Tag Archives: DONALD TRUMP

Mark Caserta: Will Trumpgate become a modern-day Watergate?

7 Apr

me

Mark Caserta:  Free State Patriot editor

 

April 7, 2017

watergate

 

It was arguably the biggest political scandal in our nation’s history.

In the early morning hours of June 17, 1972, burglars were arrested inside the office of the Democratic National Committee, located in the Watergate building in Washington, D.C., attempting to wiretap phones and steal secret documents.

Subsequent investigations would reveal the crime was connected to President Richard Nixon’s re-election campaign. Ultimately, 40 government officials would eventually be indicted or jailed and the president of the United States would be forced to resign in 1974.

 The Watergate affair was a dark event in the history of U.S. politics. Could we be reliving this political nightmare with the consummation of “Trumpgate.”
Days before leaving office, President Barack Hussein Obama suspiciously decided to broaden the power of the National Security Agency to share globally intercepted personal communications with the government’s 16 other intelligence agencies before applying the required privacy protections.

In January, a New York Times column by Charlie Savage, reported “the new rules significantly relax longstanding limits on what the NSA may do with the information gathered by its most powerful surveillance operations.”

The column detailed methods by which information may be acquired such as satellite transmissions, phone calls, emails and messages between people abroad. The ultimate result would be more officials searching through more data containing private information about innocent people.

But, why, after eight years in office, did Obama feel compelled to change this intelligence sharing just before leaving the White House?

Allow me to share what many believe transpired.

These new rules were signed into effect just weeks after Obama and the Democrats were shocked by the stunning presidential victory of Donald J. Trump. Reeling from their sense of loss and hopelessness, I believe there was an initiative to begin gathering any available information that would help delegitimize the incoming administration.

And liberals are so pleased with themselves, some just can’t keep their mouths shut about it.

On March 2, on MSNBC’s “Morning Joe”, Mika Brzezinski interviewed a former top Obama administration official who acknowledged efforts by “colleagues” to gather intelligence on Trump’s ties to Russia before Donald Trump took office and to “conceal the sources of that intelligence from the incoming administration.”

 In the interview, Evelyn Farkas, the former administration’s top Russian expert, described a “rush to spread the material before Trump took office,” citing fear that if the Trump team became wise, information would quickly be cut off.

Predictably, liberal Democrats and the mainstream media have attempted to deflect the real story of illegal wiretapping and sharing of information with a bogus narrative suggesting the Russians influenced the 2016 presidential election.

Yet, not an ounce of proof has been submitted that the Russians influenced a single vote in the election.

If the Obama administration committed a premeditated act to acquire intelligence on Donald Trump, and the required privacy protections were not enacted before disseminating, the Justice Department must hold them accountable.

Democrats may, indeed, have “re-enacted the villainy” of Watergate, with this so-called Trumpgate.

If so, indictments and jail time should be forthcoming.

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

Tags: , , , ,

Mark Caserta: Liberals trying to slow down the Trump train

10 Feb

me

Mark Caserta: Free State Patriot Editor

February 10, 2017

trump-train

Winning the 2016 presidential election was possibly the single most important conservative victory in my lifetime, for many reasons. But paramount to the win is the pending balance of the Supreme Court of the United States.

Liberals, having been reduced to lamenting, ad nauseam, the election of Donald J. Trump, will no doubt seek to bog down the pace at which our new president is working to re-align our nation with our founding fathers’ original intent.

And look for them to do so using the federal court system.

The progressive movement has been notorious for attempting to fundamentally change interpretation of the U.S. Constitution for political gain. The assertion that “any” individual, regardless of religious affiliation, has a constitutionally protected right to enter our country illegally, without comprehensive vetting, is fundamentally and constitutionally unsound.

Citing the First Amendment as justification for violence, property damage and rioting in the streets is simply unabashed lawlessness and nothing short of domestic terrorism.

Understand, our nation’s top security leaders already have told us we don’t have an adequate system of vetting individuals from terror-ridden countries. Last year, FBI Director James Comey told a congressional committee that we could “query our database until the cows come home” but if Syrian terrorists have never been on the law enforcement radar, it won’t do any good.

As a candidate, Trump pledged to protect Americans through “extreme vetting” of people from countries representing significant terror concerns. His recent executive order temporarily banning travel from these countries was simply fulfilling a promise to the American people.

But despite the fact voters decisively elected a president willing to compromise Washington political correctness rather than the lives of Americans, some on Capitol Hill are willing to stay the course.

Last Friday, a federal judge in Seattle issued a temporary nationwide restraining order on Trump’s executive order, questioning its “rationale.” The Department of Justice is appealing the ruling, but this may be one of many such cases eventually decided by the Supreme Court.

Currently, the Supreme Court (operating shy one justice since the passing of Antonin Scalia) is fairly balanced. Elena Kagan, Sonia Sotomayor and Ruth Bader Ginsburg are arguably extremely liberal, while Samuel Alito, John Roberts and Clarence Thomas are widely considered conservatives. Justices Stephen Breyer and Anthony Kennedy could be considered moderates.

But two of the justices (Ginsburg and Kennedy) are over 80 years of age, and Breyer is 78. The remaining justices range in age from 55 to 67. Besides the replacement of Justice Scalia, we could see any number of Supreme Court nominations by the current administration.

President Trump intends to nominate Supreme Court justices who will not attempt to “legislate” progressive views from the bench. And obviously, a GOP-controlled Congress and conservative-leaning Supreme Court would be beneficial to his cause.

Trump could, in fact, determine the court’s balance for decades!

So, while the left may be successful at “slowing down” the Trump train, Americans will ensure he succeeds.

Liberals can get on board, but they may have to “sit in the back seat,” just as President Obama suggested in 2010 that Republicans should do in likening running the economy to driving a car.

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

 

Tags: , , , , ,

Mark Caserta: Trump continues to work for the American people

3 Feb

me

2.3.2017

trump-contract

“Political correctness” has seen its day in Washington. “America first” is the new defining vernacular on Capitol Hill, without regard to progressive disapproval.

Just as Donald J. Trump promised the American people, he is methodically addressing debilitating liberal policies which have been crippling our nation and making us increasingly vulnerable to terrorist attack.

Last week, President Trump continued his decisive approach to returning our nation to the rule of law by fulfilling his campaign pledge to fight illegal immigration, which arguably catapulted him into the GOP nomination and ultimately a monumental presidential victory.

 “We are going to restore the rule of law in the United States,” Mr. Trump told Department of Homeland Security (DHS) employees in a brief speech after signing the executive orders. “… A nation without borders is not a nation. Beginning today, the United States of America gets back control of its borders.”

Following the ceremonial swearing-in of Homeland Security Director, John Kelly, by Vice President Mike Pence, Trump’s pen immediately went into action, signing two more executive orders protecting our nation’s sovereignty.

The president’s first executive order called for the construction of a wall along our southern, U.S.-Mexican border. It also provided the DHS additional resources, including 5,000 additional border agents, to stop illegals from entering the United States without “inspection” or “admission.”

Following Trump’s executive action, Israel’s prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu tweeted his praise of the president’s decision to build a wall along the border per a column in the Washington Post, by William Booth.

“President Trump is right,” Netanyahu wrote. “I built a wall along Israel’s southern border. It stopped all illegal immigration. Great success. Great idea.”

Trump’s second executive order bolstered the Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE) branch of the U.S. government and its ability to enforce existing immigration laws.

Multiple news agencies, including CBS News, reported Trump’s order reinstated the Secure Communities Program, which ICE “uses to target undocumented immigrants, directs the State Department to withhold visas or take other measures to ensure countries take back” illegal immigrants.

The order also strips federal grant money from sanctuary cities that harbor illegal immigrants, despite opposition from liberal mayors across the United States who vow to maintain their sanctuary city policies.

Liberals have no justification for allowing unvetted, illegal immigrants across our borders – period. And subscribing to the progressive mantra of “compassion” and “inclusion” is dangerously nave.

 Most Americans know this isn’t about inclusion, but rather about building a dependable voter base. Liberal Democrats have successfully manipulated the passions of Americans into believing they were the “party of compassion” for too long.

Sadly, this counterfeit compassion is largely responsible for borders which may have already been breached by a terrorist cell intending mass casualties within the U.S.

The inconvenient truth of the matter is that progressives are willing to “bet your life” just for a vote, and Americans have had enough.

Liberal Democrats and the GOP establishment had better take note of the resounding message voters sent last November.

There’s a new sheriff in town and he’s working for the American people.

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

Tags: , , ,

Mark Caserta: Team Trump shows it’s ready to go to work for Americans

27 Jan

Despite liberal obstacles…

me

Mark Caserta: Free State Patriot editor

1.27.2017

 

 

team-trump

 

President Donald J. Trump wasted no time, following his inauguration, going to work for the American people.

Wielding his own version of a “pen and phone” legislative approach, President Trump signed his first executive orders in the Oval Office last Friday evening. His initial actions addressed national security, healthcare and, arguably, the economy.

Minutes after taking the presidential oath using two bibles, one presented to him by his mother and the other used by President Lincoln at his first inauguration, President Trump made his official entrance into the White House, where he commissioned Gen. James Mattis as secretary of defense and John Kelly as secretary of homeland security.

He also signed executive orders instructing federal agencies to “minimize the burden” of his predecessor’s signature healthcare law, essentially “stopping the bleeding” of Obamacare by preventing any further potential actions being taken to preserve the presumably outgoing piece of failing legislation. All this per CBS News live coverage of the Trump inauguration.

Understand, this sort of decisive approach is Donald Trump’s “brassy” way of setting the tone for his next four years as president. Skeptics have already begun mocking Trump’s “first 100-day plan” as overly ambitious. But, it’s apparent they don’t understand effective management skills and the art of networking, delegation and accountability.

An integral competency President Trump sought in his choices for cabinet members was the proven ability to manage people and resources. Frankly, this was an aptitude the Obama administration was sorely lacking and adversely consequential to his legacy and success. This faculty will play heavily in Trump’s execution.

I assure you, part of the Trump interview process included the candidate’s vision for formulating their teams and their detailed plans as to how they would achieve their respective goals.

Pursuant to fulfilling his promises to the American people, I believe the Team Trump has already begun laying the foundation for the major initiatives which got him elected to the presidency.

President Trump will waste no time addressing some “low-hanging fruit” and negating his predecessor’s executive orders, which largely ignored the wishes of most Americans. Eliminating government regulations unduly impacting American workers will be at the top of his list.

President Trump will rely heavily on his strengths as a businessman and negotiator and set into motion his intentions to renegotiate deals adversely impacting American jobs, such as NAFTA, or deals compromising our nation’s safety, such as the Iran nuclear deal.

I suspect engineers are finalizing plans for the wall he will build at the southern border. He will then circumspectly begin removing the more than 2 million criminal illegal immigrants from our country and canceling visas to foreign countries that won’t take them back.

Any day now, Trump will select a Supreme Court replacement for Justice Antonin Scalia, who will uphold and defend the Constitution of the United States.

Additionally, Trump’s first few weeks in office will be spent identifying his resources and providing clarity as to his expectations.

The stage is set and the wheels are in motion.

Team Trump is ready 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.

Tags: , , , ,

Mark Caserta: Liberal fear of Trump isn’t for the country

20 Jan

me

Mark Caserta: Free State Patriot editor

  • 1.20.2017

trump-contract

Since the election of Donald J. Trump, nearly every liberal columnist, pundit or commentator has expressed some sort of panic, fear or distress over the thought of this multimillionaire businessman becoming our next commander in chief.

Allow me to cut through the veneer of compassionate concern and tell you what I believe progressives are really afraid of.

Liberal Democrats are afraid of losing nearly every progressive step they’ve taken over the past eight years – in the first 100 days of the Trump administration.

And frankly, the liberal national media attempts to unfavorably brand the forthcoming changes by the Trump administration are welcome ones. Conservatives recognize the American people are ready for a change.

Yes, conservatives welcome a media distinction from progressives. It may be the single most valuable service they’ve provided in years! Americans have seen what eight years of progressivism can do to a nation. It’s time, once again, to employ Reagan conservatism.

Shamefully, liberals hypocritically focus on creating a narrative which engenders the alleged conservative disenfranchisement of those benefiting from progressive fundamental change, while totally disregarding the millions of people harmed by it.

Obamacare is a perfect example. Liberals are quick to misemploy the statistic of individuals who could potentially lose their insurance under the repeal and replacement of the health care law, but never factor in the thousands of families who’ve already lost their policies or have seen rates skyrocket under the pressures of an unsustainable program.

And I’m still waiting on any progressive to adequately address the multiple lies told to the American people enabling the passage of Obamacare.

The concocted jobs numbers are another example of how liberals are willing to sell the American people down the river, simply to maintain power.

Progressives know the current jobs numbers don’t include individuals who’ve given up looking for work or are severely underemployed. Yet they continue to paint a false narrative of jobs growth with meaningless government numbers, while families across the country suffer.

Lies just don’t seem to matter to liberals if they’re advancing their agenda.

This sort of false hope and dishonesty propagated by liberal Democrats is the reason Donald Trump will become president at noon today.

 The notion of “fake news” is also being bantered about as being influential in the defeat of Hillary Clinton in the presidential election.

But when the news involves the character assassination of Donald Trump or a nominated Cabinet member, the national liberal media seems eager to err on the side of falsehood.

The recent decision by the website Buzzfeed to publish a series of dated memos alleging inappropriate sexual conduct by Donald Trump, without a shred of evidence, (as reported by multiple news agencies, including the New York Post) is a display of how far some will go to delegitimize Trump’s presidency.

And the fact that CNN also made the decision to run with this defamatory information is very telling, indeed.

So, if “making America great again” elicits fear in liberals, let not your heart be troubled.

It isn’t fear for the country, it’s fear for progressivism.

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

Tags: , , , , ,

Doug Smith: Shared power and dealing with the Democrats

13 Dec

doug-for-fsp

Doug Smith:  Author, historian, patriot and lead contributor to FSP.

 

“When you’re in command, Command!”

Fleet Admiral Chester Nimitz

 

This idea is trotted out from time to time by the Democrats when they are out of power.

Remember 2000?  We had a Republican President, and a 50-50 split in the Senate. Now our Constitution provides for such an arrangement: the (White) House wins all ties. (Just like in blackjack). The Vice President is President Pro Tempore of the Senate, and may, at need, vote to break all ties. This means, 50 plus the White House is a majority. But the Democrats in 2000 made the point that such a close house should mean a sharing of power, a sharing of committee assignments and heads. The Republicans, more fools they, agreed and began an odd and short lived experiment in such shared government. It lived until the Harry Reid was able to convince Jumpin’ Jim Jeffords to become an Independent, and vote with the Dems) which made it 51 49.

(But wait, what about our shared Senate agreement, Harry? moaned the GOP.  And, laughing with maniacal glee, Harry Reid took over as Senate MAJORITY leader. )

Fast forward 16 years. Donald Trump is POTUS presumptive. (Actually President Elect after the 19th when the Electoral College meets.) The GOP is poised to take massive majorities of power: State Houses, Governors, The Senate, The House, POTUS, the Scalia SCOTUS seat, ( and, Kennedy, Ginsberg, and Breyer all being of advanced years, likely at least one more, maybe 2, so we may have a 7-3 Conservative Court in 4 years.) But the Dems are urging him, since he only won the Presidency, and not the nonexistent popularity contest of the most raw votes, which neither he, nor HRC, nor Obama, nor Bush, nor Billy, nor Algore, nor any other President has ever competed in, because, listen carefully: “Popular vote is not how we elect a President. “Not to govern like he has a mandate, but bashfully, like he just barely one. Perhaps he should share power with the world class losers of the Democrat party.

Have you seen Donald Trump? I think we can be sure of one thing: he is NOT going to be a bashful President. Whether due to the wisdom of others ( like BOTH President Bushes, who found, to their dismay, that making a deal with the Dems is like making a deal with the Devil, all except for the smoke and signing in blood), or due to his own nature, is not going to act like someone who just barely won.  He is not going to ask Hillary to be Secretary of State again, because she just barely lost.  He is going to say, I won, and the folks have spoken, and I’m going to do things the way I want to. He may make mistakes, and he may screw up. He will not do so out of wishy-washy, weak willed, spineless indecision (al la Jimmy Carter.) He is going to lead!

Now the Dems, who have given us riots and, the murders in failed cities, the failed economies, identity politics, the snowflake generation of Harvard and Wellesley grads with Degrees in Thinking Deep Thoughts, who can nevertheless not balance their checkbooks, pass the DC bar exam, or run a lunch counter, seem not to have the ability to convince folks that their way is the best way. Yes, we are all puzzled at that little quirk.  They are at their weakest point politically since Woodrow Wilson was POTUS, at the beginning of the Progressive era. What a repudiation of the ruins those make up the progressive movement. They have just been set back a century! And they are looking at an administration that unabashedly intends to unwind as much of their destructive nonsense as possible, as quickly as possible.   They have lost, in favor of falling on their swords for the Clintons, and Obama, and the march to the Left of admirers of the Soviet Union and Fidel Castro, thousands of political seats. West Virginia and Kentucky, of all places, have GOP legislatures. KY has a GOP governor, and WV has a Dem Governor elect, who happens to be a businessman. The last one we had like that was Joe Manchin, who governed more like a Republican. I suspect Justice will not be the traditional good ole boy Dem WV has been used to.

It is little wonder the progressives are in a hysterical tizzy. Death threats! We couldn’t win in an election, we couldn’t win with recounts, we couldn’t get the courts to throw out the election, so, in typical progressive fashion, and they are using the tried and true mob rule approach: threaten duly elected electors if they don’t break the law and disenfranchise the voters who chose Donald Trump. Curious, how often the progressives want mob rule, right up till a mob comes for them, at which point they become staunch law and order people.

No, Trump and the GOP won. The GOP has not been used to winning, and even when they won, quickly acted embarrassed at the fact, and backed off governing like winners. They compromised with the folks to the left, who would only compromise when they were out of power.  They caved in so their adversaries would call them nice guys, which they only did when they lost. They did not understand the use and exercise of power.

Now, enter Donald Trump. He has known failure, and had to endure businesses bankrupting. He has known success, and parlayed a successful business into a billion dollar Empire. When you have built Stark Tower, Iron Man is not likely to be a shrinking violet. No, I don t expect President Trump will emulate the (Progressive Democrat) Mayor of Baltimore and “give the rioters room to burn and destroy. “  I’m pretty sure the professional rioters know that as well.

So, our new and unlikely team of Avengers, ( Say, Stan, is it ok if I make a Marvel reference here, since you are getting the traditional Stan Lee cameo?) may just learn to fight like they won, flex their muscles like they have some, and take a real, no nonsense look around and conclude: Dang. These guys have really screwed things up. No, thanks but I don t think we will be asking for your help. We have been to Chicago, and Detroit, and San Francisco. We have seen what affordable means in your lexicon. We have seen how you approach National Security. We have seen what passes as the best economy we can hope for in your eyes. So, no, we will not be sharing power. We will not be asking for your input, since we have the ruins of 8 years of that to clean up. We will not need your ideas, since we know what those are. So, apparently, do a lot of other people, and since they just yelled a resounding ENOUGH! why so will we.

So you folks go find yourselves a nice safe place, free from microagressions, or harsh words, or real people.

Fleet Admiral Chester Nimitz had another quote which I admire, and will, I think, characterize the Trump years.

Leadership consists of picking good men and helping them do their best.

That he is working on now.

Let us hope he combines that with the Shepherd’s Prayer. Alan Shepherd, while perched on top of his Mercury Space capsule , ready to become the 1st American in space, pleaded into a hot mike, Dear Lord, please don’t let me “expletive” this up.

Amen.

Tags: , , ,

Mark Caserta: The Trump factor is starting to take effect

10 Dec

me

Mark Caserta: FSP editor

  • Dec 9, 2016

I’ve heard it said more than once that it took the devitalizing policies of Jimmy Carter to give us Ronald Reagan. Perhaps it took the socialistic policies of Barack Obama to give us Donald Trump.

Throughout history, “hopelessness” seems to have been an unfortunate catalyst for change.

But to the delight of millions, while Donald J. Trump hasn’t even taken the presidential oath of office, he’s already putting his empathy and understanding of business to work for the American people.

Despite naysayers attempting to depreciate the probability that President-elect Trump will indeed live up to his campaign promises, the successful businessman is already leveraging his candor and forthrightness that served him so well during his candidacy toward keeping businesses in the United States.

As expected, business leaders responsible for a healthy bottom-line are proactively assessing Trump’s plan to remove strangling taxation and debilitating regulation imposed by previous administrations and adjusting their business plans accordingly.

I find it amusing how quickly liberal Democrats attempted to downplay Trump’s influence in Carrier’s announcement last Tuesday it was reversing plans to close an Indiana factory and keep close to 1,000 jobs in Indianapolis after telling workers earlier this year it would be moving production to Mexico.

But a few hundred Carrier employees are quite thankful.

“I would like to tell (Trump), ‘Thank you for going out of your way and taking your holiday away from your family and working on Carrier employees and sticking to your word and going to bat for all of us and keeping our jobs here,” Robin Maynard, a tenured 24-year Carrier employee, told “Fox and Friends” last Wednesday.

I predict this trend in businesses re-thinking their strategies will heighten. Frankly business leaders have been “starving” for an administration that understood their challenges and placed American jobs over progressive ideology.

Shortly after Trump’s historic victory, Ford Motor Co. Chairman Bill Ford called Trump to announce the auto maker would not be moving production of Lincolns out of Kentucky, indicating he planned to work with the new administration on protecting American manufacturing jobs.

In a statement, Ford said the company “confirmed with the president-elect” that it would continue producing Lincoln MKCs at the Louisville plant and added it was “encouraged that President-elect Trump and the new Congress will pursue policies that will improve U.S. competitiveness and make it possible to keep production of this vehicle here in the United States.”

Now, you can call it “trickle-down” or “voo-doo” economics all you want. It’s Economics 101.

A sound business model, when executed properly, results in increased sales activity. This increase in activity results in an increase in demand for product and/or services. And even a liberal should be able to understand that an increase in demand for product or services results in more jobs!

The “Trump factor” is beginning to take effect. Business leaders now see light at the end of this eight-year-long tunnel. The entrepreneurial spirit is being rekindled and projected profitability is being revised to the black.

Folks, it’s going to be an exciting four years.

 

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

 

http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2016/11/30/trump-effect-after-carrier-pledge-to-keep-jobs-in-us-more-companies-may-follow.html

http://www.foxnews.com/auto/2016/11/18/ford-chairman-tells-trump-lincoln-suv-production-to-remain-at-kentucky-plant.html

Tags: , , ,

Mark Caserta: Trump prepares his team to make America great again

25 Nov

And conservatives are pleased with the choices!

 

me

Mark Caserta: FSP editor

  • 11.25.16

For the first time in a very long time, Americans are going to witness how conservative ideology “trumps” liberal progressivism in our country.

There is little doubt the 2016 election was a referendum on Barack Obama’s failed liberal policies. In fact, Democrat losses over the past few election cycles have been very telling per the Pew Research Center. Liberal Democrats understand this trend could be detrimental to their party for years to come, not to mention Obama’s legacy.

Hence President Obama’s recent international “exit interview” tour designed to sanction his reign as the most liberal president in U.S. history and hopefully create some headwinds for the incoming Trump administration.

Senator Jeff Sessions is the perfect pick for the 48th attorney general of the United States. Sessions has demonstrated a steadfast commitment to the U.S. Constitution and served as the former U.S. Attorney of the Southern District of Alabama under President Reagan. He certainly has the experience to enforce the rule of law in our country.

Lt. General Mike Flynn is a top choice for national security advisor. Flynn ran the Defense Intelligence Agency from 2012 to 2014 and served as top intelligence advisor to General Stanley McChrystal in Iraq. Flynn is reported to be “less than politically correct” and was, in fact, fired by the Obama administration for reportedly “pushing back” against “censors” displeased with his public declaration the U.S. was losing ground in the war on terror.

Kansas Rep. Mike Pompeo is a sound choice to become the director of the Central Intelligence Agency. Pompeo graduated number one in his class at West Point and has been very outspoken against Obama’s nuclear deal with Iran. Those who know him say he will be an “unrelenting leader for our intelligence community to ensure the safety of Americans.”

Retired Marine General James “Mad dog” Mattis is emerging as a leading candidate for the position of Secretary of Defense. A seasoned, “no nonsense” combat commander, Mattis is heralded for his leadership as head of U.S. Central Command having responsibility for all U.S. forces in the Middle East.

President-elect Trump also has placed concern for the nation above his pride by reaching across party lines and even to those who have openly criticized him during his campaign. Despite the national left-wing media’s attempt to portray Donald Trump as erratic and unqualified to be commander-in-chief, he’s brilliantly putting together a high-performing team.

I expect this team will hit the ground running in 2017 and work diligently at repairing eight years of damage by the Obama administration.

And millions of Americans will see conservatism make America great again.

 

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

Tags: , , ,

Mark Caserta: Trump’s leadership will bridge the divide in the U.S.

18 Nov

And we finally have a president who understands managing people.

me

Mark Caserta: FSP editor

The morning following Donald Trump’s victory in last week’s presidential election, my wife looked at me, grinned and said, “We did it.”

Weary-eyed from a long night of election returns, coffee in hand, I smiled and responded, “Yes, yes we did. Thank God.”

As we watched the news, it was obvious our entire nation was stricken with emotion that frankly was difficult to describe and often culminated in tears (albeit for different reasons). But watching our great nation decline over the past eight years has simply been heart-wrenching for conservatives.

For many people, it’s been a long time since we’ve looked to tomorrow with hope and optimism about our future.

President-elect Donald J. Trump will no doubt have his hands full “righting the ship” that conservatives feel has been on a wayward course for some time. Currently, the Trump “Ironclad” has a full head of steam as he begins the process of choosing members of his administration.

I fully expect to see Trump surrogates such as Newt Gingrich, Rudy Giuliani, Jeff Sessions and Kellyanne Conway to be asked to join the team and submitted for Senate confirmation in the 115th U.S. Congress.

Certainly, Trump is no stranger to identifying talent.

But beyond the rhetoric, allow me to explain why Americans should have additional confidence heading into the Trump presidency.

Besides tremendous business acumen, Trump understands managing people.

We’ve all experienced a boss or a department leader who simply “did not get it” when it came to managing people. They had knowledge, but lacked the competencies necessary to lead.

The skill to effectively manage people has been dreadfully lacking on Capitol Hill. It’s my opinion this void in leadership has caused Washington’s gridlock.

But nothing short of tyranny will ever take the place of effective leadership!

Frankly, Donald J. Trump may be the most qualified management individual our nation has ever elected to the office of president. His proven leadership instincts, along with his energy and perseverance, will not allow him to fail.

Trump understands he doesn’t need to possess the aggregate skills of his cabinet members. He also understands the concept of collaboration to achieve a common goal, laser-specific delegation and the art of performance management.

As the new leader of the free world, Trump will spend plenty of time building a high-performing team of individuals, highly qualified in their respective areas, who will also possess strong management skills.

And Americans will be very surprised at how quickly we’ll begin seeing results. Corporate leaders around the world will find themselves aligning with Trump’s strategies, which will involve the crucial negotiating tool of “win-win” scenarios.

So, prepare to get back in the game. And prepare to work hard and win. We must all work together in our nation’s resurgence and return to greatness.

Trump’s leadership will bridge the divide in America.

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

Tags: , , ,

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

14 Nov

me

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.

 

Tags: , , , , ,

← Older Entries
Newer Entries →