A Few Thoughts on #NeverTrump and #NeverHillary

In light of Evan McMullin's recent announcement that he will be mounting a conservative, independent challenge to Trump and Clinton (don't worry, we all had to Google him too), here are a few of my thoughts:

1. If you are supporting a 3rd party or independent candidate because you truly believe he or she has a legitimate shot of winning at least a state or two, then good for you; I respect that. Go out and work hard for that candidate. Trying to break the two party stranglehold on American politics could potentially also be a respectable reason to vote 3rd party.
2. Despite this election being between the two most unpopular nominees in history, the odds of any candidate not named Trump or Clinton winning a state are still extremely low. In a society where a large percentage of people could not even name the two main candidates, it will be incredibly difficult for a candidate with low name ID to gain any traction. Especially without the backing of a major party.
3. If you're voting 3rd party merely to take a principled stance or keep your conscience clear, that's fine too. Just realize that as a conservative, you are essentially saying that Hillary would be better than Trump, because every vote he loses is a vote gained for her. Same goes for liberals voting for Jill Stein; you guys are essentially allowing Trump to be elected. Like it or not, that's how it works in a two party system, especially given the nature of the electoral college. To say otherwise is merely wishful thinking (unless you fall into the first category of people I mentioned).
4. I still intensely dislike Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump, and as of this moment, I have not made up my mind on whom I will be voting for, if anyone. Rest assured though, it will not be Hillary Clinton.
5. No matter how much you detest the candidates at the top of the tickets, please, please, don't let that deter you from showing up to vote this November. There are hundreds of principled candidates down the ballot that need your support. The Presidency is only one office, and can be held in check by the courts, Congress, and state governments.

Tragedy in Orlando

Tragedy struck in Orlando, Florida on Saturday. In what appears to be the largest mass shooting in U.S. history and one of the worst terror attacks since 9/11, a man walked into a nightclub, slaughtered forty-nine people and wounded countless others. I have waited until now to say anything about this, primarily because I have been trying to fully process the horrific nature of this crime; trying to comprehend what could bring a human being to kill his fellow human beings like this; trying to understand why this keeps happening and why nothing ever seems to be done to prevent it. It's hard to know what to say in the face of such evil, such sadness.

My heart breaks every time something like this happens. My heart breaks for the victims whose lives were taken from them prematurely, but most of all my heart breaks for their families who had their loved ones ripped away from them in such a tragic and brutal manner. Tragedies like these don't only affect the victims and their families, but also every one of us. An attack on any American is an attack on every American, and even more so, an attack on anyone is an attack on all of us as human beings. As these shootings become more and more and more commonplace I think we all find ourselves becoming increasingly more callous. It's far too easy to brush off these massacres as "just the way it is now." Let's not ever cease to be horrified and saddened at these acts of terror.

While there is obviously a political discussion to be had, I am not going to get political here. Now isn't the time for division or politics. Forty-nine people were just brutally murdered. Forty-nine families just lost their loved ones. We should pray for them, grieve with them, support them. Then, let's channel our emotions, our anger over what happened into action. For now, hold your loved ones a little closer tonight and spend a few minutes thanking God for them because you never know when they might be taken away from you. God bless and keep you all.

Bernie is Right; America Has a Problem

Alright, I'm just going to say it: Bernie Sanders is right. He is right that America has a problem with income inequality. The very rich are getting even richer while the rest of America's wages have flat-lined and even decreased. He is right that Americans should not have to bail out the big banks or car companies when they fail due to their borderline criminal activities, and he is right that sometimes these big executives should be tossed in jail. Finally, he is right that so many politicians are in the pockets of billionaires and special interests, and answer to them instead of to their constituents.

We should not be surprised that so many people are voting for Bernie and Trump when they feel like politicians have some nothing for them and don't care about them. I read an article awhile back called "The Pitchforks are Coming for Us Plutocrats." Well, it appears that they have arrived. People are disillusioned with the political class and haves turned to the only two people in the race that seen like they would be any different. Sanders and Trump are different symptoms to the same disease, and no one is more to blame than the political class and establishment politicians, of both parties, which has spent decades getting rich and getting re-elected instead of doing their job and working to solve the plight of so many people.

All that being said, most of Bernie's solutions to these problems would not improve this situation. In fact, in the long run, his policies would worsen the situation. You can point to Denmark, Norway, and Sweden all you like, Senator, but socialism has never, and will never work in an economy of this size. Capitalism is not the problem; crony capitalism is. True capitalism drives people to succeed, while crony capitalism and socialism burden people with regulations and taxes, smothering their will to keep trying. Instead of levying more taxes and increasing regulations on our economy, we need to cut taxes and make it easier for people to be successful. We need to make it easier for smaller businesses to compete with the huge corporations that are stealing their profits. And we need to make America a business friendly country so companies quit taking people's jobs to China and Mexico (man, I sound like The Donald now). Hard-working Americans are the ones who will solve this crisis, not the government. It's time for Uncle Sam to get out of our lives and let us succeed.

Presidential Primary Endorsement

When Rick Santorum, my long-time favorite candidate, suspended his campaign following the Iowa caucuses, I intended to "endorse" a new candidate prior to the New Hampshire primary. However, I found myself entirely unable to decide on a single candidate. The field was still full of great options. I did, however, manage to narrow down my choices to John Kasich, Chris Christie, and Marco Rubio.

Before I reveal my choice (which probably will not be a huge surprise to many of you), let me first explain my thought process.

First and foremost, I am looking for a candidate who will protect human life at all stages. Excepting Donald Trump, all the candidates running are pro-life in most cases. Chris Christie almost immediately removed himself from the running with his despicable attacks on Rubio's strong pro-life beliefs. I understand that most candidates out there are in favor of exceptions in the case of rape and incest, but Christie took it a step further than that and accused Rubio of being too pro-life. For me, that was unacceptable. He then made it an even easier choice for me by dropping out of the race. That left me with Kasich and Rubio. Obviously, Rubio has the upper hand on this issue, as he is unashamedly pro-life in all cases, whereas Kasich allows for exceptions in the case of the life of the mother, rape, and incest. But I do admire John Kasich's strong record of fighting for life as Governor of Ohio, most recently his defunding of Planned Parenthood.

After the life issue, the most important thing to me this election is that we choose a candidate who can beat the Democratic nominee. I firmly believe that another four or eight years of Democratic control would be nothing short of disastrous for America. The problem here was that I think both Kasich and Rubio both have an excellent shot at beating Hillary Clinton or Bernie Sanders. Most people agree that they are the two most electable Republicans in a general election.

I have long said that Republicans need a candidate who can be an eloquent spokesman for the conservative movement. We need the face of our party to be a man or woman who will not only unify the party, but also expand the party. The last time we had such a candidate was in the eighties with Ronald Reagan. Reagan united America in a way that few Presidents have been able to do. He built a coalition of  not just conservative and moderate Republicans, but also the so-called "Reagan Democrats." In order to start winning national elections again Republicans have to expand their base. America is becoming more and more diverse, and frankly, the demographics are not on our side. In Governor Kasich and Senator Rubio I see two men capable of doing this, each in a different way. Kasich has already done this in Ohio. He is an extremely popular Republican governor of a state that twice voted for President Obama. Kasich has succeeded in Ohio by being a true compassionate conservative. He really does care about people, especially the less fortunate and those who are suffering. His quiet leadership and empathy was manifested as he campaigned for president and connected with people in a way that I saw with few other candidates. I think everyone was moved by his powerful interaction with the young man in South Carolina. Rubio takes a different, but equally effective approach. His relentless optimism, energy, and determination are inspirational. He is an eloquent speaker who can articulate conservative values in a way that is understandable, logical, and appealing. He is a fresh face in a line of work that is dominated by career politicians too concerned with getting reelected to actually get anything done.

Finally, I want a candidate who will know how to get things done without compromising his values or betraying the trust of those who elected him. In short, I want someone with the guts to stand up to the establishment Republicans and the Democrats but with the ability to work with the other side. Again, Ronald Reagan was a perfect example of this. He was a principled conservative who also managed to work with the Democrats to get things done when he needed to. This is where I started to see separation between my two choices. While I love Gov. Kasich, I worry that he has been in the game too long already and could turn out to be just another establishment guy who caves to the Democrats whenever they demand it. This might be an unfounded fear, but we conservatives have been betrayed by their own party one too many times.

A brief word on the candidates I previously ruled out. While I admire Jeb Bush for his years of service and his strong conservative record as governor of Florida, it was clear that this just wasn't his year. As unfair as it might be, he represents the past, in a time when most people want something new. Ted Cruz is a fearless defender of liberty. He has unflinchingly stood for conservative principles during his career as a litigator and as a Senator. However, he has a serious likeability problem. He does not seem to be the type of candidate that would unify the country, since he is disliked by so many people. I admire him and would love to see him on the Supreme Court or as Attorney General, but I don't believe he is the messenger the party needs at this time. Ben Carson is a brilliant surgeon and a good man, but is wholly unqualified to be president, in my opinion. He is dead last in the race and I have a hard time understanding why he is still in the race.

I have spent weeks debating this choice with myself. But in the last few days it has finally become crystal clear to me. We cannot afford to wait any longer to stop the frontrunner. Donald Trump must be defeated and conservatives must unite behind a single candidate in order to defeat him. It's clear that this candidate won't be Cruz, as his base (Evangelical voters) has been stolen by Trump. And while I still admire John Kasich, I no longer see a path forward for him either.

For these reasons, I have decided to support Senator Marco Rubio for president. Marco is a man of faith, and a principled conservative who is well liked by conservatives and moderates alike. I believe he has the ability to unite the party and the country. Most importantly, I believe he is the only remaining candidate with a chance to defeat Trump. I would love to see a Rubio-Kasich ticket in November. With all due respect to the Democrats, a Rubio-Kasich ticket would thrash all comers.

And just so you know I'm not all talk and no action, I am going to put my money where my mouth is and make my first political donation and become a financial supporter as well. Yes, stuff did just get real, folks. Maybe I can buy myself some of that influence Bernie Sanders is always talking about.

I ask that you all consider joining me in supporting Marco Rubio. Together we can usher in a New American Century.

Fire Trump

Loser. Lightweight. Bimbo. Pathetic. What do these words have in common? They are all among Donald J. Trump’s go-to words when it comes to insulting his opponents or really anyone who disagrees with him. (If you would like to further explore Donald's impressive insult vocabulary, the New York Times has very thoughtfully compiled every single one of his insults in one convenient place. You're welcome.) One would expect this kind of vocabulary on the grade school playground or at an insult comic's show, but it’s hardly the vocabulary of a man who aspires to become the leader of the free world. Despite his unconventional style, bombastic manner, broad generalizations, lack of serious policy ideas, and generally abrasive personality, Trump seems to have the inside track on the Republican nomination for president. Or maybe it’s not despite these qualities, but instead, precisely due to these qualities, that he is the front runner. In fact, I am convinced it is the latter.

Americans want nothing more than a straight talker; someone who tells it like it is. Americans are utterly exasperated with the empty rhetoric and politically correct posturing of politicians in this country. They have been lied to time and time again, by politicians in both parties. One party promises change and is brought to power with the expectation that they will fulfill this promise. But, once they get to Washington nothing changes. And so, next election, it’s back to the other party. This vicious cycle has repeated itself over and over, especially in recent years. Americans are so frustrated with this seemingly unending sequence that they will support anyone who seems to buck this trend. They want a doer, not a talker. They want someone who is not afraid to speak his or her mind, and who will follow through with what they promise to do. So, when these voters look at the 2016 presidential field, what do they see? They see two candidates whose families have probably been in politics longer than they have been alive, one of whom is embroiled in multiple scandals. They see a collection of senators and governors (past and present) who may be fresh faces but are still seen as a part of the hated establishment. They also see several outsiders who have a lot of nice ideas, but don’t seem qualified for the job. Then, they see Donald Trump who is nothing like any of these other candidates, and nothing like perhaps any other candidate in history. He has never held elected office, so he definitely qualifies as an outsider, which seems to be what voters want this election. He is so rich that he doesn't have to bow to special interests. He is a wildly successful businessman (at least if you believe his account of it). And most importantly, he is loud, obnoxious, exciting, and says exactly what he thinks. More specifically, he says what they think. Republican voters are fed up with political correctness, illegal immigration, radical Islam, Obamacare, etc. Trump unequivocally blasts each and every one of these things. While his supporters may not necessarily agree with all his proposed solutions for these problems, they like how he doesn't hold back when he talks about them.

So what is the problem then? Trump sounds like the perfect candidate for today’s America. Wrong. Let me explain. There are two basic components of a political candidate. The first and most visible side is that of rhetoric, or what he says and how he says it. The second is that of policy ideas. Unfortunately, in today’s 24 hour news cycle, a candidate’s policy ideas are oftentimes swept to the side. The networks would much rather cover Jeb Bush lambasting Marco Rubio for missing votes or Donald Trump saying he would “bomb the s—t out of ISIS,” than cover someone like John Kasich or Ben Carson laying out their plan to reform education or welfare. That’s just the nature of the media. Make no mistake, rhetoric is an important part of a campaign. As we've seen with candidates like Rick Perry, an otherwise highly qualified candidate can easily become a laughingstock if they appear to be unprepared or incapable of performing under pressure. This was also the case with Mitt Romney in 2012. By all accounts, Romney was a capable executive, both as a businessman and as a governor. He had very thorough policy stances, and was unquestionably knowledgeable on a wide range of issues. But, if that was all that mattered in a presidential race, we would likely be in the third year of the Romney administration. Mitt’s problem was with rhetoric. He failed miserably when it came to differentiating himself from Barack Obama and describing conservative principles to the American people. Voters desperately wanted a change in Washington. But Romney gave them no reason to believe that he was the change they wanted. Realistically speaking, it is rare to find a candidate with both the ability to express himself eloquently and well-developed policy ideas. Scarcer still are candidates with persuasive rhetoric and good policy ideas. Donald Trump possesses neither. Saying he is going to deport 12 million people or ban all Muslims from the country may win him votes in the primaries, they are hardly the comments that will appeal to the independent voters he will need to win in order to beat the Democratic nominee.

Rhetoric aside, many of Donald Trump’s policies would be detrimental to America. To start, while less publicized than some of his other ideas, his tax plan is not exactly what you would call conservative. According to the Tax Foundation, Trump’s plan would increase the federal deficit by over $10 trillion. It’s hard to believe that conservatives are supporting such a plan as this. While there are some good aspects about this plan, such as reducing the amounts of tax brackets no one would ever mistake it for conservative tax policy. It is blatantly progressive as nearly 50% of Americans would pay no taxes at all. Another of the policies he has advocated for, and one that might be the most concerning is his proposed 45% tariff on Chinese exports. Anyone with half an understanding of trade could tell you that this would be an unmitigated disaster. China would undoubtedly respond in kind, thereby hurting us probably more than we'd be hurting them. While this tariff may encourage or force American corporations to return to the United States, it would put a massive strain on our relationship with one of the largest economic powers in the world and is against every principle of free trade. If Trump wants corporations to return to the U.S. he should provide incentives for them to do so, not force them by taxing them into oblivion. Trump has stated that if elected, he would like to appoint his sister to the Supreme Court. His sister, Maryanne Trump Barry, is a circuit judge on the U.S. Court of Appeals, who happens to be a radical, pro-choice advocate. Finally, his plan to deport 12 million illegal immigrants is most likely impossible, outrageously expensive, and in some cases, downright unchristian. However, he knows it scores him points with his base, so he continues to double down. The inflammatory rhetoric that Trump engages in will do nothing other than to divide Americans, alienate our allies, and embolden our enemies. Nothing Trump has said or done during his time in the public eye suggests that he is a conservative since his new found conservative views are in stark contrast to what he said in the past. Here's a video showing all the times Donald Trump talked about how liberal he was. Trump supported and still supports universal government health care. He supported partial birth abortion. He supports eminent domain. He has praised both Bill and Hillary Clinton on multiple occasions. He supported the bank and auto bailouts. He has donated to the Clintons, Chuck Schumer, Harry Reid, and Nancy Pelosi, as well as the Democratic Party. He supported gun control. And perhaps most hypocritical of all, up until recently, he supported amnesty. How is anyone supposed to trust this man? There is nothing to indicate that he is a reliable conservative who would not merely revert to his liberal views once the general election cycle begins.

For a moment, let's assume that Trump’s rhetoric or his ideas are not a problem. Let’s assume that banning Muslims from America, monitoring mosques, shutting down parts of the internet, and everything else, are actually good ideas. Even if we accept that premise, Trump is still an unacceptable candidate. Pay attention to his speeches and interviews. If you really listen to him, you will realize that the man has laid out no real plans on how he will implement his ideas. When pressed on how he will implement his policies, he rarely can or will elaborate. His response is often, "we're just gonna do it." He is also ignorant on an alarmingly large amount of issues. For instance, when asked about the nuclear triad in one of the debates it was clear he had no idea what the triad was, and it fell to Marco Rubio to explain it. As someone who has never been involved in politics, he clearly has no clue how the political system works. Certainly, he won't be able to effectively work with congress if elected.

Perhaps most concerning of all is the damage Donald Trump is doing to the Republican Party. Republicans cannot remain a viable national party if they routinely insult women and minorities as Mr. Trump so routinely does. White baby boomers will not decide elections much longer. The electorate is becoming younger and more diverse. The GOP has been trying to re-brand itself in order to appeal to the essential demographics of millennial voters, women, and Hispanic voters. A Trump nomination would likely destroy whatever inroads that have been made. As Michael Medved put it, “Trump is the living, breathing, bellowing personification of all the nasty characteristics Democrats routinely ascribe to Republicans.” Additionally, if elected president, he would increase the size of government which would cause Republicans to lose all credibility when it comes to speaking of fiscal responsibility and conservative government. In short, Donald Trump would set the Republican Party back decades and deal a blow to conservatism that could very well prove fatal.

Recently I attended the First in the Nation Presidential Town Hall in Nashua, New Hampshire. Speaking at this town hall were presidential candidates Jeb Bush, Carly Fiorina, Marco Rubio, Rand Paul, Rick Santorum, and Jim Gilmore (yes, he is still running). While I don’t agree with everything these candidates stand for, each and every one of them would be a far better choice than Donald Trump. At this event these candidates laid out a bold conservative vision for America. They talked in detail about their plans for reviving the American dream, jump-starting the economy, reforming healthcare, and most importantly, keeping America safe from the global threat of terrorism. Unfortunately, most of this will be lost in the Trump mania as many Republicans continue to ignore the candidates who actually have a plan for the future.

Donald Trump is not a thoughtful conservative. Donald Trump is a demagogue. William F. Buckley Jr., the founder of the National Review and longtime conservative icon, said this about Trump in 2000: “Look for the narcissist. The most obvious target in today’s lineup is, of course, Donald Trump. When he looks at a glass, he is mesmerized by its reflection. If Donald Trump were shaped a little differently, he would compete for Miss America. But whatever the depths of self-enchantment, the demagogue has to say something. So what does Trump say? That he is a successful businessman and that that is what America needs in the Oval Office. There is some plausibility in this, though not much. The greatest deeds of American Presidents — midwifing the new republic; freeing the slaves; harnessing the energies and vision needed to win the Cold War — had little to do with a bottom line.” Trump’s following is a cult of personality, and that is exactly what is so dangerous about him. His supporters are so wrapped up in their admiration of him, that nearly nothing will sway their opinion. Trump himself admitted to this when he said, only half jokingly, that he could shoot someone in the middle of 5^th Avenue and not lose any supporters. This is similar to what we saw with Barack Obama in 2008. Obama excited voters in a way that has rarely been seen in American politics. People were obsessed with him. His rallies were attended by thousands of adoring fans, and seemed more like rock concerts than political rallies. Now, seven years later, the same thing is happening with Donald Trump. Beware of any candidate that can incite this type of adulation; they are likely not receiving this type of attention because they are a good candidate, but because they know precisely what people want to hear and are experts at exploiting this for their own political gain.

It is for these reasons I am terrified to think of the possibility of Donald Trump being elected President. Consequently, I am joining with other conservatives around America to denounce Donald J. Trump as a fraud, and as someone who would be bad for the party, for the conservative movement, and most of all, bad for the United States of America. It’s time for conservatives to unite and refuse to let Trump be nominated. We refuse to him speak for us or our party. Donald Trump must be defeated.