The Republican Party is in Disarray

Debate after debate or political ad after political ad, one thing is for sure. The Republican party needs help and it needs it fast. It is not looking very presidential on the right side right now. The good thing is that those on the left waiting in the wings to take on the Republican nominee in the race to the White House are just as bad. Hillary, who is being investigated for possible national security violations over the whole email scandal or the socialist Bernie Sanders are equally as bad as far as dangers to the Republic go.

Now that the Republican field has been trimmed down with the campaign suspensions from Rand Paul, Chris Christie, Carly Fiorina, Jeb Bush and likely coming announcement from the Ben Carson camp no one, with the exception of Donald Trump, seems to have a real grassroots-based support. This applied to the Rand Paul supporters when he was still in the race as well. What I mean is Donald Trump’s fan base has been strong from the beginning. He has added many supporters along the way but has consistently maintained as strong and energetic fan base.

With the other candidates throughout the race it was a “flavor of the week” type of support. Each candidate went through their “time” in the race and fizzled out. At one time the “person that could beat Trump” was Ben Carson. He had a nice couple weeks rising in the polls, however, quickly lost flavor with the voters.

Jeb Bush, though his campaign never really equaled a “Bush-style” campaign, did have moderate rises in the polls, but was no match for Donald Trump in debates or head-to-head. He spent more in political television ads than the rest combined only to bow out. I thought he would have the longevity through resources and especially the name, Bush, to stave off a long campaign. He just couldn’t reach a nation that is weary and tired of Bush’s in the white house.

Now with Ben Carson on the ropes in this political fight he has announced today that he, too, is suspending his campaign. The one time contender to the front runner Donald Trump lost a wave of momentum he had early on in the race. An outsider to politics he used that as far as it would take him, but eventually his weakness on foreign policy couldn’t resonate with the voters. His soft speech and calm demeanor has made some question if he was tough enough for the office. We will see if he has a place on the elected presidents staff.

Chris Christie who hovered low in the poll numbers had very little growth in his campaign. Never forgetting to play the 9/11 card at a moments notice the party couldn’t find their candidate with him. Shortly after dropping out of the race he threw his support around his one time adversary, Donald Trump.

Senator Cruz and Senator Rubio are experiencing a moment of the “flavor of the week” among the voters as well, as the establishment of the party are scrambling to find an answer to Donald Trump’s staying power and popularity. Ted Cruz had a decent showing on super Tuesday winning Alaska, Oklahoma, and Texas, but super Tuesday, like the debates and race so far, belonged to Trump. Marco Rubio barely made the scorecard with one state win on super Tuesday. Minnesota came out and supported The Rubio camp and he was able to win there.

The front runner Donald Trump just keeps steaming along and enjoyed winning seven states. Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Massachusetts, Tennessee, Vermont, and Virginia were all clear victories for Trump and also helped add to his delegate lead which brought the total to 329. Ted Cruz follows behind at 231 and Rubio rounds out the top three with 110 delegates.

The Democratic race to the delegates is more lopsided with Hillary Clinton having 1,058 delegates to Bernie Sander’s 431 delegates. Barring some unforeseen event like an indictment, Hillary will be the Democratic party’s nominee.

The republican higher ups are not happy with this Trump wave of support and have even come out with some harsh words to what a Trump nominee would do to the party. The Republican establishment’s “golden boy” Mitt Romney has been one of the loudest to voice his opinions.

“…do everything within the normal political bounds to make sure we don’t nominate Donald Trump.”

-Mitt Romney on NBC Today Show

Recently while speaking Mitt Romney went on to talk about Trump’s foreign policy, his businesses,  his plan for the economy and attacking his temperament.

Look, his bankruptcies have crushed small businesses and the men and women who work for them. He inherited his business, he didn’t create it. And whatever happened to Trump Airlines? How about Trump University? And then there’s Trump Magazine and Trump Vodka and Trump Steaks and Trump Mortgage. A business genius he is not.

-Mitt Romney

Why is the establishment Rino’s rolling out 2012 failed candidate Mitt Romney now? Donald Trump is leading a race in the voters eyes and is causing the G.O.P. higher epsilon to make moves to swing the base back to the establishment’s choice. Either Cruz or Rubio would make the elite happy, but not a Trump Nominee.

Donald Trump has been hit from every angle and still seems to not only stand his ground, but come out with more support than before. Take for instance some of his comments he has made.

“I could stand in the middle of Fifth Avenue and shoot somebody and I wouldn’t lose any voters.”

-Donald Trump

I have seen the passion in his fan base and I am almost certain this is a true statement. He has an energetic fan base and they are liking what he is saying. At every possible moment his opponents like to point to his supporters as angry, racist, and Islamophobic. No doubt he has a controversial stance on both Muslims and border control, but it is in line with the majority of the Republican voters.

With a front runner that the establishment don’t want and the large amount of Republican voters that do want, this will be an interesting watch in the months to come and at the convention.

Written by: Michael Howell

 

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All Eyes On The Donald In Tonight’s Debate

Just hours away from the last Republican debate for the year and this one should be entertaining and telling to say the least. This will be the first debate for Donald Trump after making his remarks about banning all Muslims from entering the country and I look for him to take a heat wave of questions from the panel. 

This won’t be the first time for Donald to defend his words regarding his closed borders policy, but this will be the first time in a debate format where his opponents will have the chance to face him and offer their rebuttal in real time. So far the armor of Trump has withstood the attack from the left, the media, and even his own party. The majority of Americans seem to be able to relate to him and what he is saying. Tonight will be another chance for the attacks to make a dent in his campaign. 

Texas Senator Ted Cruz is enjoying a spike in the polls and even taking the lead in Iowa caucus, but still falling short in the national polls. Will he use this time to capitalized on the momentum or will Donald Trump make the most of his time to squash the current surge of the Cruz campaign? That is something that the Trump campaign has been very effective at doing thus far.

While the polls are not a scientific proven method to accurately gauge who will win the nomination, it is a method to gauge the American’s concerns and beliefs. Clearly the majority is relating to Donald and what he is saying. The there is more to the polls than just his current lead. Take his poll numbers in a head to head with the Democratic front runner, Hillary Clinton. In a national, hypothetical poll, Trump is a ten point under dog against Clinton polling at 55% to 45%, respectfully. 

Dr. Ben Carson will need a strong showing in tonight’s debate as well as he has dropped to third overall after enjoying a short run in second place in the Republican field. His campaign seems to be dwindling and struggling to pick up new voters. Will he be able to overcome the stigma that he is to soft spoken in these rough times?

Jeb Bush, whose campaign has spent more in commercials than nearly the rest of the field combined, will have to present his visions and policies boldly tonight. Having the most influential family in politics in the last few decades, he has not been able to use that to his advantage. Perhaps that is his downfall as the voting public is weary about another Bush in the White House. He can not rely on his strong ties to donors as the answer to climbing the polls. He must try to connect to the voters on a more personal level. His strategies just doesn’t seem to be equating to votes so far.

There are many things that are at stake tonight and the G.O.P. is under the microscope on many issues. More specifically, their front runner, Donald Trump is under the microscope. Not playing politics and throwing political correctness out the window, Trump is making the voters pay attention to issues like we haven’t seen in prior times. He is making headway with the American people, but driving a wedge between the Republican party. Who will win? Politics as usual or the voice of the people?

Grab your popcorn, put the kids to sleep, and watch the fireworks, or spectacle play out tonight. Surely all eyes will be on Donald Trump as he defends his past statements and lays out his agenda for the American people.

Written by: Michael Howell

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Are Voters Finally Anti-Establishment? About time.

Written by: Michael W. Howell
Senior Writer and Editor at Fighting the Tyranny
November 20, 2015

The political winds are blowing in a vastly different direction, and it is about time. We are seeing, for the first time I can remember, the vast majority of Americans speak up against the establishment and their crony candidates. From outsiders like Donald Trump to Dr. Ben Carson, the people are voicing their opinion against the grain and are yelling at the establishment. But is the establishment listening? No, they are not, and the dinosaur media is in the establishment’s toolbox for debunking this movement.

Take Donald Trump’s entering into the race as the prime example of the American people’s frustration. A successful businessman, but not an ounce of political experience in Washington, or anywhere else for that matter. That doesn’t seem to bother the voters as his campaign took a commanding lead at the beginning of the run to the White House and is still clinging to the top spot months later. In the past elections, we have seen candidates rise and fall during the race, but the Donald, at least for now, still holds the top spot. 

Rallying around a “Let’s build a wall” mantra, Trump’s appeal has grown, and even under massive attacks from not only the Democrats but fellow Republicans as well, the American people are voicing their wants and needs for the next American President. Clearly, immigration is on the minds of the people, and the candidates are scrambling to appeal to all voters through political games. For the anti-establishment crowd, right now, Donald seems to be their voice. 

Debate after debate, Trump has been ridiculed and attacked, and the people seem to have his back and his ideology. A growing and never-ending war against Isis and open borders during this time seem to have given Trump a surge in the polls that we are just now seeing slowing fade, but maintaining the lead. 

Another inexperienced candidate, as far as Washington standards are concerned, is Dr. Ben Carson. His campaign started off slowly as his soft-spoken demeanor may have played a role in that, but it has managed to pick up a moderate support base during his short run. With a sleepy and almost none interested look, Dr. Carson seems to have found a place among the Republican supporters even though he lacks the much-needed experience to run a nation. Maybe that is what has propelled Dr. Carson’s surge in the polls. Along with Donald Trump, Dr. Carson seems to appeal to the growing Americans that no longer trust their government and the agenda the politician’s horrible decisions we have place this nation in.

Dr. Ben Carson has had a very successful personal career as a Neurosurgeon, but like his competitor, Donald Trump, he has no political experience. His biggest downfall and what critics point out the most is his foreign policy or minimal understanding of it. While I do believe Dr. Carson has a role in the political atmosphere, I’m doubtful it is at the level of Commander-in-Chief. With him being a part of this election cycle, I don’t see him taking another position unless it is a cabinet position, perhaps.

Former C.E.O. of Hewitt Packard, Carly Fiorina, threw her hat in the ring this election cycle as well. We once again have an inexperienced candidate as far as politics goes, making waves in the Presidential run. Though the argument could be made that it takes “political savvy” to run a corporation, the “official” political experience isn’t there. 

She has been credited with streamlining Hewitt Packard business structure, but fell out of favor with the board and was relieved of her duties. Her story that she likes to promote at every opportunity as “Secretary-to-C.E.O.” has even come under scrutiny from many columnists transpiring into a fact check frenzy, but has not damaged her movement she likes to dub as “grassroots.”

The Presidential debates, overall, have been friendly to the one-time businesswoman, letting her chant her mantra of “take America back” and just how the government has lost the confidence of the American people, often resulting in an outbreak of applause. No one can logically say she’s wrong, but it still hasn’t calculated into a strong push in poll numbers.

So just why are we seeing this trend of inexperience candidates not only making the American people listen but act as well? The answer is quite simple. The American people are fed up with a corrupt system that only has a select interest in mind and an economy of overspending that has now amassed a national debt of over 18.5 Trillion dollars. Congress’ approval is at an all-time low, and the President’s favorable poll numbers are at his personal all-time low. We are in a war that the career politicians seem to have no interest in winning, only prolonging. How are the establishment fighting the growing popularity with the “Washington outsiders?”

Same song and dance using the same narratives. Take the establishment’s poster boy from the establishment’s favorite family – Jeb Bush. Playing on the hot topics of the day, Planned Parenthood, he continually reminds us that he defunded Planned Parenthood during his time as Governor of Florida. With deep pockets through a high donor class, he has more opportunities to staving off a long run and can afford to wait out other candidates as they continue to suspend their campaigns. Many believe all he has to do is be the last man standing, so to speak.

If you listen to him speak sometime, you will hear a familiar beat, and that is the beating of war drums. Right now they may appear to sound like congos or bongos, but made no mistake, he has a full drum kit in his arsenal. Attacking President Obama on his handling of Isis, he makes it clear we need a new strategy regarding the War on Terrorism. So many agree on this statement, but his plan to combat terrorism has failed to take root among the voters.

Jeb also likes to promote how his brother’s policies and Presidency kept us safe. This is where I want to remind him that the most significant attack on American soil happened on his brother’s watch. We were told that 9/11 happened due to security measures that were ignored or not fully used on that day. It doesn’t seem like safety to me, but an admission of guilt and failure. Nonetheless, he plays the 9/11 card and uses policies since that day as policies he would keep or even expand upon. Policies like the Patriot Act now called the Freedom Act and also showing favor for the spying on Americans bureaucracy known as the N.S.A.

No one plays the 9/11 card quite as often and vocally as former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie. Another establishment choice in the race, he has used every opportunity to let us know about all the funerals he has attended in the aftermath of 9/11. This just in Mr. Christie; as a former Governor, we expect you to be there. To the American people, this is not an achievement on your part, but more like a “duh” moment to us. Often quoting and using 9/11 as a base to keep the N.S.A. program not only alive but expanding it, he refuses to acknowledge the usurping of the Constitution that the program has. Even going one on one with Senator Rand Paul during a debate. Rand Paul made valid points to keeping rights secure even under severe times, and Chris Christie wasted no time showing his establishment ties when making his views known during the debate. 

Rand Paul is definitely the most liberty-minded of all the mainstream candidates but still fails to resonate with the movement his father started during his runs to win the Presidency. Straying away from the libertarian label, Rand projects libertarian views but continues to embrace the Republican theme with mild variations. He is at odds with his fellow Republicans on issues that the party has lined themselves with. Taking a page out of Ron Paul’s playbook, Rand has brought attention to the Federal Reserve corruption with an audit the Fed bill, but still doesn’t go after the strong arm of the Federal Reserve – the I.R.S.. Instead of continuing the abolish the I.R.S. movement he has proposed his own tax plan only perpetuating the system.

Senator Paul has been vocal about the war on terror, more specific, Isis, while not really pushing the term “blowback” enough. What we are seeing is direct results from generations of horrible foreign policy that need to abruptly end and fast. Being called an isolationist from his counterpoints, he seems to have trouble resonating with the youth like his father did. Many credit the elder Paul with their coming to terms with America’s foreign policy. There is a clear difference in an isolationist and preemptive war that his father’s former supporters would like to see him speak more on.

Someone who is quickly picking up momentum is the former Senator from Texas, Ted Cruz. The evangelical voter is looking for someone to grasp onto, and for the moment, he seems to be filling that void among that demographic. He comes across in issues that affect that group like the border and the current situation with Isis. Soft-spoken, to the point, he has managed to stay afloat and pick up voters and support. We will see if he can capitalize on the political winds blowing in his direction.

Clearly, Americans are fed up with the system and looking for a bright spot in this cycle. Presidential debate ratings are up, the public is listening, and many are bidding for your vote. One thing is for sure, and that is the “outsiders” are making the biggest splash and the Republican party better listen. With a strong candidate like Hillary Clinton waiting in the wings, the party could be in considerable trouble if they become divided. A seasoned politician like Hillary will waste no time rallying her party together and making the wedge more profound and broader among voters.

With just under a year left till the general elections, this will be a fun election to watch, if it doesn’t turn into a sideshow first. Americans are honest in their concerns, and the establishment candidates are out in full force trying to put out the fires and squash all the rhetoric. Who will last in the end? Will the establishment stand behind and endorse the nominee, even if it is an outsider? Many questions remain, and only the American’s voice will crumble the establishment or perpetuate it. 

 

Please read my other articles

Roll Out The Gun Control Laws

Whistleblowers: Protect, Not Prosecute

Our Biggest Threat Is Cognitive Dissonance

Terrorism, The Federal Reserve, And The Global Agenda

Operation Mockingbird: Then and Now

Listen To Me Know, Not Later