The Republican and Democratic National Conventions, guest blogger Gerard J. Gianoli, M.D.

A Tale of Two Conventions—Controversy and Deceit

Gerard J. Gianoli, M.D.

“It was the best of times, it was the worst of times…” It was a time of controversy and a time of deceit. The Republican and Democratic National Conventions, now just over, showed some stark contrasts.

The Republican National Committee along with many in the GOP were less than pleased with the eventual nominee—Donald Trump. However, the controversy surrounding Mr. Trump’s nomination, for all its warts, was open for everyone to see. There was never any secret that the “GOP establishment” didn’t want a Trump nomination. Some of the prominent GOP stalwarts refused to endorse Mr. Trump and were absentees from the convention. In fact, Mr. Trump invited his vanquished opponents to speak at the convention and, like Senator Cruz, they were not constrained in what they could say. Such is the reality of a true democratic process—someone wins, the others lose, and some are sore losers. That’s all pretty much normal and expected. Regardless of who wins, there will always be discontent.

Contrast this to the Democrat primaries. All along the Democrat Party claimed to be neutral during the primary process, while Senator Bernie Sanders, among others, claimed there was favoritism and collusion. Recently leaked emails show that the process was anything but open and fair. It seems that the Democratic National Committee was in the tank for Secretary Clinton from the beginning, and worked at undermining the Sanders campaign.

Of course, Senator Sanders was unaware of the collusion against him when he endorsed Hillary Clinton, and he has since left the Democrat Party—a move that has not made many headlines in the press, but should have. When was the last time a presidential contender left in such manner? Even Ted Cruz—the sore loser of the GOP that made national headlines with his non-endorsement speech—is still a Republican. With its dishonest and conniving nature exposed by the emails, can we believe anything the DNC espouses?

Another claim long held by conservatives—of a liberal bias in the media—has been more than confirmed with the email leaks. They show not just bias but actual collaboration with the DNC and the Clinton campaign. Can we rely on independent information from the media, after seeing this collusion?

Although FBI director James Comey refused to recommend prosecution of Hillary Clinton, he did expose her extreme dishonesty with the American people, while essentially stating that Secretary of State Clinton and her staff were guilty of extreme incompetence. Both the dishonesty and the incompetence were known in advance of Comey’s statements. The only surprise was his refusal to recommend prosecution. Currently, Mrs. Clinton is professing that she has been exonerated by Comey—another untruth. How can we trust anything she says?

Donald Trump has been a very polarizing candidate, but looking at his past, he generally accomplishes what he says he will do. You may or may not like his policy positions, but we can generally conclude that they are what he says they are. One of the most important qualities of a leader is honesty. A leader who is not trusted cannot lead. While dishonesty is always a factor in political elections, dishonesty to this degree has not been a presidential election issue in my lifetime. The choices we have from our major parties are between a polarizing figure and a dishonest one.

While controversy surrounded the GOP convention, deceit was the overriding theme of the Democrats’ convention. Regardless of one’s feeling about Mr. Trump, he’s been forthright in his positions. Now knowing via the leaked emails of the media’s collaboration with the DNC and the Clinton campaign, we can understand why they will hammer Mr. Trump on any issue they can. However, given the level of deceit emanating from the Democrat Party, Secretary Clinton, and co-conspirators in the media, any rational American should disqualify them for this presidential election.

Gerard Gianoli, M.D., F.A.C.S. specializes in Neuro-otology and Skull Base Surgery.  He is in private practice at The Ear and Balance Institute, located in Covington, but is also a Clinical Associate Professor in the Departments of Otolaryngology and Pediatrics at Tulane University School of Medicine.  He pioneered treatments for Superior Semicircular Canal Dehiscence and other vestibular disorders.  His private practice has a worldwide reach, with patient referrals coming from all over the United States and from around the world.

Dr. Gianoli opted out of Medicare in 2001 and has had a 100% third-party-free practice since 2005.  He’s lectured and written extensively (as well as had numerous media interviews) on third party free medical practices and free market medicine.  His editorials have appeared in The Wall Street Journal, Forbes, Investor’s Business Daily, The Hill and other popular periodicals.

He has received numerous awards, including the American Academy of Otolaryngology’s Honor Award, and has been named in America’s Top Doctors and America’s Top Physicians every year since their inception in 2001 and 2003 respectively.  Dr. Gianoli practices all aspects of neuro-otology but has a special interest in vestibular (balance) disorders.  He has researched, lectured and published extensively on the topic of vestibular disorders.  Website: http://www.earandbalance.net/