Sunday, January 31, 2016

Last chance for US to say we refuse to be Europe, to chose only a candidate who'll commit to killing TPP trade deal rendering US just another European Union nation. EU began with open borders and massive crony trade deals-Sen. Jeff Sessions

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"While Europeans are accustomed to being ruled by presumed betters whom they distrust, the American people's realization of being ruled like Europeans shocked this country into well nigh revolutionary attitudes."...Codevilla, 2010, "America’s Ruling Class--And the Perils of Revolution"

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1/29/16, "Sessions: Choose carefully America, 2016 is 'THE LAST CHANCE'," Washington Examiner, Paul Bedard

"Alabama Sen. Jeff Sessions, a leading voice on trade, immigration and executive powers, is urging Americans to choose their next president carefully because 2016 "is the last chance for the American people to take back control of their government."

In a sober interview with Secrets, the Republican warned that liberal special interests, Wall Street moguls, and international media conglomerates are fast turning the United States into just another member of the European Union and that the effort is being led by a Democratic president eager to go his own way with executive orders.

"This election is different because we have pell mell erosion of law, the constitutional order, where President Obama has pushed an agenda that eviscerates the immigration legal system, and pushed this trade agreement that will commence decades of transferring American economic power to an ever-expanding international commission. It's just not going to stop" unless voters take action, he warned.

"This is the way the European Union began," he added.

Highlighting immigration and trade, Sessions urged voters to choose a candidate who will commit to killing the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade deal with nearly a dozen Asian nations which is slated to cost 448,000 U.S. jobs, and finally make good on 30 years of promises to put an end to illegal immigration, which is costing the nation billions in welfare and undermining U.S. wages.

"This election will be the last chance for Americans to get control of their government," said Sessions, repeatedly making that point. "I think this election is the big one. To win, Republicans need to demonstrate that they care about the average person who goes to work every day," he added....

Sessions said that if candidates don't promise to end TPP and close the border, voters should move on. "People should have total confidence and a clear commitment on those issues. If they don't, then they don't have my vote," he said.

The influence of Sessions on key issues in the presidential race, especially TPP and immigration, can't be underestimated. He was the loudest voice against TPP, which the president plans to sign in the coming weeks, and helped Donald Trump and Sen. Ted Cruz on immigration issues.

He warned that if the next president OK's TPP, it would erode U.S. economic power and put trade under a powerful commission on which America would have just one vote.

On immigration, he slammed decades of failed promises.

"It's been a sham, decade after decade, and the voters need to know that this might be the last chance to elect a president who can reduce this tide and to end the illegality and serve the interests of working Americans. Their jobs, their wages, their hospitals, their schools the public safety, have to be put first," Sessions urged.

"We need a president with the credibility to tell the world that the time of illegality is over, not come to this country unlawfully," he said."

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July-August 2010, "America’s Ruling Class--And the Perils of Revolution," Angelo M. Codevilla, American Spectator 

US Ruling Class

"The Political Divide"... (1st subhead)

"While Europeans are accustomed to being ruled by presumed betters whom they distrust, the American people's realization of being ruled like Europeans shocked this country into well nigh revolutionary attitudes. 
 

But only the realization was new. The ruling class had sunk deep roots in America over decades before 2008."...(begins 3rd parag. in subhead). 

"The Country Class"...(9th subhead)

"Nothing has set the country class apart, defined it...so much as the ruling class's insistence that people other than themselves are intellectually and hence otherwise humanly inferior. Persons who were brought up to believe themselves as worthy as anyone, who manage their own lives to their own satisfaction, naturally resent politicians of both parties who say that the issues of modern life are too complex for any but themselves. Most are insulted by the ruling class's dismissal of opposition as mere "anger and frustration"--an imputation of stupidity--while others just scoff at the claim that the ruling class's bureaucratic language demonstrates superior intelligence....If the politicians are so smart, why have they made life worse?" (5th parag. of subhead).


Above image of US Ruling Class from American Spectator

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11/9/2015, Trump in Springfield, Illinois














 
Image, 11/9/2015, Trump rallies 10,200 in Springfield, Illinois 

11/9/2015, "Donald Trump Makes Stop in Springfield," WMBD, CentralIllinoisproud.com, Springfield, Ill.

"Republican Presidential front-runner Donald Trump took his campaign to Illinois in front of a record crowd Monday, 10,200 people packed the convention center."....













Above, 1/13/16, " 3h3 hours ago Pensacola, FL. Presidential Rally in Pensacola, Florida," Dan Scavino twitter


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Saturday, January 30, 2016

Trump leads Cruz by 5 points in final Iowa poll before caucuses, Jan. 26-29, 2016, Des Moines Register, Bloomberg. Trump supporters most 'most decided,' 71% say decision final. 'Trump inspiring new interest in Republican caucuses'-Bloomberg Politics Des Moines Register poll

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Trump 28
Cruz 23
Rubio 15
Carson 10
Paul 5
Christie 3
Bush 2
Fiorina 2
Huckabee 2
Kasich 2
Santorum 2

Poll dates, Jan. 26-29, 2016 (Wed.-Sat.). 602 likely Iowa Republican caucus participants. 4% error margin. "Supporters of Trump are the most decided," 71% say their decision is final. Telephone interviews. Link to poll.

1/30/16, "Trump Overtakes Cruz in Final Iowa Poll Before Caucuses," Bloomberg, John McCormick

"Donald Trump has overtaken Ted Cruz in the final days before Iowa's caucuses, with the fate of the race closely tied to the size of Monday evening's turnout, especially among evangelical voters and those attending for the first time, a Bloomberg Politics/Des Moines Register Iowa Poll shows.

The findings before the first ballots are cast in the 2016 presidential nomination race shows Trump with the support of 28 percent of likely caucus-goers, followed by 23 percent for the Texas senator and 15 percent for U.S. Senator Marco Rubio of Florida.

The billionaire real estate mogul leads Cruz among those who say they definitely plan to attend, 30 percent to 26 percent. With the less committed—those who say they'll probably attend—Trump also beats Cruz, 27 percent to 21 percent.

Trump is leading with both the inner core of the caucus universe and the fringe—that’s what any candidate would want," said longtime Iowa pollster J. Ann Selzer, who oversaw the survey for the news organizations. 

Read the poll questions and methodology here.

The poll's findings are based on 47 percent of those likely to attend considering themselves evangelical or born again Christians. When re-weighted as a scenario test for the higher evangelical turnout seen in 2012 entrance polls, the race is closer, with 26 percent for Trump and 25 percent for Cruz.

A Trump victory could significantly boost his chances of winning his party's nomination, while a second-place finish for Cruz would be a major setback for a candidate who has invested heavily in Iowa and enjoyed strong support from evangelical Christians who form a large part of the state’s electorate. Trump is dominating in polling in New Hampshire and South Carolina, the two states that follow Iowa in the nomination calendar.

Just two days before the first-in-the-nation caucuses, the race remains fluid, even after hundreds of campaign stops in Iowa, tens of millions of dollars of advertising and seven nationally televised debates.

More than half—55 percent—say their mind is made up, while 45 percent say they either don't have a first-choice candidate or could still be persuaded to pick someone else. In the final Iowa Poll before the 2012 Republican caucuses, 51 percent say they had their minds made up.

Trump's advantage over Cruz is a reversal of the race in the previous Bloomberg Politics/Des Moines Register Iowa Poll in early January, when he trailed 25 percent to 22 percent.

Under near constant attack from Trump since December, Cruz’s favorability rating has also dropped—by 11 points to 65 percent. Trump is viewed favorably by 50 percent, a four-point drop since the prior poll and the lowest of the top four candidates. Retired neurosurgeon Ben Carson and Rubio are in the low 70s.

The crowded Republican field appears to be working against Cruz. If the race for the nomination eventually became a two-person race between Trump and Cruz, 53 percent of likely Republican caucus-goers would pick Cruz, while 35 percent would go with Trump.

"There's an appreciation for Cruz even among people who are voting in a different way," said Selzer, who is widely considered the state's top pollster. "For Trump, he might be able to win, in part because the field is as big as it is."

In fourth place is Carson, who is backed by 10 percent of likely Republican caucus-goers, followed by U.S. Senator Rand Paul of Kentucky at 5 percent. No other candidate recorded above 3 percent.

At the time of his departure from the race in September, Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker called on other candidates to also drop out, so that an establishment candidate could emerge with enough support to challenge Trump. Yet the combined support of candidates in that lane—Rubio, former Florida Governor Jeb Bush, Ohio Governor John Kasich and New Jersey Governor Chris Christie—is still less than Trump or Cruz. 

Support for Rubio, who has emerged as the leading establishment candidate, remained flat as the caucuses near. In fact, over the four days of the survey, his support dropped the last two days.

Supporters of Trump are the most decided among the top three candidates, with 71 percent saying their mind is made up, compared to 61 percent for Cruz and 47 percent for Rubio. Trump also leads with most demographic groups measured by the poll, including those without college degrees, moderates and Catholics.

The poll's findings suggest Trump is inspiring new interest in the Republican caucuses: 40 percent of those in the survey say they'll be attending for the first time, the highest number recorded by the survey this election cycle. The last Iowa Poll before the 2012 caucuses showed 27 percent first-time caucus-goers.

Nearly one-third of Cruz’s supporters say they’d be attending for the first time, compared to half of Trump's supporters who say they'll be going for the first time, suggesting he has a greater challenge in turning out his supporters because veteran caucus-goers tend to be more reliable.

Cruz's drop from an Iowa Poll in early December—when he led the field at 31 percent—reflects a falloff in support across multiple demographic groups, including people who define themselves primarily as evangelical conservatives, where his backing dropped 12 percentage points. His support among the youngest and oldest also dropped and he lost 14 points in the Third Congressional District that includes parts of central and southwest Iowa, including the state capitol of Des Moines....

On candidate traits tested, Trump won on almost every question. He beats Cruz on being 

most feared by U.S. enemies (50 percent to 21 percent), 

potential to bring about needed change (37 percent to 21 percent), 

being a strong leader (32 percent to 23 percent),

prospects for winning a general election (35 percent to 24 percent) and 

keeping "your family safest" (28 percent to 24 percent).

Cruz beats Trump on having the "greatest depth of knowledge and experience" (26 percent to 17 percent), as well as being respected by leaders of friendly countries (20 percent to 16 percent).

Two dramatic moves in the final weeks of the Iowa race appeared to make little difference. A plurality—46 percent—say they didn't care that Trump skipped the debate in Des Moines this week, while Iowa Governor Terry Branstad’s plea to defeat Cruz failed to sway 77 percent of likely Republican caucus-goers....

With former New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg considering an independent presidential bid, the poll tested his favorability ratings among likely Republican and Democratic caucus-goers.

The findings highlight some of the hurdles facing Bloomberg should he decide to enter the race. The former mayor isn't well known in the state among the most motivated voters in both parties, with 41 percent of likely Republican caucus-goers and 57 percent of likely Democratic caucus-goers not knowing him well enough to share an opinion.

For those who do have an opinion, 50 percent of Republican caucus-goers have an unfavorable view, versus just 9 percent who hold a favorable opinion. Among those likely to attend the Democratic caucuses, that split was 26 percent unfavorable to 17 percent favorable.

Bloomberg was a three-term mayor of New York, twice as a Republican and finally as an independent, and is the founder and majority owner of Bloomberg LP, parent of Bloomberg News.

The survey, conducted Jan. 26-29 by Selzer and Co. of West Des Moines, Iowa, included 602 likely Republican caucus participants and 602 likely Democratic caucus participants. It has a margin of error of plus or minus 4 percentage points."...

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"Methodology," Bloomberg Politics and The Des Moines Register Poll: Telephone interviews. (No mention which kind of telephone, ie land line v cell phone)

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"Jan. 30 (Bloomberg)—The Iowa Poll, conducted January 26-29 for Bloomberg Politics and The Des Moines Register by Selzer and Co. of  Des Moines, is based on telephone interviews with 602 registered Iowa voters who say they definitely or probably will attend the 2016 Republican caucuses and 602 registered voters who say they definitely or probably will attend the 2016 Democratic caucuses.

Interviewers contacted 3,019 randomly selected active voters from the Iowa secretary of state’s voter registration list by telephone. Responses were adjusted by age, sex, and congressional district to reflect all active voters in the voter registration list."...






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Friday, January 29, 2016

Fox News owner Rupert Murdoch tweets about "Donald getting all attention" in past debates. Murdoch ran 2 of the prior debates, so if 'Donald' got 'all attention,' Murdoch and his staff are biased and incompetent. Murdoch should apologize to the RNC and resign

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1/28/16, Fox News owner Rupert Murdoch tweets about ""Donald getting all attention" in prior debates, two of which, August 2015 and Nov. 2015, he (Fox News) ran:










Assuming "Donald" got "all attention" in prior debates, whose fault is it? Murdoch in effect admits he and his staff are biased and incompetent. Then he writes Republican debate participants should "aim for Independents." What does that mean? Why suggest it during an event the rights for which were awarded by the Republican Party? At a time when "the largest party in America now is no party?"   

1/28/16. Twitter from Fox News owner, Rupert Murdoch, says "Donald" has been "getting all attention." The tweet is mentioned in 1/28/16 NY Times article: "G.O.P. Debate Stars the Ghost of Donald Trump," NY Times, Frank Bruni, opinion, Des Moines, Iowa

From NY Times: Trump is "the Republican campaign’s great and sobering lesson to the country, telling us things about its discontents that we didn’t properly understand. He’s the campaign’s undeniable force of gravity, exerting a pull on everyone and everything around him."...
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Added: The rise of independent and unaffiliated voters renders Republican and Democrat parties anachronistic:

1/28/16, "At start of campaign, the last gasp of political parties?" McClatchy, David Lightman

"The largest party in America now is no party — with the ranks of people calling themselves independents at the highest level in more than 75 years of polling. The parties do not control the message. People learn about politics from social media instead of traditional means such as mailings or campaign rallies. And the parties are no longer the sole banker of politics. Big-money interests now effectively create shadow parties with extensive networks of donors of their own."...









 



1/26/16, Trump rally in Iowa City, Iowa: "Audience members wait for Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump to pass during a campaign event at the University of Iowa Field House, in Iowa City, Iowa, on Jan. 26, 2016." Photo from 1/28/16 McClatchy article.






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Thursday, January 28, 2016

In historic change, more Americans are neither Republican nor Democrat. Independents at highest level in 75+ years-McClatchy, Jan. 28, 2016

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With rise of independent and unaffiliated voters, Republican and Democrat parties are anachronisms: 









 
Above, 1/26/16, Trump rally in Iowa City, Iowa: "Audience members wait for Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump to pass during a campaign event at the University of Iowa Field House, in Iowa City, Iowa, on Jan. 26, 2016." Photo from 1/28/16 McClatchy article.

1/28/16, "At start of campaign, the last gasp of political parties?" McClatchy, David Lightman

"The largest party in America now is no party — with the ranks of people calling themselves independents at the highest level in more than 75 years of polling. The parties do not control the message. People learn about politics from social media instead of traditional means such as mailings or campaign rallies. And the parties are no longer the sole banker of politics. Big-money interests now effectively create shadow parties with extensive networks of donors of their own

The result: People are tuning out and turning away.

In 2012, average voter turnout for statewide primaries for president, governor and U.S. Senate plunged to its lowest level since the modern primary system became popular in 1972.

“No one likes political parties anymore,” said Jan Leighley, who studies voter behavior at American University, where she is a professor of government. “They no longer have to work through the political process,” added Will Marshall, president of the Progressive Policy Institute.

It’s a historic change in voter behavior. The Democratic and Republican parties have dominated American politics since the mid-1850s. They grew and prospered as inclusive coalitions that tolerated diverse views for the sake of winning elections and then consolidating power....

“Americans’ attachment to the two major political parties in recent years is arguably the weakest Gallup has recorded since the advent of its polls,” Gallup reported in January.

Just 29 percent called themselves Democrats last year, it found, “making it safe to conclude that the current (number) is also the low point in Gallup polling history.” Republican loyalty was only 1 percentage point above its recent low of 25 percent three years ago. The bloc of independents reached 40 percent in 2011, and it has stayed at or above that level ever since.

The parties’ challenge is clear in states of all sizes. In New Hampshire, site of the first primary election, at least 40 percent register as “undeclared,” meaning they have no formal affiliation with a political party. 

In 2014, California had twice as many voters without a party affiliation as it did 20 years earlier. The same year, Florida had 47 percent more independent voters than a decade earlier.

Most indifferent to parties: young Americans. Nearly half the millennials identified as independents in 2014, Pew found, more than the combined total of those willing to be called either Democrats or Republicans.

“I never want to write down that I’m a Republican,” said Rebecca Sorensen, a sophomore at Penn State. She leans Republican but is reluctant to openly identify with the party because she supports abortion rights. 

Historically, children adopted their parents’ political views, including identification with the two major parties. Not anymore.

Millennials get information from sources other than from family dinners, neighbors or campaign brochures. If something piques their interest, they turn to Twitter, text messaging, The Skimm and other modern forms of instant communication.

“If I want to know more, I Google it,” said Jayla Akers, a sophomore at Penn State University.

Political parties are seen as too narrowly focused, too interested in keeping incumbents in office.

They gerrymander congressional districts to maximize their chances so that election after election only a handful of House of Representatives races are true contests. Of the House’s 435 seats, 402 incumbents are considered safe bets for re-election this year, said the nonpartisan Rothenberg and Gonzales Political Report....

It’s a far cry from freedom from party or faction that the Founding Fathers envisioned.

This two-party system quashes independent thought and the courage to take a stance on positions and kills the free market of ideas our country was supposed to be founded on,” said Ellen Read, a political activist in New Hampshire. 

Parties for generations did welcome differing views and broader membership.

“The Republican Party, both in this state and nationally, is a broad party. There is room in our tent for many views,” Ronald Reagan, then governor of California, said in 1967....

Republicans once had a strong bloc of abortion rights supporters, for example, but in 1976 the party formally included in its platform support for a constitutional amendment “to restore protection of the right to life for unborn children.” It’s now unmistakably the anti-abortion party....

Democrats also were critical of their own tactics....“It’s true that today’s multifaceted political landscape changes the footprint of national parties,” said Democratic Chairwoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz.
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But she noted that “in the primaries, we set the rules for the nomination and nothing can replace the unique ability of the national parties to effectively organize and mobilize voters,” and their role in the general election is so detailed it “cannot be replicated externally.”

While independents are gaining clout, so are the big-money groups that now operate as virtual political parties.

Take Freedom Partners, an organization sponsored by brothers Charles and David Koch of Wichita, Kan. Last year, the group committed to spend $889 million on politics and policy in 2015 and 2016....

And the Koch network does more than just spend money. Twice each year it hosts about 400 executives, who pay dues of $100,000 each, for meetings on politics and policies....

Other alternatives to the parties also are gearing up. In that world, everyday voters ask, how can they ever be heard? Not through the Republican or Democrats parties, say increasing numbers of voters.

As Peter White, a cabin manager in Nottingham, New Hampshire, put it, “You feel the two parties both work for Wall Street and don’t care who wins.”" 

"This version changes the reference to the rise in independents in California to say voters without a party affiliation."

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Among comments to McClatchy article: There's only one party. Media does its part to keep alive the multi-trillion dollar illusion that there are two:

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"Rip Torn" Parties, seriously I don't see any parties. I just see the Democrats and the Republicans feigning they are two different parties but in reality they are one in the same. The media keeps up the lie as they dupe the electorate."

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"Walter Ziobro It's about time. The Democratic and Republican Parties have essentially been philosophically irrelevant since WW2. Prior to that, the Dems were the party of states rights, free trade, and Southern agrarian interests. The Reps were the party of federalism, protectionism, and Northern industrial interests. Since then, both have morphed so much that each has basically been turned inside out, and upside down. Good riddance to both."





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Media asks, 'Who does Trump he think he is?' Limbaugh: 'He's exposing so much as fraud that has gone on inside the American political process for so long they can't allow somebody like this to win'-Rush Limbaugh, 1/27/16


1/27/16, "Trump Refuses to Play by the Rules," Rush Limbaugh

 "Trump is functioning totally outside this structure that has existed for decades....The people who are only familiar with the structure and believe in it and cherish it and want to protect it, 

feel threatened in ways that you can't even comprehend....

He (Trump) would have to know that they want to take him out; he's outside the game; he's breaking all the rules. He's exposing so much as fraud that has gone on inside the American political process for so long they can't allow somebody like this to win and succeed.... 
 

I heard people on Fox last night talking about this. "Who does he think he is? He can't control the media." I got news for you: He is controlling the media, and it's his objective...He controls the media when he's not on it. He controls the media when he is on it. He controls the media when he's asleep. Nobody else has been able to do anything like this short of the Kennedys, and they're pikers compared to the way Trump is doing this....

Trump is not that hard to understand if you pay attention to him and read his books. In The Art of the Deal, one of the things that he makes a huge deal about is being able to know when to walk away and have the guts and the courage to do it."...[This from 1st paragraph of this segment.]

Donald Trump knows that by not showing up, he's owning the entire event.  Some guy not even present will end up owning the entire event, and the proof of that is Fox News last night. I have to tell you, folks, this is where this gets tough for me. I was stunned watching Fox News last night. Fox News was acting like they had been jilted at the altar. If it had been me -and this is easy to say-if it had been me and Donald Trump makes a big to-do about not showing up for the debate, report the story and move on....There's a lot of news out there. But don't devote the rest of the night to how a candidate's not showing up because of you. I mean, the network, not just Megyn Kelly."...  

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Comment: Rush Limbaugh has articulated the horrors of the Establishment better than anyone else for many years yet remains in love with it. He often says what needs to be said, but easily mixes in Establishment cheer leading and nastiness (in this case, anyone but Trump). Elites know they can count on Rush when it matters most.


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Republicans have always conceded they were subordinate to media, that 'it's our cross to bear.' Trump is first to say no more to using candidates to sell broadcast owner's agenda via subordination to show biz 'star' debate moderators-Rush Limbaugh

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Hail Mary: 1/27/16, Fox News owner Rupert Murdoch says "last chance" for his soul mate Michael Bloomberg to run for president.

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1/27/16, "It's Showbiz: Stars Don't Get Paid Millions Not to Be Part of the Story," Rush Limbaugh

"Rush: I understood the point that our first caller was making....that reporters shouldn't be the ones making news....Moderate it, fine, just ring the bell when time's up. And other than that, let it go, let it be a real debate, not an elongated Sunday show. And a lot of people have this view. 

But see...the game, the rules, the way this has all evolved, the media does control who gets access. The media does control....You've called here and complained about it. The Republicans have to not only beat the Democrats, they have to beat the media....(Republicans) say..."Yeah, that's just the way it is....That's our cross to bear." Well, Trump is saying, screw it. I'm not playing that game. It's a guaranteed loser. I'm not running against Megyn Kelly. I'm not running against Brit Hume. I'm not running against Chris Wallace. And I don't want them to act like they are running against me."

But, see, the game has evolved...that the media does have this prominent role. They determine what is news; they determine what isn't news.  And they determine what you hear about the news in terms of commentary.  And they used to have a monopoly on it. Now they don't, which has made them I think even more partisan. Openly partisan....But here comes Trump outside the parameters of all this, outside the boundaries, he's not playing the game. He's done it, he's played the game, he's been a good boy up until now, but this, for whatever reasons that he cites, is too much....

The bottom line is, nobody does this. In the process, Trump has taken charge of the media....The media is out there saying you don't get to control the media, Trump is controlling the media. "Nobody gets to control the media." Yeah, they do, if they can. Are you telling me that Bill Clinton hasn't controlled the media, Barack Obama doesn't control the media?  Don't make me laugh. Any way you slice this, Donald Trump is the story. He's the story when he's there; he's the story when he's not there.... 

Fox News would love to have viewers that are interested in things other than just the news. I mean, how else are they gonna grow their audience?  So you could argue that all of this, boiled down to its essence, is show business of one form or another. And if that's the case, who's better at it than anybody else?  Who's familiar with it, who knows how to do show business media? 

Some people, when they're faced with the media, are simply compliant and polite and try to answer the questions and others look at them as people with whom you have to engage in combat....And some say...why do I have to basically bow down and kiss their feet to get where I want to go?  Trump is media savvyHe knows TV and a big part of knowing TV is not fearing it. That's why I have to chuckle when I hear people, "Oh, man, Trump, not looking good, afraid of Megyn Kelly?...If you're afraid of Megyn Kelly how you gonna negotiate with Putin?" It isn't about being afraid of anybody....

Let me remind you of a point that I have made on many previous occasions....There isn't any news anymore. The media is not news. Not in the sense that you turn to the media to find out what happened couple hours ago that you didn't know or what happened last night that you didn't know. That's what people think the news is. It isn't the news. The news, depending on where you get it, there's an agenda behind every bit of it....

It consists of never-ending criticism and mocking of the Republican Party and conservatives. It's called "news." It's called "the news media." But there isn't any news....And more and more it's descending into show business, entertainment news of one degree or another....

Now, Trump isn't even unprecedented here. Do you remember the RNC canceled a debate on NBC?... 'Cause they didn't like the questions that were asked by the CNBC moderators, if you remember that....That was the debate where Ted Cruz stopped everything for a minute and said. "The questions being asked here are absurd. They're ridiculous, they're offensive, and they're distracting."

Everybody applauded and all that, and the CNBC moderators smirked and laughed and they chuckled. Even though they were being ripped to shreds, they thought, "Home run, man! We became the story." The idea that members of the media are not the story? Don't make me laugh. The idea that the media gets out of the way, doesn't want to become the story?...Who's gonna pay you $6 million a year to anchor a program where you aren't the news?...If they're gonna pay you $6 million, $12 million, whatever it is, you better be the reason people are tuning in....

It's happening throughout the media. It's all now personal....all personality oriented."...

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Additional Limbaugh transcript from 1/27/16:
 

1/27/16, "How the Heartland Views Fox News,"
Rush Limbaugh

"Folks, I want to let you in on another observation of mine -- and that's all it is, is an observation.  I have found, when talking to people, including media people in the East Coast, New York -- well, all the way up and down the East Coast, but New York -- Washington, Boston, down here in south Florida and so forth, virtually everybody thinks of Fox News as a conservative network.  But you go out... As I've traveled around and go places...

I'm here to tell you: Fox News is not considered the conservative network that it used to be. I'm not trying to stir anything up here. I'm saying that when you hear the media, who are all leftists, talk about Fox News, it may as well be the John Birch Society as far as they're concerned....It may as well be the Birchers. It may as well be whatever evil right-wing organization. But you go out to the heartland of this country, and it's not so much. I mean, what would a conservative network be doing giving time to Michael Moore?...

Now, the identity is still pretty obviously heavily tilted to news and analysis that you don't get anywhere else, and that remains true. I'm just telling you people's perceptions as they share them with me. I'll tell you what I think...It's just more evidence of the media being out of touch...

Since we're talking about Iowa, I don't think they really know what's important to the people of Iowa. Because they look at everything through their own prism of being in the Northeast and part of the liberal power structure that determines every social, political structure in that part of the country -- and, as such, there's a divide....

And it's no more obvious than the issue of immigration. But it's also obvious on the issue of say, Obamacare, or spending....When you start talking about Fox News, people in the media say, "Oh, it's just embarrassing. Right wing! My God, ugh." But it's not thought of that way in many parts of the country."

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More Rush Limbaugh "Related links"

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Ed. note: Rush Limbaugh is Establishment at heart. I define Establishment as 'the country comes last.' He's somehow able to absorb and distill information of value to a general audience. That's my experience listening to his show since 1989 and reading his transcripts.





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Wednesday, January 27, 2016

South Carolina lieutenant governor McMaster endorses Trump-CNN, 1/27/16

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1/27/16, "South Carolina's lieutenant governor endorses Trump," CNN, Jeremy Diamond, Gilbert, SC

1/27/16 in So. Car.













"South Carolina's lieutenant governor endorsed Donald Trump during the GOP front-runner's rally here Wednesday night.

Lt. Gov. Henry McMaster, who was elected in November 2014, previously served as the state's attorney general and chairman of the South Carolina GOP. He is the highest-ranking South Carolina official to endorse Trump.

McMaster introduced Trump at his rally, calling him a "man of accomplishment."

"He's actually done some things. Some big things," McMaster said. "He speaks the truth as he sees it in words everybody can understand."


McMaster had previously supported Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, who dropped out of the presidential race last month after a campaign spent frequently sparring with Trump, who repeatedly criticized the South Carolina senator.

Graham has since endorsed former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush in the GOP race.

Richard Quinn, who has been a friend and political consultant to both Graham and McMaster, told CNN that McMaster and Graham are "very close."

Quinn also said McMaster's endorsement is yet another indication that Trump's presidential bid is gaining legitimacy in establishment circles as Trump is perceived more and more as the likeliest candidate to emerge as the GOP standard-bearer.

And McMaster's backing is just the latest in a string of endorsements the Trump campaign has rolled out in the last week.

The campaign first announced former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin's endorsement last Tuesday. And this week, the campaign announced endorsements from evangelical leader Jerry Falwell Jr., the son of the late influential televangelist, and Sheriff Joe Arpaio, the hardline Arizona official who gained notoriety for his hardline anti-illegal immigration policies.

As with Palin, whose former aide, Michael Glassner, serves as Trump's political director, Trump is also connected to McMaster through a staff member: Trump's South Carolina political director, Jeff Taillon, who served as McMaster's campaign manager during his successful 2014 bid for lieutenant governor.

South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, though, has been critical of Trump's bid, jabbing at the front-runner in her response to President Barack Obama's State of the Union address earlier this month.

"During anxious times, it can be tempting to follow the siren call of the angriest voices," Haley said. "We must resist that temptation. No one who is willing to work hard, abide by our laws, and love our traditions should ever feel unwelcome in this country."

Haley later confirmed that her remarks were in part aimed at Trump.

Trump, though, has tried to make nice with Haley, calling her a "friend" shortly after she made those remarks."

Image caption above, 1/27/16, "McMaster says SC is going to have one of the most decisive primaries this cycle as he introduces Trump." DelReal twitter, Washington Post













Above image caption, 1/27/16, "Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump (left) joins South Carolina Lt. Gov. Henry McMaster during a campaign stop in Gilbert, S.C., on Wednesday, Jan. 27, 2016. (AP Photo/Rainier Ehrhardt)"




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French government advancing plans to remove citizenship from convicted terrorists. Justice Minister in opposition resigns. French pres. agrees it was time for Taubira to move on-BBC

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1/27/16, "French Minister Christiane Taubira resigns amid terror row," BBC

"French Justice Minister Christiane Taubira has stepped down from her job, shortly before MPs are due to debate plans to strip people convicted of terrorism of their citizenship.

Ms Taubira was known to disagree with the controversial proposals.

The citizenship plans were put forward after the 13 November Paris attacks in which 130 people were murdered.

"Sometimes staying on is resisting, sometimes resisting means leaving," she tweeted.

Ms Taubira, one of France's few senior black politicians, has been replaced by Jean-Jacques Urvoas who is seen as a supporter of the constitutional change.

A communique from the Elysee Palace said that President Francois Hollande had accepted the justice minister's decision to resign.

"They agreed on the need to bring her role to an end at a time when debate on constitutional revision begins in the National Assembly, today," the statement read.

President Hollande also praised her part in pushing through same-sex marriage laws."

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Comment: BBC labels as "controversial proposals" the notion of removing French citizenship from convicted terrorists. Fine. If  they're so concerned, BBC personnel should invite the terrorists to live with them in their homes. With their children and beloved family pets.

 




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Trump rally in Iowa City, Iowa: 'Trump brings up the wall and crowd bursts into loud cheers'-Johnson twitter, Washington Post

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Above, 1/26/16, At Trump rally in Iowa City, Iowa, "Trump brings up the wall and crowd bursts into loud cheers. Trump says any time he wants to drown out protesters, he just mentions the wall." Jenna Johnson twitter, Washington Post reporter








Above, 1/26/16, " 12m12 minutes ago Panoramic pic of the crowd waiting for Donald Trump in Iowa City," Jenna Johnson twitter, Washington Post reporter.


1/26/16, "Huge crowd for Trump rally in Iowa City, easily the most for a candidate in the area for this cycle." Brent Griffiths twitter, "I cover and for . Purveyor of puns (sometimes funny). student. Previously:."  















Above, 1/26/16, Trump rally in Iowa City, Iowa: "Audience members wait for Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump to pass during a campaign event at the University of Iowa Field House, in Iowa City, Iowa, on Jan. 26, 2016." Photo from 1/28/16 article: "At start of campaign, the last gasp of political parties?" McClatchy, David Lightman


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Fox News and Rupert Murdoch are just part of massive apparatus being exposed and confronted by Trump on our behalf on a daily basis to ensure a strong, free, independent US-TCTH, sundance

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1/26/16, "URGENT REMINDER: Why Donald Trump Battles The Fox News Machine," TCTH, sundance
 
"Candidate Donald Trump has now taken enough positions for us to clearly identify that he is indeed our friend, and as a consequence their enemy. Just look at what he has exposed in the two months
since he announced. He’s done this simply by putting sunlight on issues and taking firm stances that all others in/around the same issues have apparently lied about for years....

If victorious, Trump will carry the biggest and boldest mandate EVER....

What value lies within victory, if the reason for being victorious is open to interpretation?...When Trump shows up to the White House, there won’t be anyone in DC who doesn’t know exactly why he’s there....

Donald Trump, a serious student of the entire decades long game, is waging a 360° war against the entire GOPe apparatus, on every single level of its construct. And yes, that also means the monolithic media empire which facilitates all of the aforementioned usurpations.

Donald Trump is campaigning against EVERY ADVERSE INTEREST to the U.S.A. This is the essential underpinning of the “Make America Great Again” campaign.

Those adverse interests are both outside and inside our borders. He’s intent on tearing down the machine, all of it. By now that should be obvious to everyone.

In that regard, Rupert Murdoch FOX owner is part of the problem. So too Roger Ailes Fox News President is also part of the problem….again, their interests – i.e., elect Jeb Bush- are antithetical to those of a restored, strong, free and independent U.S.

Jeb Bush, Murdoch, 12/1/14 WSJ dinner
 













Mitch McConnell, Rupert Murdoch, The RNC, Roger Ailes, Tom Donohue, Wall Street et al, are all part of the apparatus simultaneously being confronted.

Trump is talking about, and, well, actually he’s doing more than talking about it, he’s taking on BIG ideological entities that have embedded themselves inside the body politic.

It’s often a painful exhibition to watch a surgeon cut clear margins out of an infected patient. And it definitely ain’t pretty when you have to do it on a battlefield in the midst of an ideological war.

This is the backdrop for Donald Trump taking on Fox News, and as a consequence Rupert Murdoch through Roger Ailes and Murdoch’s princess, Megyn Kelly. Just like exposing the real motivation behind the RNC, or Mitch McConnell, or the NRSC in 2014’s Mississippi primary, Trump is exposing the sordid and corrupt world of the U.S. legacy media.

However, better than merely exposing them, he’s taking them head-on.

Trump would rather face an enemy who genuinely opposes him, MSNBC and CNN, than deal with the likes of a enemy who puts on the mask of being favorable toward him while simultaneously working diligently to eliminate him. (Remember Brutus?)...

Obviously, a level of media dishonesty was dragged front and center, in front of 24 million viewers, during the Fox News RNC/GOP debate. It was the severity of the dishonesty, the deceptive intent and the scope of the planning and forethought, that triggered the response. ENOUGH !...

After deciding it’s better to have an honest enemy, Mr. Trump is now in the position of tearing down the pillars of Roger Ailes creation. And, as evidence of Trumps’ strength therein, Roger Ailes’ responses reflect a reality that Ailes views this ENEMY, unlike any other enemy, because Trump holds Samson-like capabilities.

It’s not about Megyn Kelly per se’. It’s about taking the strongest most valuable part of Ailes organization, the one he has invested the most time, effort, energy and emotion with, and confronting that ‘golden goose’ first. Ailes would surely never respond the same way if it were a less valuable part of his business. Trump hits em’ where it hurts.

Appearances on CNN, MSNBC or the alphabets might seem antithetical to most GOP candidates who view Fox as a more direct channel to a specific audience. But Trump is saying he’d rather confront an honest opponent who he knows hates him, than walk into a dishonest interview unsure of their masked ‘angle’.

Trump is also showing the approach he would take if he is able to achieve victory and win the White House. Mitch McConnell will never be accepted as a representative leader, nor would John Boehner, neither could/would be trusted. Trump would dispatch their self-serving interests to the land of irrelevance and work around them.

Yes, that implies he’d use the bully pulpit against his own Republican leadership, if that was what’s needed to “Make America Great Again”. Prepare for it....

Donald Trump’s greatest weapon is not his money, his wealth, or his keen and astute business acumen, those are all simply tools he’s developed over a lifetime. No, his greatest weapon against these ideological foes is something we shared on the very first day of his candidacy….

… US !" 

 

 

 

 

Above from, "Trump Fight Song (Unofficial)," screen shot from video

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Added: Link is now inactive to above 12/1/14 image of Wall St. Journal and Fox News owner Rupert Murdoch sitting next to his guy Jeb Bush at a yearly WSJ CEO dinner. Valerie Jarrett also pictured.

Source: 12/1/2014, "Valerie Jarrett, Rupert Murdoch, and Jeb Bush tonight at John Bussey, Wall St. Journal Associate Editor.


As of 1/27/16, John C. Bussey's twitter account still exists. But, every link I tried for the photo comes back "page doesn't exist." 

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1/26/16, Fox News press release mocking Trump resembles something written by a blogger in his mother's basement:

"We learned from a secret back channel that the Ayatollah and Putin both intend to treat Donald Trump unfairly when they meet with him if he becomes presidenta nefarious source tells us that Trump has his own secret plan to replace the Cabinet with his Twitter followers to see if he should even go to those meetings."

1/26/16, "Fox News Responds to Trump's Latest 'Twitter Poll' with First-Rate Trolling," MediaIte, Sam Reisman

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Added: RNC donors and cronies are in charge of every detail of broadcast "debates." Broadcasters are merely employees hired and fired by the RNC. The DNC has the same role with its "debates:"

In 1988, Republican and Democrat parties took total control of televised debates including "selection of questioners, composition of the audience, hall access for the press and other issues."...That year, The League of Women Voters withdrew its sponsorship saying the debates had been rendered "a fraud on the American voter:"

10/3/1988, "League Refuses to "Help Perpetrate a Fraud," League of Women Voters, News Release, lwv.org, Washington, DC


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2008 article: US presidential "debates" are contrived by corporations and cronies:

9/18/2008, "Two-party debates," Center for Pubic Integrity, Josh Israel

"A Corporate-Funded, Party-Created Commission Decides Who Debates — and Who Stays Home"
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"On the night of September 30, 2004, few of the estimated 62.4 million viewers watching President George W. Bush and Senator John Kerry square off on national television likely took any notice when moderator Jim Lehrer announced, "These debates are sponsored by the Commission on Presidential Debates." Many voters tuning in for arguably the most important 90 minutes of the race probably didn't know what the Commission is, either: a largely secretive tax-exempt organization, created and run by former chairmen of the two major parties, funded by a small group of unidentified major donors, and designed, it seems, to exclude nearly all third-party candidates. 

The Commission began hosting televised debates in 1988."...

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