August 25, 2017
Aug 25 06:47 Keith Ablow's psych evaluation Aug 25 08:50 Obama's Antiquities Act legacy Aug 25 11:35 Indivisible's mercenary tactics Aug 25 15:21 Hurricane Harvey vs. Gen. Kelly Aug 25 19:59 BREAKING: Trump pardons Arpaio Aug 25 22:04 Ana Navarro's diatribe
Prior Months: Jan Feb ~ May Jun Jul
Prior Years: 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016
Keith Ablow's psych evaluation
After President Trump's speech in Phoenix Tuesday night, Jim Clapper and Don Lemon proclaimed on national TV that President Trump was unfit to hold office. It was just a matter of time until a qualified psychiatrist weighed in on the subject. Dr. Keith Ablow's evaluation should (but won't) put this talk to rest. It should stop these statements in the sense that amateurs like Lemon and Clapper will look like idiots when they spew their BS. It won't stop this BS because it's the only thing that the Democrats have going for themselves. But I digress.
Dr. Ablow wrote "At the risk of sounding a bit narcissistic myself: These people should quiet down, enjoy a nice Trump cigar or glass of Trump wine and listen to me. My insights are basic ones that an average medical student or below-average political science major in a college should be able to grasp, immediately. So, chill." After telling the pundits to chill, Dr. Ablow said "Now, here is my assessment, once again: Donald Trump is stone cold sane and more than mentally fit to be president of the United States. When a man acquires billions of dollars through complex real estate transactions, invests in many countries, goes on to phenomenal success in television and turns his name into a worldwide brand, it is very unlikely that he is mentally unstable."
Dr. Ablow didn't stop there. Here's more:
When the same man obviously enjoys the love and respect of his children and his wife, who seem to rely on him for support and guidance, it is extraordinarily unlikely that he is mentally unstable. When the same man obviously enjoys the love and respect of his children and his wife, who seem to rely on him for support and guidance, it is extraordinarily unlikely that he is mentally unstable. When the same man walks into the political arena and deftly defeats 16 Republican opponents and then the Democratic heir-apparent to a two-term president's administration, the odds of that man being mentally unstable become vanishingly thin.
Unlike people like Clapper and Lemon, Dr. Ablow is qualified to analyze people from a psychiatric perspective. I love Dr. Ablow's closing argument:
Now, think about those who are rabble-rousing about the president's mental status. Take Sen. Al Franken. Remember? He was all worried about the president allegedly overestimating the crowd size at his inauguration. But Franken is allied with Sen. Elizabeth Warren, who asserted she is Native American, when there is no evidence of that whatsoever. And they're still calling Trump's sanity into question? Really, you can't make this stuff up.
The good news is that Messrs. Clapper and Lemon don't actually believe what they're saying. They're just saying what's most politically advantageous for themselves. Lemon isn't a journalist. He's a political activist who is getting paid to do a journalist's job. Clapper is a liberal hatchet man.
It's a mistake to think either is a serious professional.
Posted Friday, August 25, 2017 6:47 AM
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Obama's Antiquities Act legacy
If there's anything in President Obama's legacy that deserves immediate destruction, it's his creation of national monuments with his pen. According to this article, President Obama "created two new national monuments on Wednesday, setting aside 1.65 million acres in southeastern Utah and southern Nevada, a move sure to anger Republicans who have sought to curb the power the outgoing president has wielded to protect record amounts of sensitive and historic lands and waters. Obama's aggressive use of the Antiquities Act to create national monuments has drawn scathing criticism from Republicans, who say the White House has abused the law to override local opposition and restrict development and usage of the lands."
Setting aside 2,000,000 acres is a big deal to local communities. This article explains why the Antiquities Act was first created, saying "Congress originally passed the law as an emergency measure to prevent the looting of antiquities on Native American lands, intending it, as the debate surrounding it shows, only to be used in instances where public lands or artifacts faced immediate threats of destruction and the normal pace of congressional action might take too long to prevent harm." It's worth noting that the law limits the scope of a monument to "the smallest area compatible with the proper care and management of the objects to be protected."
The reason for this brief tutorial is because the Sierra Club is upset that Interior Secretary Zinke is "recommending to the White House that President Donald Trump downsize some national monuments." Not surprisingly, the Sierra Club is threatening lawsuits if it doesn't get its way:
"The argument that I have made is that Trump does not have the authority to change these things," Mark Squillace, a professor at the University of Colorado School of Law who has written about the Antiquities Act, told Sierra. "The Antiquities Act is a delegation of power from Congress to the presidency. ...Under the Antiquities Act, they [Congress] gave the president power to protect lands under the law. It doesn't say anything about reducing or revoking monument designations."
Squillace said it is likely that lawsuits challenging any monument reductions will be filed in the U.S. federal district courts where the monuments are located, and that - no matter what the district courts first rule - appeals are likely. "So we are in for a couple of years of litigation over these things, and there is a chance that it could end up at the Supreme Court as well."
It isn't a stretch to think that the Sierra Club isn't interested in preventing the looting of Native-American antiquities. It's just as likely that they're interested solely to prevent oil or natural gas exploration. This Washington Post video is slanted in the Sierra Club's direction but it still does a decent job of explaining what the Trump administration is planning on doing:
The filibuster should be abolished for multiple reasons. I'd recommend that one of the first bills to be altered after dumping the filibuster should be the Antiquities Act. Clearly, this was meant as a stop-gap measure. It's probably politically impossible to repeal the bill but writing more objective limitations into the statutes definitely are possible.
Specifically, the bill could be modified to a) limit the situations when the Antiquities Act can be used, b) limit the amount of land set aside for national monuments to a specific acreage limit and c) require presidents to list the antiquities being preserved by a new national monument. Further, lawsuits challenging the creation of these national monuments should put the burden on the federal government to prove that they're actually protecting something important. If that can't be proven, then the national monument designation should be rejected by the courts.
Posted Friday, August 25, 2017 8:50 AM
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Indivisible's mercenary tactics
Nancy Pelosi wants to be speaker in the worst way. If she has to use political mercenaries to bully Republican congressmen and women and their families, she won't hesitate in using that tactic. This article highlights how ruthless Pelosi's Democrats are in pursuing their goal.
The article highlights Indivisible's tactics, saying "The group says the guide is now used by 'over 5,800 local groups' and has at least two groups in every congressional district. The guide tells activists how to work as a team to hector a representative. It says after one activist asks a question at a town hall, 'Other group members around the room should amplify by either booing the MoC [Member of Congress] or applauding you.'"
Further, these activists are taught to "go further and refuse to give up the microphone after their question. It gives them a script to follow: 'If [Congressional staffers] object, then say politely but loudly: 'I'm not finished. The MoC is dodging my question. Why are you trying to stop me from following up?'"
The goal isn't to engage the congressman. The goal is to "'record everything,' the guide advises. 'Unfavorable exchanges caught on video can be devastating for MoCs.'"
What these anarchist lefties haven't figured out is that the nation rejected these tactics when they elected President Trump. They voted to blow up Washington's system because they were sick of it. These idiots are playing right into Republicans' hands. Indivisible hasn't figured out that Trump's supporters are extremely motivated to vote in the next midterm. Any tactic seen as an attempt to delegitimize President Trump or stop his agenda won't be treated with kid gloves. Actions like this will strengthen Jason Lewis' re-election bid:
This is clearly an Astroturf operation:
Indivisible bills itself as 'grassroots,' but is funded mostly by wealthy foundations and anonymous donors who give through a complex web of left-wing groups, making it hard to identify donors.
On its website, Indivisible advises potential donors that they can make a 'large gift' tax deductible if they go through an intermediary group called the Tides Foundation. The foundation funnels more than $100 million a year to left-wing advocacy groups; liberal billionaire George Soros' Open Society Foundations is one of many groups that gives money to projects through the Tides Foundation, though there is no evidence his group supports Indivisible in particular.
Whether it's Indivisible or another organization with a different name, the objective is the same: harass, then defeat Republican members of Congress. It's clear that they'll be as ruthless as they need to be.
Posted Friday, August 25, 2017 11:35 AM
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Hurricane Harvey vs. Gen. Kelly
If things go the way I expect them to, President Trump will need to praise Gen. Kelly again for steering his administration flawlessly through their response to Hurricane Harvey. According to this article , "President Trump praised his chief of staff, Gen. John Kelly", adding that "General John Kelly is doing a fantastic job as Chief of Staff. There is tremendous spirit and talent in the W.H. Don't believe the Fake News."
CNN's highest profile jackass, aka Jim Acosta, got into a bit of a sticky wicked by tweeting "Good morning Mr. President... what is your administration doing about the hurricane to keep Texans safe?"
Here's a bulletin to Mr. Acosta: states that come through hurricanes with a minimal amount of physical damage and/or casualties do so because sheriffs and governors have handled their responsibilities without incident. The federal government is there to help when called upon.
As long as I'm on the subject of federal intervention, though, it's worth noting that Gen. Kelly is President Trump's Chief of Staff. As the leader of U.S. Southern Command, Gen. Kelly had the responsibility of moving large numbers of troops and their supplies long distances in short periods of time. After retiring as commander of So-Com, Gen. Kelly was confirmed to be President Trump's first Secretary of Homeland Security. One of the major agencies reporting to the Secretary of Homeland Security is the Federal Emergency Management Agency, aka FEMA.
In other words, President Trump's Chief of Staff has impeccable credentials to help prioritize the shifting situations that will certainly arise during Hurricane Harvey's rampage through Texas. Couple Gen. Kelly's expertise with Gov. Abbott's experience in dealing with these storms and you've got a pretty solid team.
Gov. Abbott sounds pretty prepared for Hurricane Harvey in this interview:
When Hurricane Harvey is just a memory, President Trump's approval rating will jump because things will have been handled properly.
Originally posted Friday, August 25, 2017, revised 26-Aug 2:19 AM
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BREAKING: Trump pardons Arpaio
This just in: President Trump just pardoned Sheriff Joe Arpaio . I just saw the headline. I haven't even read the article.
The article starts by saying "President Trump granted a presidential pardon to Joe Arpaio, the former Sheriff of Maricopa County, Ariz., on Friday. Arpaio, 85, was recently found guilty of criminal contempt for defying a judge's order to stop traffic patrols that allegedly targeted immigrants. He had been charged with misdemeanor contempt of court for allegedly willfully defying a judge's order in 2011 and prolonging his patrols for another 17 months." A statement issued by the White House said "Sheriff Joe Arpaio is now eighty-five years old, and after more than fifty years of admirable service to our Nation, he is worthy candidate for a Presidential pardon."
This pardon was telegraphed by President Trump during his speech in Phoenix this past Tuesday. Back then, President Trump said "Do the people in this room like Sheriff Joe? So was Sheriff Joe convicted for doing his job? You know what, I'll make a prediction: I think he's going to be just fine. OK? But I won't do it tonight, because I don't want to cause any controversy. But Sheriff Joe should feel good."
Now that Sheriff Joe has been pardoned, it's time for President Trump to return to tracking Hurricane Harvey, which has now been upgrade to a Cat-4 hurricane.
Posted Friday, August 25, 2017 7:59 PM
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Ana Navarro's diatribe
Saying that Ana Navarro is an angry woman is understatement. Unhinged is another word that fits. After President Trump pardoned Sheriff Joe Arpaio, Ms. Navarro went off. She started by saying "what message that he's sending through this Joe Arpaio thing is a message to his base, is a message to anyone who is anti-Hispanic, to anyone who is...(inaudible) No, sweetheart, I'm America first and you don't get to tell me I'm not. But I'm also not anti-Hispanic. I'm not anti-immigrant. I'm not anti-black. I'm not (inaudible). I'm not anti-gay. So you don't get to tell me that I'm not America first because I'm an immigrant and I'm Hispanic. You're inferring that I'm a little bit older. So let me tell you something. He's sending a message by pardoning Joe Arpaio. Try to control yourself from interrupting me because you're a little too close and you're getting into my danger zone. Don't interrupt. Let me just tell you, the message that he's sending is 'I'm ok with profiling Latinos in Arizona. I'm ok with attacking immigrants. I'm ok with attacking Hispanics. I'm ok with mistreating prisoners. I'm ok with everything that Joe Arpaio represents.' And that's the message that he's sending to his base and to those of us who are not his base."
Words alone don't do Ms. Navarro's diatribe justice. Watch how irate and unhinged she is:
That's breathtaking. Ms. Navarro has gone off at least twice this week. Put differently, she's lost it on national TV. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to understand that she needs anger management training.
For all of Don Lemon's and Jim Clapper's pontificating about how President Trump isn't fit for office, the only proof that anyone isn't mentally fit for their job is watching Ms. Navarro's multiple meltdowns. When Ms. Navarro's fellow panelist started laughing at her, she said that he was "getting into my danger zone." That's something that a person that's lost it does. That isn't how a rational person reacts.
CNN bears responsibility for their anchors' and pundits' behavior. This week, they've been out of control and disrespectful in the extreme. They obviously think that this plays well with their audience. That's probably true but it's also why their ratings rarely improve for more than a blip at a time. People who have just finished a long work week don't want to turn on the TV and watch that type of stuff. In 10 seconds or less, they're flipping to another channel.
Posted Friday, August 25, 2017 10:04 PM
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