Breitbart News as Trump Propaganda

Barry Goldwater on Politics

Kareem's Sky Hook Shot for Black Lives Matter

On Fox News Kelly File from the Democrat National Convention from Philadelphia, Kareem Abdul Jabbar threw up a verbal sky hook shot for Black Lives Matter. 

Hillary Clinton Conflates Economic Improvement with Restricting Free Speech

It is interesting that Democrat Presidential nominee Hillary Clinton talks about America as a democracy as it is a Constitutional Republic which democratically elects our officials.  

Mrs. Clinton makes an odd causal nexus between improving the economy with overturning judicial rulings.  Promising to repeal the Supreme Court's Citizens United decision probably played well to the progressive DNC throng gathered at Wells Fargo Center. But it is stretching the truth to claim that Citizens United was about limiting corporate money in politics.

At its essence, the Citizens United decision was about Free Speech.  Citizens v, FEC (2010) was a Supreme Court decision about Free Speech.  The facts involved a non-profit organization which sought to air "Hillary: The Movie" within 30 days of the 2008 Democrat primaries.  Courts applied McCain Feingold laws against "electronic electioneering" too close to elections by unauthorized organizations (news organizations would be exempted under the First Amendment Freedom of the Press).

The Supreme Court overturned restrictions on independent political expenditures from non-profit corporations but upheld that there must be public disclosures of who sponsored the ads.  This logic extended to for profit corporations, labor unions and associations.  Thus the rise of "527s" in elections, which are organizations which are independent of political campaigns but supplement a candidate's message, which is restricted by FEC contribution limitations.

If you delve into what Hillary really means by her conflated logic, it really means: "Americans will feel economically better by the government controlling free speech around elections and let approved messages from campaigns and what the liberal mainstream media tells you what to think."

That's how Hillary claims that she will improve the economy for the Middle Class, control information in the polity for approved messages or those coming from a liberal Lamestream Media under the guise of getting money out of politics. 

Angela Merkel on NATO Being Stronger with Allies

On DNC Incompetence

DNC Chair Debbie Wasserman Schultz was convinced not to gavel the opening of the Democrat National Convention in Philadelphia in the wake of the DNCleaks (via Wikileaks) revelations of rigging the primary system for 2016 Democrat nominee Hillary Clinton (D-NY).  

So they let the honor of gaveling the convention open to Baltimore Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake. (D-Baltimore).

Rawlings-Blake did about as well in that role as she did in crowd control in the wake of the Freddie Gray protests (freedom of speech = freedom to destroy).  Perhaps more poignantly put, Rawlings was about as effective as Baltimore District Attorney Carolyn Mosby's criminal prosecutions of Baltimore Police Officers in the the Freddie Gray case.

Democrats are also ardently opposed to identification checks for voters (which conveniently leads to the very real possibility of voter fraud in some precincts).  Of course to get into the arena, delegates had to show their IDs along with their credentials.

Let's not forget about how the Democrat party is so adamantly opposed stronger border controls for immigration, as epitomized in Republican nominees exhortation to build a wall with Mexico.  Aside from the four mile wide perimeter wall around Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, the DNC needed to erect a curtain wall in front of the DNC stage to prevent Bernie Bros from charging the stairs.  Later this was replaced by a plexiglass wall.

Supporters of Sanders were so raucous, particularly on the first night that the DNC might have sought to replace them with paid seat warmers via Craigslists.  For sections in the convention that seemed to be Bernie territory, the DNC conveniently turned the lights out in that section so it would not interfere with the televised perception of Democrat party unity. 

Hillary Clinton on Society

C. Boyden Gray on Security Clearances

FBI Director James Comey on Extreme Carelessness

W.C. Fields on Philadelphia

Van Jones on Radicals

On the ISIS Inspired Atrocity in Normandy

Two terrorists aligned with ISIS took hostages during a morning Mass in Saint-Etienne-du-Rouvray in Normandy France.  The Muslim terrorists forced Fr. Jacques Hamel to kneel at the altar and then they slit the throat of the 84 year old curate as they reportedly videotaped the brutality.

Vatican spokesman Fr. Federico Lombardi. S.J., lamented the martyrdom of Fr. Hamel, noting: “We are particularly stricken because this horrible violence occurred in a church — a sacred place in which the love of God is proclaimed — with the barbaric killing of a priest." 

Jealous About Raising Kaine

Nutter on Politics in Philadelphia

Senator Cory Booker on Values

Keith Ellison Denies Populist Democrat Demagogue

On ABC's This Week with George Stephanopolis. Representative Keith Ellison (D-MN 5th) asserted that Republican Presidential nominee Donald Trump (R-NY) was the worst Republican Presidential candidate since George Wallace.



 
Another panelist Representative Tom Cole (R-OK 3rd) gently reminded Ellison that former Governor George Wallace (D-AL) was actually a Democrat, who ran for the Democrat Presidential nomination in 1964, 1972 and 1976. And in 1968, Wallace ran under the banner of the American Independence Party which accommodated a Southern populist and segregationalist platform.




Never miss a chance for Democrats to deny inconvenient truths from their party's history as well as attempt to smear Republicans.

Frank Rizzo on the Streets of Philadelphia

Rep. Hank Johnson Calls Jewish Settlers Termites at DNC Philly Event

In the run up to the opening of the Democrat National Convention in Philadelphia, Representative Hank Johnson spoke before the U.S. Campaign to End the Israeli Occupation, one of the primary motivators of the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement. Johnson referred to Jewish Settlers as termites.

Johnson represents Georgia's 4th Congressional District, which has a history of electing Black Democrats  (as he was preceded by ex Rep. Cynthia McKinney) who make anti-semitic statements. 

Johnson also has a record of saying stupid things in Congress, like in 2010 when Rep. Hank J asked during Congressional Hearings in the Armed Services Committee if Guam would tip over and capsize by the United States sending over more personnel to the Pacific Island. Or when Rep. Johnson took to the House Floor to apologize to vertically challenged people who he labeled midgets But Johnson deliberately sought out the BDS movement to spew his anti-semitism. 

By the end of the afternoon, Johnson's minions  got the Congressman to put out a Tweet which put his biting comments into context.

It is dubious that Johnson's termite comment needed clarification--he just got caught and it had the potential of alienating Jewish voters at a turbulent Democrat National Convention, when the DNC leadership had been exposed by Wikileaks of using Socialist Senator Bernie Sanders (Socialist-VT) Jewish roots against him in the contentious campaign versus Democrat Presidential nominee Hillary Clinton (D-NY).

It did not take the Anti-Defamation League long to "appreciate" Rep. Hank Johnson's clarification of his anti-semitic statement.  Thus the ADL is either a very forgiving organization or a selectively quickly forgiving partisan Jewish organization.

What is stupifying is this controversy occurred on the same day the Democrat National Committee ran a video during the Convention which tried to associate Republican Presidential nominee Donald Trump (R-NY) with anti-semitic groups. 

If Jewish voters were wise, they might deeply examine how each party treats them and where they stand on the issues. Regrettably, for most secular Jews, progressivism is their religiou and they revere their tradition of pulling the lever for donkeys. 

Debbie Wasserman Schultz on Delegates and the DNC Leaks Comeuppence

Congresswoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-FL 23rd) thought that she could drive the Democrats to victory by coronating First Lady/Senator/Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton(D-NY) at the Democrat National Convention in Philadelphia.

However, Mrs Clinton faced a spirited progressive campaign by Socialist turned Democrat Senator Bernie Sanders (Socialist-Vermont) and barely squeaked by for victory, mainly on the backs of Super-Delegates (elected Democrats pledging support to a candidate).

On the eve of the kick off of the Democrat National Convention, Wikileaks released 20,000 damning DNC emails, showing how the upper echelon of the party had the fix in for Hillary! to win. While this was not surprising, the DNC Leaks revelations were ugly and unfortunately timing for DWS.

Initially, Wasserman Schultz lost her speaking slot.  Then came word that she would ease out of the DNC chair at the end of the week to Democrat operative (and erstwhile CNN "political analyst") Donna Brazile and move to become an honorary chair of the Clinton/Kaine campaign. However it still seemed that DWS would gavel the convention and might even speak.

This changed on the morning of the start of the Democrat Convention when Wasserman Schultz was pointedly and persistently jeered when speaking before a breakfast of her home Florida state delegation.


Now it seems that Little Debbie will not be gaveling the start to the convention.  Things are getting ugly in the City of Brotherly Love, and Philly sports fans haven't even been riled.  Not to mention that "It's hot as hell in Phil-a-del-phi-a".

It's Hot as Hell In Philadelphia

It is slated to be 97 degrees in Philadelphia as the Democrat National Convention starts at the Wells Fargo Center.  The estimated 50,000 protester will be sweltering outside but they will be separated from the proceeding by an four mile security fence, colloquially called the Bernie Barrier.  Who said that Democrats were against Security Walls?

The broiling conditions outside calls into question the wisdom of calling a convention in the City of Brotherly Love in late July.  The Founding Fathers had a good reason for convening in a locale which the musical musical 1776 (1972) exclaimed "It's hot as hell in Phil-a-del-ph-a" -- it was the colonial capital. 

Ben Shapiro on Crazy Republicans

Trump on the Constitution, Suicide Pacts and Religious Liberty

As Republican Presidential nominee Donald Trump (R-NY) pivoted on his GOP primary promise to ban Muslims from entering the US "until we know what the hell is going on", Trump made some interesting inferences on Meet the Press.  

Trump analogized that adherence to the Constitution is not a suicide pact. Despite Mr. Trump's extolling the Constitution is great, something which he loves and cherishes as he lives under it, there is a clear understanding that it can be suspended if it threatens the life of the nation.  While President Abraham Lincoln did effectively suspend parts of the Constitution (e.g. habeus corpus) during the Civil War, that was controversial in a war time environment and temporary.  To be charitable, Mr. Trump's incoherent articulation of how and why such a drastic measure could be invoked was not elucidated on Meet the Press. 

While aides to Donald Trump seem to have influenced their leader to modify the Muslim ban (which would have been unconstitutional), they failed to educate him on how zealous adherence to sharia law could be incompatible with the American Republic's pluralistic and secular rule of law.

Some might think that a territorial ban solves the problem of "immi-vasion".  But those who are jihadi inclined or zealous sharia proponents are not just coming from Iraq, Afghanistan and Syria.  France, the United Kingdom and Germany had plenty of citizens who may have attitudes which mirror the ones who would be banned from a problemed territory approach.

What is disconcerting is Mr. Trump's blithe blather about cherishing the Constitution while laying the groundwork for super-ceding it.  Moreover, Mr. Trump's understanding of religious liberty seems to be confined to preaching politics from the pulpit, rather than living one's faith beyond the church doors. Trump may rightly be considered about sharia in America (and terror which seems to be attached with it through militant jihadists), crack downs on religious liberty might extend to other creeds either in fairness or judicial invoked equanimity

George W. Bush -- The Last Republican President?

RIP GOP After RNC in CLE?

Dan Senor's observation about a divided Republican Party was epitomized by a recent gathering on Capitol Hill. The Dubliner Pub hosted an unusual viewing party for Republican Presidential Nominee Donald Trump's (R-NY) acceptance speech.  Former Hill Rats and GOP Administration alumni gathered for a wake for the Republican Party. 

Lest one be lured into a facile understanding that these are just sour grapes of Republican Establishment flunkies chaffing at meeting the new boss of the party, the chasm between outsiders and establishment is not a clean cut.  While four GOP standard bearers including former President George H.W. Bush ('88 and; '92 nominee),  former President George W. Bush ('00 and '04 nominee), ex Governor Mitt Romney (R-MA '12 nominee) and  Senator John McCain (R-AZ  '08 nominee) consciously chose to skip the RNC in CLE, this disdain was not universal.  Melania Trump recognized from the dais ex Senator Bob Dole ( R-KS '96 nominee). Of course ,Dole conveniently endorsed Trump in December.  Moreover, many former Dole staffers have been joining the Trump campaign.

Establishment Republicans like Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) also attended the Trump Show. Trump winning works into the Cocktail Party agenda of eliminating pesky Tea Party types from between the beltways.  There may be a calculus by Cocktail Party chiefs that if Trump wins, they can cut backroom deals with him.  If Trump goes to ignominious defeat, then the Grand Old Party will have to rely on the Establishment as they lick their wounds in the 115th Congress.

Obviously, Senator Ted Cruz's non-endorsement of Trump illustrates the Republican Party in exile.  Cruz's Constitutional conservatism may make strange bedfellows with more moderate Republicans in exile.  But they can probably agree that threatening to trash trade deals like NAFTA, effectively blowing up NATO and ignoring back actors in the world under the guise of America First neo-isolationism is anathematic to the Post World War II Republican Party. 

Donald Trump on Evangelical Support

Paul Manafort on Trump for Women

Terrifying Language Lesson

Such a terrifying language lesson needs to be learned by leaders after the Olympia Mall shooting in Munich, the Pulse Nightclub in Orlando, the San Bernadino shooting,  and even after the 2009 massacre at Fort Hood, Texas. 

Peter Thiel at the Republican National Convention

Despite traditional values platform planks against same-sex marriage, Silcon Valley entrepreneur came out to support Donald Trump's nomination at the Republican National Convention in Cleveland. Campaign sources hyped this as the first openly gay person to speak at the RNC.

There was little controversy about Peter Thiel's declarations.  But Thiel later slighted those fighting about issues like transgendered bathrooms as being engaged in a phony culture war.  It was unclear whether this was to minimize the importance of the issue, if he rejected the wedge issue or whether he questioned the propriety in fighting for traditional values.

During his acceptance speech, Republican Presidential nominee Donald Trump (R-NY) voiced strong support for the LGBTQ community.  It is rare to see Trump take a principled stand. Whether he his rewarded by gay rights groups for that position is about as dubious as expecting support from Bernie Sanders fans for a shout out at the RNC

Marsha Blackburn on Leadership

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Circumnavigating Trump's World View

During the Republican National Convention in Cleveland which nominated Donald Trump (R-NY) as the GOP Presidential standard bearer, the candidate granted a 45 minute interview to the New York Times on Defense and  Foreign Policy issues. 

His expressed policies point toward an America First priority, a slogan which has an unfortunate history of being associated the Charles Limbergh and 1940 American isolationism. But Trump thinks this is a brand new, modern term which connotes "We are going to take care of everyone in this country before we worry about everyone else in the world."

To his credit, Trump did not pussy foot around a self interested, national weltanschaaung in seeking to "Make America Great Again.".  Trump demurred from dictating how Turkey should resolve their internal politics, noting that "America has to fix its own mess" before trying to alter the behavior of other nations. In fact, Trump mused: "How are we going to lecture when people are shooting policemen in cold blood?” So moral equivalence, a politically correct thought, shuts down America speaking against evil in the world. 

Trump reiterated his threat to pull back American troops deployed to keep stability around the world. Trump chided “We are spending a fortune on military in order to lose $800 billion [in America's trade loss]. That doesn’t sound very smart to me.”  Trump thinks that if there is a threat to the United States, we can deploy troops from our shores. 

Trump echoed his ambition to pull out of NAFTA in a split second, unless Canada and Mexico can be bullied to renegotiate more favorable terms for the United States. And probably that Mexico will pay for a border wall. 


What was truly shocking was Trump's ambivalence to adhering to Article V of the NATO Treaty for joint defense. When pressed on whether the United States would come to the defense of the Baltic States if there was an invasion by the Russian Federation, Trump implied that there would be a cost benefit analysis which was premised on whether those nations are "fulfilling their obligations to us."  So signed and ratified treaties are only bargaining positions in Trump's World. Well, at least Trump seemed to know that Latvia, Estonia and Lithuania are under the NATO security umbrella, unlike Ben Carson.

Former Reagan Foreign Policy and current American Enterprise Institute Resident Scholar Gary Schmitt, the Trump America First policy is likened to a child who picks up his ball and goes home to lock himself up in a room. 

And that's a viewpoint from a CONSERVATIVE think tank. 

Is this the serious Trump which Trump Convention Manager Paul Manafort promised in the second phase of the campaign (Trump 2.0).  If so, Trump's views on foreign affairs and defense are seriously askew.

H/T: New York Times
        AEI

The Roger Stone-ing (sic) of Ted Cruz

Roger Stone has been known since the Nixon Administration as a dirty trickster and has a long time relationship with now Republican Presidential nominee Donald Trump (R-NY).  Stone had to officially part ways with the Trump campaign in August 2015 over disagreements in the wisdom of persiverating on trashing Fox News' Megyn Kelly. 

While Stone was not officially associated with the campaign, he continues to play the role of Agent Provocateur for Trump.  Stone's excoriation of Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX) was not the first taste of Stone's vituperative verjuice. Stone furthered the Trump allegation that Cruz's father Rafael had some involvement in the JFK assassination conspiracy on Alex Jones' show.

As for the content of Stone's philippic on being a despicable human being, he may have some first hand experience with that character issue.

But this seems to be the cohort for the Trump Show: aggressive (to a fault), bellicose,  thin-skinned, vain, vulgar and volitile counter-punchers.  Is this the Republican party that voters of conscience will support?

Ted Cruz on Voting One's Conscience in Election 2016

Senator Ted Cruz gave a remarkable speech at the 2016 Republican National Convention.  While he congratulated GOP nominee Donald Trump (R-NY) for his victory in the primaries, Cruz resisted the cajoling by the media and Trump surrogates to endorse the Manhattan mogul turned Reality TV host turned Populist politician.

Instead, Cruz espoused traditional conservative Republican Party principles and urged those watching to support such candidates in the fall elections.

This message was no surprise to the Donald, as he was given an advanced copy two hours before delivery.  Publicly, Trump claims that Cruz' non endorsement was "no big deal".

However, this nonchalance is impeached by behind the scenes maneuvers. Trump sent surrogates to whip their people to boo Cruz's call for conscience.  They may have been blindly supporting their ticket, but listening to the words delivered, they impugned freedom, faithfulness to the Constitution and fidelity to one's conscience in the boos. 

[L] Donald Trump Jr. [R] GOP Presidential Nominee Donald Trump hearing Sen. Cruz at GOP Convention

Some delegates reported that Trump convention floor whips predicted to wait until tomorrow until Cruz is torn apart by a female and a male media type.  Enquiring minds (sic) want to know-- who could this be?

The day after his convention speech, Cruz  was challenged by a delegate why he broke his loyalty pledge. Cruz cited how Trump had personally attacked his wife's looks and implicated his father as being involved in the JFK assassination conspiracy. 

 Cruz could have added Trump's libelous labeling of him as "liar" and the gutless accusations that he did could not run for President because he was not a natural born citizen.  The latter charge was gutless as Trump was one of the few Americans who had standing to sue, and Trump blustered but never filed.  Yet Trump would bring out the hoary chestnut whenever he felt threatened by Cruz in the campaign.

Unlike Trump's take that it is all about him, there is the rest of the Republican party down the ticket. It is important for those incumbents and prospective office holders to define their political philosophies, which may differ from the unprinciple populism which prevailed for the top of the ticket.

Between Trump-ism and the suppression of floor votes on grassroots oriented Rules on day one of the convention, there may be a growing chasm between being a Republican and being a conservative. This is the dialectic which Cruz urged voters of conscience to decide. 

Laura Ingraham Coerces GOP Party Loyalty

What a way to build Republican Party unity at the Republican National Convention, demean those you want to win support by characterizing them as those with wounded feelings and bruised egos. NOT! 

Scott Walker on Insiders Like Hillary Clinton

The Huckster on Ted Cruz

Ted Cruz on the Mainstream Media

Drew Carey on Cleveland

Chris Christie Publicly Tries Hillary Clinton at Republican National Convention

New Jersey Governor Chris Christie used his time in the prime time spotlight at the Republican National Convention in Cleveland to prosecute a case against the malfeasance of presumptive Democrat Presidential nominee Hillary Clinton in the court of public opinion.