We are the drain the swamp people

This page will be our locus for shorter individual observations and thoughts through Election Day.  Comments and reports from readers to keep this current are very welcome. 

First things first: Vote R across the board with a credible exception being the Supervisor race where Independent Trevor Goodall is more R than the listed.  What we don’t want is Maria Bribriesco who Dems have pinned their hopes on. For Judges do not hesitate to vote to retain David May. For the other retention votes we also recommend yes to  Chicchelly, Langholz and Reidel.  NO on Tabor and Buller.

Early voting in person is available Friday, Saturday and Monday.

Have wee mentioned we like in person voting and think vote by mail is the devil’s playground?

Friday, November 1

• Scott County Library, 200 N. 6th St., Eldridge, 9:00 am-3:00 pm
• Bettendorf Public Library, 2950 Learning Center Campus, Bettendorf, 9:30 am-3:30 pm
• Davenport Public Library, 6000 Eastern Ave., Davenport, 11:00 am-5:00 pm
• Davenport Public Library, 3000 N. Fairmount St., Davenport, 11:00 am-5:00 pm
• Scott County Administrative Center, 600 W. 4th St., Davenport, 8:00 am-4:30 pm

Saturday, November 2

• Scott County Administrative Center, 600 W. 4th St., Davenport, 9:00 am-5:00 pm

Monday, November 4

• Scott County Administrative Center, 600 W. 4th St., Davenport, 8:00 am-4:30 pm

Know that Election Day voting which we think vastly superior in integrity, security and good government compared to the vote-by-mail zeitgeist the Republican apparat is part of   — polls are open 7:00 AM to 8:00 PM.  Use your regular precinct voting location that day.

Rather than spend $$ we opted to revise a 2020 Trump yard sign. People get the point. Three doors up are a bunch of Demo signs.

As to the answer to the lead question ~~ howzit look in Scot County — hell if we know for sure, but driving around some what we see are more Democrat yard signs overall including Harris-Walz. They seem to be at the usual suspect’s domiciles and with a better spread than Republican signs.

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  Barn mural in Scott County. Dramatic, lit at night. This guy didn’t need a yard sign he made his own

  It seems Trump- Vance signs are either in short supply (except to purchase your own) or that Iowa is not a targeted state has resulted in fewer operatives making the rounds placing signs. Our own state legislative candidate Mike Vondran  has done a good job of getting his signs out and we have not seen many for his opponent. For our “Trump” advertisement we resorted to recycling a marked up 2020 sign.

• The feminazis have had billboards up since spring decrying some evil men legislators and Supreme Court Justice May for protecting unborn baby girls.  Not in exactly those words but given the knowledge of the chromosomes of the baby in utero, girl  babies are more likely to be killed in sex selection abortion, which ironically feminazis are indifferent to. They just like bloody solutions to problem pregnancies. It is part of the right to choose the abortion promoters want to instill, any reason, any time, with your tax dollars.* There have been one or two poorly placed pro-life billboards to counteract the anti-life sentiment.
• As for broadcast media we do not listen to a lot of TV or streaming with commercials  so others will have a better take. Same for social media — we don’t go there but do monitor the national takes available through Twitchy. What we have seen locally saddens us as Democrats seem to be doing more.
• The music radio station that is on constantly at work, does not have near the number of political ads running as in 2022 when on that station and elsewhere Dems ran on abortion in just about every ad and Scott County and the state of Iowa saw a red wave which did not materialize elsewhere in the country. Dobbs was handed down in June of 2022.
• That said, while Scott County did very well for Republicans in 2022, Scott County is still usually Blue for the presidency which can have coattails depending on the work ethic of the R’s running.

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YOU HAVE OUR PERMISSION TO BEGIN VOTING EARLY  IN PERSON THIS WEEK. DON’T FORGET TO VOTE TO RETAIN SUPREME COURT JUSTICE MAY ON THE BACK PAGE.

In a wider ranging series of questions from the North Scott Press (NSP) candidates for county office were also asked “Do you support your party’s presidential nominee?”

Sheriff candidate (and incumbent) Tim Lane is the only candidate for Scott County office running as a Republican to say he supports the Republican Party nominee for president, Donald Trump.

The others, Auditor candidate (incumbent) Kerri Tomkins, Supervisor candidate (incumbent) Ken Beck and Rita Rawson (incumbent by way of appointment after a controversial process) – all used ridiculous reasoning or evasion in refusing to answer. They seem to be playing chicken with party supporters.

We cannot have a Democrat sweep so we guess they expect Republicans to hold their noses and vote no matter how self-centered and injurious they are to the concept of party unity. 

The game two of them are playing could backfire as one of the independent candidates for Supervisor, Trever Goodall forthrightly indicated his support for Donald Trump and has positions compatible with good government. Normally we call for supporting the Republican candidate but when the office sought is not organized along party lines or certain of our candidates show little deference to party precepts as Beck and Tomkins did in their involvement with the appointment of Rawson, a very recent Democrat, passing over qualified Republicans, and then proceeding to undermine support for the Republican nominee for President chosen by Republicans in Scott County, in Iowa and overwhelmingly nationwide –  one is properly free to return the lack of favor.

Goodall indicated support for our nominee and offered answers to issues the Board of Supervisors deals with as Beck and Rawson offered.  Beck and Rawson have earned no deference. We can bullet vote Goodall or include one of the others to avoid the still worse ilk of the Democrat candidates.  With Tomkins there is no alternative other than a Democrat stooge.

The responses of the three Republican nominees  (set forth below) were weak and uncalled for and in violation of basic Republican standards of harmony and decorum and the ethics of craving support but refusing to give it.  The Scott County Republican Executive  Committee should have summoned them immediately and called them to task, in no uncertain terms to immediately revise and extend their remarks in service to party unity.  If the Scott County Republican Executive  Committee does not address this they prove themselves weak. They should tell the ingrates Beck, Rawson and Tompkins to reflect on the utter evils of the Democrat Party and justify their indifference and why Trump supporters should not be indifferent to them should they continue their disloyalty.

Anybody who reads our screeds in these pages knows that we are very critical of DJT and Trumpistas but we have a different role to play and it is in line with keeping the GOP conservative. We have never advocated not voting for Trump in the general or been indifferent to Democrats winning.

Indeed Trumpistas can blame themselves for Beck, Rawson and Tompkins. Trump supporters dominated the precinct caucuses and made much noise about their desire to hold the party fast  . . . but what do they do . . .  they don’t show up to vote in the primary election. If they did they were not paying very much attention. Beck, Rawson and Tomkins each had primary opponents who indicated support for Trump, even championed him.  Given the turnout, Trumpistas voting in the caucuses could have absolutely dominated the primaries but they did not or only spottily. And that was true statewide. Here the three indifferent county candidates won.

But alas the Democrats are members of the evil party and we are members of the stupid party, evidenced once again by the ingrates Beck, Rawson and Tompkins and the indifference shown by them toward other Republicans.  Well we do not have to be saddled with one of them or a Democrat. Voting for Goodall is some expiation. By their own standard the position is above party or something.

There is some risk in voting for an independent, Democrat Bribriesco is as lefty as they come, and is the only announced Democrat running who they will most likely bullet vote for. This leftist could get in unless she is number three (it is a vote for two election). She deserves to be number five of the five running.  That fault would extend from the lack of unity demonstrated by Beck, and Dawson toward Republicans. Being a Republican is of no import to them, if not in saying so in being consistent about it.

Seriously what kind of “Republican” can look at what is at stake in the presidential, who the Democrat candidate is and what that person stands for and be indifferent and not just merely say – of course I support my party’s nominee or even the self-centered ~~ I appreciate my party’s nominees?

The responses of all the candidates to the questions posed by the North Scott Press are available at:

https://www.northscottpress.com/stories/nsp-candidate-qa-legislative-and-scott-county-offices,169150

There may be a paywall.  You can subscribe to the NSP e-edition for one week for $3 or for a month for $6.

All candidates were asked by NSP: “Do you support your party’s presidential nominee?”

Tim Lane answered:

“I support Trump for President. When he was president, I supported his handling of the economy, foreign policy, and the First Step Act. He was very supportive of law enforcement, American businesses, and American Labor.”

That is a fine response that no one will be aghast at who would ever vote for a Republican in a presidential year. All that is required of party loyalty is ~~ I support the nominee of my party. — the following Republican candidates found that too  discomforting:

Kerri Tomkins answered:

“First, many brave men and women have died so I do not have to tell anyone how I vote or intend to vote. Second, I believe the right to vote is sacred and work hard every day to uphold that right in Scott County. In this position, I have a personal policy of not endorsing any candidates. The role of the auditor does not create policy. The job requires the position to follow the law. Therefore, if reelected, I will continue to uphold the Code of Iowa while performing the duties of auditor, regardless as to whom is elected President of the United State”

The first two sentences are pure claptrap.  As to the next two sentences of her statement: ~~ A policy of not endorsing any candidates and ~~ the role of auditor does not create policy.  They should be read together.  Executive positions of course create policy within their departments and recommend policy for enactment by legislative bodies. Apropos the Auditors position, is Tompkins  saying she has nothing to say about laws affecting the integrity of the vote and will not be an advocate for policies that improve the integrity of the vote within her department or from the legislature?  Somebody should clue her in that that is what executives do. Is she saying she will remain blind and unresponsive and not be an advocate for policies that are ineffective at insuring the integrity of the vote? Her response is incredible.

The Republican Party and its various candidates have positions that advocate for insuring the integrity of the vote. She should not be indifferent to improvement,  complacent about what is problematic,  or neutral on party positions or their candidates in furtherance of insuring the integrity of the vote.

Furthermore she is running in a partisan position. She craved party endorsement — she chose not to run for the Democrat nomination or as an independent. She was given the Republican nomination based on assumptions about strength of adherence to integrity of the vote and the appropriateness of advocacy.  By her limited formulation of the position we should just have a CPA firm run the electoral aspects. Accordingly she would not be hired.

A CPA firm worth its salt would look at the chain of custody protocols the actuality of the verification of the vote and tell their client changes need to be made to insure accuracy of eligibility and more. Yet CPA’s have run in the past and been passed over because it is a partisan position that involves policy.  Auditors most certainly should engage in policy recommendatiuons and voters should know what they are.   You can have good partisan originated policy positions or bad ones.  The Republican positions are good, Democrats bad.  It is not hard. Consider her opponents statements on his website:

The right to vote should be sacred and accessible – Iowa Republicans feel otherwise! Let’s make Iowa the great state it used to be.(Ed Note: as in “blue”)

This right is under threat under the current leadership by their actions to not protect the voters and elections. (Ed note apparently their oare partisan policy differences)

All code words against Republicans existing policy even with all its weaknesses. Tomkins in trying to escape responsibility by denying  the appropriateness of policy recommendations, implementation, and endorsing of candidates that support them.

It should also be understood that in spite of her denial of policy involvement the Auditor is a member of the  Scott County Executive Board of Supervisors Vacancy Committee. That group fills political vacancies within the Board of Supervisors, also a distinctive policy position. So how are citizens to evaluate her predilections about policy and people to fill such a role unless she owns up?

Tomkins was involved in the selection of Rawson to fill the term left open by Tony Knobe after his move to become County Treasurer. Did she not evaluate Rawson and other candidates’ policy positions? As it turns out her policy like Beck’s and Rawson’s — are hidden from public view, as to who they passed over.

Tomkins must think the position is above politics, if that is the case she should run as an independent and pursue making the position non-partisan in which case she would be part of moving Scott County on to being another Davenport City Council — and we all know how effective and scandal free that has been.

Tomkin’s last two sentences are just more claptrap.

Ken Beck answered:

“I encourage everyone to do their own research to determine who the best candidate is; however, local elections make the biggest impact on Scott County residents. I will continue to remain open to all ideas, and make my decisions based on what will best serve the majority of Scott County residents.”

The question was asked because it says something about you, your predilections on matters that come under the purview of your role in government,  which is actually quite broad-based under Iowa’s home rule provisions. The question cuts to the quick of why Trump supporters should vote for you, do you appreciate his platform or object to it?

You are running for a partisan position. Do you appreciate the Party nominees over Democrats or not?

Rita Rawson answered:

“This is an unethical and inappropriate question as it undermines our system of voting rights and confidentiality and has nothing to do with the Board of Supervisor position.”

What absolute nonsense calumny really. Again as above, the question was asked because it says something about you, your predilections on matters that come under the purview of your role in government,  which is actually quite broad-based under Iowa’s home rule provisions. The question is important because it cuts to the quick of why Trump supporters should vote for you, do you appreciate his platform or object to it?

You are running for a partisan position. Do you appreciate the Party nominees over Democrats or not?

All should feel an obligation to vote and to pick best among the sinners because we all are. VERITASPAC.com hereby “authorizes” people to vote early beginning this week if done in person.  Vote by mail should only be done by actual out-of-towners and the physically unable. We of course will continue the most secure way of voting in person on Election Day where we will present a valid ID,  offer a signature sample, and have our vote recorded instantly instead of having it lay around for however long. Previous generations voted essentially only on Election Day and did so at a rate higher than we see today. Showing a little of their pluck honors them, the franchise, and is superior as to fraud prevention and is a better good government approach at least compared to voting weeks early.

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Have a personal goal of inducing two low propensity voters to vote straight Republican (an exception being the Scott County Supervisor race where one of  the no-party candidates is superior)*

Based on recent articles at The Federalist’s  regarding current get out the vote (GOTV) efforts, it appears that so-called  relational vote chasing done by groups outside the Trump or GOP apparat, presumably single issue oriented or broader affinity groups, are the most effective.  See here, here. We support that to the extent that they can engage their hills the mountain will take care of itself.

Two reports here and here  albeit a few months ago  indicate that the Trump/GOP GOTV operation has fallen flat. However much heralded it was, falling flat is something we presumed would result if resources are devoted to expensive paid hectoring to vote by mail instead of intense motivational and targeted messaging which we would argue is a better bang for the buck — turning even Democrat mules (unknowingly) into mules for Trump AND OTHER REPUBLICANS (presuming ballot secrecy is maintained). Our point is most effective if conducted beginning in the spring and summer in order to inoculate the vote. 

Using “doable” small group contact dynamics (using volunteers given 20 names) described in various The Federalist articles keeps the cost down. The focus on low to medium propensity voters is good although the persuadable factor might be an issue  as the candidate the system is focused on (trump) undercuts the message for some otherwise likely affinity groups (pro-life and social conservatives)  with boneheaded statements complicating the task of the volunteers  engaged in promoting early voting. 

Republicans used to emphasize voter ID in order to vote. That does not happen with vote by mail which the apparat now officially advocates. Who really votes the mailed in vote? Signature verification to be accurate is a slow process that for serious accuracy requires training. It elicits false flags when it is undertaken, which is not seriously.

But the everyone-vote-early-drone from conservative radio commentariat is in full swing and arguably against integrity and security interests to the extent it involves vote by mail, which they now champion, glossing over still valid concerns about not only the security and but also importantly the general good governance propriety. 

Is this the goal, be more like Democrats?

The same arguments apply to hectoring people to vote by mail even if undertaken by a volunteer focused on a small group of assigned contacts — the twenty or so small bite often mentioned. The cumulative effect of vote by mail weeks out is still anti-good-governance and burdens the accuracy of the verification process in the limited counting period because of the inundation of mail-in ballots. Eligibility establishment is not as effectively challengeable on a timely basis by poll officials and watchers . . .  as to verification of the actual voter in a vote by mail dominated system, forget it,  . . .  signature verification — get real.  

much better

The basic idea of personal voter contact is great, but pushing vote by mail (in most jurisdictions) needn’t be part of it, assuming early voting in person at satellite locations is available. You want intimacy —  so offer to drive them or walk them to the early voting location. It is also more psychologically and civically engaging.

 It would seem to be eminently doable for this small-group dynamic of GOTV. A cadre of volunteer drivers might be organized to supplement any unavailability of the voter persuader to do so.  Many or most will not require the chauffeuring but it is a nice no- excuses touch having set a pick-up time. 

Some insist that a good overall turn-out by people voting in person is not realistic. Well do explain how turnout of eligible voters in the 60s and 70s was superior to recent years when the voting window was essentially Election Day (very limited absentee voting)?  Today many or most jurisdictions have satellite in person early voting   capabilities and independent transportation availability is superior.

That the “client’ voter votes early in person on their own is just as determinable as if they voted early by mail or used a drop box for their “absentee ballot”. 

Voting in person a little early — a few days — ameliorates the integrity concerns of onesey-twosey falsifications and intimidation around the kitchen table  and insures, to the extent the local system requires, photo -ID verification – not available in vote by mail schemes. Further signature verification is more secure as it is immediately witnessed.  

The arguments I hear expressed for vote by mail is that the Dems are going to mess up election day voting — create long lines, have computers fail etc etc. . . . create chaos — (one good conspiracy theory deserves another ) therefor I guess submit your vote to those malcontents through the postal union as soon as possible, or to have lying around in the same jurisdiction that is crooked enough to do the aforementioned and have them organize the counting and verification, after that know what precincts are voting. 

Then there is THE WEATHER AND YOU MIGHT DIE OR BREAK YOUR LEG OR YOUR CAT MIGHT BE UP A TREE  . . .  WHATEVER argument. None of them are serious or statistically hold water as preventative. If one is truly concerned vote a day or two early but  in person.  If you are too incapacitated or out of town for weeks on end vote by mail as was done in the past. Integrity, security, events of the day, in reality, speak against extensive vote by mail programs. A controlling conspiratorial fear that Democrats will subvert election day voting only means that as regards the vote by mail scenario one prefers letting one’s vote lay around perhaps for weeks, — after submitting same to a postal union apparat, help Democrats be in a position to respond to early turnout results and concentrate localized efforts — all by the same disreputable people who if they have intent and the capability to corrupt or interfere with Election Day voting  have the means to corrupt your vote by mail integrity as well.

*details to follow

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Regarding Melania– the book jacket is as stark and cold as the insides

This election presents troubling but still crucial differences for the pro-life cause (they are as black and white as Melania’s book cover).  The way Donald Trump has treated the issue of late means right to life  voters need to relate more to voting for political party dominance than being wound up in presidential proclivities. That is as it should be.

But the 2024 presidential choices are crucial and essentially binary as a chasm remains on important matters between Trump and Harris along with the Republican Party and Democrats. The differences in both binaries remain compelling for pro-lifers.

That said, it is still important to make admissions about Trump to maintain the integrity of the cause. And that means being critical of him and now his wife who has perhaps made the most egregious anti-right-to-life statement regarding abortion of any First Lady or prospective First Lady in my decades of observation. Even Hillary Clinton arguably fudged the issue better.

The independent worth of human beings in utero, a stage of human life we all went through, does not figure into Melania Trump’s view of the matter of the right to life of the unborn — only the autonomy of the woman and never mind that half the babies killed are female. Relying on  book excerpts regarding her absolutist philosophy as regards the inherent  “right” of a woman to end her pregnancy at any stage,  the life of the unborn child she carries is not controlling or modifying. She does not specify any appropriate legal distinction.

So the record is safe with Melania, we have never had a Republican pro-life First Lady. Indeed she has set herself as being as bad in principle as any Democrat First Lady. And to think I once thought maybe she was keeping Donald in line on the matter. What a fool I can be in desperation to avoid the utter evil of Democrats. At least Nancy Reagan, Barbara Bush and Laura Bush stifled themselves as a matter of political timing and I do not recall that any of them made such a staggering (as reported about Melania) absolute statement about ones responsibility to the life a woman carries. It is now apparent that my allowing for the few accoutrements of Catholicism Melania displayed early on in Trump’s term as perhaps indicative of something positive was as ridiculous as others allowing it for Joe Biden.

According to reports (we have not seen her book) the formally sphinx-like Melania has gone all chatty-cathy and can’t be stark enough in her position alleging her and every woman’s absolute autonomy as regards abortion. God’s will is irrelevant, human will is everything. Never mind the symbiosis of mother and child or the importance to every successful human culture of the elevation of the bond of protection by mothers to their offspring. When that is lost, all is lost.

Quite the Catholic/ Christian theorist Melania turns out to be. For her the unborn are a disposable entity and that belly-button (and a lot more) she was so proud to display at the drop of however many dollars is meaningless to her, or she does not have the depth to contemplate it.  No Biblical or cultural or democratically established legal framework should allow protection of the unborn human being’s autonomy if their presence in any way conflicts with her chosen or revised autonomy. Apparently they are to be considered invaders, non-innocent, disposable.  Or you can consider them children but you still get to dispose off them if they reside in utero. Autonomy is absolute.  At least illegal immigrants are to be provided  orderly, timely, presumably still life-affirming deportation (in the case of the unborn referred to as birth).

Melania Trump’s two demential orientation explains a lot about her demeanor. But we are not voting for her.

The moral and philosophical depth of the former President (and given the alternative, we  hope future) and his spouse on the matter of abortion ranges from seat of the pants, to manipulation, to capitulation, to do the right thing (although DJT didn’t really personally pick the SCOTUS nominees), to fear and loathing, to abortion sympathy, to protecting some babies and the ability to protect more, to advocacy for one seriously warped philosophical view now put in print by Melania.

One more thought as regards the latter, if bodily autonomy as regards parenthood is Melania’s conceptual framework then her book should contain a paragraph or two on why men should not have to pay child support if they do not want to. Certainly the fruits of their current and future labors are confiscated by law for 18 years at a minimum. What is the scalar or even conceptual difference, other than men do not get to legally kill their kids as a matter of autonomy? Well they used to, it was called paterfamilias, we just are now substituting materfamilias abandoning the Christian teaching of the unique worth (and protect-ability) of every human being, –autonomy for all not just the dominant.

Oh well, DJT is our guy, and he really must be because the choice is essentially binary and he has good (we assume solid) positions on other important matters without getting into a discussion of the scale with regard to the right to life but definitively as regards the ability of the republic to survive. And the Democrats are just utterly dependably evil — far beyond Trump’s apostasies, inconsistencies, insincerities, stupidity, superficialities, volatility and incoherencies. But let’s not be naive. Those are arguably Trump’s good features in the scheme of things as they at least intermittently, arguably predominantly, work in support of culture and the ability to redress grievances. Democrats are methodically anti-culture, essentially Marxist.

I fear (but have hope to the contrary) that what we are seeing on the issue from Trump may be more substantive than political winks and nods, game playing, get through the election maneuverings on what they consider a handicapping position on the right to life. Trump has so aggravated the issue by being so inarticulate or worse I can believe he was never with us, he just picked some pro-life people to ride with him. All credit to them, not so much Trump. Regrettably the coincidence of pro-life people in his administration in the past can now be seen as expendable for the greater cause of Donald Trump. He hires on whims and fires as needed, it is his way. So the big question becomes who is going to have his ear?

We should push back on Trump’s unnecessary personal and political stupidity and abandonment of those that helped bring him. Pro-lifers voted for him in the various primaries because he talked the talk and surrounded himself with genuine pro-life personages. He read the room. Trump would have placed much more distant in Iowa and subsequent early states in 2016 had he advocated for no federal laws to protect the unborn and excoriated state laws as he has done.

Certainly Trump was not unique on the immigration issue and border security or America first.   In a very crowded field in 2016 the showman’s bombast seemed refreshing and “real” (not all proved real) and attracted media and a very fed up majority of TEA Party folks that came to dominate the Party. Something that predated Trump.

The media buoyed him early on for their own insincere purposes presuming he would be easily destroyed by Hillary. They did not underestimate Trump, as he was often his own worst enemy, they underestimated the strength of TEA party like sentiments outside the Republican Party after the nomination and the disdain for Hillary by men and women.

Trump decided he needed to be “pro-life” and up to 2020 as far as people knew he kept his word on justices (Roe had not been overturned by 2020) and demonstrably on executive policy. However Barrett and Kavanaugh are not prizes of the caliber of Thomas or Alito who the Bush presidencies brought. On that basis alone Trump is arguably not the most pro-life president as both have been problematic on other key constitutional matters including government influence over the internet, corrupting the availability to promulgate our message.

Certainly Ronald Reagan was far more articulate and insightful. And previous Republican presidents had a less socially conservative Republican Party to deal with. But again so as to be abundantly clear a Republican as president now, for a variety of reasons, will be vastly superior to a Democrat for the right to life /pro-life cause.

Trump’s most recent repeated “promise”  essentially to veto any federal effort to protect unborn human life if it portends to disallow elective abortions (he has managed to forget or make his 20 weeks concept murky in spite of the platform) is really a conceptual piece of work from this “most pro-life president ever”. He couldn’t formulate a more artful political statement than that? Maybe it is just a gratuitous statement to an unlikely possibility (in no small part thanks to him). But so much of what he says on the issue is ignorant, oblivious, insulting to his allies and wrong (but not always). Trump made his veto statement in spite of “his’ gobbled-gook platform plank which declares that the 14th Amendment (an imposition on the states) guarantees that no person can be denied Life or Liberty without Due Process in the United States.

Trump remains fearful and shallow on the issue and constitutionally ignorant. He wanted to keep the issue totally out of the 2024 platform having previously run with, even if not exactly ON a pro-life platform (not merely a states rights platform), winning in 2016 and arguably in 2020. He could have uncomplicated social-conservative and pro-life support by allowing more input and positive pro-life / pro-family planks and maintain whatever demurral he felt necessary. His shallowness and even obtusness is evidenced by HIS 2024 platform (previous platforms were genuinely democratic) where he invokes the 14th amendment to sustain a state’s rights view. It is incredibly goofy.

Accordingly pro-lifers shouldn’t act like the Amen Corner as regards Trump. We need to have the Party and the Congress. Trump’s supposed position on federal money for abortion (he says he still  opposes it oblivious to what he proposes as regards IVF) really does not matter as much if Congress does not appropriate it anyway. Nor does his position championing IVF if Congress does not pay for it although too many Republicans appear to be on board.

In that regard we must not be silent that as IVF is practiced it is essentially a process of create-inspect-and selectively destroy new human life as if we are demi-gods and prospective parents are entitled to use whatever means they want to obtain parenthood and the supposedly perfect child while abandoning or destroy the others.

The history of this human epoch is being written in terms of biology and the cultural transmission of biomedical ethics. Pro-life may be just on hold with Trump, but with him we can pray we are on a slower track to inculcation of abortion and the diminution of life in utero or however conceived. Trump’s latest personal position in essence advocating for the legality of most abortions at the federal level and gratuitously personally opposing efforts to limit most of them at the state level through his statements that this or that limit is “too far” give cause for worry about him. It gives cause to oppose his protégé Vance in 2028 for being such a dishrag however ambitious. He has done his record, the cause and his faith wrong with his statements and formulations. He is less discombobulated as a speaker than Trump.

But, and I cannot emphasize it enough, we know where the Democrats are coming from and they must be opposed. The Democrats are the Party of Abortion. It is their third rail and imbues everything they do, domestically and in foreign policy. Trump is not that.

In summation as regards pro-lifers criticizing the Trumps — Donald and Melania deserve it on the matter of the autonomous right to life for all human beings not just women. The right exists for all and from the very beginning, at the spark of each unique new human life. How politically practical it is to obtain it in the short term is a proper question but the abandonment and criticism of the idea and its adherents is weak and unnecessary.

Trump is fearful of pro-abortion sentiment (misreading saliency and accuracy of polls — the bias of the questions and the respondents chosen). He should be fearful of pro-life sentiment aggravated by his boneheaded statements. But it is what it is and Trump is who he is. It is fine for now to use him to get the superior results we need. That is the extent of my support because there are other American Presidents and citizens to admire more for courage and articulation and devotion to important values. His resiliency was remarkable two months ago after Butler but not sanctifying and pro-lifers should not assume him protected by God in all he says and does.

As of today Trump in essence says he opposes any serious curtailment of legal abortion even at the state level, the latter at least personally. And the sad thing is Trump and his pathetic apparat expect us to uncritically support him no matter what he says or however many times he says one thing and then something contradictory, or insults us.

My four main points are intended to be — Integrity demands we should be critical of Trump (while we absolutely need to be critical of Democrats’ utter evil, that they ought to be anathema). Secondly we should not give all the oxygen to Trump and put all our eggs in his basket but take the initiative for the independence and critical importance of a conservative Republican Party and Congress. Thirdly, do not absolutely trust Trump one statement to the next — press and verify. And fourthly, yes vote for him and encourage others to do so as the alternative is incompatible with the survival of the republic (a matter of Democrats being so bad, not Trump being so good).

Further, Trump is not a Biblical character protected by the hand of God anymore than other presidential aspirants, in the last hundred and sixty years anyway. And by the way, vote in person even if a (very) few days early at a satellite location as security and integrity is far superior in that mode than the fraud enabling atrocity of vote by mail — referencing another Trumpian mixed-message flip-flop against interests.

Related links (to be supplemented

https://downloads.frcaction.org/EF/EF18H05.pdf

https://sbaprolife.org/newsroom/press-releases/debate-night-trump-is-right-harris-walz-would-leave-babies-to-die

https://sbaprolife.org/newsroom/press-releases/injustice-pro-abortion-misinformation-leads-to-two-womens-deaths

https://www.liveaction.org/pro-life-activists-protest-culture-of-death-at-democratic-national-convention/

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Some may ask why the dearth of articles of late on this site, or, having stumbled onto the site concluded it is inactive.  Well we fancy ourselves an “influencer” dedicated to keeping the Republican Party conservative. There are more ways than one to skin a cat and we have concentrated of late on reader commentary submitted to popular conservative web sites.

Unfortunately OPBs (other people’s blogs) have content limitations, — including disallowing embedded pictures or other graphics and videos.  Formatting and length limitations usually pertain. And they are subject to someone else’s censorship. Much of the same is true of social media sites, which we have never been much into anyway. That said  this site has been neglected. People will be voting in Iowa shortly and there are some things that bear commenting on. We intend to be better at posting here.

Now we know we are not very influential and could do a better job of not only editing but promoting. But all of that takes time and this is a part-time vocation we have to attend to around our work and other responsibilities.   And serious promoting takes money although skilled marketers  can go a long way. As for our content we are painfully aware it usually takes more effort to be succinct.

Perhaps the most this will ever be is a bit of a political diary. But it could also be for others supportive of our purposes who have a commentary in their heads that would benefit from a web site format that allows a more complete presentation than available on some social media platforms.  So we invite stand alone submissions and comments to our posts including appropriate graphics.

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• Donald Trump – God’s special protectee?

This is an exegesis of the subsequent  emotion – karma – chi –  halo – radiance applied to the attempted assassination of Donald Trump.  It is not in any way to deny God’s answering of our prayers for Donald Trump’s safety — faith makes that happen. It is about the improper extrapolation that when the desired outcome ensues, a special aura or anointing somehow applies to the beneficiary as well. This is a critique of those who should know better, or explain themselves better.

Many believing conservative commentators including pastors in an emotional but theologically ill-considered response to the assassination attempt on Donald Trump have portrayed that he survived the attack as a result of the hand of God diverting the bullet aimed at him. That Donald Trump is a special protectee. The sentiment seemed quite prevalent at the Milwaukee Republican convention just days after the murderous attempt. Also see here.

The Milwaukee RNC convention played out by understandably lionizing Trump for his demeanor when he was shot in Butler County Pennsylvania. A minor irony  is that the assassination attempt on former Republican President Teddy Roosevelt (TR) was in Milwaukee. He was running as a third-party candidate when he did not get the GOP nomination having been President once, doing what Trump implied he might do if he did not get the nomination. He was there to make a campaign speech. His demeanor after being shot was as manly as I can imagine.  Had it been me I probably would have been sucking my thumb on a stretcher. Anyway, TR’s hit was arguably more ~~ definitive, as it was full on in the chest “center mass”. However the bullet was inhibited by an eyeglass case and 50 page manuscript folded in half. The 38 cal. pistol round penetrated into TR’s chest but did not reach his lung. The pocket paraphernalia and or God saving his life.

The bullet was never removed because of the danger. TR carried the bullet the rest of his life and lost the election anyway. The sympathy vote apparently not overwhelmingly helpful, to a third-party effort anyway —

So was Trump’s avoidance of death a “miracle” and TR’s not? Or were they both, that, along with all the other “ineffective” shots made at Presidents?

People carry stuff in their vests and trained snipers know that people turn or bob their head to a degree virtually every second while giving speeches. Then again personages targeted may wear ballistic vests and perhaps the murderer anticipated that and aimed accordingly. We do not know how truly studied the killer was but the “God thing” is impossible to know thoroughly by us mere mortals and to conclude anything in this particular case, in my judgement, problematic theologically.

God’s hand is sovereign everywhere while forbidding but permissive of our evil ways, and just maybe allows chance to happen within his domain. The “God’s hand” stuff is a theological tautology unless one is trying to make Trump into a biblical character and my best guess is he is not. There are a bit too many policy deficiencies and problematic articulations by him in my judgement (short as I am of a direct line to God).

And for me one question arising from the TR assassination attempt as regards God’s hands —  for what reason was God more protective of people around Teddy Roosevelt but not Donald Trump? No one else was injured in the attempt on TR’s life. True, people were able to spring into action as regards TR’s attempted assassin, preventing more. But why was a good man removed from his family and two others injured for God to make a point about DJT special protections?  God can’t make a point about the comparative worth of Trump as a better leader compared to a Democrat some other way? And if I am judging God then how is saying He deflected the bullet not?

The same dilemma is suggested by the assassination attempt on the other Roosevelt, TR’s cousin FDR. An attempt was made on his life in 1933 in Miami, also by a pistol but with multiple shots fired. FDR was physically unscathed but Chicago Mayor Anton Cermak was hit and that bullet arguably led to Cermak death as he was shot in the abdomen while perhaps already a victim of disease. Others were also hit in the melee produced by the gunman although their injuries were not life-threatening. The bullet that may have led to Cermak’s death found him after the pistol was deflected by a woman with a purse standing nearby. Did God decide that it was necessary to sacrifice Cermak to make a point about FDR??

Biden was and is so out out of it with advancing dementia that any likely RNC designee would also likely defeat him, (his retirement had not been announced at the time of the assassination attempt on Trump and arguably Trump’s survival sped it up but especially because of Trump’s dumbfounding decision to debate Biden and expose Biden’s vulnerability prematurely). So from this an arguable political estimation is that Trump was not unique to GOP chances, a remarkable candidate yes, maybe superior in some ways,* not in others* but his running is not the only possible scenario to the defeat of the evil ones. The miracle thing just doesn’t add up.

Yet the vibe extensively out there in the conservative commentariat and a number of Bible championing religious leaders before and especially after the attempt on Trump’s life is that God is directing Trump and especially that God is protecting him. It seems too overbearing to me, although likely triggered this month by the emotion of grateful relief at the avoidance of great national trauma to our cause. Though that said, I agree that the devil sure seems to be directing the Democrats.

To the extent of the two candidates’, Teddy Roosevelt’s and Donald Trump’s reaction to the attempts — I won’t argue head shot vs chest shot – but TR’s responses were definitely as ‘bad ass”as they come. He had the presence of mind to realize that while shockingly hit and bleeding significantly the bullet had not penetrated his lung as he was not gasping or coughing blood. He prevented a potential lynching of his assailant right then and there. He actually gave his scheduled speech before going to the hospital. The account is truly amazing.

Trump unquestionably showed bravado. But I do not hesitate to add that our armed forces over the years are replete with individuals who faced the enemy, knowing the enemy was trying to kill them, subjected themselves to fire fights, were fired upon regularly, perhaps wounded as Trump was (or worse) and got right back in the fight.

Trump did himself, his family and his supporters proud and I am very happy he was not killed or seriously injured for them, and for the good of the country but also wish as does Trump that another had not died and that others were not injured. But I can’t come to grips with singling the Trump experience out as especially evident of God’s directed will when our fallen ways, peoples’ bad choices and derangements, the fact that we are mortal are all so evident all the time.

I think grace to cope with our own mortality, tragic events, and the will to fight for right vs wrong, among other graces are constantly God’s gifts and I think that is what best evinced from the attempt on Trump’s life in Pennsylvania.

Not to diminish the instant bravado by Trump but lionizing, sanctifying him on that basis is overwrought unless God had his hand in a lot of saves from assassination attempts and pre-presidential lives of many presidents. Well OK I can accept that he did but more than as regards all of his children? It is one thing to say ‘it was not his, her or our time to die in a near death experience, it is another to say God alters the battlefield for each instance, the highways, the obstacles, the sequence, the actions of others, the cancer cell, whatever risk we encountered. And could not a butterfly flapping his wings in China not result in precisely what God wants?

The miracles affecting us everyday are quotidian so let’s not get carried away by a missed shot by a non-professional, rather, be grateful he did miss and leave the theology at that. The pedestal placement of Trump is unfair to others and disconcerting religiously and risks ignoring or excusing apostasies and even sanctifying anything he says or does. I do not think that is God’s will so let’s not invite the apostasy.

A mere summary of incidents involving other presidents might give perspective as to the workings of God’s hand in diverting bullets to spare chosen rulers. This is not mocking God’s capabilities or the unfathomable intricacy of how He makes happen what He wants to happen. But it is intended to challenge the selective interpretation by humans interpreting God’s particular involvement with an individual politician in a particular way when the outcome is appreciated but chance or actual sequence of events explains the matter.

I am also troubled by some of the same “God’s hand moved the bullet” theorists referring to our elected leaders as rulers in order to implicate the biblical sense of kings. Candidates and elected officials are not rulers. I rebel at that diminution of our agency. We are the rulers. Indeed unless they are outright liars our elected representative’s faults are largely also the faults of those who voted for them, who did not do due diligence or endorsed those attributes. It is also the fault of those who did not bother to make a choice and show up to vote. And even to a limited extent those whose support of superior candidates was deminimus when it readily could have been more — if only to try and talk one person into making the right decision or support organizations that do.

Sure there is deceit and sometimes hold your nose and vote choices. But the system allows changes. We vote the superior party candidate and try to make the superior candidate the  nominee. It is always a relative choice. And when we make a mistake the system allows changes. Indeed in our system of government there is no “principality” that can withstand a righteous God-fearing people. That is what it takes.

Although some candidates and presidents  have avoided it  (more so recently) there is a non-uniqueness to presidents subjecting themselves to or experiencing violent possible near death experiences. And it is non-unique not only to presidents, but as I mentioned such is replete in the military, and also true of many human undertakings and walks of life (police, fire and other vocations) along with chance happenings to everyday citizens. Who even knows how many near misses of one sort or another each of us actually have in the course of our existence. And if we have been cognizant of one or more do we get to claim anointed status based on that? And are our political opinions and policy recommendations more valid having experienced such?

Presidential Perspective:

This is not an effort to imply life is a matter of chaos,  it is definitively not and I believe that is the stupidest of concepts, indeed the ultimate evil. Nor is it to deny God’s active sovereignty as He wills. It is about peoples ability to discern and not risk creating false prophets so to speak.

Presidents, great or not so great, good and bad have experienced near death experiences, been shot at, experienced assassination attempts with or without injury. Their supporters may claim the hand of God but the whole hoopla seems rather parochial. Consider:

Probably all presidents have received credible threats on their life. Terrorist organizations do exist. Nut-cases abound.  The listed articles are but a sampling.  Some inclusions or exclusions can be challenged. But the non-uniqueness of danger experienced by aspirants and presidents is clear.  Is there then a tautology to God’s hand or not?

Most presidents have had military experience most of them saw combat, obviously all survived. A number of those were wounded. All of the Founding Fathers were under threat of being hanged. So I would include John Adams who it is said did not serve in the military but was a courageous resistance leader.

https://www.ranker.com/list/every-president-who-saw-military-combat/melissa-sartore

https://thefederalist.com/2024/07/26/there-is-no-shortage-of-radical-left-wing-assassins-here-are-five-examples/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=there-is-no-shortage-of-radical-left-wing-assassins-here-are-five-examples&utm_term=2024-07-27

While it is still a useful summary, this article elevates random potshots at the White House during Clinton’s and Obama’s terms to concerted assassination attempts.  Biden is not listed in the article but Trump is:

https://www.townandcountrymag.com/society/politics/g61600601/presidential-assassination-atttempts-history-explained/

As for recent presidential history Clinton, Obama, Trump  and Biden never joined the military, as young men never volunteered to be put in harms way or be under orders in that regard, rather unusual according to most (3 to 1) previous presidential history.  Military service should not be qualifying or disqualifying for the job in and  of itself. Indeed the percentage of men living today who have not served in the military including this author is about 76%  probably a larger percentage now as the poll is 12 years old.  But now Trump has seen “combat” and his initial reaction of defiance in the face of the enemy was inspiring. He deserves a Purple Heart but not necessarily a halo.

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Trump OK but has grazing head wound. Not likely a ricochet.  Early reports — civilian and gunman killed.  Our condolences to reported civilian victim and prayers for Trump.

Not our statement but seems apt — someone brought a gun to a word fight.

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WHY U BEAT UP DEM-ENTIA JOE SO EARLY. WAIT TELL HE WEAKER SO THEY NO CAN CHANGE

Given that presidential elections are determined largely by the so-called independents who “vote for the man not the party” Ask yourself, who would be easier to defeat given all we already knew about Biden’s diminished and diminishing capacities? Biden or an even last-minute substitute? Biden is that bad. The truthful answer surely is that Biden is the worse case scenario for Dems (and they do not have a great alternative scenario).

Trump’s agreeing to debate so early, prior to the best chance for locking in the Dems with Biden, exposed Biden incontrovertibly too early thus giving the opposition the chance to change horses and or double up on a “vote Democrat” strategy.

Mr. 4D chess, out of utter bravado, instead of saying ~~ we will debate all you want after our parties’ nominating conventions ~~ (it is not like Triump doesn’t dodge debates) handed his opponents the opportunity for a revised playing board and a substitute king.

Biden was known to be so bad that it would be impossible, except through an incompetent campaign, to portray him as anything but a train wreck just on policy (the border, inflation) regardless of his apparent dementia. From many months ago, prior to the Republican caucuses and primaries it was soberly clear that any of several of the Republican contenders could defeat Dementia Joe. Well as long as the top contender remained loyal and didn’t go egotistically unpatriotically independent from the party whose substrate was TEA Party / MAGA (something that leading contender did not create).

Does it not make sense to maneuver so as to go against the weakest of one’s enemies and end that battle more decisively rather than unnecessarily cooperate in foreseeably giving the enemy lifelines, however remote?

If Biden drops out prior to or because of the Dem convention it is substantially Trump’s doing and it is arguably at least marginally to our and his detriment. It is a strategic error, hopefully not overwhelming. It needn’t be but then Trump lost to the likes of Joe Biden before. He (and the GOP) should have been able to overwhelm any cheating. Trump’s aura not his policies got in the way of superficial voters and most voters are superficial.

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Kurt Schlichter’s columns are always enjoyable and a favorite of mine to riff off of,  even with occasional disagreement.  Sometimes I get to claim “that’s also what I have been saying” (just rarely as biting).

There Is No Debate That the Debate Will Be an Ambush.

He offers reasoning as to why bother watching that I certainly agree with.  There is another reason in my head and heart — great irritation with Trump that the thing is happening prior to the Democrat convention. It is just plain stupid macho on his part.  I offered the following to Schlichter’s article in a comment therein:

Like Kurt I am not going to watch (live anyway) as I will be too keyed up (naturally by the way). Agreeing with every description Kurt makes about Biden and that the public sees it as well there was no reason for Trump to agree to this debate or the conditions PRIOR to the Democrat’s being locked in with Biden.

Biden shot off his mouth and started the debate thing or was induced by his most clever handlers to do so, handlers who want to be in a position as soon as possible to unhand him at the convention and prove to even Jill that the whole thing is untenable and go with a replacement however problematic. And if he comes off as somewhat sentient then dig in and do their damnedest to get him over the finish line again, probably emphasizing party vs party and not worry about a more timely debate. Into the basement he goes.

It is a Hail Mary scenario for them (though Mary will have nothing to do with it) and Trump was rope-a-doped into it. He could have said ~~ sure, I will debate all you want right after the conventions as is only appropriate. But no, Trump’s ego was such to engage emotion before brain. I guess 4D chess includes handing your opponent (the Democrat party after all ) the opportunity for a revised playing board and a substitute king.

Such is their best legal chance. It may not help at all or much at all but why give them a thread of a chance given how bad Biden is. When your (our) enemy is in the process of destroying their chances why give them a possible life-line? Why!

Addenda,  45 minutes prior to start of debate:  — if Biden is good enough to seem sentient on most questions probably as a result of maybe a few clues through the grapevine via CNN it will plausibly be played by the Dems as a real horserace. Trumps agreeing to debate given the helpful conditions for Biden was dumb in that scenario.

If Biden is a disaster, the Dems have a thread of a chance to at least improve on him with another candidate at the convention. Any excuse will do.  It will not discombobulate them as Trump may be thinking because the media will cover for the change as best they can and the Dems will re-up their vote Party game and vote against “dangerous” Trump.  Hell they might reconsider RFK Jr. Not a winning strategy but superior perhaps to staying with Joe as he deteriorates weekly.  Bad decision by Trump to debate prior to the conventions.

Interested readers are of course welcome to blog along with comments contemporaneously , anonymous comments enabled for tonight but no imbedded links.  I won’t be commenting until tomorrow.

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Article at Red State:  Note that RFK Jr predicts there will not be a single question about COVID basically because  both Biden and Trump are vulnerable and they and CNN were cheerleaders for mRNA jabs, (Trump continually taking credit for arranging for their mass manufacture and distribution).

What, me worry?

Note also that we are not saying Red State is endorsing RFK’s statement, indeed the picture they chose to include seems to indicate some incredulity showing Trump in a less than erudite pose. Our caption not in the original.

One of the commenters using the handle etba_ss had a pithy response (excerpt):

RFK needs to lay off the crack pipe. Trump couldn’t even beat 2020 Biden in a debate and he’s the greatest in modern history? Ever hear of Ronald Reagan, who won the debate with Mondale with the first question.

And Trump didn’t run through 2016 one by one. He won by being the focus on the stage against 10 others. And besides that, in the NH debate, Cruz with assistance from Rubio, actually beat Trump’s ass. They beat him so bad he quit and wouldn’t do any more debates, skipping them to do a military “fundraiser”, which is called punking out. And he was far from a certainty at that point, winning 1 state with Cruz winning 1 and had about 30% support.  . . .

Yours truly also piped in:

I will be voting for Trump because Biden and the Dem leadership are so evil and Trump has some commendable qualities (ethos) a decent perception of the pathos of the voters (or where to be on issues to obtain votes) but on so much he is light on the logos. His alleged persuasiveness is often circular and presumptive. Biden is of course subterranean on all three aspects of classical rhetorical skill. Both are quite capable of devolving to shouting and or hurling epithets.

Saying Trump is the ‘greatest debater in Modern History’ is incredible on its face and wholly ignorant of the subject. My G*d what does Jr think constitutes modern history, the last few weeks? If Trump is so good why did he refuse to debate his Republican challengers, a collegial thing to do?  Is it because Trump is not all that collegial, unless he perceives everyone in the room adores him? Trump is more than a bit narcissistic, not as much as Biden however. Some amount helps one get through the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune along with having a lot of EFF U money at one’s disposal.

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