Republican Ron Cohen finished fourth in the
2016 CA-17 June primary.

17TH CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT
Listen and you will quickly understand where 17th Congressional District candidate Ron Cohen stands on the subject of athletes taking a knee during the National Anthem.

Cohen’s campaign web site includes a self-playing video of Whitney Houston’s famous rendition of the National Anthem sung at the Super Bowl.

“Protest all you want. TRUE AMERICANS DON’T KNEEL, CERTAINLY NOT IN PROTEST,” says Cohen’s web site. (Note: Cohen provided the emphasis.)

This is Cohen’s second consecutive primary campaign, this time challenging incumbent Democratic Rep. Ro Khanna. Last year, Cohen communicated a solid fiscal conservative agenda, primarily concerned with the nation’s debt.

He also gained notoriety for coming out early in support of Donald Trump‘s presidential campaign. But following Trump’s crude comments toward women contained in the infamous Access Hollywood video, Cohen disavowed him.

In an email this week, Cohen wrote he stands “100 percent behind” Trump’s comments opposing NFL players protesting during the anthem, though he would have preferred the president not resort to name-calling. 

The “S.O.B.” comment was not something I would have said, but it is also snowflake rhetoric to say Trump was directly commenting about anyone’s real mommy,” Cohen wrote. “Trump was commenting on the kneeling players’ ignorance, and lack of historical gratitude and perspective. I agree 100 percent.”

Cohen also argued that Trump was speaking for himself, not the country, when he made comments against NFL players protesting before games on Sept. 22.

“He is only a small portion of the federal government. The system works, because he can be voted out. He can be shouted-down and criticized. The courts can rule against him. All good,” he wrote.

“However, liberal thought believes in dependency, and therefore the President is the ‘government’ and therefore, they feel it is right to protest during the National Anthem, to react to his comments. Conservatives and moderates understand, the National Anthem has absolutely nothing to do with President Trump or his opinions of the day. The National Anthem is a much, much bigger symbol.”

He acknowledges that Trump’s opponents on the anthem issue are “taking the bait.” “Every football, baseball and basketball player in the country can ‘take a knee,’ and Trump, in my view, political will win this debate as these folks display their lack of a basic understanding of our country and show a complete lack of any gratitude of so much.”