FIND OUT WHY I'M STILL ENDORSING DONALD TRUMP
by Kevin Ryan
Last June, I came right out and endorsed Donald Trump as my choice for President. That’s right,as soon as he announced. I did because I’ve followed his work for years and understand his approach, which I still believe would be successful for America.
Since that time, I have read some of the worst journalism in mainstream media in my lifetime. Half-truths, deliberate misrepresentations, out-of- context quotes or no direct quotes at all, accusing Donald Trump of running on nothing more than pure hatred and bigotry. I’m barely surprised. I’ve seen how the media, which is largely politically liberal, dump on republican candidates before, who then tend to apologize and meekly change their positions to ones more agreeable to liberal pundits. Not Trump.
He doubles down, stands his ground, and gives it right back to them. The result has been one of the ugliest election cycles I can remember, and I’ve been active in every one of them since 1988.
So, what is below was written in response to a liberal friend of mine who does not like Donald Trump. His position seems to based on what he’s heard about Trump and his proposals, rather than what Trump has actually released. This person has read no books by Trump, read no policy papers and has little understanding of what Trump represents outside of what is said about Trump by the Washington Post, MSNBC and Mother Jones Magazine.
You can like Trump, or you can hate him, fine by me. But make your decision based on an understanding of what he says and does, in context, rather than second or third hand information. Understand who is making statements about Trump, who those people are, and what organizations they represent and why they might be saying what they are about him.
What lays below is lengthy, and complex with names and quotes with which you may not be familiar. Read it anyway. Read it with an open mind and you may becoming better informed. Read it with a closed mind, and you’ll learn nothing. This is serious business.
PREFACE
I think Trump should be held accountable for everything he says, and everything he does. What I don’t want and don’t accept, is his being held accountable for things he never said and never did. This is where I’m going with the idea of media “misstatements and mis-representation.”
TRUMP ON FLASH VERSUS SUBSTANCE
First of all, I do not see Trump as “operating on the surface”. I’ve seen detailed plans and policy statements made by Trump, they are widely available, but are simply never quoted nor referred to in most press. Take for instance Trump’s policies on healthcare. They can be found here:
https://www.donaldjtrump.com/positions/healthcare-reform
However, to distill the above link down, because I prefer directly making my case rather than have one be required to do tons of research to understand my point, Trump is and has been talking about interstate insurance portability, healthcare savings accounts and price transparency, among other things. He has been doing so at least since last fall, when his book Crippled America came out, (I know, because I bought my copy directly from him) and in many cases, much longer. Point being, this has been shuffled aside while his opponents, both Dem and Rep, feature off-hand remarks from Trump, such as “I would end Obamacare and replace it with something terrific” or suggesting Trump has endorsed single-payer health care, which simply is not true.
The idea is to present Trump, as you say, as “building the entirety of his case on being a winner”, which is just not happening in reality. Does Trump use those words? Sure, why not? He makes speeches where ideas must be conveyed quickly and simply for video soundbites, but his campaign consists of much more and the pundits are fully aware of this. They purposefully direct attention elsewhere in order to deceive the public. Why? They just don’t like his proposals. They want the other guy to win. Its that easy. As I said before, it doesn’t matter what he says or doesn’t say, they’re going to find a way to try to nail him to the floor.
HAS TRUMP BEEN RACIST?
This is why I say you have to be careful before you believe what you read about Trump and what he says. I too, have read many press references to Trump “calling Mexicans rapists.” Never happened. You yourself make reference to Trump having “asserted that the Mexican Government was sending the rapists and criminals across the border”, well not exactly.
In your statement, you correctly note that Trump referred to the Mexican GOVERNMENT, NOT the Mexican people, so no disclaimer would be needed to make note that Mexicans themselves are honorable, since he never refers to them directly. Also, it becomes very helpful to understand the context of what was said, which makes it clear the entire point was the both the US and Mexican Government’s level of corruption and incompetence, both of which are demonstrable. Trump even directly refers to the “best and the finest” of the Mexican people and how those folks are not being sent here. Here’s the full quote:
“The U.S. has become a dumping ground for everybody else's problems. Thank you. It's true, and these are the best and the finest. When Mexico sends its people, they're not sending their best. They're not sending you. They're not sending you. They're sending people that have lots of problems, and they're bringing those problems with us. They're bringing drugs. They're bringing crime. They're rapists. And some, I assume, are good people. But I speak to border guards and they tell us what we're getting. And it only makes common sense. It only makes common sense. They're sending us not the right people. It's coming from more than Mexico. It's coming from all over South and Latin America, and it's coming probably -- probably -- from the Middle East. But we don't know. Because we have no protection and we have no competence, we don't know what's happening. And it's got to stop and it's got to stop fast.”
Have you seen THIS quote in the press? I’m guessing not handily. Note that Trump DOES in the same breath talk about Mexicans who are doing well…he notes they’re staying home. He then goes on to say that many of the miscreants are not Mexican at all, but rather foreigners from many countries, merely coming through the Mexican border, simply because both governments allow it to happen. No racism, no xenophobia, just a polemic on international stupidity.
IS TRUMP A BULLY?
Why is it you ask that Trump, and only Trump, has to “complain so vociferously about media misrepresentation”? He doesn’t. However, unlike many conservatives, Trump isn’t willing to play the media’s game, they shit on his head, he does not back down, apologize, cower or defer, he returns fire. This remains one of Trump’s strongest avenues of appeal. It’s frankly something somebody should have tried a long time ago.
The media doesn’t just smear Trump, they smear every conservative they can find. 85% of professional journalists are registered Democrats…surprise they use unfair tactics when dealing with conservatives. Gannett’s Jaleesa Jones was gleeful in reporting actress Gabrielle Union’s mention of African-American conservative Stacey Dash as “the crazy lady”. Dash had noted that it was hypocritical of the black community to demand that the Academy Awards give awards to blacks based on race rather than performance while the BET Awards are ONLY given to African-American Actors. Anna Merlan of Jezebel.com referred to Conservative columnist Ann Coulter as a “peppy dementor” and Fox’s Sean Hannity as a “ enraged football coach pounding the steering wheel.” So much for Trump being singly disrespectful.
You made reference to Trump’s responses to being attacked by media figures as bullying. That’s frankly nonsensical. Bullying is the strong picking on the weak. Trump picks on the strong, and normally after they pick on him. I say, good show on Trump.
IS TRUMP STARTING FIGHTS WITH THE MEDIA?
You also mentioned Megan Kelly and how Trump picked a fight with her after she asked a “sensitive question”. Did you see the events of last Thursday’s debate in Texas? Kelly asked Trump about how he felt about the Better Business Bureau giving his Trump University a “D- Rating”. Trump responded by telling Kelly he had an “A Rating” She said that was simply wrong. Turns out, not so much. Not only did Trump release a copy of that “A Rating”, but the BBB itself had faxed Fox News the rating PRIOR to the debate questioning by Kelly, as reported by Jim Hoft of Gateway Pundit. In short, Megan Kelly knowingly lied, on national television to smear Trump, Trump gave her hell for it, and the next day, the liberal media reported that it was Trump who had been “caught lying by Megan Kelly!” Who is bullying who here??
So, as you can see, at this point, the American Media is being caught left and right with smoke and mirrors and just keeps digging their hole deeper. Trump’s detractors, like Mitt Romney, are becoming increasingly desperate, such as Romney’s speech Thursday, which was nothing but a string of namecalling. “Donald Trump is a phony, a fraud. His promises are as worthless as a degree from Trump University. (Which actually never offered them) He's playing members of the American public for suckers: He gets a free ride to the White House, and all we get is a lousy hat. Dishonesty is Donald Trump's hallmark, bullying, the greed, the showing off, the misogyny, the absurd third-grade theatrics.", Romney said. Mitt Romney isn’t picking a fight here? Or is it that the man who drew 48% of the national vote against Barack Obama is a helpless snowflake who needs protection against big, bad Donald Trump?
Meanwhile, the Trump Train just grows and grows and we as the American people are getting clarity like we haven’t seen in our political process in our lifetimes.
ADDENDUM: OR MORE HELPLESS SNOWFLAKES TRUMP IS BULLYING
Another example came to me this AM. The New York Times today carried a story called "Ad Calls Trump A Fraud, Unift for the White House" and describes a super-PAC ad campaign which talks about the Trump University issue.
That issue is largely based on New York Democrat Attorney General Eric Schniderman pursuing Trump over a series of real estate seminars he held several years ago. The basis on the AG's ire seems to be that Trump used the word "University" and not "Initiative" to describe the program. 46 of 48 cases of fraud accusation have already been thrown out by judges. The remaining cases are moving forward based on the idea that since Trump took money from participants who thought they were attending an accredited university, which they'd signed up for in a hotel conference room, then Trump fooled them unfairly.
In other news, it is widely expected that Schniderman will be running for Governor of New York in 2017. Surprise !
As for the PAC itself, Our Principles is described by the Times as "not aligned with any of his rivals", which either indicates the Times are incompetent or stupid, because it took me all of ten minutes to figure out that Our Princples PAC is operated by Katie Packer, Mitt Romney's former deputy campaign manager, who herself has already endorsed Marco Rubio. Surprise number two.
Our Principles has just added staff in the form of Tim Miller, Jeb Bush's chief spokesman up until a few weeks ago. Mr. Miller has called Trump a KKK sympathizer, probably because he had denounced them about 12 times in interviews between Wednesday and Saturday last week and has never been involved with them in any way. Surprise three ! (This revelation comes, oddly, from the New York Times, who are again, reporting that none of Trump's rivals are involved.)
Really what Our Principles is about is the principles of Joe and Marlene Ricketts, the owners of the Chicago Cubs, who have donated nearly the entirety of the four million dollars of funding to run the ad campaigns. Of course, it might be fair to characterize the Ricketts as the meek, average Americans fighting for the little guys, but I might find that a bit tough to swallow.
by Kevin Ryan
Last June, I came right out and endorsed Donald Trump as my choice for President. That’s right,as soon as he announced. I did because I’ve followed his work for years and understand his approach, which I still believe would be successful for America.
Since that time, I have read some of the worst journalism in mainstream media in my lifetime. Half-truths, deliberate misrepresentations, out-of- context quotes or no direct quotes at all, accusing Donald Trump of running on nothing more than pure hatred and bigotry. I’m barely surprised. I’ve seen how the media, which is largely politically liberal, dump on republican candidates before, who then tend to apologize and meekly change their positions to ones more agreeable to liberal pundits. Not Trump.
He doubles down, stands his ground, and gives it right back to them. The result has been one of the ugliest election cycles I can remember, and I’ve been active in every one of them since 1988.
So, what is below was written in response to a liberal friend of mine who does not like Donald Trump. His position seems to based on what he’s heard about Trump and his proposals, rather than what Trump has actually released. This person has read no books by Trump, read no policy papers and has little understanding of what Trump represents outside of what is said about Trump by the Washington Post, MSNBC and Mother Jones Magazine.
You can like Trump, or you can hate him, fine by me. But make your decision based on an understanding of what he says and does, in context, rather than second or third hand information. Understand who is making statements about Trump, who those people are, and what organizations they represent and why they might be saying what they are about him.
What lays below is lengthy, and complex with names and quotes with which you may not be familiar. Read it anyway. Read it with an open mind and you may becoming better informed. Read it with a closed mind, and you’ll learn nothing. This is serious business.
PREFACE
I think Trump should be held accountable for everything he says, and everything he does. What I don’t want and don’t accept, is his being held accountable for things he never said and never did. This is where I’m going with the idea of media “misstatements and mis-representation.”
TRUMP ON FLASH VERSUS SUBSTANCE
First of all, I do not see Trump as “operating on the surface”. I’ve seen detailed plans and policy statements made by Trump, they are widely available, but are simply never quoted nor referred to in most press. Take for instance Trump’s policies on healthcare. They can be found here:
https://www.donaldjtrump.com/positions/healthcare-reform
However, to distill the above link down, because I prefer directly making my case rather than have one be required to do tons of research to understand my point, Trump is and has been talking about interstate insurance portability, healthcare savings accounts and price transparency, among other things. He has been doing so at least since last fall, when his book Crippled America came out, (I know, because I bought my copy directly from him) and in many cases, much longer. Point being, this has been shuffled aside while his opponents, both Dem and Rep, feature off-hand remarks from Trump, such as “I would end Obamacare and replace it with something terrific” or suggesting Trump has endorsed single-payer health care, which simply is not true.
The idea is to present Trump, as you say, as “building the entirety of his case on being a winner”, which is just not happening in reality. Does Trump use those words? Sure, why not? He makes speeches where ideas must be conveyed quickly and simply for video soundbites, but his campaign consists of much more and the pundits are fully aware of this. They purposefully direct attention elsewhere in order to deceive the public. Why? They just don’t like his proposals. They want the other guy to win. Its that easy. As I said before, it doesn’t matter what he says or doesn’t say, they’re going to find a way to try to nail him to the floor.
HAS TRUMP BEEN RACIST?
This is why I say you have to be careful before you believe what you read about Trump and what he says. I too, have read many press references to Trump “calling Mexicans rapists.” Never happened. You yourself make reference to Trump having “asserted that the Mexican Government was sending the rapists and criminals across the border”, well not exactly.
In your statement, you correctly note that Trump referred to the Mexican GOVERNMENT, NOT the Mexican people, so no disclaimer would be needed to make note that Mexicans themselves are honorable, since he never refers to them directly. Also, it becomes very helpful to understand the context of what was said, which makes it clear the entire point was the both the US and Mexican Government’s level of corruption and incompetence, both of which are demonstrable. Trump even directly refers to the “best and the finest” of the Mexican people and how those folks are not being sent here. Here’s the full quote:
“The U.S. has become a dumping ground for everybody else's problems. Thank you. It's true, and these are the best and the finest. When Mexico sends its people, they're not sending their best. They're not sending you. They're not sending you. They're sending people that have lots of problems, and they're bringing those problems with us. They're bringing drugs. They're bringing crime. They're rapists. And some, I assume, are good people. But I speak to border guards and they tell us what we're getting. And it only makes common sense. It only makes common sense. They're sending us not the right people. It's coming from more than Mexico. It's coming from all over South and Latin America, and it's coming probably -- probably -- from the Middle East. But we don't know. Because we have no protection and we have no competence, we don't know what's happening. And it's got to stop and it's got to stop fast.”
Have you seen THIS quote in the press? I’m guessing not handily. Note that Trump DOES in the same breath talk about Mexicans who are doing well…he notes they’re staying home. He then goes on to say that many of the miscreants are not Mexican at all, but rather foreigners from many countries, merely coming through the Mexican border, simply because both governments allow it to happen. No racism, no xenophobia, just a polemic on international stupidity.
IS TRUMP A BULLY?
Why is it you ask that Trump, and only Trump, has to “complain so vociferously about media misrepresentation”? He doesn’t. However, unlike many conservatives, Trump isn’t willing to play the media’s game, they shit on his head, he does not back down, apologize, cower or defer, he returns fire. This remains one of Trump’s strongest avenues of appeal. It’s frankly something somebody should have tried a long time ago.
The media doesn’t just smear Trump, they smear every conservative they can find. 85% of professional journalists are registered Democrats…surprise they use unfair tactics when dealing with conservatives. Gannett’s Jaleesa Jones was gleeful in reporting actress Gabrielle Union’s mention of African-American conservative Stacey Dash as “the crazy lady”. Dash had noted that it was hypocritical of the black community to demand that the Academy Awards give awards to blacks based on race rather than performance while the BET Awards are ONLY given to African-American Actors. Anna Merlan of Jezebel.com referred to Conservative columnist Ann Coulter as a “peppy dementor” and Fox’s Sean Hannity as a “ enraged football coach pounding the steering wheel.” So much for Trump being singly disrespectful.
You made reference to Trump’s responses to being attacked by media figures as bullying. That’s frankly nonsensical. Bullying is the strong picking on the weak. Trump picks on the strong, and normally after they pick on him. I say, good show on Trump.
IS TRUMP STARTING FIGHTS WITH THE MEDIA?
You also mentioned Megan Kelly and how Trump picked a fight with her after she asked a “sensitive question”. Did you see the events of last Thursday’s debate in Texas? Kelly asked Trump about how he felt about the Better Business Bureau giving his Trump University a “D- Rating”. Trump responded by telling Kelly he had an “A Rating” She said that was simply wrong. Turns out, not so much. Not only did Trump release a copy of that “A Rating”, but the BBB itself had faxed Fox News the rating PRIOR to the debate questioning by Kelly, as reported by Jim Hoft of Gateway Pundit. In short, Megan Kelly knowingly lied, on national television to smear Trump, Trump gave her hell for it, and the next day, the liberal media reported that it was Trump who had been “caught lying by Megan Kelly!” Who is bullying who here??
So, as you can see, at this point, the American Media is being caught left and right with smoke and mirrors and just keeps digging their hole deeper. Trump’s detractors, like Mitt Romney, are becoming increasingly desperate, such as Romney’s speech Thursday, which was nothing but a string of namecalling. “Donald Trump is a phony, a fraud. His promises are as worthless as a degree from Trump University. (Which actually never offered them) He's playing members of the American public for suckers: He gets a free ride to the White House, and all we get is a lousy hat. Dishonesty is Donald Trump's hallmark, bullying, the greed, the showing off, the misogyny, the absurd third-grade theatrics.", Romney said. Mitt Romney isn’t picking a fight here? Or is it that the man who drew 48% of the national vote against Barack Obama is a helpless snowflake who needs protection against big, bad Donald Trump?
Meanwhile, the Trump Train just grows and grows and we as the American people are getting clarity like we haven’t seen in our political process in our lifetimes.
ADDENDUM: OR MORE HELPLESS SNOWFLAKES TRUMP IS BULLYING
Another example came to me this AM. The New York Times today carried a story called "Ad Calls Trump A Fraud, Unift for the White House" and describes a super-PAC ad campaign which talks about the Trump University issue.
That issue is largely based on New York Democrat Attorney General Eric Schniderman pursuing Trump over a series of real estate seminars he held several years ago. The basis on the AG's ire seems to be that Trump used the word "University" and not "Initiative" to describe the program. 46 of 48 cases of fraud accusation have already been thrown out by judges. The remaining cases are moving forward based on the idea that since Trump took money from participants who thought they were attending an accredited university, which they'd signed up for in a hotel conference room, then Trump fooled them unfairly.
In other news, it is widely expected that Schniderman will be running for Governor of New York in 2017. Surprise !
As for the PAC itself, Our Principles is described by the Times as "not aligned with any of his rivals", which either indicates the Times are incompetent or stupid, because it took me all of ten minutes to figure out that Our Princples PAC is operated by Katie Packer, Mitt Romney's former deputy campaign manager, who herself has already endorsed Marco Rubio. Surprise number two.
Our Principles has just added staff in the form of Tim Miller, Jeb Bush's chief spokesman up until a few weeks ago. Mr. Miller has called Trump a KKK sympathizer, probably because he had denounced them about 12 times in interviews between Wednesday and Saturday last week and has never been involved with them in any way. Surprise three ! (This revelation comes, oddly, from the New York Times, who are again, reporting that none of Trump's rivals are involved.)
Really what Our Principles is about is the principles of Joe and Marlene Ricketts, the owners of the Chicago Cubs, who have donated nearly the entirety of the four million dollars of funding to run the ad campaigns. Of course, it might be fair to characterize the Ricketts as the meek, average Americans fighting for the little guys, but I might find that a bit tough to swallow.
No comments:
Post a Comment