NEWS AND OPINION:
Arriving Tuesday: “The Conservative Case for Trump,” by constitutional lawyer and Eagle Forum founder Phyllis Schlafly and co-authors Ed Martin and Brett Decker. The trio have declared that “a surprising conservative choice” for president is none other than GOP nominee Donald Trump. Both Newt Gingrich and Laura Ingraham give the work a thumbs up.
“If you can’t stand Hillary Clinton, but wonder if you could vote for Donald Trump, you need to buy this book,” Regnery Publishing advises.
“For the first time since 1980, a significant number of Republicans are considering abandoning their party’s nominee,” the book notes, deeming this phenomenon a “grave mistake.” Mrs. Schlafly and company say the Trump brand of “radical redirection” could actually set America back on the path of Ronald Reagan’s conservative revolution.
“Like Reagan, Trump, if elected, will inherit an America on the ropes, an America transformed into an unhappy, unprosperous, weakened, and divided nation,” the authors note.
They look beyond the political theater and partisan outrage of the election season and cite the potential impact of Mr. Trump’s appointees to the Supreme Court, his immigration policy and his plan for an economic revival — which they compare to the “Reagan boom of the 1980s.” The book also praises Mr. Trump’s defense of the First Amendment against an outspoken Left, and why the GOP nominee’s “fresh thinking” on defense could neutralize the threat of terrorism.
“Donald Trump is the most controversial Republican presidential candidate since Barry Goldwater, and could be the most conservative and successful since Ronald Reagan,” the authors advise. Find the book here
SKEPTICAL GLENN BECK
Independent media maven Glenn Beck, in the meantime, is no fan of Donald Trump and has been publicly tussling with Fox News host Sean Hannity over the nominee in recent days. Mr. Beck now declares that the conservative media is literally breaking apart over Mr. Trump’s candidacy, and he suggests a greater force is at work.
“There’s a fracturing has been going on for the last eight to 12 months,” Mr. Beck told CNN on Sunday. “I don’t think the Left could have planned a better candidate to blow up the Right than Donald Trump. I blame Donald Trump for being the worst candidate for either party that the country has ever seen.”
THE PRESIDENT’S LABOR DAY
President Obama has been attending the Group of 20 summit in Hangzhou, China — which had some dicey interchanges among officials and the press. Mr. Obama, in no-drama Obama mode, advised press and public not to “overcrank the significance of it.” On Monday, he heads southwest aboard Air Force One for 1,406 miles, bound for Vientiane, Laos, for a gathering of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations. He is the first sitting president to visit the nation.
But Mr. Obama did leave behind an official proclamation for Labor Day, and here is part of what it says:
“The strongest middle class the world has ever known was not built overnight. It was achieved by men and women who believed that living up to the promise of this Nation meant more than hoping for the best — it meant toiling in the day, working through the night, and proving that theirs was a future worth fighting for. On Labor Day, we celebrate the grit and resilience of America’s workers and their families, and we recommit to reaching for a world in which they are afforded the rights and opportunities they deserve.”
The proclamation does carry on for another 690 words, but suffice it to say that Mr. Obama refers to Americans as “the best workers on the planet.”
FAME FATIGUE
Tired of the endless onslaught of celebrity news, scandal and outrage? You are not alone. Eighty-eight percent of Americans now say their fellow citizens “pay too much attention to celebrity news and not enough attention to news that has real impact on their lives.” So says a Rasmussen Reports survey released Friday.
No recommendations on how to remedy the phenomenon, though the poll also found that only 39 percent of the respondents actually trust the political news they get.
THE BUSINESS AT HAND
A round of applause, please, for the Small Business Administration, which offers much free coaching and information for entrepreneurs and those growing their own enterprises — including helpful hints on “establishing values for your business.”
The federal agency offers free online courses in such things. If it’s a leisurely Labor Day, consult SBA.gov. Don’t overlook the “Learning Center” and “Starting and Managing” headings.
BOLTON PITCHES IN
John Bolton, former U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, continues to shore up the political campaigns of “national security” candidates — those Republicans who favor a strong America in a troubled world. Through his political action committee, Mr. Bolton has contributed over $440,000 to assorted campaigns and has endorsed 61 candidates in the 2016 cycle.
This week, six others running for Congress — three incumbents and three challengers — have won Mr. Bolton’s support. Reps. Jeff Denham and David Valadao of California, plus Rep. Cresent Hardy of Nevada have joined the Bolton list, as well as Sacramento County Sheriff Scott Jones and Denise Gitsham in the Golden State, and Danny Tarkanian in the Silver State.
“It is imperative that the western United States is represented by Republican leaders who put security first and will vote for strong national defense policies that ensure we identify, combat, and defeat our enemies effectively. I am proud to support the campaigns of these six candidates,” says Mr. Bolton.
POLL DU JOUR
• 87 percent of Americans say it’s OK to live an “average” life; 87 percent of Republicans, 85 percent of independents and 90 percent of Democrats agree.
• 66 percent overall describe themselves as an “average person”; 68 percent of Republicans, 63 percent of independents and 67 percent of Democrats agree.
• 59 percent overall would describe their lives as stressful; 54 percent of Republicans, 59 percent of independents and 63 percent of Democrats agree.
• 43 percent would prefer a “low stress, low achievement life”; 40 percent of Republicans, 43 percent of independents and 45 percent of Democrats agree.
• 28 percent overall would prefer a “high stress, high achievement life”; 31 percent of Republicans, 26 percent of independents and 28 percent of Democrats agree.
Source: A YouGov poll of 1,000 U.S. adults conducted Aug. 23-25.
• Have a happy and productive Labor Day; thanks for reading Inside the Beltway.
• Jennifer Harper can be reached at jharper@washingtontimes.com.
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