Faith in God has been a central theme of the RNC - we look deeper into our country's ongoing interweave of religion and politics; Leslie Jones & how Facebook & Twitter are trying to self-police for hate speech; Plus, how 'selfie culture' is changing the way we memorialize ourselves and others after death.
Inland Empire Trump delegate: "I was only CA delegate not booing Cruz"
For those who’ve complained political conventions are overly controlled exercises in public relations, the Republican National Convention may be a dream come true.
Sen. Ted Cruz, Donald Trump’s top competitor for the Republican presidential nomination, refused to endorse the New York businessman in a prime-time speech last night. The crowed jeered during his talk, and he left the stage to emphatic boos.
Trump’s running mate, Mike Pence, shifted the mood of the evening.
His well-received remarks were aimed at social and ideological conservatives, making the argument that Trump shared their values and beliefs. That’s a message he’ll undoubtedly hit many times during the campaign.
The drama that surrounds Trump culminates in his acceptance speech tonight.
AirTalk spoke with Ben Clymer Jr., a first-time Republican delegate from the Inland Empire, about the California delegation’s reaction to Cruz’s speech and Trump’s appeal to small business workers.
“The Cruz [speech] that just happened last night had a lot of the delegates pretty upset, and the boos were intensely loud inside the stadium,” said Clymer, who works for his family’s auto repair business in Riverside County.
The interview that follows has been edited for clarity. You can listen to our full conversation with Ben Clymer, Jr. by clicking the blue play button above.
Interview highlights
Larry Mantle: What about from the California delegation? Were most of you booing the senator by the time he was done?
Ben Clymer: Yeah, I think I was the only one perhaps not booing him. The delegation was 172 for Trump, and keep in mind he won [Riverside County] with nearly 81 percent of the vote, so it was pretty unified that they weren’t happy about that sentence he put in there.
LM: What led you to cut him slack?
BC: I don’t mind rhetoric as much as I’m a sucker for votes. [Sen.] Cruz’s votes have always been amazingly consistent. Like Bernie Sanders, he was someone who had his principles. It doesn’t matter if I agree with Bernie Sanders. I think those that were supporters of him were hoping he would have enough backbone to stay true to his convictions. But he didn’t. Ted Cruz, in his own opinion, stayed true to what he felt his convictions were. I think it could’ve been delivered a lot more effectively, and found the win-win, but he chose not to go that route. That’s Ted.
LM: How much of the fact that you work at a family business has led you to have an affinity for Donald Trump?
BC: We know firsthand what it’s like to try and keep up each and every year with all the regulations and all the rules. California every year passes approximately 1,000 new bills; the federal government — approximately 1,000 new bills. Considering 25 percent or more affect small businesses and large businesses, we simply don’t have the capacity to make sure we’re complying with 500 new business-affecting bills, which lead to thousands of pages of additional rules and regulations. The only companies that can would be your Apples and your IBMs and your Wal-Marts.
Further, when Donald Trump Jr. was talking about his time as a young man growing up with the employees that helped make his family’s company successful, I personally could resonate with that. My brother and I started very young at our family’s business, and my father did not teach us every single step of the way. He too entrusted our business education to those who helped make our company a success. That made the [Trump] family a lot more real to us, despite the fact that their success on many levels is higher [than] our own.
Guests:
Ron Elving, Senior Editor and Correspondent, NPR’s Washington Desk; he joins us live from the RNC
Ange-Marie Hancock, associate professor of political science and gender studies at USC
Pete Peterson, dean of the School of Public Policy and executive director of The Davenport Institute at Pepperdine University
Ben Clymer Jr., CFO of Ben Clymer’s The Body Shop and president of the Lincoln Club of Riverside County; he is also a delegate for Donald Trump
How Facebook & Twitter are trying to self-police for hate speech, threats
Despite the viral success of late night host Jimmy Kimmel’s recurring “Mean Tweets” segment, saying awful things to people on social media often doesn’t end with the person on the receiving end holding back laughter while trying to read it.
We saw this most recently take the form of SNL cast member and actress Leslie Jones leaving Twitter after an exchange with a journalist for Breitbart over a bad review he wrote of Jones’ latest project, the much-anticipated remake of the cult-classic “Ghostbusters.” The writer, Milo Yiannopolous, was banned permanently from Twitter after he posted screen captures that made it appear as though Jones was tweeting hateful things herself, which egged trolls on in continuing to harass her.
Other tech giants have dealt with this problem as well. Take Facebook, which in the wake of the shootings in Baton Rouge, Falcon Heights, MN, and Dallas has seen a drastic uptick in the amount of content that’s getting flagged for being racist, offensive, or violent. Or Craigslist, where a Southern California woman recently posted ads in which she purported to be the pregnant wife of a U.S. Marshal seeking someone who would engage with her in a “rape fantasy.” The woman, who turned out to be the Marshal’s ex-girlfriend, has been arrested and charged with 10 felonies.
How have major tech companies evolved when it comes to policing themselves for hate speech, threats of violence, and bigotry? What more can/should tech companies be doing to police themselves?
Guest:
Christina Warren, senior tech correspondent at Mashable; she tweets
Role of religious rhetoric in contemporary political speeches
Speech after speech after speech at the Republican National Convention in Cleveland this week invokes God or Jesus, even Lucifer was mentioned by former primary candidate Dr. Ben Carson: "Are we willing to elect as president someone [Hillary Clinton] who has as their role model somebody [Saul Alinsky] who acknowledges Lucifer?"
Carson accurately pointed out the many references to God on American currency, the country's founding documents, and in daily American life.
Elsewhere in Cleveland, a billboard put up by the Freedom from Religion Foundation boasts a Ronald Reagan quote: "We establish no religion in this country... Church and state are, and must remain, separate."
During this campaign year, candidates from both parties talk regularly about how their faith instructs their professions and their views.
At a campaign event in Knoxville, Iowa earlier this year, a woman asked presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton how her beliefs align with the Ten Commandments. Clinton said the issue was important to her and continued, “I am a person of faith. I am a Christian. I am a Methodist. I have been raised Methodist. I feel very grateful for the instructions and support I received starting in my family but through my church, and I think that any of us who are Christian have a constantly, constant, conversation in our own heads about what we are called to do and how we are asked to do it, and I think it is absolutely appropriate for people to have very strong convictions…”
The backdrop to all of this is a declining number of Christians in the U.S., according to an in depth report from the Pew Research Center conducted in 2015. When it comes to the religious landscape in America, the sharpest growth is the number of Americans who describe themselves as "unaffiliated” - now at 22.8 percent, from 16.1 percent in 2007. However, the largest share by far still identifies as Christian, 70.6 percent.
Regardless of personal beliefs, what role do you see, if any, for religious rhetoric in contemporary political speech?
Guests:
Michael Shermer, Author of numerous books including his latest "Skeptic: Viewing the World With a Rational Eye;" founder of "Skeptic" magazine; and adjunct professor at Chapman University
John Eastman, professor of law and founding director of the Center for Constitutional Jurisprudence at Chapman University; He’s also Chairman of the Board of the National Organization for Marriage, a D.C.-based nonprofit focused on marriage laws
How ‘selfie culture’ is changing the way we memorialize ourselves and others
Funerals have served as a transitional period for the survivors of the deceased for centuries.
It’s a way to commemorate the deceased and can also help friends and family find closure. Eulogies and photo slideshows are two popular ways in which remembrances have taken form, but there are also numerous unconventional approaches that are just as effective in honoring the deceased.
For some, composing an obituary for themselves before dying has been found to be fulfilling, others might wish to record a video to be played at their funeral. What are some of the ways you’ve commemorated a loved one?
Call us at 866-893-5722 to share your story with us.
Guest:
Erik Larson, owner and funeral director of Larson Family Mortuary in Santa Monica