November 14-17, 2020

Nov 14 12:30 Election solutions from 2020

Nov 15 00:47 The Democrats' MSM difficulty
Nov 15 04:02 Donald Trump's coat tails
Nov 15 08:58 Democrats attack Trump supporters in DC
Nov 15 23:27 Centrist Democrats' big decision

Nov 16 02:32 About Joe Biden's calls for unity
Nov 16 13:38 Joe Biden and Israel, Democrat spin edition

Nov 17 06:06 Donald Trump's COVID accomplishments list gets longer
Nov 17 23:17 Escaping Andrew Cuomo's prison

Prior Months: Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct

Prior Years: 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012
2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019



Election solutions from 2020


Last night, Sean Hannity talked about a number of things that need changing before the 2022 midterm elections. I've been talking about changing election laws for months so I'd better throw in my 2 cents worth. One thing that's important to change is the last date that early voting/mail-in/absentee ballots can be submitted. I'd love a change to end early voting but that isn't likely with Democrats controlling enough governorships or state legislative bodies to prevent that outcome.

If the words 'early voting' mean anything, then the last day of early voting shouldn't be the day before Election Day. The only reason to have it that late is to create a chaotic system. If you want an orderly system, you have to end early voting 7-10 days before Election Day. Further, you allow the counting and inspection of early voting/absentee/mail-in ballots a week before Election Day.

To ensure accountability with mail-in, early and absentee ballots, ballots and envelopes should have a barcode printed on it. Day of Election, aka DOE, ballots shouldn't have a barcode on them. That way, we could separate DOE ballots from mail-in, early and absentee ballots.

As usual, Kim Strassel's article highlights the problems she found:
Yet the beauty of ballot harvesting is that it is nearly impossible to prove fraud. How many harvesters offered to deliver votes, only to throw away inconvenient ones? How many voters were pushed or cajoled, or even paid - or had a ballot filled and returned for them without their knowledge? And this is before questions of what other mischief went on amid millions of mailed ballots (which went to wrong addresses or deceased people) and reduced voter verification rules. As the Heritage Foundation's election expert Hans von Spakovsky has explained, mail-in voting is the "single worst form of election possible" because "it moves the entire election beyond the oversight of election officials."

Election integrity legislation should be the first priority of every GOP legislator or governor in 2021. Legislators and governors should insist that accountability be their state's highest priority. If possible, wipe away the agreements that courts reached with Democrat politicians:
Using the virus as an excuse, Democratic and liberal groups brought scores of lawsuits to force states to adopt its provisions. Many Democratic politicians and courts happily agreed. States mailed out ballots to everyone. Judges disregarded statutory deadlines for receipt of votes. They scrapped absentee-ballot witness requirements. States set up curbside voting and drop-off boxes. They signed off on ballot harvesting.

Challenging these courts' rulings is the essential first step. Get federal courts involved as often as possible. That's why President Trump nominated all those conservative judges and Lindsey Graham, Chuck Grassley and Mitch McConnell got them confirmed. Put them to work.
[Video no longer available]
These are just the first few suggestions. They aren't the only things that need fixing to implement election security. This project requires vigilance, activism and educating/persuading people. Let's get this system fixed.

Posted Saturday, November 14, 2020 12:30 PM

Comment 1 by eric z at 14-Nov-20 07:24 PM
I still believe that when Pawlenty beat Mike Hatch there was election fraud.


The Democrats' MSM difficulty


Amanda Marcotte's article highlights the Democrats' MSM/word manipulation difficulties. Those difficulties will inevitably lead to the Democrats' electoral difficulties.

Ms. Marcotte's article is titled "Don't panic: Trump's coup will fail - but he's turning GOP voters against democracy". Ms. Marcotte must think that Trump voters are idiots to use that type of manipulative language. President Trump is following the system put together by Madison, Jefferson and Hamilton and lawmakers overt the years. There's nothing that he's doing that the system doesn't allow for.

Word manipulation is what Democrats do. Whether it's using words improperly or whether it's just spin to get their way, manipulation is what Democrats do. That's why we should worry when Ms. Marcotte wrote "what terrifies so many Biden voters - an astonishing number of people are complaining of panic attacks or lost sleep on social media - are the real moves Trump's team and many Republican politicians are taking that make this less like a typical tantrum and more like a genuine attempted coup."

This is snowflakism at its finest. President Trump is availing himself of the legal system that's been in place since the start of US elections. President Trump hasn't ordered the military to put down political unrest. Today, instead, President Trump visited with the people who staged the Million MAGA March on the Washington Mall in DC. Nothing says military coup like holding a peaceful political protest in broad daylight in our nation's capitol. LOL. Here's proof of that military coup:
[Video no longer available]
Pay attention to the words the reporter used in his report. It's clearly intended to convey the thought that a riot could break out at any minute. The people's actions portray a different narrative. While they were boistrous, they were well-behaved. Aren't peaceful protesters allowed to get noisy as long as their actions don't become violent and their words don't incite violence? The First Amendment permits people to "peaceably assemble."

This isn't a coup attempt. It's a candidate exercising his constitutional rights in a tight election. If President Trump used the military to keep himself in power, that's the definition of a coup. What President Trump is doing is the opposite of a coup.

Ms. Marcotte should be ashamed of herself for this disgusting exercise of word manipulation.

Posted Sunday, November 15, 2020 12:47 AM

Comment 1 by Janet at 15-Nov-20 06:00 AM
Ms. Marcotte's language is classic projection of what the Dems and other leftists have been doing for the past 4+ years. Pathetic.

Response 1.1 by Gary Gross at 17-Nov-20 05:07 AM
Janet, I'm a stickler because I went to Catholic schools for my education. I come from the 'Words Have Meanings' school of thinking. Thank God for that.


Donald Trump's coat tails


President Trump made history this election. President Trump made history by being the first president to have electoral coat tails in a losing effort. A week before the election, Democrat pundits were talking about unified Democrat government in Washington, DC, picking up some legislative bodies, some governorships and a stronger Democrat majority for Queen Nancy Pelosi-Antoinette.

At this point, it looks unlikely that Chuck Schumer will be Senate Majority Leader. While Nancy Pelosi is still Speaker of the House, her majority is the smallest Democrat majority since WW II. That's because Republicans performed better than expected , doing especially well in the category titled "Democrats expected to win narrowly". In that category of races, Republicans flipped 5 seats. They also flipped 4 seats in districts classified as toss-ups.

As for state legislative bodies, Republicans held their majorities in every state where they had a majority going into the election. Republicans picked up a governorship. It's worth noting that President Trump earned 9,000,000 more votes this time than in 2016. Despite all these impressive performances, President Trump still lost. Or did he? I'm with Jesse Water when he says that "something doesn't add up":
[Video no longer available]
How does a president significantly improve his performance, then lose re-election? Something doesn't add up. Joe Biden spent the summer not campaigning. When Democrat pundits pontificated about his strategy, the pundits said that the strategy of making Trump the centerpiece was working. That's a pile of BS. Democrats said that putting President Trump front and center advantaged them. What do they say after President Trump earned 9,000,000+ more votes than 2016? Something doesn't add up here. Republicans everywhere, including California and NY State, did better than expected but Trump lost? I don't buy it.

Posted Sunday, November 15, 2020 4:02 AM

Comment 1 by Nick at 15-Nov-20 08:00 AM
Trump did better with every demographic except White Men.

Comment 2 by Nick at 15-Nov-20 08:19 AM
Also, Republicans haven't lost a single state legislative chamber according to cnalysis.com. In fact, they gained two chambers, both in New Hampshire. The only legislative chambers where they performed poorly were Connecticut's House and Senate.

Comment 3 by eric z at 15-Nov-20 10:49 AM
Was it Trump enthusiam, Biden lacking any coattail appeal, or simply regular demographics governing given two flawed candidates? Gary, what's your guess.

Response 3.1 by Gary Gross at 17-Nov-20 05:02 AM
Trump enthusiasm definitely played a major role because he's such a charismatic person. The thing about Trump rallies, which I've watched lots of, is that they're parties. This notion that they're filled with angry white men isn't accurate. These people are partying. They're in a great mood, too. Many of the attendees are grateful because a) they see President Trump's policies have brought back entire communities (because they have brought back communities) and b) Trump has listened to their concerns. He's legitimately fighting for these "forgotten people."

Republicans that ran by attaching themselves to Trump often won because people appreciated those things.


Democrats attack Trump supporters in DC


It isn't surprising that the Antifa-BLM wing of the Democratic Party attacked Trump supporters in DC yesterday. This is who the Democrats have become. The Democrats of 25 years ago are long gone. They're ridiculed as Republican Lite. Barack Obama's Democrats have taken over and they don't like listening to people who don't agree with them 100%.

According to The Epoch Times report, "Supporters and likely members of the far-left Antifa network and the Black Lives Matter movement were captured on video assaulting President Donald Trump supporters in Washington on Saturday. Thousands of Trump supporters turned out for a large march to protest against alleged election fraud. Some pro-Trump marchers also engaged in violence."

Trump supporters engaging in violence likely were defending themselves. It's way out of character for Republicans to go looking for trouble. Antifa-BLM, though, thrives off this stuff. This is how the typical Trump supporter behaves:
[Video no longer available]
The myth that Trump supporters are just a bunch of disgruntled white men is outdated. President Trump's GOP is entirely different than the Establishment's GOP. That GOP had lots of disgruntled white men in it.

Once Trump became president and started implementing his economic and national security policies, this nation started winning. Meanwhile, Democrat and Never Trumpers became angrier because Trump's America was successful, prosperous and safe. The Democrats' corruption was exposed daily during the Mueller investigation. Adam Schiff still has a tattoo on his forehead that reads 'Owned by President Trump and Devin Nunes'.
In at least several cases, people affiliated with Antifa or Black Lives Matter were the ones carrying out the assaults. Trump supporters walking in downtown were assaulted by pro-Black Lives Matter supporters, the Daily Caller's Jorge Ventura reported. One man was sucker-punched by a black male from behind who was holding a sign that said "Trump/Pence Out Now!" video footage showed. The slogan was promoted by Refuse Facism, a radical left-wing group that, according to the non-profit Influence Watch, is an offshoot of the Radical Communist Party and has been present at many Antifa events.

Today's Democrats are nothing but a collection of misfits, Marxistss, socialists, anarchists and coastal elites. Every few years, they recruit some somewhat sane candidates, recapture the House, then get thrown out 2-4 years later.

This upcoming term will be the last one for Democrats for at least a decade.

Posted Sunday, November 15, 2020 8:58 AM

Comment 1 by Chad Q at 15-Nov-20 09:10 AM
Come on Gary, how does an "idea" attack anyone?

We (conservatives) had better get used to this type of response to anything that diverges from the lefts view of how the US should be run. Dissenting views will need to be crushed into submission.

Response 1.1 by Gary Gross at 17-Nov-20 05:03 AM
Chad, I'd rather kick their asses than get used to getting abused.

Comment 2 by Chad Q at 18-Nov-20 05:13 PM
Oh I agree 100% and I'm not saying we shouldn't fight back, I was just pointing out that the left is going to do anything and everything in their power to try and silence conservatives.


Centrist Democrats' big decision


After the Democrats' big spanking in the 2020 election, centrist Democrats have a major decision ahead of them , especially in Minnesota. In Minneapolis, DFL city councilmembers voted initially to dismantle the police. This past week, that same bunch voted 7-6 to approve an additional $500,000 in funding to make Minneapolis streets safer.

That it was that close of a vote shouts at centrist Democrats. This election isn't just a time for reflection. It's a time to wonder if this Democratic Party is interested in centrists. Here in Minnesota, 15-term Congressman and House Agriculture Committee Chairman Collin Peterson got thrashed by Michelle Fischbach. In State Senate District 3, former State Senate Majority Leader and State Senate Minority Leader (he's been both) Tom Bakk won re-election with just 55% of the vote. In the past, he's usually won with 70% of the vote. Are you noticing a trend developing? Then there's this:
[Video no longer available]
The 2 factions within the DFL on the Minneapolis City Council is more fractious than the Hatfields and McCoys. It turns out that re-imagining policing in substantive terms requires thinking. Already, this fiasco has ended the political career of one DFL politician , Lisa Bender, at least for now:
Bender, who represents five Uptown-area neighborhoods on the 13-member council, was first elected in 2013 and became council president in 2018. Her note to supporters didn't give a reason for not seeking a third term. She wrote that she made the decision "well before multiple crises hit our city."

Yeah, right. I'm not buying what she's selling.
Sen. Jeff Hayden, DFL-Minneapolis, noted that Biden won in a half-dozen state Senate districts that DFL candidates lost. He thinks the ill-formed rollout of the council's proposal to reshape policing was part of the reason. Senate Republicans maintain a one-vote majority in the chamber.

"Everybody's words and the way they message, that matters," said Hayden, who lost a primary race in August to Democratic Socialist opponent Omar Fateh. "If we're going win legislative races, we're going to have to figure out how to appeal to some of these folks, because clearly they switched their ballot from the top of the ticket to the bottom."

Sen. Hayden is one of the most progressive members of the Senate. This summer, he lost in a primary because he isn't progressive enough. Up north, pro-mining DFL State Senator Erik Simonson from Duluth got thrashed by a 73%-27% margin in the DFL primary. Shortly thereafter, 9 DFL Iron Range mayors endorsed President Trump and Jason Lewis for US Senate. There are other rumblings coming from the Range, too. Will centrist Democrats stick with the DFL? They shouldn't because they're outsiders from the Ilhan Omar wing of the DFL.

Posted Sunday, November 15, 2020 11:27 PM

No comments.


About Joe Biden's calls for unity


When Joe Biden called for healing and unity , conservatives immediatedly questioned the sincerity of his motivation. After 4 years of trying to stop him from winning, then trying to surveil his team, people had the right to be suspicious. After that came a years-long impeachment investigation, followed by a brief impeachment hearing. Finally, there was a forced vote on articles of impeachment that didn't even include a crime, much less a high crime.

Rev. Raphael Warnock, one of the Democrats' candidates for the US Senate in Georgia, apparently didn't get the unity memo. From his pulpit, he's telling people they have to repent from their worship of whiteness . If that's the path to unity, I'd prefer discord over this:


That isn't the path to unity. Besides, to get back to even-even, Democrats owe conservatives some reparations. The first step for reparations is making the Trump tax cuts permanent. The next step is passing the Alice Marie Johnson-Donald Trump Second Step Act. If Democrats do their part in turning those things into reality, then unity might be possible. I'm not betting on this happening. It's just what Democrats need to do if they want unity.

Otherwise, I'll repeat what I've said before. I want people to prosper and be safe in their neighborhoods. I don't give a damn if a politician does the right thing or falls flat on his face. I care about the people, not the politicians.

Posted Monday, November 16, 2020 2:32 AM

Comment 1 by eric z at 16-Nov-20 11:20 AM
Ulysses S. Grant was nicknamed, "Unconditional Surrender." He was a unity president. After a unity war and a dissident assassination. And after an impeachment of next man up after the assassination. He cared about the railroads not the politicians.

History teaches us about today. Al Capp taught us that way too, as did Walt Kelly.



The Business Roundtable has spoken. Saying Biden won. Somebody has to call the shots.



Also, reparations? Robert E. Lee's estate was taken to turn it into a cemetery for war dead from the winning side. Lee paid reparations.


Joe Biden and Israel, Democrat spin edition


I'm betting that Aaron David Miller's article was either written by the DNC. Either that or it was preapproved of by the DNC. This shouldn't be taken as the writings of someone serious.

For instance, Miller wrote "Trump was great for Netanyahu. But there's a lesson in Ben Gurion's reply to JFK. With admiration and respect around the world for the United States, particularly in the Middle East, Israel is stronger. And on that score, president-elect Joe Biden will be better for Israel, strengthening bipartisan American support for the Jewish state and pursuing policies abroad far more effective in enhancing Israel's security and well-being."

Admiration and respect for the United States is exceptionally high right now. If it wasn't, President Trump's diplomats wouldn't have secured agreements for the Abraham Accords. President Trump's diplomats also reached agreement with Kosovo and Serbia . Later, President Trump's diplomats negotiated a peace deal and normalization of relations between Israel and Sudan.
[Video no longer available]
Further, it's insulting for Miller to write that President "Trump was great for Netanyahu." President Trump moved the US Embassy from Tel Aviv to its rightful home in Jerusalem. Then he recognized that the Golan Heights were part of Israel. These are major substantive accomplishments that improve Israel's security long-term. President Trump got them accomplished in 47 months. Joe Biden didn't get them done in 47 years.
But Trump's pro-Israel gestures mask a weakening of American credibility and reputation around the world, and an assault on the bipartisanship and shared values so critical to the resilience of the U.S.-Israel relationship. Trump's approach to Iran, withdrawing the United States from the 2015 Iran nuclear deal, and his faulty approach to the Israel-Palestinian peace process have degraded Israel's security, not enhanced it. Iran is ramping up its nuclear program, while prospects for progress, let alone a resolution of the Israel-Palestinian conflict remain remote.

That's a breathtakingly foolish statement. President Trump's policies were moving the Middle East toward isolating Iran and Iran's terrorist proxies. The Obama-Biden policies created ISIS, gave Russia implicit permission to restart its expansionist policies and essentially let Iran run Iraq. That's before talking about the lapdog position Obama-Biden took towards China.

When it came to foreign policy, Obama-Biden didn't have any credibility. Further, this doesn't include President Trump's rebuilding of our military. That's before talking about President Trump insisting that NATO nations pay their fair share. Each of those Trump policies built international credibility.

Posted Monday, November 16, 2020 1:38 PM

No comments.


Donald Trump's COVID accomplishments list gets longer


Throughout this campaign, Joe Biden insisted that President Trump had failed with COVID. Monday, President Trump's COVID accomplishments list just got longer . It would be impolite for me to tell Joe Biden that he's full of s--- about President Trump's lengthy list of COVID accomplishments. That being said, it'd serve him right to get humiliated like that.

Instead of humiliating him like that, I'll just quote from Tyler O'Neil's article. O'Neil's opening paragraph says "On Monday, Moderna Inc. announced that its vaccine for the Wuhan coronavirus pandemic had tested 94.5 percent effective, clearing important hurdles toward production and potential distribution in the coming months. The Moderna vaccine represents a second tremendous victory for the Trump administration's Operation Warp Speed, which teamed up with medical companies to prepare a vaccine for COVID-19 as soon as possible. Last week, Pfizer announced its vaccine had tested more than 90 percent effective."

President Trump had a plan for COVID. President Trump spoke to Phizer, Moderna and other companies about developing a vaccine in January of this year. He cleared out the red tape to speed through the process because time saved equals lives saved.
'This is a pivotal moment in the development of our COVID-19 vaccine candidate,' Moderna CEO Stephane Bancel said in a statement. She thanked the study participants, the National Institutes of Health (NIH), and the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA). 'I want to thank our partners at BARDA and Operation Warp Speed who have been instrumental to accelerating our progress to this point,' she added.

The NIH-appointed Data Safety Monitoring Board (DSMB) told Moderna that the Phase 3 study of its vaccine candidate had 'met the statistical criteria pre-specified in the study protocol for efficacy, with a vaccine efficiacy of 94.5%.' The study on the vaccine's effectiveness involved more than 30,000 participants. Participants who did not take the vaccine contracted 90 cases of COVID-19, 11 of which were severe, while those who took the vaccine only contracted 5 cases. No one who took the vaccine had a severe case.

Before the next inauguration, most of the vulnerable people will be vaccinated. That's a tremendous accomplishment for the Trump administration:
[Video no longer available]
Based on his history, I'm skeptical that Joe Biden would've reached the conclusion that a vaccine was needed within the first year of the first case. It's doubtful that he would've formed a public-private partnership in 2 years to develop that vaccine. History teaches us that Obama-Biden didn't figure out a distribution or manufacturing plan with H1N1 vaccines.
President Donald Trump celebrated Pfizer's success in a speech at the Rose Garden on Friday. "No medical breakthrough of this scope and magnitude has ever been achieved," the president declared. "Operation Warp Speed is unequaled and unrivaled anywhere in the world."

Trump noted that the average vaccine development process takes 8 to 12 years , yet "through operation Warp Speed we're doing it in less than 1 year . : This is five times faster than the fastest prior vaccine development in history. Five times faster." That truly is a jaw-dropping and historic accomplishment.

Millions of lives will be saved thanks to Operation Warp Speed and President Trump. Despite that fact, Joe Biden dishonestly insisted that President Trump a) didn't take this seriously, b) didn't have a plan for fighting COVID and c) killed people by not taking this seriously. That's BS and Biden knows it. He didn't care about the people. He just cared about winning at all costs. That's the definition of evil.

Posted Tuesday, November 17, 2020 6:06 AM

Comment 1 by Joe Thatcher at 18-Nov-20 10:58 AM
Permission to reprint:

https://www.letfreedomringblog.com/?p=28043

Thank you,

Joe

Response 1.1 by Gary Gross at 18-Nov-20 04:12 PM
Permission granted with proper attribution.

Comment 2 by Joe Thatcher at 20-Nov-20 07:07 PM
Thanks Gary. Will attribute you as author.

Let Freedom Ring - In God We Trust.

Joe


Escaping Andrew Cuomo's prison


Mairead McArdle's article highlights what most people figured out long ago. People figured out that Democrat-run cities and states are hell-holes that are best escaped from. Until cities like Seattle, Portland, Philadelphia and Minneapolis and states like Minnesota, New York, Oregon and Washington are allowed to disintegrate as a result of their progressive policies, they can't be fixed. They're simply impossible to fix.

McArdle opened her article by writing "Hundreds of thousands of New Yorkers have fled New York City since the coronavirus pandemic began in the spring, new data from the U.S. Post Office shows. A total of 295,103 city residents requested a change of address between March 1 and October 31, according to U.S. Postal Service data obtained by the New York Post under a Freedom of Information Act request."

People are leaving New York like they're selling toxic waste door-to-door. High taxes, higher crime rates and businesses shutting down are key contributors to this exodus. Another contributor is Gov. Cuomo's lockdown mentality. Apparently, Gov. Cuomo's side job is killing geese that lay golden eggs.
However, the actual number of New Yorkers who escaped the city this year is much higher than that since a single address change could represent an entire household, and the data from the Post Office does not include the many New Yorkers who have fled without officially changing their address.

This is the classic vicious cycle. Here's why it's happening:
[Video no longer available]
New York once was a beautiful metropolis. It isn't anymore. The chief explanation for the exodus is that NYC isn't safe. Another explanation is that businesses are getting out of New York because NY's taxes are too high. There isn't an incentive to stick around.

Posted Tuesday, November 17, 2020 11:17 PM

Comment 1 by Chad Q at 18-Nov-20 05:08 PM
Problem is liberals/progressives escaped NY only to bring their crappy politics with them to destroy the next city or state. They are far worse of a virus than COVID could every hope to be.

Comment 2 by Nick at 18-Nov-20 07:36 PM
https://www.statesidemovers.com/moving-tips/ap-Top-States-People-Are-Moving-From-In-2020.html

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