Posted on 07/16/2016 9:09:41 AM PDT by Kaslin
Donald Trump hit two home runs this week. The first, immediately following the horrific terrorist truck attack in Nice, was his statement in a media interview wherein he said that if elected, he would ask Congress for a declaration of war to combat global terrorism. The second was the inspired selection of Indiana governor Mike Pence to join the GOP ticket.
Before getting to Pence, let me linger a moment on Trump's declaration-of-war pronouncement.
For well over a year, I have argued for a Washington wake-up call whereby the president and Congress enact a formal declaration of war against ISIS and all other Islamic jihadist terror groups. These groups have declared war on us. We have yet to respond.
Following the tragic terrorist attacks in Paris late last year, French president Francois Hollande declared war on ISIS. It was an act of courage. But France had to go it alone.
France has been an American ally for about 250 years. It is a key member of NATO. But President Obama never stood shoulder to shoulder with Hollande and asked for a declaration of war against ISIS. Nor did he use American clout for a NATO declaration of war.
Why is this important? I believe a war declaration would show energy, urgency, determination and leadership -- not only to rally Americans, but to send a global message to the terrorists.
I recently interviewed former secretaries of state Henry Kissinger and George P. Shultz, as well as retired four-star general Jack Keane. They all endorsed a full-throated U.S. declaration of war. And they added that with such a declaration, the U.S. must be prepared to destroy ISIS in its safe havens in Iraq and Syria.
So when Donald Trump made it clear that this, in fact, "is war," deserving of a declaration of war, he distinguished himself. No one else has done it. Not Congress. Not Obama. Certainly not Clinton.
Trump's second home run was his selection of Mike Pence as his running mate. Down through the years, as a leader of the conservative House Republican Study Committee and later as the third-ranking member of the House Republican leadership team, he stood firm as a genuine and consistent conservative.
On economic policy Pence has held to the key building block of growth. He is a budget hawk who voted against President George W. Bush's fiscally bloated No Child Left Behind education bill and hyper-expensive Medicare prescription-drug bill. He said he would not support new middle-class entitlements. He was consistent.
Just over 10 years ago, Pence was voted conservative man of the year by Human Events. I did the interview and subsequent write-up. Pence described himself as "an unregenerate supply-sider" whose central aim is to marry supply-side tax cuts with strict spending restraint to expand the economy and get the budget into balance.
A few years ago, Pence spoke to the Detroit Economic Club. He called for sound monetary reform, tax relief, access to American energy, regulatory reform, and trade. New York Sun editor Seth Lipsky reminds us that Trump has stood for a stable and reliable dollar, including a standard to back it up. Pence stands for these same things.
In Indiana, which has been hard hit by manufacturing losses, job declines and shrinking wages, Governor Pence combined tax cuts with spending restraint to spur the Hoosier economy. In this important respect he would be an excellent spokesman within the industrial Rust Belt, which includes Iowa, Michigan, Ohio and Pennsylvania. These states have all suffered similarly, but they're states where polling suggests Trump could carry the day in November. Pence helps get him there.
Contributing to GOP unity, Pence is a churchgoing evangelical family man. He believes that "the sanctity of human life is the central axiom of Western civilization." In this respect he will be an important bridge to social conservatives. And he might just soften the opposition of the Never Trump movement.
And Pence is well acquainted with the ways of Washington. He has strong ties to Speaker Paul Ryan and he is well regarded by GOP leaders in both the Senate and the House.
Finally, he will prove to be a tough and unyielding spokesman for the Trump ticket. Pence is a fighter. He will happily go after Clinton's awful record.
So this was a week where we learned a Trump-Pence ticket will seek to declare and wage war to destroy ISIS. We learned that the GOP ticket is pro-growth, ready for tax cuts and deregulation. And we learned that the ticket will be allied with traditional and social conservatives. With these credentials, Trump-Pence is in position to carry states in November that no Republican has won in decades.
It was also a week where Clinton's polls were like stocks looking for a bottom. Trump-Pence is a winner for the GOP.
We have not declared war on anyone or any country since World War II.
Neither Korea or Vietnam were declared wars.
Legally speaking, declaring war can allow us to take certain actions that might not be permitted otherwise.
Up until now, every act of Muslim terror has been treated as a one off, criminal act, unrelated to others, and are handled as civilian crimes in our criminal justice system.
If these acts were treated as acts of war, the situation could be much different.
We’ll see.
Mr. Trump and Gov. Pence are on FIRE!
Obama and his terrorist buddies know this, hence concerns he will create a crisis and declare martial law, postponing the election of Trump. Hope our military leaders and law enforcement are ready.
Respectfully disagree. His campaign seems watered down, at least in the appearances I have seen. He needs to dump his handlers. Let Trump be Trump. Also, he needs to reduce the use of his hands when giving speeches and comments. Just too much of it. It has become distracting. Pence is a poor choice IMHO, not a powerful enough presence. Sigh.
You have to remember that during primary season you go for the base of your party. In the general, you go for those who sit on the fence.
Just say NO to nutty conspiracy theories.
Anyway, congruent with killing the murderous bastards over there, we need to stop importing them over here AND figure out how to export them elsewhere. I think Curtis LeMay would have voted for using them as shark bait. ;-)
Yes. This is how I’ve always seen it. Opposite attract more votes. Reagan didn’t really like Bush at first, and Clinton never did seem to really like Al Gore. At first I really wanted Newt, because he is so exciting and bold, but then as Newt himself said, that would be like a ship with two Captains, Newt being one of those Captains. Pence adds a normalizing balance to the ticket. The Donald has enough charisma for the both of them.
At this stage, to save the nation, we need courage and stability, along with leaders with a history of accomplishment. Trump/Pence together does that, wonderfully so.
For well over a year, I have argued for a Washington wake-up call whereby the president and Congress enact a formal declaration of war against ISIS and all other Islamic jihadist terror groups.
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Obozo will never declare war on “Islamic jihadist terror groups”, he won’t even utter the words,”Islamic jihadist terror groups”.
.
He’s one of them.
Congress won’t support that declaration of war - but that’s OK. At least it puts our domestic enemies on record for later reference when the nuke goes off in Manhattan.
Selected Trump articles on FR, from 11:30 PM yesterday to 1:30 PM EDT today, 7/16/16:
Clinton Email Testimony Update (Weekly Update) –JudicialWatch
Jihad: ‘Front Line Is When You Leave Your House in the AM’ [Hannity] –Breitbart
Please keep those donations coming, folks—your support keeps FR alive! –Jim Robinson
Cop Killers Versus Racists –Scott Adams (Dilbert)
Trump's Two Homers: Pence and Promise for a Declaration of War –Larry Kudlow
Trump on a Roll –Townhall
Rasmussen isn’t the only poll showing Trump with a national lead now –HotAir
LIVE: Trump Press Conference 7/16 NY Hilton Midtown 10:30am ET –rsbn.tv
Trump insists Pence was ‘my first choice from the start’ –TheHill
Hillary Clinton Was Ready to Pounce on Trump's VP –CNN
How Will Hillary, Huma, Saudi Arabia Avoid the Trump Train? –Roger Stone
This could be the most interesting speech of the GOP Convention –Thomas Lifson
FBI Says No Agent Investigating Clinton's Emails Refused to Sign NDA –Townhall
ATTACK in Nice: CLASH of Civilizations [support Trump] –BlackPigeon (video)
L.A. Times Poll: Trump Edges ahead of Hillary –Breitbart
Beware the Soros zombies –WashTimes
28 Pages Suggest Huma-Connected Group Funded Terrorism –Breitbart
9/11 Report - 28 pages [full document] –House Intelligence Committee
GOP Convention Planners Sought $6 Million From Sheldon Adelson –NBC
Not so fast: Defeated anti-Trump delegates vow trouble during the convention –WaPo
I hope it is a declared war on a specific enemy, and not some generic war on terrorism.
If anyone sees a time schedule for Patricia Smith’s speech on Monday night, Marcus Luttrell, and the two Benghazi survivors, please post them.
As Ms Coulter made clear in her very good article, this may prove to be Trump’s “First Mistake”.
Kudlow is an open-borders guy. Read carefully into his support.
Pence is essentially open borders, and supports “Free Trade” (TPP) as a good GOPe should.
Read Coulter’s piece about Lincoln’s VP. A strong “Build The Wall”, no Crony Capitalism and 2nd Amndt selection would help ensure a successful Trump Presidency.
Now, the GOPe have their replacement for Trump.
The GOPe led senate will move to Impeach Trump within 60 days of the election.
I trust Mr. Trump to make the best decision to get things turned around and save the nation. The second-guessing accomplishes nothing.
And believing the motives of commentators? Forget it. Sean Hannity flying Newt to a meeting with Trump before the decision shows how much they want to be involved in the process. If Ms. Coulter wants to complain about something, Newt cozying up to a media advocate would be something to be outraged about.
Whose side are you on? If you trust Mr. Trump, you'll accept that he's the one who interfaced with the possible running mates, and chose the one who best helps him meet his goals.
The Senate doesn't do that, but of course you know that.
What is “an unregenerate supply-sider”? Did they mean to say “unrepentant supply-sider”?
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