November 19-23, 2020
Nov 19 03:17 Putting the Tom Bakk-David Tomassoni switch into perspective Nov 19 10:09 Happy 16th blogiversary, LFR Nov 19 18:29 Rudy Giuliani drops evidence bomb on Biden campaign, Democrats Nov 20 13:58 Tom Bakk-David Tomassoni switch in perspective, Part II Nov 21 10:49 Donald Trump's COVID accomplishments Nov 22 02:00 Democrats hate Trump supporters Nov 22 04:01 DFL Gov. Tim Walz is a dictator Nov 23 17:45 Donald Trump's accomplishments
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Putting the Tom Bakk-David Tomassoni switch into perspective
Now that Tom Bakk and David Tomassoni have made it official that they're leaving the DFL , I can finally write about the move. The article opened by saying "In a startling political development, two longtime Minnesota DFL senators announced Wednesday they are leaving the Minnesota Senate DFL Caucus to form a new 'Independent Caucus.'"
The article continues, saying "Sen. Tom Bakk of Cook, a senator since 2003 and former DFL candidate for governor and former DFL Senate Majority leader, and Sen. Dave Tomassoni of Chisholm, a senator since 2001, say their move is designed to become more bipartisan and moderate." This move isn't unpredictable. When the DFL ran pro-mining Erik Simonson out in the primary by a 73%-27% margin, the DFL sent the unmistakable signal that pro-mining legislators weren't welcome in the DFL anymore.
Shortly after that, 5 formerly Iron Range DFL mayors endorsed President Trump. Eventually 9 former DFL mayors endorsed him. In the general election, Sen. Bakk won with only 55% of the vote, the tightest race of his career. At that point, Bakk and Tomassoni didn't have a reason to stick with the DFL. The DFL rejected the Iron Range's way of life, which meant their cities couldn't support themselves anymore.
Imagine being told that being a loyal soldier for 20 years just wasn't enough, that your constituents' way of life had to be shut down. Tom Bakk and David Tomassoni don't have to imagine that. That's what just happened to them. This segment captured things perfectly:
[Video no longer available]
Now it appears there was much more to that move because both Bakk and Tomassoni will get committee chairmanships. Those positions can only be appointed by Republican Senate Majority Leader Paul Gazelka.
In an update Wednesday morning, Gazelka stated, "Being a graduate of high school in Virginia, MN, I have a natural connection to the Range. I've worked across the aisle with Senators Bakk and Tomassoni for 10 years. I welcome their announcement and the stronger alignment we will have as a result. We share the same vision of a prosperous Iron Range and will continue to work with them to fight for jobs on the Range."
This hurts the DFL immensely because it didn't happen in a vacuum. These defections follow Collin Peterson getting thrashed by Michelle Fischbach in CD-7. When it comes to CD-7, Peterson was the DFL's entire bench. The DFL isn't getting Peterson's seat back in the next decade, at minimum. It's becoming clear that the DFL is the urban party. Further, the DFL can't escape the fact that they're the extremist party.
The DFL mayor of Minneapolis let his city get destroyed by rioters. The DFL Minneapolis City Council voted unanimously to dismantle the Minneapolis Police Department. Last week, that same City Council voted 7-6 to spend $500,000 through the end of the year on extra policing to protect against the violent crime that, predictably, skyrocketed after the dismantling vote. That outcome was predictable because officers retired, left or took medical leave after the riots.
The DFL has lots of things to figure out before the next election. If they don't figure things out, 1 of 2 things will happen. Either Tim Walz will fight with a unified GOP legislature or a Republican governor will work with a unified GOP legislature to restore sanity to the state.
Posted Thursday, November 19, 2020 3:17 AM
Comment 1 by J. Ewing at 19-Nov-20 07:48 AM
The one other thing that has to happen is that we have to reform our election laws and force everybody to actually follow them. Getting rid of Ellison and Simon won't help because the damage they will do to the 2022 elections will already be done, and they probably will engineer their own win with their corruption.
Response 1.1 by Gary Gross at 19-Nov-20 06:09 PM
I'll have more on election reform soon. This is something that we must prioritize ASAP!!!
Comment 2 by eric z at 23-Nov-20 01:42 PM
Gary, we await. Do not leave a rock unturned; especially at the level of spending allowed to happen; how the money is raised and where the money goes then; the strings attached; and who has the knives and forks on the table, wanting to feast, in DC big law firms and smaller media boutiques, each owning a share. The creepy ads; the ominous toned voiceovers; the entire BS industry.
Security of the ballot box is well downstream from that more basic perspective of what it's allowed to be about.
Happy 16th blogiversary, LFR
Today marks the 16th anniversary of LFR. To be totally factual, though, this blog started on Blogger under the name of 'Common Sense Conservative'. It's been a fun experience, though there was one time that LFR was hacked and essentially offline for a month. Eventually, I was able to get the problem fixed but it was still a frustrating experience.
When I first started blogging, I joined a group called the MOB, which stands for Minnesota Organization of Bloggers. The MOB probably doesn't exist anymore exist except in people's minds. People like Andy Aplikowski, Mitch Berg, the Lady Logician, Leo Pusateri, Derek Brigham and a handful of others were part of that organization. If my memory serves me correctly, only Mitch Berg still is blogging from that group.
In 2010, I was the only journalist who predicted Chip Cravaack's victory over Jim Oberstar. In 2016, I predicted Paul Utke's defeat of Rod Skoe in SD-2 . That was one of 9 Minnesota Senate seats that Republicans flipped to retake the Minnesota State Senate. That's why LFR remains one of the most-read blogs amongst legislators. They respect my work product.
Thanks for the following. Here's to many happy anniversaries to come.
Posted Thursday, November 19, 2020 10:09 AM
Comment 1 by eric z at 22-Nov-20 09:29 AM
A significant percentage of the population is younger than your blog. Congrats. Keep at it for another sixteen. And then some. Live long and keep writing.
Comment 2 by John Palmer at 23-Nov-20 12:36 PM
I am glad to see Eric z has some sweetness to share and desires the continuation of LFR.
Response 2.1 by Gary Gross at 25-Nov-20 01:42 AM
Eric is wrong on the issues (just kidding -- sorta LOL) but he's a good guy.
Rudy Giuliani drops evidence bomb on Biden campaign, Democrats
During a tour-de-force presentation this afternoon, Rudy Giuliani presented a lengthy list of evidence of systematic voter fraud encompassing multiple battleground states. The news conference was part scolding of the MSM for being totally incurious about the system that Democrats have allegedly put together, part presentation of signed affidavits from people with firsthand information from the vote-counting locations.
It's especially disheartening that FNC wrote "His descriptions largely entailed recitations of allegations put forth in several lawsuits that the Trump campaign has filed. Former Vice President Joe Biden is the projected winner in the contest, but the Trump campaign is contesting those calls, raising concerns in several battleground states." These weren't "recitations of allegations put forth in several lawsuits." Giuliani cited specific affidavits, which are sworn out under penalty of perjury. I expect that sloppiness from CNN or the NYTimes. I expect better from FNC because I've gotten better from FNC in the past.
Later in the article, the reporter contradicted himself:
[Giuliani] cited sworn affidavits from cases in Pennsylvania and Michigan from poll workers who spoke about instructions from supervisors. One affidavit said that workers in Pennsylvania were instructed to assign ballots without names to random people, resulting in thousands of people in Pittsburgh showing up to the polls to find that votes had been cast in their names.
Another affidavit said that a supervisor in Michigan instructed workers to change the dates on absentee ballots to show that they arrived earlier than they had. An affidavit also claimed that workers were told not to request photo identification from Michigan voters, even though state law requires it.
Giuliani also said that approximately 100,000 absentee ballots in Wisconsin should have been deemed invalid because there were no applications for them. President-elect Joe Biden leads President Trump in that state by roughly 20,000 votes. "If you count the lawful votes, Trump won Wisconsin," Giuliani said.
These aren't allegations. They're eyewitness testimony from people who witnessed the law not being followed.
[Video no longer available]
It's time that the MSM paid attention to these details. Saying that the Trump campaign hasn't collected evidence of wrongdoing is BS. It's a fabrication on steroids. This isn't acceptable in a developed nation. If the judiciary sanctions this level of fraud, we might as well disband the judiciary because our system of checks and balances will have disappeared.
Posted Thursday, November 19, 2020 6:29 PM
No comments.
Tom Bakk-David Tomassoni switch in perspective, Part II
Now that Tom Bakk and David Tomassoni have officially left the DFL, it's time to figure out why they left the DFL . The tipping point, I believe, was this summer's DFL primaries. In that primary, DFL candidates defeated pro-mining moderate Erik Simonson. Actually, the DFL candidate didn't just defeat Simonson. She thrashed him, winning every precinct in the district while winning 73%-27%.
That told Sen. Bakk and Sen. Tomassoni that pro-mining DFL politicians weren't welcome within the DFL. When Sen. Bakk won re-election with just 55.2% of the vote, the handwriting was on the wall. There wasn't any escaping the fact that pro-mining DFL politicians were virtually extinct. Bakk usually wins with 65%-70% of the vote so winning with just 55% must've gotten his attention.
In his official statement, Sen. Bakk said "People are going to wonder why I'm doing this - and to be honest, there are several reasons. I'm very disappointed by the extreme partisanship going on nationally and right here in Minnesota. Both political parties are to blame. The constant negative and sharp rhetoric is undermining voters' confidence in our public institutions. It doesn't have to stay this way."
[Video no longer available]
"My constituents elected me to serve them to the best of my abilities. The Iron Range has provided the ore that has forged the steel that has made the bridges of America. If we expect to actually bridge the partisan divide, someone must take a proactive step to build such a bridge," Tomassoni said in a statement.
The metro DFL isn't interested in bridging divides. That sounds extreme but that's verifiable fact. The metro DFL was interested in mining a decade ago. When I started paying attention to the state legislature in 2007, Tony Sertich was the House Majority Leader and the Chairman of the House Rules Committee. He was from Hibbing. In this year's election Republican Rob Farnsworth lost by 40 votes in that district. In 2006, Sertich won with 75% of the vote. That's a drop of 25 percentage points.
The DFL isn't the blue collar party. That should bother them mightily because they'll be in trouble if Republicans ever figure out the way to connect with suburban voters. That's more of an eventuality than an if. The metro DFL isn't interested in protecting people, including suburbanites. The sooner that reality sinks in, the sooner the DFL will become the minority party.
Posted Friday, November 20, 2020 1:58 PM
Comment 1 by eric z at 22-Nov-20 09:33 AM
The debate is not about taconite. And the hope is both gentlemen dodged the doorknob on the way out. Many may conclude the DFL is better without them. Do the Republicans want either or both?
Response 1.1 by Gary Gross at 25-Nov-20 01:44 AM
The GOP definitely wants them. They simply represent their districts, not their party's agenda. In the old days, that's what politicians did.
Donald Trump's COVID accomplishments
Joe Biden dishonestly insisted that President Trump didn't have a plan for COVID. This list of accomplishments says the opposite. Biden knows that President Trump had a plan. Biden was just willing to lie to the American people to win the White House.
According to the White House fact sheet, President Trump "took early action to cut off travel from China, built the world's leading testing system from nothing, enacted mitigation measures to slow the spread, mobilized public and private sectors to secure needed supplies, took action to protect vulnerable Americans, launched effort to deliver a vaccine and therapeutics in record time, provided support to workers and businesses, paved way for reopening to get America working again, surged resources to hot spots as they arose and confronted China as origin of the virus while Democrats and media cowered."
Let's put this into perspective. A year ago at this time, the nation's attention was the Democrats' faux impeachment hearings. COVID wasn't on anyone's radar, except perhaps a handful of epidemiologists. Yesterday, Phizer applied for Emergency Use Authorization for its vaccine:
The Food & Drug Administration announced Friday that its committee on vaccines will meet Dec. 10th to review Pfizer's request for emergency use authorization (EUA) of its Covid-19 vaccine. This comes two days after Pfizer, with their German partner BioNTech, released promising final results that show their vaccine is 95% effective and protects elderly adults who are most at risk of dying. Pfizer had submitted the EUA request earlier in the day Friday.
This is nothing short of miraculous. Greg Gutfeld nailed it when he said that this vaccine was "this generation's moon shot."
[Video no longer available]
The entire video is worth watching but the final minute is where Gutfeld lets loose with listing President Trump's accomplishments. It's nothing short of incredible to have vaccinations being distributed months after the virus first surfaced in China. President Trump didn't just help Phizer and Moderna reach this point this fast. He helped them accept the risk of manufacturing the vaccine while it was being tested. Before that, President Trump got rid of tons of red tape that would've slowed the process down, which definitely would've cost lives. Then he put together a distribution plan using the military. A month from now, frontline medical workers won't be getting vaccinated. If there's justice in this world, they'll be getting Trumped. That's the nickname Geraldo Rivera coined for the vaccine. I think that's totally appropriate.
Shutting down travel with China and Europe were major decisions, too. It's documented that Joe Biden criticized those decisions. President Trump's performance in this crisis is extraordinary. It isn't perfect but it's extraordinary. He nailed all of the major decisions.
In order to secure the supplies needed to confront the surge in coronavirus we faced, President Trump led the largest mobilization of public and private sector resources since WWII.
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- The President directed his Administration to secure and distribute needed medical supplies to states in need - resulting in billions of PPE delivered so far.
- At the President's urging, private companies shifted production to supplying masks, ventilators, hand sanitizer, testing supplies, and more.
- President Trump has acted under the Defense Production Act more than 30 times to ensure we have the supplies we need.
- When we faced a potentially catastrophic shortage of ventilators, President Trump took action to produce 100,000 ventilators and ensure no patient who needs one goes without a ventilator.
This is verified proof that Joe Biden lied through his teeth about President Trump's COVID response. It's proof that Joe Biden is just another politician who will say anything to get elected. That's why I can't call him a person of integrity.
Posted Saturday, November 21, 2020 10:49 AM
Comment 1 by eric z at 22-Nov-20 09:23 AM
All that over a "hoax?" Trump consistently lied about it from the start. Mask up. Wash your hands. Keep a safe distance. Not rocket science, but belittled by Trump.
Response 1.1 by Gary Gross at 24-Nov-20 06:00 PM
Trump didn't call COVID a hoax. "President Donald Trump likened the Democrats' criticism of his administration's response to the new coronavirus outbreak to their efforts to impeach him, saying 'this is their new hoax.'"
Comment 2 by John Palmer at 27-Nov-20 10:28 AM
The hoax was the nearly constant report that Trump did not take the Wuhan virus seriously. I guess, the almost immediate Chinese and European travel bans, forming a task force, holding near daily briefings, calling for action to flatten the curve, the creation of operation warp speed to make available therapeutics to combat the infection and make vaccines available as soon as possible, mobilizing a public private partnership to expand PPEs and ventilator availability, creating hospital beds where they were needed and preparing in advance for the distribution are all lies and evidence that Trump did not take the Wuhan virus seriously. It is easy to accuse with no evidence or examples given.
Democrats hate Trump supporters
If you needed proof that Democrats hate Trump supporters, this article provides that proof. The article is written by Dahlia Lithwick of Slate Magazine. The article is titled "Trump Is No Longer the Problem. His Army of Followers Is."
The article isn't about unveiling new information to people. It's mostly a diatribe from someone with the mind of a child. Think of a child going through terrible 2s. Then think of the writer as someone with a temper. Finally, think of Lithwick as not that bright but definitely that insistent that she's right. I won't subject LFR's readers to Lithwick's diatribe. This paragraph is sufficient:
But even if we stipulate that Trump is a distraction from moving on, there is another reason we cannot be free of this persistent anxiety: Ugliness and lawlessness and norms violations did not end with the election, and they are not limited to Trump's tweets or telephone calls. The disease has spread. And even as we should be moving on, acts of transparent racism, defiance of norms of governance, and clownish court performances by Trump surrogates all signal that, for the army of Trump enthusiasts, enablers, and imitators, law continues to be an afterthought - a sand trap limited to suckers, losers, and Democrats. The Republican Party is still insisting that it is a law unto itself. That part isn't over, or even slowing. It is simply instantiated into more overt forms. Yes, yes we should ignore Trump, and Trump himself is ever-more ignorable. But his enablers and imitators are not slouching away quietly.
What drivel. It isn't a stretch to think that Democrats are the party that believes in passing, but not enforcing, laws. They did virtually nothing in Minneapolis, NYC, then Seattle and Portland when the rioting started. I'd love hearing Ms. Lithwick explain how enabling rioting and destruction of family businesses isn't a "defiance of norms of governance." That happened in Democrat-run cities. It didn't happen in Republican-run cities.
Democrats said that there wasn't widespread voter fraud . That's true. It's found in Atlanta, Dane County, WI, Detroit, Milwaukee and Philadelphia. Don't say that there isn't evidence of that, either. Sidney Powell outlines it a little in this presentation:
[Video no longer available]
About 2:25 in, Powell talked about spikes that corresponded with testimony provided in the affidavits that are sworn out under penalty of perjury. Powell then said that the spikes were straight up, not at a steep diagonal angle.
To summarize, Democrats think that President Trump and his supporters are problematic. Further, it's clear that they think we need to be gotten rid of in a political sense. Going back to their deep state ways, mixed with their globalist, China-pandering ways, is the best path forward.
Posted Sunday, November 22, 2020 2:00 AM
No comments.
DFL Gov. Tim Walz is a dictator
If there was any doubt that DFL Gov. Tim Walz was a dictator at heart, that glimmer disappeared with his order for a month-long shutdown "that bans all social gatherings of people who do not live in the same household, even if participants wear face masks and practice proper social distancing." That's the definition of dictatorial. Actually, the definition of dictator is "a person exercising absolute power, especially a ruler who has absolute, unrestricted control in a government without hereditary succession."
According to the order, "Walz's severe new coronavirus restrictions, which went into effect on Friday at 11:59 p.m. and will be in place until Dec.18, will shut down bars, restaurants, and breweries, except for takeout, delivery, or walk-up service, according to the MinnPost. The order will also close gyms, indoor sports facilities, theaters, bowling alleys, arcades, go-kart tracks, and other entertainment businesses for an entire month."
From the MDH :
Social gatherings are groups of people who are not members of the same household, congregated together for a common or coordinated social, community, or leisure purpose, even if social distancing can be maintained . This prohibition includes planned and spontaneous gatherings as well as public and private gatherings. Most commercial activities are not considered social gatherings, so this change will not impact most industries.
We're constantly told that the DFL is the party of science. That's obviously dishonest. Where's the science in banning events where people wear masks and social distance? Here's what changes the DFL governor into a dictator:
The harsh restrictions come with punitive penalties, including fines of up to $1,000 or 90 days in prison. "Any business owner, manager, or supervisor who requires or encourages any of their employees, contractors, vendors, volunteers, or interns to violate this Executive Order is guilty of a gross misdemeanor and upon conviction must be punished by a fine not to exceed $3,000 or by imprisonment for not more than a year," Walz's order states. "In addition to those criminal penalties, the Attorney General, as well as city and county attorneys, may investigate and seek any civil relief" of up to $25,000 per occurrence.
That isn't part of a statute. It says thatanyone violating Gov. Walz's "Executive Order is guilty of a gross misdemeanor and upon conviction must be punished by a fine not to exceed $3,000 or by imprisonment for not more than a year." That's what totalitarians do.
Further, it's worth noting that the GOP didn't have anything to do with this EO. Gov. Walz's EO essentially kills small businesses. Gov. Walz owns this deficit through his multiple shutdowns.
[Video no longer available]
Companies going out of business should remember this in 2022. Gov. Walz is the reason why your family lost its life savings. It's time to punish Gov. Walz and the DFL for these restrictions. The DFL House voted to maintain Gov. Walz's Peacetime Emergency Powers. Without that authority, he couldn't make these declarations.
Posted Sunday, November 22, 2020 4:01 AM
Comment 1 by J. Ewing at 22-Nov-20 08:57 AM
Here is a thought: Can we sue the Governor for damages when these dictatorial actions inevitably prove inconsequential?
Comment 2 by eric z at 22-Nov-20 09:19 AM
You can sue anyone you want to. All you need is the filing fee. Getting service of process is recommended if you want it to be more than a symbolic filing. Some other reader can answer about recall petition requirements and procedure.
Comment 3 by John Palmer at 22-Nov-20 09:49 AM
With the schools closed and students receiving instruction via the internet these young people need supervision. Parents work so grandparents are filing the gap. Since their grandchildren are not part of their household it appears the "social gathering" violates the Gov. order. How are people to get answers to whether grandparent provided school supervision and/or childcare fit the Gov's order. I suppose grandparent's will just take the risk of a fine or jail time to meet their grandchildren's needs. Yes our Gov. fits the definition of dictator.
Comment 4 by Chad Q at 22-Nov-20 05:01 PM
The shutdown will last past Dec. 18 because there will still not be an available vaccine to "conquer" covid. The virus isn't just going to go away because Walz says no social gatherings and bars and restaurants can only serve take out. What this will do is force businesses and the people put out of work due to this latest edict, to rely on government for their survival, which I believe is the real reason for the shutdowns. Can't make people reliant on government if they have their own money.
Comment 5 by Nick at 22-Nov-20 07:43 PM
I live in SW Louisiana and our governor here has NOT shut down the state again. Thank god for the South! John Bel Edwards is a Democrat too!
Donald Trump's accomplishments
Listing President Trump's accomplishments is a lengthier responsibility than Democrats admit. In virtually every category, there's something historic to talk about. That's why a Biden administration better tread lightly. That's why President Obama's legacy is getting belittled by serious people.
Economy
First, President Trump's record is filled with historic accomplishments. President Trump's policies directly resulted in the lowest minority unemployment rates in history. Wages for blue collar workers grew twice as fast as for white collar workers. Pre-COVID, consumer confidence and small business were at all-time highs. Best of all, people were leaving the poverty rolls in major numbers. That's because President Trump listened to Sen. Tim Scott in implementing Sen. Scott's Opportunity Zones provisions into the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act.
Next, President Trump worked with Congress to get rid of the Obama-Biden regulations that'd hurt the energy industry. That led to the US becoming energy independent and the largest energy producer in the world. (Under Obama, we were reliant on oil from the world's hotspots. The result? Gas prices are cheap and home heating bills are affordable again.
Most importantly, President Trump started bringing our medical supply chains home while increasing medical manufacturing in the USA. As a result of CCOVID, we found out how reliant we are on China for PPE, the manufacture of antibiotics and other pharmaceutical products. Thanks to President Trump's leadership and Peter Navarro's work, those supply chains are coming home.
It remains to be seen if Joe Biden will continue with this or if he'll foolishly reverse course. Biden's biggest supporters are Wall Street financiers and globalists. That bunch hates President Trump's America First policies.
COVID
I wrote here about the White House Fact Sheet on the actions President Trump took to combat COVID. It's worth repeating some of the details of what he did:
- At the President's urging, private companies shifted production to supplying masks, ventilators, hand sanitizer, testing supplies, and more.
- President Trump has acted under the Defense Production Act more than 30 times to ensure we have the supplies we need.
- President Trump understood early on that in order to defeat this virus once and for all and protect Americans, we need a vaccine and therapeutics.
- President Trump revolutionized the clinical trial process to ensure Americans get a safe vaccine as quickly as possible, by providing unprecedented investments in leading vaccine candidates to simultaneously produce them as they are tested and developed.
In other words, President Trump took actions that saved millions of lives. He used the DPA to build a national stockpile of PPE. Most importantly, he funded the vaccine that we're only weeks away from getting.
Foreign Policy
President Trump demolished ISIS, stared down China, renegotiated trade deals, negotiated the Abraham Accords and put Russia and Iran in boxes. President Trump also killed Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi and Qassim Suleimani.
Posted Monday, November 23, 2020 5:45 PM
No comments.
