Posts Tagged → positive
Trump Harrisburg Town Hall was fabulous
Yesterday afternoon I participated in the President Donald Trump town hall with Sean Hannity here in Harrisburg, at the Farm Show building, and it was a fabulous experience. I am glad I went, and two young-er family members went with me.
Some takeaways:
- Plenty of former Democrats and current Independents were in the crowd. I spoke with quite a few of the people around me, and learned that there are still registered Democrats who are nonetheless supportive of Trump. I think the open border is scaring them. Plenty of Independents, too.
- Trump is a smart and straight-talking person, not just unafraid to be challenged and questioned but welcoming the give-and-take. He is a gregarious person with confidence, and enjoys explaining his policy positions.
- His supporters are normal every-day people. I met a computer programmer, two teachers, a retired police officer. The people in the audience dressed and acted like normal people, friendly to one another, gracious. I saw no bad or crude behavior.
- Not all of Trump’s supporters are hyper-excited fangirls, although we certainly saw and heard them roaring and cheering last night (the young man who accompanied me screamed himself hoarse). But boy, does he have supporters who are SCARED of what has happened to America in the past few years. These are people who were a-political or non-political until recently. They are not regulars at protests or political rallies, they may not have voted until the past few years, but they showed up last night because they see their entire nation slipping away under their feet and through their fingers, and they wanted to show their support for the person they believe can stop the destruction. Quite a few of these people did not even cheer or yell, they hardly clapped, but they were in the audience with great intention. You could see it clearly in their faces.
- Sean Hannity surprised us all. He has a reputation for talking over his guests, which he did not do to Trump. Funny enough, the hopped up crowd did that for Hannity, often loudly chanting or enthusiastically yelling out as Trump was going to say something.
- The Mainstream Media really is the enemy of The People, because the lies and nonsense they put out starting with late last night and spilling into today are just incredible. I am disgusted by the sheer number of blatant lies told by the press about the town hall. The press is supposed to hold the government accountable, but now in America, the press are 100% partisan political activists for the government, for censorship, and against the constitutional rights that We The People hold so dear.
- Discussing the event with an older Democrat friend, I was caught off guard by his sudden vehemence and the strange things he said about Trump. A disconnect between what I had just witnessed from start to finish, and what I guess is the mainstream media’s spoon-feeding of garbage to whoever is in their audience, like my friend. When I challenged him to provide me with evidence for his claims, he assured me he would. So far that has not materialized, and I don’t think it will. The facts do not support Trump being “demented” (Biden clearly is demented while Trump clearly is clear headed and sane), or a “Lying, cheating con man…a grifter.”
- Trump is the complete opposite of a grifter, because he did not take a presidential salary and did not make money during or after being president, but rather lost a lot of money. Contrast that with the Bidens, Obamas, and Clintons, all of whom entered public service poor and exited extremely wealthy. Biden is clearly a criminal recipient of illegal bribes from China, both directly and through his son Hunter.
- As for the lying and cheating part, I have not yet seen it with Trump, though both are epidemic among regular politicians, and I wonder if my Democrat friend applies the same standard to his favorite candidates as he applies to Trump….
- There is huge positive energy around President Trump, and we need to keep that going. The Democrat Party is doing everything possible to allow illegal aliens to vote (which is patently illegal) in this upcoming election, and we need to have such a massive turnout for Trump that the election is too big to rig. (Personal note: I sat directly in line with the cameras focused on Trump, and whenever he was speaking I was visible precisely to the right of his right cheek. Wearing a light blue shirt and a red hat, I was also blurry…so close to finally being on TV, and yet not really being on TV)
That’s me. I have never been so close to world fame, and yet so blurry and far away from it
My impression of Paul Mango, candidate for PA Guv
Three weeks ago I spent half an hour on the phone with Paul Mango, newly declared candidate for Pennsylvania governor.
We talked about his candidacy, his background, political issues, economics, hopes and challenges, etc. We then followed up with several back and forth emails, each one of his expressing specific appreciation and thanks for how the exchange had benefited him in a certain way. He is a new candidate, new to politics (other than as a very generous donor to Republican candidates), and he is digesting a lot of new information and ideas, new ways of thinking.
Last week I met Mango at his formal campaign announcement at the Twin Ponds sports and fitness center in Camp Hill\Mechanicsburg.
Twin Ponds previously served as the region’s HQ for primary and general election candidate Donald Trump, who won Pennsylvania’s Electoral College votes by a margin probably accounted for just by the simple dedication of Central PA’s “normal Americans” in both political parties. The big facility is run by a pretty, petite firebrand of a woman, Mrs. Patton aka General Patton.
Here are my impressions of Mango (and yes, I know, he’s just getting started):
He is impressive in several key ways: His family background and values, his education and military service, and his high level professional work experience.
Paul Mango is a very smart, confident, and empathetic man, who comes across as a reserved, reflective, nice person, and a responsive, good listener. He is positive and genuine.
I questioned him in person about how he will compete against candidate Scott Wagner, who has spent years battling in the trenches with a lot of conservative voters and activists, against entrenched establishment political hacks in politics for personal financial gain, and who has thereby built up credibility with many politically active citizens who value bravery and honesty.
When I pointed out that Wagner has also alienated a lot of people (including many of his former supporters) in that process (because Wagner seems selfish, arrogant, and unappreciative), Mango responded that he will not say anything negative because he has never seen valuable leadership succeed except through “inspiring people.”
That is a very high bar to set for one’s self, much less one’s political competitors, but it is worthy because it says Mango has integrity. The Wagner campaign has already criticized Mango for supporting Cruz first, and then Trump later, though I got the impression that is what Scott Wagner did, too, like a lot of us did in last year’s Republican primary. Here we go, the mud is already flying!
Well, to start, if Mango is going to inspire voters, then he needs to increase his positive speaking energy, his intensity, his passion. The other night he came across as a little nervous, and definitely way too deliberative, almost plodding, at his formal announcement. His prepared speech was long and the delivery was very, very slow.
Recall that Abraham Lincoln’s speech at Gettysburg is so hard hitting because it was not long and plodding, but brief and hard hitting.
Despite serving in the 82nd Airborne and actually being a warrior, Mango’s even-keeled demeanor does not seem warrior-like, while his main competitor, Wagner, did not do military service and yet is a proven culture and fiscal political warrior.
Though he wore jeans, work boots, and an Oxford shirt, Mango is the very definition and personification of “corporate,” which will probably look or smell like moderate RINO to the trench warfare grass roots conservatives. Time will tell if that first impression is accurate.
His approach to fixing government is his approach to fixing businesses, about which it is best to just quote my activist friend Ron:
“The problem with these guys [corporate/business/ Chamber of Commerce GOP candidates who compare running government to running business] is they all have plans to fix government by running it like a business. This is not a unique viewpoint and it has never worked. This is politics, not business. Took me a while to accept that. He can have the greatest plan ever but it won’t matter because politicians don’t care [about people, policy, economy etc.]. They care about themselves and getting re-elected.”
It is a fact that careerist politicians in BOTH PARTIES do not act like corporate employees, because there is almost no accountability in politics. The old quip about the only accountability in politics resulting from being “found in bed with a dead girl or a live boy” probably doesn’t even apply today.
Like him or not, candidate Scott Wagner goes right to the key policy battles: Corrupt blood-sucking unions, ridiculous regulations that violate our federal and state constitutions, wasted and stolen taxpayer money.
That is where the rubber meets the road in the culture war for America’s soul and the war for a middle-income economy.
This is the battle front between America as it was founded and as we knew it, and America as a bastion of totalitarian socialism and politically correct thought police, envisioned by the Left.
Candidate Mango will probably arrive here at the same battle front, eventually, because the leftists’ violent street battles across America tell us that nice words alone don’t work, and Trump’s improbable win says it all (JEB! was also the quintessential corporate nice guy, and GOP voters utterly rejected him).
Mango’s steady personality seems to avoid conflict, which though commendable and reassuring in so many other settings, can send the message to some voters that he may be like a zillion other mainstream RINOs who are unwilling to dive into the bar room brawl that needs to happen for America to be set right. These careerist RINOs don’t want to get their hands dirty waging political war, which tells voters that they really just don’t care very much about political or cultural outcomes.
Mango is smart enough to see these facts and voter trends. Whether he arrives at that messy policy battle front sooner or later is the question. If he finds a way to comfortably voice his quiet intensity, his passion, his compassion for working Pennsylvanians, then he will overcome the potential impression that he is another empty GOP suit (I was told that PA GOP kingmaker Bob Asher has NOT supported Mango, which appeals to the conservative, independent-minded base).
I like the guy and I am looking forward to seeing him develop over the next six months, because, again, he is new to politics and just getting started.