Tag Archives: 2016 presidential election

Doug Smith: So, what now? How about stopping the crying and figuring it out?

18 Nov

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Doug Smith: Author, historian and lead contributor to FSP

 

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There is a French song called “What Now My Love” which became a jazz standard in the US.

It goes like this:

“What now my love, now that you’ve left me? How can I live through another day? What now my love, now that you’ve left me? How can I live through another day? Watching my dreams turning to ashes

 And all of my hopes into bits of clay

  Once I could see, once I could feel Now I am numb, I’ve become unreal I walked the night, without a goal Stripped of my heart, my heart and my soul

 What now my love? Now that it’s over I feel the world closing in on me Here come the stars, falling around me Here’s the sky where the sea should be

What now my love? Now that you’re gone I’d be a fool to go on and on and on No one would care, nobody would cry If I should live or even if I should die

What now my love? Now that it’s over Nothing is left, my last goodbye My last goodbye”

This is apparently the theme song of what’s left of the Democrat Party and the Hillary campaign. So, I have an answer for their question “What Now?” The time to voice an opinion about what the candidate says or proposes ended on Nov 8. Then, we voice our opinion in the way that counts, the way our Constitution provides – we vote.

We vote. Because half a million men died, and many more took great risks, black folks and even, gracious sakes, women, can register their opinion by exercising that precious franchise.

That is a good thing . We exercise the rights of citizens of a constitutional republic. And the choice is made, and we deal with it. The time to say vocally ” I don’t want X as President ended on Nov 8. ” This is the United States. We do not change governments based on shrieking crowds. We use the ballot. Those of us who rejected Barack Obama had to accept that he won.

Now the time to criticize what he did was once he did it. Thus the results of his actions and policies caused the decimation of the Democrat Party, which has lost 900 offices nationwide between 2010 and now. They have lost the Congress, the White House, 33 Governors, and only hold full control of 5 states.

So America has spoken loudly its rejection of progressive policy, and the face, and certainly the mouth of that rejection is Donald Trump.

So what now?

When he does something to object to, and you disagree, by all means object. But for now, his positions beat those of Obama and Hillary.

Rather than shriek, weep, moan, and skip work ( well hardly, working folks, by and large, go to work disappointed if they lose, but work anyway) or class, it might be time to consider, why did we lose, so much, so often, and again.

To keep doing the same thing and expect a different result is the definition of insanity.

The politics of emotion is very loud. The politics of reason is quieter but sound. The greatest politics is the politics of interest. The coalition of fringe interests has been very loud. The interests of kitchen table issues and personal safety were much quieter.

Until Nov 8.

What now?

Learn that there are no participation awards. There are winners and losers.

For 8 years, the winners were elitists.

The losers were the folks trying to make a living and raise kids. And the Democrat party.

What now? Stop crying. Pull up your big boy pants and find out why!

Those of you who know my politics and sentiments may be shocked at this, but Bill Clinton was right.

It’s the economy, stupid.

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Mark Caserta: Americans begin a new journey with President Trump!

14 Nov

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Mark Caserta: Free State Patriot editor

WE THE PEOPLE 1

The word “Republic” is a special word and quite different from a “Democracy.”

A Republic is a form of government in which the powers of sovereignty are vested in and exercised by the people, either directly or through representatives chosen by the people. Democracy is simply “majority rule.”

Our founding fathers had a vision for a republic, one in which every individual controlled their own destiny without interference from government or any oppressive entity.

The first time I ever heard the word and gained a real grasp of its meaning was from the 1960 epic war film “The Alamo,” starring screen giants like John Wayne as Davy Crockett, Richard Boone as Sam Houston and Richard Widmark as Jim Bowie.

The film depicts the “Battle of the Alamo” and the events leading up to it. Facing the insurmountable odds of defeating the Mexican forces, led by General Santa Anna, Sam Houston challenges Col. William B. Travis, played by Laurence Harvey, to buy him time by holding a position at the Alamo mission while he prepared an army capable of fighting for Texas’ independence.

In an early scene, Travis attempts a conversation with Crockett to convince him of the nobility of the fight and to persuade his Tennesseans to join the battle in pursuit of a Republic.

In the movie, Crockett quickly sets aside his “country-bumpkin” demeanor and speaks eloquently about the term “republic.”

“Republic is one of those words that makes me tight in the throat – the same tightness a man gets when his baby takes his first step or his first baby shaves and makes his first sound as a man,” Crockett said. “Some words can give you a feeling that makes your heart warm. Republic is one of those words.”

While Travis, Crockett and Bowie were badly defeated at the Alamo in 1836, Houston’s army won against the Mexican forces and gained independence for Texas. The phrase “Remember the Alamo” aptly immortalizes this brave sacrifice as well as our nation’s fervor for freedom.

Following the founding of our U.S. Constitution at convention in 1787, it’s recorded that a bystander inquired of Ben Franklin, “Well, Doctor, what have we got, a Republic or a Monarchy?” Franklin replied, “A Republic, if you can keep it.”

Since then, there have been a total of 27 constitutional amendments designed to further the premise of having three distinct branches of government, along with a system of checks and balances, to ensure no single branch would have too much power and that voters have the final word.

On Tuesday, Nov. 8, 2016, Americans once again had the final word. Americans once again arose above the fray and persevered against tyranny and oppression.

I submit, Donald Trump’s decisive victory is best described by a posthumous response to Dr. Franklin’s challenge he posed following that immortal day in Philadelphia over 200 years ago.

“We shall, Mr. Franklin. We shall protect our Republic.”

May God bless America as we begin this new journey.  And may God bless Donald Trump as he takes the helm during tumultuous seas in the U.S.

 

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

 

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Doug Smith: To be governed or to be ruled.

13 Nov

doug-for-fsp

 Doug Smith: Author, historian and lead contributor to Free State Patriot.

 

Well,

As we wait for the dust to settle on the leftist hysteria that America would have the audacity (ok if I use that word, Barack, now that you’re done with it?) to NOT elect Hillary, a few observations and considerations for the path forward.

For the little creampuff darlings, who have grown up in a world of “Everybody Wins” baseball and participation trophies, the Chicago Cubs and I have a few words for you. To quote Barack Obama

“We won. “Deal with it. And here, you poor darling 23-year-old sobbing because the latest Progressive, Herself, did not win, is a free lesson for you: there ARE winners and losers. Not everybody gets to be President, or World Champions. Participation trophies are meaningless.  There will be things you try to do and fail. Get over it. And get up and keep moving. Those of us who got up and went to work the day after Barack Obama was elected are not going to dry your tears, give you a safe space, or feed you. So, after your Gender Diversity Issues in Middle Eastern Geopolitical Discussions class, maybe take an accounting or chemistry (or welding) class or two.

Nobody gets to win the World Series because it is their turn and they have waited a long time. Ask the Cubbies. 108 years, baby.  Ask them how they won. Ask them how they dealt with the wait. Likewise, no one gets to be President because it is their turn. Ask Bob Dole, John McCain, and of course, Hillary Clinton.

Regarding Hillary. She is an altogether unpleasant woman.  92% of Americans find her untrustworthy. And so, she is. But still, 47% were apparently willing to overlook her mendacity, her self-righteousness, her disregard of law and morality, and vote for her because she is a liberal.  If you are a lefty reading this, ask yourself this: would you have been all weak kneed and weepy about the chance to elect, sniff, sniff, the FIRST WOMAN PRESIDENT   if her name were Sarah Palin? How about the chance, Oh Rapture of Raptures, to elect the FIRST BLACK WOMAN PRESIDENT    if her name were Condoleezza Rice?  No? Lose that Matthew thrill going up your leg?

This was about what the Democrat Party has become: special interests, leftist social issues, and identity politics.  So, either Bill was not advising Hillary, or she was not listening to him. If so, it’s the Economy, Stupid would have blazoned T shirts, and not I’m with Her.

Now, for myself, and I suspect, most of us Trump voters, there is no willful blindness to his faults just because we voted for him. If you read my first FSP article on Trump, I concluded “Trump is an ass. I suspect he will always be an ass”.  Nothing has changed my mind.

Hillary’s posse said “She may be a crook, but she is our crook”.

We find ourselves saying, oddly, “Trump may be an ass, but he is our ass.”

Hmm. May need to rewrite that line. Doesn’t really roll off the tongue.

Still. President Elect Trump is a coarse man. As were Presidents Grant, Truman, and Johnson. President Elect Trump lives loose in his relations with women. As did Presidents Roosevelt, Kennedy, and of course, Clinton. (Thankfully, we will not have to know say Bush 41, Bush 43, Clinton 42, and Clinton 45).

So, voters on the right are used to holding our noses, taking one last look at what the Dems have to offer, and concluding that McCain may be less than ideal, but Please, God, not 4 more years of Obama, and marking an R.

Voters on the Left, it seems, cannot bring themselves to vote for their flawed candidate without taking a slug of Kook Aid, and seeing them bathed in light, Deified, with Grecian columns, riding a white horse.

I have been critical of both of these flawed candidates, and asked myself, on behalf of 350 million of us, Really? This is the best we can do?

So, it seems.

So, what is it that makes the leftist put their candidate on a podium and swoon (can you imagine Reagan admonishing the crowd, now don t lock your knees, give him some air, let the paralegals get to him)?

I maintain that at least a part of the leftist, from the Ivy leaguer talking head denying reality, to the weeping college powderpuff there is a deep-seated belief that there must be a better class than me to tell me what to do and take care of me. Or, conversely, a belief that I am a better class, and I need to tell you what to do (starting with paying more taxes to pay for my lobster and sushi, I’m busy looking out for you and can’t be bothered to work).  To put it more succinctly, there are those who feel that some men should be ruled, and of course, others should rule.

That explains a lot. Divine right of Kings, so of course if Barack Obama wants to shut down power plants, he should, and Constitution be damned. If Bill Clinton wants to seize huge tracts of land for the government, why, that is no different from Henry II seizing Ireland to dole out to his vassals. And if I get to be a vassal, why then, the Duke will see to my needs.

It all makes sense.  Droit du seigneur would allow for Bill Clinton’s free ride (Ooo, cringe worthy pun!) on women as he climbed the ladder of power. The massive “gifts “to the Clintons: A Ducal Tithe. House Obama’s lavish vacations: his Kingly right. With fitting noblesse oblige, he said, I am not a king, but then proceeded to live, and reign, just like one.

To the delight of his constituency, as long as they received their cut of the dole. As for his retainers, and his nobles, (the Decimated Democrat Party, who, in 2017, after 8 years of carrying water and catching spears for Barack the First, will be at their lowest ebb of power in Congress, the White House, and the States in nearly a century) why, if they must fall on the sword to protect the King, and his prerogatives, it is their just and right honor and duty.

Hyperbole? Exaggeration? Perhaps a bit.

But a nice parable of the Leftist mind.

Then, there are the Curmudgeons. Like me. And Samuel Adams.

Adams was a Harvard man in the days when that did not mean a squishy, politically correct taker. Adams was a thoroughly unpleasant man. He was not content to go along with a spendthrift government balancing its budget through ever increasing taxes on his labors. He was instrumental in the 1st and most famous Tea Party, in which curmudgeonly citizens extended a salute to the British Crown and said, in essence, Tax This! (on warm summer evenings, Boston harbor still smells faintly of Earl Grey).

Adams was distrustful and well aware of the penchant for government to abuse its subjects. Aside from his tax protests, he was instrumental in insisting that the Constitution of a new nation and government contain amendments to restrain government, and protect citizens; our Bill of Rights.

Adams was content to be governed, but damned if he would be ruled.

So, for that matter, and I. That, I think, characterizes the voter on the right of the political aisle. We grudgingly accept that there must be governance, but we look with a gimlet eye on those who would govern us, and stand ready to “Throw the scoundrels out!” We have no illusions that we can be ruled by angels, but rather accept that we must be governed by sinners.

We will protect ourselves from those unfortunates who must govern ungovernable curmudgeons like ourselves. We will grudgingly let them govern where they must, and if threatened, we will grab a rifle and stand to beside them to repel a foe, anxious to get back to our farms and shops when the fray is ended.

We want to be left alone, safe, to grow our barley, fashion our wares, and plumb our homes. We will build what we build, and expect to be paid for our skill and industry, and will begrudge what is taken from us and given to the idle. We will be charitable as the dictates of our conscience demands, but bitterly oppose being condescended to.

We bitterly resent being told our efforts don’t matter, that we are cruel and heartless because we appreciate our own worth, and are prepared to fight, or repel, or let starve, the bandit, the savage, or the indolent.

So, I think that in 2016 the spirit of Sam Adams lives.  That was the dead person voting on our side.

Yes, we know that Hillary is an unpleasant and corrupt woman. Trump is a coarse and often uncouth businessman. We are not fond of either of them. Yet, one of them would govern us, and one would rule us. For 8 years, we have been talked down to, told to ignore the evidence of our eyes, told that viscous attacks on our fellow citizens were somehow our fault, told that we had a bumper crop when we could see barren fields and empty trees.

There is a vernacular saying: Don’t pee on my back and then tell me it’s raining. “

Our backs are wet. And it hasn’t rained in a long time. And we are a little tired of the scions of Harvard and Yale telling us otherwise. The Ivy s may have some nice books and big endowments. But out here where men live and die and work and pay taxes, we know that water runs downhill, every time. We know that iron is hard, fire will burn, and mother nature, red of tooth and claw, will settle accounts with dam foolery, every time.

We had 8 years of progressive lite under Bush 43. We ve just had 8 years of progressive over the top from Barack Obama.

And we have 93 million out of work. Our wages have been stagnant for years. Our homes have lost value. Jobs for our children and grandchildren and scarce. We have a bitter, determined enemy trying to destroy us, and leaders who won’t even say their name.

We have felt and smelt our wet backs and that ain’t rain and it sure ain’t honey.

Kill our enemies. Leave us most of our money. Don t spend what we don’t have. And get out of the way.

American curmudgeons being what we are, we will come roaring back.

And that is what we voted for on my birthday. That is what we are expecting. That is what we will insist on from President Trump, Leader McConnell, and Speaker Ryan.

The fat lady is warming up her vocal chords. And we will be listening.

 

 

 

 

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Mark Caserta: Christians, stand up and be heard!

8 Nov

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There was a very anointed prayer vigil for our country last night at churches all across America.

Tears were being shed out of concern for our nation and our children’s future as people cried out to God for HIs direction.

My prayer is that Christians turn out as never before. …

I pray that they will have an unrest in their spirits and a conviction in their hearts that will not allow them to stay home, but do the right thing, the Christian thing, and vote for Godly values.

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Mark Caserta: Hillary’s October surprises may cost her the election

4 Nov

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Mark Caserta: Free State Patriot editor

Last week may well have been the “perfect political storm” that will be credited for costing Hillary Clinton the presidency.

While presumptuous reporting from multiple news sources seemingly had Hillary picking out drapes for the White House East Wing and speech writers preparing her inaugural address, the last act in this political theater had not yet closed.

There would be two final October surprises.

“I will sign a universal health care bill into law by the end of my first term as president that will cover every American and cut the cost of a typical family’s premium by up to $2,500 a year.”

But this was just more Obama hyperbole about his signature healthcare plan simply to get elected.

As enrollment is set to begin Nov. 1, the Obama administration announced last Monday that premiums are expected to rise an average of 25 percent across 39 states served by the federal exchanges. Some states, such as Arizona, will see premiums jump by as much as 116 percent!

Now, it doesn’t matter how the administration and the liberal media attempt to spin this revelation, this is a far cry from what we were promised. And while progressive pundits claim government subsidies will help ease the pain, the taxpayer will surely be left holding the tab.

And then there’s the never-ending-story of Hillary’s “emailgate.”

Also, last week, much to the chagrin of the Clinton campaign, the liberal media and even Attorney General Loretta Lynch, FBI Director James Comey announced he was reopening the investigation into Hillary’s jaded tenure as Secretary of State and her apparent misuse of classified information.

Apparently, as the FBI was conducting what they thought was an unrelated investigation, they uncovered more Clinton emails.

While investigating the 2013 “sexting” scandal of disgraced New York Congressman, Anthony Weiner, the department discovered emails “tethered” to Hillary Clinton’s private email server via Weiner’s wife, Huma Abedin, one of Clinton’s top aides, with whom he is separated.

You may recall the scandal in which Weiner, aka “Carlos Danger,” allegedly sent lewd pictures to women, ruining his political career. Apparently during the FBI probe, investigators discovered Weiner’s wife had used the same laptop to send emails to her boss, Hillary.

In the wake of Director Comey’s prior decision not to recommend criminal charges against Hillary for her mishandling of classified information, one can only speculate as to what the FBI uncovered in these emails. But it must have been enough for Comey to eat “humble pie” and reopen the investigation.

So, with just four days to go before the election, one must wonder if voters are willing to take a chance on a candidate who may be spending her first term under investigation, or worse, under indictment.

Or if they’re prepared to “Make America Great Again.”

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

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Mark Caserta: Trump’s contract with America offers nation hope and justice

29 Oct

What have you got to lose?

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Mark Caserta: Free State Patriot editor

  • Oct 28, 2016

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It may well be referenced as the modern-day “Great Awakening,” a movement that swept the country and revitalized our nation’s government in an unprecedented manner.

On Oct. 22, in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, Donald J. Trump delivered his revolutionary “contract with America” in which he laid out his first 100-day plan as president to “Make America Great Again!”

“Change has to come from outside this broken system,” Trump declared. “The fact that the Washington establishment has tried so hard to stop our campaign is only more proof that our campaign represents the kind of change that only arrives once in a lifetime.”

Here are a few of the key elements of Trump’s contract with America.

On Trump’s first day in office, he’ll “propose a constitutional amendment to impose term limits on all members of Congress.”

Conservatives agree we have to rid Washington of politicians who place career ahead of representing the American people as designed by our Founding Fathers.

Also, on his first day, Trump will “cancel every unconstitutional executive action, memorandum and order issued by President Obama” and “restore security and the constitutional rule of law.”

This measure will have a sweeping effect in returning our nation to saneness by subverting measures taken by this president bypassing our representation and propagating his own personal, socialist ideology.

Additionally, Trump will “begin the process of selecting a replacement for Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia from one of the 20 judges” on his list “who will uphold and defend the Constitution of the United States.”

Protecting the Supreme Court from becoming unhinged with liberal judges who legislate from the bench is paramount to our nation’s future. Remember, this is a lifetime appointment and carries tremendous responsibility.

Regarding jobs, Trump pledges to “lift restrictions” on “job-producing American energy reserves, including shale, oil, natural gas and clean coal.” He’ll also “lift the Obama-Clinton roadblocks and allow vital energy infrastructure projects, like the Keystone Pipeline, to move forward.”

This is great news for jobs in our area. Imagine our state economically if the nation begins leveraging the vast energy resources we have available.

Regarding illegal immigration, Trump will begin “removing the more than 2 million criminal illegal immigrants from the country” and “suspend immigration from terror-prone regions where vetting cannot safely occur.”

Finally, Donald Trump plans to fully repeal and replace Obamacare with viable health care which will include health savings accounts and “the ability to purchase health insurance across state lines.”

Obamacare has been a wrecking ball to our economy. Trump will succeed where liberals and the feckless GOP establishment have failed.

Hillary Clinton literally offers continued corruption and failure.

And even possible criminal indictment!

Trump’s contract with America lights a path of hope and justice for our nation.

 

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

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Doug Smith: Xanadu is not real

19 Oct

doug smith

Doug Smith:  Author, historian and lead contributor to Free State Patriot

 

But the choice is very, very real

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”God save thee Ancient Mariner, from fiends that plague thee thus! Why lookst thou so?

With my crossbow I shot the albatross.”

 

I’ve always loved that bit of verse, especially now that I am both ancient, and once a mariner. But if I may put it in modern English:

What’s wrong with you, buddy?

I really screwed up.

So, in an effort to avert an albatross around the necks of many people permit me a bit of common sense reasoning.

There are 2 choices before America right now for the direction of the next 4 years, and the vibrations for the next 20.

Only 2

Those who suddenly discover, after years of caving in to Obama that Principle matters more than winning, are living in Poe s Opium induced Xanadu. In politics, if you don’t win, you don’t get to “principle”. But the “Feel the Johnson” crowd, the Never Trump crowd, the plague on both your houses crowd, is living the Never Utopia reality. We can say both of them are awful people, and we don’t want any of them. Therefore, we will

Never vote for Trump, even though Hillary is awful.

Vote for Hillary, even though Hillary is awful. After all, she has lots of experience at being awful.

Vote for Johnson, because This could finally be the year of the 3rd party. (Einstein had something to say about doing the same thing over and over, expecting a different result.)

All of them still ignore the most basic realities of the situation. Hillary IS truly awful. And no matter what you all think or dream, grab onto this:

Either Hillary Clinton or Donald Trump WILL be the next President.

Now, my assessment of Trump has not changed. He is an ass. He is arrogant, brash, crude, and slow to change. I would not care to have a beer with him. I don’t particularly like him, and I am sorry the GOP, (my party since Reagan,) created him, and nominated him. We had better choices available,   but the GOP leadership helped create the conditions, and their Keystone Cops primary season antics did not help.

So, we have Trump.

Hillary Clinton has a 30 year track record of paranoid secrecy, disdain, shady or criminal avarice, and an easily demonstrated adherence to the most radical Leftist ideologies; the same ones which have ruined or murdered millions in misery in the 20th Century. But she is hard invested in the Left which loves Castro, Che, and the Soviet Union. She is, and has been comfortable with terrorists and despots. The image of her hugging Yasser Arafat is hard to ignore.

Harry Truman once said “There is no way to get rich in politics unless you are a crook. “

Hillary went from “broke leaving the White House” to being worth $300 million dollars. There is nothing not for sale with her, from access, to deals, to bills, to arms, to national security. Her words paint her an advocate of the little guy. Her actions paint her as available to the highest bidder.

She will push hard to the Left; ignore Law and Constitution, because she thinks she is above the law, and immune to penalties. She will seek to rule, not govern.

Will she bring on the end of the Republic? The Oracle at Delphi has not revealed that one to me.

Will she continue us in a dangerous and damaging direction, on the way to 40 trillion in debt?

Well. One need not be Einstein or the Oracle to see that coming.

If you are a voter in America, you ARE going to make a choice between now and my birthday, Nov 8.

You are going to hold your nose, along with me, and vote for Trump, for all the reasons you already know, that he will not do what Hillary does, to the extent she does, or sell the White House furniture and rent the Lincoln Bedroom. Will he be a great President? Probably not. Will he be better than Hillary? Without a doubt.

Or, you are going to do anything else at all, vote for Hillary, stay home, vote for a 3rd party, write me in because you are just overcome with my wisdom, and you will be contributing to the awfulness that is Hillary. We are very close to a lost decade. Hillary will ensure it, and perhaps stretch it out to 2.

So don’t fool yourself. You ARE going to vote for Trump, or you ARE going to vote for Hillary. One way or another. Put down the opium pipe. Hillary has a plan. She won’t let you in on it, but peer over her shoulder at her leaked emails and you ll see it. It is not a pretty picture for you.

If you are a conservative and sit home in a self-righteous snit because Trump is not pure, you are helping Hillary.

And if they are both that bad, well impeach Hillary and you get Kaine, who is no prize either. Impeach Trump; you get Pence, who is a fairly decent guy and a successful Governor. We might just stumble into a good solution.

But brother, Hillary isn’t it!

 

 

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Mark Caserta: Two liberal lies leading up to the election.

16 Oct

Liberals don’t want you to know this.

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Mark Caserta: Free State Patriot Editor

hillary and trump

Two quick important points to share:

#1: Don’t pay any attention to the polls. Liberals want you to believe “It’s all over” and Trump will lose in a landslide. All you need to do is look at what just happened in Britain and David Cameron. The polls can and are being manipulated in a variety of ways.

#2: Liberals also want you to believe Russia is behind the cyber attacks on Hillary’s illegal server because they want you to believe Russia wants Trump to win. Really? So ask… yourself, “Who would Vladimir Putin rather negotiate with, Crooked Hillary or Donald Trump?

Just keep moving forward to take back our nation and ignore the crooked liberal media.

We can win this. We must win this.

And I believe we will.  Let’s take this thing to the house!

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Doug Smith: A brief history lesson, and a hard reality check

16 Aug

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Doug Smith:  Author, historian and lead contributor to Free State Patriot 

 

 

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So many people in this political cycle are opting for the magical approach. Donald Trump is, well, Donald, not your Daddy’s candidate. He has an irritating penchant for speaking directly from the mouth, sans the filters most of us put on our speech. He is not a comforting, traditional GOP candidate like President Dole, or President McCain, or even President Romney. (They didn’t? Really?) Without rehashing the septicemia of the Grand Old Party that has led in cascading sequence to The Tea Party, the Freedom Caucus, and The Donald, things just aren’t what they used to be.

There are a few approaches to this new and unsettling development in American politics.

  • Hold on tight. Don t worry, the folks will come back around when they realize that their GOP liars are better than the Democrat liars. A 20 year run of blatantly broken promises, ineffectual or non-existent opposition to Barack Obama’s ideas and decisions that are abhorrent to conservatives will fade if we just let the folks see how bad it is if liberal Democrats get the reins of power.

The problem with this approach is that the folks, after a while, get tired of being the butt of that awful joke, and wonder just what difference it really made when part of their party goes along to get along, a al McConnell, while part of it actively supports the lib/Dem agenda, a la McCain, Graham, and even wonder boy Rubio. Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me for 20 years? Well, first you get the rebuke of the Tea Party. Then you get the rebuke of the Freedom Caucus, Ted Cruz, and Mike Lee. Finally, you get the ”Up Yours” of Donald Trump.

  • The Magic approach. Well, magic worked in literature and everyone loved it. Wave a wand (unbind the delegates), speak magic words (Romney’s a Nice Guy! David French writes for NRO, wouldn’t HE be a great candidate.) And we can FIX this.

Well, the problems with that approach are numerous. Magic doesn’t work in the real world. (Sorry, but no Merlin, and no Harry Potter. An earlier generation was convinced that Sherlock Holmes was really solving crimes. Just a fantasy. ) Besides, coming up with a candidate acceptable to the Good Ole Boys network doesn’t change the reality that for all his ( Admitted!) faults, Trump got more people voting for him in the GOP primary than any previous candidate in history, including Lincoln and Reagan. You can fix attitudes and disappointment by putting in a pinch hitter. At this dance, we are “going to dance with the fella that brung ya. “

  • The White Knight. Somebody out there is so appealing to the folks that he can ride in, say, ok, I’m here    to save you, and the folks will dutifully swoon and fall in step behind him.

Well. If such a knight existed, why didn’t he run? We have to rule out the 16 who did run, because a plurality of the folks rejected all of them in favor of Trump. (This should again tell the GOP stalwarts just how much they have to fix. But it won’t. And they won’t. ) Nor can such a mythical creature just pop into existence and enter the fray. Politics being what it is, he just cannot get from myth to votes cast in November in time.

So for you who can vote in November, a brief history lesson and reality check. You are on the roller coaster. You might be regretting it and wishing you did not have to go over the big hill, but the bar is down, the chain is pulling you up the hill, and soon, very soon, you and I are going to plunge down the big dip.

So. How many times has a 3rd party candidate done more than sway the race to ( ALWAYS) the more liberal, progressive candidate?

One. Abraham Lincoln defeated the Whigs and the Democrats on a platform of national unity and opposition to slavery. It is worth noting that the result of that was the end of the Whig party, secession, and Civil War.

Since then, 3rd parties have ended up helping to sway the outcome to Woodrow Wilson and Bill Clinton, but they have never won. Not once in a century. So if your magical hopes are pinned on Gary Johnson, you are about to be disappointed.

That leaves us, as it has since 1860, at least, with a simple reality. Absent an act of God, one of the 2 major party candidates now running will become the next President.

Donald Trump has a lot of faults, though he is not without virtue. The first article I wrote about him at the start of his campaign is unchanged: I think he is something of an ass. He is hardly the ideal candidate I would build in my Weird Science experiment. He shoots his mouth off without thinking, is brash, often crude, and reminds us regularly that a builder may end up sounding like the construction workers wolf whistling at a pretty girl who walks by. We don t know how much his move to a more conservative position will affect his judgment and actions.

Still. He is not Hillary Clinton.

And we do know with certainty what she will do. She will appoint progressive liberal judges to SCOTUS and the federal bench. She will raise taxes. She will continue the Obama war on coal, and the economy. She will, as is the wont of progressives, continue to chip away at basic rights. She will lie consistently. She will, in collusion with her husband, sell the office of the President in unprecedented ways to enrich her family.

And this one deserves a line of its own.

She will certainly involve us in at least one major war.

She will not, most likely, do so with a reasoned approach about our national security interests. Instead she will muddle along, incompetently, making misstep after misstep, until one of them lands her, and us, squarely in a major conflict.

That is Hillary.

Wm F Buckley maintained we ought to support the most right leaning viable candidate for President. To support the most right leaning candidate around, who cannot get elected, ensures that the most left leaning will win. To support a candidate who could viably win, but is markedly to the left, ensures the same. Basic logic of politics

So if you are still crying in your milk that “If only” the GOP had nominated ANYONE else, you would NEVER support Hillary Clinton, because she is dishonest and incompetent, and far left, then wake up friend. Get over it.

“If only” lost the primary. “If only” is not running against Hillary.

There are 2 choices. President Hillary Clinton. Or President Donald Trump.

Don’t let yourself be saying in a year, if Only I had helped stop her.

I’m not crazy about Trump. He is not ideal. But he is the better of the only 2 choices available. So I’m going to vote for him.

And so should you.

 

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Mark Caserta: Now is the time to play political defense

5 Aug

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Mark Caserta: Free State Patriot Editor

 

tri·an·gle
ˈtrīˌaNGɡəl/
noun
noun: triangle; plural noun: triangles
  1. a plane figure with three straight sides and three angles.
    “an equilateral triangle”

With the nominees for the respective political parties having been chosen and nominations accepted, the campaign season for the presidency has officially begun. Just as the primary season was, it’s sure to be chock full of political caterwaul between pundits and candidates alike.

Interestingly, voters are faced with a political “triad” of sorts, with three sides, three points and three angles. They’re certainly not equilateral, and opposite sides have never been further apart.

On one side, we have the liberal left. These are individuals who would vote for Hillary Clinton even if she had committed multiple crimes and told numerous lies. In fact, she’s done exactly that! Yet, her supporters are willing to look beyond her nefarious character simply to advance their progressive agenda.

The point: These people couldn’t care less about the America of our founding fathers. They’re frankly willing to sacrifice God and country for the continued fundamental transformation of our nation.

The angle: The majority of these voters are satisfied to cast their lots with big government and their nets toward promised entitlements.

Then we have the side bolstering the Trump “revolution.” These ruffled rebels are primarily moderate to conservative individuals who’ve simply had enough of lying politicians more concerned with keeping their jobs than with serving their constituencies.

The point: These folks are looking to “kick political backside” and take names in an effort to return their country to both sanity and sovereignty.

The angle: They’re so starved for a commander-in-chief with leadership qualities they’re willing to take a chance with someone who values haughtiness over humility and coarseness over congeniality.

And then we have the “cynical” side, with those determined “not” to vote for either Hillary or Trump, regardless of the clear and present danger facing our nation. These individuals are content knowing they refused to “cave” to the political pressures around them and are satisfied to pull the lever for a third party candidate or just stay home.

The point: I believe these are people who have already carved a path in life. They typically have their feet planted firmly, with a clear direction and the means to survive.

The angle: They feel they can comfortably “ride out” the consequences of their choice until the next election cycle.

It’s this “third” side of the triad I wish to address.

History will never record your “noble” choice at the polls. It will, however, show that you helped elect not only Hillary Clinton, but helped appoint liberal Supreme Court justices for generations!

Hillary Clinton has proven her intent is to give us more of Barack Obama’s failed policies.

I can’t promise what we’ll get with a President Trump, but I can certainly promise what we’ll get with Hillary Clinton.

They say the game is often won with good defense. Now is the time for patriots to “dig in, bow your backs” and make a final stand for freedom.

And we need every vote possible to keep Hillary out of the White House.

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

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