How the Media Sold Me On Donald Trump

By Chuck Marshall

   

   
     The Donald.  Trump.  President Trump.  I don't think any single person has elicited such emotion from the general population as Donald Trump.  "Love him or hate him" should be his motto because that's how it is in America right now.  You either love him or hate him.  I actually don't love or hate him but I am amused by him and I understand what he's doing.  I've heard many Democrats go on about how stupid he is but if  there's one thing I can say with the utmost of confidence-  Donald Trump IS NOT stupid.   

     Before the elections of 2016 I hated Trump.  I thought he was exactly what all the Democrats think of him.  Just fill in the blank and that's what I thought of him !  Among the Republican candidates I was a very big Marco Rubio supporter.  I even did volunteer work for Rubio and registered as a Republican so I could vote for him in the primaries here in Florida.   Spanish speakers refer to him as "the silver tongued one" and he is in Spanish and in English,  IMHO. The reasons for my support were multiple, but I especially admire his great eloquence.  (something even Trumpkins cannot claim of The Donald is eloquence)   I still think Rubio is the smartest Republican of significant status in Washington, DC.   The mainstream media disliked Rubio because it was obvious he could beat Hillary Clinton,  so they attacked Rubio but left Trump alone during the primaries thinking there was "no way" Trump could beat Hillary.  This they lived to regret.   The conservative media disliked Rubio because he's always been open to negotiating with the Democrats and getting things done for a change in DC.

      My opinion of "The Donald"  changed on election night.  After mourning the defeat of Marco Rubio - who was clearly the best candidate IMHO- I dismissed all politics from my life and watched casually as "The Donald" and "Hillary" fought it out.  I watched the debates and considered it was like watching professional wrestling VS Greco Roman Wrestling.  Hillary was the strong "traditional" politician, Trump was the "no holds barred" outsider.  Neither really won the debates because neither was playing the same game.  In the end Trump won, of course, because he walked away with the election.

     My opinion of "The Donald" changed in the hours that he looked like he was going to win the election that Tuesday night.   My opinion changed because overnight I witnessed the mask on the Mainstream media come falling off their faces.  The normal "feigned neutrality" of media was in full tailspin over Trump's election and their Halloween masks slipped off as they revealed their preference for our leadership in government.   They prefer Democrats and their ideals of government control.  None of it was an illusion of the right, it was actually very true and they no longer hid it.  The rest of the story is the continual battle between them and "The Donald" as they and the Dems hilariously attempt to remove him from office for doing the very things their buddies in the Democratic party do with almost no accountability.

     After watching the shock of Donald Trump's election, it occurred to me that I might actually enjoy watching the professional wrestler take on the media conglomerates and their minions in the Democratic party.  I no longer felt ill at his insults to his political opponents and I enjoy the news conferences where he told the Democratic reporters what he really thought of them and their "fair" coverage.  I can't imagine Marco Rubio surviving the scathing attacks of the media but The Donald not only survives it,  he relishes it !  The irony is they are the cause of his success with their  primary coverage favoring Trump.  They fuel the fire of his obnoxious personality with their sanctimony and self righteous virtue signalling and shrill coverage over "non issues" that only matter to people who watch soap operas.  They and the Democrats had a good thing going but I know most conservative Americans will never trust them again.  Gone are the days of polite manners while our government and the media coordinate the removal of individual rights, one at at time.  Drain the swamp Donald !   Drain the Swamp.

In My Humble Opinion.














   

Media Should Look in the Mirror to Understand Trump Victory

   

     One of the more aggravating aspects of the election this year, to me, was how totally biased the Media was in favor of Hillary Clinton.  A massive 75% in a USA Today poll stated they believed the media was biased in favor of Hillary, and only 7% thought they favored Trump.  Even handed reporting, huh ?  I think this had a lot to do with Trump's victory.  Americans like an underdog, and boy was Trump the underdog in this election.   With the exception of Fox News, all of the media piled on Trump - tearing and smearing his every action.  He was treated with open contempt and offered almost no respect so much so that the first debate dwindled into an argument between the moderator and Trump.   Clinton won all three debates, but there was a surprise in all that.  It didn't matter.  I believe people thought the entire event was unfair and they ended up pulling for Trump because he kept on fighting.  He never let up.  He never wavered.  They might not like him, but by God the man has gumption and temerity and fight.   

     In addition, it was obvious that the media not only were pulling for Clinton, they were also self assured that all the masses out in the vast wasteland of middle America would certainly put down their corn cobs and vote logically, as the elite media had instructed them.  This did not happen, and you could visibly see the talking heads waver and  shake in their Italian shoes the night of the election returns.  After all  the negative attention towards Donald Trump they were in shock that their instructions weren’t followed by the people !    

     As offensive as some of Donald's  comments were to me,  I watched with glee as the mainstream media and the party system (both parties) took a punch in the mouth.   Donald Trump won on  a promise to clean up Washington, DC and for pushing against the establishment which not only includes the political parties and multinational corporations but also the massive media organizations that have deemed themselves "king makers".    Biased headlines directing Americans how they should think smacks of Soviet Communism and their puppet newspaper "Pravda".   They should all be ashamed of themselves as their yellow journalism is a bigger danger to American liberty than Donald Trump.

Locker Room Talk

By Chuck Marshall
   

     The weeks is now dominated by the Donald Trump recordings caught back in 2005 where we got to listen in on what he refers to as "locker room talk".   I read the comments of a friend on FB who supports Donald Trump, defending him regarding the entire episode.  I understand he wanted to defend his candidate at all costs, but "through thick and thin"  got pretty thin this week.   Anyway, this friend has been one of my best friends since high school, so I know him pretty well.  What bothered me was that he would drag himself down to the level of what was recorded of Donald Trump.   His comments were defending Trump by saying;  "that's how guys talk" when the ladies aren't around.   This guy was at my bachelor party, and I  heard nothing similar to what Donald was caught saying in those recordings from my friend or any of my friends.  Of course there's banter about sex but I've not heard such talk of forcing ourselves on girls or getting a tic tac because we couldn't resist forcing ourselves on a particular girl and especially there isn't open talk among  my married friends purposely going after a married woman.   With all due respect to my friend's intentions., "he's wrong" to put himself in that category- my friend has far more class than that.   Of course there's talk of enjoying the opposite sex in "locker rooms" just as that sort of talk crops up among women, but grabbing a woman by her "pu***" as Donald explained as his romantic strategy ?  That, I've not heard before. Guys like that are generally looked at as dorky and are avoided as time goes by.  The difference is Donald has money so the leeches and maggots of my gender tend to cling to him making him think he is liked for who he is.    "Wrong, Donald" they like you for your money and they probably don't really like you very much after that.   You're a dork.

In Chuck Marshall's Humble Opinion

#donaldisadork

Clinton Trump Debate: Tweedle Dee or Tweedle Dumb ?

By Chuck Marshall

I thought the debate last night was a pretty big snooze.  It was very predictable, with two liars going back and forth about what they will "attempt" to do to steer our country straight.  Glaringly, neither one mentioned Congress which is the source of the government's incompetence this past 10 to 20 years.  With all due respect to Donald Trump's very accurate statement that "she's all talk and no action", so is he.  He just doesn't know it yet.  How will he manage our massive federal government with the vast majority of the key players already disliking him ?    Running the government is not running a business, and although I wish him all the luck in the world to fix it., I don't think he can.  His ideas are grounded in the theory that you can always declare bankruptcy when things go wrong because that's good business using the "laws of the land" as he explained in the debate.   Unfortunately the country can't declare bankruptcy and make all the bad stuff go away.  It's not an option Mr. Trump.   Hillary ?  Hillary is a living, talking, breathing example of everything that is wrong with the federal government right now.  All talk and government goodies,  "We're here to help" and ideas that would make our government even BIGGER.   God help us.   Also, something is wrong with her physically that will come out sooner or later.   She walks gingerly,  like an 85 year old not a 69 year old.  But don't expect this information to come from any news source because they don't really give us information anymore,  only their opinion.  What happened to journalism ?  Why aren't they doing their job ?  They avoid searching for the truth because they're afraid of what they'll find.   No we won't hear it from them we'll have to find this out by someone's camera phone watching her stumble or have an obvious seizure.  This is a very sad situation we have right now with these two fighting it out and the media munching on popcorn as they watch and opine.

In my humble opinion....

Donald Trump is Chocolate Mousse Cake

     Wow, Donald Trump  is really making this an election to remember.   To be perfectly honest, I am in the habit of glancing first through headlines to see what he did today to  offend or shock because it's always a good read.  I love to read what he says, I love to hear the media's exasperated interpretation and then I love to hear him clarify his position according to what he thinks we all want to hear but certainly NOT apologize to anyone, ever.   I also love to hear those that defend him and how they try to spin it in defense of him and rationalize his behavior - as if there's some logical plan in his mind other than "speaking his mind".   (I use to think that, but more and more I realize that's wishful thinking.) I love to hear those that hate him and watch them wriggle around in agony as they try to vocalize their acrimony that he's the Republican nominee.  I love to see the media misinterpret (supposedly) his comments when he's obviously being sarcastic.  I love that he's the worst speaker in a generation but he still has the nerve to stand in front of the country and explain that only HE can fix our country.  I love that he tweaks the "powers that be" in the Republican party and has knocked them off their high horses to the ground where they now run around in panicked circles.  (The Republican party should change their symbol from the elephant to the squirrel.)  I love his temerity, and I love his sarcasm, and I love his weird, rambling speeches,   "Huge", "It's going to be great", "It's going to be a beautiful thing", "THAT I promise you".    Trumpisms,   I love that my wife and a lot of people sincerely suspect he and Hillary set this up so she could win this election and we are witnessing the  biggest conspiracy in the history of the world.  Is Donald Trump a shill ?   All so delicious !  He's political chocolate mousse cake -sweet, decadent, rich and  fluffy.  Pure instant satisfaction.

     Unfortunately, like any rich desert after overdoing it with two to three pieces I get a crawling sensation on my skin and an odd sense of anxiety.  I don't think I need to review all his "incidents" for you, dear readers  just google search "Donald Trump news" and allow yourself to enjoy it while it lasts.  Let the latest outrage settle on your pallet and enjoy the fluffy nonsense for the utterly absurd situation that it is.

     If Donald Trump is Chocolate Mousse Cake then what is Hillary Clinton ?  She's a glass of curdled milk;  the same old political song we've heard forever and boy does it smell and taste bad.

     So, how do I feel about  this election for our country's future  ?  "Not Happy" I say in the manner of  Donald and his stunted sentences.   Not Happy at all.  But am I enjoying it for the Reality show that its become ?  You better believe it.  It has truly become, a guilty pleasure.  

Disgusted Voters 2016

By Chuck Marshall

Dear Loyal Readers,

Thanks for your patience in this time of personal mourning as I work to get my head back into politics.  It has been very hard to write since my choice for the Presidency, Marco Rubio, failed in his bid for the White House.  In my mind he was head and shoulders above the competition so seeing him rejected by the Republicans removed any hope I had for their revival and I think it cast doubt in my mind that the general voter is, in the end, a wise animal.

Below is a letter I wrote to the Orlando Sentinel on Sunday, they haven't printed it (yet?), so I figured I'd toss it out here for you, loyal readers, to peruse and consider.

Thanks for a paper stuffed with anti-party information regarding the antiquated two-party system that has proven itself totally ineffective and contrary to the will of the people.  Three articles today (Friday, June 3) including a headline on voter dissatisfaction, an editorial from two points of view- both opposed to the Democratic VS Republican nonsense and a column by Scott Maxwell pointing out the increasing unpopularity of both parties.  The sooner we establish a system of elections that does not favor the major political parties 'nor require vast quantities of money, the sooner we will get a government that acts as a true advocate of the people.  Perhaps an amendment or a constitutional convention is in order to wrest control of the government away from special interests, greedy media giants, crony capitalists, and government bureaucrats and reclaim it as the domain of the American citizen.  Hopefully Hillary Clinton VS Donald Trump will be the final straw that awakens the wrath of Americans who will be so disgusted by it all as to start making legitimate changes to "how we've always done it".  

Thanks for reading, and don't forget to click an ad and share this blog with your friends and family, because, after all.... Everyone's Entitled to Chuck Marshall's Opinion. 

Now is the Time

By Chuck Marshall 

     Now is the time for a third party or Independent candidate to rise up and challenge the presumptive nominees of both established political parties.  Hillary Clinton vs Donald Trump ?   I  wrote a blog on this possible scenario last year.  This is one blog where I had hoped the cores of both parties would eventually see reason and resolve to find a person worthy of the Presidency.   Tipping windmills, as it were.

If I may be so bold as to quote my own blog from August 5, 2015- titled "Hillary vs The Donald";

" Our country has truly dropped to a new low with these two as the front runners to be President.   Donald Trump is a wind bag egomaniac with not one ounce of class.  He calls his opponents names and gives out their phone numbers to the public.  It's like watching a mob boss run for President.  He runs his mouth about what he's going to do with no explanation of how he'll do it.  The only thing I've agreed with that has come out of his mouth was the comment he made on O'Reilly that our country is in trouble and on the decline.  He is living evidence of that fact.

     Hillary Clinton is a liar and a hypocrite.  She is most likely the reason for the debacle that was Benghazi (and the deaths of all those people, including our Ambassador to Libya)  and she has been carefully getting rid of evidence to that fact.   She is fake and impersonal and is only in her position because she is married to President Clinton.   It has just come out in an editorial in the Wall Street Journal that she and Bill donated $15 Million to charities  over the years 2007-2014.  The charity?  The Clinton Foundation of which the two of them benefit from greatly - personal jets, political trips, etc... They donated to a charity and the charity is them !  So, she and Bill got tax deductions, ergo "government subsidies",  to support their ambitions..... to run the government !   Now THAT, is rich.

    Once again,  I can't believe how absurd our process of selecting leaders is today.   With 310 Million people we should be able to do much, much better than this.  This is ridiculous.   Why must we go on following what each of the parties select for us when they are of the ilk that Hillary and The Donald are.  They don't come much more crooked than this folks, and they are the front runners for each of our beloved parties.  May God help us all and may God help our country."

So, here we are again in May of 2016.   Anyone who reads this blog  knows I am adamant in my voice as an Independent in support of Independent thought and third party ideas that could bolster the stagnant swamp of ineptitude that Washington, DC has become.   The stakes are high and the choice we have today is a door wide open to someone,   anyone,   with intelligence, fortitude, and the temerity to move our country forward and away from the partisan disaster it has become.

So. pass this blog along and don't forget to click an ad to help support me and my political ramblings.  After all.....everyone's entitled to  Chuck Marshall's Humble Opinion  

Reality TV With Real Consequences Part 3

By Chuck Marshall


Today;

Carly Fiorina and Chris Christie




Carly"one hit wonder" Fiorina

The face that Donald Trump famously chastised !  "Who would vote for a face like that?" he exclaimed.  "Not Nice"  Donald.  Anyway, I think she looks fine.  The thing about Carly is her voice is a little monotone and she always seems to be trying to "out-tough" the guys on stage.  Where's the charm?  Also, she mentions Hillary Clinton too much, implying it would be a great "woman vs woman" match.  Ho Hum.   I'm  a little concerned about her track record at Hewlett Packard which doesn't sound like she really did that good.  But, in all fairness I'm not interested enough to research the facts on this.  Carly had a great debate a while back when she took on Donald Trump with her quick wit but that was her one shining moment.  She never caught on and then she was sent to the "kiddie table" debate which  I've already explained is the kiss of death.  Now we  have the New Hampshire debate and she's pitching a fit because she's not included in the debate.    Her poll numbers aren't high enough.  To her hissy fit I say;  "this rule didn't bother you when you qualified, Carly"  

Final Verdict: Carly had one bright moment but she never caught on.  She's a "one hit wonder".

Chris Christie




Chris "Big Bully" Christie

     This is the first candidate in this series that still has a chance to win the nomination.  But he won't.
Am I the only one that sees him as the Eddie Haskel of this race ?   When he's trying to seem sincere it seems so fake.  "That's a lovely dress  you're wearing Mrs. Cleaver".  I know he also talks tough, but I think that's actually his only personality... the rest is fake.  I have a personal dislike of Chris Christie.

   Chris Christie will never live down the "bridge" controversy where it was revealed that as governor his "people" (he knew nothing about it - ha ha) used a bridge closing and clogged traffic to get back at a political enemy.   I don't remember the details but I do NOT believe that he was ignorant of the situation.  Also, in the New Hampshire debate (last night at this writing) he proved himself to be a bit of a bully with nasty attacks on Marco Rubio that I thought were ugly and personal and revealed his "win at all costs" attitude no matter how he has to do it.  He's Donald Trump minus the charm.

Final Verdict;  He's guilty of being a typical slimy politician who really likes his donuts.



I have another "who's that ?"

Governor  Jim Gilmore- Republican (Virginia)



Jim "Who?" Gilmore


I also need to fill in the blanks going back to the beginning of this election by listing the following as "also rans".  They don't get comments because they dropped out too early, all before Christmas.  Sorry guys !  (but that's actually a good thing for a couple of them)

Rick Perry
Lindsey Graham
Bobby Jindal
Scott Walker
Jim Webb (Democrat)

Tomorrow?

Ben Carson and John Kasich

Reality TV With Real Consequences Part 2

By Chuck Marshall

Huckabee and Santorum

Yesterday was Martin "who?" O'Malley and Rand "perfectly round eyebrows" Paul.   Today, I'd like to review the campaigns of Mike Huckabee and Rick Santorum.   At this writing both Mike and Rick have bowed out of the race so this is a "retrospect" review of these reality TV stars.

Interestingly enough, after google searching both candidates it turns out they both have the exact same estimated net worth;  $5 Million.   They also both won the Iowa Caucus in past elections.  They both are born again "Evangelical" Christians.  They both dropped out of the 2016 Reality TV Show in the same week !  What a coincidence !  Creepy, right ?  It's  like the Kennedy-Lincoln similarities we've all read about.    




Mike  "Sunday School Teacher"  Huckabee


Governor Mike Huckabee- Republican (Arkansas) -  Mike is already famous due to his run for the Presidency in 2008, so a lot of people already knew him.  Not to mention  he also had a talk show on Fox for a while "Huckabee", which aired from 2008 to 2015.  So, Mike is famous and that  IS half the battle to becoming President.   I've always liked Mike Huckabee.  His "aw shucks" demeanor and his quick wit make him a crowd favorite.  He's likable !  Unfortunately for him, his last name sounds a lot like "Huckleberry Finn",  as in the bumpkin character of  the Mark Twain novel by the same name.   People naturally think of this when they hear his name and so he's immediately at a disadvantage in that he has to prove he's not a bumpkin.   In my mind Mike seems like a friendly, lovable Sunday school teacher not a President.  Also he's a little too far to the right on social issues.  I'm not saying I agree or disagree, I'm just saying it probably wouldn't play well in the general elections.

Final Verdict;  Mike couldn't stay on the reality TV show because his name puts him at a disadvantage and he seems too much like a Sunday School teacher.




Rick "yesterday's news" Santorum

I've already elaborated on Rick Santorum above since he's a near duplicate of Mike Huckabee.  BUT, just to add a couple of comments.  Rick is not as likable as Mike Huckabee but his name does sound more serious, so that's a plus and a minus for Rick.   Rick was relegated to the "Kiddie table" at the Reality TV debates so I sincerely don't have a fresh take on his positions.  He was always hard to the right, but I liked his sticking up for the common guy.  Rick is a big believer in educating young people according to their skills and that we need to stop making all young people feel like they have to go to a University in order to be worth anything.  I really like that he emphasizes that.  Rick had a real chance back in 2012, but he did eventually run out of steam.  He's kind of like "yesterday's news"this election season.

Rick couldn't stay on the Reality TV show because he was sent over to the Kiddie Table for TV debates which is really the "kiss of death".   Also, at the end of the day he lost in 2012, so I think most people see him as "yesterday's news".

Finally, I did want to bring up another candidate that I totally forgot about ( there were a lot !)




Governor George Pataki -Republican (New York)
"Forgot about Him"


Tommorrow?

Chris Christie and Carly Fiorina

The Age of Incompetence - 2015 Reviewed

by Chuck Marshall


 Dear devoted readers,

 As we bid 2015 farewell, I'd like to review some of the more irritating stories of 2015 because that makes me feel better.  Somehow it's the ointment that soothes the swelling of my discontent.  These are in no particular order, so just see them as all equally irritating in my eyes.

Donald Trump-  I have written a couple of blogs regarding "the Donald" and I even had a letter published criticizing him to the local bugle,  "The Orlando Sentinel".  My feelings are a little more lenient as I've gotten use to his antics and I see him as less "concerning" and more as an "opportunistic egomaniac" who knows how to use the press.  He's also a smart businessman, and this is all just business to him.  As much as I don't want him to be President, I do see the appeal in his humor and his success in the business world.  We've let the lawyers and bureaucrats run the show for so long, I sincerely don't see how he could do any worse.  As for all his statements that "alarm" the press and the left.... nearly all of these are impossible for him to do - he knows it and the press knows it but it gets him attention and it gets the press "eyeballs" and that's all either of them really cares about.  If  his fans really believe he can do these things he promises then they need to crack open their 8th grade civics book.  I say that with the caveat that all politicians do the same thing, but Trump is a lot more clever about it.   He lies like all of them, but he just lies BIGGER .   Used car salesmen promise "it's the best value"  but  Donald Trump  is the only one with the nerve to promise it will also fly.      


Climate Change (or whatever you want to call it) -   This is such a political "hot potato" but in my humble opinion, it should not be.  If the scientists say it's a problem then I certainly don't have the knowledge to argue with them.  Why would they lie ?  Are they all Democrats ?   And, if I might add... assuming they are correct then it's everybody's problem not just the Democrats.  The controversy really lies more in the solution than the actual problem.  The Republicans have allowed the Democrats to steal this one right from under their noses with the notion that the only way to fix it is through the government.  The conservatives need to start offering solutions to this problem and not keep trying to deny it's even a problem    Remember, this is our planet - our children and grandchildren will be the ones who pay if we don't get this right.  The right needs to get their head out of their ass and propose free enterprise solutions to a real problem.  All problems have the  highest potential to be solved from both the government and free enterprise.--that is--when both act in concert.  It's not that complicated.

ISIS/ISIL/Daesh/Nazis/ Scum -  Please can we at least come to an agreement on what to call them ?  This group of murderers is getting so much attention and often it seems there is a desire in the media to blame someone.  Was it Bush for invading Iraq ?  Was it Obama's fault for withdrawing form Iraq?  Was it Obama for not stepping in when it started looking bad in Syria several years ago ?  Is it Europe's fault for being spineless cowards in the face of such a nearby threat ?   Is it the moderate Muslims for not expressing enough outrage ?  Is it our fault for provoking extremist Muslims ?    In my humble opinion, it's all of the above but MOSTLY it's the fault of ISIS themselves.  They are the ones "doing" it after all.   Now, let's coordinate with the non-murdering world to remove these scum from power.

National Debt-  It's now nearly $19,000,000,000,000- That's Trillions.  The Demcorats?  In my mind this is the left version of "Global Warming".  They have their heads up their ass as they seem to think it's absolutely no problem - even offering all kinds of new goodies to hand out such as free college education.  It is a total outrage that this is such an ignored issue by the left.   I promise you though that they will pay attention when  our nation veers towards bankruptcy but then, as with Global Warming,  it may be too late.  

The Political Parties-  Today we are looking at Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton as the most probably options for the general election.  Do I really need so say anything else regarding both groups and their total failure to the American people?

Selecting the Presidential Candidates- My personal Take

By Chuck Marshall


 Since the Presidential primaries are brewing "good and hot" right now, it seems appropriate that I entertain who I think would be the best selection from each party.

     For the Democrats,  I choose Hillary Clinton.  The only other choice is Bernie Sanders whom I believe is totally unqualified and is really not to be taken seriously.  A self-described socialist ?    I'm sure he means well and yes, we all want to see the "fat cats" get what they deserve but trying to make our country prosperous by taxing the wealthiest among us simply doesn't work.  It has been tried many, many times and in many, many different ways.  As Margaret Thatcher put it  "the problem with socialism is eventually you run out of other people's money".

     For the Republicans.  I have narrowed my choices down to three candidates.  Marco Rubio, Jeb Bush, and Ben Carson.   (Carly Fiorina is my "also ran", but I decided I needed to get it down to three)

Marco Rubio-  He's sharp as a tack.  He's young and energetic.   I have never seen a person answer questions from the press  with such brevity and effectiveness.  I've never seen someone so quick with comebacks during debates.  He knows his stuff and he has thought everything through.  He seems sincere and he seems to want the best for our country.  He speaks Spanish which I think means something as our country has become more diverse.   Marco is from the middle class and understands the American middle class.  He knows the challenges we face every day.  I really like Marco !

Ben Carson-  Ben is very smart but more measured than Marco.  I like that he holds onto his faith at a time when I'm sure "handlers" have advised against bringing it up.  After all, he might  offend someone or challenge the people to consider their own faith or lack there of.    Ben is a self-made  man who rose from the bottom of society to the top.  This impresses me immensely.   Some people say he "doesn't know foreign policy", but I've been impressed by his determination to learn all he can and offer intelligent answers to questions.  In other words, he saw the problem and admitted it and is working on it- he didn't just lie about it like Donald Trump.    He is sincere and has a very good understanding of the constitution which is, in my humble opinion,  the most important thing a candidate should know. (President Obama is unfamiliar).  I really like Ben !

Jeb Bush-  Again, very smart.  Jeb has suffered badly due to his poor debating skills.  I agree he is bland like a bowl of oatmeal, but oatmeal will stick to your ribs and sometimes it's just much better for you.  The thing about Jeb is he knows his stuff., he has thoughtful answers to complex questions.  Above all, he has the experience.  None of the other top candidates  has served in an executive  position (as in governing, not executive of a real estate interest that declared bankruptcy 4 times).  Jeb was a successful governor here in Florida.  He proved himself and understands how it all works, there will be no "learning curve".  (Obama is still in the learning curve !)   He was an EXCELLENT governor !  He's genuinely nice guy ( Donald Trump is genuinely NOT a nice guy.)  I really like Jeb !
Oh, and by the way.... I really don't like Donald Trump.  In case the reader was wondering.