PRESS CLUB C Podcast with Ray Keating – Episode #55: Thanks to Those Who Usually Don’t Get Thanked – Many people and enterprises deserve thanks but wind up getting the exact opposite. Ray has a list of those who deserve thanks, from pharmaceutical and tech companies to clergy who stay true to their calling to conservatives who stay true to conservatism, to many others. Tune in now!
by Ray Keating
The Keating Files – May 12, 2021
After several years of experiencing sad political days, this conservative was hit hard once more today – May 12, 2021 – when Republicans in the U.S. House of Representatives voted to oust U.S. Rep. Liz Cheney (R-WY) from her leadership position. It wasn’t a surprise, but it was nonetheless depressing.
This inexcusable action served as glaring evidence that the party of Reagan has been lost to the party of Trump. And this despite the fact that Donald Trump lost the White House, the Senate and the House while in office (oh yes, and was impeached … twice). Indeed, you have to go back to Herbert Hoover for the last time a Republican president managed such incompetence at the ballot box.
While Trump is all about an incoherent, victim-based, enemies-are-everywhere, ends-justify-the-means populism, Liz Cheney ranks as a solid, principled conservative with integrity in the Reagan tradition. As a result, she naturally spoke out against President Trump’s false claims that the 2020 election was stolen, and against his role in stoking the violence of January 6 when his supporters invaded the Capitol. Cheney spoke the truth at the time, and has continued to do so.
But that apparently was too much for House Republicans – many of whom actually took Trump to task for his role on January 6, but now want to forget about that, and pander to Trump and his supporters in their party.
So, Liz Cheney had to go.
But at the same time, conspiracy kook Marjorie Taylor Greene, for example, seems to suffer in no way with her Republican colleagues. As a reminder, Rep. Greene, as The Washington Post summed up, “Greene has made comments on social media suggesting that some mass shootings were staged by supporters of gun control, that the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks were orchestrated by government entities and that a Jewish cabal had sparked a deadly California wildfire with a laser beam directed from space. As recently as late last year, she was an adherent of the false claims of the QAnon ideology. She has renounced some of her most outlandish claims.” But that’s all okay, apparently, because Greene is a big Trump supporter.
Meanwhile, consider points from Cheney’s speech in the House last night (May 11):
“Three men – an immigrant who escaped Castro’s totalitarian regime; a young man who grew up behind the iron curtain and became his country’s minister of defense; and a dissident who spent years in the Soviet gulag have all told me it was the miracle of America captured in the words of President Ronald Reagan that inspired them to seek freedom.
“I have seen the power of faith and freedom. I listened to Pope John Paul II speak to thousands in Nairobi in 1985, and 19 years later I watched that same pope take my father’s hand, look in his eyes, and say, ‘God Bless America.’
“God has blessed America, but our freedom only survives if we protect it, if we honor our oath, taken before God in this chamber, to support and defend the Constitution, if we recognize threats to freedom when they arise.
“Today we face a threat America has never seen before. A former president, who provoked a violent attack on this Capitol in an effort to steal the election, has resumed his aggressive effort to convince Americans that the election was stolen from him. He risks inciting further violence.
“Millions of Americans have been misled by the former President. They have heard only his words, but not the truth, as he continues to undermine our democratic process, sowing seeds of doubt about whether democracy really works at all…
“As the party of Reagan, Republicans championed democracy, won the Cold War, and defeated the Soviet Communists. As we speak, America is on the cusp of another Cold War – this time with communist China. Attacks against our democratic process and the rule of law empower our adversaries and feed Communist propaganda that American democracy is a failure. We must speak the truth. Our election was not stolen, and America has not failed.”
After being ousted from her leadership position, Cheney told reporters, “The nation needs a strong Republican Party. The nation needs a party that is based on fundamental principles of conservatism. And I am committed and dedicated to ensuring that that’s how this party goes forward. And I plan to lead the fight to do that.”
And during the GOP House conference, according to Politico, Cheney declared, “If you want leaders who will enable and spread his destructive lies, I’m not your person, you have plenty of others to choose from. That will be their legacy. But I promise you this, after today, I will be leading the fight to restore our party and our nation to conservative principles, to defeating socialism, to defending our republic, to making the GOP worthy again of being the party of Lincoln.”
I agree wholeheartedly with Liz Cheney, and I hope and pray for the sake of the nation that she plays a key role in successfully winning the Republican Party back to sanity and true conservatism. It’s clear that this will be no easy task – indeed, far from it.
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Ray Keating is a columnist, novelist, economist, podcaster and entrepreneur. Keating has two new books out. Vatican Shadows: A Pastor Stephen Grant Novel is the 13ththriller/mystery in the Pastor Stephen Grant series. Get the paperback or Kindle edition at Amazon, or signed books at www.raykeatingonline.com. Past Lives: A Pastor Stephen Grant Short Story is the 14th book in the series. Get the paperback or Kindle edition at Amazon, or signed book at www.raykeatingonline.com. And pre-order the 15th book in the series What’s Lost? A Pastor Stephen Grant Short Story.
The views expressed here are his own – after all, no one else should be held responsible for this stuff, right?
You also can order his book Behind Enemy Lines: Conservative Communiques from Left-Wing New York from Amazon or signed books at RayKeatingOnline.com. His other recent nonfiction book is Free Trade Rocks! 10 Points on International Trade Everyone Should Know.
One of the best ways to enjoy Ray Keating’s Pastor Stephen Grant thrillers and mysteries is to join the Pastor Stephen Grant Fellowship! For the BEST VALUE, consider the Book of the Month Club. Check it all out at https://www.patreon.com/pastorstephengrantfellowship
Also, check out Ray’s podcasts – the Daily Dose of Disney, Free Enterprise in Three Minutes, and the PRESS CLUB C Podcast.
Check out Ray Keating’s Disney news and entertainment site at www.DisneyBizJournal.com.
by Ray Keating
The Keating Files – April 3, 2021
When it comes to advancing one’s agenda via cynical political manipulation, Democrats take a back seat to no one. Certainly not to Republicans – a political party that seems bent on perfecting the self-inflicted wound.
Consider what’s going on with Georgia’s new voting law. Democrats and the Left have presented it as a Republican effort to suppress the black vote. But as a variety of sober assessments have made clear, this is largely a measure that expands early voting, and cleans up the process so that local election officials are better able to manage the process. (For example, see Henry Olsen’s Washington Post piece, and a rundown on the law by Georgia Public Broadcasting (GPB).)
One can, and of course, should, debate the measure, but classifying this as some kind of Jim Crow law is simply dead wrong. President Biden actually asserted, “It’s sick … deciding that you’re going to end voting at five o’clock when working people are just getting off work.” It’s not clear who would benefit from having polls closing at 5 p.m., but I guess Biden has some ideas? However, it doesn’t matter anyway because that’s not what the law says. In fact, it’s quite the opposite, as noted by GPB: “One of the biggest changes in the bill would expand early voting access for most counties, adding an additional mandatory Saturday and formally codifying Sunday voting hours as optional. Counties can have early voting open as long as 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., or 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. at minimum.” (Emphasis added.) Hey, Joe, the polls don’t close at five, instead, they have to stay open until at least five.
Well, why then the widespread backlash against this law, including, for example, Major League Baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred announcing that the All-Star Game would be moved out of Georgia?
Most obvious, people don’t do their own research on issues; they take their cues from certain groups or voices; and then they assert their own expertise and make decisions accordingly. That is, they serve as fertile ground for political manipulation. This is increasingly the case across the political party spectrum and our nation.
Second, the Left and the Democrats have seized on an issue to work to their own advantage, from ginning up their base to pressuring individuals, groups and organizations to get in line.
Meanwhile, Republicans made it easier for Democrats to do so. How? With so many Republican politicians, officials and rank-and-file members backing Donald Trump’s lunacy and lies about a stolen election, it’s pretty easy for Democrats to raise all kinds of questions about Republican intentions when it comes to voting laws.
Never mind that Republican leaders in the state of Georgia followed state law, as opposed to what Trump pressured them to do, during this past presidential election. Democrats have decided, for their own political advantage, to paint with a broad brush, hurling baseless accusations and trying to cover all Republicans in Georgia with the taint of Trump. Republicans simply made it far easier to do so because they refuse to wash off the Trump grime and muck.
Republicans will catch on. Well, not really. They’ll probably double-down for Trump, thereby, making it even easier for Democrats to launch both legitimate and baseless attacks. And America’s divide of distrust will persist.
Republican political dimness is not a new problem, but the party seems to have sunk deeper into political ignorance. Thinking that a cranky, narrow, victim-centric, anger-driven, fear-embracing populism was, and still is, a foundation upon which to sustain a political party rates as a model of political ineptitude.
I recall a moment in time when Republicans were pretty smart, that is, when they got on board with an optimistic, freedom-loving, free-enterprise-embracing, confident conservative named Ronald Reagan, and followed him to victory and influence beyond his years. But that is not today’s GOP, and I certainly have no idea what tomorrow’s GOP will look like, or if it will even exist. Indeed, the most that the Republican Party has going for it now is that a significant chunk of Americans reject the Democrats’ ongoing journey leftward, and some are still able to spot and oppose the Left’s cynicism.
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Ray Keating is a columnist, novelist, economist, podcaster and entrepreneur. Keating has two new books out. Vatican Shadows: A Pastor Stephen Grant Novel is the 13ththriller/mystery in the Pastor Stephen Grant series. Get the paperback or Kindle edition at Amazon, or signed books at www.raykeatingonline.com. Past Lives: A Pastor Stephen Grant Short Story is the 14th book in the series. Get the paperback or Kindle edition at Amazon, or signed book at www.raykeatingonline.com.
The views expressed here are his own – after all, no one else should be held responsible for this stuff, right?
You also can order his book Behind Enemy Lines: Conservative Communiques from Left-Wing New York from Amazon or signed books at RayKeatingOnline.com. His other recent nonfiction book is Free Trade Rocks! 10 Points on International Trade Everyone Should Know.
One of the best ways to enjoy Ray Keating’s Pastor Stephen Grant thrillers and mysteries is to join the Pastor Stephen Grant Fellowship! For the BEST VALUE, consider the Book of the Month Club. Check it all out at https://www.patreon.com/pastorstephengrantfellowship
Also, tune in to Ray Keating’s podcasts – the PRESS CLUB C Podcast and the Free Enterprise in Three Minutes Podcast
Check out Ray Keating’s Disney news and entertainment site at www.DisneyBizJournal.com.
by Ray Keating
The Keating Files – November 1, 2020
If you think this long, exhausting, painful and often-ridiculous presidential campaign between President Donald Trump and former Vice President Joe Biden – two crazy, unsavory old guys – is going to be over on Tuesday night, well, I hope you’re right. But don’t be surprised if we don’t get a final call on the race until Thursday.
It also pays to keep in mind that when the COVID-19 pandemic hit the U.S., the task before President Donald Trump wasn’t that hard. Well, it wouldn’t have been hard for almost anyone other than Mr. Trump.
The message should have been straightforward and simple. It should have gone something like this: “My fellow Americans, we need to come together to beat this pandemic. We need to care, support and look out for each other. We can do that by listening to the medical community; and by taking common sense precautions, like wearing masks and practicing social distancing. As best as we can in these troubled time, we need to support the small businesses who are the backbone of our economy. We need to show our appreciation for the people who are on the frontlines caring for others, and for those who are working hard to find effective vaccines and therapeutics. We can find strength from our respective faith communities. We need to pray for each other and for our country. The strength of this nation and our people will shine through. God bless you, and God bless America.”
If that were the consistent message from the president, as opposed to bizarre, self-promoting, conflicting, self-absorbed, dishonest, conspiracy-dabbling rants, the polls heading into Election Day likely would be quite different. After all, Americans usually aren’t too keen on changing horses in the middle of an emergency, unless that horse is erratic and cannot be trusted. For good measure, it pays to be reminded that when a president runs for re-election, the race overwhelmingly is about that incumbent.
Given these realities, what are we looking at in terms of the polls heading into this Tuesday, with the understanding that this is an unprecedented election with vast numbers -some 93 million people – having voted already?
The national polling continues to show former Vice President Joe Biden holding a rather stunning lead over President Trump. The latest polls put Biden up by 5 to 12 percentage points, with the polling averages putting Biden’s lead in the 7-to-9 points range, with Biden earning 51 percent to 52 percent of the vote. When a candidate scores about the 50 percent mark, and has a lead that large, it spells big trouble for the opponent.
But we need, of course, given what happened in 2016, to look at the presidential race in state-by-state contests, with the outcome resting in the Electoral College. So, let’s take a final look at the battleground states.
Arizona (11 electoral votes). The race is an effective dead heat, with Biden holding a slight lead.
Florida (29 electoral votes). Florida also falls into the toss-up category, with Biden, again, holding the slight edge.
Michigan (16 electoral votes). Biden holds a healthy lead in the polls – with the poll average putting him up by about eight points. Plus, Biden is pulling in above 50 percent in most polls.
Minnesota (10 electoral votes). Trump has been campaigning in the state, and as he does, the polls seem to pushing further in favor of Biden. The former vice president holds a nine-point lead in the poll average, and is coming in above 50 percent.
North Carolina (15 electoral votes). The state is an effective dead heat. While Biden holds a slight lead in the polling average, the latest polls are a mix of Trump or Biden being slightly ahead.
Pennsylvania (20 electoral votes). The polling average has Biden up by five points and coming in above 50 percent of the vote. But the race remains tight.
Wisconsin (10 electoral votes). Biden holds a solid lead of eight points among the polling average, and he is consistently running above 50 percent of those polled.
Ohio (18 electoral votes). Ohio is a toss-up, with Biden showing a slight move up. But this race is a straight-up tie.
Iowa (6 electoral votes). Iowa remains an effective dead heat, with Trump holding the slightest edge.
Georgia (16 electoral votes). Georgia is a dead heat – amazing given how Republican this state has been.
Nevada (6 electoral votes). The polling average puts Biden up by four points in Nevada. And he has held a consistent lead. But this is another tight race.
Texas (38 electoral votes). In this weird year, Texas, another traditional Republican state, remains a dead heat, with some polls putting Trump up slightly and others Biden. (See my take on Texas apparently going Purple.)
My prediction puts Biden at 342 Electoral College votes, with 270 needed to win. In a Blue wave scenario, that tally could go as high as 393.
No matter the outcome, like 2016, one gets the feeling that this is yet another election in which many people are voting against a candidate, rather than for one. In the end, perhaps most troubling is the unfortunate reality that whoever wins will present far more problems and negatives for the nation – though in quite different ways – rather than solutions or positives.
By the way, if anyone cares, I’ll be voting the same way I did in 2016, that is, writing in Ben Sasse for president.
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Recent and Related Columns by Ray Keating…
“Get Serious on Polling: No, Reagan Really Didn’t Trail Carter in 1980”
“Is Trump Turning Texas Purple?”
“A Flood of Bad Economics on Tech and Immigration”
“Polls Before the Dreaded Presidential Debates”
“Voting Your Conscience Isn’t Wasting Your Vote”
“Character-Rich Sci-Fi: Take the Netflix Journey with ‘Away’”
“Applaud, Don’t Attack, Robinhood”
“Sports Are Back But Americans Aren’t Happy”
“Should We Take Our Ball and Go Home When Pro Athletes Disagree with Us?”
“‘Greyhound’ Ranks as Strong Storytelling – Even on a Smaller Screen”
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Ray Keating is a columnist, novelist, economist, podcaster and entrepreneur. You can order his new book Behind Enemy Lines: Conservative Communiques from Left-Wing New York from Amazon or signed books at RayKeatingOnline.com. His other recent nonfiction book is Free Trade Rocks! 10 Points on International Trade Everyone Should Know. The views expressed here are his own – after all, no one else should be held responsible for this stuff, right?
Pre-order the forthcoming Vatican Shadows: A Pastor Stephen Grant Novel. Signed books at https://raykeatingonline.com/products/vaticanshadows and the Kindle Edition at https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08L1HLRP3
Also, choose your 2021 TO DO List planner today, and enjoy the pre-order sale! Perfect for you and as Christmas gifts. Choose between The Lutheran Planner 2021: The TO DO List Solution, The Film Buff’s Planner 2021: The TO DO List Solution, and The Disney Planner 2021: The TO DO List Solution. Get more information at https://raykeatingonline.com/t/todolistsolutionplanners
Keating’s latest novel is The Traitor: A Pastor Stephen Grant Novel, which is the 12thbook in the series. The best way to fully enjoy Ray Keating’s Pastor Stephen Grant thrillers and mysteries is to join the Pastor Stephen Grant Fellowship! For the BEST VALUE, consider the Book of the Month Club. Check it all out at https://www.patreon.com/pastorstephengrantfellowship
Also, tune in to Ray Keating’s podcasts – the PRESS CLUB C Podcast and the Free Enterprise in Three Minutes Podcast
Check out Ray Keating’s Disney news and entertainment site at www.DisneyBizJournal.com.
