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Thursday, November 7, 2024 - 11:22 AM

INDEPENDENT CONSERVATIVE VOICE OF UPSTATE SOUTH CAROLINA

First Published in 1994

INDEPENDENT CONSERVATIVE VOICE OF
UPSTATE SOUTH CAROLINA

Someone said that the Democrats have two interesting candidates: a radical Socialist and weird old Bernie Sanders.

Republicans have a dozen candidates remaining ranging from conservative to establishment RINO. New York billionaire Donald Trump is the perfect candidate for what the RNC has been looking for. He is using his own money and expanding the base of the party to include Hispanics and Blacks. Despite the fact that he has consistently led in the polls, the controlling party leadership and most of the other candidates and their PACs are fighting him every step of the way.

Politics is dominating the news on the eve of the Iowa Caucuses and will increasingly dominate until the November 2016 General Election. It appears that Hillary Clinton will be forced out of the race at some point and replaced by Crazy Uncle Joe Biden. Hillary is in danger of being beaten by Sanders, but would certainly suffer a defeat in the General Election if the election were even close to being fair. Her violations of laws regarding the handling of classified information and lying about negligence in performance of duty is more than the American people, if informed, will tolerate.

The Times Examiner has never formally endorsed a candidate. Many elected Republicans in South Carolina along with party hacks are holding out for Jeb Bush, who has risen from 3 to 6 or 8 percentage points in the national polls.

Trump continues to lead in the polls. Cruz is the only candidate in a position to challenge him and Rubio is attempting to overtake Cruz. Trump and Cruz are vying for the Evangelical and Tea Party vote that is unorganized and elusive. Trump is a Presbyterian Church member while Cruz is a member of the First Baptist Church of Houston, Texas. The Duck Dynasty family has split their support between Trump and Cruz. Daddy Phil Robinson is endorsing and making commercials and appearances for Ted Cruz. Son and business manager Steve Robinson is doing the same for Donald Trump.

Cruz and Trump are competing for the votes of Evangelical Christians and Tea Party activists. A reporter sarcastically stated on national television that he did not think Trump had read the Bible and implied that he didn’t read anything that didn’t have his name in it. The very next day, Trump appeared on television with a Bible opened to the inside front cover. His mother had written there when she presented the Bible to him when he was a child. The criticism had either been misunderstood or diverted. Regardless, the comment did not hurt the standing of Trump with Christians.

Trump has the enthusiastic support of two leading Baptists in the nation.  Robert Jeffords the pastor of First Baptist Church Dallas, Texas and the President of Liberty University have publicly endorsed Trump.

Jerry Falwell Jr., is not an ordained minister of the Gospel, however he is the son of the late Pastor Jerry Falwell and president of the University Falwell founded.

Falwell campaigned for Trump in Iowa. When asked why he was supporting Trump, Falwell said that Trump reminded him of his father who supported Ronald Reagan, a divorced movie actor. Falwell Senior had said he was campaigning for President of the United States not a pastor for a church. Falwell Junior said Jimmy Carter was apparently a great Sunday school teacher, but not a great President.

As soon as the New Hampshire primary is over, the candidates that remain will return to South Carolina. Senator Ted Cruz will be speaking at the Greenville County Republican Women’s Club luncheon at the Poinsett Club on Thursday February 18.