Ronald Reagan on Unwanted Endorsements

In the 2016 Presidential Primary Race, Manhattan Mogul Donald Trump has been leading the polls for over six months, but big name endorsements have been slowly trickling in. Before the Iowa Caucuses, ex Governor Sarah Palin (R-AK) came out for "The Donald".  After dropping out of the 2016 race, New Jersey Governor Chris Christie (R-NJ) threw his support to the GOP frontrunner.  And Senator Jeff Sessions (R-AL), who helped Trump craft his public immigration policy, now support Trump.  

But there are some shows of support which most people would not want.  Late last week, former Klansman David Duke said that it would like betraying the white race if his followers did not support Donald Trump. While Trump distanced himself from the Reform Party in 2000 specifically because of David Duke ant the KKK, Trump feigned ignorance of Duke when pressed about the 2016 quasi endorsement. Later Trump claimed that he was having trouble with his earpiece, even though he did not make typical technical difficulty gestures and was able to repeat Duke's name and his affiliation.

Thirty two years ago, Ronald Reagan faced an unwanted endorsement from David Duke, the Gipper had quite a different response.



 Many have tried to claim the mantle of Ronald Reagan. Discerning voters can see how Trump's reaction compares to Reagan and act accordingly.

Il Duce Donald?

The 2016  Republican Presidential Primary have flummoxed politicos for turning rewriting the rules of campaigns.  Manhattan Mogul Donald Trump has soared to the top of the heap amongst the GOP without expending much for paid media by having celebrity styled rallies, constantly attacking his opponents and ripping down the party which he is seeking to lead, generating gobs of earned media through outlandish outbursts and capitalizing on social media.

But he who rises by the sword can also perish by the sword.  Trump Twitter account has been quite active after the Houston GOP debate.  However, it appears as if the Donald was doing some drunk tweeting (though Trump professes never to touch alcohol unless it's in a communion cup) by virtue of the odd orthography when insulting Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL), calling him a "chocker" and typing "honer".  Well, occasional typos or misspelling are par for the course when quickly texting on mobile devices. But forwarding fascist phrases is less excusable.

On Sunday morning, the @realDonaldTrump account re-tweeted a Darwinesque political pearl of wisdom.

However, Trump (or his staff) did not carefully scrutinize the social media sharing.  The account was @IlDuce2016, which is a parody account created by a snarky political blogger.  Oops. Those who wish to Dump Trump quickly took notice of the unforced error and sought to educate the electorate.

Trump supporters can spin this as a conspiracy or another one off mistake.  But considering the subject matter and Trump's unprincipled populism, it does reveal the Trump campaign's druthers. And as the sympathy for a strongman sinks in, it may be another ceiling of support for those who are committed to the Constitution rather than favoring Populist bromides.

Furthermore, Trump is embroiled in a controversy concerning KKK inspired endorsements.  Ex-Klansman David Duke has expressed support for Donald Trump, though not formally endorsing "the Donald".  On CNN's State of the Union, Jack Tapper asked three times if Trump would condemn or reject Duke's support.




Trump refused to do so on camera (but to be fair, a Trump PR flack did distance himself from Duke).  What is telling is Trump claimed no knowledge of Duke or his controversial KKK background.  This is contrary to his own history.  When Trump was contemplating a Presidential run in 2000, Trump condemned the Reform Party for being associated with David Duke.

The unmoored approach to issues which the Trump campaign takes, the inclination to attack journalists who do not lick spit polish his boots and the Can Do spirit of making the trains run on time without reference to constitutional powers makes comparisons to Duke or Il Duce pretty damning to Americans who appreciate having a democratically elected Constitutional Republic.


UPDATE: 02/29/2016 After a day of bad press and being ridiculed on the campaign trail for now disavowing David Duke and KKK support for his candidacy, Donald Trump affirmative disavowed David Duke's support. Trump blamed the kerfluffle on having a bad ear piece for Tapper interview.  Sure.  Just like the IlDuce retweet, it's just technical difficulties.

Margaret Sanger on Politics

Margaret Sanger was the founder of the American Birth Control League in 1921 (which was the forerunner of Planned Parenthood of America).  

At first blush, it may seem striking for a progressive to ally with the Ku Klux Klan.  However, Sanger's eugenic ideas aimed at "inferior" unwanted minorities certainly appealed to the KKK.  Moreover, the KKK's anti-Catholic, anti-immigrant auspices aligns with Sanger's project to progressively control birth.

Ironically, former House Speaker and current Democrat Minority Leader Representative Nancy Pelosi, who wears her liberal understanding of being an ardent Catholic on her sleeve, will be awarded the Margaret Sanger Award by Planned Parenthood at their Annual Gala on March 27th. Planned Parenthood proclaims: 

No one is more deserving of this honor than Leader Pelosi, who has fought tirelessly throughout her career to protect and expand women’s access to health care. As the first woman to serve as Speaker of the House, Leader Pelosi recognized that women’s health is a mainstream issue impacting women and families.

While Planned Parenthood certainly embraces the icon of Margaret Sanger for her mission to spread birth control and womens' health, but they conveniently have forgotten why Sanger pushed birth control, particularly among minority groups.