It was Aristotle who first identified the three most effective ways to advance an argument.
He called these three ways logos, ethos and pathos.
What those three words mean is that you can persuade by making an appeal to facts (logos) or to a sense of right and wrong (ethos) or you can make and appeal to emotion (pathos).
Put another way, you can appeal to the intellect (logos) or to the soul/conscience (ethos) or to the heart (emotion).
We know from experience that appeals to emotion frequently offer us the shortest and most effective route to success. Because, let's face it, appeals to the intellect or to a sense of conscience are more selective. Not everyone's intellect is the same and that holds for everyone's conscience as well. Some intellects are more finely developed, more attuned, sharper, smarter. And some people are simply more moral and have a greater sense of right and wrong than others. But emotion is the great equalizer.
In his recent State of the Union address, President Trump mostly appealed to our sense of loyalty to our nation, our sense of decency, our desire for protection and self-preservation and many of our deepest and most intense emotions. As such, he relied no so much on facts as on a sense of right and wrong and, most compellingly, on some of our strongest emotional longings. He brought all of this to life via real, everyday stories embodied by ordinary Americans who had accomplished extraordinary things. In humanizing his argument this way, Trump fashioned a series of powerful, interconnected emotional tales. He used pathos and he used it liberally.
And, guess what? It worked!
And not only did it work, but the more it worked, the more it made those who did not respond to it (the Democrat senators and representatives on the floor) seem uncaring and, ultimately downright mean.
Consider the significance of this: President Trump turned the tables on his opponents to the extent that he came out looking caring and tender-hearted and they came out looking cold-hearted.
We don't know how much Trump studied Aristotle or how much he knows about the psychology of persuasion.
But we do know that his instincts are keen and he possesses an admirable understanding of the human condition. He's a world-class salesman and deal-maker. He knows what motivates people. He's attuned to their most basic impulses. He understands that these heart-based impulses are great equalizers, great common denominators.
In his State of the Union address, Trump took a dash of ethos, mixed it in a teary stew of pathos and had everybody eating out of his kettle. It was a masterful performance.
Saturday, February 3, 2018
OK, So Let's Put Things In Perspective . . .
Just to remind you, here's something that we wrote nearly 18 months ago in the summer of 2016. This was a time when many, many people had written off Donald Trump and his campaign. They all but pronounced his movement dead. They were mocking him, smugly snickering at him and making those who supported him the butt of their jokes.
Here it is again, just for the record . . .
OK, so Donald Trump is having his problems right now.
We won't sugarcoat it. It ain't pretty.
But there's still a long way to go before the election. on the political clock, we've got a "lifetime" to turn things around.
So, for now, let's chill just a bit, regroup and focus on ten things Trump is right about:
1) America is at a crossroads.
Economically, internationally, for our own safety and security, for our survival -- we cannot afford four more years of Obama/Clintonian government. The hour is late. We have to change, NOW!
2) The Clintons are corrupt.
It's not just her -- it's both of them. They're co-dependent and their aim is their own riches. They want to be rich, rich, rich both monetarily and in terms of power. There is no end to their thirst for power, no end to their ambition and no limit to their mendacity. The long list of scandals that hovers over everything they do is more than enough proof of this. The stench of corruption is sickening!
3) PC will destroy us.
Political correctness is nothing more than thought-control. It's censorship of the worst kind. It's today's fascism. If we don't stop it, we're doomed.
4) Globalists don't care about America.
Internationalists will sell America short (or sell us out) almost every time. Globalists see us as greedy, wasteful colonialists. Be sure of this: America is resented and those who talk about the need to think "globally" will be the first ones to capitalize on that resentment.
5) America can and should be great again.
Those who want to see America subsumed into the global vortex want us to increasingly limit ourselves and narrow our horizons. We should not and we must not do that. We have nothing to apologize for and every reason to soar. We can begin to strengthen and rebuild our country by securing our borders, brokering better trade deals and putting America first again. A greater America means a better world!
6) There is a huge forgotten class in this country.
We've forgotten the working class and those who have been left behind, including most of the middle class. They've been subsumed -- left for dead amidst the ravages of the global economy. Obama & Co. simply don't care about these people because they fit neither their needs not their demographics. At it's core, Obamanism is cold and ruthless.
7) Obamacare must be repealed and replaced.
You know it has failed and failed miserably. You can't keep your doctor. You can't keep your hospital. Your rates are still going up -- now more than ever. It's a sham and it's gotta go!
8) The media are overwhelming biased.
They're overwhelmingly liberal and they've been covering for Clinton and Obama for decades. Because they've sold their souls to liberalism, they've stacked the deck. To be sure, this is one of the worst forms of corruption. But, here's the good part: Their cover has now been blown!
9) Law and order are important.
Without respect for the law, democracy cannot survive. We've now been plunged into the first stages of massive chaos with a sort of open warfare on the police and the pervasion of the law in the justice department and in the courts. We must re-establish law and order. Remember this: Where law ends, tyranny begins!
10) Our NATO allies (and others) must pitch in.
They've been getting a free ride for far too long. We cannot police the whole world ourselves. Others have got to start paying their fair share. Now!
Here it is again, just for the record . . .
OK, so Donald Trump is having his problems right now.
We won't sugarcoat it. It ain't pretty.
But there's still a long way to go before the election. on the political clock, we've got a "lifetime" to turn things around.
So, for now, let's chill just a bit, regroup and focus on ten things Trump is right about:
1) America is at a crossroads.
Economically, internationally, for our own safety and security, for our survival -- we cannot afford four more years of Obama/Clintonian government. The hour is late. We have to change, NOW!
2) The Clintons are corrupt.
It's not just her -- it's both of them. They're co-dependent and their aim is their own riches. They want to be rich, rich, rich both monetarily and in terms of power. There is no end to their thirst for power, no end to their ambition and no limit to their mendacity. The long list of scandals that hovers over everything they do is more than enough proof of this. The stench of corruption is sickening!
3) PC will destroy us.
Political correctness is nothing more than thought-control. It's censorship of the worst kind. It's today's fascism. If we don't stop it, we're doomed.
4) Globalists don't care about America.
Internationalists will sell America short (or sell us out) almost every time. Globalists see us as greedy, wasteful colonialists. Be sure of this: America is resented and those who talk about the need to think "globally" will be the first ones to capitalize on that resentment.
5) America can and should be great again.
Those who want to see America subsumed into the global vortex want us to increasingly limit ourselves and narrow our horizons. We should not and we must not do that. We have nothing to apologize for and every reason to soar. We can begin to strengthen and rebuild our country by securing our borders, brokering better trade deals and putting America first again. A greater America means a better world!
6) There is a huge forgotten class in this country.
We've forgotten the working class and those who have been left behind, including most of the middle class. They've been subsumed -- left for dead amidst the ravages of the global economy. Obama & Co. simply don't care about these people because they fit neither their needs not their demographics. At it's core, Obamanism is cold and ruthless.
7) Obamacare must be repealed and replaced.
You know it has failed and failed miserably. You can't keep your doctor. You can't keep your hospital. Your rates are still going up -- now more than ever. It's a sham and it's gotta go!
8) The media are overwhelming biased.
They're overwhelmingly liberal and they've been covering for Clinton and Obama for decades. Because they've sold their souls to liberalism, they've stacked the deck. To be sure, this is one of the worst forms of corruption. But, here's the good part: Their cover has now been blown!
9) Law and order are important.
Without respect for the law, democracy cannot survive. We've now been plunged into the first stages of massive chaos with a sort of open warfare on the police and the pervasion of the law in the justice department and in the courts. We must re-establish law and order. Remember this: Where law ends, tyranny begins!
10) Our NATO allies (and others) must pitch in.
They've been getting a free ride for far too long. We cannot police the whole world ourselves. Others have got to start paying their fair share. Now!
Friday, February 2, 2018
The Ten Things We Know Now . . .
Here's what we're learning with toiday's release of the controversial memo about how the FISA court authorizing intelligence agencies to basically spy on Donald Trump and his campaign:
1) The effort to investigate Trump was largely based on false assumptions and those assumptions were fueled by a snooping expedition and a false report funded by the Clintons and their cohorts. This is what produced the so-called "dossier" that was full of sensational (and probably false) allegations.
2) Yes, assumptions and politicallly based allegations were largely behind all this -- not actual facts.
3) If the FISA court has any credibility at all (and that goes for the judge who ordered this as well) then the court and the judge should be very, very, VERY concerned today, at the least.
4) Jim Comey is a smug and bitter man who can't seem to let go of his grudges and prejudices. He's heavily invested in this mess and it's becoming increasingly clear that he's probably culpable as well.
5) The FBI appears to part of a vast political ministrone that is connected to the deep state -- the Washington operatives who feel they are permanently in-charge, above the law and ultimately unaccountable to the people. And this isn't limited to the FBI. That's cause for grave concern.
6) The Washington establishment was rocked to its core by the election of Donald Trump and felt a compelling need to do whatever was necessary to delegitimitize his election and scuttle his presidency. They feel they have some kind of "higher-calling" (largely self-protecting) to destroy this aministartion. For the most part, they have still not be disabused of this avaricious notion.
7) The mainstream (aka liberal) media will continue to take a selective approach to the facts and the truth (especially regarding the memo) and they are heavily invested in the anti-Trimp movement as well. Despite all their protestations to the contrary, their biggest beef with Trump is that he dared to take them on -- they he dared to expose their prejudicies and their partisanship. This drives them crazy. They simply cxan't handle it.
8) If the investigators have broken the law or been reckless or arbitrary or unethical, then the investigation is worthless. It basically has no business advancing. None! And that's potentially very, very good news for President Trump.
9) Comey, McCabe. Rosenstein and, yes Mueller are all in the sour FBI soup. They're all tied together. They've apparently covered for one another all along. They're insiders and, arguably part of the cabal. This is not good news for a hallowed principle at the core of our republic: equal justice under law.
10) When Donald Trump reportedly asked Comey and/or McCabe "Are you on my team?" he was signaling to them that he was onto them and their schemes. President Trump is a quick study and a very shrewd man. He was deliberately putting them on notice. Now we know why.
There's one more thing that needs to be said: When Washington insiders tell you that there's nothing to see here, you can be quite sure that there's something to see here.
Were We Wanting Someone Like Him All Along?
Way back in 2011 (fully a year before the 2012 presidential election) we questioned whether or not Mitt Romney, who became the eventually 2012 GOP nominee, was tough enough to win and tough enough to be president.
We were quite concerned about it. We actually asked if he was "too nice" to be president.
Even then, we sensed that people were thirsting for a scrappier candidate -- a real fighter. Maybe the country wasn't quite ready for a bolder, more vivid, more bellicose contender like Trump but we could already begin to see the handwriting on the wall -- with a little help from Kathleen Parker, a respected columnist and commentator Michael Medved. Here's what we wrote:
Kathleen Parker has a fine column at the Washington Post in which she basically asks: Is Mitt Romney too nice to be president? She notes that it was Romney who rescued the hopelessly baffled and/or forgetful Rick Perry during last night's GOP debate. We're wondering the same thing.
Here's an excerpt from Parker's column:
We were quite concerned about it. We actually asked if he was "too nice" to be president.
Even then, we sensed that people were thirsting for a scrappier candidate -- a real fighter. Maybe the country wasn't quite ready for a bolder, more vivid, more bellicose contender like Trump but we could already begin to see the handwriting on the wall -- with a little help from Kathleen Parker, a respected columnist and commentator Michael Medved. Here's what we wrote:
Kathleen Parker has a fine column at the Washington Post in which she basically asks: Is Mitt Romney too nice to be president? She notes that it was Romney who rescued the hopelessly baffled and/or forgetful Rick Perry during last night's GOP debate. We're wondering the same thing.
Here's an excerpt from Parker's column:
He’s a nice guy in a season of nastiness, a trait that may also be his greatest political failing.Click here to read more.
Michael Medved, trying to figure out why Republicans don’t love Romney, pointed to his lack of anger. These are angry times and people want their leader to be ticked off, surmised Medved. He may be right, both in theory and in his conclusion: This passion for anger is not good for the country. . . .
He seems preternaturally unflappable, which to some is too robotic, not-quite-human. We like some fallibility in our leaders and flaws in our protagonists. Perhaps Romney would benefit from a slight imperfection or some other handicap over which he has struggled.
Thursday, February 1, 2018
Poignant! It's All Here In A Quick Keepsake!
If this doesn't make your proud or tug at your heart or bring a tear to your eye, then you'd better check and make sure you're still ticking.
When This Is Strong, The Nation Is Strong!
A strong economy makes for a strong Nation
Just a little more than one year after President Donald J. Trump’s Inauguration, the United States has reaped the benefits of what the President calls the “American Model” economy.
“So to every citizen at home tonight,” President Trump said during his State of the Union address Tuesday night, “this is your time.” That optimism and confidence has spread across the country. More than 250 companies have announced bonuses, pay raises, higher retirement plan contributions, or other investments in their business or workforce.
The President shared several of these success stories during his speech Tuesday. Less than 24 hours later, he met with seven more American workers in the Oval Office to discuss how tax reform is benefitting their companies.
“Millions of Americans will have more take-home pay starting next month,” the President told Americans this week. “A lot more.”
Just a little more than one year after President Donald J. Trump’s Inauguration, the United States has reaped the benefits of what the President calls the “American Model” economy.
“So to every citizen at home tonight,” President Trump said during his State of the Union address Tuesday night, “this is your time.” That optimism and confidence has spread across the country. More than 250 companies have announced bonuses, pay raises, higher retirement plan contributions, or other investments in their business or workforce.
The President shared several of these success stories during his speech Tuesday. Less than 24 hours later, he met with seven more American workers in the Oval Office to discuss how tax reform is benefitting their companies.
“Millions of Americans will have more take-home pay starting next month,” the President told Americans this week. “A lot more.”
The President’s speech in 88 seconds
President Trump had a busy first year—signing major tax reform legislation, reasserting America on the global stage, and appointing Supreme Court Justice Neil Gorsuch, for starters. With plenty of accomplishments and a detailed vision for 2018 to share, the President spoke for 1 hour and 20 minutes during Tuesday’s State of the Union address. It was the third longest address of the past 50 years.
If you missed the President’s speech or simply want to relive the highlights, this montage video clocks in at 1 minute and 28 seconds.
President Trump had a busy first year—signing major tax reform legislation, reasserting America on the global stage, and appointing Supreme Court Justice Neil Gorsuch, for starters. With plenty of accomplishments and a detailed vision for 2018 to share, the President spoke for 1 hour and 20 minutes during Tuesday’s State of the Union address. It was the third longest address of the past 50 years.
If you missed the President’s speech or simply want to relive the highlights, this montage video clocks in at 1 minute and 28 seconds.
The game plan to rebuild America
One of the key themes from President Trump’s State of the Union was the need to address the deteriorating condition of American infrastructure. “As we rebuild our industries, it is also time to rebuild our crumbling infrastructure,” the President told Americans.
He laid out a number of steps to do so, including:
He laid out a number of steps to do so, including:
- Generate at least $1.5 trillion in infrastructure investment over the next decade
- Eliminate unnecessary redundancies and inefficiencies in the regulatory and permitting process
- Empower state and local authorities to prioritize infrastructure projects based on their communities’ needs
- Dedicate a quarter of federal funds to address the infrastructure needs of rural areas
Read more: Rebuilding American infrastructure and forging a path toward prosperity
PHOTO OF THE DAY
First Lady Melania Trump at the State of the Union | January 30, 2018 (Official White House Photo by Andrea Hanks)
POTUS TODAY
Today, President Trump will deliver remarks to the 2018 House and Senate Republican Member Conference in Lewisburg, West Virginia.
In the afternoon, the Vice President will participate in a swearing-in ceremony for Ambassador-at-Large for International Religious Freedom Sam Brownback.
'Independent Leadership' With Bipartisan Effort
Senator Robert “Tommy” Tomlinson issued the following statement launching his campaign for re-election to Pennsylvania’s 6th State Senatorial District:
“Serving the people of the 6th State Senatorial District has been a great honor and I am excited to announce my campaign for re-election,” Tomlinson said. “I have prided myself on providing independent leadership that puts the people of Bucks County first every time. That’s why I have consistently voted for legislation that creates jobs, reforms government and makes it a priority to put people before politics.
“I have been proud to stand up against the political establishment and vote for historic bipartisan-backed pension reform that will control spending and help reduce property taxes. I also fought against the special interests and many in my own party by sponsoring a 5% Marcellus shale natural gas extraction tax; I joined my colleagues in voting for a proposal that implemented a smaller severance tax this past summer.
“I am running for re-election because I love serving my community and I want to continue to be your independent voice in Harrisburg fighting for you.”
State Senator Robert “Tommy” Tomlinson has many achievements that have positively impacted the lives of the people in Bucks County.
Tomlinson’s other major legislative achievements include:
“Serving the people of the 6th State Senatorial District has been a great honor and I am excited to announce my campaign for re-election,” Tomlinson said. “I have prided myself on providing independent leadership that puts the people of Bucks County first every time. That’s why I have consistently voted for legislation that creates jobs, reforms government and makes it a priority to put people before politics.
“I have been proud to stand up against the political establishment and vote for historic bipartisan-backed pension reform that will control spending and help reduce property taxes. I also fought against the special interests and many in my own party by sponsoring a 5% Marcellus shale natural gas extraction tax; I joined my colleagues in voting for a proposal that implemented a smaller severance tax this past summer.
“I am running for re-election because I love serving my community and I want to continue to be your independent voice in Harrisburg fighting for you.”
State Senator Robert “Tommy” Tomlinson has many achievements that have positively impacted the lives of the people in Bucks County.
Tomlinson’s other major legislative achievements include:
Creating Jobs:
- Authoring gaming legislation that directly resulted in 18,000 jobs statewide and 2,300 permanent local jobs at PARX.
- Led efforts to pass a transportation package that has put tens of thousands of people to work and is fixing our roads and bridges.
Helping Local Communities:
- Legislation authored by Senator Tomlinson has generated over $100 million in revenue for Bensalem Township, in addition to $30 million for communities such as Bristol Township, Hulmeville Borough, and Middletown Township and an additional $30 million dedicated to Bucks County.
Reforming Government:
- Passing an open records law to make government more transparent and requiring Senators and their staff to contribute to their own healthcare.
Property Tax Relief:
- Wrote the Pennsylvania Gaming Law which has provided over $5.5 billion in property tax relief since 2008 without raising our taxes.
Senator Tomlinson has represented the people of the 6th State Senatorial District since 1995, winning re-election five times. Senator Tomlinson served in the State House representing the 18th District from 1991 to 1994. He is a funeral director, owning and operating Tomlinson Funeral Home in Bensalem, a family business established in 1945. Senator Tomlinson is the Chairman of the Senate Consumer Protection and Professional Licensure Committee, and is also a member of the Transportation, Education, Community, Economic and Recreational Development and Rules and Executive Nominations Committees.
Additionally, Senator Tomlinson serves on the board of directors for the Pennsylvania Higher Education Assistance Agency and the Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association and is a member of the Council of Trustees at West Chester University.
Senator Tomlinson is a graduate of Bensalem High School and attended the Bordentown Military Institute. He attended West Chester State College, receiving a B.S. Degree. Tomlinson also graduated from Miami Dade University with a degree in Mortuary Science.
Additionally, Senator Tomlinson serves on the board of directors for the Pennsylvania Higher Education Assistance Agency and the Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association and is a member of the Council of Trustees at West Chester University.
Senator Tomlinson is a graduate of Bensalem High School and attended the Bordentown Military Institute. He attended West Chester State College, receiving a B.S. Degree. Tomlinson also graduated from Miami Dade University with a degree in Mortuary Science.
Yeah, It'll Be Here Before You Know It . . . .
Archbishop Charles J. Chaput, O.F.M. Cap. will be the main celebrant and homilist at the Ash Wednesday Mass at the Cathedral Basilica of Saints Peter and Paul, Wednesday February 14, 2018.
Ash Wednesday marks the beginning of the Season of Lent for Christians throughout the world. Lent is a 40-day penitential time of prayer, fasting and almsgiving from Ash Wednesday through Holy Thursday in preparation for the Easter celebration.
Catholics in 217 parishes across the five-county Archdiocese will attend Mass or a Liturgy of the Word and receive blessed ashes on their foreheads, marked in the sign of a cross, reminding them to repent and believe in the Gospel as the 2018 Lenten Season begins.
The Cathedral Parish offers the Sacrament of Penance and Reconciliation on weekdays beginning at 11:30 a.m. for the Lenten Season in addition to other scheduled times. Likewise, individual parishes throughout the Archdiocese may have alternative dates and times for this Sacrament in addition to already scheduled times.
The Bishops of the United States prescribe, as a minimal obligation, that all persons who are fourteen years of age and older are bound to abstain from eating meat on Ash Wednesday, all the Fridays of Lent and Good Friday. Further, all persons eighteen years of age and older, up to and including their fifty-ninth birthday, are bound to fast by limiting themselves to a single full meal on Ash Wednesday and on Good Friday, while the other two meals on those days are to be light.
Ash Wednesday marks the beginning of the Season of Lent for Christians throughout the world. Lent is a 40-day penitential time of prayer, fasting and almsgiving from Ash Wednesday through Holy Thursday in preparation for the Easter celebration.
Wednesday, February 14, 2018
12:05 p.m.
Cathedral Basilica of Saints Peter and Paul
18th Street and Benjamin Franklin Parkway
Philadelphia, PA 19103
Catholics in 217 parishes across the five-county Archdiocese will attend Mass or a Liturgy of the Word and receive blessed ashes on their foreheads, marked in the sign of a cross, reminding them to repent and believe in the Gospel as the 2018 Lenten Season begins.
The Cathedral Parish offers the Sacrament of Penance and Reconciliation on weekdays beginning at 11:30 a.m. for the Lenten Season in addition to other scheduled times. Likewise, individual parishes throughout the Archdiocese may have alternative dates and times for this Sacrament in addition to already scheduled times.
The Bishops of the United States prescribe, as a minimal obligation, that all persons who are fourteen years of age and older are bound to abstain from eating meat on Ash Wednesday, all the Fridays of Lent and Good Friday. Further, all persons eighteen years of age and older, up to and including their fifty-ninth birthday, are bound to fast by limiting themselves to a single full meal on Ash Wednesday and on Good Friday, while the other two meals on those days are to be light.
And Now, With A Special Guest, We Turn To SPORTS!
Watch as Dan Cirucci talks sports with a VERY knowledgeable guest on The Advocates with Dan Cirucci on RVN-TV. You don't wanna miss this!
You'll Hardly Believe What You See And Hear
The democrats hold these views in contempt now.
But not very long ago they heartily cheered them on.
So, what do they stand for and what do they believe and what are their convictions? Well, it all depends . . . . . or something like that . . . . . ya know?
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