GOP’s fault, thus damaging the election of GOP candidates).
Chris Christie (who I have always liked for his direct, no-nonsense leadership and speaking style). Christie also nailed CNBC’s Carl Quintanilla (“…do you want to answer the question, or should I?”) and John Harwood (“ John,…even by NJ standards, that was rude.) interruptions and contentious challenges. Christie also called the group of a point of order on the inane CNBC line of questioning about Fantasy Football, when the nation is staggering under an unimaginable debt load, a staggering economy and continued deficit spending, (and enormous Global Issues).
Read more—even on ABC news! http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/cnbc-debate-moderators-face-backlash-3rd-Gop-presidential/story?id=34803250
The point nobody brought up and hammered home: The candidates spent far too little time blaming Obama and by extension, Hillary’s flip-flopping and far too much blaming Congress. The inhibitors that are making the GOP led Congress ineffective in forcing change are two fold: first the Senate, which still has enough Democrats to filibuster and block most legislation (unless the GOP decided to kill the filibuster) and second, and most of all the threat by Barack Obama that he will veto whatever comes along—and there are not enough votes to override that veto.
THE REAL PROBLEMS IN WASHINGTON ARE THESE:
1—BIGGEST PROBLEM: BARACK OBAMA,THE DEMOCRATIC PRESIDENT AND SENATORS BLOCK EVERY GOP EFFORT (and Obama’s “InJustice Department” and Cabinet agencies to “legislate around Congress” through policies and Executive actions)
2—NEXT BIGGEST PROBLEM: GOP FACTIONS UNWILLING TO WORK WITH THE HOUSE MAJORITY TO ACCOMPLISH ANYTHING MEANINGFUL.
I repeat! The problem gridlocking Washington is NOT PER SE the mainstream GOP policy makers, nor is it reluctant GOP legislators in the House and Senate. It is:
- The President and the Senate’s blocking actions (about which the GOP can only do so much) but WORSE YET,
- The lack of GOP unity and the unwillingness to compromise—within the GOP (led by far right—Sen. Ted Cruz and Rep. Jim Johnson), who will not go along with anything that is not exactly what they want.
- THIS IS AN AREA WHERE THE GOP FACTIONS DAMAGE THE ENTIRE PARTY AND HELP OBAMA AND THE DEMOCRATS—and yet they fail to see or accept this fact.
When President Obama vetoes a budget for military spending, because it doesn’t contain enough “welfare money” to suit him…he shows his true colors, not as an American leader, but as a myopic Community Organizer, who should never be in the job at all.
WHO WILL DROP OUT OF THE GOP RACE, AND WHEN
Don’t expect dropouts until after the Nov. 10 Fox Business Debate. Money will be the big issue as supporters lose faith in the candidates. The Polls have such a large margin of error (+/-4%) that it’s hard to differentiate the winners from the losers. The Iowa and NH primaries have proven to be provincial and not necessarily good indicators of who will win. They do, however, indicate who won’t win. As long as campaign contributions hold up, most candidates will try to tough it out until early next year.
Who belongs in the mix? Trump, Carson (altho he is clueless about how to be president), Rubio, Cruz, Christie, Bush, Fiorina
Who doesn’t belong? Santorum, Graham, Pataki, Jindal,
Who’s on the bubble? Huckabee, Kasich, Paul
The Real Clear Politics average of polls BEFORE LAST NIGHT’S GOP DEBATE:
Date | Trump | Carson | Rubio | Bush | Cruz | Fiorina | Huckabee | Paul | Kasich | Christie | Graham | Santorum | Jindal | Pataki | Spread |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| RCP Average | 10/14 - 10/25 | 26.8 | 22.0 | 9.0 | 7.0 | 6.6 | 5.8 | 3.8 | 3.4 | 2.6 | 2.4 | 1.0 | 0.6 | 0.2 |
NOTE: MOST OF THESE COMMENTS WILL NOT MAKE YOU FEEL BETTER—YOU WILL JUST BE BETTER INFORMED
BIG ISSUES LITTER THE AMERICAN LANDSCAPE—BUSINESS & GOVERNMENT, FOREIGN AND DOMESTIC
The Hillary Clinton’s testimony on Benghazi shows how a clever politician, given plenty of time to prepare, can easily dismiss dereliction of duty, and even use outright lies to do it. When the mainstream media is on your side, the American public (most of whom wouldn’t dream of watching her 11 hours of testimony) will believe what the media tells them. Hillary is OK…is the message. Even when she’s lying and gets caught, she skates through. Sad, but that’s what happens when the majority of media has a big liberal Democratic bias.
The economy is staggering along hidden by the lofty levels of the stock market. There is no better place than the USA for money to be invested, thus the inflated valuations of US companies continue. Signs of slowdowns and layoffs and missed earnings abound. Productivity is languishing and US manufacturing is stumbling. China is slowing too, which has strangely perverse negative impact on the USA too. American industry cannot grow at any meaningful rate (it will stumbling along at 2% or so, with an occasional month getting close to 3%, then falling back) as long as Barack Obama and his minions continue to create anti-business rules, executive orders, faux and real regulations and see American business as the enemy of the American people.
Businesses create jobs; unions do not; businesses and the private sector create wealth; the government does not, and cannot. The government can only tax and take the wealth created by businesses and the America people, and redistribute it to those who create little and consume/waste a lot, in the name of fairness—what a joke! An ironic twist of fate is that the very people Barack Obama pretends to favor—minorities and the poor—are being hurt the worst by his clueless misguided policies. Then Obama must increase the welfare state to show how he and is plans are taking care of those people. Where does that money come from? Taxpayers—or more recently due to deficit spending—it comes from borrowing more money. When it is all done Obama has created the 21st Century version of Slavery—economic slavery—in which he and his minions are the “massa and the overseers.”
A wise man once said, “Don't argue with a fool; you lower yourself to his level.” That is what debating anything with Bernie Sanders is doing. His irresponsible blathering and totally out of touch policies should terrify and informed electorate. In fact they galvanize the American welfare state electorate but impossible promises of unimaginable freebies. Sanders actually makes Clinton look more desirable—and that is a truly staggering accomplishment. One thing is certain, the trio of Sanders, Clinton and Obama continue to set new records for documented lies and impossible promises. The only question is whether there are enough intelligent, responsible Americans to keep these kind of charlatans out of high office in the future. There were not in the recent past, or Barack Obama would not have been elected and re-elected.
FOREIGN POLICY IS A MESS—NO LEADERSHIP, NO STRATEGY AND NO RESULTS OTHER THAN CHAOS
China is taking over the South China sea. There is no one except the USA to contest it. Japan sits on it hands and does nothing. All the other players are too small and ill equipped to do anything. Talks on China’s Cyberwar-like intrusions between Obama and Xi yielded yet another meaningless, unenforceable sham agreement. China and Russia are the two remaining “big powers.” Putin and Xi now see how easily Obama can be manipulated, misled and managed out of their way. Russia has a piece of the Ukraine and is taking influential control over Syria under the guise of “helping.” At least the Navy recently sailed nearby as a message to China about our rights under freedom of the seas.
ISIS and Iran are taking over the Middle East. There is no one to stop them. Iran’s nuclear agreement is a joke—one which they have already breached—once almost before it was signed sending Gen. Suleimani to Russia for arms trade talks (see below) .Syria is a confusing mess, led by a brutal despotic leader. Libya has no leader, just anarchy. Egypt is a muddled mess, with leadership at a loss what to do. North Korea is led by a juvenile, spoiled brat who wields immense brutal power like a five-year-old having a tantrum. Since Obama is hopelessly weak, misguided and has lost the respect of global leaders, the US has little leverage from which to take any kind of strong stand—anywhere.
FOX NEWS ITEM: In July, the chief of Iran’s elite Quds Force visited Moscow to meet with senior Russian figures, violating international sanctions and travel restrictions placed on key members of the Iranian regime. Passim Suleimani, whose wing of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard is only answerable to Ayatollah Khameini, and who has emerged as a pivotal on-the-ground figure spearheading Iran's broader regional ambitions in the Middle East, was allegedly in Russia between July 24 and July 26, shortly before Secretary of State John Kerry's testimony before a Senate Armed Services Committee regarding the nascent nuclear deal between the Islamic Republic and international powers.
America’s Immigration problems are remain unsolved, but that is due in part by the failure to enforce laws currently in effect and partly by the inability to arrive at a pragmatically possible solution that can actually be implemented and be sustained. Face all undocumented (illegal) immigrants in the USA to get a government issued secure ID. No ID=no work; no ID=no welfare of any kind; no ID=no school for children; no ID=no driver’s license; essentially, no ID=no rights at all! Then track where they are, who they are, and permit them to sign up for a five-year process to citizenship. Meanwhile,do not spend more money on fences per se; spend money on enforcement of current border security with all available might of the combined Federal (ICE & National Guard) and border State manpower.
CAN THE GOP EVER GET ITS ACT TOGETHER—AND REALLY LEAD AND SHOW A PATH TO GOVERNING?
CNBC may have done the GOP a big favor by causing the candidates to rally against
Maybe…because the party hopefully, will choose its best and brightest (Paul Ryan) as its new Speaker of the House.
But further it will be over the stupidity of the inflexible, narrow-minded, self-interested, and/or myopic factions led by people like Ted Cruz (he GOP Barack Obama) and the blatant biases of most of the mainstream media in America. At least the GOP is being forced to choose a leader whose greatest fault is that he actually deals with the facts and arrives at solutions that could really be implemented—and that is rare in politics. Now if only the Freedom Caucus (and its leaders like Jim Jordan of OH) will decide to put America’s future ahead of its own inflexible (and largely wishful) agenda.
Republicans must first win control of the US government again—then govern…it cannot be done any other way
The old “mainstream Republican approach” is obsolete, and clearly unacceptable to voters, and thus, cannot ever work. This is why I have supported from the outset, and new group of leaders, including presidential candidates, who have come from meager roots and risen, learned, worked and earned their spots on the stage: Marco Rubio, John Kasich, (Two best, and with complimentary experience and skill-sets) and (I can’t believe I’m saying this) Donald Trump, and to a lesser extent Ben Carson, each of whom represent a fresh perspective on returning the US Government to working for the American people—and not vice versa.
A FINAL THOUGHT ON INCOME INEQUALITY AND RELATED ISSUES
This is a popular topic and one which is increasingly perceived to be something the “government should fix” nominally through redistribution of wealth. Even GOP candidates and legislators are jumping on this bandwagon as a campaign theme—hoping to win reelection. There is an aspect of human nature that is inescapable. That is envy, and comparison to what others have that leads to class warfare which drives inequality concerns. If all the wealth in the country were taken from everyone and redistributed evenly among all Americans (the Karl Marx, Communist dream), in a matter of a decade or two the same groups would be rich and poor. This is a fact driven by the difference in talent, desire and overall competence/work effort.
THE POOR WILL STAY POOR BECAUSE THEY CHOOSE TO AVOID WHAT IT TAKES TO DO BETTER.
The poor are poor larger because they last the skills, the desire, the discipline, the work ethic and the moral fiber to pull themselves out of poverty and rise up the ladder of success to prosperity. Certainly there are examples that are contrary to this, but over the broad population, this is true statement. Yes, the laws and rules/regulations in effect in America can actually help the rich get richer. However the freedom and opportunity accessible to all does allow anyone who really wants to climb out of poverty to do so.
BEING POOR IS MISERABLE, BUT STAYING POOR IS A CHOICE
This is one of the principles Marco Rubio talks about. I can relate to him, losing my father at age 18, and scraping to get through college with my mother’s help, summer jobs, and (thank God) scholarships that I earned by working hard in school. During my freshman year in college, after my father died, I was so broke, I sold the shotgun my father had given me (to go hunting,a favorite outdoor pastime in rural, small town Central Illinois) for the grand sum of $20…which paid for my breakfasts and a few other meals until my next check came from my Mom. When my wife and I got married, after I got out of college, she had been working, but barely making ends meet. We needed a car and a starter set of furniture and so I bought them (on payments or course)…without realizing that we needed to make a $100 cash deposit before moving into our first apartment. Fortunately we each had $50 and were able to make that deposit. Waiting for the first month’s paycheck (I was paid monthly, in arrears) was really tough. Spaghetti and ketchup or butter was a common menu item. Eventually, over time, we dug out way out of debt (furniture, car, etc.). But you still never forget what it is like being broke and wondering when that next dollar will come. You never forget that feeling—ask anyone.
NOT EVERYONE CAN BECOME DONALD TRUMP—NOR NEEDS TO—LEARN A TRADE!
The common misconception is that everyone needs to go to college. That is SO WRONG! Some people need to get enough education (in school) to simply get a job… and then SHOW UP EVERY DAY AND ACTUALLY WORK HARD AT IT. This country is desperately in need of a massive rejuvenation of job-related training (which is different from education) in vocational fields. Learn how to do plumbing, electrical work, HVAC, and other construction and industrial trade jobs. Learn to be a medical technician, a health care aide, and even good competent receptionists and clerical, retail workers and waitresses can work their way up. Outdoor work like landscape maintenance is hard work, but requires only modest training and a willingness to work hard—to do what it takes—and look for chances to get ahead.
OK—-I’VE RANTED LONG ENOUGH. IF YOU READ THIS FAR, GIVE ME SOME FEEDBACK… WHAT WOULD YOU LIKE TO SEE COVERED IN FUTURE EDITIONS OF THE ENTERPRISE?
UNTIL THEN, BEST,
JOHN
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