May 10-13, 2018
May 10 06:38 John Marty's Earth Day op-ed May 10 12:04 The Democrats' guantlet May 11 11:51 The Democrats 'sixty percenters' May 11 16:30 The Democrats' socialist pickle May 12 08:47 Mueller's justification for existence May 13 02:30 The DFL's anti-tax cut argument May 13 03:49 Kamala Harris, pretending to be a presidential contender May 13 11:04 Bitter clingers? Or just sore losers?
Prior Years: 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017
John Marty's Earth Day op-ed
Sen. John Marty's Earth Day op-ed contains every talking point in the environmentalist's arsenal. If not for the alarmism, Sen. Marty's op-ed would be blank.
Early in the op-ed, Sen. Marty wrote "The Earth is our only home. There is no Plan(et) B that we can move to." Sen. Marty then wrote "Baking our planet, our only home, through fossil fuel emissions, will cause changes that we cannot fully imagine."
Next come the predictions:
- More severe blizzards and heat waves, droughts and floods, tornadoes, forest fires, and mudslides.
- Rising oceans will create millions of climate refugees, people forced to move from low-lying coastal areas.
- The number of refugees, displaced persons and asylum-seekers we have seen in the last couple decades is small compared to those who might be forced to flee their homes because of climate. The refugees of 2018 are causing great political turmoil, extremism, and hatred, in Europe, the United States, and throughout the world. Imagine the chaos that will result if we multiply the situation with climate refugees.
- Species will become extinct. Not just rare plants and animals that we have hardly heard of. And not just polar bears. It has the potential to wipe out the human species as we know it.
Where is Sen. Marty getting these predictions from? We have "the potential to wipe out the human species as we know it? Who knew? I guess God's out of business then.
Just when I started wondering whether this was just another unhinged rant from Sen. Marty, he got to a point:
The decision on building the Enbridge Line 3 replacement pipeline is truly a litmus test of whether Minnesota is serious about addressing the climate change that threatens our very existence. The PUC must understand that reality when it rules on whether to grant approval for the Pipeline. The Legislature, which is currently considering legislation to bypass the PUC and give Enbridge "sole discretion" to build and operate the pipeline, needs to understand the consequences of this action, whether legislators care about the climate impact or not.
Enbridge and its political allies might win on the tar sands pipeline this year. But they, and the rest of the human race, will ultimately pay the price .
Wow! What a lunatic. I didn't think this possible but Sen. Marty sounds more crazy talking about the environment than when he's talking about single-payer health care.
Posted Thursday, May 10, 2018 6:38 AM
Comment 1 by Chad Q at 10-May-18 05:26 PM
What a load a crap. The earth has been changing for millions and billions of years. I supposed humans are somehow responsible for the breaking apart of Pangea.
Do I want to willingly and knowingly pollute the earth, hell no but I also know that solar, wind, and other so called green energy's are no more clean (manufacturing of their parts creates a lot of toxic waste) and are far less efficient than good old oil and coal.
Sen. Marty and his limousine liberal buddies use way more energy than I could ever dream of using yet they think they have the right to lecture me on using less and living green.
The Democrats' guantlet
Apparently, the writer that wrote this article doesn't believe in researching articles. Earlier this morning, I saw this article about the Democrats' shrinking, virtually nonexistent, lead in the generic ballot question. According to the poll, the enthusiasm gap has virtually disappeared, too. But I digress.
The second paragraph in the Politico article says "It may be the cruelest irony of the Trump era. During an election season when the House seems to be a lost cause for Republicans and nearly every indicator suggests massive Democratic gains in November, the outlook for wresting the Senate away from the GOP remains grim."
Based on generic ballot polling from last September, a blue wave looked possible, though that was a stretch, too. After the latest CNN poll, a blue wave in the House looks impossible. BTW, has anyone heard of a wave election where one party wins a ton of seats in the House but loses a bunch of seats in the Senate? Wave elections happen when the electorate gets into a 'throw the bums out' mindset. That's when the right track-wrong track number is underwater.
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This is wishful thinking:
Tester isn't without his own showman's instincts: Days after the president attacked him, the farmer-turned-senator appeared above-the-fold on newspaper front pages across his home state, photographed in a tractor cab as he prepared to put seed in the ground.
It's better than curling up into the fetal position but hopping on a tractor won't save Tester's behind. Tester sabotaged a cabinet nominee with gossip and unverified information. He also voted against President Trump's tax cuts. If those things don't sink Sen. Tester, then he's virtually invincible. I'm certain he isn't invincible.
Now that 2018 shows signs of being the next Democratic wave year, it's possible that once again Tester's boat - and McCaskill's, and Manchin's, and all the rest - will be lifted. After all, in four of the five instances when the House changed control since World War II, the Senate has flipped along with it.
But there are crucial differences this year. Perhaps the biggest is that Trump has signaled his intent to leverage his popularity against Democratic Senate incumbents in the states where his approval ratings are strongest. His presidential travel schedule has closely overlapped the roster of states he carried in 2016. Trump could decide to try to zero in on Tester or another red-state Democrat with a disparaging nickname and a barrage of October tweets.
McCaskill recently fell behind in Missouri, which is hardly proof that there's a rising tide lifting Democrats' ships. Further, ignoring the races that are building in Ohio, Minnesota, Florida and Wisconsin is pretty foolish.
Rick Scott leads Democrat incumbent Bill Nelson by 4 points (44%-40%) and he can self-fund. Why this race wasn't included in Politico's article is inexplicable. Further, Scott is the popular governor of Florida, which means he's both popular and has 100% name recognition in the state.
Call me crazy but I think it's possible that this hit piece isn't sloppy journalism. It isn't a stretch to think it's intentionally inaccurate.
Posted Thursday, May 10, 2018 12:04 PM
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The Democrats 'sixty percenters'
It's becoming clear how Senate Democrats will attempt to defend vulnerable senators like Joe Manchin, Joe Donnelly and Jon Tester. After President Trump's campaign rally in Elkhart, IN, Sen. Donnelly issued a statement that said "I don't work for any president or any political party. I work for Hoosiers, and that will never change." He added that President "Trump and Vice President Mike Pence were there 'for politics' and included statistics on his own voting record, saying he had voted with Trump 62% of the time and had 41 proposals become law since 2013."
Manchin is trying the same defense in West Virginia, saying that he's voted with President Trump 60% of the time.
The problem that Sen. Donnelly and Sen. Manchin have is that they both voted against President Trump's most important pieces of legislation: the Trump-GOP tax cuts and the repeal of Obamacare. Nothing removes the stain of voting against those key pieces of President Trump's economic plan. President Trump hit Sen. Donnelly hard during this riff:
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That's when Trump said this:
Democrats, like Sleepin' Joe, say one thing when they're in Elkhart and then they go to Washington and then they vote for the radical liberal agenda. It never, ever fails. You know, there's about 12 of them. You think you have their vote. They talk a good game but they always raise their hand for the radical left, of Nancy Pelosi. Always.
Amongst bloggers who've been around long enough, that's sometimes known as 'Tom Daschle Disease." There was a blog dedicated to highlighting South Dakota Tom's statements vs. DC Tom's statements. Classic. In 2004, that blog contributed mightily to getting John Thune elected. That blog helped defeat Tom Daschle, who was the Senate Majority Leader at the time.
President Trump isn't a blogger but I'm betting that he's capable of exposing Joe Donnelly's 2 faces with ease. Donnelly made the mistake of acting like a moderate to get a ride to Indiana on Air Force One, then voting against President Trump's signature legislation. Sen. Donnelly is about to find out that crossing President Trump has political consequences. Sen. Manchin's about to find that out, too.
Posted Friday, May 11, 2018 11:51 AM
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The Democrats' socialist pickle
The Democrats' lead in the generic ballot polling is just the symptom of a bigger problem that Democrats haven't addressed. Right now, Democrats don't have a unified economic message. It's fair to argue that they don't have an economic message. This article doesn't touch on the pickle that Democrats find themselves in, though it highlights a few important things.
For instance, the article quotes Hank Sheinkopf as saying "Every time [Democrats] deny the economy is starting to turn or get better for certain parts of the population, they also hurt themselves. They appear to be cheering on bad news."
While it's true that that's the public's perception, that isn't the heart of the matter. At the root of the Democrats' problem is the civil war between the Bernie Sanders socialists and the Bill Clinton capitalists. (Think Bernie on the former, Doug Schoen on the latter.) Democrats are in a can't win situation because socialists have the energy, aka the enthusiasm gap, on their side, whereas the capitalists have the ability to work with Republicans on things.
Therein lies another problem. It's impossible to be part of the Resistance while being willing to work with Republicans. I'm betting that it's impossible for Democrats to retake the House if they're fueled essentially by blind hatred of President Trump. Further, it's difficult to be a Democrat when their leaders make mistakes like this:
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I'm old enough to remember the fights between the Daily Kos and the DLC. This is a nationally televised fight between the Daily Kos and the DLC:
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This fight happened in 2007. It started earlier. As part of his stump speech, Howard Dean used to say "I'm from the Democratic wing of the Democratic Party." The point to all this is to highlight that this schism has existed within the Democratic Party for years. This isn't a transient argument. That's the definition of an existential argument.
Clearly, Trump's policies are working. Consumer confidence is high. Unemployment is low, especially with African-Americans and Hispanics. The world is still volatile but prospects for stability are increasing. On Monday, the US Embassy in Jerusalem will open. There's even a legitimate chance for denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula.
The point to all this is simple. If Republicans go on offense while highlighting President Trump's economic and national security accomplishments, Democrats will have a difficult time. After all, you can't beat something with nothing. At this point, all that Democrats have to offer is fear itself.
Posted Friday, May 11, 2018 7:15 PM
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Mueller's justification for existence
If you're wondering why Robert Mueller's 'investigation' is allowed to continue, it's because the conventional wisdom says that forcing him to shut down would create more headaches than it would solve. Since I don't buy into the theory that people buy into Washington's conventional wisdom, I'd argue that it's time to fire Rod Rosenstein, install an acting Deputy Attorney General with integrity and a no-nonsense approach, then give that acting Deputy Attorney General orders to bring in Mueller for a visit.
Truthfully, that 'visit' would feel more like an interrogation. If Mueller admits that he hasn't found proof of collusion between Putin's Russia and the Trump campaign, that acting Deputy AG should tell Mueller he has 2 options. The first option is to hand off any unrelated crimes found in Mueller's fishing expedition to the appropriate US Attorney or to Justice Department lawyers. The other option is to prepare to be fired.
Supposedly, we needed a special counsel to determine whether the Trump campaign colluded with Putin's Russia to steal the 2016 election away from Hillary Clinton. After a couple of years of digging into that theory, there isn't a scintilla of proof that happened. Mueller's team of hyperpartisan investigators haven't found a bit of evidence proving collusion or obstruction of justice. Despite all the threats of ruining the targets' financial situation, nothing has popped.
Make no mistake. Official Washington will throw a weeklong hissy fit. The media wing of the Democratic Party , Chuck Schumer and Adam Schiff will be positively apoplectic. Jerry Nadler and Maxine Waters will be, too. That's fine. If this is a fight between President Trump and common sense on one side and these Democrats on the other, President Trump will win that fight. (It's wise to pick your opponents wisely.)
The key is firing Rosenstein. He's done nothing to supervise Mueller's investigation. He's been more like a potted plant than a supervisor.
The truth is that the things Mueller is investigating are things that the DOJ or the US Attorneys are tasked with investigating. We don't need a special council to prosecute Paul Manafort for tax evasion. If the media wing of the Democratic Party throws a hissy fit, that's just fine. Each time they do that, Trump's approval rating improves.
Finally, the truth that the DC echochamber won't admit is that there's no longer a justification for Mueller's investigation.
Posted Saturday, May 12, 2018 8:47 AM
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The DFL's anti-tax cut argument
The DFL's anti-tax cut argument amounts to this: Spending increases, especially to K-12 education, always takes precedent over cutting taxes. In the DFL's mind, there's never a time when tax cuts are justified. That's perfectly understandable considering who the DFL's special interest allies are. Sitting atop their list are the environmental activists and Education Minnesota. Now that House and Senate Republicans have reconciled their tax cut/conformity bills , it'll be interesting to see how Gov. Dayton will rationalize his veto of another set of tax cuts.
While it's true that Gov. Dayton signed tax cut legislation last year, it's also true that Gov. Dayton defunded the legislature after he signed the tax cut legislation. Further, Gov. Dayton fought those tax cuts tooth-and-nail but was forced to sign it. He was heading towards shutting government down again so, rather than shutting it down like Gov. Dayton and the DFL did in 2011, Gov. Dayton signed the tax cuts, then line-item-vetoed out the legislature's operations budget. Let's not forget that Gov. Dayton reneged on the previous year's tax cuts after promising to sign those cuts.
Here are the details of the proposed tax cuts:
The House and Senate deal lowers the state's first tax bracket from 5.35 percent to 5.25 percent. The change affects a single filer's earnings below $25,890 and a couple's below $37,850. The second tax bracket rate drops from 7.05 percent to 6.85 percent. This decrease affects a single filer's income between $25,891 and $85,060 and a couple's between $37,851 and $150,380. The rate reductions would take place over two fiscal years, so the lower rates would be in place by 2020. The changes would cost $137 million this year and $341 million by 2020.
Here's a fearless prediction: the DFL will criticize the House-Senate GOP tax cuts as tax breaks for big corporations. What the legislation says is irrelevant to the DFL. What's important to the DFL is that they've rehearsed their lines properly.
If Gov. Dayton vetoes the GOP tax cuts/conformity bill, the DFL will have to justify to voters why they voted unanimously against the bill. PS- I suspect Gov. Dayton will veto the bill, though I also think he'll try negotiating a smaller tax cut. If Republicans push him on this, they'll win the policy fight and gain a big issue for the campaign.
Posted Sunday, May 13, 2018 2:30 AM
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Kamala Harris, pretending to be a presidential contender
Last week, Sen. Kamala Harris pretended to be a legitimate presidential contender in 2020. Unfortunately for Sen. Harris, she looked more like a scold than a serious policymaker. While questioning Gina Haspel during Haspel's confirmation to become the next CIA Director, Sen. Harris initially asked "One question I've not heard you answer is, do you believe the previous interrogation techniques were immoral?" When "Haspel began with a response about the tactics' legality," Sen. Harris interrupted, saying "I'm not asking do you believe they were legal, I'm asking do you believe they were immoral."
Rather than backing down or throwing her fellow agents under the bus, Haspel stood her ground. Before she did that, unfortunately, Haspel had to endure an ill-informed lecture from Harris. Sen. Harris lectured Haspel about how the person they'll vote for or against will inform our allies "about our values." Sen. Harris also talked about "what we prioritize as our moral authority."
Frankly, if that's what's important to Sen. Harris, then she's disqualified to ever being commander-in-chief. Period. Long before Sen. Harris became California's Attorney General, Gina Haspel was a successful CIA interrogator who prevented multiple terrorist attacks by gaining important information from terrorists. In the days following 9/11, when most Americans were certain that there'd be more terrorist attacks, President Bush made the right decision that preventing future attacks no matter what it took was his highest priority.
The vast majority of people agree with that decision. Moral preening doesn't have a place in that conversation. Leadership mattered. Making the right decisions on the fly was required. President Bush provided both at a time of crisis. Sen. Harris hasn't provided either quality:
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The good news is that neither Sen. Harris or Sen. McCain will prevent Gina Haspel from becoming the first female DCI. She will be confirmed, though by a fairly tight margin.
That's unfortunate because, in terms of qualifications, she's the most qualified candidate in decades and it isn't all that close. Gina Haspel will become one of the best DCIs. She won't exceed Mike Pompeo but she'll surpass John Brennan. Then again, a worn-out trench coat would be more qualified than John Brennan.
Posted Sunday, May 13, 2018 3:49 AM
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Bitter clingers? Or just sore losers?
Marc Thiessen's column highlights something about the Obama administration that's important to highlight. Thiessen opens the column by writing "Democrats routinely express outrage over claims of collusion with a foreign power to undermine our democracy. So where is the outrage over revelations that former secretary of state John Kerry held not one but two secret meetings with Iran's foreign minister to strategize over how to undermine President Trump's plans to withdraw from the Iran nuclear deal?" Later, he wrote "Think about what this means. Iran is a terrorist state responsible for the deaths of hundreds of Americans in Iraq, whose leaders hold rallies where thousands chant 'Death to America!'"
First, it's important to highlight the double standard that Democrats employ. It's painfully obvious to any fair-minded person. Next, it's important to understand what's driving Kerry's actions. Like President Obama, he has a monstrous-sized ego. He can't tolerate seeing his signature accomplishment get ripped to shreds early in the next administration. Had he negotiated a better deal that could've gotten Senate ratification as a treaty, this wouldn't have happened. Instead, Kerry put together a deal so awful that it was rejected by politicians from both parties.
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Everything that Thiessen wrote is correct. Still, there's a bigger point worth making. There's nothing in President Obama's legacy (or Secretary Kerry's) that's solid. Everything that they did in terms of foreign policy was written in pencil. Further, the deal with the Islamic Republic of Iran was easily criticized because it gave the Islamic Republic of Iran everything they wanted. President Obama and Secretary Kerry were so desperate for a deal for their legacies that they didn't consider walking away from a terrible deal.
Kerry's defenders compare him to Henry Kissinger and other former secretaries of state who regularly meet with world leaders. "Secretary Kerry stays in touch with his former counterparts around the world, just like every previous Secretary of State," a Kerry spokesman said. But Kissinger does not conduct rogue diplomacy. When he meets with foreign leaders, he usually coordinates with the White House, often carrying messages for the president, and then briefs administration officials afterward. Kerry did none of this.
It's one thing to talk with the US's allies. It's quite another to talk with the biggest state sponsor or terrorism. Not even Hillary Clinton stooped to doing this. It takes some doing to do something so despicable that a Clinton wouldn't do.
Egotists like President Obama and Secretary Kerry can't stand the thought that their signature accomplishments didn't stand the test of time. The only thing historic about Obama's presidency is that he's the first black president in US history. Everything else is meaningless.
Posted Sunday, May 13, 2018 11:04 AM
Comment 1 by Chad Q at 13-May-18 05:32 PM
The political cartoon on Townhall today pretty much sums up Obama and his legacy. It shows Obama holding a paper that says "Obama Legacy" being erased with a pencil eraser that says "History" on the pencil.
