Mike Pence Officially Enters 2024 Presidential Primary


Posted originally on the CTH on June 5, 2023 | Sundance

Former Vice President Mike Pence has filed paperwork with the Federal Election Commission to officially declare his candidacy to win the 2024 GOP nomination.

Pence is expected to publicly launch his campaign with a Wednesday rally in Des Moines, Iowa. He is also expected to hold additional events in the state following his campaign announcement, including a CNN town hall at Grand View University. In order to pretend his way onto the GOP debate stage, Pence is putting all of his election eggs into the Iowa basket.

WASHINGTON DC – Mike Pence filed paperwork on Monday to run for president, setting up an unprecedented contest between a former vice president and a former president of his own party for the nomination. His largest task will be attempting to win back Republicans who largely cast him aside following Donald Trump’s presidency.

Pence’s entry into the race comes after a sometimes tumultuous two years in the political wilderness following his actions on Jan. 6 to certify the 2020 election, resisting intense pressure from Trump. He has occasionally faced boos from the MAGA base at GOP confabs in places such as a Faith & Freedom Coalition conference in Florida in 2021 and even on his home turf at a National Rifle Association meeting in Indianapolis this year.

The former six-term congressman and one-term Indiana governor sees an opportunity in Iowa. There, his advisers are betting he can lavish attention and rebuild the coalition of evangelical voters that delivered caucus victories to Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas in 2016, former Sen. Rick Santorum of Pennsylvania in 2012 and former Gov. Mike Huckabee of Arkansas in 2008. Pence hired the architect of Huckabee’s campaign, Chip Saltsman, to help him do just that.

“Iowa feels more like Indiana more than any other state in the nation,” Pence told voters in Des Moines late last month. (read more)

In related news, Gov. Chris Sununu (R-N.H.) announced Monday that he will not enter the 2024 Republican presidential primary, saying a crowded field will only help former President Donald Trump win. (link)

RNC Announces Debate Qualifications for Approved “Republican” Candidates, Including Loyalty Pledge


Posted originally on the CTH on June 2, 2023 | Sundance 

Let us be clear and non-pretending.  The RNC, a private corporation run by U.S. multinational corporations, billionaires and donors who control it, is a private club – who construct the rules of affiliation according to the interests and demands of the benefactors.

The RNC club, the right side of the UniParty corporate structure, has zero consideration or interest in the opinion of voters forced to register in their affiliation.

The people who fund the RNC have established the rules for participation in the club debate.  The first club debate is scheduled for August 23, 2023, on Fox News with the approved process through the prism of Rupert Murdoch and Paul Ryan.  Those club rules include:

♦ A qualifying candidate must poll support at least 1% in three national polls, OR 1% in two national polls and 1% in one early state poll from two separate “carve out” states (Iowa, New Hampshire, Nevada, South Carolina) as conducted by polling recognized and approved by the RNC club. 

This rule will elevate all the purposeful idiot club members the voters do not like onto the stage.  After all, what good is a plan to split the vote if the club cannot give the optics needed for the operation.  In essence, and in fact, in order for Chris Christie and Nikki Haley to attack Trump on behalf of DeSantis, they must be on the stage.

♦ Each candidate must meet this polling requirement no later than 48 hours prior to the first scheduled debate and must originate from polling conducted on or after July 1, 2023.  

♦ The Candidate must have a minimum of 40,000 unique donors to candidate’s principal presidential campaign committee (or exploratory committee), with at least 200 unique donors per state or territory in 20+ states and/or territories. Evidence of this donor support must be presented to RNC club no later than 48 hours prior to the first scheduled debate.

The RNC club will then use this donor data to request more money for their club operations.

♦ Each candidate must have signed a pledge agreeing to support the eventual club nominee, in order to be considered an “approved republican.” 

If the candidate does not support the club rules, the candidate is not approved.

Do you guys see how ridiculously screwed up our system of American party politics is?

If I were advising Donald Trump, or any candidate, I would tell them to put out an official statement that says:

“My loyalty is to the American people, not a private club or politically affiliated corporation. I will not be signing a loyalty pledge to anyone except the American people through my oath of office.  Additionally, my view of our nation does not include any division, subset or categorization of personage based on political affiliation.”

The first rule in the maintenance of a constitutional republic, with the end goal to eliminate corporatism in US politics, should be to outlaw the formation of any political party.

Get rid of political parties, and Bernie Sanders would have been the DNC club candidate in 2016.  Get rid of political parties, and Newt Gingrich would have been the RNC club candidate in 2012.  Get rid of political parties, and voters would see bold contrasts instead of UniParty pastels.

Counter argument – Oh, but if you get rid of political parties then billionaires will just select their guy for office.   My point – WTF do you think we have now?
Of course, Politico gets it exactly wrong – on purpose.

(Via Politico) – The Republican National Committee says it will consider adding a second night to the first GOP presidential primary debate this August in Milwaukee, according to new qualifying standards announced Friday.

The first debate will be Aug. 23 on Fox News Channel, with a possible second date of Aug. 24 if enough candidates meet polling and fundraising criteria — and also commit to supporting the eventual Republican nominee and pledge that they will not participate in any outside debates.

Candidates will have to garner donations from at least 40,000 national contributors and poll consistently above 1 percent in three national polls or two national polls and a state poll, according to the RNC’s announcement. Candidates must secure donations “with at least 200 unique donors per state or territory in 20+ states and/or territories.”

The candidates will have until Aug. 21 — 48 hours before the debate — to meet the criteria. Polls conducted prior to July 1 won’t count toward qualification.

The new standards appear designed to prevent the free-for-all, circus-like debates that occurred in the 2016 Republican primaries. Though it’s too soon to know which candidates will clear the thresholds, the criteria are likely to be difficult for at least some hopefuls to clear.

A smaller stage could benefit Ron DeSantis, who wants a one-on-one matchup with former President Donald Trump. The former president is welcoming a large field to splinter the opposition to him. (read more)

Mike Pence Will Launch 2024 GOP Nomination Effort From Des Moines Iowa, June 7th


Posted originally on the CTH on May 31, 2023 | Sundance 

According to NBC and confirmed by Politico, former Indiana Governor Mike Pence is scheduled to launch his bid for the GOP nomination in Iowa on June 7th.

Oddly, and speaking to the framework of the larger GOPe operation, Pence isn’t making his announcement in his home state; instead, he is going to launch his campaign during a speech in Des Moines, Iowa.

Mike Pence is a well-known name to voters having previously been vice-president to Donald Trump, and he is currently polling around 3% support according to Monmouth.

In his biggest role as Vice-President, Mike Pence was in charge of the federal COVID-19 emergency response as head of the White House COVID taskforce in 2020.

Pence is a well-known traditional Republican who identifies with voters primarily on social issues.  Pence will make an appeal to the evangelical community in Iowa and is organized in that effort by GOP brand consultant Chip Saltsman, the architect of former Gov. Mike Huckabee’s 2008 Iowa caucuses victory.

(Via NBC) – Mike Pence plans to enter the GOP presidential nomination fray June 7 with a campaign video and a kickoff speech in Des Moines, Iowa, according to a person familiar with his launch schedule.

The former vice president, a longtime advocate of the priorities of traditional conservatives on social and economic issues, will join the race at a time when his onetime boss, former President Donald Trump, claims a majority in most national polls and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis is in a clear second place.

Redefining himself to Republican voters, most of whom know him primarily as Trump’s vice president, will be a challenge.

But the Indiana-bred Pence views his fellow Midwesterners in the Iowa GOP, and their first-in-the-nation caucuses, as a hospitable home for his brand of politics. Typically, the Iowa caucuses play a winnowing role in the nomination fight, providing rocket fuel to a handful of candidates while burying the hopes of the rest.

“We view this race as absolutely wide open, and Iowa is really going to solidify itself as the pivotal player,” the person familiar with Pence’s plans said. “It’s a place that values Mike Pence’s principles — traditional conservative principles — deep-rooted faith and uncommon character.” (read more)

Pence’s job, on behalf of the Sea Island group, will be to present an optical contrast to the unacceptable vulgarian Trump, while Chris Christie acts as the attack dog and the rest of the field protect Ron DeSantis from The Great Godzilla MAGA King.

The team effort is increasingly transparent, and the debate hosts, like Rupert Murdoch’s Fox News, are proactively positioning to shape the staged narrative.  At this point in the dynamic, it is all rather shallow and obvious; however, in approved Republican operations – they never look outside the cloister.

John Thune Will Endorse Tim Scott for 2024 GOPe Nomination – It Is Time for the Senate to Protect Its Interests


Posted originally on the CTH on May 21, 2023 | Sundance 

A report today in Politico states the next Senate Leader, the heir to the McConnell legacy, John Thune, will be endorsing South Carolina Tim Scott for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination.  This approach makes sense, because the modern Senate is a rogue division within the modern branches of government.

The modern Senate has unique corrupt interests that are specific to the upper chamber, and those interests must be defended from any possibility of diminished influence.  The current U.S. senate does not consider themselves to be a co-equal branch, especially since they created the weaponized intelligence apparatus to give them greater power.

The Senate is where the DeceptiCons rule with targeted desire, influence and affluence.  They consider themselves more important than the government they are a part of.  Nothing was more detrimental to the principle of freedom than the 17th amendment.  The Senate rulers stroll the halls like Greek Gods filled with omnipotent power. They are vile parasites destroying our republican form of government… They are DeceptiCons.

WASHINGTON DC – Sen. John Thune, the Senate’s No. 2 Republican, is endorsing the presidential campaign of Sen. Tim Scott, according to a person familiar with his plans.

The South Dakota senator will appear at Scott’s presidential launch on Monday in South Carolina, the person said. Scott will announce his presidential run on Monday in North Charleston and has already launched an ad blitz.

In backing Scott, the Senate minority whip becomes the highest-ranking congressional Republican to back the South Carolina senator. And he joins his South Dakota colleague Sen. Mike Rounds in backing Scott, who is popular among Senate Republicans. Some members of House leadership have already indicated they support former President Donald Trump’s campaign.

But Thune is making good on his hopes of turning the GOP away from Trump and presenting a more forward-looking vision for the party. Thune recoiled from Trump’s efforts to overturn the 2020 election, famously declaring that his election challenge would go down on the Senate floor like a “shot dog.” That drew a political threat from Trump, but Thune easily won reelection last year.

Since then, Thune made clear he did not think Trump’s style was suitable for the party, and said in November that “it’s clear that running on relitigating the 2020 election is not a winning strategy.” He has also praised Scott’s strengths as a candidate, concluding last year that Scott has “obviously helped a lot of people around the country in the last year, raised a lot of money and built a lot of relationships that can be very useful if he does” run.

Scott could pick up more Senate endorsements in the coming days because of his throwback style of conservatism and optimistic rhetoric, particularly for Republicans looking for a non-Trump candidate to get behind. (read more)

“What Can I Do?” – Stop Pretending, Start Confronting – Make the Debt Ceiling Being Raised Contingent on Border Being Closed…


May 14, 2023 | Sundance 

There is a great deal of frustration, righteous frustration about the seriously destabilizing constructs happening around us, combined with almost no corrective action from people in power or influence that can do anything, something, about it.

This leads to the #1 question people ask, “What can I do about it?”  The answer is not complex, and consists of two obvious elements:

First, stop pretending.

Second, confront those who rely on our pretending.

OK, great, but what does that look like?  I’ll give you some examples. 

♦EXAMPLE – Millions of illegal aliens are pouring through the southern border. They don’t impeach Joe Biden over his failure to do his job and “preserve, protect and defend the United States.”  Why not?   It’s too difficult they say.  Well, ok, but here’s an easy approach.

The debt ceiling needs to be raised.  Tell the White House the debt ceiling isn’t going to be raised until the border is closed, secured, done!   Shut up, and/or just keep repeating that line.  When the border is secure, we will raise the debt limit.  DONE!

OMG!  Horrible Republicans the media cry. Who cares? Don’t move. Response: when the border is secure, we will raise the debt limit!

Then make Biden own the debt default in order to keep the border open.

Well over 70% of the country wants the border secured.  Everyone sees the massive influx of illegal aliens.  Not even Democrat constituencies want more illegal aliens flooding into their neighborhoods (see Chicago).  So, make the debt ceiling conditional on the border closing.  PERIOD.  Just stop pretending.

Keep it simple.  When Customs and Border Patrol tells you the border is secure, then raise the debt ceiling.   How frigging hard is this?

It’s not hard.  So, stop pretending it is.

See how this works?

♦EXAMPLE – Ron DeSantis walks into a shop, or holds an event.  Ask him the big picture questions:  Governor, when did you decide to run for the presidency?  When all these billionaires and multinational corporations are giving you hundreds of millions of dollars, what do they expect from you?  How much did Rupert Murdoch pay you for the advance on your recent book deal?  Why was it important for you to seal your travel records?  Why did you need the Florida legislature to change the ‘resign to run laws’?

Anticipate the reply, focus the follow-up on a foundational truth.  These are not difficult questions, but you never see them asked. Why not?  BECAUSE THE PEOPLE HE IS IN CONTACT WITH ARE PRETENDING.

DeSantis is relying on the maintenance of that pretending.  Just stop.

♦EXAMPLE – Senator Rubio holds a townhall meeting.  Again, ask him the big picture questions:  Senator, you are the vice-chairman of the Senate Intel Committee; you are a member of the gang-of-eight.  We know from court documents that former Senate Security Director James Wolfe leaked a top secret FISA application, likely at the direction of your chairman Mark Warner.  Why have you never called this out?  Why do you protect him?  Why was James Wolfe never prosecuted for the FISA leak?

You watched FBI Director James Comey testify in March 2017 that he never informed the gang of eight about his previous 11-month investigation of the presidential candidate who was the political opposition of the sitting president; why didn’t you do anything about it?

Why didn’t you ever allow a single recess appointment by President Donald Trump?  Why did you go along with Mitch McConnell to block a Republican president?

Again, Marco Rubio sits next to Mark Warner, calls him his “friend across the aisle”, and yet that “friend” is part of the system to destroy our country. Stop letting him pretend, start confronting him.   The same applies to all other senators, in all other townhalls.

Start making their lives uncomfortable by asking the obvious questions.

We are in an abusive relationship with government.  If you want to stop government from abusing us, then act like they are abusing us!

Sean Hannity, Laura Ingraham, Maria Bartiromo, Fox News, conservative pundits, Mark Levin, Ben Shapiro, conservative websites and political talkers writ large, all of them are continuing this game of pretending.  Most of them are all connected to the same financial mechanisms.   None of these groups are going to ask any of the obvious questions or hold anyone to account.  They all maintain the game of pretending.

There are only a few people, maybe a handful, who are not.

Look at the obvious stuff, this is not complex politics.

Those who trade in the art of deception will always find an audience willing to be deceived.   Quit looking for someone else to do the job, start putting yourself in the position to challenge them with obvious questions.

Stay out of the weeds, there’s no reason to be in them, and just ask the obvious questions; there are dozens of them ….And for the love of all that is good and righteous in this world….

…Quit pretending!

A Stunned Maria Bartiromo Discovers the Chaff and Countermeasures Committee


May 14, 2023 | Sundance 

Mrs. Maria Bartiromo is good at pretending, very good. However, CTH has never pretended or played the game of pretending and we can spot a pretender a mile away.

The game of pretending is needed in order to retain the illusion of the Potemkin Village of DC.  A construct manufactured by the power structure that exists behind the puppet show, with the full intention to distract us.  Pretending is what gives rise to a Florida governor on a ‘book tour’ run for 2024. Pretending is what kicks the can of accountability away until it can be buried.

Pretending is needed in order to say Republicans will make a difference, or the black eye doesn’t hurt, and look he bought me flowers.  Perhaps some reminders and clarifications of the real game inside DC politics are needed.  After all, I am this close > < to going back into that mess to destroy some silos.

The House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, hereafter called the House Oversight Committee or HOC, has a very specific function in DC circles that too few understand.  Once again, let us be clear while trying to explain decades of false information founded upon arcane legislative outlooks.

Understanding the DC game of Chaff and Countermeasures…. A “Countermeasure” is a measure or action taken to counter or offset a preceding one.

Politically speaking, the deployment of countermeasures is a well-used tactic by professional politicians in Washington DC to counter incoming public inquiry and protect themselves from anger expressed by the electorate.  The Republican leadership are very skilled in the management of “chaff” (outrage), and “countermeasures” (the distraction).

Within Washington DC, the HOC has a very specific and unique function.  What Fox News is to corporate conservative punditry, so too is the HOC to the same DC system of pretending.  The House Oversight Committee is the “Chaff and Countermeasures” committee.  The HOC operates for both parties with the same mission.

The House Oversight Committee was/is created by the House legislative leadership to make money for the party in control of the Chair.  When the House Speaker is notified of a DC corruption issue, inside his/her office they will often be heard saying, “give it to oversight.”  The intent of that instruction is to give the issue to the HOC, so they can hold hearings, create soundbites and fundraise from the issue.

Making money for the party in control of the Chair is the primary function of the House Oversight Committee.  The HOC does not exist to create accountability or oversight; the HOC exists to exploit the issue for fundraising and satiate the base voters of the party in control of the Chair.

The HOC presents the illusion of accountability by constructing soundbites and member performances which are then broadcast on television for appearances to the voting audience.  It is essentially theater.

The HOC is a “general oversight’ committee, not a committee of “specific jurisdiction.”  Thus, the HOC is the vehicle where Democrats and Republicans publicly display their political initiatives, frame their narratives and then broadcast them on MSNBC, CNN (Democrats) or FOX NEWS (Republicans).

Depending on the issues at hand, the HOC committee members are generally those performance actors best known to the audience of both parties.  This is not accidental; this is by design.  Again, for emphasis, I am only talking about the HOC, a “generalized oversight” committee. Only this specific committee has this specific mission.

A hot button topic enters the committee ecosphere. Specifically trained staffers and performance artists, uniquely qualified to put on theatrical productions (both parties), are then deployed to assist the representatives in creating the soundbites that hopefully will go viral and assist them with fundraising and opportunities to say, “here’s what we are doing.”   Outlining this construct is not an exhibition in cynicism; this is the reality of what the HOC is designed and created to do.

When you see the HOC performing at their best, you will see lots of soundbites created.

The Chair of the HOC is always part of the House Speaker’s close inner circle.  From that association you will discover by training, by habit, and by consequence, the HOC framework is developed to sustain the process itself as an end result.   The questioning is the sum total of all accountabilities.  The performance is the interview; the conversation is the point; the smoke is the fire.

Oversight, in the HOC framework of narrative creation, has evolved into reveling in the endless process (a fundraising proposition) and, as a consequence, it completely ignores the end point, misses the bottom line, doesn’t actually SEE the subject matter, and never actually applies accountability toward what might be discovered.  This is why you end up with high blood pressure, frustrated with the questions not asked, and throwing bricks at the screen or monitors when viewing.

The point of HOC hearings is to create what are now described as “viral moments” that can be used to generate money.   The second, and lesser objective, is to give the illusion of accountability while not actually ever holding anyone or anything accountable.  See prior HOC reference points like Fast and Furious, IRS targeting, Benghazi, the Twitter File review or the current Joe/Hunter Biden crime syndicate investigation.

If you watch the HOC through the prism of expecting some form of accountability for the violations of law, you will be frustrated and disappointed.   However, if you watch the HOC through the prism of how well the members will do at raising money from their performances, then you can evaluate the effectiveness – the proverbial winning and losing.

The HOC is designed by House leadership to perform the same basic function for both Democrats and Republicans.  The HOC committee assignments are selected based on the theatrical skills of each representative.  This is not to say the motives of the members are sullied or impure, it is simply to point out the motive of the committee itself is to generate fundraising from the skillsets of the members on the committee.

Once you fully grasp what the intent of the House Oversight Committee is about, and once you drop the expectation that any accountability in oversight is the intent, then you can watch the performances through the entertainment prism of partisan politics and genuinely enjoy them – or hate them.

The HOC is called the “Chaff and Countermeasures” Committee, because that’s essentially what the committee does.  It gives the appearance of targeting, steering the target to a controlled destination, and then distracting the audience from the outcome of accountability.

If sunlight is achieved, meaning the Mainstream Media cannot ignore the issue as presented and questioned, and if the general public become more familiar with the controversial subject matter or topic at hand, and if the party of the Chair can fundraise from the issue, then the committee has succeeded.  However, if you are looking for something to change as an outcome of any HOC investigation or hearing, you will be perpetually disappointed.

There seems to be a willful blindness on the part of the American people, a chosen refusal to acknowledge the implications of the unAmerican and unConstititional behaviors, actions and outcomes we are being served on a daily basis.

It can no longer be presumed to be a matter of “I can’t see what’s happening”, because a whole lot of normal Americans really are clean and articulate.

I can’t see it” just doesn’t cut it.

NONSENSE!  Most people can see it.  Most are just choosing to reconcile the irreconcilable because it is more comforting to ignore the truth of it.  Just be honest, for many people avoidance has become a survival mechanism.

It’s more along the lines of “I see what’s happening, but it’s scary and complicated and confusing, and if I admit that I see it, I will become responsible in a way that I am not if I keep pretending I can’t see it or hear it or maybe I don’t understand it.”

McCarthy’s Lucy has unlimited footballs.

Admit it or keep pretending.

The choices are ours.

Personally, I will not pretend.

If we all stop pretending, eventually the DC house of cards collapses.

I think we need to change things…

… more later!

Sunday Talks, James Comer Says 9 out of 10 Biden Crime Witnesses are in Jail, Court or Missing


May 14, 2023 | Sundance 

House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer reappears with Maria Bartiromo today to update on the status of the Biden crime family investigation. {Direct Rumble Link Here}

During the interview Chairman Comer informs Ms Bartiromo that nine out of ten people that would be considered material witnesses for the intent of the committee investigation are either in jail, in court, or missing.  Additionally, Comer states those who do have information are intimidated and fear for their lives. WATCH:

James Comer: 9 of the 10 Biden corruption witnesses are in court, in jail, or missing.

Georgia Gov Brian Kemp Organizes Billionaire Bush Clan on Sea Island to Plot State for DeSantis, While GA Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger Meets With Zuckerberg CEIR Election Manipulation Group


Posted originally on the CTH on May 9, 2023 | Sundance 

The Bush clan is always in the background, like the stench of a rotting whale carcass just over the horizon.

With Georgia on their mind for 2024, Governor Brian Kemp hosts a stop Trump confab at their infamous and preferred Sea Island retreat.  Meanwhile, thanks to the intrepid boots-on-ground reporting of Laura Loomer, we discover that Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger is meeting with Zuckerberg’s far-left Center for Election Innovation & Research (CEIR), in Washington DC.

Why would state election officials be meeting with far-left election manipulation groups.  Well, put those two datapoints together, and once again the strings on the election official marionettes start glowing.  As we have said from the outset of the DeSantis construct in early 2022, watch the Republican Governor’s Association (RGA) closely.

We are about to see exactly how the billionaire corporate funders control the Red State operations and manufacture the ‘illusion of choice‘.  The difference between now and the Romney era of 2012, through the Bush era of 2016, is that the American electorate are eyes-wide-open.  We are watching the assembly in real time, and once again at CTH we have no financial affiliation to influence our sunlight.  The gang might be getting back together, but The Truth Has No Agenda.

[Source – May 8, John Boehner attending Stop Trump Summit]

GEORGIA – […] Kemp gathered donors this week for a three-day retreat on Sea Island, Georgia, to plan for the 2024 campaign with a focus on the specific role of Georgia, a vital state for Republicans if they have any hope of winning the White House. According to a source familiar with the retreat, the event raised $1.2 million for Kemp’s committees. 

The retreat comes as former President Donald Trump leads in the polls among 2024 GOP presidential candidates, with Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis in second — but trailing — as he prepares to announce his campaign.

Kemp’s activities around 2024 raise his national profile and position him to be part of the mix for a gubernatorial alternative for president should DeSantis stumble. At the least, it positions him for a possible Senate run in 2026, since he will be barred from running for governor again because of state term limits. 

Kemp’s private retreat featured a long list of Republican operatives and leaders who gave presentations on a wide range of topics connected to the next election. Speakers included former House Speaker John Boehner of Ohio; Karl Rove, former senior adviser to President George W. Bush; and former Sen. Kelly Loeffler of Georgia.

During his remarks to the group, Kemp outlined what he believes the eventual GOP nominee must focus on for the party to be successful in 2024. 

“First, we have to tell voters what we’re for. Second, focus on the future. And third, we have to be able to win a general election. Because we can’t score points if we don’t have the ball,” Kemp said, according to the source familiar with the retreat. 

Kemp never mentioned Trump by name, but he warned Republicans that it will be difficult to win back the White House if the party continues to relitigate the 2020 election. He also has repeatedly said that electability should be a priority for GOP primary voters. 

After the 2020 election, Trump was angry that Kemp did not do more to challenge the presidential results in Georgia, so much so that he recruited former Sen. David Perdue to challenge Kemp in the Republican primary for governor in 2022. Kemp soundly defeated Perdue, and then Stacey Abrams, to win re-election. 

The retreat was put on by Kemp’s Hardworking Americans Inc., a federal super PAC he launched shortly after winning re-election last fall, and Georgia First Leadership Committee, his state leadership PAC.  (read more)

A fireside chat Sunday night to kick off the retreat between Kemp and Boehner. A panel moderated by conservative radio host Erick Erickson, featuring Rove and conservative pollster Brent Buchanan. A discussion with Kemp’s data guru Mark Stephenson. A policy discussion focused on national security and the global economy with a specific emphasis on China led by Loeffler […] joined on the panel by former Deputy Assistant Secretary of State David Feith and Club for Growth favorite Dave McCormick (PA).

Steve Cortes Announces He Took “National Spokesman” Job (Money) From DeSantis PAC, Now Supports Ron DeSantis


Posted originally on the CTH on May 9, 2023 | Sundance 

Do not let these transparently corrupt political grifters like Republican strategist Steve Cortes raise your blood pressure; instead, mock them mercilessly wherever and whenever you see them.

Former Trump ally Steve Cortes announced today he has taken a job with the Never Back Down PAC that supports Florida Governor Ron DeSantis. As a result, he is reversing all his prior points of advocacy to endorse Ron DeSantis for 2024.

[Pictured left, Cortes with fellow grifting scumbags John Cardillo and Matthew Tyrmand (the architect of the Project Veritas attack on O’Keefe) as they attend a pro-Desantis effort earlier this year.]

The shallow character of these income chasers is pathetic. However, the Sea Island billionaires are pouring money into the DeSantis camp for exactly this purpose.

The goal of the stop Trump corporate donors is to retain their own financial status; Cortes is simply accepting their money and displaying his own character, nothing more.  We said last year, 2024 would be the opportunity to see what prices people put on their allegiances.  Today, is just another reveal.

There’s no merit or value in looking at Cortes, other than just to accept his objective – to enrich himself.

Meanwhile back in Florida, Ron DeSantis has separated himself legally from his state political action committee (PAC) Friends of Ron DeSantis, which now creates the mechanism for his remaining $85 million to transfer into the Super PAC ‘Never Back Down’, the same organization that just hired Cortes.

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis severed his connection to his long-standing state political committee and the tens of millions of dollars that it now controls, a step he needs to take ahead of a presidential campaign.

The Republican governor is expected to jump into the race for president soon and the move to rebrand his Florida political committee — called Friends of Ron DeSantis — is the most concrete sign so far that his candidacy is imminent.

The website for the committee was changed on Tuesday morning to say that its mission is “committed to advancing the Freedom Agenda and keeping Florida free.” But more importantly, the website says that the committee is associated with state Sen. Blaise Ingoglia and not DeSantis. The committee on Tuesday also filed paperwork that says Ingoglia is replacing a Tampa accountant as the official chair of the organization.

Ingoglia is a Republican ally of DeSantis who sponsored several of the governor’s key legislative priorities during the recently concluded legislative session, including a crackdown on illegal immigration that includes $12 million for the governor’s controversial migrant relocation program.

A spokesperson with DeSantis’ political operation did not comment on the shift and Ingoglia did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

DeSantis first set up his committee back in 2018 and he used it to raise a record amount of money for his re-election campaign last year as he pulled in donations from many major Republican donors. Current campaign finance records show that the committee has nearly $86 million in the bank.

But DeSantis cannot use money raised for Friends of Ron DeSantis in a federal race because state law does not limit how much someone can give to the political committee or the source of the donations. But that money could be shifted to a super PAC that backs DeSantis if the governor is no longer connected to the political committee. While some have questioned the legality of such a move, the Federal Elections Commission deadlocked over a similar strategy that was used by Rep. Byron Donalds (R-Fla.). (read more)

There is still no indication how the DeSantis handlers are going to navigate the reality that once they make their official campaign announcement, it will be transparent to everyone that Ron DeSantis was lying about his intentions during his reelection pretense.   In my opinion, recognizing that everything DeSantis is built upon fraud and lies, will likely make even people stop supporting him.

The insufferable pretending of the “Book Tour” and national branding effort to avoid the Florida “resign to run” law, shows just how corrupt and conniving the network is. Nothing they do now will erase that fundamental problem.

Ron DeSantis has been planning this 2024 effort for several years, and yet people who supported him denied it.  Now that admissions will come, and the character of the governor will take center stage, it is very likely that fewer voters will accept his candidacy regardless of how many hundreds of billions are handed out to illicit endorsements, influence and support.

Cortes just becomes the latest in a long line of masks to drop as we see the financial corruption that exists within our national political constructs.  There will be more, because there is so much money on the table.   For the Sea Island billionaires that are buying the pundits, there are Trillions At Stake.

Steve Cortes was a senior advisor to Trump’s 2016 and 2020 campaigns. He now serves as National Spokesman for the pro-DeSantis PAC, Never Back Down. (link)

Gee, I wonder what changed?…

https://platform.twitter.com/embed/Tweet.html?dnt=true&embedId=twitter-widget-0&features=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%3D%3D&frame=false&hideCard=false&hideThread=false&id=1655961480146165765&lang=en&origin=https%3A%2F%2Ftheconservativetreehouse.com%2Fblog%2F2023%2F05%2F09%2Fsteve-cortes-announces-he-took-job-money-from-desantis-pac-now-supports-ron-desantis%2F&sessionId=fbb6e44b44731349779a1222562957130179bd9f&theme=light&widgetsVersion=aaf4084522e3a%3A1674595607486&width=500px

Lara Logan, Texas Republican Politicians Working Against Border Security


Posted originally on the CTH on May 8, 2023 | Sundance 

Resident of Texas, Lara Logan, appears on Steve Bannon’s War Room podcast to discuss the illegal alien invasion that is happening right now in the lone star state.  {Direct Rumble Link}  Logan notes that Texas republican politicians are actively working to keep the border open with migration flows controlled but not stopped.  As CTH has long documented, illegal mass immigration is a policy that both wings of the UniParty support.

Logan reports that Texas republicans, the Bush wing of the professional republican apparatus that controls Texas politics, recently blocked a state border security effort in order to keep the immigration flow in place.   This is a remarkable interview with details to support the baseline as discussed.  The website citation Lara Logan discusses is AVAILABLE HERE for review.  WATCH:

If you look at the lawlessness that is happening right now which includes extreme Latin American gang violence, what you discover is that major metropolitan areas in the United States are beginning to show the first signs of organized, gang-affiliated cartel activity. Essentially, the cartel gangs are assembling in major cities and the violence that happens in Mexico is being replicated on the Streets of U.S. urban areas.

There is every reason to believe this criminal activity will continue to worsen as millions of illegal aliens continue to pour through the U.S. southern border. Metropolitain areas are now seeing gang-on-gang crimes, similar to the streets of Mexico. Tribal warfare breaking out, while the police are overwhelmed by the graphic and violent nature of the criminal activity.

“Tensions are running high. Eight people were killed at a bus stop outside a migrant shelter in Brownsville. The driver who plowed into them has been charged with manslaughter. Police haven’t cited a motive so far, but migrant advocates say antagonism is boiling and they suspect it was a hate crime.” (link)