Yeah, I know when he was hanging out with John McCain that statement would have made me cringe too but since John went to his eternal reward, Lindsey Graham seems to have found his spine—at least on occasion. In a story on Fox New today, Senator Graham validated my basic statement on the Senate and House getting the impeachment nonsense out of the way because President Trump has a speech to give on the House floor February 4th.
“On February the fourth when the president comes into the house chamber to deliver the State of the Union, he will have been acquitted by the Senate, [he will be] the strongest he has been politically.” –Lindsey Graham
“By the time the trial is over and we have an election in November, there will be a backlash … I will tell you why,” Graham said. “Most Americans zealously guard the right to pick their own leaders. I think they will hold it against politicians trying to take that away.”
“We will get the House back,” Graham concluded, “the Senate majority … and President Trump will be reelected.”
“The House will be able to make their case for 24 hours. Hopefully, we do this in a couple of days. Then the defense team of the president will make their case based on the record established in the House,” Graham said.
“I hope this is done in about a week and I predict a bipartisan acquittal of President Trump,” he added.
Graham is 100 percent right. Trump will be acquitted and the backlash from flyover country will be mind boggling to the Democrats. Pelosi will be put out to pasture and then the fun will begin. If the Broad Squad is able to take out a few incumbent Democrats along the way, they just might shift their party even more to the Left. Can you saw overreach?
Broad Squad
Meanwhile, the impeachment show is the 2020 Presidential campaign. If they can’t cripple Trump and separate him from his base, they have no chance. The words of our good friend of the blog—good friend because she gives us so much material to poke fun at both here and on social media— Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez a.k.a. (AOC)’s words still ring as true now as they did when she said them last November:
“At the end of the day, we have to be able to come together as a caucus, and if it is this Ukrainian allegation that is what brings the caucus together, then I think we have to run with however we unify the House,” Ocasio-Cortez told Wolf Blitzer…
Impeachment isn’t about removing Trump, this is their way to unite Democrats and try to nationalize the election. Unlike Newt and the gang back when Clinton was President, Democrats don’t want to unite their party with ideas or a platform but with raw hatred. However, as Rush Limbaugh pointed out many years ago, you can’t live on an emotion because you can’t genuinely sustain it. Most people want their lives, their country, and their world to be better for the next generation not live to burn it down because they lost one election four years ago.
The irony is, if Democrats followed the Constitution, it wouldn’t matter who was President because what happened in Washington wouldn’t affect your daily life. But of course, if we followed the Constitution, there wouldn’t be any need for a fulltime person in Congress and thus no career politicians. Without fulltime politicians, there is no need for Democrats.
Nancy Pelosi and the boys in the House are expected to send the articles of impeachment to the Senate as soon as tomorrow. Reportedly, House Democrats are meeting today to decide what to do being as they never got this far with Richard Nixon and they aren’t totally sure what comes next.
Unconfirmed reports from Capitol Hill insiders say that Democrats are playing musical chairs to such inspirational tunes as “Baby Shark” to decide who gets to grandstand on the cable networks and present their case to the American people. Being that this is an election year, those in swing state districts that Trump is leading are being discouraged from participating.
Democrats seek inspiration from Grandma Shark, Nancy Pelosi
Another contentious issue faced by House members in going forward with the prosecution of President Trump is negotiations with the Senate. These negotiations are reportedly delicate and complex in nature. A few such examples are listed below.
When on camera, House members want their names displayed during the live broadcast in several languages including Spanish, Farsi, and Chinese; plus a deaf interpreter inserted in the broadcast. Since they will accept nothing less than the ultimate penalty for the President, they want Trump’s name shown only in Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek. (Harvard Law Professor Laurence Tribe assured Democrats that there is common law precedent for crucifixion when accusations are written in Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek.)
Laurence Tribe–Harvard Law guy
During the broadcast, there is a chance that viewers might see bottled water in front of participants of the trial. This became a thorny problem since the Senate commissary is run by union employees and they have an exclusive contract supplying the Senate’s proceedings. Since no impeachment endorsement deal could be reached with a bottled water manufacturer, and potential conflicts with existing union vendors, some changes will be made. An additional complication was that some House members felt being seen with plastic bottles would promote pollution of the world’s oceans. Thus it was agreed that labels would be removed from the water and the smaller size bottles would be used so there was less likelihood of them being seen on TV. AOC tried to amend the agreement to allow open containers but was shot down by leadership.
Reluctantly, House prosecutors agreed to the Senate demand to limit the length of each prosecution question to five minutes and the witness answer to thirty seconds. Being this is the Senate, this rule will not apply to Senators.
Also at issue is which beloved jurist should preside over the trial. Chief Justice John Roberts has been negotiating for a way to get out of appearing. It turns out that Roberts is a big supporter of the current ban on television cameras in proceedings involving the Supreme Court. By tradition, the Court members are seen but not heard at the State of the Union show each year.
Chief Justice John Roberts
Insiders claim that Roberts had suggested both Judges Judy and Napolitano but Senate leader Mitch McConnell objected. Radio talk show host Mark Levin refused to leave his undisclosed bunker to preside over the affair so in the end, nobody wants Robert’s job.
Mark Levin declined to preside
While all this is happening, NPR reported that Senator Cory Booker is planning to pay a visit to the House Democrat caucus to pass out impeachment participation awards to the entire caucus. This is in addition to the t-shirts crafted by Mitch McConnell which will be given to each House member that visits the Senate for the trial.
Photo courtesy Babylon Bee
Lastly, on his radio show today, Mark Levin did remind House and Senate leaders to hurry this process to its conclusion because Trump is already booked at the House for the State of the Union speech on February 4, 2020.
Back when I was a kid, one of the most popular television shows was All in the Family. For those of you unfamiliar with the show, here’s a synopsis of the show’s premise.
All in the Family is about a working-class white family living in Queens, New York. Its patriarch is Archie Bunker (Carrol O’Connor), an outspoken, narrow-minded man, seemingly prejudiced against everyone who is not like him or his idea of how people should be. Archie’s wife Edith (Jean Stapleton) is sweet and understanding, though somewhat naïve and uneducated; her husband sometimes disparagingly calls her “dingbat“. Their one child, Gloria (Sally Struthers), is generally kind and good-natured like her mother, but displays traces of her father’s stubbornness and temper; unlike them, she’s a feminist. Gloria is married to college student Michael Stivic (Rob Reiner) – referred to as “Meathead” by Archie – whose values are likewise influenced and shaped by the counterculture of the 1960s. The two couples represent the real-life clash of values between the Greatest Generation and Baby Boomers. For much of the series, the Stivics live in the Bunkers’ home to save money, providing abundant opportunity for them to irritate each other.
Rob Reiner, Jean Stapleton, Carroll O’Connor and Sally Struthers
The program ran from 1971 – 1979. Its producer, Norman Lear, was very liberal. Lear had multiple hit shows running simultaneously on network television in the 1970’s. Lear provoked opposition from Conservatives because of his constant attacks on the beliefs and values of mainstream Americans. This opposition gave rise to Rev. Jerry Falwell and the creation of the Moral Majority. All of this helped unite evangelical Christians to vote overwhelmingly for Ronald Reagan in 1980.
The character, Archie Bunker, was based on my grandfather or at least it seemed that way to me as I was growing up. Both men espoused the same political views.
Archie would frequently call his son-in-law a “meathead” and to this very day, folks still call actor Rob Reiner by that name because of his crazy liberal ideas. It seems to many of us that Reiner wasn’t acting because his views on and off the program were identical.
Rob Reiner and Norman Lear
Archie would often called his wife a “dingbat.” As quoted above, Edith was portrayed as “somewhat naïve and uneducated.”
As a result of the program, both “meathead” and “dingbat” were inserted into America’s cultural lexicon for the baby boomer generation.
Nowadays, when I think about a dingbat from New York or anywhere else, I have to put Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (a.k.a. AOC) near the top of that list. AOC’s congressional district includes the same neighborhood which was the setting for All in the Family forty years ago.
Folks, this babe is as clueless an individual as the fictional Chance the Gardener played by Peter Sellers in Being There but without any idea of how things work; however, instead of being silent and allowing people to assumed her to be knowledgeable, AOC frequently opens her mouth and removes all doubt. Amazingly, people in her generation often agree with her. Alas, they demonstrate the true value of public education.
Peter Sellers as Chance the Gardener
The only praise that one can heap upon AOC is that she has been a constant thorn in the side of Nancy Pelosi and the Democrat establishment. Recently however, word has gone out that AOC may need to return to her gig as a bartender. Yep, the run of the most well-known person on the Broad Squad may finally have an expiration date.
Broad Squad
You see, later this year thousands of folks will follow in the footsteps of the Sith Lord and conduct the constitutionally required census. Preliminary numbers are projecting that both New York and California will lose at least one congressional seat each. As fate would have it—or the folks in the smoke-filled backrooms—the word is out that AOC’s congressional seat will go poof just like CRA’s membership records under the tutelage of George Park. This would mean that AOC has one more chance to serve in Congress before being exiled.
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) may have anticipated a long and prosperous career in Congress, but if the Democrats in New York’s state legislature have their way, the freshman Member may be out of a job as soon as 2022.
According to pollster Frank Luntz, New York is likely to lose a seat in Congress after the 2020 census and Democrats in the state legislature will have to redraw the state’s Congressional districts as a result. Although there are plenty of places to cut, New York Dems are reportedly eyeing Ocasio-Cortez’s Bronx district for elimination because she’s been out of sync with state-level Democrats who control the process.
Unlike Republicans, most Democrats can’t return to the private sector because all they’ve ever know is suckling at the public trough so instead they typically go to a cushy teaching job or become a lobbyist. They only decide to “spend time with their families” if they have brought disgrace to the Party; otherwise they tend to take care of their own. However, they might make an exception for AOC.
Alexandria is facing strong headwinds in her political future.
Apparently she doesn’t play well with others in New York politics.
The Intercept pointed out back in February, when rumors began to surface that Ocasio-Cortez could be out of a job as soon as the 10-member districts commission met after the 2020 census, that Ocasio-Cortez isn’t a typical politician and she doesn’t play well with her own state party, which ultimately controls which member of the New York delegation to Congress won’t be returning to work.
“New York politics are famously insular,” the Intercept reported, “with a tight circle controlling major decision-making for years. That began to shift in 2018, not just with Ocasio-Cortez’s victory, but also wins from a number of insurgent candidates against Democrats who had caucused with Republicans in the state Senate.”
Next, 25 percent of her district’s residents are illegal aliens.
“A review by THE CITY, building on data and analysis by The Texas Tribune, suggests Ocasio-Cortez’ district could be particularly vulnerable to undercount because a little over a quarter of those living there are non-citizens…That’s a higher percentage than any other congressional district in the state.”
Even worse, her fundraising numbers are less than most school board candidates in your town.
… there are more than twice as many people running for president as there are people from the Bronx and Queens who have reported to have given money to Rep. Ocasio-Cortez. That’s right, a new report shows that just 10 individuals from her own district have given the Democratic Socialist any sort of financial donation for her 2020 election effort.
Accordingly, “The $1,525.50 Ocasio-Cortez received from her New York constituents represents less than 1% of her campaign’s itemized contributions reported to the FEC in the first half of 2019.“
Ten donors and $1,500 dollars for a Congressional reelection in the 21st Century? Just for reference, last time I looked, the federal limit per year, per person was $2,300. Heck, I bet Al Sharpton has more cash than that in his wallet just to go to the local Popeye’s for a chicken sandwich.
Popeye’s Chicken sandwich
AOC may try to remain in politics but I think it’s a longshot.
Ocasio-Cortez does have an insurance policy: she won’t be leaving politics anytime soon, and if she’s yanked out of the House, she could easily run for Senate, challenging Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-NY), or move to a new district and run there. Her ties to the Bronx are questionable, anyway, and her name recognition is high — even if her own constituents say she rarely shows up in her own district to listen to their concerns.
I think Rush Limbaugh was the one that used to say, with Democrats, its party before principles. I guess that’s still true even if your principles are rooted in socialism.
Final thought, can you imagine what AOC will be like knowing that her next congressional term will likely be her last and her party doesn’t have her back? Wow. I sense a real cat fight with Nancy Pelosi brewing.
Photo above: Trump Rally at Hershey, PA 12-10-2019
A few months back, I started getting emails from something called The Black Sphere. They began showing up in my throwaway email box and always lands in my Junk folder. After getting bombarded daily for many weeks, I finally read one, the guy writes interesting headlines which piqued my curiosity.
It turns out that The Black Sphere is a website by a talk show guy named Kevin Jackson.
Radio Talk Show Host Kevin Jackson
Kevin has the unfortunate task of going head-to-head against the Rush Limbaugh timeslot. No wonder I never heard of him. Anyway, he had an article today that I thought would be of interest to my readers. Kevin talks about the crowd size of Trump rallies versus the 2020 Democrat hopefuls. Partially, I read this based on comments that my dad made over the weekend about watching a Trump rally and being inspired.
I wrote recently about Trump’s rally in Hershey PA. Over 23,000 people showed up in a town of under 15,000. One thing I left out of that post is the fact that had the highway patrol not shut down areas of the freeway, thousands more would have been outside the arena waiting to hear the president. A friend of mine who lives and works in the area updated me on this fact.
If you add up all the Democrats’ events over the past 3 months, the combined total wouldn’t surpass what Trump accomplished (audience-wise) at ONE event. For Democrats, there is no smoke. No smoke, no fire.
But Trump’s events look like towering infernos. They have all the appeal of a rock concert, and in fact Trump breaks attendance records at almost every venue.
Call this what you want, but I must say that I’m convinced Trump-mania is real. Sadly for Democrats, they offer nothing close.
The disparity of crowd size that Trump draws compared to anyone else is monumental. And unlike the Democrats, Trump doesn’t have to pay people to fill empty chairs. I think Trump will easily be re-elected and unlike other Presidents, his second term will be much more productive that his predecessors.
Orson Scott Card wrote a book many years ago called Speaker for the Dead and yesterday Christianity Today decided to do just that claiming that Billy Graham himself would have opposed the Orange Man and support his removal via impeachment. Today I wish to unpack this controversy and the Graham family’s response.
In our founding documents, Billy Graham explains that Christianity Today will help evangelical Christians interpret the news in a manner that reflects their faith. The impeachment of Donald Trump is a significant event in the story of our republic. It requires comment.
The typical CT approach is to stay above the fray and allow Christians with different political convictions to make their arguments in the public square, to encourage all to pursue justice according to their convictions and treat their political opposition as charitably as possible.
That said, we do feel it necessary from time to time to make our own opinions on political matters clear—always, as Graham encouraged us, doing so with both conviction and love.
So here’s the setup. We (Christianity Today) have a charter granted to us from Billy Graham to speak to actions in the public square. Thus Christianity Today is “the voice” of evangelical Christianity. So dear readers, listen up.
Let’s grant this to the president: The Democrats have had it out for him from day one, and therefore nearly everything they do is under a cloud of partisan suspicion. This has led many to suspect not only motives but facts in these recent impeachment hearings. And, no, Mr. Trump did not have a serious opportunity to offer his side of the story in the House hearings on impeachment.
Then the editor of Christianity Today says we know the Democrats have it in for Trump and we have only heard from one side in this impeachment thing but…
But the facts in this instance are unambiguous: The president of the United States attempted to use his political power to coerce a foreign leader to harass and discredit one of the president’s political opponents. That is not only a violation of the Constitution; more importantly, it is profoundly immoral.
So literally without any evidence presented, we at CT know that Trump is guilty as sin. Why? Because we don’t like his Twitter posts.
The reason many are not shocked about this is that this president has dumbed down the idea of morality in his administration. He has hired and fired a number of people who are now convicted criminals. He himself has admitted to immoral actions in business and his relationship with women, about which he remains proud. His Twitter feed alone—with its habitual string of mischaracterizations, lies, and slanders—is a near perfect example of a human being who is morally lost and confused.
That Trump fired guys that were later convicted as criminals—many in a failed effort to take him out—and yet despite Mueller’s Report, he is still there. Oh, and he admitted that he likes women and has done business in New York (immoral actions in business?).
Whether Mr. Trump should be removed from office by the Senate or by popular vote next election—that is a matter of prudential judgment. That he should be removed, we believe, is not a matter of partisan loyalties but loyalty to the Creator of the Ten Commandments.
Trump broke the Ten Commandments so for God’s sake he must be removed.
To the many evangelicals who continue to support Mr. Trump in spite of his blackened moral record, we might say this: Remember who you are and whom you serve. Consider how your justification of Mr. Trump influences your witness to your Lord and Savior. Consider what an unbelieving world will say if you continue to brush off Mr. Trump’s immoral words and behavior in the cause of political expediency. If we don’t reverse course now, will anyone take anything we say about justice and righteousness with any seriousness for decades to come? Can we say with a straight face that abortion is a great evil that cannot be tolerated and, with the same straight face, say that the bent and broken character of our nation’s leader doesn’t really matter in the end?
How can you be a Christian and support Trump? If abortion is an important issue for you then remove Trump and give us a pro-abortion Democrat so sanity can return to American politics.
So we have done our best to give evangelical Trump supporters their due, to try to understand their point of view, to see the prudential nature of so many political decisions they have made regarding Mr. Trump.
We have done our best to put up with you Trump supporters but it’s time for you to throw him under the bus otherwise he will be reelected and God help us if he is.
Rebuttal
Billy Graham voted for Trump
On social media, Franklin Graham wrote, “Christianity Today released an editorial stating that President Trump should be removed from office – and they invoked my father’s name (I suppose to try to bring legitimacy to their statements), so I feel it is important for me to respond.
“Yes, my father Billy Graham founded Christianity Today; but no, he would not agree with their opinion piece. In fact, he would be very disappointed. I have not previously shared who my father voted for in the past election, but because of this article, I feel it is necessary to share it now. My father knew Donald Trump, he believed in Donald Trump, and he voted for Donald Trump. He believed that Donald J. Trump was the man for this hour in history for our nation,” he said.
“For Christianity Today to side with the Democrat Party in a totally partisan attack on the president of the United States is unfathomable. Christianity Today failed to acknowledge that not one single Republican voted with the Democrats to impeach the president. I know a number of Republicans in Congress, and many of them are strong Christians. If the president were guilty of what the Democrats claimed, these Republicans would have joined with the Democrats to impeach him. But the Democrats were not even unanimous – two voted against impeachment and one voted present. This impeachment was politically motivated, 100% partisan. Why would Christianity Today choose to take the side of the Democrat left whose only goal is to discredit and smear the name of a sitting president? They want readers to believe the Democrat leadership rather than believe the president of the United States,” Franklin Graham wrote.
Christianity Today ignores the Bible when trying to tell us what to believe about impeachment. In fact, what they said in this editorial is so unbiblical as to be nothing but sins of omission. What does the Bible say about rules of evidence?
1 Democrats have never produced one witness with firsthand knowledge of anything let alone two or three.
One witness is not enough to convict anyone accused of any crime or offense they may have committed. A matter must be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses. Deuteronomy 19:15
“Every matter must be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses.” 2 Corinthians 13:1-2
In your own Law it is written that the testimony of two witnesses is true. John 8:17
2 Do not decide a matter without first hearing both sides
“He that is first in his own cause seemeth just; but his neighbour cometh and searcheth him.” Proverbs 18:17
He that answereth a matter before he heareth it, it is folly and shame unto him. Proverbs 18:13
Trump a notorious sinner and so are you
Is President Trump guilty of sin? Of course he is, as were all past presidents and as each one of us are, including myself. Therefore, let’s pray for the president as he continues to lead the affairs of our nation. – Franklin Graham
For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God; Romans 3:23
For as many as have sinned without law shall also perish without law: and as many as have sinned in the law shall be judged by the law Romans 2:12
If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us. 1 John 1:10
Trump’s Character
Christianity Today attacks Trump’s character with ad hominem claims “He himself has admitted to immoral actions in business and his relationship with women.” The claim is used as a factual statement without any proof or foundation and is used to buttress their assertion of his guilt in the impeachment accusations.
President Trump has been married more than once, as was Ronald Reagan whom I regard as the greatest President of the 20th Century. Trump surrounds himself with beautiful women but does not have a reputation of having intercourse with them in the Oval Office as has been the practice of other Presidents. Divorce is a sin in most circumstances but this has not been an issue in Evangelical circles for many decades. Was this a shot at Stormy Daniels?
Most of those who formerly worked for Trump and are headed for jail were convicted of offenses prior to being on Trump’s payroll. We have previously documented on this blog that Trump’s pool of campaign staff was not top tier, especially early in the campaign. Trump got last pick of those that remained after Bush, Rubio, Cuz, etc. had hired their staffs. Any people not in this category were never found guilty but entrapped. They had the choice of fighting prosecutors with unlimited budgets or saving their personal assets and taking a plea deal. This was not a criminal issue but an economic one. In light of recent revelations by the government, some are trying to undo their plea bargains and be cleared.
Hitting Trump with the argument that we don’t like what you say on Twitter is not relevant to the impeachment issue either. On Twitter, Trump is typically defending himself in real time or touting his accomplishments; neither of which the media is willing to report. In a world with 24/7 news coverage in which almost 100 percent of everything about Trump is presented negatively, what do you expect him to do? Trump, like Saint Nicholas, hits heretics right between the eyes.
CT concludes by saying Evangelicals should flee Trump
My question is why? I can rebut their assertion in several ways. Here’s three quick ones.
“You can’t beat something with nothing.”
“You go to war with the army you have not the one you want.”
Oh, and Trump is president because it is God’s will.
Conclusion
CT asks something that deserves comment. “Consider how your justification of Mr. Trump influences your witness to your Lord and Savior.”
My response is this, if we continued down the road Obama put us on, it would be illegal for us to have any public witness for our Lord and Savior. All religious institutions were being subjugated to the State by the State’s use of the sword and mandated to accept homosexuality and other perversions, compromise on abortion, and the core claims of Christianity such as Jesus being the only way to God. We as Christians were staring into the abyss. We were in danger of having our children removed from us by the State, our institutions outlawed, and other retributions visited on us for being practicing Christians. (This is always the experience of Christians in socialist societies.) Trump stopped this momentum and is reversing this danger to the very fabric of our existence. Trump is our Constantine. Whether he is one of us or not, he has never said but his policies are exactly what Christianity needs to be legal and free in this country. The fact that Christianity Today is willing to throw us under the bus to score cheap political points is all you need to know. They are not on the side of light.
The final tell in their editorial is, “we have done our best to give evangelical Trump supporters their due…” No. They are tired of us sticking to this man in spite of all hell being loosed on him and him being unscathed. Folks all this impeachment stuff has done is insure the Donald Trump will spend the rest of his days fighting for this country and for us. The days of ex-Presidents sitting silently on the national sidelines are over. Trump will remake the Republican Party just as I’ve been saying for many years. To NeverTrumpers and Democrats, look out, the Orange Man cometh in wrath and vengeance.
Folks I just don’t get it. Why will the House vote to impeach President Trump? There is no hope of getting a conviction in the Senate. The House effort has zero Republican support and has been predetermined before Democrats even created “charges” to make against the President.
CRA motivational flyer as seen at Stop Trump call center
Oh, yes I fully expect that Mitt Romney—whom I once voted for—will throw Trump under the political bus if he gets the chance but I’m hoping he resists his baser instincts to pile-on. I think the Senate Democrats running for President must recuse themselves. This, action alone will make getting a 2/3 vote to convict in the Senate an impossibility.
Is this really the 2020 Presidential campaign? Sadly, I think it’s all they have because they certainly don’t have a worthy opponent to Trump. Furthermore, Democrats have already said that they will impeach Trump again and again. Folks, such an attitude is shredding the Constitution—Ok, what little of it remains—and turn us into a banana republic. The political games being played now cannot be walked back.
I agree with the Sith Lord that the Republic will fracture into different nation-states—a possibility that he has discussed for many years—but it’s painful to see. I feel like I’m in ancient Israel right before the masses were carted-off into captivity by Babylon and Egypt.
Trump the Negotiator
I’m going to state something that is only superficially true but has some merit. Trump is like Jesus in a few ways. First, with him there is no neutrality. Second, his trial is one of false accusations and conflicting accounts which are not corroborated by any evidence. Third, his enemies want to crucify him. Fourth, he is like a fulcrum, he is dividing the sheep from the goats. Trump will go down in history as the most divisive figure in the White House since Lincoln. Fifth, Trump is triumphing over his enemies because the traps they laid for him are in reality their doom.
The number three political party in California, the embattled California Republican Party (CAGOP), has taken a page from Karen England’s playbook and decided to raise money off the efforts of someone else’s ballot initiative. In this case, the recall of Governor Gavin Newsom. The only problem is that California’s Republicans have no interest in supporting either recall effort (there are two measures currently gathering signatures). Just like Capital Resource Institute did during Proposition 8 and other efforts during that era, the GOP is raising money off of the ballot initiative and diverting the money to keep their doors.
Here is CRA expat Steve Frank’s summary of the story. (Emphasis in original)
“Meanwhile: The California Republican Party has sent a fund-raising pitch seemingly embracing an effort to recall Newsom.
GOP Chairwoman Jessica Millan Patterson said money raised would go to the party, not the recall backers, the Sacramento Bee reported.
A long shot: Qualifying a recall for the ballot could cost $10 million. In its most recent filing, the California Republican Party had $1.6 million in the bank, and many legislative seats to defend.”
You read that right—“GOP Chairwoman Jessica Millan Patterson said money raised would go to the party, not the recall backers, the Sacramento Bee reported.”
Folks, I left the Republican Party a few years ago but I’m sure they never voted to support the recall of our Governor so how can they pretend differently; even if they are just feigning it. Surely, Chad Mays and those other gutless wonders at the “Bill Mill” would never stand for such a display of speaking truth to power; especially, when they covet the power more than their political or eternal souls.
Folks this recall effort is doomed before it gets started but the fact that the CAGOP is anywhere near it shows how out of touch their leadership really is. Perhaps if Republicans in California advocated answers instead of cheap gimmicks their registration numbers would stabilized. Sadly, they have yet to hit bottom. Charles Munger did a number on these guys and they couldn’t see it at the time or even now.
The Democrat’s moral elevator appears not to have a bottom floor. As you may be aware, a coup to replace Donald Trump is taking place as we speak; a coup so terribly thought-out it makes third world opposition parties (and the CRA) jealous. While congressperson (don’t want to assume gender here) Adam Schiff has done a great job to damage his own brand, this Earl Blumenauer fellow did him one better.
Democrat’s Elevator to Hell
Earl’s Stunt
You see, Ambassador Gordon Sondland initially refused to testify at the impeachment circus. Sondland was ordered by the State Department not to cooperation with the Democrat’s subpoena. As a result, Earl Blumenauer (I)—for registered Idiot—made this statement, “Anyone who cares about America should not do any business or stay at any of Gordon Sondland’s hotels.” Blumenauer’s news release then continued, “Not until he fulfills his duty as a citizen to testify and turn over all relevant documents to the House of Representatives.”
Subsequently, and no thanks to Congressman Earl, the Ambassador changed his mind.
“Notwithstanding the State Department’s current direction to not testify, Ambassador Sondland will honor the Committees’ subpoena, and he looks forward to testifying next Thursday,” Robert Luskin, Sondland’s attorney, said in a statement.
Even after Ambassador Sondland testified, Blumenauer has not withdrawn his call for a boycott.
FYI: Sondland did testify, and essentially buried Schiff today by the way.
Another Boycott
Blumenauer called for a boycott, which seems to be a play the Democrats continue to run from their failed playbook. How many times have we seen it now? Chick-fil-A, Ivanka Trump‘s brand, and now Sondland’s hotel brand, conveniently located in Portland, Oregon Blumenauer’s district. Problem is? Sondland stepped down as chairman and an executive of this chain when he entered into public service a year ago. This is a factual matter that Blumenauer knows full well. Sadly whether due to all his years in public service or living in the Swamp, Earl Blumenauer decided to join the chorus chanting, “Who needs rules when hearsay is more important than truth?” Does Blumenauer even have the slightest idea who gets hurt the most under his boycott idea? Hint it ain’t the millionaires up top.
Earl Blumenauer–honored as one of the most pot friendly guys in Congress
The bottom line is, the Sondland hotel workers in his district get hit the hardest. It’s similar to when a corporation does not perform well, the layoffs start at the bottom not the top. The folks being directly impacted work in the hotel industry meaning they are likely low wage jobs, in essence the people who need the work and money the most. Doesn’t that sound like the people the millionaires in the Democrat Party claim to represent and fight for?
These boycotts never go well or have unintended consequences. While Chick-fil-A may have caved slightly on LBGTQ issues, they saw a huge uptick in sales. Ivanka Trump’s line is doing outstanding, and from what I can see, business is booming at Trump properties! We here at reallyright.com don’t believe in boycotts and are happy to see this one implode.
Blumenauer and his ilk are the worst kind of humans. These guys get elected and try to influence everything and legislate things they hate out of existence. What exactly was the purpose of this call for a boycott? Because Sondland wouldn’t testify at the circus? Last I checked, you have a 5th Amendment right…maybe I should send Blumenauer a copy of our rights as citizens. On the other hand, maybe Earl Blumenauer could exercise his right to remain silent instead of opening his mouth and removing all doubt.
Blumenauer is the perfect example of a lemming. Pelosi or Schiff tell him to jump and he will gladly comply…for our county’s sake I hope it’s off a long pier!
Just remember, boycotts hurt those at the bottom not the top…and yeah, that impeachment trial is going just great for the Democrats! Not!
Troll
PS Hope Hicks I am truly sorry you have to watch your former boss go through this. I’m available by phone if you ever need to chat, a consultation, or just get something off your chest; just reach out to the owner of this blog.
Editor’s Note: With all due respect to Troll, whatever Sonderland did to Schiff, he managed to bury himself as well.
The disparity between accounts comes as Sondland’s spotty recollection of events related to the Ukraine matter came into question in other ways during Wednesday’s hearing. At one point, he blamed part of his difficulty in reconstructing events on the fact that he is “not a note-taker or a memo-writer.” Republican counsel Steve Castor later critiqued the witness’ lack of notes, records, and recollection as a “the trifecta of unreliability.” Sondland responded that his recollections had been “refreshed by subsequent testimony, by some texts and emails that I’ve now had access to.”
Three stories that make a difference that were buried in the last few days.
California is fulfilling their role as a take no prisoners, authoritarian regime. In the latest moves to ban the internal combustion engine and anything else that uses fossil fuels, California has created another list of politically incorrect people that are to be avoided. This time the list includes automakers that will not be allowed to sell to the State. First on the list are GM, Chrysler, Nissan, and Toyota.
Mary Nichols-California Air Resources Board
California issued a statement late Monday saying that as of January the state would only buy vehicles from automakers that recognize the California Air Resources Board’s authority to set tough greenhouse gas emissions standards for vehicles. California also pledged only to do business with automakers that committed to stringent emissions reduction goals.
Separately, the state also said it will no longer buy sedans that are powered only by internal combustion engines, no matter who manufactures the car. It will buy only plug-in electric or hybrid sedans, although California would make an exception for certain public safety vehicles. That rule does not apply to SUV or truck purchases.
This list is in addition to the ones that prohibit State employees and athletic teams from California State Universities from traveling to other States because the States are pro-life or pro-marriage; both of which are outlawed in California. I’m sure a similar list banning travel to places based on gun ownership is also in the works.
As a result of this utopian B.S., Elon Musk looks to be the beneficiary of more taxpayer money that he didn’t really earn. Of course this will be in addition to the money being directed to him as a result of the solar panel mandate that begins in January. Elon, by far, is the most heavily subsidized fellow in the history of the planet. Elon gets more corporate welfare from the government than any defense contractor ever dreamed.
Elon Musk has tax money to burn
Next up is California oil production, a story which is told via two news accounts.
But since taking office in January, Newsom’s own department of energy management has approved 33 percent more new oil and gas drilling permits than were approved under Newsom’s predecessor Jerry Brown over the same period in 2018—a median of 174 permits to drill new oil, gas, and cyclic steam wells approved a month, based on Geologic Energy Management Division (CALGEM) reports analyzed by CityLab.
The rate of fracking permits approved also soared at the start of the year, up 109 percent through June.
The fact that fracking approvals in California had spiked in the new year was first reported in July by the FracTracker Alliance and Consumer Watchdog. Newsom responded quickly to the news, firing the head of the approving agency for employing regulators who owned stock in oil companies, and directing the department to stop approving fracking permits. Since June 28, California hasn’t cleared any new hydraulic fracturing projects. After publication of this story on Monday, the Los Angeles Times reported that Newsom announced he was fully stopping the permitting of new hydraulic fracturing pending independent scientific review. He also said he’d issue a moratorium on “new permits for steam-injected oil drilling.”
The lesson is, if you support jobs and energy then you won’t last long holding an appointed government office in California.
I think Chevron should move its headquarters from San Francisco to Texas ASAP and close all their California refineries when they go. If California wants to ban fossil fuels then I think the private sector should cooperate. Let’s give politicians a world without gasoline and diesel now. Why wait until 2040? After all, there’s no time like the present. Give fossil fuel users the same treatment that PG&E is giving their electrical customers. Clearly the environmentalist message is, if you hate the planet so much that you use fossil fuels, then you deserve some payback. You can’t break addiction without pain.
Oh and speaking of pain, our illustrious leaders also want to ban the last reliable fuel used to generate electricity, natural gas. (FYI nuclear is banned in California and hydroelectric is not considered renewable energy.)
Maybe we could shut natural gas off for a week or so in February just to show people what that’s really like. Maybe such a move right before the Primary Elections in March would cause voters to make more sensible choices on the ballot.
I saw this quote in a Fox News opinion piece—please note that whatever their shortcomings, at least Fox knows to label opinion pieces as such as opposed to a news article from a Leftist media outlet where it’s all opinion disguised as news—anyways, something occurred to me as I read these words; namely this, Pelosi is like Obama. Read this and then I will continue my thought.
Pelosi, fellow California Democrat and House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff and their Democratic co-conspirators in their attempted coup are going to do whatever they want, however they want, because they think the rules don’t apply to them.
After all, who’s going to call them out for their misdeeds – their partisan allies at the fake and corrupt New York Times and Washington Post? Come on.
Let’s face it: unhinged radical Democratic Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York, Rashida Tlaib of Michigan and Ilhan Omar of Minnesota are calling the shots on behalf of a mob of anti-Trump socialists who have seized control of the Democratic Party.
The third paragraph states, as we have here many times, that AOC and the Broad Squad are calling the shots in the Democrat Party, but what struck me as I read this is that Pelosi is like Obama! We keep viewing Speaker Pelosi as not in control, feckless, and ineffective but is there something more? Perhaps. Maybe Pelosi sees herself as like Obama. Does the phrase, “Lead from behind” ring any bells? Obama did that for eight years and Democrats love and adore him.
Yeah, Nancy Pelosi is leading her party from behind. There, now we know what’s going on. She has emptied herself of what she wants and instead is giving her caucus want they want.
I think the meaning of leading from behind has become slightly muddled because it’s so easy to poke fun at the slogan itself. As Ben Armbruster at the liberal Think Progress points out, Nelson Mandela popularized the concept of leading from behind. Armbruster dug up the following quote from Mandela:
“It is better to lead from behind and to put others in front, especially when you celebrate victory when nice things occur. You take the front line when there is danger. Then people will appreciate your leadership.” In his 1994 autobiography, “Long Walk to Freedom,” Mandela also described it this way:
“I always remember the regent’s axiom: a leader, he said, is like a shepherd. He stays behind the flock, letting the most nimble go out ahead, whereupon the others follow, not realizing that all along they are being directed from behind.”
So despite the funny phrasing, at the heart of the idea of leading from behind is the empowerment of other actors to do your bidding
So is Nancy Pelosi the “Good Shepherd” and the House Caucus (or American people) her sheep? If so, doesn’t that make her Christ? So wouldn’t that make government God? It fits her worldview but is this reality or delusion?
Here’s a contrary view of leading from behind.
Leading from behind is not leading. It is abdicating. It is also an oxymoron. Yet a sympathetic journalist, channeling an Obama adviser, elevates it to a doctrine. The president is no doubt flattered. The rest of us are merely stunned.
Frankly the thought I had on the phrase “leading from behind” is one you hear about in war-torn areas where human life has no value. You line up the POWs, or women and children, side-by-side, depending on what type of despotism that you prefer, and march them through suspected mine fields to insure that passage is now safe for your troops. Why sweep for mines when others can cheaply do it for you?
So is Nancy being benevolent by giving her Caucus what they want or marching them through a mine field? The correct answer is both; especially, for the 31 new people that won seats last held by Republicans prior to the 2018 election. Some pundits are talking about Democrat gains in the next election but I think Nancy is risking it all to pursue the promised impeachment drive. She knows she can’t deliver a fatal blow to Trump but her immediate concern is for her political survival. I think her days are numbered, both on the planet and in politics but as Joe Serna used to say, “The chief job of a politician is to be reelected.” Those in power, especially in D.C., never willingly give it up, they only resign when they are carried out feet first in a body bag. So as you watch the impeachment drama unfold, remember that Speaker Pelosi is just like Barack Obama, she is leading from behind and given the circumstances that suits her just fine.
