Doctor Fate wrote:To Geo, I would note that anyone who believes in the Bible (OT or NT) believes that God establishes governments and takes them down. So, what Brat said is none too surprising. Let me know if he starts talking about establishing a caliphate.

geojanes wrote:Ok . . . but he has a mandate from the (Republican) people, not from God; an election happened, not a miracle.

geojanes wrote:

geojanes wrote:Ok . . . but he has a mandate from the (Republican) people, not from God; an election happened, not a miracle.

Right after I made this post, I ate lunch and watched yesterday's daily show while doing it: Clips they show in the beginning have Mr. Brat saying that his victory was a miracle several times. Context matters, and the Daily Show doesn't do context, so I take the clip with a grain of salt, but it was just too strange not to note.

http://thedailyshow.cc.com/full-episodes/ihv0f4/june-11--2014---charles-schumer

Spending the first part of the interview happily discussing his position as a free-market supporter, all was going according to Brat’s script until Todd dared to ask the Republican nominee some actual questions on national policy.

Chuck began by tossing Professor Brat a softball, asking whether the candidate supported a federally mandated minimum wage...

...[Brat] struggled to avoid the question, obviously afraid of angering any voters who might be listening or create any news he felt could be harmful to his chances in November.

Smelling blood in Brat’s lack of a solid response, Todd pushed him for an answer, causing Mr. Brat to reply—

“ I don’t have a well-crafted response to that one.”

Call me crazy but I would have thought that a tenured, 18 year economics professor running for Congress on a free market platform might have given some though to the issue of a federally mandated minimum wage at some point before this morning’s interview...

...While Brat’s response to an easy question should be distressing to every Virginian who gave him their vote, let alone those who did not, it all got substantially worse when Todd asked Mr. Brat a fairly simple foreign policy question.

“On a foreign policy issue, arming the Syrian rebels. Would you be in favor of that?”

This was, to Mr. Brat’s thinking, going to far. How dare the media quiz a guy favored to enter the House of Representatives in January about his thoughts on a critical foreign policy matter?

For the man who had just toppled the House Majority Leader, a foreign policy question qualified as unfair sandbagging—and Brat wasn’t afraid to say so.

“Hey, Chuck, I thought we were just going to chat today about the celebratory aspects,” Brat said. “I’d love to go through all of this but my mind is just— I didn’t get much sleep last night. I love all the policy questions but I just wanted to talk about the victory ahead and I wanted to thank everybody that worked so hard on my campaign. I’m happy to take policy issues at any time, I just wanted to call out a thanks to everybody today.”

Really? Talk about a disingenuous response.

Doctor Fate wrote:

geojanes wrote:

geojanes wrote:Ok . . . but he has a mandate from the (Republican) people, not from God; an election happened, not a miracle.

Right after I made this post, I ate lunch and watched yesterday's daily show while doing it: Clips they show in the beginning have Mr. Brat saying that his victory was a miracle several times. Context matters, and the Daily Show doesn't do context, so I take the clip with a grain of salt, but it was just too strange not to note.

http://thedailyshow.cc.com/full-episodes/ihv0f4/june-11--2014---charles-schumer

Given that he was outspent 25:1, he was a nobody running against the Majority Leader, and no one expected him to win . . . is "miracle" such scary language. Need I remind you of "the Miracle Mets" or "the Miracle on Ice?"

Anyone who says it isn't a "miracle" in the political sense is lying.

And again, we have a President who says he's a Christian . . . correct? Of course, we all know why that doesn't scare the Left . . . because everyone knows he's being disingenuous.

Doctor Fate wrote:This guy scares you because he actually might believe in something.

danivon wrote:Rick Ungar in Forbes is not impressed with Brat (and says he's glad to see Cantor lose):

http://www.forbes.com/sites/rickungar/2 ... rime-time/

Spending the first part of the interview happily discussing his position as a free-market supporter, all was going according to Brat’s script until Todd dared to ask the Republican nominee some actual questions on national policy.

Chuck began by tossing Professor Brat a softball, asking whether the candidate supported a federally mandated minimum wage...

...[Brat] struggled to avoid the question, obviously afraid of angering any voters who might be listening or create any news he felt could be harmful to his chances in November.

Smelling blood in Brat’s lack of a solid response, Todd pushed him for an answer, causing Mr. Brat to reply—

“ I don’t have a well-crafted response to that one.”

Call me crazy but I would have thought that a tenured, 18 year economics professor running for Congress on a free market platform might have given some though to the issue of a federally mandated minimum wage at some point before this morning’s interview...

...While Brat’s response to an easy question should be distressing to every Virginian who gave him their vote, let alone those who did not, it all got substantially worse when Todd asked Mr. Brat a fairly simple foreign policy question.

“On a foreign policy issue, arming the Syrian rebels. Would you be in favor of that?”

This was, to Mr. Brat’s thinking, going to far. How dare the media quiz a guy favored to enter the House of Representatives in January about his thoughts on a critical foreign policy matter?

For the man who had just toppled the House Majority Leader, a foreign policy question qualified as unfair sandbagging—and Brat wasn’t afraid to say so.

“Hey, Chuck, I thought we were just going to chat today about the celebratory aspects,” Brat said. “I’d love to go through all of this but my mind is just— I didn’t get much sleep last night. I love all the policy questions but I just wanted to talk about the victory ahead and I wanted to thank everybody that worked so hard on my campaign. I’m happy to take policy issues at any time, I just wanted to call out a thanks to everybody today.”

Really? Talk about a disingenuous response.

geojanes wrote:There are lots of bad examples of people who govern with the belief that they are the instrument of God's will, most of them from either long ago, and/or far, far away.

freeman3 wrote:God establishes governments and takes them down? That is a pretty major limitation on the free will of Man,, isn't it?

If God intervenes that much then why doesn't he step into to stop genocides?

Amazing that such a benevolent god would create a world where the major rule of survival among animals is to eat others or be eaten.

One would think that a perfect God could design a less brutal world...No time to stop genocides, wars, hunger, violence, human suffering--but he can step in to boot Cantor out...It's a miracle!

Doctor Fate wrote: He's so convinced of it he's chucked the Constitution.

geojanes wrote:

Doctor Fate wrote: He's so convinced of it he's chucked the Constitution.

Yeah, well, it's a flawed work of man. So whatever.

KIDDING!

Doctor Fate wrote:1. I'm sure many VA voters were watching MSNBC. Wait. No one watches MSNBC.

2. He, as he explained, had been up most of the night. He didn't expect to win. NO ONE thought he was going to win, including Cantor--and Chuck Todd.

3. He's an economics prof. If he has no position on the minimum wage, I'd be surprised. But, the minimum wage is not a "softball question." It's quicksand. It's a Democrat ploy to buy votes--as with much of Obama's agenda.

4. I've seen/heard plenty of Unger. He's no conservative. And, that article is pure snide.

5. He's a political naif. If he had handlers and staff, they would have told him to take a nap and avoid MSNBC like the plague. There's only downside--no one who watches through the insufferable line-up at that station would ever vote for a conservative (PS: I watch it when I travel. It's not only liberal; it's mostly dishonest).

danivon wrote:

Doctor Fate wrote:1. I'm sure many VA voters were watching MSNBC. Wait. No one watches MSNBC.

Not really relevant. The popularity, or lack of, of MSNBC doesn't alter what someone said when on it.

2. He, as he explained, had been up most of the night. He didn't expect to win. NO ONE thought he was going to win, including Cantor--and Chuck Todd.

Sure. But he can't say what he thinks about a pretty basic economic policy issue because he's tired?

3. He's an economics prof. If he has no position on the minimum wage, I'd be surprised. But, the minimum wage is not a "softball question." It's quicksand. It's a Democrat ploy to buy votes--as with much of Obama's agenda.

All the more reason, surely, for an economics professor to explain to us why it's such a bad idea. He could be honest. He could stand up for his beliefs. He could...

Ach, he's just another politician, hoodwinking voters.

4. I've seen/heard plenty of Unger. He's no conservative. And, that article is pure snide.

I know he's not a hardcore Republican. But was he wrong on the facts, even if he did spin the message? Did he misquote Brat?

I also know who Chuck Todd is. I guess Brat may have an idea, even with a bit of tiredness, that a former Democrat staffer and policy wonk would ask a question or two about policy. Besides, politics is not just about winning elections, it's about what you are winning them for.

And do you really want a naif to end up in Congress? Mr Smith Goes to Washington (and The Distinguished Gentleman) are Hollywood creations. The reality is that you need politicians with a bit of nous.

Doctor Fate wrote:I'm sure you, having done hundreds of live TV interviews, would have been flawless. He was not.

3. He's an economics prof. If he has no position on the minimum wage, I'd be surprised. But, the minimum wage is not a "softball question." It's quicksand. It's a Democrat ploy to buy votes--as with much of Obama's agenda.

All the more reason, surely, for an economics professor to explain to us why it's such a bad idea. He could be honest. He could stand up for his beliefs. He could...

Ach, he's just another politician, hoodwinking voters.

Is he a Republican? I'm dubious. He spun it as furiously as Obama spins everything. In fact, it could have been the President writing that.

I also know who Chuck Todd is. I guess Brat may have an idea, even with a bit of tiredness, that a former Democrat staffer and policy wonk would ask a question or two about policy. Besides, politics is not just about winning elections, it's about what you are winning them for.

Let me know if Brat loses.

And do you really want a naif to end up in Congress? Mr Smith Goes to Washington (and The Distinguished Gentleman) are Hollywood creations. The reality is that you need politicians with a bit of nous.

We need them with a bit of honesty. Something that is lacking on both sides of the aisle.

danivon wrote:Do you think that Brat is part of righting that balance? If so why could he not be honest about his position on the minimum wage? After all, it's not as if (according to you) anyone who matters in the Va-7 election would care what he said on MSNBC...