Vice Presidential Candidate Mike Pence Welcome Home Rally in Zionsville, IN:
Live Stream Link – Alternate Live Stream

Some opinion writers have surmised a possibility that Recep Erdogan created the coup in Turkey as a method to smoke out his opposition and exert even more dictatorial power.  Having watched the events closely (5 years) which lead up to the coup attempt, we disagree.
All indications are the coup was genuine, albeit a long-shot, driven by the younger military leadership who remained guardians of the state after two years of Erdogan purging the top level generals.

Ideologically, Recep Erdogan has been working earnestly over the past 5+ years to extend his power and control.  Erdogan has grandiose plans of rebuilding a modern Ottoman Empire with himself as the figurehead in control.
The fortuitous crisis in Syria evolved into a tool for Erdogan to expand his constituency, and the influx of 3 million non-secular conservative Muslims as refugees into Turkey was part of that dynamic.
Erdogan’s ideological outlook can be captured when you look at the 2015 decision to give safe refuge to five Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood leaders who were living in exile in Qatar and evicted after the Gulf States pressured Qatar to stop supporting extremist terrorists.  Erdogan promised the Muslim Brotherhood safe harbor in Turkey and he gave it to them.
(more…)

Candidate Donald Trump introduces his Vice-Presidential Nominee just ahead of the 2016 GOP Convention.
Mr. Trump will be formerly announcing Indiana Governor Mike Pence as his Vice Presidential Candidate for the November 2016 Election in New York City at the New York Hilton Midtown. Live streaming coverage begins at 10:30 AM EDT:
Live Stream Link – Alternate Live Stream Link

8:10pm Associated Press – A leader of conservatives making a last-ditch attempt to block Donald Trump’s nomination says she’s dropping her effort to force the Republican National Convention to vote on her plan to let delegates back any presidential candidate they want.

The convention rules committee has already rejected Colorado delegate Kendal Unruh’s proposal to “unbind” delegates from the candidates they were committed to by state primaries and caucuses.

Unruh had been saying that despite that defeat, she’d get enough support to force a full convention vote next week on her plan to let delegates vote their conscience.  But she said Friday that the Trump campaign and party officials have peeled away that support.  (AP Link – Scroll to 8:10pm)

(more…)

Tonight republican vice-presidential nominee Mike Pence appeared on Fox TV with Sean Hannity for his first interview since the announcement:

Legislative guide.√  Boring.√  Bridge to DC.√  Bland.√ Gets RNC to Shut Up.√  Donors.√ Shuts up annoying conservatives types.√  Milquetoast.√  PR Role.√  Ward Cleaver.√ Do all the fundraisers.√ Uninspiring.√  Comfort Food.√ Gnat attractor.√ Answer Door.√ Answer Phone.√ Deal with the annoying irrelevant crap.√ Willing to dress up like Easter Bunny.√  Professional greeter.√  Enables space for bigger scary people to do the real work.√
Perfect. Good. We’re Done…. moving on.


(more…)

The Never Trump movement was never going anywhere.  The effort was simply silly in large measure because for the past two months no-one else was campaigning; no-one else was vetting a vice-president; no-one else was fundraising for the party… and no-one else was anywhere near the 1,500+ delegates with 14 million votes.
So it didn’t come as a big surprise when the last gasp of the Nevertrumpers, butthurt Cruzbots, ended with a parliamentary dull thud:

CLEVELAND – A long-shot, last-ditch attempt by a few Republican delegates to prevent Donald Trump from securing the GOP nomination failed by an overwhelming margin late Thursday night. (more…)

Retired Lt. General Michael T. Flynn gives a passionate response to the Nice, France terrorist attack and the problems of radical Islam on The Kelly File

The latest Islamic Jihad attack against Western values took place yesterday in Nice, France.  Eye witnesses have reported the driver of the truck specifically targeted families with children, steering into them for maximum Jihadist terror value.  At least 80 men, women and children have been slaughtered.

Two weeks before yesterday, the attack location was an Istanbul Turkey, airport.  Last month it was an Orlando, Florida, nightclub.  In the month prior it was Brussels, and before that San Bernardino, and before that Paris, and before that, well, you get the picture… (more…)

Another @Mr.Pinko Original: