November 2016 – What’s A Conservative to Do?

Although nothing is set in stone as yet, it appears as though the two choices for President of the U.S. this November will be bad or worse.

If indeed, Hillary and Trump get their respective Party nominations, what choice does that leave consistent, moral, conservative voters?

If we believe our political philosophy takes precedent over party politics; if we believe that there are just some candidates too unacceptable to vote for; and if we believe that we still need to be involved in the process even with the bad choices, then consistent conservatives need to stay engaged and follow our consciences this election, just as we have in all previous contests.

Many of us “held our noses” and voted for Dole, McCain, and Romney, but this year our political consistency is stretched too far beyond the breaking point to even consider voting for either Trump or Hillary.

So, what do we do?  Shall we support some 3^rd Party long shot?  Shall we “just stay home”?  Shall we write-in our favorite candidate’s name as a protest vote?

This is not the first time I’ve faced this dilemma, so have most consistent conservatives. 

Now, each election is different so I’m not suggesting a hard and fast rule here.  But, this election does have similarities to one I’ve faced before.

Back in the mid-90s, both candidates for Pennsylvania Governor were unacceptable to me – both were pro-aborts.

Since I will never knowingly vote for a pro-abort, (If a candidate can’t be trusted to protect the most innocent life among us, how can we trust them to guard any of our other freedoms?), I was left with a conundrum.

I didn’t want to “skip” the election, but I refused to compromise myself on this fundamental issue.

My solution is relevant to where we find ourselves today – those of us who see no good choice to make for President among the “Trillary” candidate (Hat tip to Steve Deace!).

I came to realize that the Governor’s race was already lost to solid conservative principles after a moderate RINO, beloved by Planned Parenthood, emerged from the Primary Election.

The same will be true if Trump emerges from the Republican National Convention in July with the official nomination.

I won’t take the time to re-debate the issue of the Clintons involvement in this scheme to push Hillary into the White House now, but suffice it to say that things still smell like the New York City sewer system in what’s gone on this year.

If these are our choices come November, then it is far more important that we principled conservatives engage now at increased levels.

What do I mean?

In the mid-90s I didn’t get involved in helping elect a moderate RINO.  Instead I put all my time and energy in helping to elect real conservatives in any other political offices up for election.

We must now do the same.

With either a possible Trump or Hillary Presidency, American freedoms will be under attack from government – be it from the hard left or the alt-right.

We need to do all we can to keep both the “Checks and Balances” and “Separation of Powers” components of our Constitution working to save the Republic.

That means we do all we can to make sure we help elect as many conservative Congressmen, Senators, and Governors we can to keep either “would-be dictator” contained for the next 4 years.

Only if we have a Congress that will do its Constitutional job of reining in an out-of-control Presidential administration can this nation possibly hope to survive (such as shooting down liberal Supreme Court nominations).

Only if we have courageous state Governors and Legislatures who will demand 10^th Amendment rights for their states can the federal behemoth be kept in its cage (such as resisting draconian federal mandates like these stupid “transgender” bathroom edicts).

We have a lot to do in these regards. 

It may not seem as important or as effective to work hard for candidates who aren’t on the national stage every day, but the truth is that we can still have a huge impact the direction our nation takes if we can get many more people who think like us into elected offices.

So, my advice is that, after July, if it truly is a “Trillary” race, focus on who we can get elected to save America at all other levels of government.

Put our time and energy to work here.

We might just be able to salvage America yet if we can keep whichever “beast” is in the White House caged there for 4 years.

Oh, and by the way, in the case of the PA Governor’s race in the mid-90s – the moderate RINO won as many well-meaning Republicans compromised and voted for him. 

He, in turn, paid back his pro-abort handlers by pushing more state money to abortions and also suspended all government oversight of abortion clinics – thus giving us “The Butcher of Philly” Kermit Gosnell.

So much for choosing “the lesser of two evils”!!

Trump’s Numbers Problem

All of the media hype surrounding the “Trump Revolution” just doesn’t add up.  It’s true, Trump is the only remaining active Republican candidate, but his numbers are absolutely abysmal.

So far in the Primary Election, he has amassed around 41% of the Republican votes cast (around 11,200,000 votes).

The sycophant press has been quick to point out that Trump has gotten more Primary votes than any previous Republican Presidential candidate.

But, there are many real numbers his pals in the press are desperately trying to ignore.

First, of course Trump would get more votes for a couple of reasons:

-          There are more American citizens of voting age than there were 4 years ago; of course he would likely get more votes – so, too, will the 2020 Republican candidate no matter who it is.

-          Also, Trump’s numbers are deceiving.  He benefited from tens of thousands of Democrat votes early on in the “open” Primaries.  These were not Republican voters and they will most likely vote Democrat in the fall.

Second, Trump’s percentage of votes in the Primary is around 41%.  That means almost 6 in 10 Republicans have voted against him.

That number may go up a bit as he finishes the Primary season unopposed, but given the fact that we’ve had two states' Primary Elections now since he’s been unopposed and he’s had 40% and 33% of Republicans respectively still voting against him, he still is likely to finish the Primary contest with less than 50% of the votes.

This doesn’t bode well for the Party’s nominee to have won with less than half the votes.   That means more members of his Party wanted someone else rather than him.

Yes, a good percentage of Republicans will “hold their noses” and vote for Trump, but he will hardly generate huge enthusiasm in a deeply fractured Republican Party; especially since he was the one dynamiting the political fault lines.

Since Republicans are the minority Party in America and many of Trump’s “Trumpacrats” are heading back to returning to their “Hillarycrat” status, don’t look for a huge surge in his direction from the Democrat Party in November to help put him over the top.

No, his numbers have nowhere to go but down.

By the time the national conventions are over, Trump may be praying for Bernie Sanders to run 3^rd party.  It is his only hope to eke out a win vs. the “Clinton Machine.”

Third, 11.2 million votes may sound like a lot (and it may rise to 13 or 14 million by Primary’s end), but given the fact that in the 2012 General Election almost 127 million votes were cast, it is just around a tiny 10% of American voters who have voted for Trump.

How does Trump get five times as many people to vote for him in November to win?

He has done all he can to alienate most of the rest of the Republican electorate.  He has driven away both conservative activists and the moderate financiers he needs to have any kind of shot at competing.

Aside from a few pseudo conservative media outlets, the rest of the national press corps is already beginning to march in Hillary’s lockstep.

Guys like Sean Hannity, Matt Drudge, and Bill O’Reilly couldn’t save the much more personable loser – Mitt Romney in 2012.  How can they be expected to turn a “sow’s ear into a silk purse” with Trump?

Nope.  The numbers just aren’t looking good for “the Donald.”  He may be counted on for network ratings and Twitter rants, but come November, he will be crying foul once again should he lose big time.

The saddest number of all in this equation is 321 million – that’s the number of Americans who will see this nation slide further from greatness given the lousy choices voters have in November.

No Difference!

A Legitimate Question!

The Sad Truth

The Church Has Failed America . . . Again

In the spring of 2015, I attended the American Pastors Network’s U-Turn Conference in Lancaster, PA.  Over 500 pastors were there; all of us listening to nationally-known speakers urging churches to get involved in the up-coming election for President.

The conference was informative, inspirational, and was completely non-partisan.

At one point, I got a chance to speak one-on-one to American Pastors Network President – Sam Rohrer.  I urged Sam to use whatever influence he had in whatever circles he traveled to work to unite Christian leaders to support just one candidate for President rather than having a variety of conservative candidates split the vote and give us yet another RINO to have to “hold our noses” and vote for in the fall election.

To their credit, a number of Christian leaders did make such an attempt early on in the Primary process, but it was not pervasive enough and they held too little authority to influence the decision of many candidates’ campaigns.

The end result - once again - is that Christians have no good candidates to vote for in the fall election.  Once again, God’s instrument of “salt” and “light” in American culture has utterly failed to guide the nation back to God’s Truth.

(A brief caveat to this article is necessary at this point.  Truly, several million Christians have gotten involved in this election and done a good job supporting the best possible candidate for the Presidency.  But, our numbers were far too few and far too many of our “brethren” have refused to see things with their Biblical eyes and rational brains.)

Now, we are being told that we have to “hold our noses”; “close our eyes”; “stop up our ears”; “close our mouths” and vote for the worst possible candidate choices in the past century of American politics.

No thank you!

I have no intention of violating my faith, my conscience, and my integrity to vote for the likes of Donald Trump (or certainly not Hillary for that matter).  He has proven himself to be a liar, a coarse insecure bully, a sleaze merchant, and a pompous horse’s backside – hardly Presidential material no matter how often he brags about “building the wall.”

The national media may have sold their souls for ratings, celebrity, and fat paychecks at the expense of the American people and culture, but I refuse to participate in the “double-quick march to oblivion.”

So what has brought us to this place?  What should the Church have done differently?  How could this looming disaster have been averted?

First of all, we need to do far more than pray.  Prayer is truly the first line of defense (and offense) for Christians, but unless we give our prayers “feet” they are very limited in their impact.

We still have millions of Christians in this country that are politically impotent and illiterate.  They don’t participate in elections and then bemoan the lax spiritual and moral states of America.

Some are pseudo-intellectual, quasi-socialists, but the vast majority is just intentionally ignorant and lazy.

These folks, if they do bother to vote, get their instructions from the left-wing national media with its secular, socialist agenda.

They don’t bother to research candidates and sort through all the lies to get at the unvarnished truth.  They are happy to be ignorant and just go with the flow of what is easy.

Or, they are sincerely deceived – believing news sources that are puerile, fraudulent, and downright silly in their assertions of “truth.”

Nope.  Far too many members of Christ’s Church are “useful idiots” for all who oppose Christianity and Christianity “fleshed out” in American society.

Second, the Church couldn’t see the “big picture” in this election.  There is a Clinton running.  That means everything connected to this election has the potential for fraud, lies, and corruption.

That most certainly includes helping the Republicans to pick the candidate Hillary least fears in November – which is exactly what has happened.

Anyone who has failed to see the Trump/Clinton connection in all of this is a fool and has learned nothing from history.

The Clintons recruited Ross Perot in 1992 and 1996 to seal Bill’s Presidential career.  The Clintons – through their surrogate Terry McAuliffe – actively recruited a 3^rd Party candidate to tip the Virginia Governor’s race to him a couple of years ago – a setup to insure Hillary taking Virginia in 2016.

Enter Trump – after meeting with the Clintons – announcing his run for the Republican nomination for President.  A life-long liberal New York Democrat suddenly becomes a “conservative” Republican to vie for the nomination.

On the other side were a bevy of conservatives and a couple of squishy moderates.  And, once again, the Christian vote was split and nullified.

Myself, I looked at all of the candidates and made what I believe was the best choice for President – Ted Cruz. 

All of the other contenders have proven me right by their actions throughout the process.

Mike Huckabee sold his political soul after being rejected by the voters.  His “30 pieces of silver” – a job with Trump for his daughter and returned access to the national media talkshows.

Marco Rubio’s ego got the best of him and he “went down with the ship” in his home state of Florida – a few weeks too late to save the nomination for Cruz.

Ben Carson, an early favorite of Christians and an amazing doctor, proved his ineptitude in politics with his stupid mistake in Iowa and then compounded the damage by continuing to blame Cruz with his continual whining afterwards for weeks.

On top of that, he endorsed Trump with constantly contradicting support statements.

Paul, Walker, and Santorum were never really much of a factor in the race; although all of them are fine men.  But, they contributed to the siphoning of votes away from the only viable conservative.

This dilution of the Christian vote among multiple candidates early on only solidified Trump’s position in the race.

If he would have had to compete and debate head-to-head with the likes of Cruz early on, he would have gotten out of the race long before Iowa.

Instead, because the Christian vote was so split, he began winning “open” Primaries with minimal votes – around 1/3 of the votes.

Especially in the early southern states where evangelical populations are larger, Trump was able to win because he added a small percentage of the evangelical vote to his cadre of Democrats “crossing-over” to vote for him.

In these same states, Cruz, Rubio, and to a lesser extent – Carson - split the Christian vote; giving these shallow victories to Trump.

By the time all of the other challengers got out of the race (Soros puppet Kasich excepted), the media narrative was set – Trump was to be the presumptive nominee no matter what he said or did.

Despite a valiant attempt to battle for the truth, Cruz never was able to get a fair shake from the press (even the so-called “conservative” media).

Lest any Christians doubt me on what has really gone on here, I invite you to look at just who was the main target of extremist smear campaigns of the Trump proxies and Trump himself.

First, Trump tried to eliminate Cruz’s candidacy by scurrilously declaring that Cruz was ineligible to be President because he was born in Canada to an America mother.  Trump assured his would-be voters this “flaw” in Cruz would be challenged in court and Cruz would be forced to withdraw.

The truth is that even after the “Trump/Hillary kooks” filed several lawsuits against Cruz, they were all thrown out as baseless.

Cruz was right and Trump lied.

When that didn’t work for Trump, he began the personal attacks on Cruz’s character.  He was “Lyin’ Ted” because he refused to go along with Carson’s attempt to save face after his gaff in Iowa.

Trump pounced on Cruz’s charitable attempt to pacify Carson to save face for his own disappointing Iowa finish.

Just like the Democrat narrative – “Democrats never lose elections.  They are always stolen from them.” – so too, Trump whined about being cheated by Cruz’s “lying.”

But that attack didn’t finish Cruz off either, so Trump’s next move was to go swimming in the cesspits deep in the bowels of Trump Tower and come up with sleaze at a level that would make Hillary proud of him.

Trump got his buddy – Mr. Pecker – at the National Enquirer to publish a toxic lie about Cruz having multiple affairs.

Only the grossest of simpletons believed it, but since it meant ratings for the press, they kept the story alive for days.

Cruz was showered by Trump’s sewage in the process, even though it was all Trump’s sewage, not anything Cruz had done.

When that didn’t finish Cruz, Trump went back to his “Lyin’ Ted” mantra  all the while cowering in fear that he might be forced to debate Cruz one-on-one at some point and be shown for the huge fraud he really is.

Cruz still hadn’t quit the race; much to Hillary’s and Trumps chagrin, so Trump got even more desperate.  As Cruz picked up more and more delegates from the various states’ delegate selection process – following long established rules by each state’s Republican Parties – Trump became apoplectic in his shrill protests about a rigged process – a process that granted him a higher percentage of delegates than he had earned via popular votes.

Finally, Trump was forced into the “outer limits” of the “twilight zone” to come up with a bizarre charge that Cruz’s father was somehow connected to JFK’s assassination – once again “leaked” by Trump friend – Pecker – at the National Enquire.

Now, at this point the average voter should have been rolling on the floor, laughing at Trump’s desperate hysteria, but even the national media played along for a while as if it was a serious story.

I can’t imagine any sane Christian believing this tripe.  I certainly wouldn’t want any Christian who did in any kind of leadership role in any church I can think of.

But, perhaps too many in the Church can no longer tell the truth from lies emanating from Hell.

At any rate, after all of these lies and fraud were thrown at Cruz, there should be no doubt who the devil desperately wanted to stop from winning the White House.

The sad reality is that too many Christians have done the devil’s bidding here.  And just like Jesus’ words to Peter, perhaps a - “Get thee behind me” - statement needs to be directed to gullible Christians who are helping to destroy America.

But, I fear most Christian dupes will shrug their shoulders and say it was somehow “God’s will” for those who hold only contempt for Him to come to leadership in a land that He brought about by His grace and faithfulness.

Perhaps too many in the Church are ignoring Samuel’s advice and are demanding a “king.” 

Perhaps too many in the Church are ignoring Joshua and Caleb’s testimony and want to go back into Egyptian slavery.

Maybe what lies ahead is God’s judgment on America, but what these jaded Christians fail to realize that “judgment starts first with the House of God”  (1 Peter 4:17) and they are digging their own spiritual graves before those of the pagans.

The Betrayal of America

Historians will look back on 2016 as the year America was betrayed.  It is the year America finally surrendered to lies, fraud, and tyranny.

And, 2016 is the year America voted to destroy all that made her great.

As we sit here – a few days after the Indiana Primary and the campaign suspension of the last possible candidate who could have righted listing America’s ship of state – most Americans are not even aware of the fact that their futures have been sealed – freedom is now next to dead.  Government authority is nearly complete.  Inalienable rights of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness are all just distant memories – fading words on an old parchment no one reads or understands any more.

A brief analysis of this betrayal is in order – a “postmortem” of the nation, so to speak.

Who are the betrayers?  What methods did they use to accomplish their nefarious task?

Let’s have a look, shall we?  Future generations may want to know what happened before the historical revisionists conceal what has actually happened.

First of all, the betrayals came from America’s foundation – the Christian Church.  After decades of believing the lies about the fictitious “separation of church and state”, the American Church is today filled with illiterates – spiritually illiterate, Biblically illiterate, politically illiterate, and culturally illiterate.

Far too many in the Church had little or no involvement in the political process; even though this year’s election is critical for the future of all religious freedom in America.

They have their heads in the sand, in the clouds, or glued to reality TV.

For those who did get involved, far too many were too lazy to really look at the situation, the candidates, and the heart of vital issues at stake today.

They were content to allow the national media to tell them what to think and whom to support.  This certainly includes the so-called “conservative” media.

In short, far too many American Christians bought the lies, distortions, and scare tactics the enemy of all that is free, true, and Godly has spewed out over American society during the past year.

The result – they have supported candidates who live, believe, and espouse all things contrary to basic Christian faith and morality.

In essence, they have ignored Samuel’s advice and demanded that a “king” rule over them.  And, given the two choices now left, a tyrant is what we are assured of for our immediate future.

Second, and related to the first, America was betrayed by a cadre of Christian leaders who were all bought off one by one – each selling their souls for one or another kind of pieces of silver.

For Mike Huckabee, it was a job for his daughter and a chance to get back on the talk shows.

For Sarah Palin, it was a desperate chance to re-capture her “15 minutes of fame” – long since fleeting.

For Jerry Falwell, Jr., it was promotion for his university, a plush private jet ride, and probably some future financial consideration yet to be named.

For Pat Robertson and David Brody, it was an opportunity for career advancement and a possible insider track to “be a player” on the American political stage.

For Ben Carson, it was the vague promise of a future political career and leadership position in government.

All of these, instead of supporting the most Christian, conservative, honest, competent candidate, instead supported a prevaricating demagogue who pretends to be a Christian, but whose constant actions betray his real, unrepentant, “heart condition.”

The size of their “mill stones” will be huge unless they come to repentance for their faith compromises.

Third, America was betrayed by the Republican Party.  Once the Party of freedom, values, and limited government; today’s Republican Party is being overrun by the “3 ‘L’s” – liberals, liars, and lobbyists.

It has been coming on for some time, but things came to a head this year, for sure.  Washington Republicans fit comfortably into the “Washington Cartel” of organized criminals who are robbing and abusing the American people.

And, so of course they ended up nominating the one candidate who has funded their criminal operation more than just about anyone else in America.

But beyond that, the fault also lies with the incompetence and corruption within many state Republican Parties.

The outcome of this season’s Primary would have been vastly different if state Republican Parties didn’t allow “open Primaries” where Democrats drastically affected outcomes of Primary elections by crossing over and voting for the worst possible Republican on the ballot.  (This was especially true in the earlier Primaries in the south.)

These early results created a “media narrative” and huge amounts of free publicity for the candidate least possessing the ability to be a good President.

Had only Republicans chosen the Republican nominee, I guarantee you the results would be far different today.

If the Republican Party wants to survive until 2020, all states with “open Primaries” must close them to return integrity to the process.

Fourth, America was betrayed by the so-called “conservative media.”  Instead of presenting all candidate choices “fair and balanced”, many “conservative” media outlets took sides from the beginning on. 

Why else would the 3^rd place finishing candidate of the first Primary get the most news time?

Why else would the “conservative” media shill for one candidate that least exemplifies conservative principles and values?

Why else would the conservative media accept uncritically, wild conspiracy theories and unfounded slander accusations without challenging aggressively those sources and seeking to expose the connections to the campaigns putting out the drivel?

Nope. Guys like Sean Hannity, Bill O’Reilly, and Matt Drudge have all been exposed for the hypocrites they truly are.  They aren’t really conservatives at all – just cynical exploiters of the American people.

They took advantage of the trust a “liberal media-weary” American people placed in them.  But, they “have been weighed on the scales and been found wanting.”

We can only hope their careers and networks suffer appropriate viewer abandonment they each deserve.

Fifth, America was betrayed by its own “low information” citizens – people too ignorant, scared, or gullible to really look at choices and vote with their brains rather than their adrenal glands.

Some of this group is part of the growing “mobocracy” in America.  Not unlike the “mob” in revolutionary France, they hare hell-bent on payback for all those they believe are responsible for their own past failures.

Yes, the government is oppressive.  Yes, average citizens seldom stand a chance for justice anymore in America.

But, what this rabble needs to look squarely at is the fact that they created the problem in the first place.

They voted for Ross Perot in 1992 and gave us eight years of “Clinton slime.” 

They voted for wild socialist and “race-baiter” Barack Obama because of perceived “sins” of George W Bush.

They keep on voting to return inept, corrupt, and profane incumbents back to Congress year after year despite the fact that there have been real and better choices available.

They tolerate no dissent or Freedom of Speech either.  In just this past Pennsylvania Primary, I had about half of the 120 candidate signs I placed along highways and polling places stolen just prior to the election.

It’s exactly the same problem I’m used to having in general elections from Democrat thugs who don’t want any competition.

One “precious jewel of shining colossal ignorance” even put this handmade sign on his property – his right to do so, but it calls attention to his and his candidate’s mindset.

Will America ever be able to recover from this drastic betrayal of all we are and what we stand for?

Is it “game over”?

Will we be going into the night – cheering our jailers until the cell doors are locked?

That depends.

Biblical history proves that God will not bail out a sinful and rebellious people.  He will give an evil people the evil ruler they crave.

Repentance is still possible.  But repentance without change is worthless; else we will be right back here again.

Until the American people love freedom, the Constitution, and the Biblical foundations of this nation more than they love reality TV and “trash” journalism, we have no hope whatsoever.

We had the chance, in this election, to restore those sacred gifts to our people; but alas, I fear too many in our nation have gladly sold their birthright for a pot of poison stew.

Time and God’s mercy will tell.  Let us pray we will ask for it.  Otherwise, it will be His judgment He sends!