Conservatism is an enduring ideology

15 Apr

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Mark Caserta – Free State Patriot Editor

  • 4.15.16

I don’t subscribe to the liberal narrative that the principles of conservatism have moved “far right” of mainstream America.

 

And you shouldn’t either.

 

Understand, the entire premise of the progressive movement is based on our actions and behaviors being weighed and measured on a sliding scale of standards with no immovable principles. It isn’t conservative principles which are moving; it’s the progressives who continue to advance their agenda further “left.”

Liberals always seem to spin their motives with the thread of “human kindness” while painting conservatives as staunch, uncaring radicals. But you may be surprised at just how conservative you really are when examining the truth.

 

Conservatives believe liberty is a God-given right and not a “gift” from government. We agree the Constitution of the United States is the supreme law of the land and may not be altered except by amendment. In fact, our continuance as sovereign nation rests on adhering to the rule of law penned by our framers.

 

We believe our faith in God is integral to the success of our nation and the two cannot be separated. Americans have a right to exercise their freedom to worship, uninhibited by anyone, including the government. And our right to expression is not limited by the amount of offense it may be to others, for they have the same right.

 

We believe government’s power should be derived from the “consent of the governed,” as stated in the Declaration of Independence, and anything less is tyrannical. We stand for limited government, lower taxes and more state-based solutions. We feel Washington is operating far outside the boundaries of the Constitution and must be reined in.

 

Conservatives believe in the sanctity of human life. The Guttmacher Institute has tracked roughly 50 million abortions since 1973. This is a travesty for which we will have to give account before the Almighty someday. Historically, there have been two other times when babies have been murdered on a large scale. Both times, a deliverer emerged – Moses and Jesus. We expect this will happen again.

 

Conservatives believe in the free-market principles of capitalism. Hard work and commitment should be rewarded with performance-based dividends. The socialist concept of “spreading the wealth” creates a slothful society where too many individuals feel they have a “right” to something without having earned it.

 

We believe in Ronald Reagan’s philosophy of “peace through strength.” Our military strength is non-negotiable. There are too many nations who see the United States as vulnerable. We owe the brave men and women who guard the walls of liberty every opportunity to win, unconditionally.

And finally, we believe in the exceptionalism of America and do not believe it must be “fundamentally changed.” The Obama presidency has successfully dispelled that myth. Voters are “champing at the bit” to rid our nation of this failed liberal experiment.

 

So while the dangerous, unrestrained ideology of progressivism has indeed taken a toll on our nation, the enduring principles of conservatism have helped us remain the greatest nation on earth.

 

And mainstream America hasn’t gone anywhere.

 

Mark Caserta is a Cabell County resident.

Mark Caserta: Gitmo not symbolic of U.S. malfeasance

8 Apr

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  • 4.8.16  

Frankly, I’m tired of liberals maintaining that the Guantanamo Bay (Gitmo) detention camp in southeastern Cuba is a recruitment tool for radical Islamic terrorists and must be closed.

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News flash for progressives: Gitmo was constructed to house war criminals captured by U.S forces in Afghanistan, Iraq and other theaters of the war. The intelligence acquired from detainees has, in fact, saved American lives.

And Americans are weary of our president apologizing for it.

According to “The Religion of Peace” website, “the Quran contains at least 109 verses that call Muslims to war with nonbelievers” for the sake of the Islamic Caliphate. It further states that Muslims who don’t join the fight are called “hypocrites” and warned that Allah will “send them to hell” if they don’t join the slaughter.

It’s very naive to believe groups like ISIS would attempt to leverage Gitmo interrogation techniques as a recruitment tool, while they’re busy chopping off heads, burning people alive and drowning them in cages.

The truth is the expansion of Islamic terrorism on behalf of Allah began decades ago.

In November 1979, Iranian militants seized the U.S. embassy in Iran and took 52 American diplomats as hostages. For 444 days, Americans were held hostage while a feckless Carter administration attempted to negotiate with Iran’s revolutionary leaders. The event captivated our nation and helped give birth to an era of terrorism and regional instability in the Middle East.

In October 1983, 220 Marines, 18 sailors and three soldiers were killed as Islamic terrorists drove a truck carrying explosives into the Marine barracks in Beirut, Lebanon. Shortly afterward, 58 French paratroopers were killed in a similar attack. It was reportedly the deadliest attack on the U.S. Marine Corps since the battle of Iwo Jima during World War II.

In February 1993, New York experienced the first attack on the World Trade Center when Islamic terrorists parked a rental van in a garage below the twin towers packed with explosives. Six people died and more than 1,000 people were injured in what was, at the time, one of the worst terrorist attacks ever to occur on U.S. soil.

And the list goes on.

Incidentally, after closing Gitmo, President Obama plans to relocate these Islamic extremists to prison facilities in the United States.

Now, prisons are filled with individuals potentially dismayed with their lives in the U.S. What successes would these Islamic leaders have within the confines of their prison walls in the recruitment and training of domestic terrorists?

Terrorists are far more empowered by Obama’s tepid response in curtailing their activity than they are by Gitmo. Obama and his liberal followers want Gitmo closed because they’re desperate for accomplishments in his fruitless legacy – period.

Gitmo is not symbolic of U.S. malfeasance as liberals maintain, but rather our resoluteness against terrorism.

Mark Caserta is a conservative blogger, a Cabell County resident and a regular contributor to The Herald-Dispatch editorial page.

Mark Caserta: America is primary target for jihadists

1 Apr

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Mark Caserta: Free State Patriot Editor

4.1.16

More than once last week, I heard the analogy “Nero played while Rome burned” to describe the antics of President Obama in the wake of the brutal Islamic terrorist attack in Brussels, Belgium.

Following the attack, despite promptings to return from Cuba to the United States in a presidential display of leadership and support for the Belgium people, Obama chose to stay and attend an exhibition baseball game hours after the attack. The following evening he chose to dance the tango and sip champagne at a state dinner with his wife, Michelle.

Reportedly, at least 31 people were killed and hundreds injured in the attack.

In January 2014, Obama likened ISIS to the “J.V.” team.

“The analogy we use around here sometimes, and I think is accurate, is if a J.V. team puts on Lakers uniforms, that doesn’t make them Kobe Bryant,” Obama told David Remnick of The New Yorker.

In a February 2015 interview with Vox’s Exra Klein and Matthew Yglesias, Obama charged the media with “absolutely” overstating the threat of “terrorism” compared to the threat of “climate change.”

During the exchange, Obama was asked “if the media sometimes overstates the level of alarm people should have about terrorism” as opposed to the problem of climate change.

“What’s the famous saying about local newscasts, right? If it bleeds, it leads, right?” Obama said. “You show crime stories and you show fires, because that’s what folks watch, and it’s all about ratings.”

Obama said stories relative to climate change just aren’t “sexy” enough for the media.

Nearly a year-and-a-half after the United States and its allies began confronting the Islamic State, Obama still didn’t have a strategy to defeat them. A June 2015 New York Times column written by Julie Davis and Michael Shear reported Obama acknowledging the fact at a news conference following the G7 Summit in Germany.

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“We don’t have, yet, a complete strategy, because it requires commitments on the part of Iraqis as well,” Mr. Obama said. “The details are not worked out.”

In February 2015, FBI Director James Comey warned that his agency was investigating suspected supporters of ISIS “in various stages of radicalizing” in every state across the U.S.

Failed leadership and an anemic response to the threat are enabling the return of the Islamic Caliphate and the rise of ISIS. Innocent people around the world are paying the price with their lives.

We know America is a primary target for radical jihadists. One has to wonder when a coordinated array of ISIS attacks will begin in the U.S.

And what our president is doing to prevent it.

Mark Caserta is a conservative blogger, a Cabell County resident and a regular contributor to The Herald-Dispatch editorial page.

Mark Caserta: Trump lacks proper direction in his mission

25 Mar

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  • 3.25.16

It’s time Donald Trump supporters begin to look themselves in the mirror and ask some very pertinent questions about what it’s really going to take to make America great again. I believe it’s going to take more than just a man to return our country to greatness.

Our Founding Fathers were humble enough to know their wisdom was insufficient for the task that lay ahead. They understood they needed to be sensitive to God’s direction and that founding a nation required the Almighty to order their steps and direct them in ways far beyond the scope of earthly wisdom.

The challenge we face today will require a similar approach.

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Our nation needs someone willing to seek God’s wisdom in all they say, do and represent. And right now, I simply don’t see Donald Trump as a man willing to lead our nation under God’s direction. In fact, I see a man determined to have it his way – or no way at all.

No doubt, there will be those who will charge me with “judging” or “condemning” the Donald. In fact, I have Christian friends, whom I love and respect dearly, justifying their support of Trump by suggesting his flip-flops on his liberal stances are the result of a life-changing experience with Jesus Christ.

Certainly, all things are indeed possible through Christ. But there’s a huge difference between judging a man’s heart and discerning his ability to lead a country.

I don’t propose to know Mr. Trump’s heart, but I do know the Bible tells us we should look at the “fruit” one produces in life as a barometer of character. Galatians 5:22-23 reminds us the “fruits of the Spirit” include, love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. I simply don’t see Trump’s actions aligning with these traits.

Are we so desperate for leadership that we are willing to allow an individual who vigorously attacks anyone who disagrees with his views and who spews vulgarity in public venues to become our next president?

It isn’t just the verbiage that’s concerning – it’s the judgment.

Are we so determined to “punish” liberal Democrats and feckless Republicans that we are willing to elect someone with a gaping lack of knowledge of foreign affairs simply because they are politically irreverent?

Are we so nave we’re willing to believe that simply because Donald Trump personally financed his campaign that he will not be indebted to his supporters in the same manner other candidates reward special interest groups and donors?

Unfortunately, we are witnessing millions of true patriots divided by a passionate desire to see our nation rebound from nearly eight years of progressive bondage. And liberals are leveraging this division against us!

But we must not allow our disgust with the current political theater to cloud our vision.

Remember, we got where we are because we elected a man unwilling to listen to others, unwilling to produce Godly fruit and who relentlessly attacked those who disagreed with him politically.

We must not make the same mistake again.

Mark Caserta is a conservative blogger, a Cabell County resident and a regular contributor to The Herald-Dispatch editorial page.

Mark Caserta: Cruz has bona fides to be US president

19 Mar

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Mark Caserta: Free State Patriot Editor

Mar 18, 2016

It’s encouraging to see that so many people understand the need to “make America great again” following the failed leadership of the current administration.

But the worst thing we can do in this upcoming presidential election is vote with our emotions instead of our minds. That’s how we got Barack Obama.

For the first time in nearly eight years we’ve an opportunity to logically look beyond the rhetoric and seek out substance in a principled, knowledgeable candidate who has proven he will stand up to both liberal Democrats and the so-called GOP establishment.

Sen. Cruz understands big government is the problem, not the solution. As president, Cruz promises to reduce government by eliminating the Department of Education and the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). Education will be returned to the states, and the IRS will no longer be a feared government agency targeting anti-liberal policies.

West Virginians know all too well that Obama and his Environmental Protection Agency cronies are deliberately killing the coal industry. Cruz has promised to pull back the massive EPA regulations and allow the coal industry to breathe again, revitalizing jobs across the country.

Cruz understands the economy. He’s consistently voted against raising the debt ceiling, massive spending bills and government bailouts. He’s for free trade and against government subsidies where government picks “winners and losers.” He understands business, not government, creates jobs.

Ted Cruz understands foreign policy and the quandary in the Middle East. He led the fight against Obama’s nuclear deal with Iran and promises to “tear it up” early in his presidency. He’s been a staunch supporter of Israel and doesn’t believe in a “neutral” approach to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

And finally, in January’s edition of “Charisma News,” Cruz openly shared his testimony about his faith and his commitment to religious liberty.

“When I was 8 years old, I went to our church’s summer camp, along (with) my cousin Bibi. At the invitation, tears streaming down my face, Bibi and I both walked down and gave our lives to Jesus.

“And it changed my life. To have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ, to know that God’s only Son died to pay for my sins, that I was fallen that I am redeemed by the blood of the Lamb, nothing is more important to me. I am a new creature in Christ, and it is central to who I am today.”

Serving in the highest office in the land requires a servant’s heart, not a taskmaster’s whip.

And it requires someone with proven integrity.

Ted Cruz toes the line.

Mark Caserta is a conservative blogger, a Cabell County resident and a regular contributor to The Herald-Dispatch editorial page.

Mark Caserta: Candidates should avoid brokered convention

11 Mar

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Mark Caserta: Free State Patriot Editor

  • 3.11.16

In addition to being plagued with mammoth egos and juvenile behavior, the Republican Party is certainly in a political pickle right now. And it could get much worse.

Now, I plan to support the GOP nominee and the constitutional process – period. Besides, in my estimation, any of the four remaining candidates are more qualified than either of their Democrat opponents.

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The problem is the voters may not be the ones choosing! The GOP could be facing their first “brokered convention” in nearly 70 years.

What is a brokered convention? Here’s how it works.

During the primary and caucus season, a candidate seeks to win enough votes to be awarded a simple majority of the available delegates during the first official vote of the party’s nominating convention. For the Republican Party, the magic delegate number is 1,237. Of the GOP’s 2,472 available delegates, the majority are “pledged” delegates, meaning they will be bound to vote for a particular candidate at the convention.

Here’s where it could get nasty.

If during the first vote at the upcoming Republican National Convention in Cleveland on July 18-21 the delegates are split among candidates and there is no clear majority, the convention is then considered “brokered.” The Republican National Committee will then press the proverbial “reset” button, releasing all delegates from their pledged candidate and enabling them to cast a vote for the individual of their choice.

A “no holds barred” nomination process then ensues with self-serving party leaders bartering back room deals to wangle a candidate they feel could garner the necessary delegates. Subsequent voting would then take place until one candidate receives a majority.

Now, here are some points to consider regarding this process.

First, it renders months of primary and caucus voting null and void, taking the American people completely out of the process, which could have huge ramifications.

Sen. Marco Rubio and Ohio Gov. John Kasich, for all intents and purposes, are out of the race. A brokered convention, controlled by the so-called GOP “establishment,” would be their only hope of winning the nomination.

And this same establishment hates businessman Donald Trump and Sen. Ted Cruz. A brokered convention would most assuredly not result in either of these candidates receiving the Republican nomination.

Additionally, given the poor caliber of the Democrat candidates, I believe the jury is still out on their presumptive nominee. While Democrat leadership certainly doesn’t want to show its “down card” this early in the process, Vice President Joe Biden, Secretary of State John Kerry or former presidential candidate Al Gore could easily step up as party “benefactors” and become formidable candidates.

My political “Xanadu” rests with Rubio and Kasich dropping out after the March 15th primaries, reducing this to a two-man race. I believe the changing dynamics would result in a Cruz nomination before the GOP could orchestrate a brokered convention and sidestep voters.

Regardless, unless the equation changes, a brokered convention may be inevitable. And the American people would just watch from the sidelines.

Here’s hoping candidates simply do the right thing.

Mark Caserta is a Cabell County resident.

Mark Caserta: What will you do with your freedom?

5 Mar

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3.4.16

We all hear the word “freedom” bandied about often enough, but what does the word actually mean to you?

The principal author of the Federalist Papers, Alexander Hamilton, may have said it best.

“The sacred rights of mankind are not to be rummaged for, among old parchments, or musty records. They are written, as with a sun beam in the whole volume of human nature, by the hand of divinity itself; and can never be erased or obscured by mortal power.”

While sitting in my “Men of Truth” class in church this past Sunday, I thoughtfully considered the greatest freedom of all – the ability to choose one’s path in life.

Now, the ability to choose our own belief system is a God-given right which no man should be able to abrogate. And the freedom to express or exercise our religious faith is certainly an integral derivative of the process. But simply believing isn’t enough!

Dr. Steve Nutter, our class teacher and mentor, used believing in God as an example of how we must each put our faith into action. “Believing isn’t enough,” Dr. Nutter paraphrased from the Bible, the Book of James. “Even the demons believe, and they tremble in terror.”

It’s how we put our Godly belief system into action that fosters God’s consummate freedom in our lives.

The freedom from bondage and addiction are, in essence, the temporal chains of this world. One could argue these worldly obstructions are meant to create a communication barrier between us and God, deafening us to potentially life-changing inspiration from our creator.

And then there’s the freedom to prosper and grow in an environment that nurtures and rewards hard work. Capitalism is certainly the quintessential example of this freedom in America, although under attack by the progressive movement.

A freedom which I consider to be the antithesis of all virtuous freedoms is the freedom from the rule of law and accountability. This nefarious, illicit freedom fosters suppression of principled, lawful ones. Probably the most prominent example of our day is the right to exercise your religious freedom.

Let’s be constitutionally honest, shall we? How can “freely exercising your religious beliefs, outside of any government interference,” be interpreted as “Congress making a law that shows respect to one religion over another?”

I’ll tell you how. We allowed it to happen.

The desire for freedom, while inherent in us all, may be driven by the wrong conviction. Ronald Reagan said, “Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction.”

Someone always wants to take it away.

So, beginning today, what will you do with your freedom?

Mark Caserta is a conservative blogger and a Cabell County resident.

Mark Caserta: Christians’ votes can make the difference

26 Feb

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Christians, are you happy with the state of our union? Are you comfortable that our nation’s leaders represent us and govern without Godly values and a servant’s heart?

Well, you must be.

Despite the fact that most Christians I know would agree our nation is severely lacking in terms of its reliance upon the biblical precepts and principles of its founding, millions of potential evangelical voters are content to live their lives on the sidelines and stay out of politics altogether.

According to a December 2015 Gallup Poll, about 75 percent of Americans identify with a Christian religion. The poll described the “Christian” category to include Catholics, Protestants, Mormons and non-denominational Christians.

The U.S. Census Bureau website shows that around the same time

period, our nation had just over 318 million citizens, with 77 percent over the age of 18. Without getting too bogged down in the math, that equates to just over 183 million potential Christian voters.

To put that number in perspective, Barack Hussein Obama won the 2012 presidential election with just under 66 million popular votes! It isn’t difficult to see what sort of impact Christians could have if they would simply get out the vote!

The Providence Forum, a nonprofit organization whose mission is to “preserve, defend and advance the faith and values consistent with those of our nation’s founding,” recently shared an online analysis of the Christian vote in America.

The edition, entitled “Your Vote Matters,” revealed that only 50 percent of Christians in America are even registered to vote. Of those, only 50 percent actually show up at the polls. This means that around 75 percent of all Christians aren’t doing their part to mold the future of our nation. That’s over 137 million voters!

The apparent apathy of Christian voters in executing their spiritual duty to God, their patriotic duty to their country and their kindred duty to their family is simply inexcusable. If Christians would fulfill their responsibility and vote, not only would we attract more candidates that share our belief system, we would win every presidency in a landslide!

In my lifetime, I can’t recall our country ever being as derailed from the temporal tracks of morality as it is now. The progressive movement is effectively spreading its liberal theology into every nook and cranny of our nation, to include our schools, government and even churches! And they’re tenaciously attacking every semblance of God and replacing it with their sliding scale of morality.

But this doesn’t have to happen. With a little studying of the issues, some fervent prayer and a 30-minute trip to the polling booth, you can make all the difference.

There is power in unity and the sideline is no place for a Christian. Remember, Jesus took only 12 men and shook the world. And He told us we will “do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father.”

Your vote matters. Now, more than ever.

Because without the Christian vote in November, we lose – period.

Mark Caserta is a conservative blogger and a Cabell County resident.

Mark Caserta: America’s very future depends on court’s balance

19 Feb

 

Over the years, the U.S. Supreme Court has become a prized possession for the reigning political party. It’s balance, whether conservative or liberal leaning, denotes potentially decades of consequences for “We the People.”

 

Understand, a successful confirmation to the Supreme Court is a lifetime appointment. And while the very vital role these justices play in our judicial system involves interpreting, not transforming the law, the progressive evolution of the court’s discretionary character has unfortunately acquiesced to paltry judicial activism for their party.

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In recent history the Supreme Court has given us Roe v. Wade, Obamacare and nationalized gay marriage. These progressive rulings alone have dramatically changed the face of America and left our children facing many unknown challenges.

No doubt, conservatism has seen its share of setbacks. But we may have just incurred one of our biggest.

 

Last Saturday, our nation’s leading conservative voice on the Supreme Court died at the age of 79. Multiple news agencies reported Justice Antonin Scalia died in his sleep during a visit to Texas. Unsurprisingly, his passing sparked a flurry of debate on the terms of filling the vacancy.

 

Should Obama or the next president and Senate be charged with nominating and confirming Scalia’s replacement? With Democrat leadership calling for the seat to be filled right away, President Obama vowed to nominate a replacement.

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“There will be plenty of time for me to do so and for the Senate to fulfill its responsibility to give that person a fair hearing and a timely vote,” Obama said. “These are responsibilities that I take seriously, as should everyone.”

 

Sen. Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., quickly called for the vacancy to be filled after the Obama presidency.

 

“The American people should have a voice in the selection of their next Supreme Court justice. Therefore, this vacancy should not be filled until we have a new president,” McConnell said in a statement.

 

Now, over the next few weeks, you’ll hear political pundits argue that Scalia’s absence imperils the 5-4 conservative majority on the court.

 

But I’m afraid the risk is much greater for conservatives.

 

There are really only two conservative justices left in the high court — Justices Clarence Thomas and Samuel Alito Jr. Justices Anthony Kennedy and Chief Justice John Roberts are, in my opinion, moderates. That leaves a court laden with the staunch liberal views of Justices Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Steven Breyer, Sonia Sotomayor and Elena Kagan.

Another progressive addition to the court would secure disaster for conservatism as we know it. So for now, the Senate must stand firm on confirming the right nominee.

 

Incredulously, while the Constitution spells out multiple requirements for becoming president or even a member of Congress, it mentions no rules for joining the Supreme Court! A justice doesn’t even have to have judicial experience!

 

Placing such unmitigated power into the hands of potentially unqualified individuals makes no sense.

 

It’s time to alleviate the long-term political impact of an unbalanced court.

 

We must act now to add term limits for Supreme Court justices as well as establish clearly defined qualifications.

 

Mark Caserta is a conservative blogger, a Cabell County resident and a regular contributor to The Herald-Dispatch editorial page.

Mark Caserta: Be wary of tactics to influence voters

12 Feb

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Mark Caserta: Free State Patriot Editor

2.12.16

It may surprise you that Donald Trump’s massive presence in liberal media outlets such as MSNBC or CNN isn’t meant to educate the voter as to his qualifications to be president.

Understand neither Democrats nor the liberal media want the villainous Hillary Clinton having to face anyone but Republican real-estate mogul Donald Trump in the 2016 presidential election. In fact, he may be the only chance she’s got.

 

The recent Iowa caucuses were a perfect example.

Nearly every single poll (including the esteemed Des Moines Register and Bloomberg) had Trump up in entrance polling by as many as 5 points over Texas Sen. Ted Cruz. At one point leading up to the voting, some polls had Trump up by as many as 22 points!

But that doesn’t mean he ever was.

You see, there’s something about the human psyche that makes folks want to go with a “winner.” And the major media players count on that. They believe they can influence the outcome of an election with early polling “slanted” toward their candidate feigning a substantial lead – so don’t waste your vote!

It turns out, Cruz won by nearly 4.5 points, nearly a 9 point turnaround. In this case, the incredulous consideration of Donald Trump as the GOP candidate was just too surmounting to be overcome by any media ploy.

Now, don’t get me wrong. This tactic isn’t proprietary for the liberal media. Other major conservative channels like Fox News are just as guilty of tilting the voter’s focus one direction or another.

For example, it’s pretty obvious to me that initially the Fox News tailwinds were in the sails of Jeb Bush. After all, the Bush legacy has been kind to owner Rupert Murdoch. But after seeing the Jeb ship wasn’t seaworthy, the talking heads jumped on Mario Rubio’s speed boat. And clearly the questions and interview angles given Rubio are slow pitches compared to the knuckle balls thrown at Ted Cruz and other candidates.

It’s a pretty sad state of affairs, actually. We have the national liberal media promoting the weakest possible GOP candidate while providing Hillary an endless supply of “get out of jail free” cards. And we have the comparative conservative media attempting to influence their lion share of voters with sometimes fair and “unbalanced” reporting.

So, don’t fall prey to this nuanced reporting and skewed polls. If we’ve learned anything from recent history, it isn’t only the politicians who will lie to you – some media outlets will as well.

Mark Caserta is a conservative blogger, a Cabell County resident and a regular contributor to The Herald-Dispatch editorial page.