December 19-21, 2019
Dec 19 07:42 Democrats noticing too late Dec 19 08:46 Impeachment conventional wisdom Dec 19 09:42 McConnell: Pelosi is a coward Dec 19 11:38 Pelosi, aka Swamp Mistress Dec 19 15:53 The Constitution-loving tyrant Dec 20 02:20 Devin Nunes' total vindication Dec 20 11:51 Divided Democrats' demise Dec 21 00:27 The Democrats' political heartburn Dec 21 23:07 The GOP's fantastic week
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Democrats noticing too late
Apparently, Democrats are noticing that their impeachment hearings are hurting Democrats more than they're hurting President Trump. It's becoming painfully obvious to those willing to see what they actually see.
CNN's Chris Cillizza just now noticed and wrote about it, saying "Even as the House prepares for the historic vote, however, there's growing evidence that the public impeachment proceedings in the House against Trump may actually be helping him politically." Cillizza then continued, saying this:
Take a new Gallup poll released Wednesday morning, which shows two things happening since House Democrats, led by Speaker Nancy Pelosi of California, opened up a formal impeachment inquiry in October regarding Trump's conduct with Zelensky:
- Trump's job approval rating has gone from 39% to 45%
- Support for Trump's impeachment and removal has dipped from 52% to 46%.
Pelosi's Democrats have helped President Trump go from a good candidate with great fundraising figures to a total beast whose campaign is just getting started. This isn't about fact-finding. It's about the Democrats' outright hatred of President Trump. Doug Collins, the highest ranking Republican on the House Judiciary Committee, summarized things beautifully during this interview on Fox & Friends:
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By contrast, Democrats are flailing during today's impeachment. Earlier today, Chairman Nadler accused Republican Louie Gohmert of repeating "Russian propaganda":
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The best line of Rep. Gohmert's presentation was "You send blankets and MREs. They can eat and be warm while the Russians are killing them." That's what caused Chairman Nadler to accuse Gohmert of repeating "Russian propaganda." It's understandable that Chairman Nadler didn't like what Mr. Gohmert said. That doesn't make it Russian propaganda, though. It's just the truth.
There's plenty of verification that the Obama administration sent blankets and MREs to Ukraine. This article highlights how the Obama administration 'helped':
The package includes $7 million for international relief organizations providing humanitarian aid to civilians impacted by the fighting between Kiev and pro-Russian separatists. Another $46 million will go to assist Ukrainian military and border guards.
~~~~~
U.S. Commerce Secretary Penny Pritzker will also travel to Ukraine later this month to meet with senior government officials and business leaders to discuss economic reforms there, as well as steps Kiev can take to strengthen its economy and attract private capital.
Those efforts are in addition to $291 million in direct assistance the U.S. has already provided to Ukraine, as well as a $1 billion loan guarantee offered to stabilize its economy.
But the new assistance does not include lethal aid, which leaders in Kiev have long called for in their fight against pro-Russian separatists. Poroshenko renewed that call during a joint address to Congress earlier Thursday, telling lawmakers "one cannot win a war with blankets."
Democrats, not Republicans, endangered Ukrainian lives. Here's additional proof that Democrats are flailing:
Democratic Rep. Earl Blumenauer says Pelosi should withhold transferring impeachment articles to Senate: "I hope the House retains control of the articles until the Speaker and Leader Schumer can negotiate agreement on process and witnesses from McConnell" https://t.co/wmoUYmh4Ty pic.twitter.com/11w20p41LP
- ABC News (@ABC) December 18, 2019
(H/T: Hot Air) If Democrats have "overwhelming evidence", they should be willing to hold the trial without additional witnesses. These Democrats aren't the brightest bulbs in the chandelier.
Posted Thursday, December 19, 2019 7:42 AM
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Impeachment conventional wisdom
The emerging talking point is that last night's impeachment vote won't hurt Democrats next November because it was taken months and months ahead of the election. The conventional wisdom is that tons of issues will come and go between this morning and Election Day, 2020. It's indisputable that people will deal with lots of issues in that time. That doesn't mean people will forget impeachment, though.
Last night's vote was a seminal event. Seminal events aren't forgotten quickly. Republican Mike Kelly captured the moment perfectly in this brief speech:
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The reason why the polls have been trending against Democrats is because a) the Democrats' case is virtually evidence-free and b) the Democrats' arguments are flimsy. Multiple times Wednesday, Democrats passionately insisted that they needed to impeach President Trump quickly because, otherwise, President Trump would cheat on another election or destroy Western Civilization. Imagine people's surprise upon hearing that Speaker Pelosi might not send Articles of Impeachment over to the Senate:
Pelosi was then asked about possibly withholding the articles of impeachment from the Senate until they get certain reassurances, and the Speaker refused to give a direct answer. "Again, we'll decide what that dynamic is, but we hope that the resolution of that process will be soon in the Senate," she said.
How can Speaker Pelosi wait with the fate our nation hanging in the balance? In her opening speech, Ms. Pelosi said that President Trump represented "an ongoing threat to our national security":
[Video no longer available]
If Ms. Pelosi doesn't send those articles of impeachment to the Senate, then she's either indifferent about "ongoing threats to our national security" or she lied in making that statement. I'm betting the latter.
People don't like the unfair things that Democrats have done. People don't like the fact that the Democrats' arguments keep shifting from one focus group result to another to another. A real case doesn't morph from one thing into another.
Staying with the possibility of Pelosi not sending articles of impeachment to the Senate, what message does that send? In her post-impeachment press availability, Pelosi said this:
"Let me tell you what I don't consider a fair trial," she told the crowd of reporters. "This is what I don't consider a fair trial -- that Leader McConnell has stated that he's not an impartial juror, that he's going to take his cues, in quotes, from the White House, and he is working in total coordination with the White House counsel's office."
What BS. Adam Schiff and Jerry Nadler didn't let Republicans call any witnesses. During yesterday's debate, Nadler said that President Trump's legal team had the opportunity to cross-examine witnesses in the Judiciary Committee hearings. Doug Collins replied, saying "Who would they cross-examine? 3 law professors and a staffer?"
What House Democrats just did shouldn't be taken seriously. Democrats cut every corner imaginable to prevent a thorough investigation. Truth didn't matter to Democrats, either. Yesterday, Democrats repeatedly said that "the facts are not in dispute." Immediately thereafter, Doug Collins took apart the disputed facts. Now Chuck Schumer wants additional witnesses. Take a hike, Chuckie. While Sen. Schumer insists that additional witnesses are needed, House Democrats just voted to impeach President Trump. Did House Democrats just vote to impeach President Trump without adequate proof that proved their case? Is Sen. Schumer accusing the House Democrats of dropping an incomplete case in his lap?
The Democrats' impeachment of President Trump will live in infamy. The Democrats' impeachment of President Trump is their legacy. The House Democrats' legacy is that of rank partisanship, led by Ms. Pelosi and Adam Schiff. Their legacy is a dark chapter in the history of the House of Representatives.
The good news is that restoration is less than 12 months away.
Posted Thursday, December 19, 2019 8:46 AM
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McConnell: Pelosi is a coward
In a speech due to be given this morning, Sen. Mitch McConnell will essentially call Speaker Pelosi out. According to this article , Sen. McConnell will say "Pelosi suggested that House Democrats may be too afraid to even transmit their shoddy work product to the Senate." Later in the speech, "McConnell will say Schumer has been 'searching for ways the Senate could step out of our proper role and try to fix House Democrats' failures for them.'"
Pelosi is right about this, though:
Pelosi told reporters after adjourning the House of Representatives on Wednesday night that she's in no hurry to send the two articles of impeachment to McConnell for a trial. Her caucus passed them without any Republican votes, accusing Trump of abusing his power and showing open contempt for Democrats' investigation by blocking witnesses and document demands.
People should show contempt for contemptible investigations. Respecting disrespectful processes that aren't thorough legitimizes shoddy processes. Speaker Pelosi is used to running roughshod over her opponents. That won't happen with Sen. McConnell.
Shortly after President Trump's inauguration, Republicans criticized Sen. McConnell. They thought he was too establishment. There's no disputing the fact that he is part of the DC establishment. It's easy to dispute the notion that he isn't the most important part of Trump's legislative team.
There's no question that Sen. McConnell is a skilled negotiator and tactician. His legacy will be that he's President Trump's essential wingman who set records in confirming judges and justices. Together, the Trump-McConnell team is the most prolific team in terms of confirming judges in US history. But I digress. This is a stunning admission:
The Washington Post quoted Oregon Democratic Rep. Earl Blumenauer overnight saying he has talked to three dozen Democratic lawmakers who favor 'rounding out the record and spending the time to do this right.'
This isn't Kevin McCarthy or Mitch McConnell making that accusation. Earl Blumenauer is a partisan Democrat who hates President Trump. (Don't they all?) If facts mattered, impeachment would've failed, just like it's failed in the House before.
UPDATE: Here's the video of Sen. McConnell's speech:
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Posted Thursday, December 19, 2019 9:42 AM
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Pelosi, aka Swamp Mistress
Politicians and pundits are pummeling Speaker Pelosi for yesterday's impeachment vote. The New York Post's cover nick-named Ms. Pelosi the "Swamp Mistress" before saying that it's her funeral. That last shot referenced her wearing a black dress to highlight the solemnity of impeaching President Trump.
Swamp Mommie wasn't happy when Democrats started applauding President Trump's impeachment:
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Speaker Pelosi would've joined in the Democrats' applause if she were honest with the people. It's just that the applause got in the way of her solemnity charade that nobody bought.
The contrivance factor was just too thick:
Wearing a funereal black dress, she stood next to a cardboard American flag and recited the Pledge of Allegiance. I would have counted her more honest if she had pledged her allegiance to a Democratic donkey.
Between the black dress and the constant repetition of how Democrats didn't have a choice and how Democrats did this out of loyalty to the Constitution, it was painfully obvious that there wasn't a sincere gesture until Democrats started applauding.
At any rate, by last Sept. 24, with the 2020 election fast approaching and her icy relationship with Trump now a bonfire, Pelosi suddenly flip-flopped on impeachment. Her ostensible reason centered on the unverified claims of an anonymous whistleblower regarding Trump's phone call with the president of Ukraine. The call, she was assured by the media and Rep. Adam Schiff, would amount to a smoking gun.
'The actions of the Trump presidency revealed dishonorable facts of betrayal of his oath of office and betrayal of our national security and betrayal of the integrity of our elections,' she declared.
It felt like a fill-in-the-blank speech, one she had on the shelf ready to go as soon as she had an excuse to use it. Twenty-four hours later, Trump released the transcript of the Ukraine call and it was benign in comparison to her inflammatory accusation. If only Pelosi had waited another day.
Throughout this national ordeal, Pelosi has been portrayed as the adult in the room, the moderate who held back AOC + 3. Pelosi held back AOC + 3 as long as she could but, in the end, they were just too strong. As for Pelosi the moderate, that's pure BS.
[Democrats] resembled Grade B actors performing for the cameras, their rehearsed references to oaths, prayers, the Founding Fathers, the rule of law, checks and balances and the Constitution itself all sounding contrived. Rather than reflecting actual gravitas, the words were trotted out to create the appearance of it.
There was a display of gravitas yesterday. Unfortunately for Ms. Pelosi, Republicans had strong replies for the Democrats' frequent smart-alecky jabs. Often, those sharp replies came from battle-tested veterans like Doug Collins, Jim Jordan, Devin Nunes, John Ratcliffe, Louie Gohmert and Jim Sensenbrenner. It's painfully obvious that Republicans, not Democrats, were the party of gravitas.
Posted Thursday, December 19, 2019 12:00 PM
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The Constitution-loving tyrant
Despite what her Praetorian guard say, this hasn't been a good week for the Swamp Mistress, aka Nancy Pelosi. It just got much worse. This morning, Ms. Pelosi decided that impeaching a president who didn't commit a crime without producing a single piece of proof that would be admitted in a court of law wasn't enough. She's decided that she's taking the 'full tyrant' route by censoring House Republicans . Nothing says solemnity like a black dress and a week of censorship. Nothing says 'I love the Constitution' more than violating House Republicans' First Amendment rights.
Under the current rules, members are allowed five minute speeches in the morning. The leadership on each side are allowed a full hour each at the end of the day and then each side is given two half hour slots. No floor speeches are allowed past 10 pm even if everyone has not had a chance to speak. In January, the House passed a rule that allows members only one Special Order speaking slot per week.
Pelosi not only shut down end-of-the-day special order speeches, on Thursday, she also cancelled the five minute speaking slots in the morning, effectively barring the Minority from speaking out against the biased and unfair impeachment process after the vote.
Saying that this has Louie Gohmert fired up is understatement:
According to the rules, the Minority is supposed to be allowed to have their own witness hearing before an impeachment vote, but Chairman Nadler (D-NY) denied them that right. Gohmert said that the majority could have voted to change the rules, but they didn't even bother to do that much. They just straight-out violated the rules in their haste to impeach the president.
Gohmert also said he was going to point out the hypocrisy of Democrats who have been claiming that the rushed process was warranted because "time was of the essence." If impeaching the president was such an urgent matter, why isn't the Speaker sending the Articles of Impeachment to the Senate, Gohmert wanted to ask on the House floor.
Democrats don't have an answer for Rep. Gohmert's questions. That's proof that the Democrats' impeachment wasn't fair, wasn't thorough and didn't meet the Constitution's criteria for impeachment.
Rep. Gohmert was already fired up after this:
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At times yesterday, Jerry Nadler tried needling Republicans. Mr. Nadler isn't bright enough to win that fight. He got excoriated multiple times by Rep. Doug Collins, the Republicans' floor manager yesterday, and by other Republicans, including Mr. Gohmert.
I've said it before and I'll repeat it again. This wasn't a fair fight despite the fact that the Democrats tilted the rules in their favor. Republicans proved themselves to be people of gravitas. Democrats proved themselves to be intellectual lightweights incapable of sustaining a coherent fight. Here's one of the Republicans with gravitas:
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Here's another Republican with gravitas:
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Here's another Republican with gravitas:
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Posted Thursday, December 19, 2019 3:53 PM
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Devin Nunes' total vindication
It's understatement to say that Devin Nunes has taken more ill-deserved grief than any other congressman in recent history. In her latest article , Kim Strassel highlights then-Chairman Nunes' efforts to root out FISC corruption and Judge Rosemary Collyer's inaction.
It all started with a letter from then-Chairman Nunes to Judge Collyer. In that letter, Nunes wrote "'the Committee found that the FBI and DOJ failed to disclose the specific political actors paying for uncorroborated information' that went to the court, "misled the FISC regarding dissemination of this information," and 'failed to correct these errors in the subsequent renewals.'" That letter was dated Feb. 7, 2018.
According to the article, "Mr. Nunes asked the court whether any transcripts of FISC hearings about this application existed, and if so, to provide them to the committee." What he got for his troubles is "a dismissive letter [from Judge Collyer] that addressed only the last request. The judge observed that any such transcripts would be classified, that the court doesn't maintain a 'systematic record' of proceedings and that, given 'separation of power considerations,' Mr. Nunes would be better off asking the Justice Department. The letter makes no reference to the Intelligence Committee findings."
Being the persistent fact-finder that he is, Nunes "tried again in a June 13, 2018, follow-up letter." In that letter, Nunes wrote that Congress "uncovered evidence that DOJ and FBI provided incomplete and potentially incorrect information to the Court" and that "significant relevant information was not disclosed to the Court."
It's worth remembering that then-Ranking Member Schiff published a competing 'everything-is-fine' memo. That memo has now been discredited. Here are some of the main claims from the Schiff Memo:
FBI and DOJ officials did not "abuse" the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) process, omit material information or subvert this vital tool to spy on the Trump campaign.
In fact, the DOJ and FBI would have been remiss in their duty to protect the country had they not sought a FISA warrant and repeated renewals to conduct temporary surveillance of Carter Page, someone the FBI assessed to be an agent of the Russian government. DOJ met the rigor, transparency and evidentiary basis needed to meet FISA's probable cause requirements.
Thanks to the DOJ IG report, we now know that FBI lawyer Kevin Clinesmith altered the initial email from the CIA that said Carter Page was one of their sources to say that Page wasn't a CIA source. IG Horowitz made a criminal referral on Clinesmith. Back to Ms. Strassel's article:
Mr. Nunes asked Judge Collyer to 'initiate a thorough investigation.' To assist her, the same month he separately sent FISC "a classified summary of Congress's findings and facts" to that point. The letter was signed by all 13 Republican members of the Intelligence Committee.
Judge Collyer blew him off. Her letter on June 15, 2018, is four lines long. She informs Mr. Nunes she's received his letter. She says she's also received his classified information. She says she's instructing staff to provide his info to "the judges who ruled on the referenced matters." She thanks him for his "interest" in the court.
With Judge Collyer throwing the FBI under the bus and with the FBI feeling like it's getting the short end of the stick from rubberstamp FISC judges, the odds of a major fight between the FISC and the FBI seems likely.
[Video no longer available]
Frankly, the FISC judges seem disinterested. In fact, they don't seem terribly interested in the details of their cases. That type of attitude is frightening to anyone who appreciates civil liberties. These FISC judges seem indifferent at best.
Finally, it's apparent that the reputation that the Agenda Media attempted to give Devin Nunes is undeserved. Nunes, unlike Jim Comey and Adam Schiff, was vindicated.
Posted Friday, December 20, 2019 2:20 AM
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Divided Democrats' demise
With impeachment now temporarily out of sight and with the year coming to an end soon, it's time to look forward at next year's campaigns. The House Democrats' impeachment farce has made them the laughingstock of swing district independent voters nationwide. When Speaker Pelosi enticed her freshmen to
Somehow, Speaker Pelosi has morphed into a tragic figure, something Republicans didn't think was possible. Still, that's what happened when she trusted Adam Schiff's and AOC's political instincts more than her own political instincts. One side of her majority couldn't wait to impeach President Trump. The other side of her majority wanted to legislate.
The bad news for Speaker Pelosi is that the 2 sides compromised and spent their time investigating, then impeaching President Trump. The worse news is that Chairmen Schiff and Nadler impeached President Trump without citing the high crime President Trump had committed. The public hearings in the House Intelligence Committee and the Judiciary Committee were a total disaster for Democrats.
Meanwhile, Democrats in the House Problem Solvers Caucus didn't produce solutions to any of the pressing issues that need to be addressed. A Problem Solvers Caucus that doesn't solve problems is essentially worthless. House Republicans will tell voters next fall that the way to get things done is through unified Republican government, with President Trump orchestrating the agenda from the Oval Office.
Republicans have President Trump to support. Further, Republicans have a positive, pro-growth agenda to support. The Democrats have don't have a figure to rally around or a positive, pro-growth agenda to support. They have to defend Speaker Pelosi's decision to withhold articles of impeachment from the Senate in an attempt to negotiate with Mitch McConnell.
Apolitical citizens can't identify with Pelosi-style trickery. They think, rightly, that people who've been indicted (impeached) should get their day in court. In fact, the wise men that wrote the Constitution codified that principle into the Constitution. It's part of the Constitution because they ratified the Sixth Amendment , which states this:
In all criminal prosecutions, the accused shall enjoy the right to a speedy and public trial , by an impartial jury of the state and district wherein the crime shall have been committed, which district shall have been previously ascertained by law, and to be informed of the nature and cause of the accusation; to be confronted with the witnesses against him ; to have compulsory process for obtaining witnesses in his favor, and to have the assistance of counsel for his defense.
This isn't a request. It's a requirement. Since Speaker Pelosi declared the impeachment inquiry into existence, she's been talking about the solemnity of this process, the requirement that the Constitution be protected and the need to protect our democracy:
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While the Democrats are split on whether they should have travelled down the impeachment path, they're united in that they won't avoid the voters' wrath for ignoring W e T he People 's agenda. Democrats will feel the people's wrath for pursuing the Resistance's agenda of unlimited investigations and repetitive impeachments:
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That Democrats would promote this type of division is the source for the Democrats' 2020 demise.
Posted Friday, December 20, 2019 11:51 AM
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The Democrats' political heartburn
News like this will certainly give Democrats heartburn. Speaker Pelosi is justified in worrying about this election cycle. This is terrible news for Democrats:
The latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone and online survey finds that 51% of Likely U.S. Voters agree with Trump's statement in a letter to the U.S. House of Representatives before the vote: "This impeachment represents an unprecedented and unconstitutional abuse of power by Democrat lawmakers unequaled in nearly two-and-a-half centuries of American legislative history."
With a microscopic-length list of accomplishments and a reputation of unjust investigations, not legislation, Democrats won't get the benefit of the doubt on whether they should be given the opportunity to govern. That's especially true when multiple Democrats have said that they'd continue impeaching President Trump if he's re-elected.
With 2020 likely to be spent campaigning, there's virtually no chance that the Democrats' list of accomplishments will grow. What they have now will be what they have when Election Day arrives. A congress that abuses its authority while ignoring its responsibilities to We The People is derelict in its duties.
Democrats are treating impeachment is being treated like it happens daily. That isn't acceptable. Impeachment is the political equivalent of the death penalty. For 3 years, Democrats have tormented President Trump daily while he's tried accomplishing things on the people's behalf. It won't take a genius to highlight the difference between President Trump's attempts to work on the people's behalf and the Democrats' attempts to resist President Trump's positive initiatives. This is what happens to Democrats who try impeaching President Trump with hearsay testimony: [Video no longer available]
It isn't pretty.
Posted Saturday, December 21, 2019 12:27 AM
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The GOP's fantastic week
During a week in which House Democrats impeached President Trump, Democrats also all-but-officially signed the political death certificates for their members who represent Trump districts. House Democrats then passed President Trump's USMCA trade agreement, then passed the bill funding government for FY2020. Included in that bill was funding for President Trump's wall and a 3.1% pay raise for the military.
After impeaching President Trump but before passing USMCA, Nancy Pelosi decided that she'd make Democrats look utterly unserious. She did that by telling reporters that she wouldn't send the articles of impeachment to the Senate. She said that despite telling We The People that President Trump had to be impeached and convicted immediately to protect national security and preserve our elections.
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While Pelosi impeached President Trump, President Trump held a rally in Michigan. These rallies have been turned into entertainment/pep rallies as well as voter registration drive headquarters. At this week's rally, 27% of the people who filled out voter registration forms switched from being Democrats. On the subject of voter registration drives, the rally in Sunrise, FL, was a huge success, registering 31,000 people, 30% of which used to be Democrats and 27% are Hispanics.
President Trump's great week continued when Democrats held a presidential debate in LA. At the debate, the Democrats' frontrunner was asked a question about energy policy. Here's Mr. Biden's reply:
[Video no longer available]
MODERATOR: Would you be willing to sacrifice [economic growth in the energy sector] knowing potentially that it could displace maybe hundreds of thousands of blue-collar workers in the interest of a greener economy?
JOE: The answer is yes.
Joe Biden and Bernie Sanders were the only Democrats with a shot at winning Pennsylvania and Michigan. That opportunity disappeared when they said that they'd worship at the altar of Climate Change. Climate change and mining fit together like oil and water. If Democrats can't flip Michigan and Pennsylvania back into the blue column, Democrats can't win in 2020.
During the impeachment debate and vote, the Trump campaign raised $5,000,000 :
President Trump's re-election campaign raked in $5 million in donations Wednesday, the day the House of Representatives voted to impeach him, his campaign manager said.
"Incredible fundraising numbers!" manager Brad Parscale tweeted. "[Trump] has raised over [$5 million] (still growing) today as Americans use their wallet to show support against Pelosi's impeachment hoax!" he added.
This isn't just people supporting a candidate they like. This impeachment has fired up Trump supporters. To them, this is personal now. When independents saw the railroad job being pushed onto President Trump, they reacted.
Next November, the Republicans' fantastic week will come to fruition.
Posted Saturday, December 21, 2019 11:07 PM
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