Showing posts with label #GOPDebate. Show all posts
Showing posts with label #GOPDebate. Show all posts

Wednesday, January 27, 2016

The Iowa Caucuses Are Monday

Ted Cruz calling on Donald Trump to debate him, Lincoln - Douglass style, before caucus night.
The Iowa Caucuses are drawing near. Next Monday, this state that I've grown to love, not because of where it is or what it looks like, but because of the people I've come to know, will make a decision that will help shape the direction of country for the foreseeable future. The weight of a nation and the eyes of the world are now focused on Iowa.
Josh, Mitchell and Allison knocking on doors for Ted Cruz. Who cares about the cold? Iowans surely don't.
The next few days will be full of door to door campaign work, a debate watch party, a Sunday at Marion Avenue Baptist Church and a rally in Iowa City followed by some retail campaign work in Coralville, North Liberty and Iowa City on Monday before the caucus. I will then lead the precinct where I live for Ted Cruz and cast my vote in the Iowa Caucuses.

Chelsy, Josh, Jessica and Taylor helped me knock on doors in Fairfield, IA before a Rally with Ted Cruz
With the preparation and networking the Cruz campaign has done, we have been able to recruit about 12,000 volunteers in the state of Iowa. This is unprecedented. This is why we'll win. The people behind this campaign in Iowa are why Iowa is a good place to live. Young, old and everyone in between. It would take me days to list all of the people that I've come to respect and love during the course of this campaign. I've made friends that I will have forever and I thank God for that. For more on the people that mean so much to me, you can read this post from a few weeks ago.
Glenn Beck speaking in Waterloo, IA. Glenn has endorsed a candidate for the first time in his career. He believes in Ted and so do I.
Who knows what the future holds? All I know is that I will continue to be active in the political arena. I may get tasked to go to South Carolina in support of the #CruzCrew. If that is the case, I would be honored. But once the campaign is done, I think that Iowa will be the place I call home for the foreseeable future. There is much to be done here and it starts with returning the state to a conservative way of life. Our own Republican Party of Iowa has been infested by crony corporatist interests and it must stop. I will actively support and campaign for any Constitutional conservative that challenges the Branstad machine in Iowa.
A debate watch party at the Dutch Country Inn in Kalona.
In closing, I think that we will shock the world on Monday. The #CruzCrew is ready. We will help pave the way for the most principled candidate to run for president in my lifetime. This will officially be the first vote that I am truly excited to cast and I know there are thousands of Iowans like me. If you haven't joined us already, why not? I know I pledge my life, my fortune and my sacred honor to the restoration of this great land and its founding documents. Join us.
Daniel, Cris and me on a 15 degree day knocking on doors. This is how you really reach people.
For more Iowa campaign insights and information on the reasons to support Ted Cruz, read this post by my friend, Josh Bontrager.

Saturday, September 19, 2015

I Watched the Whole GOP Debate. Here Are My Thoughts.

Senator Ted Cruz having a discussion with the #CruzCrew


This is going to be a bit of a stream of consciousness exercise. I am tired of the media and the Washington DC cartel trying to pick our presidential candidates for us. I rant and rave about this because it is important. Our country has been sliding toward ruin under both Republican and Democrat leadership. Outside of one 8 year presidential term from 1981 until 1989, every single president since John F. Kennedy was assassinated has been about managing the decline of the greatest country in the world. Without Ronald Reagan's leadership, who knows how bad off we'd be. He ushered in the only true growth in the American economy in the last 40 years. He was given much worse than any president in recent history and was able to right the ship.

I watched every minute of the Republican debate on Wednesday, September 16th. I was amazed at the lack of time give to some of the strongest candidates on the stage. I'm going to try to go over what my thoughts on all of the people on the stage were. We'll start from stage right to stage left.

Rand Paul:
I really want to like Rand. I do. He just comes of as too out there. I love most of his domestic agenda issues and his liberty driven attitude but I think he may be too naive in terms of foreign policy. He is also a disjointed speaker and speaks in too many anecdotes. I think we need a stronger voice for our country on the world stage. He comes off as angry for the sake of being angry. We need a happy warrior. All this being said, I would vote for him if he was our party's nominee.

Mike Huckabee:
I love Mike's passion for his faith but I think he sees government as the answer to too many of our problems. I like his tax plan but I hate that he wants to use the government to shape thoughts and ways of living. That's not to say that religious liberty doesn't need defending, but my defense of religious liberty would more less government, not more.  His record in Arkansas is also one of a moderate on fiscal issues and we can't have another big domestic spending president. I would vote for him if he was the nominee.

Marco Rubio:
I want to be able to support Marco because I like most of his foreign policy ideas. The thing that puts a burr in my saddle about Rubio was his willingness to surrender to the DC cartel on immigration and border issues. He sold his constituents out when he got to the Senate, all in the effort to curry favor with the leadership of the DC cartel. He made good points on many issues and he would be better than a blatant commie like Komrade Sanders or Monica's ex boyfriend's wife. I would vote for him if he was our nominee.

Ben Carson:
Dr. Carson is a very inspiring man. If I had to choose one person on that stage to sit and learn more about, he would be that man. His career in medicine is flat out legendary. He was THE preeminent pediatric neurosurgeon in the world while he was practicing. Here's where the "but" comes in. I don't think he has the temperament to lead the most powerful country in the world. With all of the damage done by the current leadership regime, we need someone with grand ideas of empowering the American people on his first day in office. There can't be any on the job training when taking the reigns on January, 20th 2017. We need a Constitutional leader. Again, if he were to win the nomination, I would support him.

Donald Trump:
While I like what the Donald has done to help break down the politically correct walls around presidential politics, I think his campaign is a giant dumpster fire. Frankly, he is leading people on with his "We'll be so great, we'll be so strong, you'll get tired of winning" line of horse manure. Government must be reigned in. He speaks of no such thing. He has held more positions on more issues that there are issues to have positions on. I can tell you that I have never(not once, EVER) identified as or with the Democrat party. He, understandably, has played both ends against the middle in the course of his business career because the current system tends to dictate being two faced with local and state government officials. Great for a real estate tycoon. Not so spiffy when it comes to running the free world. I want to know that a president is going to follow the constitution when acting. Congress must be the body to write law. We've had enough of the Executive branch making everything up as they go along. To be truthful, I would really have a hard time voting for Mr. Trump if he is the nominee of the Republican party. Who knows what we would get? Would I vote for a Democrat? NO. Would I write in a can of Coors Banquet? Maybe.

Jeb Bush:
Jeb, or Yeb, to his friends, is a candidate that I would not support if he was our nominee. His positions on immigration and common core preclude me from supporting him. He is everything that is bad about his brother and dad and very little of the good. I've said it before and I'll say it again, if we want someone to manage the decline of the country, a Democrat will get it over a lot quicker. Jeb Bush cannot be our nominee.

Scott Walker:
I like Governor Walker. I think he is a decent man. I like his results in Wisconsin. I don't like his pandering to the corn lobby when he spoke to the over subsidized farmers in Iowa earlier this year. He tends to evolve on issues after having his position called into question. To his credit, more of his evolution has occurred in the right direction. I love his fighting spirit and I think he would be a decent president. His stand against the government union thugs in Wisconsin is one of the most admirable things done by any governor in the United States in a long time. I would vote for Governor Walker if he was the nominee.

Carly Fiorina:
After much thought and study, I have come to the conclusion that Carly Fiorina a less offensive version of Donald Trump in a skirt of pantsuit. While she has a great command of the issues, I question her sincerity on every issue she speaks about. She has praised Hillary Rodham Rodham(Clinton) in the past. She was a huge proponent of John McCain (possibly the worst presidential candidate in a half century). After an in depth study, I've come to the conclusion that sh is a grifter. She is the only other candidate, other than Donald Trump to have been divorced and frankly, she discarded her first husband like yesterday's trash. She has a mistaken and less than Constitutional view of many issues including the 14th Amendment, insofar as her position on immigration and birthright citizenship goes. Would I support her as our nominee? Maybe.

John Kasich:
Ugh...Even writing about this mealy mouthed squish makes my head hurt. John Kasich is THE WORST Republican running for president. He is a politician's politician. He loves government and loves spending other peoples' money in order to be "compassionate". Vomit. No other candidate makes me want to stab myself in the ear when he speaks like the son of the mailman does. His positions on the Iran Deal, Common Core, Obamacare/Medicaid expansion, Immigration and almost everything else make me sick. I would not vote for a presidential candidate, outside of maybe the Coors Banquet can write in, if he were our nominee. I would also drop my Republican party affiliation if he were to win the Republican nomination. Only one person running makes Jeb Bush look decent and it is John Kasich. Ohio can keep him.

Chris Christie:
Krispy Kreme (did I say that, what do the kids say...sorry, not sorry) Christie is an interesting case study in establishment politicians. He sounds great in many sound bites. He is quick witted. He is also governor of one of the most over regulated and over taxed states in the Union and he has an absolutely crazy leftist state legislature to deal with. On the other hand, he has done little to combat those nut ball leftists in the state house in Trenton. I think he would be a good Secretary of State but he is weak on issues of liberty. He, like Governor Huckabee, defers to government too much. His little guy, middle class adovcate schtick sounds good but he has little to show for it. Would he be better that a Democrat? Yes, but only marginally. Would I vote for him? Probably with a clothes pin on my nose.

You may think I left someone out. I did not. Jake Tapper didn't want to give this man a chance talk. If you watch the Q&A session at the Heritage Action Presidential Forum from September 18th, you'll see why. This man is honest and is the most consistent and Constitutional candidate running. If you've read my writing, you'll know who I'm referring to. That man is Ted Cruz.

Ted Cruz:
Read his resume. This man puts the fear of God in the Washington Cartel because he doesn't play nice with them. While Jake Tapper tried to shut him out, every answer he gave during the debate was spot on and when Jeb Bush tried to tangle with him on the issue of Supreme Court Justices, he showed why he is the most qualified to lead this country. Outside of keeping this country safe, the appointment of Supreme Court Justices will be the biggest task for the next leader of our country.
You might ask about compromising and getting things done in DC. I don't want someone to compromise. I want someone to win, not by compromising, but by showing Americans that we can and will do better. Ted Cruz is joyful in his defense of liberty and the principles that made our country the greatest ever to exist. I want to bludgeon our political opponents and make it hard for them to do the wrong thing, whether that be the establishment GOP squishes or the commies on the left side of the aisle.
Ted Cruz is right on education, national defense and how to deal with radical Islamic terrorism, immigration, healthcare reform, and all issues that deal with restoring liberty and Constitutional governance to the swamp that is Washington DC.
After having the opportunity to attend the Senator's Rally for Religious Liberty, I was more convinced that ever that he is a once in a generation candidate. I've seen him interact with everyday folks, up close. I've seen him introduce his daughters to other kids. I've seen the way his daughters run to him when they see him. He is a good and decent man. I've never had the chance to vote for a true conservative until now. Nobody, for that matter, has since 1984.
Another thing that makes this decision easier is who is supporting Senator Cruz. A SuperPAC led by David Barton of Wallbuilders is supporting the Senator. Gun Owners of America has already endorsed him. Brent Bozell of the Media Research Center has endorsed him. With Rick Perry dropping out, I also expect the full force of the Texas conservative machine, led by the amazing Greg Abbott, to be behind the Senator.
Finally, I can tell that Ted Cruz is a man of his word. He has taken all the slings and arrows that the statists in DC have thrown at him and still stands for Americans of every stripe. He doesn't pander to groups or play identity politics. He talks to individuals. The individual is the only minority that matters in a Constitutional Republic.

I'm here to say that I have signed my commitment card to volunteer with the #CruzToVictory campaign. I invite all of you to do the research and stand behind a candidate that you can support. I hope that candidate is Senator Cruz.

Check out the new ad just released by the campaign. Also check out Ted's appearance at the Heritage Action Presidential Forum here. His remarks at that Forum are amazing.

Find me on Twitter.




Sunday, August 9, 2015

Debate? More Like Reality Show.

After letting the first Republican debate reality show digest, I have a few observations regarding the spectacle. I'll start with the Fox News part and then tackle a few of the participants and their performances.

I was sad to see two of the moderators use leftist language in their questions. The war on women load was strewn about quite a lot and the questions on faith were quite disingenuous. Frankly, I would have liked to see 4 or 5 of the exact same questions posed to all ten candidates on stage. Give them ninety seconds to respond and then move down the line. The random format gave some participants too much time and others not enough. I understand that the ratings were huge, some say because of reality star and mogul Donald Trump's presence, but I think the other part of the story is the great disgust with the current direction of government. The "moderators" didn't ask the candidates about government corruption and dysfunction and their individual plans to fix it as much as they should have. The format was too focused on making the "moderators" the star. Brett Baier was the only good officiant. He has shown his class in everything he does. Megyn Kelly and Chris Wallace acted like they were auditioning to be Candy Crowley's replacement at CNN.(full transcript of the debate here)

Senator Ted Cruz gave the most concise and concrete answers when given the chance to speak.

"When I asked General Dempsey, the chairman of the joint chiefs, what would be required militarily to destroy ISIS, he said there is no military solution. We need to change the conditions on the ground so that young men are not in poverty and susceptible to radicalization. That, with all due respect, is nonsense.
It’s the same answer the State Department gave that we need to give them jobs. What we need is a commander in chief that makes — clear, if you join ISIS, if you wage jihad on America, then you are signing your death warrant."  
No other candidate shows the courage to stand up to their own party establishment while standing for the people that vote for him better than Sen. Cruz. He is the only candidate that doesn't have past positions that make me question his bonafides to be the Commander in Chief of the United States of America. 
Governor Mike Huckabee sounded good but his past positions on the size of government and Common Core make me question his sincerity. I would vote for him over a Democrat but I'll leave it there.
Senator Rand Paul came off poorly. He didn't say anything wrong as much as he sounded like a petulant teenager when he answered and sparred with other candidates. I would vote for him in the general election over a Democrat.
Chris Christie showed he doesn't respect the Constitution and doesn't really want to be president of the United States. I'm not worried about him winning the nomination.
Governor John Kasich makes me want to stab myself in my ears. He is the next coming of Bob Dole, Gerald Ford, John McCain, Mitt Romney and a kindred spirit with Jeb Bush. His answers on why he expanded Medicaid were mealy mouthed and squishy. His answer on homosexual marriage waw giant cop out. He said many words without saying anything other than the fact that his dad was a mailman. In no way would I vote for this man. He might make me stay home if he were the nominee.
 Governor and Bloomberg charity founding board member Jeb Bush was just awful. He looked and sounded like he was bothered by being there. His answers were heartless and not specific. He has no answers for his support of crappy top down education control or lawless border policies. He is everything bad about his brother and none of the good. Frankly, I see little domestic policy difference in him and many progressives in this country. Jeb would make me stay home if he becomes the nominee. If we are going to drive the country into the ditch, we may as well get it over sooner.
Dr. Benjamin Carson came across much better than I expected. I would vote for him if he was the nominee. He is a good man with a good heart and a warm sense of humor. He has learned much since he shot on to the national stage but still needs to develop more governmental knowledge.
Governor Scott Walker didn't do anything wrong during the debate. My only concern with him is his willingness to change his positions to suit the crowd he is talking to. His past and current positions on ethanol subsidies, Common Core and border security and immigration enforcement make me question his sincerity. I would vote for him if he was the nominee.
Senator Marco Rubio, who many talking heads swooned over, still comes across to me as a bit of an enigma. He talks a great game and looks presidential while doing it. He support for terrible policies and willingness to be "bipartisan" for the sake of being liked make me question his actual motives. His answers when asked about his positions seem too canned. I think I would vote for him in the general election but I will not support him through the primary season.
Now, the two thousand pound head in the room, the Donald. Donald Trump, while having somewhat pointed and biting questions asked of him, acted like a toddler that had his toys taken away. He did not have one specific point on anything other than look at me and "Make America Great Again". Frankly, his slogan sounds a little bit like "Hope and Change". Too vague and able to mean anything a weak-minded voter would want it to.  I love the way the Donald riles up the media but I think he is playing to the lowest common denominator. I don't trust him. I may vote for him over a Democrat is he was the only choice but I am afraid he'll go third party and give the election to Hillary Clinton or any other socialist candidate the Democrats will run if the Hilldabeast ends up in prison.
In my conservative mind, Ted Cruz is the best choice to reform the sewer, or the Washington cartel, as Cruz has termed it. He truly recognizes the real issue. The fact that government, as currently constituted, is in business for itself and no one else. He recognizes the need to return our government to a government of the people, by the people and for the people in a constitutional way that doesn't trample on individual liberty. He is the only candidate than can actually back up his language with action. He is not just a campaign conservative. Many others can't say that when voting records and previous actions are called into the mix. 
Count me as one of the #CruzCrew and a ardent supporter of #TedCruz2016.
Find me on Twitter.