National Republicans
The Republican World Today
Eyes locked on a television set, sitting ramrod straight, lean-faced, Dan stared at Joe Biden – in the middle of a sentence Biden lost his train of thought, stammered, waving his hands, face blank. “He’s senile.” Turning, Dan glared at me. “Those two polls about Trump that John Bolton or you did were a joke.”…
Read MoreEchoing a Proverb
Trump roars…rules…dictates who wins Republican primaries…that mantra bit the dust last week. John Bolton and I have been friends for 40 years; one of the last old-fashioned conservatives, he supported Reagan back in 1976, helped me in Jesse’s campaign a year later, left his law practice to serve in Reagan’s administration. Last February as we…
Read MoreThe Swamp: Alive and Well
The other day Mitch McConnell told Chuck Schumer that not one Republican Senator would vote to raise the debt ceiling…then in the next breath told Schumer how to raise the ceiling on his own without a single Republican vote. Schumer shot back: ‘This debt is Trump’s debt. It’s Covid debt. Americans pay their debts.’ To…
Read MoreThe Deadliest Fruit
Standing on stage at his rally in Ohio Trump bragged, ‘I won by a landslide’ – beside me, watching Trump’s video, my friend nodded. I leaned toward him. ‘Give me one fact that proves Trump won?’ He laughed. ‘Do I think the Democrats would steal an election…yes, in a minute.’ He didn’t need facts –…
Read MoreReality Show Politics
Love him or despise him you have to admit Donald Trump is a larger than life character, a law unto himself; before he became President in 2016 he changed parties five times; launching his first campaign for President – back in 2000 – on CNN he told Larry King, ‘I hate, hate abortion but I’m…
Read MoreA Poll About Trump
Donald Trump’s spokesman said: The Republican Party is Trump’s Party. I wondered, Truth? Or bluster? Later, talking with John Bolton, catching up, we talked about the same question. That led to a poll – one number leaped out: Trump’s ‘Favorable/Unfavorable’ rating with Republicans. When a candidate’s popularity begins to wane it’s seldom like a titanic…
Read MoreThe Result: Polarization
I clicked, up popped a long list of newspaper headlines on Twitter: Hate Crimes Against Asian Americans… Transgender athletes banned… Matt Gaetz accused of sex trafficking … Marjorie Taylor Greene calls Rep. David Cicilline, ‘Rep. Mussolini…’ Rep. Cicilline tells Greene ‘get lost…’ Biden stumbles three times… Trump rules the GOP… Howls rolled on. People cheered,…
Read MoreAt Mar-a-Lago
Trump gave an order: Don’t certify the election results. Mitch McConnell disobeyed. Angry, offended, sitting in a room full of Republican donors at Mar-a-Lago, Trump struck back, called McConnell a ‘dumb son-of-a-bitch.’ The problem isn’t that Trump dislikes McConnell – it’s how Trump went about it: Hurling insults. And, worse, it’s people cheering as he…
Read MoreRolling Downhill
Profound faith: Laying wounded on a gurney staring up at the emergency room ceiling, an assassin’s bullet lodged an inch from his heart, hemorrhaging internally, Ronald Reagan said a prayer for the crazed young man who’d just shot him; later, fighting to win the Cold War, Reagan warned, If we forget we are one nation…
Read MoreGospel Truth? Or Heresy?
To get reelected Trump had to win one war: He had to beat Joe Biden with Independents. He failed. But, as we hear Trumpsters say every day, most Republicans are still blindly loyal to Trump. Gospel truth? Or heresy? Forty-four years ago when I managed Ronald Reagan’s first Presidential campaign in North Carolina we fought…
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