August 3-5, 2018
Aug 03 08:58 Blackburn coasts to victory Aug 03 09:25 NYTimes hires blatant racist Aug 03 14:33 Why it's important to criticize the Democrats' violent behavior Aug 04 07:10 Tim Pawlenty, Bob Kroll vs. Jacob Frey, Minneapolis City Council Aug 04 13:44 The Democrats' wishful thinking Aug 04 23:36 Democrats attempt to appear fair Aug 05 09:16 Obama spinmeister talks down US economy in NYTimes Aug 05 10:16 Pro-Trump optimism running high in central Ohio Aug 05 23:35 Democrats aren't listening to the people on immigration
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Blackburn coasts to victory
Thursday night, Rep. Marsha Blackburn coasted to an easy primary victory , winning with 84.47% of the vote. As expected, former Tennessee Gov. Phil Bredesen coasted to victory in the Democrat primary, winning with 91.48% of the vote.
The telling statistic isn't the percentage of the vote the winners got. The telling statistic is how many people turned out. The Republican candidates combined to win 717,885 votes, with Rep. Blackburn winning 606,402 votes alone. The 3 Democrat candidates combined to win 378,548 votes, with Bredesen winning 346,305 votes.
That means the 2 Republicans gathered almost 350,000 more votes than did the 3 Democrat candidates. While that doesn't guarantee a November victory for Republicans, that margin of victory, coupled with the turnout, must have Mitch McConnell and Ronna McDaniel breathing a sigh of relief. Here's what the races looked like:
The negative news last night was that Rep. Diane Black lost. She was backed by former Reagan economic adviser Art Laffer.
Posted Friday, August 3, 2018 8:58 AM
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NYTimes hires blatant racist
When the NYTimes hired Sarah Jeong, they hired a blatant racist . The only explanations for that hiring is that they don't vet people or they don't care if a person is a racist as long as they hate Republicans. Check out this collection of racist tweets Ms. Jeong posted:
What type of sicken human being writes such hateful things? The NYTimes' reputation has suffered greatly in years past. This hiring won't help restore that reputation.
Then there's this:
As you can see, this wasn't just a one-off mistake. There are around a dozen tweets and retweets from the millennial where she admits how much she hates white people, writing things like: "Dumbass f------ white people marking up the internet with their opinions like dogs pissing on fire hydrants" and "Oh man, it's kind of sick how much joy I get out of being cruel to old white men ."What's telling is that the NYTimes hasn't fired her.
Posted Friday, August 3, 2018 9:25 AM
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Why it's important to criticize the Democrats' violent behavior
It's time to stop pretending that Antifa is the only bunch of violent actors in the DFL or the Democratic Party. I'm not disputing that Antifa and anarchist organizations affiliated with the Democratic Party don't pose a threat to conservative politicians. I'm simply arguing that violent behavior on the left isn't confined to anarchists and Antifa. This LTE highlights the left's violent (and frightening) behavior:
To the editor:
Has the radical socialist left become unhinged? The latest incidents include reprehensible threats of harm against the children of Republican officeholders. Our own U.S. Rep. Jason Lewis has received threats of violence against his daughters. The threats of harm to his daughters necessitated a call to the Capitol Police.
Rep. Lee Zeldin, R-New York, also received threats of violence against his daughters. Rep. Brian Mast, R-Florida, was threatened by a man who said he would kill Mast's children. Fortunately, police were able to arrest the man.
Rep. Maxine Waters, D-California, "suggested" to her followers they verbally attack members of the White House staff and other conservatives - even when they are in a restaurant enjoying a meal!
Locally, Republican state Rep. Drew Christensen has had a campaign sign set afire and others slashed. I point out again that all these threats are made against Republicans. My resolve has thus been strengthened and I will proudly support Jason Lewis and Drew Christensen.
The latest smear against Jason Lewis for comments he made on his radio show decades ago is appalling. He was hired to be provocative and had the right of freedom of speech, the same right that liberals attempt to take away from anyone who doesn't agree with them.
That's before talking about the lunatic Bernie supporter who shot House Majority Whip Steve Scalise last summer in Virginia. That's before talking about the 'comedian' who accused Sarah Huckabee-Sanders of being a traitor of women.
People that violent aren't capable of making rational decisions. Putting them back in power would be a terrible mistake. Giving in to the left's violence will only embolden them. BTW, this isn't the first time violent lefties have threatened Rep. Lewis's family. Check this out:
[Video no longer available]
This isn't the Democratic Party of Paul Wellstone. In fact, I'm betting that most of these lefties don't even know that Wellstone often was a guest on Lewis's show, where they frequently debated issues. Sen. Wellstone loved discussing issues. These violent Democrat thugs aren't interested in discussing issues. These Democrat thugs are mostly interested in shutting down debate while stirring up violence. It's time for people of all political stripes to criticize this growing faction of Democrat thugs.
Posted Friday, August 3, 2018 2:33 PM
Comment 1 by Chad Q at 04-Aug-18 06:36 AM
The unhinged left learned from the administration in the white house the previous 8 years. They bring a knife, you bring a gun, step on their necks, confront these people, and on and on it goes.
Comment 2 by Rex newman at 05-Aug-18 08:10 PM
I don't think we should waste our time with Low Information voters. The best way to reach the rest is with the issues, especially the strong economy. Answer leftist violence with 'I'm sure my opponent shares my sorrow and outrage ...' Give any 'right wing' violence or unambiguous bigotry the David Duke treatment. Stay classy, on the high road. Faced with certifiable falsehoods, don't call them liars. Grin, ask them where they got it.
Tim Pawlenty, Bob Kroll vs. Jacob Frey, Minneapolis City Council
Tim Pawlenty's flier is causing quite a stir . It's definitely gotten under the skin of Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey.
The flier "features several uniformed Minneapolis officers standing next to the candidate for governor in front of two squad cars." Frey "said the mailer may have violated two city policies, calling it an unauthorized use of the Minneapolis police trademark and citing a prohibition on officers other than the union president or a designee appearing in a political advertisement." That isn't what's bothering Frey the most, though.
According to the article, "Tensions are already high among the union, Frey and the City Council. Frey noted that the flier, among other claims, includes Pawlenty's promise to crack down on so-called "sanctuary" policies meant to separate local police officers from enforcing federal immigration laws."
"Our policy preventing MPD officers from asking about immigration status is not an advisory guideline that can be selectively ignored," Frey said. "It is a city law that cannot be reversed by Bob Kroll or any political candidate. They don't speak for the city. So let me make it clear: Our separation ordinance will be enforced no matter who occupies the office of governor or who is leading the police union."
Mayor Frey apparently is under the impression that sanctuary city laws are constitutional. If he wants to pick that fight, I'm betting that a Pawlenty administration would be more than happy to have that fight.
Council Member Steve Fletcher said police appearing in the advertisement are "explicitly undermining that separation ordinance," and questioned whether it would make people less likely to report crimes to police. "We want to preserve the intention that Minneapolis police are acting in accordance with city values," Fletcher said. "And when they wear the uniform to assert a different set of values, they undermine public trust in their mission."
The government can't tell anyone that they can't express their political opinions. There's a strong case that can be made that this ordinance violates these officers' First Amendment rights. Again, I'm betting that a Pawlenty administration would be happy to help with that fight.
In 2006, then-Attorney General Mike Hatch got fined for using official OAG stationery in inviting people to a Hatch for Governor fundraiser. In that case, the candidate used government resources to further his campaign. In this instance, the candidate merely is showing that "Tim Pawlenty is endorsed by the Police Officers Federation of Minneapolis."
Politically speaking, this is a win-win situation for Pawlenty. It's a win in the sense that this police officer federation endorsed him. It's a win because Mayor Frey's complaint elevates the profile of that flier. Here's the flier in question:
Posted Saturday, August 4, 2018 7:10 AM
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The Democrats' wishful thinking
This incoherent scribbling in the Huffington Post highlights what desperate straits the Democrats are in. The chief scribbler says Brett Kavanaugh's "confirmation is far from inevitable", noting that, thanks to "Sen. John McCain's illness, Republicans have a tiny effective majority of 50 to 49 in the Senate. If Democrats all vote against confirmation - which is not impossible - Republicans must unanimously hold the line."
Clearly, this is a case of extreme wishful thinking. First, Chuck Schumer isn't whipping this vote. Next, red state Democrats won't sacrifice their seats just to keep some Indivisible/Resistance crazies happy.
Then there's this:
Two of the Republicans who voted against ending the Affordable Care Act, Sens. Susan Collins of Maine and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, are still very much in play, despite early signals that some think may mean they are leaning toward confirmation. Three other Republican senators may also be unreliable votes for confirmation, depending on how the confirmation process plays out: Jeff Flake of Arizona, Dean Heller of Nevada and Cory Gardner of Colorado.
This writer doesn't offer any evidence that Collins, Murkowski, Flake, Heller or Gardner are considering voting against confirming Kavanaugh. It's entirely speculation.
Kavanaugh's record indicates he would likely vote to reverse the narrowly decided Supreme Court ruling finding the Affordable Care Act constitutional. That allows opponents to argue that if a senator votes for confirmation of Kavanaugh, he or she is voting to take away your health care. This is the issue that caused Murkowski and Collins to dramatically break with their party last summer, and you can expect it to take a major role in efforts aimed at swaying their votes again.
There is also very little question that Kavanaugh would vote to gut Roe v. Wade, which gave women the right to choose to terminate a pregnancy. Yet a recent Wall Street Journal/NBC poll found that 71 percent of Americans oppose repealing Roe, including 52 percent of self-identified Republicans. Even in red states like Manchin's West Virginia, Heitkamp's North Dakota or Donnelly's Indiana, voters don't want a woman's right to make her own choices about pregnancy taken away.
Is there anything in this scribbling that suggests a connection with reality? I'll stipulate that it has a connection with the Democrats' talking points. That isn't the same as a connection with reality, though.
The truth is that I hope that Democrats vote unanimously against confirming Judge Kavanaugh. It'll make defeating them this November that much easier. 'Uncle Orrin' Hatch has had enough of the Democrats' stupidity:
[Video no longer available]
Good for him. It's long past time.
Originally posted Saturday, August 4, 2018, revised 05-Aug 12:14 PM
Comment 1 by eric z at 05-Aug-18 10:58 AM
Typo - desperate straits.
Desperate straights seems a term lifted from gay pride thought.
We could talk disparate as well as desperate; yet things are not disparate enough, given the two party stranglehold on US political opportunity.
Response 1.1 by Gary Gross at 05-Aug-18 12:15 PM
Thanks for the notification. It's been corrected.
Democrats attempt to appear fair
News junkies like me and other bloggers remember how fired up the Democrats were the night President Trump nominated Brett Kavanaugh to replace the retiring Anthony Kennedy on the Supreme Court. Special interest organizations put together official statements that looked like this:
- Jason Seher (@jhseher) July 10, 2018
Democrats didn't even bother to find out who President Trump had nominated. Now, they're making things worse. According to this ABC News article , Democrats are now willing to meet with Judge Kavanaugh to "personally lobby him to hand over his entire record." I'd tell the Democrats to take a hike. The vast majority of them have already announced that they're voting to not confirm Judge Kavanaugh. Why do these Democrats need to examine documents that don't have anything to do with Judge Kavanaugh's judicial philosophy if they've already decided they're voting against him?
Judge Kavanaugh has written 300+ opinions, the most of any recent SCOTUS nominee. If they can't figure out Judge Kavanaugh's judicial philosophy after reading Judge Kavanaugh's opinions, then they're hopeless. This is an obvious stalling tactic. It should be stopped before the first interview is held.
This is wishful thinking:
Meanwhile, a potential roadblock awaits Kavanaugh's confirmation process after the National Archives indicated Thursday that it needs until the end of October to produce nearly 1 million documents requested by Senate Republicans. The records delay could mean a vote to confirm Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court might not come as quickly as Republicans hoped - they wanted Kavanaugh confirmed in early October before the court's fall term is set to begin.
That won't slow anything down. Republicans aren't paying attention to this tactic:
Despite the setback, Senate Republicans, led by Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley of Iowa, appear unfazed and plan to forge ahead with a mid-September confirmation hearing for the 53-year old appellate judge.
Republicans should make the argument that Judge Kavanaugh's rulings, plus his documents from when he worked for Ken Starr, plus the information that they'll get from the confirmation hearings itself, are enough to make a well-informed decision. If Sen. Schumer whines that it isn't enough, I'd throw it back in their face that the vast majority of Democrats have either officially announced that they're voting against confirming Judge Kavanaugh or they've appeared at anti-Kavanaugh rallies where they're expected to be no votes.
Posted Saturday, August 4, 2018 11:36 PM
Comment 1 by eric z at 05-Aug-18 10:49 AM
Kavanaugh clerked for Thomas, didn't he?
Response 1.1 by Gary Gross at 05-Aug-18 12:23 PM
He clerked for Justice Kennedy.
Obama spinmeister talks down US economy in NYTimes
Steve Rattner " served as lead adviser to the Presidential Task Force on the Auto Industry in 2009 for the Obama administration." This morning, the racist NYTimes published Rattner's op-ed , which is simply a continuation of President Obama's attempt to lie about the success of President Obama's economic policies.
In President Obama's attempt to spin his policies, he's either forced to lying outright or he's too unwilling to admit that his policies failed. Prior to serving in the Obama administration, Rattner "was a managing principal of the Quadrangle Group, a private equity investment firm that specialized in the media and communications industries. Prior to co-founding Quadrangle, he was an investment banker at Lehman Brothers, Morgan Stanley, and Lazard Freres & Co., where he rose to deputy chairman and deputy chief executive officer." But I digress.
In his op-ed, Rattner wrote that "For the second consecutive Friday, the Trump administration had an opportunity to point to fresh data that supposedly demonstrates the strong boost the president's policies have given to the nation's economy. Last week, news that the gross domestic product expanded at a 4.1 percent rate in the second quarter occasioned a presidential appearance on the south lawn of the White House. Friday's announcement that 157,000 new jobs were added in July was marked more modestly, with a statement from the White House."
Let's be clear about something. There's no disputing the fact that the economy is stronger than it was during the Obama administration. The energy sector is booming. Manufacturing is the strongest it's been in a generation. Unemployment in minority communities is the lowest it's been in history . Literally trillions of dollars are flooding into the United States now that the Obama tax disaster has been repealed and replaced with the Trump/GOP tax cuts. Business investments are increasing nicely.
Yes, the economy is continuing to expand nicely, which all Americans should celebrate. But no, there's nothing remarkable in the overall results since Mr. Trump took office. Most importantly, there is little evidence that the president's policies have meaningfully improved the fortunes of those "forgotten" Americans who elected him.
Nancy Pelosi called the tax cuts "crumbs."
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This is Rattner's more elegant way of saying that the Trump economy is delivering crumbs to the American people. Tell that to these people:
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According to the workers at Granite City Works, President Trump's policies aren't just providing jobs after the plant was idled on President Obama's watch. It's that those workers said that Granite City, IL is getting rebuilt one neighborhood, one family at a time.
Yes, Mr. Rattner, there were far too many people forgotten by President Obama's policies. If you weren't part of the well-connected crowd, you didn't share in the prosperity. If you didn't work in one of the industries that President Obama picked as a winner, you were in tough shape. Those forgotten workers aren't forgotten anymore.
The dishonesty of people like Mr. Rattner and other Obama administration spinmeisters is disgusting. President Obama himself said that he planned on shutting down the coal industry. President Obama said that tons of jobs weren't coming back. He's right in once sense. Those jobs wouldn't have come back with his disastrous tax and regulatory policies. Now that those policies have been replaced by pro-growth economic policies, things have gotten consistently better.
As a result, consumer confidence is sky-high and the economy is robust again. How do I know? I know by the amount of traffic on the highways heading out on vacation. This Friday, the traffic on Highway 10 (at 11:00 am, I might add) was bumper-to-bumper. I never saw that during the Obama administration.
That's because people have money in their pockets to spend again. The behavior of the American people is dramatically different. That's reflected in the consumer confidence numbers.
No amount of Obama administration spin will change that.
Posted Sunday, August 5, 2018 9:16 AM
Comment 1 by eric z at 05-Aug-18 10:53 AM
So, Gary, great economy? Are you better off now than in 1999? Earning more? Living better? If there is this great economy going down; where is it? I have no great love for stagnant wages. I'd rather see people better off.
Response 1.1 by Gary Gross at 05-Aug-18 12:22 PM
That's an irrelevant question. Yes, we're far better off than we were 5 years ago or 2.5 years ago.
As for where this great economy is, you don't have to look far. It's found where there's manufacturing plants, energy jobs, small businesses & where capital is returning from sitting overseas. PS- that capital is returning thanks to the corporate tax cut. If you want less of something, tax it. If you want more of something, cut taxes & regulations.
Comment 2 by Gretchen Leisen at 05-Aug-18 03:32 PM
Obama and his allies claim that the economy during the previous administration was good. At best it was mediocre, but better than the economy in 2008 when the markets crashed.
One of the reasons why the economy recovered was the boom in shale oil drilling with the advancement of fracking methods. However, Obama, being a slave master to the environmental leftists, did not bat an eye when putting in new regulations on pipelines, and fracking, and whatever would be good for the oil industry. Oil was bad; and Obama was a saint. Hence the down turn in the energy sector of the economy in the last years of Obama. He did not appear to care about the high unemployment rate for minorities, all the while accusing his political opponents of racism.
Response 2.1 by Gary Gross at 05-Aug-18 04:12 PM
Gretchen, you've totally nailed it. He created the forgotten people that voted for Trump.
Comment 3 by Chad Q at 06-Aug-18 06:40 PM
If you're not doing and living better than you were in 1999, maybe you need to take a long hard look in the mirror and see what you are doing wrong. People are quitting jobs and getting better paying ones every day. This is the America I remember before the community organizer told us those days were gone and we should get used to high unemployment.
Pro-Trump optimism running high in central Ohio
As usual, Salena Zito's latest column provides the best insight into another election that's caught the public's attention. This time, Ms. Zito is writing about Tuesday's special election in Ohio's 12th district. The special election pits Democrat Danny O'Connor against Republican Troy Balderson.
In her article, Ms. Zito wrote that Vice President Mike Pence hosted a rally for Troy Balderson on July 30 before writing that "Pence left no doubt in the packed event hall in the center of picturesque Newark. He repeated the Aug. 7 date no less than a dozen times. He even made the attendees repeat it back to him."
The question now remaining unanswered is whether Trump's voters will turn out in sufficient numbers to propel Balderson to victory. This provides some insight into that question:
Outside the Pence event, Democratic activists, with signs covering every issue imaginable, chant slogans and attempt to engage with GOP supporters. One gentleman with a bull-horn chants, "Balderson hates puppies," at the folks trying to enter.
"The Trump hysteria kind of gets old," Wade Rogers says. "Especially when you walk up here to come in line, the first time you've ever been this political - where we've come to a rally of any sort - and when you hear the opposition over there screaming, 'Troy Balderson hates puppies.' I mean, to me, that's people that's out of sync with normalcy."
This provides more insight into the outcome of Tuesday's race:
Wade Rogers, who had never been very political, says he knows what is at stake, not just for this special election, but also to show up in November. He addresses the question on many reporters' minds: Is he satisfied enough with the results of the Trump presidency to take the time to vote for a member of Congress, not once, but twice this year?
" Absolutely ," he says with a broad grin. "We need to keep showing up. It's important that the president has a Republican Congress to help pass his agenda for the next two years. You don't take these things for granted," he said.
Statements like that tell me that the Trump Brigade won't let Troy Balderson down. Let's hear from Mr. Balderson himself:
[Video no longer available]
These rallies don't guarantee a Balderson victory Tuesday night. That being said, the fact that Trump's supporters understand the importance of this special election is a positive sign for Balderson and the White House. According to Jai Chabria, this is an affluent district:
[Video no longer available]
This is the type of district that isn't filled with tons of Trump voters. If Balderson wins this race by 5+ points Tuesday nights, that will be quite the positive sign for Republicans.
Posted Sunday, August 5, 2018 10:16 AM
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Democrats aren't listening to the people on immigration
This column , which was written by a legal immigrant, makes the point that Democrats aren't listening to the people on immigration. I'd totally agree, though I'd argue that they aren't listening on other subjects, either.
This highlights just how crazy Democrats are:
Listening to Democratic Party leaders and their media supporters talk about immigration gives me massive cognitive dissonance. Their argument has a strange up-is-down, black-is-white quality to it:
Uncontrolled illegal immigration is no problem! Border protection is racist and offensive! Arresting and deporting criminal aliens, even those that are violent, is immoral! Enforcing our immigration laws is racist!
And now, of course, it has amped up - several Democratic leaders are openly talking about abolishing the Immigration and Customs Enforcement or ICE.
Democrats used to listen to people. They don't anymore. They have their ideological checklist, which is what they're interested in accomplishing. Period.
They don't represent people. They represent causes. That's why they're disconnected from blue collar workers. Whether we're talking about miners, construction workers or heavy equipment operators, the Democrats lost that vote in 2016.
Similarly, Democrats haven't listened to the people on immigration. They've listened to NCLR, aka La Raza, and other immigration hardliners. If Democrats had been sensible, they could've had a deal months ago on DACA recipients in exchange for funding the wall. When that didn't happen, it said that Democrats didn't care about DACA recipients, that they cared mostly about open borders.
Does this look like a bunch of reasonable-minded activists protesting Ms. Pelosi?
[Video no longer available]
This won't end well with Democrats. Immigration, if handled properly, can be a major winning issue for the GOP in 2018 and beyond. Let's remember how President Trump is playing with Hispanics now that their unemployment rate is the lowest in history. Add in how reasonable President Trump looks in offering protection for DACA recipients in exchange for the wall.
Posted Sunday, August 5, 2018 11:35 PM
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