First GOP Presidential Debate – “The Adult’s Table?”

In my last post, the Lord helped me analyze Carly Fiorina’s rise and the beginning of Donald Trump’s decline, all based on Biblical principles.  Boy, did I miss it regarding Mr. Trump.  Regardless, citizens of the Kingdom of God are never concerned with electability because Jesus is our King of Kings.  However, to be a true public servant, character matters.  Do the person’s words and deeds match?  Do they listen with humility to the concerns of – WE THE PEOPLE?  Do they uphold or ignore the law of the land – THE CONSTITUTION?  Do they behave with demonstrated respect for others, even those with whom they disagree?  Do they show partiality to others?  Do they Lord over others?  And, do they recognize that they are accountable for their decisions and actions?

The disciple of Jesus is not looking for the perfect candidate; however, it is reasonable to hold the person seeking the presidency to the highest human behavior standard – the cornerstone of Christianity – “Do unto others as you would have others do unto you.”

Much has happened since my last post.  Any analysis of the prime-time debate seems moot.  For example, I thought business mogul, Donald Trump did not do well enough to advance his campaign.  On August 20^th, Donald Trump brought into the immigration debate a renewed discussion on the 14^th Amendment to the Constitution and does birthright citizenship apply to, “Anchor-Babies.”  I agree that we need to address this issue and I welcome its debate.  The first sentence of Section 1, to the 14^th Amendment states, “All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the State wherein they reside.”  How can someone enter our country illegally to have a child born in an American hospital be subject to the jurisdiction of the United States?  Has the mother consented to be governed by the State and Federal Government?  In addition Donald Trump on August 21^st spoke to a rally of approximately 30,000 supporters in Mobile, Alabama.  Consequently, his predicted decline was short lived if it happened at all.  It looks like Donald Trump will surprise everyone.

I have talked with Christians and to many it does not seem to matter whether or not he is a genuine believer.  Maybe, that is why he chose not to appear at the 2015 Western Conservative Summit (#WCS15, & Centennial Institute).  Consider this exchange between pollster Frank Luntz, Ph.D. and Donald Trump on July 18, 2015 during the Family Leadership Summit in Ames, Iowa.  Luntz asked, “Have you ever asked God for forgiveness?”

Donald Trump responded, “I’m sure I have.  I just go on and try to do a better job from there.  I don’t think so.  I think if I do something wrong, I think I just try and make it right.  I don’t bring God into that picture.  I don’t.”

This data point is important to determining Donald Trump’s potential presidential demeanor, behavior, and character.  I believe it is worth further observation and critical Biblical Worldview analysis.

Anyway, Ohio Governor, John Kasich made the cut.  He may be in the top ten during the next debate.  He played before a partisan Ohio crowd and touted his accomplishments in the United States Congress – balancing the Federal budget – and as Ohio’s Governor; he brought his state back from economic disaster.  As a member of the political class, he has governed Ohio well but showed progressive tendencies when he accepted Federal Medicaid funds, thus growing his state’s healthcare bureaucracy.  However, to win Florida and Ohio the Republican elite establishment seems to be running Governor Kasich for the VP spot rather than the presidency.  The GOP leadership’s pick, Former Florida Governor, Jeb Bush performed well enough to sustain support from the political class.  But the Washington, “Know-it-alls,” fail to recognize the candidates moving up – the non-political class.

New Jersey Governor, Chris Christi, and Kentucky’s Junior Senator, Rand Paul shouted each other down over expanding Patriot Act tools for matters of National Security versus 4^th Amendment unreasonable searches and seizers and 5^th Amendment due process protections of individual liberty.  At the very beginning of the debate, Senator Paul complained at Donald Trump’s refusal to make a pledge to support the Republican nominee.  He asserted Donald Trump was, “Hedging his bets,” as if he had some special Gnostic powers to discern another man’s motivations.  Both Senator Paul and Governor Christi must have forgotten women make up 53% of the nation’s electorate, and they do not like the vitriol and finger pointing.  These two demonstrated disrespectful behavior and cancelled each other out of the contest.  Their actions caused me to question if they belonged at the, “Adult’s Table.”  They both have loyal followers.  However, one or both will fall to the lower tier by the next debate in September, assuming they remain in the race.

One-term, Junior Senators, Marco Rubio of Florida, and Ted Cruz of Texas performed well to remain in the top tier.  Sooner or later, their, “One-term,” status will come into play.  Also, how many candidates from Florida and Texas do we need to run for the presidency?  Regardless, both Senators are first generation sons of legal Cuban immigrants.  Both worked hard to reach their respective positions.  And both won their Senate seats as non-establishment, Tea Party Conservatives.  I’ve studied both men and I believe Senator Cruz has proven his commitment to Constitutional-conservative principles standing for them during his 21-hour filibuster on the Senate floor in an attempt to defund Obamacare.

Contenders, former Arkansas Governor, Mike Huckabee and sitting Wisconsin Governor, Scott Walker presented the best answers regarding the abortion issue and what should be done about the infanticide organization, Planned Parenthood.  Both performed well and will be on the main stage in the next debate.  Mike Huckabee did the best job of mixing humor into serious answers and the live crowd responded accordingly (so did the moderators).  When addressing the redefinition of marriage on June 26^th, Mike Huckabee declared that the Supreme Court is not the Supreme Being and Congress can and should address this matter if they had courageous leadership.  From a Biblical point of view it is important to remember people comprise the Supreme Court.  The very best people are fallible people at best.  Just because they wear robes does not mean they are better than anyone else.  The Supreme Court has made mistakes in the past.  The Dred Scott decision comes to mind.  Kentucky Senator Rand Paul stated, “When the government begins to invade the church to enforce its opinion on marriage, it’s time to resist.”

The other gentleman who is not dependent on donors (although he’ll accept them) is neurosurgeon, Dr. Ben Carson.  He continues to impress with his civility.  Using the stale baseball euphemism, no candidate hit an answer out of the park.  However, Dr. Carson hit a solid single when he rejected a race-baiting question.  He stated he’s a neurosurgeon and when he operates on a person’s brain, he’s dealing with what makes them human, not their skin color.  During his closing comment, he won the debate by listing his accomplishments as a surgeon.  He stated he’s the only one to remove half a brain from a patient but it you go to Washington DC, you’d think someone else beat him to it.  That statement got replayed more than any other.  In some current polls, Dr. Carson is ranked in the number 2 position.  The establishment contenders, Jeb Bush and John Kasich are ranked four and eight respectively.  Even with their remaining half-brain, the Republican elites fail to see – voting American citizens reject the political class.

In summary, the 2016 election will not matter.  No president, congress or judiciary can turn this ship of state around unless we have a new president that leads the country in national repentance of our gross sins.  We who follow Jesus have become exiles in our country.  America has fallen too far.  It has extended the middle-finger salute to almighty God.  The culture has declared war on God’s people and His judgment of the nation has already begun.  Today, everyone who is reading this article must decide, who is Jesus – is he a liar, lunatic, or LORD?  Time is running out – it may already be too late.  How long will people waiver between two opinions?  If Jesus is LORD – and I know He is – choose this day to serve Him.  Today is the day of salvation.  Repent for the Kingdom of God is at hand.

 

Thanks for reading.  If God permits, let the restoration of our Constitutional Republic begin.

For further entertaining and educational reading regarding a past Constitutional crisis, I linked my Christian, Historical Fiction, Civil War series here: Destination Hope.

Other related articles can be found at Centennial Institute Blog

First GOP Presidential Debate – “The Kid’s Table"

The first Grand Old Party (GOP) Presidential debate is over.  The political pundits have stated their opinions.  Those expressed in this article come from a Biblical Worldview.

Unfortunately, the split format of seven lower tier candidates in the afternoon and ten higher tier ones in the evening failed to yield a clear front runner.  Of the 17 presidential hopefuls, I think any of them will make a better public servant then the Democrat Party’s offerings and here is why.  Most of the GOP representatives put their love of our Constitutional Republic and the protection of individual, God-given rights and responsibilities above party interests.  The Democrat social progressive, MASTERMIND, ideology dictates what Carly Fiorina exposed in the afternoon session: “Progressives believe they are better than others, they are smarter than others, and they must take care of others.”  Democrats believe they must govern, tax, and regulate every facet of peoples’ lives because they know what is best and the American people are too stupid to govern themselves.

The mule party hides behind two false doctrines.  1. The common good is more important than protecting individual liberty.  This war between an all-powerful, centralized Federal government control versus individual liberty is what’s at stake should America have the opportunity to conduct a 2016 general election and inaugurate new leadership on January 20, 2017.  2. Statists follow with religious fervor the undisclosed, “Obama Doctrine,” as summarized by Frank Gaffney during the 2015 Western Conservative Summit (#WCS15, & Centennial Institute): “Embolden our enemies.  Undermine our friends.  Diminish our country.”

However, true disciples of Jesus Christ comprehend a different war – one between good versus evil.  We recognize our civic responsibility to engage in public discourse, but our motivation is to the highest calling to seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness.  This is the standard by which I graded our potential future leadership, for Jesus taught to know all people by their fruits – don’t listen to what they say alone, examine what they’ve done and what they do.  Do their words and deeds match?

Based on the only, truly objective standard – The Kingdom of God and His Righteousness – I can eliminate all DNC candidates and several of the Republican hopefuls.  The reason I can remove all DNC contenders; their god is the Federal government – not Jesus, the Holy One. 

Long before I watched the debates or put pen to paper, I prayed and asked God to remove all prejudice from my thinking, to grant me His gifts of wisdom and discernment, and to come under the governance of His Holy Spirit, as I evaluate the GOP hopefuls.  Relying on this firm foundation, the afternoon session yielded a clear winner.  Of the seven lower-tier candidates, Carly Fiorina performed well enough to move from the, “Children’s table,” into the top tier, most likely displacing Junior Kentucky Senator Rand Paul or New Jersey Governor, Chris Christy.  I will address Ms. Fiorina’s showing in more detail below.  But first, I will address the other six lower tier contenders.

Former three-term Governor of New York, George Pataki is a progressive, pro-choice Republican and a member of the political class.  Now, he claims to abhor abortions and believes life begins at conception.  In light of the sale of murdered babies’ body parts, Mr. Pataki claims he would defund Planned Parenthood.  He is willing to grant due process protection when a pre-born baby reaches twenty weeks.  This is easy to manipulate and shows no mercy to a pre-born baby nineteen weeks and under.  From a Kingdom perspective, George Pataki is disqualified to lead all American citizens.

The next unlikely candidate is former Governor of Virginia, Jim Gilmore.  His strength is his commitment to our nation’s defense.  However, I didn’t see much difference between him and the other Progressive, Political-class member, Senior Senator for South Carolina, Lindsey Graham.  Both claim that the nation needs a serious Commander-in-chief to take the fight to Islam.  Senator Lindsey Graham wants to send ground troops back to Iraq and into Syria right now to fight and destroy ISIL.  From a military perspective, deployment may be necessary.  Unfortunately, the American people are war weary.  They will seek a President who will present another approach (see Carly Fiorina below).

Louisiana Governor, Bobby Jindal, former United States Senator, Rick Santorum, and former three-term Texas governor, Rick Perry, may have done well enough to break into the top tier candidates, but I seriously doubt they will.  I like all three gentlemen.  They project optimism, they all have quality strengths and good policy ideas, and they apply Christian principles to their personal lives.  Governor Jindal claimed that he is a leader that does not follow the shifting wind of popular polls.  He had the best line regarding our nation’s illegal immigration problem: “Immigration without assimilation is an invasion.”  I couldn’t agree more.  The Constitution demands our government defend us – WE THE PEOPLE – against foreign (and domestic) invasions.

Former Senator, Rick Santorum had, in my opinion, the best ideas for stimulating the nation’s languishing economy.  For example, America can and should be the number one manufacturing nation in the world.  It starts with reducing personal and business born taxes.  Then, remove strangling federal and state regulations.  Finally, offer other incentives for manufactures to hire and train middle-income earning personnel.  Regarding, welfare reform, he reiterated what he accomplished in the senate during Bill Clinton’s presidency, applying time limits to entitlement recipients.  I supported Senator Santorum in 2012 because I observed the way he treated people with genuine kindness regardless of their economic status.  He remains one of my personal favorites, but I don’t think he’ll break into the upper tier.

Former Texas Governor, Rick Perry performed much better than he did during his 2012 debates.  He didn’t say, “Oops,” this time.  However, he did misspeak when he said our military personnel fought and died in Iran.  Obviously, he meant Iraq.  It is an easy error to forgive since much had been said about the Liar-in-Chief’s Iran nuclear deal.  Governor Perry’s strength is his passion to secure our southern border.  I wonder if he has the same attitude toward our northern boundary and our coastlines.  I think he lost his opportunity to advance while discussing the Iran deal.  He pointed to Carly Fiorina and stated that he would have rather had her negotiate the deal than John (get us all killed) Kerry.

This brings me to one of the true rising stars in this campaign, the former Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Hewlett Packard, Ms. Carly Fiorina.  She is focused, she is principled, and she speaks with clarity, purpose, and civility.  As I wrote in a previous post, Carly Fiorina covers more topics with greater depth, brevity, and skill better than any other Republican candidate.  President Ronald Reagan earned, “The Great Communicator,” title.  Carly Fiorina runs circles around his sorely missed talent. 

Carly Fiorina has a better Iran deal solution: 100% any time, anywhere (nuclear and military facilities), without restrictions, inspections, or else we will make it impossible to move Iranian money around the globe.  She has a better ISIS approach: meet with our better middle-eastern allies and provide them with the tools they need to destroy ISIS.  Most importantly, she is a truth teller. 

In the Kingdom of God, truth is most important.  Jesus is the Way, the Truth, and the Life.  She spoke the truth when she compared the difference between Conservative principles and Progressive hope and change.  We military types frequently say, “Hope is not a strategy.”  The change we’ll see under another progressive regime will come in the shape of a mushroom cloud.  Understanding this, she committed to be strong against Hillary Clinton.  She said she would not pull any punches when confronting Hillary.  For these few and numerous other reasons, as people get to know more about Carly Fiorina, she’ll move up.

I will address the top tier contenders in my next post.  However, I want to provide a preview of the current frontrunner.  Regarding Donald Trump, an old saying comes to mind, “A self-made man worships his creator (himself).”  This is the pride of life and epitomizes how I perceive Donald Trump.  Carly Fiorina asked a reasonable question, “By what principles will he govern.”  Senator Ryan Paul exposed how Donald Trump buys and sells politicians to get them to do what he wants.  The Bible teaches, “A double minded man is unstable in all of his ways.”  He has changed his mind about healthcare, gun control, amnesty, and abortion.  If he is a Christian, when did he become one?  What is his testimony of repentance and conversion of trust in Jesus for salvation?  It is hard to balance his behavior against the weight of scripture.  According to Kingdom of God principles, I have examined his tree and I do not find edible fruit.  He’s been weighed in the balance and he’s come up wanting.

Thanks for reading.  Let the restoration of our Constitutional Republic begin.

For further entertaining and educational reading regarding a past Constitutional crisis, I linked my Christian, Historical Fiction, Civil War novels here: Destination Hope.

Western Conservative Summit 2015 – Dr. Ben Carson, Presidential Candidate

Of all the GOP candidates that spoke at the 2015 Western Conservative Summit (hereinafter referred to as, “Summit”), pediatric Neurosurgeon, Benjamin Solomon Carson, MD is the person we need to be the next President of the United States of America.  Regardless of what the other members of the political class say they may do, none of them has held the lives of children in their hands.  With our nation slipping closer into a terminal condition, we need an accomplished surgeon in charge.  He will surgically remove the progressive, malignant tumors metastasizing throughout the Federal government.  Dr. Carson has diagnosed America’s multiple illnesses and moral degeneration.  In his presentation at the Summit (linked here: #WCS15 Ben Carson’s speech), he outlined his prescription for curing the foreign and domestic diseases destroying our body politic.  No other candidate, especially those of the political class, can be God’s surgical public servant to heal our land.  As I wrote in my last post regarding Carly Fiorina, if the GOP had any sense – wasting time with the Donald Trump/John McCain distraction proves their lack – they would make Dr. Carson and Ms. Fiorina the 2016 presidential ticket and send the rest of the political class home.

The night of Saturday, June 27, 2015 the Summit shifted into high gear. Dr. Ben Carson addressed the packed BELLCO Theater.  Of all the candidates, the one I wanted to hear the most was Dr. Ben Carson.  He did not disappoint the more than 5,000 strong, fun-loving conservatives.  He handled Byron York’s tough questions with intelligent answers and his now well-known grace and civility.  I summarized the salient points of Dr. Carson’s presentation below:

• Opening Remarks:  Political pundits say Dr. Carson won’t become the GOP nominee or president because he’s a political novice.  Dr. Carson rebutted stating the pundits forgot about the people.  Since announcing his exploratory committee, his campaign has received over 200,000 new donors (exceeding all other candidates).  Therefore, he does not have to, “lick the boots of the established donors.”  Then, he shifted to his prepared comments.
• Most important issue facing our nation:  Our government disregards the Constitution.  The Federal government no longer listens to the people.  The best example; the Affordable Care Act (aka Obamacare).  The people shouted opposition, but the government crammed if down our throats (exempting themselves from the law).  Our government needs to look like its Constitutional design, beginning with the separation of powers.  The Congress represents the people – the final authority in the USA – the SCOTUS does not represent the people.
• Experience: The experts say Dr. Carson can’t win because he is not an experienced politician.  He countered by stating life experience is just as valuable as political experience – if not more so.  He’s experienced every strata of economic status – a connection he can make with all Americans. He has lived his adult life solving critical, life-threatening problems.  How many politicians can claim they’ve held someone’s life in their hands? He’s worked with organizations that operate efficiently (completing projects on-time and within budgets).  Anyone can see the government does not.  Dr. Carson restated ordinary people have amazing life experiences, which they can bring to our political discourse.
• Manufactured divisiveness:  The political class – supported by the media – has couched the arguments in our nation as between: Democrats vs. Republicans, Liberals vs. Conservatives, rich vs. poor.  They clamor about a war on women and widespread racism – neither is true.  It’s as if they want us to fight each other when we need to unite to fight radical Islam and solve our multiple problems.  The real argument is between those who are anti-America and pro-America, those who want to eliminate the Constitution and those who want to preserve, protect, and demand that our government operate by it.
• National debt and fiscal gap:  The national debt is above $18 Trillion.  Our unfunded liabilities are over $120 Trillion.  Both continue to grow at a staggering rate.  We keep going because we have the exclusive privilege of printing money.  What happens when the world ceases to use the American dollar as its economic standard?  We can prevent this from happening if and only if we unleash our economic engine.  Dr. Carson listed several ideas to stimulate our economy including: a six-month hiatus on all corporate taxes along with a drastic reduction in the current 35% rate (highest in the world); require businesses to use 10% of their reduced tax dollars for job creation, training, and new job research; invest in our own people – low rate loans for entrepreneurs; get rid of unnecessary regulations; and reform taxation into a fair and flat system prohibiting the government from raising taxes at any time on anyone.
• Leadership: America must take a leadership – not spectator – role in the world.  If America refuses to lead, someone else will.  All other potential world leaders do not have goodwill intentions.  For example, ISIS asserts its will now throughout the Middle East.  Russia continues to recreate the former Soviet empire, and China expands its control in the South China Sea.  These bad actors do not fear reprisals from anyone mostly because the president has chosen to stand aside and watch events unfold rather than lead.

After his prepared remarks, Dr. Carson sat down with Byron York for a question and answer (Q&A) Session.  Byron York asked him the same four questions he asked of all presenting presidential candidates at the Summit.  The questions and answers are as follows:

1. SCOTUS Homosexual Marriage Decision: The decision will spark uncountable litigations against Christian churches, Christian schools, colleges and universities.  Dr. Carson stated he has nothing against gay people; however, they are not entitled to special or extra rights above other citizens and they do not get to change things for everyone else.  The SCOTUS is not the final answer.  Congress needs to stop being a spectator and pass legislation that overrules the court.  As president, Dr. Carson would use the, “Bully Pulpit,” to shine light on the entire issue – not just one side – to protect Christians from being bullied and harmed by the militants who want to suppress the free exercise of religious liberty.
2. Obamacare’s impact on the Economy: Because infrastructure has been put in place, we can’t go back to pre-2009 health care; however, we can reform the entire system using less money.  For example, Dr. Carson would push for Health Savings Accounts (HSA) for everyone, which will cause individuals to have more say in their health care decisions with their doctors and remove the bureaucrat middle man.
3. Immigration:  We should keep the same level of immigration so long as we get to choose who comes into our country.  Dr. Carson stated that he has a problem with illegal immigration.  America can seal the borders without building a fence.  We can use technology, drones, and deployed personnel, etcetera to have constant surveillance; but more importantly, we need to turn off the money attraction.
4. A touchy point from the candidates past record (never held elected office): Dr. Carson considers the fact that he never held a political office a positive.  He said, “We’ll let the people decide.”

During Sunday’s closing ceremony, it was announced Dr. Ben Carson won the Summit Presidential straw poll (2nd year in a row), followed by Carly Fiorina, and Scott Walker (WCS15 Straw Poll), which happened to be my picked order.

To know more about Dr. Carson’s views, I recommend reading his book, “One Nation.”  If you do not have time to read the entire work, please consider Chapter 6, “No Winners in Political Fighting,” where he offers a Biblical application regarding the benefits of unity.  To understand how he can win, I recommend reading, “Ben Carson, RX For America,” by John Philip Sousa, IV. Finally, to know this man’s character I recommend watching, “Gifted Hands,” a movie, which portrays Dr. Carson’s moral character and his rise to the world-renowned pediatric neurosurgeon we know today.

I want to interject a final personal comment.  I have a well-defined Biblical worldview.  I’ve been a politics junky for most of my life, since my dad ran for the United States Congress when I was four years old.  I am considered an expert regarding world and American history, political science, and worldview ideologies.  I am sick of the political class and what they’ve done to this country.  The current occupier of the White House is moving faster than we can track to dismantle the constitution.  We learned on Monday, July 20, 2015 the bully-in-chief is going to remove our 2nd Amendment right to bear arms from Social Security benefit recipients who are declared unfit by the Federal government.  If he successfully takes weapons from one group of American citizens, he’ll do it to all.  Once he disarms us, I believe he will suspend the law of the land and destroy our nation.  I seriously doubt that he will allow the 2016 elections.  I pray that I’m wrong.  If we survive eight years of deliberate dithering, and unconstitutional executive orders, we will need leaders like Carly Fiorina and Dr. Ben Carson who are solutions and results oriented.  Together, they can fix, heal, and fight for our One Nation Under God, with liberty and justice for all.

Again, Dr. Carson’s complete presentation is linked here: #WCS15 Dr. Ben Carson Speech.

Thanks for reading.  Let the restoration of our Constitutional Republic begin.

For further entertaining and educational reading regarding a past Constitutional crisis, I linked my Christian, Historical Fiction, Civil War novels here: Destination Hope

Future and Hope Blog

Centennial Institute Blog

Carly Fiorina, Presidential Candidate

Western Conservative Summit 2015 – Carly Fiorina, Presidential Candidate

In my last article, I promised a more detailed summary regarding two Presidential hopefuls: former Hewlett-Packard CEO, Carly Fiorina, and pediatric Neurosurgeon, Ben Carson, MD.  This post will address Carly Fiorina’s speech at the 2015 Western Conservative Summit (hereinafter referred to as, “Summit”).  As I write this piece, Ms. Fiorina has one percent of primary voters support.  Consequently, she will not be permitted to participate in the first national debate, which is a shame because America needs to her voice.  Recent news informs us of a Muslim in Chattanooga, Tennessee, who murdered four Marines and one Sailor.  The current occupier of the White House continues to refuse to acknowledge Islam’s war on all Americans.  He would rather demand that we accept his deal to help Iran build nuclear weapons and long-range ballistic delivery systems.  Carly Fiorina was the only presidential hopeful at the Summit to state a plan for dealing with the liar-in-chief’s deal.  She declared boldly she would make a phone call to the Ayatollah of Iran and tell him, “The new deal.”  At the same time, we now learn Planned Parenthood harvests and sells body parts of aborted babies.  Dr. Ben Carson has saved the lives of thousands of children and babies.  If the Republican Party had any sense, which they’ve proven for decades they don’t, they would make Dr. Carson and Ms. Fiorina the presidential ticket for 2016 today and send the rest of the circus acts home.

But this is about Carly Fiorina’s speech (Carly Fiorina).  During her presentation, she covered more issues in the short, allotted time (20 minutes) with greater clarity than any of the other presidential contenders.  If you do not have time to watch her full address (linked here: #WCS15 Carly Speech), I summarized a few key points below.

• Her core worldview: All people have God given gifts – True Leadership challenges the status quo and unlocks the God given potential in others.
• Conservatives Believe: All people have value in the eyes of God; none of us are better than any other and conservative values do a much better job of lifting all people up.
• Progressives Believe (their behavior reveals): Some people are smarter than others, some are better than others, and some should decide for others.
• America has reached a pivotal point: Too many peoples’ potentials are being crushed by the weight of government.  A recent FOX News poll revealed that 82% of Americans (across the political spectrum) believe that a political class exists in America that is only concerned with preserving their self-interests rather than serving the nation.
• Israel: Make it 100% clear we stand with Israel.
• Iran: Until every facility is open 100% of the time to unfettered inspections, we will make it impossible for Iran to move their money and influence around the world.
• Putin: Say nothing to him but rebuild the 6^th fleet and re-deploy our European missile defense systems.
• How to combat ISIS: Ask our Middle Eastern allies what do they need to fight and defeat ISIS?

·

After her prepared remarks, Carly Fiorina sat down with Byron York for a question and answer (Q&A) Session (11 Minutes).  Byron York asked her the same four questions he asked of all candidates who spoke at the Summit.  His questions and her answers are as follows:

1. SCOTUS Homosexual Marriage Decision: It was wrong for them to hear the case.  By ruling on this issue they have stifled all further discussion (free speech) regarding the matter.  The dialogue must continue – not gagged.
2. Economy: Crony Capitalism only serves big and bigger government and big and bigger businesses.  The small businesses across our nation are being crushed under the weight of confusing tax codes and strangled by oppressive regulations.  For example, Obama Care is causing the big medical and pharmaceutical companies and hospitals to consolidate and grow even larger.  The smaller organizations are going out of business.  The same is happening to our financial institutions under Dodd/Frank.  These big and bigger organizations have become not only too big to fail but too big to jail.
3. How to win the election:  We have to talk to everyone.  Our language matters, our tone matters, and we must speak with empathy.  We must show that we care.
4. A touchy point from the candidates past record (as CEO of HP): Tough times require tough decisions.  She said the hardest decision is to fire or lay someone off.  I disagree.  The hardest decision is to send men and women into battle knowing that a good percentage of them will make the ultimate sacrifice and give their lives for their country.

I want to interject one side comment.  Mary and I happened to sit next to a table filled with liberal news agency reporters (one from England).  Throughout Mike Huckabee’s presentation, they wrote their respective notes, scowled and never applauded.  I assume they felt defiled surrounded by Conservatives.  During Carly’s speech, she said that she had been asked if her female hormones might affect her judgment if she were president.  She asked the women in the audience, “Ladies, here’s a test.  How many men do you know whose judgment has been clouded by their hormones – including someone in the oval office?”  The entire audience erupted with thigh-slapping laughter and stood to applaud.  Even the scornful liberals laughed at this comment.  When she gave her answer to question 3 above, we could hear some of them saying they agreed with Carly’s point.  At the conclusion of her speech and again after the Q&A session, the crowd of more than 4,000 jumped to their feet and gave Carly Fiorina a standing ovation.  We watched our contemptuous liberal news members rise to their feet and applaud, too.  Many shouted to their fellows how much they liked Carly.  If she can win the hearts and minds of these highly committed, well-heeled ideologues, just think how well she could reach real thinking Americans.  This is why she should be part of the August 6, 2015 national debate on FOX.

Later, we had a short personal visit with Carly.  Mary played a harmless practical joke on her and she took it with good humor.  Then, she laughed out loud once she got the joke.  When we explained the liberal press member’s response to her hormone comment, we laughed together. Then, we encouraged her to press on with her campaign.  I recommend primary voters read Carly Fiorina’s personal story, “Rising to the Challenge,” and learn more about her.  You will gain greater personal insight into the depth of this remarkable woman who deserves to be heard in her bid for our nation’s highest office.  She can win and here’s why.

As I stated in my previous post, I haven’t been excited about a Republican contender since Ronald Reagan, she is the real deal, and she is a legitimate Presidential Candidate.  Carly is ready, willing and able to confront the political class queen, Hillary Clinton (The Queen, by Hugh Hewitt), on any day, under any condition, in any forum.  She is the only GOP candidate who can fight her majesty in an even contest.  All the men are prejudicially stamped with the scarlet, “Sexist,” label on their foreheads.  After eight years of deliberate dithering, we need a solutions and results oriented leader who can fix, heal, and fight for our One Nation Under God, with liberty and justice for all.