December 8-10, 2016
Dec 08 00:08 Adam Schiff: Democrat, weasel Dec 08 04:53 Relph's win now official Dec 09 02:57 DAPL thugs resort to violence Dec 09 07:50 Feinstein's situational outrage Dec 09 10:14 The DFL's blue collar civil war Dec 09 16:59 DFL's showdown Saturday? Dec 10 08:57 Resolution 54's impact on the DFL Dec 10 21:24 John Kennedy, US Senator-Elect
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Adam Schiff: Democrat, weasel
God bless Tucker Carlson for calling out Adam Schiff, the ranking member of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, for saying that he knew that Russians hacked into John Podesta's email account. During the debate, which lasted a little less than 9 minutes, Tucker asked Schiff about a letter Democrats sent to President Obama.
The letter they sent urgently requested his administration look into whether Russians hacked into Democrats' email accounts. This is a political stunt because they know the intelligence community can't complete that type of investigation in a month.
During the interview, Schiff repeatedly said that Russians hacked into Mr. Podesta's email account. When pressed how he knew that, Schiff said that it was the opinion of intelligence agencies that Russians had hacked Podesta's emails. That isn't the same as saying Schiff had verifiable proof that Russians had hacked Podesta's email account. Without proof, it's just an opinion.
At another point in the debate, Carlson asked Schiff why the letter didn't criticize the Obama administration for their lax cyber-security. Schiff said that he'd made some opening statements at committee hearings, as though that's going to get the public's attention. That's a CYA move. If Schiff were truly distraught over Russians hacking into government email accounts, he should have held a press conference on the subject. Either that or he could've gone on national TV and made that announcement. The fact that he didn't indicates that this is just another scam by Democrats. Here's the video. Judge for yourself whether Schiff is a weasel:
Posted Thursday, December 8, 2016 12:08 AM
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Relph's win now official
Jerry Relph won election to the Minnesota Senate on November 8 by defeating DFL candidate Dan Wolgamott by 148 votes. Because he won by that narrow margin, Senator-Elect Relph had to wait until the recount was finished to celebrate. That recount was finished yesterday . Predictably, Relph maintained his lead, though the margin of victory got a little smaller.
According to the article, "Wolgamott picked up six votes in Stearns County, while Relph lost one. Both candidates' totals in Benton and Sherburne counties remained the same." The bottom line is that Senator-Elect Relph's margin of victory is now at 141 votes after starting the recount at 148 votes.
Thanks to this recount and another recount victory in SD-44, Republicans will hold a 34-33 majority in the Minnesota Senate. House Republicans are waiting for the outcome of a special election in HD-32B on Feb. 14 to find out how big their majority will be. Right now, there are 76 Republicans in the House. It's expected that Ann Neu, the Republican running in that race, will win that election.
Posted Thursday, December 8, 2016 4:53 AM
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DAPL thugs resort to violence
All this week, I've focused attention on the 'protesters' protesting the Dakota Access Pipeline. I've reached the point where I'm getting upset with journalists who call these thugs protesters. This article highlights why they haven't earned that title. They've earned the title of thugs.
The opening paragraph of the Daily Caller article emphatically states "The actions of the Dakota Access Pipeline protesters made law enforcement officers and their families fear for their safety, according to a North Dakota sheriff." Couple that with the information from Congressman Cramer's op-ed and it's obvious that these are professional thugs. When I wrote about Congressman Cramer's op-ed in this post , I quoted Congressman Cramer as saying "a little more than two weeks ago, during a confrontation between protesters and law enforcement, an improvised explosive device was detonated on a public bridge in southern North Dakota. That was simply the latest manifestation of the 'prayerful' and 'peaceful' protests against the Dakota Access Pipeline."
This is downright frightening:
Law enforcement officers from nine states left behind families to help cover the protests over the pipeline. To protect his officers, Laney warned them from wearing name tags. "The fear that was put into our families, our spouse and children that are now home alone because mom or dad are away over here. And to find out your address has been published and their encouraging people to go take care of business," said Laney.
Anyone that would attack the families of law enforcement officials is, in my opinion, a total dirtbag. We should treat them like they're the nastiest people on earth because they're close to the nastiest people on earth. Read this and tell me that these thugs shouldn't be classified as criminals:
"The fear that was put into our families, our spouse and children that are now home alone because mom or dad are away over here. And to find out your address has been published and their encouraging people to go take care of business," said Laney. "They won't focus on that if they have to worry about their homes. That is terrorizing and a lot of that happened. It happened to me and to my people."
Then there's this:
"You have the mental stress of here and the mental stress of worrying about your family. There are some pretty nasty things published about what they were going to do to us and you're standing on a hill, 'hey we're coming soon and you're going to die tomorrow,' I heard that many times," said Laney.
Earlier this week, I wrote that these parasites were anarchists and eco-terrorists. After reading these articles, I don't see a reason why I should change that opinion. If anything, I might've been too polite with these thugs.
This explains how the pipeline company has attempted to work with Native American tribes but were rejected:
Clearly, this isn't about drinking water or the environment. It's about shutting down a pipeline that got the right permits and that did everything possible to protect Native Americans' lifestyle. In return, Native Americans and the anarchists they're 'protesting' with set off IEDs and threatened police officers' families.
I've lost all respect for the left. They aren't interested in living by the rules. They're interested in winning whatever the cost. If that means resorting to violence, that's what they're willing to do.
Posted Friday, December 9, 2016 2:57 AM
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Feinstein's situational outrage
Let's take a moment to appreciate the fact that Democrats are coming unhinged at the things Donald Trump is doing. This op-ed , written by Sen. Dianne Feinstein, (D-Calif.), and Sen. Ben Cardin, (D-MD), is a perfect example of how Democrats are coming unhinged.
It's apparent that they're unhinged when they write "Second, Trump is treating the secretary of State nomination like a reality television show. When it comes to the selection of our nation's chief diplomat, we expect Trump to nominate someone who possesses unquestioned expertise, experience and judgment - not a political loyalist or ideological firebrand, characteristics of many of the individuals already surrounding the president-elect."
What a pair of hypocrites. I didn't hear a peep from either of these liberals when President Obama packed the NLRB with ideological firebrands. They certainly didn't participate in the NLRB v. Noel Canning lawsuit that was brought because President Obama decided to declare when the Senate was in session. The Supreme Court's 9-0 ruling against President Obama in that lawsuit is proof that President Obama didn't hesitate in playing the part of ideological firebrand. Again, Sen. Feinstein and Sen. Cardin didn't utter a peep.
Further, I'd love hearing Sen. Feinstein and Sen. Cardin explain how President Obama didn't surround himself with "political loyalists" when he brought in Rahm Emanuel, Valerie Jarrett, Anita Dunn and David Axelrod.
Then there's this:
Finally, we have been alarmed by the cavalier manner in which the president-elect appears to be approaching his initial interactions with foreign heads of state and other political leaders, potentially setting the stage for multiple diplomatic crises that could easily escalate.
In his calls with foreign leaders, President-elect Trump has unnerved our partners, raised questions about U.S. commitments and even reportedly expressed tacit support for extrajudicial killings. Moreover, in preparing for these conversations he has ignored experts in U.S. intelligence agencies and the State Department.
Again, Sen. Feinstein didn't criticize President Obama for saying he wouldn't put pre-conditions on calling Iran, then and still the largest state sponsor of terrorism. Is Sen. Feinstein ignorant of how that raised questions about the Obama administration's support of Israel, Egypt and Saudi Arabia? More than a few of President Obama's decisions escalated into international crises. Where was Sen. Feinstein then?
Posted Friday, December 9, 2016 10:23 AM
Comment 1 by JerryE9 at 09-Dec-16 09:06 AM
Thanks for attempting it, but comparing Trump to Obama is like comparing filet mignon to road-kill stew. That Democrats are so upset by it is the Good news. The worse the medicine tastes, the better it is working.
The DFL's blue collar civil war
John Gunyou's op-ed should get the DFL's attention. The question is whether the DFL will hear it or whether they'll pretend it wasn't written. With delegates to this weekend's DFL Central Committee meeting set to debate (or table?) Resolution 54 , it's time that the DFL made a decision.
Gunyou lays it out perfectly, saying "Accordingly, the third step to recovery is to begin rebuilding the Democratic base. You're pretty much starting from scratch, because there no longer is a DFL - only a D. The F's have been voting Republican for years. And while union and party bosses might remain joined at the hip, you are hanging onto actual L workers by a thread. If you have any doubts about that hard truth, stop preaching to the choir on social media, and read 'Hillbilly Elegy.'"
Gunyou continues, saying "The urbane Democratic elite abandoned the traditional base of the party, and that has cost you dearly. Perhaps for years to come. To regain viability, the D(FL) needs to re-establish its traditional coalition."
It's time the DFL admitted it's at a crossroads. Environmental activists don't fit with blue collar workers like miners or pipeline construction workers. For the DFL, it's pick-or-choose time. Ken Martin worked hard to prevent this moment from arriving but it's arriving. It's most likely arriving this weekend.
If the DFL doesn't defeat Resolution 54 with authority, miners and pipefitters should feel like the DFL left them. To know what that feels like, pipefitters and miners need only look to the Standing Rock Sioux eco-terrorist attacks. That's what the future of the DFL looks like. Here's another possibility:
Posted Friday, December 9, 2016 10:14 AM
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DFL's showdown Saturday?
When I wrote this post, titled The DFL's blue collar civil war , I focused my attention on tomorrow morning's DFL State Central meeting and something titled Resolution 54. The language for Resolution 54 states "Oppose sulfide ore mining, which is significantly different from taconite mining, poses unacceptable environmental risks, threatens multiple watersheds (Lake Superior, BWCA/VNP, Mississippi) and should not be allowed in the sulfur-bearing rock of Minnesota."
Harold Hamilton's Friday commentary focused on those subjects, too. Hamilton wrote "The Watchdog has spoken with a number of DFL opinion leaders from greater Minnesota who have noted that the passage of this resolution means their permanent split from the DFL."
The next paragraph after that commentary contained an update, which said "The Watchdog has learned that there will be a motion to 'table' the resolution until 2018. So what. Kicking the can down the road won't paper over this schism. DFL candidates are already announcing for governor. You can bet that various DFL constituencies will be working hard to pin down the candidates regarding mining. There will be no place to hide."
A loyal reader of LFR said that it's unlikely that the motion to table Resolution 54 will pass. Further, this supporter of LFR thinks it likely that Resolution 54 will pass, though that isn't guaranteed. Another loyal supporter of LFR sent me this Twitter picture:
- Ely Echo (@elyecho) December 3, 2016
I don't know if these things are tied together or if they're entirely random. Either situation is possible at this point. What's certain is that tomorrow morning's meeting has the potential for blowing up in the DFL's face. The other thing that's certain is that DFL State Party Chair Martin can't be blamed if he's drinking Maalox by the bottle tonight.
According to Mr. Hamilton, if tomorrow morning's DFL meeting blows up, Republicans will have gotten a fantastic opportunity if they play it right:
On the Republican side, leadership must grasp the opportunity, which means making some tough choices. It's easy to support mining and pipelines. It's easy to support guns. But it isn't as easy to support other issues like prevailing wage laws.
Internal polling from some construction trade union showed that over 50% of their membership voted for Donald Trump and other Republicans down ticket. Maintaining those numbers will be very, very difficult if the GOP pushes for prevailing wage repeal bills, for example. Regardless of where one stands on this issue, members of the skilled construction trades see prevailing wage laws as a protection against low-cost, low-skill (sometimes illegal) labor undercutting Minnesota's high-skill higher-cost model.
In short, when you tell a man or woman who has put in many thousands of hours to learn and perfect a trade that they should make less money in order to be on par with crews of unskilled, illegal workers from Alabama and Mississippi, it's not a winning message. Telling rural Minnesota that blue collar people in their communities make too much money is about as popular as telling them that mining should be illegal.
Here's hoping that Republicans a) get this opportunity and b) make the most of this opportunity.
Posted Friday, December 9, 2016 4:59 PM
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Resolution 54's impact on the DFL
Resolution 54, which is an amendment offered to the DFL state party platform, has already had a significant impact on the DFL. In 2016, the DFL sent the signal to outstate Minnesota that they cared most about the urban and suburban parts of the state. While most people who voted for Donald Trump and GOP legislative candidates never heard of Resolution 54, it wasn't a secret to trades unions like the pipefitters and carpenters that the DFL was anti-pipeline and anti-mining.
From a political impact perspective, Resolution 54 will likely be seen, if it passes, as the final proof that the environmental activists run the DFL. It's apparent that DFL State Party Chairman Ken Martin understands that . DFL Chairman Martin understands that because he's "tasked with winning the DFL elections, which means maintaining support in rural areas while keeping funds from far-left and deep-pocketed Twin Cities donors flowing into races."
Let's be clear about this. The rift between the miners and the environmental activists is significant but it isn't the only point of separation between the environmental activists and other parts of the DFL. Resolution 54 is the high profile disagreement but it isn't the only point of disagreement. Chairman Martin must know that.
The environmental activists that dominate the metro DFL oppose pipeline construction, too. They're hostile towards logging and farming, too. It's important for the outstate DFL to remember that the metro DFL gave them the high health insurance premiums of the ACA, too.
The DFL passed the MNsure legislation in 2013. The DFL has opposed PolyMet for a decade. They opposed the Sandpiper Pipeline for 5 years. Thanks to Gov. Dayton's obstructionism and the Public Utilities Commission's meddling in the Sandpiper Pipeline project, that pipeline won't get built. Instead, the Dakota Access Pipeline will be built.
Until the DFL tells the environmental activists that they don't run the DFL, the DFL's base will continue crumbling. That's the real impact of the environmental activist wing of the DFL and Resolution 54.
The article describes DFL Chairman Martin as "a supporter of labor." Chairman Martin then said "the DFL needs to agree to disagree on mining." That didn't sit well with miners:
That's where Range DFLers disagree, saying they want the chair to take a stronger stance against the environmental caucus. The party taking a position against the livelihood of a region has become personal and too critical to compromise on.
Chairman Martin is playing a weak hand poorly. Then again, he's in a difficult position. (I'd call it a no-win situation.)
Regardless of today's vote, the DFL is in a difficult position for 2018 and beyond.
Posted Saturday, December 10, 2016 8:57 AM
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John Kennedy, US Senator-Elect
Initially, it sounded strange to say that John Kennedy has won the runoff in Louisiana to become the Senator-Elect. The race was called just 45 minutes after the polls closed.
The AP article said "Louisiana voters have chosen Republican state Treasurer John Kennedy to fill the state's open U.S. Senate seat, giving the GOP a 52-48 edge in the chamber. Saturday's election settled the nation's last Senate seat for the term beginning in January. Kennedy was the front-runner the entire time. He defeated Democrat Foster Campbell, a state utility regulator whose chances were seen as such a long-shot that national Democratic organizations offered little assistance to Campbell's campaign."
That last sentence said everything. The people I'd talked with said their biggest worry was that Kennedy's lead was so big that they sweated whether Republicans would turn out. Apparently, President-Elect Trump's visit there yesterday fired up the GOP faithful to the point that Kennedy won a quick victory.
NPR is reporting that "The win by Kennedy, the state treasurer, will give Republicans a 52-48 majority in the Senate come January."
It's been an amazing year for Republicans across the nation. They defeated Hillary Clinton. They entered the year defending 24 Senate seats while Democrats were defending 10 seats. Republicans entered the election with a 54-46 seat majority in the US Senate. Many pundits expected Democrats to retake the majority in the Senate. Instead, Democrats finished with a net gain of 2 Senate seats.
Because of their performance this year, Republicans have positioned themselves to win a filibuster-proof majority in 2018. That'll require recruiting great candidates with an appealing message. Still, it's much easier recruiting top-tier candidates when you're winning than when you're losing.
Posted Saturday, December 10, 2016 9:24 PM
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