Rudy Giuliani on "The Clinton Treatment"

Remembering Barbara Bush

Amanda Carpenter on the Loss of Moral Credibility

Andrew Napolitano on DC Swamp Culture

In reaction to revelations that the FBI withheld 30 documents about the July 2016 tarmac meeting between former President Bill Clinton and Obama Attorney General Loretta Lynch (when Hillary Clinton was still under investigation for the Hillary Email security violations), Judge Andrew Napolitano revealed an ugly truth about Beltway ethics. 

Napolitano's exhortation for government officials to follow the rule of law and not protect other "members of the club", explains why Values Voters Summit participants repeatedly rallied at allusions to "Drain the Swamp".

On Blue Dogs and Beltway Democrats Being on the Endangered Species List

The Blue Dog Coalition was formed in 1995 in reaction to devastating losses in President Clinton's first mid-term election.  The moniker played off of the expression "Yellow Dog Democrats" of the South who were so loyal to the party after the Civil War.   Blue Dogs could also refer to the idea that when dogs are not let in the house, they stay outside in the cold and turn blue.   

The Blue Dogs sought to find a compromise between conservative and liberal positions.  They tended to be Democrats who were from rural districts who were pro-guns, pro-life and fiscal hawks. Blue Dogs were successful in 1996 and then Democrat National Committee Chairman Rahm Emmanuel used Blue Dogs to retake the House in 2006. 

However, in the same 2006 election cycle, progressive began to retake the Democrat Party.  A Progressive candidate beat Senator Joe Lieberman (D-CN) in the Democrat primary, forcing the veteran lawmaker (who was quite an orthodox liberal except on staunch support for Israel and being a war hawk) to successfully run as an "Independent Democrat" in the general election. But this bode as a bad omen for Blue Dog Democrats.

At their  high water mark, Blue Dog Democrats had 44 members, which was roughly 20% of the Democrat Caucus.  But progressive tides and internecine battles have lowered Blue Dogs ranks to 17 members which again puts them out in the cold. 


At the beginning of the 115th Congress, Representative Tim Ryan (D-OH 13th formerly 17th) sought to run for House Minority Leader against the incumbent Representative Nancy Pelosi (D-12th formerly 5th & 8th).  The final vote was for unseating Pelosi  not even close 134-63.  

Considering the way that close to 70 Democrats (all from safe Democrat districts) boycotted President Trump's inaugural festivities shows that Congressional Democrats seem dedicated to the progressive cause, under the delusion that they will retake the House in the 2018 elections.  

The Democrats continue to be obsessed with gun control, abortion rights, liberal immigration and an ever expanding government.Thus it seems that Democrats continue to count on winning urban voters along with educated white collar suburban voters in their path to victory.  This sort strategy leaves Blue Dog in the cold, forcing them to accept  irrelevance amongst the DC Democrat party or to go against their tradition and aversions to vote GOP to remain relevant.

It was fascinating to see how 2016 Democrat Presidential nominee Hillary Clinton (D-NY) ran against coal country in her futile bid for the White House.  Hillary lost the Keystone State by about 46,000 votes.  That slim margin of victory may have been taken from President Trump's increased support in Central Pennsylvania, which epitomized Blue Dog Coalition voters.

In  Washington Examiner, Salina Zito noted how Cambria County, Pennsylvania, which contains the old industrial city of Johnstown, has shifted from being a 70 reliably Democrat area in 2006 to today being a 70% Republican area. It is these working class white voters that Democrat strategist Dane Strother worries that imposing a progressive purity test will drive Democrats into the political wilderness for forty years.  


President Trump may have sensed the alienation that Blue Dogs (who also comprised "Reagan Democrats" in the 1980s) felt, and now seeks to cement the relationship with them.  Thus the overtures to labor leaders and winning back manufacturing jobs as well as fulfilling campaign promises which validate voters who then candidate  Barack Obama derided as those who were "Bitter Clingers" to their bibles and their guns.

On the Clintons and Power

Tom Cotton on Clinton Corruption

VICE President Joe Biden on Sexual Assault

VICE President Joe Biden's cognitive dissonance is rich, especially considering his own handsy public conduct.

Asides from being an odd messenger for Democrat's hands off approach to sexual assault, Biden's bluster blurted out an interesting admission.  If Ex President B.J. Clinton paid a price, was impeached and expressed deep sorry for Monica Lewinski, then it is a tacit admission of guilt.  By 1996 standards, it was a private affair and just about consensual sex between a 21 year old intern and her big boss, the President of the United States.  Hmm.

"My vote can't be bought but it can be rented"

As revealed through Wikileaks, transcripts of Democrat Presidential nominee Hillary Clinton (D-NY)'s lucrative speaking engagements to banks had some embarrassing allusions.  

It was telling how Mrs. Clinton echoed former Senator John Breaux on how votes can not be bought but may be rented.  That seems particularly egregious considering the pay-for-play accusations of Clinton Foundation donors getting concierge service while Secretary of State Clinton was at Foggy Bottom.  

And it also calls into question former President Bill Clinton's lucrative speech  in Kazakhstan and Clinton Foundation donations before the State Department approved Russian affiliated company Uranium One taking control of 25% of America's uranium stock

Bill Clinton on "Coal People"

Jay Leno on Hillary Clinton Being Tested

When Jimmy Fallon supposedly pulled something during his Tonight Show monologue, former host Jay Leno tagged in.  During the segment, Leno tagged Hillary pretty hard.

On Bill Clinton and the Hillary New Hampshire Campaign

Carly Fiorina on Relationships

Carly Fiorina leads off the South Carolina Undercard GOP Debate with a well crafted zinger. 

Liberally Aborting Character Assessment

It would seem that Joy Behar does not have a change in view after the Bill Cosby indictment on sexual assault almost 14 years ago.  After all, his character does not matter if he supports the acceptable progressive positions.  So much for character.

Why the Red Card on the F.I.F.A. World Cup of Corruption?

In the wake of Attorney General Loretta Lynch pulling out a red card on 14 F.I.F.A officials for an alleged World Cup of Corruption, Russian President Vladimir Putin opined that the Americans were offsides. 

It is bizarre that Putin purports that the United States is culminating a three year investigation in order to interfere with the F.I.F.A. election of Joseph Sepp  Blatter, but that sort of agiprop distracts from the Russians continuing to mass heavy firepower on the Ukrainian border. But then again, Putin's Russia used the Sochi Winter Olympics as cover for initially invading Crimea in 2014.

To answer why the Department of Justice issued a 47 count indictment over F.I.F.A. corruption, it is worth noting that the plots were hatched in the United States and utilized the U.S. banking system.  It is wrong to think that the F.I.F.A. case does not affect American politics either.  The United States missed out on winning the 2018 World Cup to the Russian Federation's Sochi bid and the out of the box award to Qatar in 2022.  The U.S. would be a natural backup in case either the Russian or Qatari bids fall through.

Moreover,  the Clinton Foundation received between  $50,000 and $100,000 and partnered with the Fédération Internationale de Football Association.  President Bill Clinton was said to have been so upset at the US losing the 2022 World Cup bid to Qatar that he smashed a mirror.  But the Qatar 2022 tried to make it up by giving the Clinton Foundation  $250,000 and $500,000 as well as the Qatari government pitching in between $1 million and $5 million.

This may only be the beginning of the F.I.F.A. fallout. Suddenly the business of soccer has become very exiting.  Goooooooooooool!

h/t: Steve Bell

Countenancing Clinton Charity?

In the wake of the publicity over Peter Schweizer's blockbuster book "Clinton Cash: The Untold Story of How and Why Foreign Governments and Businesses Made Bill and Hillary Rich" (2015), there has been increased scrutiny over Clinton finances.  Instead of just mocking the irony of the Clintons claiming that they were dead broke leaving the White House, yet now are personally worth over $55 million.   However, the Clinton Foundation complicates this calculation.

When Senator Hillary Clinton (D-NY) became Secretary of State, there was a memorandum of understanding that the Clinton Foundation would not take contributions from foreign governments as it would appear like a conflict of interest with Mrs. Clinton's official responsibilities.  Yet the Clinton Foundation continued to take large contributions from individuals who have close ties with foreign governments.  Shortly thereafter, there seemed to be access or action that seemed favorable to such interests.  This can be characterized as pay for play, although Clinton sources claim that there is not a shred of evidence (sic) to prove those allegations.

Another sticking point about the Clinton Foundation is how the founders of the Clinton Foundation use their charity.  The Clinton Foundation only gives 10% of its take to actual charitable grants.  In fact, according to 2013 tax filings, $8.5 million or 10% of the total went to travel.

To address these issues, former President Bill Clinton granted media access to NBC News while he was traveling in Africa on behalf of the Clinton Foundation.



It is interesting to note that President Clinton believes that it is virtuous to donate to his own charity, which leverages Clinton prominence to effectuate global change through lots of international travel for the principal. How convenient.

Should this be charity that the American polity countenance, particularly considering how Mrs. Clinton aspires to again be in the Oval Office?

Bill Clinton on Barack Obama

Sink: "Although we are disappointed, the bars are open--let's enjoy our friendship"

Alex Sink, the Democrat candidate for Congress in the Special Election in District-13, had a jovial concession speech.  Shortly after the polls closed showing that she had lost by two percent, Sink  addressed supporters to let them know that she had called her victorious opponent Congressman-Elect Dave Jolly (R-FL 13th) and thank her supporters.  All of that is standard fare. However Sink's plucky peroration  "[A]though we are disappointed, the bars are open--let's enjoy our friendship" is unusual in openly embracing drowning sorrows.


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A more subtle detail about Sink's concession speech is the lack of fellow Democrat dignitaries on the dais.   Sink was not a shot in the dark candidate.  Sink was married to Bill McBride, a Florida politician who unsuccessfully ran for Governor in 202.  In her own right, Sink had been Florida's Chief Financial Officer before gaining the Democrat nomination for Governor in 2010 and only lost in the general election by 1%.

When 22 term Congressman Bill Young (R-FL 13th) died in October, a special election was called in a Pinellas County based District that is only R+1 and had voted for Obama in the last two Presidential elections.  The Florida Democrat party cleared the field for Sink to run.

Over $10 million was spent in this Special Election campaign and Democrats outspent unknown Jolly on negative television ads 4 to 1. Democrats sent high profile surrogates, including former President Bill Clinton, to campaign for sink.  So much was invested in this race as Democrats considered it a must win since this Special Election was a test run for Democrat messaging for Obamacare.  Sink campaigned that she would help fix Obamacare, whereas Tea Party inspired attorney David Jolly advocated complete repeal.

Congressman-elect David Jolly (R-FL 13th)

Jolly can not savor his success for long.  The special election was only for the nine months remaining on the term.  Moreover, Jolly only won by two percent which is not a comfortable margin of victory in that district. However, if one considers how much Jolly was outspent along with the high profile elements of the Sink campaign, this Special Election may be a bellweather to Democrat success in the November General Election. Perhaps "[A]though we are disappointed, the bars are open--let's enjoy our friendship" may be prophetic words for Democrats.

Obama's Inconsiderate "Resolute-tions"

Much of the power of the Presidency resounds in projecting unarticulated messages through imagery, architecture  and history.  In the film The American President (1995), President Shepherd (Michael Douglas) told his chagrined lobbyist/love interest (Annette Benning):

You know that when the city planners sat down to design Washington, DC, their intention was to build a city that would intimidate and humble foreign heads of state... The White House has the single greatest home court advantage in the world. 

But it is not just the buildings nor the monuments of the Ellipse which speak volumes.  Sometimes even the furniture is fraught with meaning.

The desk which many Presidents have chosen to sit in the Oval Office as their work desk is known as the Resolute Desk.  The Resolute Desk is comprised of timbers taken from the HMS Resolute, a British exploration ship abandoned during the Belcher Expedition in the Arctic in 1855 but recovered by an American whaler and presented to Queen Victoria in 1856.

The British presented the large partners desk to President Rutherford B. Hayes in 1880.  The desk has twice been modified. President Franklin Roosevelt had the knee hole enlarged to accommodate his knee braces.  A door with a modified Presidential seal was intended for FDR but President Truman liked it so much that he kept the installation.

The President's desk projects a sense of style and authority.  The photo of President John F. Kennedy sitting at the Resolute desk as his son played with the door at the bottom of the desk is iconic.

President John F. Kennedy working at the Resolute Desk with his son  (1962)

That is why many have taken umbrage with President Obama's persistent inconsiderate "Resolute"-ness.  The Obama White House is deliberate about all photo/ops, particularly in the Oval Office. So when Mr. Obama is photographed speaking to House Speaker John Boehner (R-OH 8th) regarding a potential strike on Syria due to chemical weapons use, the President was not just stretching his legs.  

President Obama telephoning House Speaker John Boehner Aug. 31, 2013

But this is not the first time the President Obama has made a Resolute faux pas while conducting foreign policy.  Early in Mr. Obama's first term, the 44th President had both feet on the desk when telephonically chatting with Israeli Prime Minister  Binyamin Netanyahu in 2009. 

President Obama speaking to Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu in 2009

This photo stirred controversy in Israel since in that part of the world it is a sign of supreme disrespect to show the sole of one's shoe to another.

To be fair, President Obama is not the only commander-in-chief to treat the Resolute desk casually.  Early in the Presidency of George W. Bush, the 43rd President is being briefed by Chief of Staff Andy Card and Special Advisers Karen Hughes and Karl Rove with his feet on the Resolute.

President George W. Bush in the Oval Office.

On the one hand, President Ronald Reagan refused to enter the Oval Office without wearing a jacket as a sign of respect for the Office.  On the other hand, President George W. Bush was aghast at his predecessor President Bill J. Clinton being photographed wearing running shorts in the Oval Office.  Oh, if that were the only thing at which to be aghast during Clinton's tenure in the Oval Office.

The public should be mindful that these are just snapshots, but they certainly color the narrative.   For instance, after President Obama finished his talk with Speaker Boehner on Syria, he then announced that Congress would vote on the matter, but that the President felt that he still retained the authority to strike.  Afterwards, President Obama went out to golf.

So when President Obama makes his big speech about Syria on Tuesday, will the American public consider his manner and leadership resolute?  Or will they they think of the Vanity Fair article which dubbed Obama "The Lean Back President"  which reflects poorly as a leader seeking taking America to war?

Grooving to Blurred Lines with Bill Clinton

Since Anthony Weiner (D-NYC) still has not pulled out of his mayoral bid, we are stimulated to consider the rendition of Blurred Lines of Good Wives and "Good Girls" by the first elected impeached President, "Bill Jefferson" Clinton.