op ed review 12/4
THIS WEEK’S NEWS
Gen. Mattis: “Donald
Trump has picked an honorable, thoughtful, and courageous warrior to lead the
Pentagon. He knows how to lead men in battle. He’s an outstanding strategic thinker,
and he’s unencumbered by politically correct nonsense. Trump’s cabinet is
shaping up very well indeed, but this choice is his best and most crucial
personnel decision yet.”
Trump says U.S. flag-burning should be punishable by ´loss
of citizenship or year in jail´.
Guess Who Else Once Supported Jail Time For Burning the
Flag?
A Thatcherite reformer is in pole position to become the
next president of France after a landslide victory in his party’s primary
election during which he pledged to sack 500,000 civil servants.
“In one of the most shocking flip-flops in recent political
history, German Chancellor Angela Merkel now says she will deport about 10% of
recently arrived migrants -- 100,000 of them. But more than that, her tone on
granting asylum to migrants has radically changed.”
Federal Debt Tops $19,900,000,000,000—On Black Friday
If Shakespeare is performed without the bard’s immortal words,
is it really Shakespeare? The National Education Association has committed
$10,000 of taxpayers’ money to test that question — one of dozens of projects
to make the wasteful spending list of Sen. James Lankford, an Oklahoma
Republican who’s continuing the tradition of former Sen. Tom Coburn’s annual
Wastebook. The National Science Foundation again comes in for an outsized share
of criticism for its research spending, including a $1.8 million grant to a
university that spent some of the money on embroidered Snuggies, the robe-style
blankets that are a staple of As-Seen-On-TV.
If you attend the wrong church, you may be a public target: HGTV’s ‘Fixer Upper’ stars Chip and Joanna
Gaines under fire for belonging to a church that doesn’t believe in same-sex
marriage”
Sign the petition and stop buying Kellogg products: Breitbart News organizes a boycott after
Kellogg withdrew their advertising from Breitbart News, claiming that the site
and its conservative readers were not “aligned with our values as a company.”
http://www.breitbart.com/tech/2016/11/30/dumpkelloggs-trends-on-twitter-following-breitbart-boycott/
So who IS aligned with Kellogg values?
Black Lives Matter and other left wing organizations: $1M donated to BLM.
Sign the petition:
Meanwhile, Black Lives Matter has come out in support of
communist dictator Fidel Castro following his death. The movement posted said
they felt an ´overwhelming sense of loss´ of the death of the controversial
former Cuban leader.
The Historic Facts About Illegal Alien Voters (Full Research
pdf)…
One election expert projects more than 800,000 noncitizens
voted in the 2016 election and overwhelmingly for Democrat Hillary Clinton.
The media arm of the Islamic State claimed Tuesday that the
Ohio State student who crashed a car into campus crowd and then lashed out with
a butcher knife was a "soldier´´ of the terror group who heeded appeals to
strike the U.S., and its allies.
Ohio State students and faculty pushed hard for more Islamic
immigration
43,000 Somali refugees settled in US under Obama, 99 percent
Muslim
Rep. Peter King: ´Up to 40 Somali Americans´ Have Become
´ISIS Terrorists´
2,500 refugees from terrorism hotspots around the world are
now bound for the U.S. after being rejected by Australia: not even top lawmakers can get answers about
who they are.
“Progressives Demand
Gun Control After Knife Attack At Ohio State University”
Requiring employees in the United States to speak a foreign
language is not discriminatory but forcing them to speak English violates federal
law under a sweeping order issued by the Obama administration to crack down on
“national origin discrimination” in the workplace.
At least one thousand veterans gathered in Amherst, MA to
protest the removal of the American flag at Hampshire College.
Update: It worked. The American flag once again flies over
Hampshire College.
Senate Republicans are wary of making a historic move to nix
the filibuster despite growing pressure from conservatives.
Foreign governments will be encouraged to investigate the
Clinton Foundation’s finances, as many are already turning off money spigots to
the scandal-scarred group,
Pope's possible deal with China would 'betray Christ', says
Hong Kong cardinal.
___________________________________________________________________
COLUMN OF THE WEEK
The Trump Election: Myths vs Realities 11/30
Before
a clear-eyed analysis of Trump can be pursued, it’s necessary to sweep away a
lot of the election nonsense that was portrayed. Campaigning is tough and
candidates of both parties always stretch the truth and throw mud at their
opposition. It’s not news that most journalists have a strong liberal bias.
That has been true for decades.
But, there’s a difference between bias and venom. This time really was different. In this election, journalists abandoned any pretense of ethical behavior and went all-in for Clinton. The Washington Post told its younger reporters to work day and night to destroy Trump by any means possible. The New York Times went further. They asked their reporters to imagine they lived in Germany in December 1932 one month before elections that handed the government to the National Socialist Workers Party, the Nazis, and made Adolph Hitler Chancellor of Germany. What would they tell their children and grandchildren they as reporters did to stop the rise of Hitler? In the editor’s eyes, Trump was a new Hitler, and reporters were duty-bound to stop him by any means fair or foul. Harvard economist Larry Summers openly compared Trump to Italian fascist dictator Benito Mussolini. The television networks, NBC, ABC, CBS and CNN were no better. Leaked emails from Clinton campaign chairman John Podesta showed reporters from CNBC and Politico submitting their articles to Podesta in advance for approval in order not to offend the Clintons.
You get the point. This was not biased reporting, this was a concerted effort to destroy one man – Donald Trump. Nevertheless, Trump won the election.
Why dwell on the past? Why not just move on? The reason is that the after-effects of this media mission to destroy Trump have lingered in the minds of many Americans and people around the world. For millions of engaged voters, what happened in the election is not just the normal disappointment that goes with any electoral defeat. There’s a sense of cognitive dissonance, and of complete denial and incredulity. Simply put, Democrats, some Republicans, the media, global elites, and many everyday citizens around the world still can’t process a Trump presidency.
Trump is impulsive and his behavior at times is vulgar. He’s a smart businessman, but not particularly well-versed in the long-standing policy debates that obsess the Washington elites. He’s a successful CEO, not an economic guru. But, he’s not racist, misogynist, or anti-Semitic. That’s all nonsense ginned up as part of the media operation to take Trump down. Those who can’t get past the crude labels pinned on Trump will not be able to understand the real Trump at work.
When Trump calls for 45% tariffs on Chinese imported goods, the geeks in Washington get out their spreadsheets and economic models. They begin calculating the drag on growth and impact on jobs from a tariff increase on a static quantity of imports. What they don’t understand is that for Trump, the 45% tariff is just the starting place for a negotiation. It’s an invitation to the Chinese to make some concession in areas such as direct foreign investment by U.S. firms, and theft of intellectual property. Once some concessions are forthcoming, Trump can lower the proposed tariff from 45% to 25% and then ask for more concessions. It’s all part of the “art of the deal.” Ironically, the Chinese seem to understand this better than the American media. China recently said that if Trump imposes tariffs, they will switch their aircraft orders from Boeing to Europe’s Airbus, and ban Apple’s iPhones from China. That’s the Chinese art of the deal.
Now that the two sides have announced their opening bids, let the negotiations begin! That’s how every deal works in the real world. Only in Washington and the media is this negotiation posturing not understood. Similar misconceptions apply to a range of Trump policies, including tax cuts and spending plans. Trump has a grandiose vision, but he’s also showing a deft hand when it comes to reaching out to former critics such as Paul Ryan and Mitt Romney. This is not the action of a political novice, but a seasoned operator who knows that cooperation beats confrontation every time.
Opponents of Trump made a crucial mistake. They believed their own propaganda…..This left them totally unprepared for the election result and leaves them unable to interpret the situation today. This is important to bear in mind when reading ongoing coverage about Trump’s economic policies. You will be getting distorted analysis on everything from so-called “free trade” to tax policy, fiscal policy, regulatory policy and much more. Once you have put aside the myths about Trump, one needs to internalize the realities. This was not a typical victory; it was a complete rout of the Democrats. The magnitude of the Republican victory is still sinking in, but it’s so significant that it’s fair to say change has come to Washington at last.
This is a boon if you like Trump’s policies, but it’s also an analytical challenge. Many of the old political models of stalemate and confrontation no longer apply. Republicans did not just win the White House, they kept control of the Senate and House of Representatives also. Republicans did have control of the White House, and both houses of Congress from 2002–2006, but those years were consumed by the response to 9/11, the Global War on Terror, and the War in Iraq. War spending left little scope for infrastructure spending of the kind Trump proposes. Prior to 2002, the last time Republicans held the White House and both houses of Congress at the same time was 1928.
But, there’s a difference between bias and venom. This time really was different. In this election, journalists abandoned any pretense of ethical behavior and went all-in for Clinton. The Washington Post told its younger reporters to work day and night to destroy Trump by any means possible. The New York Times went further. They asked their reporters to imagine they lived in Germany in December 1932 one month before elections that handed the government to the National Socialist Workers Party, the Nazis, and made Adolph Hitler Chancellor of Germany. What would they tell their children and grandchildren they as reporters did to stop the rise of Hitler? In the editor’s eyes, Trump was a new Hitler, and reporters were duty-bound to stop him by any means fair or foul. Harvard economist Larry Summers openly compared Trump to Italian fascist dictator Benito Mussolini. The television networks, NBC, ABC, CBS and CNN were no better. Leaked emails from Clinton campaign chairman John Podesta showed reporters from CNBC and Politico submitting their articles to Podesta in advance for approval in order not to offend the Clintons.
You get the point. This was not biased reporting, this was a concerted effort to destroy one man – Donald Trump. Nevertheless, Trump won the election.
Why dwell on the past? Why not just move on? The reason is that the after-effects of this media mission to destroy Trump have lingered in the minds of many Americans and people around the world. For millions of engaged voters, what happened in the election is not just the normal disappointment that goes with any electoral defeat. There’s a sense of cognitive dissonance, and of complete denial and incredulity. Simply put, Democrats, some Republicans, the media, global elites, and many everyday citizens around the world still can’t process a Trump presidency.
Trump is impulsive and his behavior at times is vulgar. He’s a smart businessman, but not particularly well-versed in the long-standing policy debates that obsess the Washington elites. He’s a successful CEO, not an economic guru. But, he’s not racist, misogynist, or anti-Semitic. That’s all nonsense ginned up as part of the media operation to take Trump down. Those who can’t get past the crude labels pinned on Trump will not be able to understand the real Trump at work.
When Trump calls for 45% tariffs on Chinese imported goods, the geeks in Washington get out their spreadsheets and economic models. They begin calculating the drag on growth and impact on jobs from a tariff increase on a static quantity of imports. What they don’t understand is that for Trump, the 45% tariff is just the starting place for a negotiation. It’s an invitation to the Chinese to make some concession in areas such as direct foreign investment by U.S. firms, and theft of intellectual property. Once some concessions are forthcoming, Trump can lower the proposed tariff from 45% to 25% and then ask for more concessions. It’s all part of the “art of the deal.” Ironically, the Chinese seem to understand this better than the American media. China recently said that if Trump imposes tariffs, they will switch their aircraft orders from Boeing to Europe’s Airbus, and ban Apple’s iPhones from China. That’s the Chinese art of the deal.
Now that the two sides have announced their opening bids, let the negotiations begin! That’s how every deal works in the real world. Only in Washington and the media is this negotiation posturing not understood. Similar misconceptions apply to a range of Trump policies, including tax cuts and spending plans. Trump has a grandiose vision, but he’s also showing a deft hand when it comes to reaching out to former critics such as Paul Ryan and Mitt Romney. This is not the action of a political novice, but a seasoned operator who knows that cooperation beats confrontation every time.
Opponents of Trump made a crucial mistake. They believed their own propaganda…..This left them totally unprepared for the election result and leaves them unable to interpret the situation today. This is important to bear in mind when reading ongoing coverage about Trump’s economic policies. You will be getting distorted analysis on everything from so-called “free trade” to tax policy, fiscal policy, regulatory policy and much more. Once you have put aside the myths about Trump, one needs to internalize the realities. This was not a typical victory; it was a complete rout of the Democrats. The magnitude of the Republican victory is still sinking in, but it’s so significant that it’s fair to say change has come to Washington at last.
This is a boon if you like Trump’s policies, but it’s also an analytical challenge. Many of the old political models of stalemate and confrontation no longer apply. Republicans did not just win the White House, they kept control of the Senate and House of Representatives also. Republicans did have control of the White House, and both houses of Congress from 2002–2006, but those years were consumed by the response to 9/11, the Global War on Terror, and the War in Iraq. War spending left little scope for infrastructure spending of the kind Trump proposes. Prior to 2002, the last time Republicans held the White House and both houses of Congress at the same time was 1928.
There
are significant differences between Republican control in 2017 and Republican
control in 2002. The Senate operates under a cloture rule that requires 60
votes to end debate on any measure. Protracted debate, the so-called
“filibuster,” is a Senate tradition not in the Constitution, but typically
honored under Senate rules. The small majorities held by Republicans in
2002-2006 were generally not enough to overcome the 60-vote rule. Minority
leaders Tom Daschle and Harry Reid used this to shut down Republican policy
initiatives.
But during the period of Democratic control of the Senate from 2006 to 2014, the leadership made important rule changes. Obamacare was passed in its final form as a “budget reconciliation” that required only 51 votes, not 60. Given that structure, Obamacare could be effectively repealed today by changing its budget-related provisions with the same 51-vote process. More importantly, Harry Reid changed the filibuster cloture rule on judicial appointments (other than the Supreme Court) and executive branch nominees. By applying the new rule, Republicans can reshape the federal courts, especially the important Circuit Court for Washington, DC. They can also staff the senior ranks of the executive branch, including cabinet officials, with no Democratic resistance. In effect, Republicans can add prospective control of the judiciary to their control of the Congress and White House in their trifecta of power.
As icing on the cake, Republicans control 32 of 50 state legislatures and 33 of 50 state governorships. Control at the state level is important when it comes to directing infrastructure spending, creating enterprise zones, and working with the federal government to implement Trump’s policies. In short, Republican power over the U.S. policy process is stronger now than it has been at any time since the Reconstruction period (1866–1876) following the Civil War.
Neither the Republicans nor the Democrats have yet fully grasped the magnitude of this historical change. What it means in practice is that if Republicans can agree on a policy mix, they are in the strongest position to actually implement it in 150 years.
But during the period of Democratic control of the Senate from 2006 to 2014, the leadership made important rule changes. Obamacare was passed in its final form as a “budget reconciliation” that required only 51 votes, not 60. Given that structure, Obamacare could be effectively repealed today by changing its budget-related provisions with the same 51-vote process. More importantly, Harry Reid changed the filibuster cloture rule on judicial appointments (other than the Supreme Court) and executive branch nominees. By applying the new rule, Republicans can reshape the federal courts, especially the important Circuit Court for Washington, DC. They can also staff the senior ranks of the executive branch, including cabinet officials, with no Democratic resistance. In effect, Republicans can add prospective control of the judiciary to their control of the Congress and White House in their trifecta of power.
As icing on the cake, Republicans control 32 of 50 state legislatures and 33 of 50 state governorships. Control at the state level is important when it comes to directing infrastructure spending, creating enterprise zones, and working with the federal government to implement Trump’s policies. In short, Republican power over the U.S. policy process is stronger now than it has been at any time since the Reconstruction period (1866–1876) following the Civil War.
Neither the Republicans nor the Democrats have yet fully grasped the magnitude of this historical change. What it means in practice is that if Republicans can agree on a policy mix, they are in the strongest position to actually implement it in 150 years.
_____________________________________________________________________
BOOKS
In her new book, No Child Left Alone, Abby W. Schachter
delves into how the federal government has been meddling in the bedrock of
human society: the family. Whether it’s letting your child stay home, packing
your child’s lunch, or sending your child to daycare, the federal government
wants control.
___________________________________________________________________
MSM
CNN crew caught on camera joking about Donald Trump’s plane
crashing.
New Republic Writer: “America’s Never Been Great, But Obama
Showed Us How We Might Make It So”
___________________________________________________________________
LEFTIST WATCH
With his shaggy beard and rumpled, olive-drab fatigues,
Fidel Castro presented himself to the world as a modest man of the people. At
times, he claimed he made just 900 pesos ($43) a month and lived in a
“fisherman’s hut” somewhere on the beach. But Castro’s public image was a
carefully crafted myth, more fiction than fact. “While his people suffered,
Fidel Castro lived in comfort — keeping everything, including his eight
children, his many mistresses, even his wife, a secret,” wrote Juan Reinaldo
Sanchez, Castro’s longtime bodyguard. Sanchez’s book, “The Double Life of Fidel
Castro: My 17 Years as Personal Bodyguard to El
The truth about Fidel and Raul, by Ted Cruz
Why The Left Loves Totalitarians Like Fidel Castro
Revealed in letters, Castro urged Nikita Khrushchev to start
a nuclear war with the US, starting with a first strike. “He welcomed the thought of a purifying
nuclear fire.”
Fidel’s Mass Murder by the Numbers
A very hot place awaits Fidel
????? Pope Francis grieves, prays for atheist revolutionary
Castro.
Fidel Castro is dead, so that’s cool. Born to wealth and
privilege and educated in exclusive private schools—which seems to be the case
with all communist fanatics I’ve ever heard of or have had the supreme
displeasure to know in my personal life—the bearded revolutionary finally gave
up the ghost on Friday at age 90. Despite the fact that he was a murderous,
dissent-squashing, and presumably very smelly tyrant who turned his nation into
the sort of drab, flea-bitten torture chamber that all socialist republics
eventually become, he was eulogized up the yin-yang by liberal Western
politicians and the establishment leftist press,
Goldberg: Fidel
Castro died as he lived: to the sound of useful idiots making allowances for
his crimes. (That’s not my term: It was Lenin who called liberal apologists for
Communism “useful idiots.”) The gold medal in the Useful Idiot Olympics should
probably go to Justin Trudeau, the prime minister of Canada. In a statement, he
expressed his “deep sorrow” upon learning that “Cuba’s longest serving president”
had died. One can only imagine what George Orwell could do with that one word,
“serving.” Castro did not serve, he ruled a nation of servants, often cruelly,
while making obscene profits for himself
_____________________________________________________________________
GLOBALONEY
The next radical environmental tactic is now evident for
eyes to see: block all infrastructure projects—especially oil and gas
pipelines—with criminal trespass and obstruction. Having killed the Keystone
pipeline (only temporarily, now that Trump is going to approve it once he takes
office), the red-greenies are trying to stop the Dakota Access pipeline that
has received all of its regulatory permits. Naturally environmentalists have to
lie about the whole matter, whipping up claims that sacred native American
grounds are being harmed by the pipeline, or that groundwater is at risk. (The
first claim reminds me of a joke I heard in
Even as China is busy blasting Donald Trump for not taking
global warming seriously it´s ramping up coal production and throwing its
promised CO2 reductions out the window. Hopefully, Trump won´t be as easily
fooled by China´s duplicity as President Obama.
____________________________________________________________________
ISLAM
Moroccan TV airs helpful makeup tips for concealing evidence
of domestic violence
Woman in Saudi Arabia faces calls for execution after being
pictured without a head covering.
Indonesian woman flogged after being “found guilty of spending time in close proximity
with a man who was not her husband” in contravention of Aceh's Islamic
regulations.
CNN Anchor Says American Women Should Wear The Islamic Hijab
To Show ‘Solidarity’ With Muslims
Muhammed is the second most popular baby name in the UK.
ISIS video tutorial shows 'lone wolves' how to murder
'disbelievers'...
_____________________________________________________________________
ARTICLES
President-elect Donald Trump´s Electoral College crushing of
long-time presidential front-runner Hillary Rodham Clinton was fueled by the
most counties won since Ronald Reagan´s demolishing victory in 1984, and the
most votes ever for a Republican.
“Donald Trump’s education secretary nominee is a huge critic
of public schools and has pushed to steer taxpayer dollars to charter schools
and voucher programs. His Health and Human Services pick wants to dismantle
Obamacare and privatize Medicare. His attorney general nominee would crack down
on "sanctuary cities" and increase deportations of undocumented
immigrants. And his choice to run the CIA believes shutting down “black site”
prisons was a mistake, while his national security adviser contends Islam is a
threat to Western civilization. Add them all up, and the president-elect is
well on his way to building a conservative dream.”
“Trump’s team is planning a Reaganite revolution”
If you thought Trump Derangement Syndrome was a tad
excessive, you ain´t seen nothin´ yet. Now it´s "Panic in Progressive
Park”:….. the dawning realization, repressed and often unrecognized though it
may be, that Donald Trump may even a be a good president, possibly a great one.
https://pjmedia.com/rogerlsimon/2016/12/01/panic-in-progressive-park-what-if-trump-is-actually-good/
“The recount in Wisconsin, and the coming ones in Michigan
and Pennsylvania will not change the outcomes in any of the states. No
recount ever changes thousands of votes. I do not think that is the
purpose.”
http://www.americanthinker.com/blog/2016/11/the_democrats_real_strategy_in_launching_recounts.html#ixzz4REPyIypv
What they’re really up to: “Dems
Are Stalling, Recount Will Not Be Completed, State Will Be
Forfeited– Won´t Count For Trump!”
Forfeited– Won´t Count For Trump!”
Trump Could Reshape The Federal Courts Dramatically
“A woman made history by being the first female to lose a
presidential election. Unconfirmed leaks reveal that her reaction to that honor
was to drink alcohol, throw things, sob for hours, drink more alcohol and make
herself so generally unpresentable that her aides had to postpone her
concession speech until the following morning. Apparently no one told her that
you break the glass ceiling by climbing up there and pushing through, not by
getting drunk and angry, sobbing on the floor and throwing lamps at it.
posted by gary at
5:01 PM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
Subscribe to Post Comments [Atom]
<< Home