By Ray Cardello for May 20, 2026, Season 35 / Post 30

Some may think that title to be a bit crude, but I contend that there are two elements of today’s society working hard and in unison to bring down this country. One is the education infrastructure from K through Grad School, which has been manipulating and indoctrinating our young people for decades, teaching that America was built on the backs of slaves and that capitalism is evil. The other is the media, which not only manipulates the story but also decides what story the American people will see. One of the reasons that our forefathers put Freedom of the Press in the First Amendment was that they saw the press as integral to keeping the government honest and transparent, thereby protecting the people from the elected class. The media does nothing to keep the government honest and has little to do with reporting the story. They are opinion writers, not journalists, and Vice President JD Vance schooled some of them yesterday when he took the podium to fill in for Caroline Leavitt. There was one exchange late in the briefing, which was really a masterclass by someone who is clearly ready for primetime, when Vance took a reporter to task after he took a full minute to frame and ask his question. Vance pointed out how the reporter set up the question so that no matter what Vance’s answer was, the tainted message was already cast. He did the same thing with White House nemesis and CNN employee Kaitlan Collins. I cannot label her as either a reporter or a journalist, because she is a hack who truly believes she is the story, not the answer to the question, and will falsely represent it anyway.

Vance showed yesterday, as did Secretary of State Marco Rubio some time ago when he took his turn at the podium, the wealth of riches the Republican Party enjoys and that Donald Trump has brought together in his administration. Vance was in complete control of the chaos. He showed his complete understanding and ability to address any topic thrown at him by the screaming group in the room. I was thinking during the briefing about how I would pay to watch JD Vance or Marco Rubio debate Kamala Harris. It would be Mensa versus the salad bar.

Yesterday’s session with Vance serves to remind us of the strength of the Republican Party and its position to maintain control of Washington for years to come, and, in doing so, turn this wayward ship called America. around.

There was one question that shows the incredible gap in talent and message between our two Parties today. Vance was asked about unifying the country. He said that two things must happen. We have to stop weaponizing the government to go after our political opponents, and we must unite in the belief that no political violence is acceptable. Contrast that with Hakeem Jefrfreis’ comments yesterday that the Democrat Party has to break the MAGA movement at the polls and then break its will with our policies. A stark contrast in tone, and someone needs to remind the minority leader that, unless they manage to cheat at the polls, the Democrats will have a hard time defeating Republicans, and that the Democratic Party is void of significant policy.

I hope that Rubio and Vance can form an alliance and be ready to fill the ticket in 2028, rather than forcing us to choose between the two. These two men are our ticket to preserving the MAGA movement in the post-Trump era. Never in my lifetime have I been more excited about two people being in office.

Credits: Image created by GROK AI