The latest, from the Times:

Khizr Khan, the soldier’s father, lashed out at Mr. Trump in an interview on Saturday, saying his wife had not spoken at the convention because it was too painful for her to talk about her son’s death.

Mr. Trump, he said, “is devoid of feeling the pain of a mother who has sacrificed her son.”

Gov. John Kasich of Ohio, a rival of Mr. Trump’s in the Republican primaries who has refused to endorse him, castigated him on Twitter. “There’s only one way to talk about Gold Star parents: with honor and respect,” he wrote, using the term for surviving family members of those who died in war.

And Hillary Clinton, Mr. Trump’s Democratic opponent, said he “was not a normal presidential candidate.”

Why is this controversy – one in a long, long string of controversies – potentially lethal for Trump?

Because veterans prefer Trump to Clinton, that’s why. 

And that’s why the Democratic convention in Philly was awash in flags and patriotism and soldiers – because Hillary and her strategists know that mistakes like the Khan mistake will peel away votes from Trump. Just like the McCain mistake did.

The Republicans are in the process of losing the Pro-Military Party mantle. They will regret it. 

Comments (24)

[H/T Daughter Two.]

Comments (3)

Hillary had some tough acts to follow – the Obamas, Bill, Joe. The pressure was on. 

I looked at the speech as a speechwriter does. That’s how I started off in politics, after all. Writing speeches for Jean Chretien.

Here’s the good:

• Her visuals were amazing – I don’t think she is capable of taking a bad picture
• Despite a sore throat, she didn’t stumble or fumble – her delivery was good
• She was best, I thought, towards the end – where she was talking about the rights of minority communities, and our collective obligation to defend them
• The speech touched on every theme and issue that was out there

And the not-so-good:

• That last point – touching on every theme and issue that was out there – was also the main weakness of her speech
• It was a laundry list speech – written by a team of speechwriters, and likely run through a couple focus groups
• Like all laundry list speeches, it kind of lacked a centre
• The main challenge of the speech was not sounding like a president – we all already know that she has an unbelievably impressive CV and is eminently qualified for the Oval Office
• The main challenge was addressing her greatest weakness – her persona, her personality, her humanity: she needed that speech to connect with people, and make them feel more comfortable about her
• I don’t think the speech accomplished that – not because she lacks humanity and the common touch, but because they tried to cram too much stuff into one speech

That all said, I think it probably did what they wanted to do. It reminded people that she is thoughtful and smart, and that she is not a maniac. 

Therefore, the ballot question, for one of the most important elections of our lifetimes – even for those of us up here in Canada – remains the same: 

Donald Trump. That’s what this thing is all about. 

And, here we go. 

Comments (28)

Comments (0)

Comments (1)

Here’s why.

He’s young enough to be my kid, and he looks even younger than that.  But this guy is going places, and I (and others) aim to help him get there.

THIS IS THE JOB, MPs.

P.S. He’s totally, totally wrong on BDS, of course.  But I love that he’s not afraid to be wrong.

 

 

Comments (1)

Comments (1)

My friend Charles Adler again had me on his popular Sirius XM radio show the other night – link here – and he stirred me to unburden myself of a few thoughts about the likes of Jason Kenney. I’m expanding on them in next week’s column(s), but here’s the gist:

Here’s what I said, almost word for word: “I’ve written a lot of words for politicians over the years. So I tend to be skeptical about a lot of things they say. And I’m particularly skeptical about Twitter tough talk. Donald Trump has built a career on Twitter. What matters is what Bill Clinton did [after the Oklahoma City terror attack]: he hunted them down, he applied justice, and he put them to death.”

So Charles let me go on: “Jason Kenney is full of crap. When he was there, and when he was in a position to do something about terror…he didn’t. I don’t think we should be taking any lessons from Jason Kenney. And, you know, I’m just kind of sick of political people, and a lot of cops, talking tough about this stuff – but, every day, bad things keep happening, like what happened in France.

So, you know what, guys? Maybe you should all get off Twitter, and get your heads out of your asses, and maybe you should start doing something different from what you’ve been doing – because your little Twitter wars really aren’t protecting us, the citizens. Because, the Twitter wars, about who can express themselves with a tougher adjective? They’re crap.”

Sorry for the Earthy language, but I’ve just had it with the likes of Messrs. Kenney and Trump. You want to show you are tough on terror, boys? Do what Bill Clinton did when he was President – hunt these dogs down, give them a fair trial, and then put them to death.

That’s how you make us safer, tough guys.  Not with a fucking tweet.

 

Comments (10)

Comments (19)

I want to see @realDonaldTrump's Russian birth certificate. #DemsInPhilly #USPolitics @HillaryClinton @thehill @nytimes

— Warren Kinsella (@kinsellawarren) July 27, 2016

Comments (22)