I'm as frustrated with the presidential debate on Tuesday night as anyone -- though not, perhaps for the same reasons that other conservatives are.
I never expected Trump do destroy her. Here's what I said on Sunday:
"Based on past debates, I think she will do fine. She has considerable presence onstage, and will come across as officious and dignified. She has no doubt been practicing her talking points and will deliver them. So I don't foresee collapse."
What I had been telling Trump to do (indirectly, and publicly) is to ignore her and speak directly to his voters. Don't try to "win"; understand that there is no winning these things anymore. Just use the platform to reach your base.
He didn't do that. He tried to win, and he got pummeled by the moderators and outrun by Harris, who evaded every important question -- are you better off than you were four years ago? when is it too late to have an abortion? etc.
There won't be another debate because Harris did the best she could by looking strong. She probably didn't sway any voters in the middle -- and she isn't trying to do so. She's just trying to fire up her own base, and ABC helped her do it.
(Once again, as I've been saying: you can get mad over media bias, and it's important to document it, but just remember that the media are doing their job -- which is not to tell the truth but to turn out the Democratic voter base.)
So -- what next? I think Trump scored some important points on the economy and so on, but he's never going to have another opportunity to address America as a whole. He has to fire up his own supporters, and many are demoralized.
What's next, therefore, is this: if you want Trump to win -- and many of us need Trump to win, because we have our lives literally on the line -- then you, and we, are going to have to push him across the finish line ourselves, regardless.
He's amazing -- he stood up with his fist raised when he was shot in the head. That's an example for us to follow -- but it's not something one individual can sustain, on his own, forever. It's time to act, to inspire, to encourage, to vote.
President James Madison comes to mind. Madison is my favorite Founding Father because of the way he sat at a desk for months, studying, before creating the architecture of our Constitution. As a writer, I just love that.
But he was a poor president (though Dolly Madison remains the best First Lady, in my opinion). Madison led the U.S. into the War of 1812 against Britain, which may have been inevitable but was also foolishly begun, and nearly lost.
He won -- and the country survived -- largely because Americans like Andrew Jackson, and his volunteers, stepped up to fight, and did so in ways that the British never anticipated. Madison's presidency was saved by his countrymen.
And so -- if you want Trump to win, or need Trump to win (and I think we need it more than Democrats need Kamala to win), then you can't just wait for him to do it for you. You have to make it happen -- whatever you think that means.
Today's episode is devoted to the second anniversary of the October 7 terror attacks. It was produced before the announcement of a ceasefire deal, yet remains current & relevant.
Please listen, and #bringthemhome.
SiriusXM Patriot 125, 7-10 p.m. ET (4-7 PT)
This week's portion is a beautiful poem, containing the Covenant between God and the people of Israel. But given the breaking news that Hamas may actually have agreed to release all of the Israeli hostages, I will devote my remarks to that.
One hopes it is true; if so, it makes this week's additional reading, from II Samuel 22, even more relevant: David's song of praise to the Lord for delivering him from the hand of his enemies.
"18 He rescued me from my powerful enemy,
from my foes, who were too strong for me.
19 They confronted me in the day of my disaster,
but the Lord was my support."
So much to focus on this week -- and much breaking news. A peace deal in the Middle East, perhaps? Eric Adams dropping out of the mayor's race? And a looming shutdown as Democrats push their demands beyond absurdity.
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