FAIR AND BIASED: SOMETIMES DIFFERENT IS BETTER!

Monday, May 9, 2016

SOMETIMES DIFFERENT IS BETTER!

Weekly Opinion Editorial

TRUMP IS DIFFERENT!

by Steve Fair

On Tuesday, Donald Trump won the Indiana primary and Senator Ted Cruz and Governor John Kasich quickly suspended their respective campaigns, leaving Trump as the presumptive nominee of the Republican Party. Political pundits immediately begin to handicap the November general election and most conventional wisdom is that Trump can’t beat former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. Here are five reasons why Trump can and should win in November:

First, Trump’s message energizes people. Much like Obama did in 2008, Trump is getting people involved in politics who have never been involved. And not just a few- literally hundreds of thousands who have never participated in a primary are supporting Trump. His message of “making America great again,” resonates with the working middle class, who have seen jobs and freedom eroded in the past twenty years. His ‘secure the border’ message plays well with those who live in border states. His promise to get government out of the way so America business and manufacturing can be competitive makes sense. His ‘outsider’ attitude toward politics appeals to the vast majority of Americans. Trump is getting those people to the polls. They see something different in Trump than they have ever seen before in a political candidate. He is candid and holds nothing back.

Second, Clinton is a very flawed candidate. Whether you are talking about Benghazi or the email scandal or the Clinton foundation scandal, she is not perceived as being trustworthy. In a political environment where ‘insiders’ are viewed with distain, Clinton is the ultimate insider. Senator Sanders has ran a surprisingly competitive campaign against the Clinton political machine, which reveals the chinks in her political armor.

Third, Trump is unpredictable and unconventional. Trump has proven to not be afraid to hit his opponents hard and often. Most candidates tread softly when it comes to mentioning their opponents. Trump says things that are politically incorrect and personally insulting about his opponents. And he does it with little or no regret. A lesser candidate might shy away from attacking Clinton on women’s issues. Not Trump. He has already attacked her for attacking the women President Clinton had affairs with. While most politicos cringe when he does it, the average voter sees that boldness as a strength. The public longs for someone who will really ‘tell it like it is,’ and not just use that as a tagline in their campaign material. Most people are sick of the mealy mouthed political class and Trump’s unconventional style is somewhat refreshing.

Fourth, Trump will juggle the electoral map. For the past thirty years, most states vote either Republican or Democrat in the presidential election. Oklahoma gets little attention because the Sooner state is predictably always a red state. Only a handful- less than ten- of states are considered battleground states. Millions of dollars and thousands of hours are poured into those states to move them from blue to red. Trump’s ability to appeal to union workers and northeast liberals put states like blue states like New York, New Jersey, California and Pennsylvania in play. Not since Ronald Reagan has a presidential candidate had the ability to appeal across Party lines. Reagan’s strength was his ability to get conservative Democrats to vote for him. Trump can do that. 18 million Republicans are projected to vote in the primary and only 11 million Democrats. That is the first time since 2000 that Rs have turned out more than Ds for a primary. Many of those are new voters- people fed up with politicians and Washington. Pundits, pollsters and prognosticators never saw Trump coming and so conventional wisdom is out of the window for this election.

Fifth, Trump will do well with all demographics. Political candidates like Trump confound the conventional political operatives. The pros base their strategy and campaign plans on the premise that all Hispanics and all African Americans will vote Democrat, but with Trump, all bets are off. His economic message appeals to every American, regardless of race or gender. Jobs are important to everyone and more Americans trust him when it comes to the jobs issue.

A year ago, Donald Trump wasn’t expected to win the Republican nomination. He has been- and will continue to be- a controversial, confrontational, polarizing candidate, but his electoral success has been historic. He has spent less per vote than any candidate in recent history. He has gotten more free media coverage than any candidate in history. He has gotten more people out to vote in the Republican primary than in the past thirty years. Why? Because people are sick of conventional politicians who tell them one thing and do another. They want something different. Trump fits different to a T.

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Why FAIR & BIASED?

FAIR- because that's my name and BIASED because the truth is we are all biased- either for something or against it. What's important is that our bias(opinions) are based on right- on absolute truth and not on changing values. What's right cannot change based on a change in circumstances. That is the basis for situational ethics.

Situation Ethics is a theory that is concerned with the outcome or consequences of an action; the end, as opposed to an action being intrinsically wrong. In the case of situation ethics, the end can justify the means. There are no absolutes. Your actions are guided only by your conscience.

A person's view of right can be subjective. But there is a way mankind can definitely know what's right and that is revealed in God's Word- the Bible. As His creatures, we should be biased toward things our Creator is for and biased against those things He is against. May God grant us the grace and understanding to know the difference.

PARTY AFFILIATION IS IMPORTANT! by Steve Fair- written in 2009

How important is political party affiliation? Some people mistakenly believe only politicians need political affiliation, which they use for support to get elected. They contend the electorate or voters, do not need to be aligned with any Party. These same people often state they “support the man, not the Party.” But whether they recognize it or not, they are supporting a party when they “support the man.”
Most of the Founding Fathers had a negative view of political parties. In his farewell address to the nation, George Washington warned about political parties saying, “However [political parties] may now and then answer popular ends, they are likely in the course of time and things, to become potent engines, by which cunning, ambitious, and unprincipled men will be enabled to subvert the power of the people and to usurp for themselves the reins of government, destroying afterwards the very engines which have lifted them to unjust dominion.” In spite of Washington's warning, political parties were formed anyway.
From 1796 to 1828 the first political parties were formed. Starting with the Federalists and Anti-Federalists, two opposing factions arose. Each was concerned with how the new government was to be organized. The Federalists believed in a strong central government. Their philosophy and beliefs would closely mirror the Democrat Party today. The Anti-Federalists strongly supported the rights of the states. They would more closely align with Republicans today.
Since the mid 1800s, the Ds and Rs have been the two major political parties in our country. Political parties flourished in our government mainly for legislative organization and expediencies sake. Why is Party affiliation important for the average voter? Party affiliation is important for three very simples reasons.
First, party affiliation is the first vote a citizen casts. When a citizen registers as a Democrat, then they are aligning philosophically with the values, beliefs, tenets, and positions of the Democrats on the issues. Party affiliation “defines” you are and what you stand for. It should be taken as seriously as a vote for a specific candidate. Research what each Party stands for, their positions on issues, and then align with the Party that is closest to your values. Copies of both major Party platforms are available on-line or at the local library.
Second, legislatures organize themselves and conduct business using party affiliation. The legislative branch of government is the most powerful arm of the three branches of government. Legislative bodies hold closed meeting of party members, called a caucus to decide on questions of policy or leadership. The Republicans hold a caucus meeting and the Democrats hold a caucus meeting-both at the state and federal level. Unfortunately, conservative, moderate and liberal philosophies do not hold caucus meetings or control the legislative agendas- parties do. When someone says they vote for “the man,” not the party, they fail to understand the power and function of a caucus system in a legislative body. The Party in the majority controls appointments, Chairmanships, the agenda and countless other things through the caucus.
Third, party affiliation should be a matter of conviction, not convenience. Often, people align with a party so they can vote in primary elections or based on family tradition or geographies. Even candidates will align, file and run affiliated with a Party they have little philosophical agreement with. That decision is made out of convenience, not conviction. While no political party is perfect or has all the answers, there is a distinct difference between the two major parties and honest citizens should align with the Party that reflects their convictions.
The Democrat Party is more liberal than the Republican Party. Liberals believe in more government control of business, the environment and speech, using large bureaucratic programs to address real or perceived social ills and constant reinterpretation of the Constitution. Liberals are more inclined to trust government than the people themselves. They see the role of government as a great provider of goods and services and have little faith in the individual to solve his own problems.
Republicans are more conservative than Democrats. Conservatives believe in less government control of the environment and business. They want fewer and less comprehensive government programs to address real or perceived social ills. They believe in personal responsibility and trust individuals to make decisions for themselves. Republicans believe in a strict literal interpretation of the Constitution. A person should find out which of these philosophies best fits their view if they wish to actively participate in the political process.
Party affiliation is important. Washington’s prophecy has come to past, and political parties have been used to empower “unprincipled men,” on both sides of the aisle, but like it or not, political parties are a reality in our system of government. Each concerned citizen should evaluate the philosophy, values, beliefs and tenets of each Party and align their party affiliation accordingly.

FAIR AND BIASED

Monday, May 9, 2016

SOMETIMES DIFFERENT IS BETTER!

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PARTY AFFILIATION IS IMPORTANT! by Steve Fair- written in 2009

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