Handicapping the Trump Cabinet

There's a lot of speculation out there, but here are my guesses for President Trump's (doesn't that phrase feel good?) cabinet.

• Attorney General Rudy Giuliani
• Secretary of State former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich
• DHS Secretary Gov. Chris Christie
• Secretary of Defense Sen. Jeff Sessions
• Department of the Interior former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin
• Secretary of Energy Harold Hamm
• Surgeon General Ben Carson
• National Security Adviser Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn
• Chief of Staff Reince Priebus
• Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin
• Secretary of Agriculture former Georgia Gov. Sonny Perdue
• Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross
• Secretary of Labor Victoria Lipnic
• Secretary of Education William Evers
• Veterans Affairs House retiring Veterans’ Affairs Chairman Jeff Miller
• EPA Director Myron Ebell

Alright, you geniuses: what did I get wrong?
 

LYING, PARTISAN HACK-WEASELS: Which is the term CNN prefers, I hear

By Renee Nal

At right, a Carson press release published on caucus night

In case you have not yet figured it out yet, CNN gave the distinct impression that Dr. Ben Carson was suspending his campaign on the night of the Iowa caucus. The report was used by the Ted Cruz campaign, who disseminated the information to precinct captains.

This information was also used by anyone who happened to check the news with their mobile phone during the Iowa Caucus.

It is absurd to consider that media types like Michael Smerconish, Business Insider, Buzzfeed and others were fooled by overly ambitious Ted Cruz precinct captains who were cherry picking information from a CNN report, as alleged by CNN correspondent Chris Moody.

THIS IS HOW IT STARTED:

PREDICTION VALIDATED: Trump Poll Numbers May Be Vastly Inflated Due to Reality Show Name Recognition

By Malcolm X. Cromwell

Two-and-one-half months before last week's Iowa Caucus, columnist S.A. Miller of The Washington Times noted what could be called "The Trump Effect" on poll numbers with an article entitled "Donald Trump seen unlikely to win in Iowa despite poll numbers":

Laura Kamienski, a Republican Party caucus precinct representative for Hiawatha District in Cedar Rapids ... said she expects a surprise in the caucus this cycle similar to former Sen. Rick Santorum’s unexpected win in 2012. Mr. Santorum is back in the 2016 Republican race but is polling near the bottom of the crowded field in Iowa and nationally.

...Pollsters defended their survey methods and stood by their numbers. But some credited Mr. Trump’s dominance in polls to his near-universal name recognition as star of the hit TV shows “The Apprentice” and “Celebrity Apprentice.”

GOPe FAUX CONTROVERSY #705: CNN and Rubio Campaign spread rumors that Carson was dropping out

Renee Nal, writing at Trevor Loudon's site, offers a comprehensive timeline of the rumors that spread like wildfire during the Iowa Caucus votes that Ben Carson had dropped out.

The always erudite and reasoned intellect known as Donald J. Trump, who recently likened Carson to a child molester, immediately called Cruz a cheater and demanded that Iowa re-convene their cauci.

But the facts, as Nal documents, are very different than the reality distortion field that often surrounds Mr. Trump.

CHART: State of the Road to the Nomination; Observations and Expectations; "Unleash the Dogs of War"

The accompanying chart depicts Real Clear Politics' rolling national polling averages for the GOP presidential nomination.

I've annotated a couple of key dates, December 29th (the most recent data) and October 29th, so we can see the current state of play and compare it with how the race looked two months ago.

There are some very interesting observations we can make and several expectations we might have based upon these numbers and trends:

GOP NOMINATION TRACKING CHART: And Some Thoughts About the Current State of the Race

The accompanying chart represents the current trending chart for the Real Clear Politics average.

• I’d be interested in knowing exactly how many tens of millions of dollars the donor class has blown on Yeb Bush. Even more interesting would be to know how pissed off they are at the RNC and its bevy of Roveian scam artists "consultants" who promised yet another winner and instead delivered a turd.

• Ben Carson's star had begun to fade even prior to the Paris terror attacks, but the former neurosurgeon went into freefall as national security took a prominent place on the debate stage.

NEW WSJ/NBC POLL: Trump and Cruz Running Away From the Field

Writing at The Wall Street Chamber of Commerce Journal, a glum Janet Hook reports that Donald Trump and Ted Cruz are now dominating the national GOP field as Ben Carson's support has dropped precipitously.

Donald Trump has risen to a new high and Ben Carson’s support has plummeted among Republican primary voters after a tumultuous month of international and domestic terrorism, a new Wall Street Journal/NBC News poll finds...

...Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas has vaulted into second place, amid signs that he has picked up former Carson supporters. Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida placed third in the survey, but the poll also carried evidence that he stands to benefit most when the big field of GOP candidates is winnowed.

Giving Thanks for the Republican Establishment

Today I give thanks for my family, my friends, my colleagues and our great country, especially those who serve in our military, intelligence, law enforcement and first responder communities to protect us. I give thanks that I was fortunate enough to be born in this wonderful nation, the most magnificent society on the face of the Earth.

Today I also give thanks to the Republican Party, its leaders, and its media. I give thanks to the party's agenda -- in the wake of the Mississippi Senate primary and numerous derogatory remarks -- as it made clear it sought to wage war against us. It is a fact that the Republican establishment seeks to expel conservatives from the party.

Did you drop your Republican registration to express your disgust? Awesome -- you did exactly what the establishment wanted, so you couldn't vote for an insurgent candidate like Donald Trump in your state primary.

EXCLUSIVE: RNC appears to be conspiring with liberal media to poison GOP debates for conservatives

Earlier today, our source Deep GOPe participated in a teleconference conducted by the Republican National Lawyers Association (RNLA). While not formally aligned with the Republican National Committee, the RNLA can be said to be loosely linked to the GOP establishment.

Featured on the call was Randy Evans, an RNC Committeeman.

The topic of the GOP debates was a central theme of the teleconference. As the call unfolded, it became very clear that the RNC remains in bed with a hostile vintage media.

I’M SICK OF THIS S***: Time for Mark Levin, Rush Limbaugh and Sean Hannity to Moderate a GOP Debate

Writing at Breitbart, John Hayward points us to an excellent missive by the Ronald Reagan PAC imploring the Republican candidates to use real debate moderators.

...the Republican National Committee has chosen liberal moderators to handle the Republican presidential primary debates. To the surprise of nobody, the [CNBC] debate that ensued consisted of moderators insulting, demeaning and embarrassing the Republican candidates who participated.

Indeed, in the words of Reagan’s own Attorney General Ed Meese, “After 15 minutes it was clear that this was not a debate, but a verbal shooting gallery set up by CNBC, with the targets the Republican candidates and the shooters their biased antagonists from the press.”

...The Republican National Committee offered sanctioned debates to left-leaning networks such as NBC and CNN, yet offered nothing to actual conservative opinion leaders such as ... Rush Limbaugh, Sean Hannity ... and Mark Levin, who together influence more Republican primary voters than all the television networks combined. As a result, the past three debates have come across as reality television instead of a serious debate on the issues.

Hayward adds some compelling observations:

CHART: Which of the GOP candidates has the most cash on hand? And which are truly broke?

Spotted at Conservative Review, this chart offers a snapshot into the financial health of the various GOP presidential candidates' campaigns.

In short, Ted Cruz has the most cash on hand.

At the bottom of the heap are Rick Santorum (with less than $200,000), Bobby Jindal (less than $300,000), Chris Christie, Mike Huckabee, Lindsey Graham, Rand Paul and John Kasich.

None of these "candidates" should be permitted in the next debate, as they are truly running less to become president than for some other ulterior motives (e.g., the "GOPe Splitter Strategy").

If you have interest and the werewithal to support a true Constitutional Conservative, please consider helping Ted Cruz expand his reach by clicking here.
 

In which I obliterate the Wall Street Journal's pathetic attempt to see Paul Ryan become Speaker of the House

Over at the GOP establishment's press release reprint service known as The Wall Street Journal, the panic over Kevin McCarthy's sudden withdrawal from the race for the Speaker's gavel is palpable.

Decrying a "toxic crack-up inside the Republican conference", the Journal says the real issues in Washington are the fault of the "Refuseniks" (the party's conservative base and its representatives, albeit a better epithet than "hobbits"). According to the WSJ rocket scientists, conservatives blame the GOPe "for all the country’s problems, not President Obama."

That kind of sheer unvarnished idiocy is not unexpected from the GOP, which now seeks to install Boehner Lite -- Paul Ryan -- as Speaker.

Let's put aside the reason McCarthy is rumored to have withdrawn ("perhaps McCarthy shouldn't have been schtupping Renee Ellmers on the side, the worst-kept secret in Washington").

No, the real problem -- as Leon H. Wolf reminds us -- is the GOP establishment itself:

The Real Purpose of the Establishment’s 2016 Election Strategy

By Lawrence Sellin

The main objective of the political-media establishment and, in particular, Barack Obama is to prevent any post-election investigation of the rampant corruption in Washington DC.

Both the Democrats and the Republicans want to maintain their standing as permanent political elites, whereby they may continue to treat ordinary Americans as indentured servants and broker the tax revenues for the benefit of themselves and their wealthy donors.

It is clear that the Obamas and Valerie "Rasputin" Jarrett hate the Clintons and do not want to risk "payback time" from a vindictive and ruthless President Hillary.

The Uni-party’s 2016 Election Strategy

By Lawrence Sellin

The main objective of the political-media establishment and, in particular, Barack Obama is to prevent any post-election investigation of the rampant corruption in Washington DC.

Both the Democrats and the Republicans want to maintain their standing as permanent political elites, whereby they may continue to treat ordinary Americans as indentured servants and broker the tax revenues for the benefit of themselves and their wealthy donors.

It is clear that the Obamas and Valerie "Rasputin" Jarrett hate the Clintons and do not want to risk "payback time" from a vindictive and ruthless President Hillary.

The Obama strategy is stretch out the homebrew server scandal to undermine Hillary's campaign through a death by a thousand cuts. It has to be delicate surgery, something short of indictment and trial, which would likely implicate him, and something that would prevent retaliation from the Clinton camp, perhaps leaks of the Muslim or birther variety that we witnessed from them during the 2008 primary season.

Barack Obama has been secretly searching for a challenger to replace Hillary and is ready to endorse Vice President Joe Biden. But that backing comes with a price - Obama would select his running mate. The Obamas want a high-powered African American who can carry on the Obama legacy, and that choice is likely to be former Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick. In such a scenario, Biden would agree not run for re-election, paving the way for a Patrick presidency.

Equally eager to avoid any corruption investigations, the Republican establishment has selected Jeb Bush, the candidate most likely to continue business as usual and not raise any embarrassing questions.

LATEST FOX NEWS POLL: True GOP Outsiders Trump, Carson, and Cruz Top 50% for the First Time

Not sure if anyone else has noticed this, but the trio of outside-the-establishment GOP presidential candidates Donald Trump, Ben Carson and Ted Cruz now command 52% of the Republican primary vote versus 23% in June, an increase of 29%.

Conversely -- during the same period -- the hand-picked stooges candidates of the feckless, bumbling, and cowardly* GOP establishment (The Last Refuge dubs them the "GOPe's splitters", an entire chorus line of faux candidates designed to fragment support for a grassroots candidate -- and to deliver the nomination to Jeb!), have dropped from an aggregate support level of 63% to 40% (a startling drop of 23%).

The world's worst political consultant (you may know him as Karl Rove, who we last saw setting fire to a few hundred million dollars in 2012 with nothing to show for it) has a new strategy to resurrect Jeb!. Barring a tear in the space-time continuum, Rove will be just as successful with this scheme as he was in 2012.
 
Hat tip: BadBlue News.
 
* Which is the descriptive phrase they prefer, I hear.

WONDERFUL: Marco Rubio Still Promoting Welfare And Full Citizenship For Illegal Aliens

By Jessica Hahn

As record numbers of Muslim migrants enter the United States, and as a surge of Central Americans swamps our southern border, GOP presidential candidate Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) is using his presidential campaign to promote citizenship for those who come here illegally and take American jobs, benefits and residency.

In a September 21 interview with Fox News host Sean Hannity, Rubio said that within 10 or 12 years — which would be after the U.S. foreign-born population has swelled above 51 million on current trends — “you could have a broader debate about how has this worked out and should we allow some of them [the illegal foreign-born] to apply for green cards and eventually citizenship.”

In a quote provided yesterday to New York Magazine, Rubio’s spokesman made clear that Rubio’s position on citizenship for illegals has not changed since he worked with President Obama and Senator Schumer on the “Gang of Eight Bill.”

Rubio’s spokesman declared: “Marco has repeatedly stated — and did so again last night — that he is open to green cards after 10 years.”

DOUG’S REPORT CARD: The First 2016 GOP Presidential Debate

What follows are my personal impressions of the initial 2016 debate. I've tried to fairly assign each candidate a letter grade based solely upon the night's performance, not my personal advocacy/animosity level for the candidate.

Jeb Bush: D
In what was a surprisingly awful performance, Jeb looked like a deer in the headlights on multiple occasions. In person, Jeb's tall and imposing; but on the debate stage he looked small and weak. His attempt to bolster his prior, bizarre comments on illegal immigration, especially in the wake of Kate Steinle's murder, was a rambling, hot mess.

Ben Carson: B-
Carson is an appealing candidate who appeared overwhelmed at the beginning of the debate and then seemed to find his footing as the night wore on. His likable personality is both tempered and bolstered by the fact that he's not a professional politician.

IT'S TIME: The Cruz Coalition Is Coming!

Based upon a speech by the invaluable Trevor Loudon.

Could you support a ticket like that? Let me know in the comments.

Oh, and let Ted Cruz know on Twitter. It's time we started taking this country back.

DREAM TEAM: The Leaders of the Second American Revolution

An absolute must-watch video by Trevor Loudon.

So this is what I would do if were a man like Ted Cruz.

I'd want to get that coalition together now, early, before Jeb Bush gets any money and any support. I'd want to rebuild that Reagan coalition. So I'd be going to these groups right now. And the first thing I'd say to them: I'm going to run and run early.

And I'm to put Allen West on my VP ticket.

And then, for you libertarians, I'm going to make Rand Paul my Secretary of the Treasury and he can do what he damn well wants to the Federal Reserve and the IRS. He can take them down, abolish them, do what he wants.

And then you energy voters, Sarah Palin, Secretary of Energy. Drill, baby, drill, Drill in your backyard if you want to. Two dollar a gallon gas for every American family. Keystone pipeline, open it up!

Scott Walker, Secretary of Labor. Right-to-work all over, folks, every state.

Herman Cain, Secretary of Commerce. De-regulate, de-regulate, de-regulate. EPA gone, OSHA gone, the whole lot.

John Bolton, Secretary of State. Tell your enemies where to get off, rebuild your alliances.

Ambassador to the United Nations... no one.

Dr. Ben Carson, Secretary of Health and Human Services. End the welfare culture in this country.

Attorney General, Mark Levin. Stick it to the vote fraudsters, people.

And for the Christians, who often don't care about politics, but they do care about the education of their children, I'd say to them: vote for me this time and we will get rid of Common Core, we're going to get rid of the Department of Education, we're going to protect your home-schooling rights because David Barton will be Secretary of Education.

You could fill the whole cabinet, folks. Fill it now.

Would you rally to a team like that? Would you get out of bed every day, can't wait to get to the phone banks, and open your checkbook, and knock on doors to get those people in power.

And wouldn't it unify the base? Because everyone's getting something. You might not like Sarah Palin, but you love Allen West. You might not like John Bolton, but you like Rand Paul.

It's inspiring, with a clear policy direction. You know what you're going to get. Because where else do you work your butts off for a nebulous promise. We don't do it in business. We don't do it in our education. We know what we're going to get. That's why we work. With this team, we will work like nothing else.

And think about it, folks. You've never had a bigger team of Constitutionalists, conservatives, and libertarians, than you have today. Far more than Reagan had. And you've got all of these millions of people just itching to save their country. You've got all of these leaders out there that can't wait to gut the federal government.

You put the base with the leaders and who is going to stand in your way? Imagine, right now, you put your eggs in one basket. And they can demonize a Mitt Romney. Try and demonize 20 hard-core, Constitutional conservatives, a bunch of Rottweilers, who don't take any crap from anyone... who are all backing each other up.

You've got a team, folks. You win football with a good team. Why not win politics that way? Because you've done it before.

You didn't have a founding father, guys. You didn't just have George Washington. You had George Washington and Thomas Jefferson and Sam Adams and Benjamin Franklin and James Madison.

It was a team that won the first American Revolution and you need a team to win the Second American Revolution.

I love this idea. I love it.

Pass it on.


Hat tip>: BadBlue News.

BOOM: Ted Cruz Wins RLC Straw Poll

By Conservative Intel

NEW ORLEANS, May 31, 2014 — Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Tex., excited the crowd at the Republican Leadership Conference when he addressed them this afternoon. He followed up his appearance with a victory in the event’s 2016 presidential straw poll, which was sponsored by Conservative Intel.

In the straw poll, 633 ballots were cast, which was attended by more than 1,500 people. The results were as follows:

1. Ted Cruz — 30.33 percent
2. Ben Carson — 29.38 percent
3. Rand Paul — 10.43 percent
4. Mike Huckabee — 5.06 percent
5. Rick Perry — 4.90 percent
6. Curt Clawson (write-in) 4.58 percent
7. Jeb Bush — 4.42 percent
8. Marco Rubio — 3.32 percent
9. Rick Santorum — 2.37 percent
10. Paul Ryan — 2.05 percent
11. Allen West (write-in) — 2.05 percent
12. Chris Christie — 1.11%