National Republicans
Strongmen. Or not.
Two would-be strongmen huffed and puffed, postured and blustered on 60 Minutes Sunday night, but neither Vladimir Putin nor Donald Trump could hold a candle to the strength that Pope Francis showed America during his visit. The Pope reminded us that real strength means faith, empathy and compassion, not name-calling, mouthing off and macho posing.…
Read MoreElections Where Issues Don’t Matter
Arthur walked through the door, dropped a four inch thick poll on the table with a thud, sat down, and said, If you don’t want to lose this election, you have to learn something new. That was in December of 1983 when Jesse Helms was fighting for survival against Jim Hunt and Arthur – who’d…
Read MoreThe Old Hymn
The old hymn goes, ‘Praise God from Whom All Blessings Flow.’ Is that idea true? Or false? Do you agree? Or disagree? And if the old hymn’s true what happens if we elect a President who worships another god? Does it matter? Do blessings only flow to individuals – or does He also bless nations?…
Read MoreStage frights
Say what you will about Ronald Reagan, he looked like a President. Not a soul on his stage last night measured up. Air Force One was a fitting backdrop. You couldn’t imagine any one of the candidates walking down those steps and representing the United States of America. Trump’s act wore thin. And it didn’t…
Read MoreThe Sound of Gunfire
The first thing you saw in Donald Trump’s video was a mug shot of an illegal immigrant who’d murdered a girl and the next thing you heard was Jeb Bush’s voice saying illegal immigration wasn’t a crime it was an act of love. Donald Trump’s first video was short, brutal and to the point. The…
Read MoreKarl Rove’s McKinley mania
Just as President Obama sends Mt. McKinley to the dustbin of history, Karl Rove writes a book extolling the virtues of President McKinley. Rove, who gave us George Bush, now gives us McKinley as the model for the modern Republican President. Rove’s book, The Triumph of William McKinley: Why the Election of 1896 Still Matters,…
Read MoreStanding in the Shadows Laughing
The Republicans are so mad they’re ready to lynch every politician in Washington so, if you’re the Prince of Mischief, you need a magic trick. Quick. Next, out of nowhere, a man walks onto a stage who talks in plain simple English, saying, China is screwing us, who doesn’t sound a bit like a politician…
Read MoreThe 24-Hour News Cycle
With the dawn of 24-hour news cycle and the instant ‘Tweet’ reporters need a new story every five minutes and, it turns out, even a Republican Primary with nineteen candidates and Donald Trump, all talking at once, can’t fill the bill. The reporters need more so they’re straining to turn Hillary versus Bernie Sanders into…
Read MoreThe great Mt. McKinley freakout
At this point you suspect President Obama is just messing with Republicans’ minds: “How can I drive the crazies crazier?” You can see him relaxing on the Truman Balcony one evening, nursing an extra-dry Grey Goose martini and looking forward to his Alaska trip. Suddenly it hits him: “I’ve got it! I’ll change the name…
Read MoreTrump masters the media universe
Ever since FDR gave his fireside chats on radio, successful Presidents have mastered the dominant new media of their time. Donald Trump masters today’s media by providing what the media wants above all: constant controversy. JFK won on TV in 1960 and kept winning with live televised news conferences. Roger Ailes orchestrated Nixon’s win in…
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