Many of the callers to my radio show on Sunday made similar points about Bob Dole: they admired him, but his reach-across-the-aisle stye of politics is the reason America is in this mess.
I'm not sure that's fair. It's true that Dole was not a conservative champion, and when he tried to play the role of firebrand in his 1996 campaign, it felt like he was stretching to do it, so it fell flat.
But the fact is that when the chips were really down, and the question was whether to back Trump or oppose him, Dole bucked the rest of the GOP establishment and defended The Donald.
I think the explanation is simple: Dole understood that the country's politics had shifted dramatically to the left since he left politics. After he lost to Bill Clinton, the Lewinsky impeachment emerged, damaging Clinton's ability to fight for the "third way" politics he had championed and creating a new opening for the left to take control of the Democratic Party. Under Obama's influence, Democrats became more "woke" -- and more anti-American in their outlook.
Dole saw Trump as the antidote to that -- as the only way for American politics to come back to what he, Bob Dole (as Bob Dole would have said), understood.
This week, we are tackling two major areas of contention between the Trump administration and Democrat governors: fighting crime, and redistricting. The president is sending the National Guard to blue cities -- and blue states are trying to stamp out Republican representation. Is this a civil war situation?
Special guests:
- Bradley Jaye -- Breitbart News congressional correspondent, on redistricting
- Tom Manza, California Business and Industrial Alliance, on Gavin Newsom
- Jon Fleischman, veteran California political expert, on the special election
- Dan Backer, veteran political lawyer and consultant, on corruption
- DJ Mark Anthony, on a recent visit to Rome and visiting Pope Leo XIV
Tune in: SiriusXM Patriot 125, 7-10 p.m. ET / 4-7 p.m. PT
Call: 866-957-2874
This week's portion is the last of the month of Av -- also known as Menachem (Comforter) Av -- which begins in mourning and ends in celebration and anticipation of the New Year and the process of repentance and renewal.
In a similar vein, the portion features Moses offering the Israelites a choice between a blessing and a curse. They are masters of their own fates: if they obey God's commandments, they receive the blessings -- and vice versa.
The key commandment is to reject idol worship. There is said to be something magnetic about the practice of worshiping idols in the new land, such that it would be constant moral battle, both individually and collectively, in the land.
Nowadays, according to Jewish tradition, humanity has lost the urge for idol worship (and the antidote, which is divine prophecy) -- but there are several near substitutes, such as lust or excessive appetites for worldly pleasures.
We are wired for compulsive behaviors, bad habits, and even addictions. These ...
We have so much to talk about this week -- Trump's efforts to negotiate peace through negotiation, and Gavin Newsom's efforts to divide Americans through gerrymandering. We'll also talk about Playboy leaving LA and California.
Special guests:
Frances Martel - Breitbart News foreign editor, on Russia & Ukraine
Bradley Jaye - Breitbart News congressional correspondent, on Newsom
Harmeet Dhillon - DOJ Civil Rights Division chief, on the fight against DEI
Jessica Vaugn - Playboy model on political commentator, on California
Tune in: SiriusXM Patriot 125, 7-10 p.m. ET, 4-7 PT
Call: 866-957-2874
