Springing Forward

Clarice Feldman  What seemed as though it was going to be a dull news week – punctuated by sometimes fanciful articles from "sources" about what Special Counsel Mueller was up to – ended with a plethora of important news late Friday.  To spare you having to wade through the mounds of drivel to get to it, I'm highlighting what I think is the important stuff, so you can enjoy this spring weekend.

Here is just the brief overview of this post's topics:
The Budget . . . Fiscal conservatives were furious, but the president had little choice but to sign the bill into law.  "He who laughs last laughs best" is the saying, and in this case, there may be no joy in Demville.  James Freeman at the Wall Street Journal explains:" . . .

Illegal Immigration  . . . "Friday the president ordered an end to the "catch and release" Obama policy, where border-jumpers were captured and released with a rarely kept promise to return for an immigration hearing to determine whether they had a legal basis to remain here.

"The attorney general explained the new policy – border-jumpers are going to be held and criminally prosecuted." . . .

The Congressional-FBI/DOJ Standoff Is Broken  "Sundance at Conservative Treehouse broke the welcome news early Saturday morning." . . .

Bill and Hillary Clinton's Corrupt International Charity Network Faces Countless Legal Challenges  . . . "If I were to speculate, I'd suggest that it is not unlikely (now that the Clintons are fairly politically neutered) that whistleblowers inside the foundation, the donors' offices, and the government – particularly the IRS – may come forward, at long last, to expose the frauds which Rosenstein, Mueller, and Comey seem to have lacked the integrity and guts to do."

Behold the Lowlights of First Victim Michelle Obama's Trump-Bashing Tour

Jeannie DeAngelis   "Judging from their vocal criticism of President Trump, it's clear that neither Mr. nor Mrs. Obama shares G.W. Bush's viewpoint that it's terrible for the country and the presidency to undermine a current president.

Barack does it by praising anything and anyone who opposes the president's policies and, by doing so, manages to disparage the man who took his place.  Michelle, on the other hand, is much less diplomatic.  Instead of using discretion, Mrs. Obama vomits out anti-Trump venom wherever she goes.

"Michelle's Trump-Bashing Tour started right after the 2016 election, when Mrs. Hope and Change told Oprah Winfrey that because Trump was elected, "now we're feeling what not having hope feels like."

"In May of 2017, Mrs. Obama spoke out against Trump when he dared loosen the stringent dietary restrictions connected to her unpopular school lunch program.  Months later, at an Inbound marketing conference in Boston, Michelle rebuked a segment of the sisterhood when she declared, "Any woman who voted against Hillary Clinton voted against their [sic] own voice."

"The following month, at a Pennsylvania Conference for Women, Mrs. Obama used a hand motion to imply that Trump lowered the bar concerning women and minorities.  Then, forgetting that she did the same thing to Laura Bush in 2009, Michelle mocked First Lady Melania Trump for handing her a boxed gift on the steps of the White House on Inauguration Day 2017.

"Simply put, Michelle Obama switched focus from dancing with The Tonight Show's host, Jimmy Fallon, to stirring up hatred towards Trump.  Instead oforganic gardening, the former president's outspoken wife now advocates for minorities and women by belittling a male president." . . .

Once Michelle thought this lady asking for help was cute...  later the incident became racist to her:

Truth Revolt discusses this incident:  

I tell this story – I mean, even as the first lady – during that wonderfully publicized trip I took to Target, not highly disguised, the only person who came up to me in the store was a woman who asked me to help her take something off a shelf. Because she didn't see me as the first lady, she saw me as someone who could help her. Those kinds of things happen in life. So it isn't anything new.

"Being asked to take things off shelves as a taller woman is the new Jim Crow.

"But even Michelle Obama doesn’t think this. Two years ago, she told David Letterman about the same incident:

. . . I was in the detergent aisle, and she said — I kid you not — she said, ‘Excuse me, I just have to ask you something,’ and I thought, ‘Oh, cover’s blown.’ She said, ‘Can you reach on that shelf and hand me the detergent?’ I kid you not.” As the audience laughed, she went on, “And the only thing she said — I reached up, ’cause she was short, and I reached up, pulled it down — she said, ‘Well, you didn’t have to make it look so easy.’ That was my interaction. I felt so good. ... She had no idea who I was." . . .

"Charming and funny two years ago. Racism now." 

She could be such a classy lady but for the desire to be recognized as First Victim.

Sunday Schadenfreude: Jimmy Kimmel steps on a rake called 'gay'

Monica Showalter  "Professional clowns know what they are doing when they engage in slapstick stunts, such as stepping on a rake. Leftwing clown Jimmy Kimmel is different. The ABC Late Night host stepped on a rake of his own doing without any of the theatrical attention to planning and detail of professional comics. Now he has a key element of his ever-shrinking core audience angry at him.

"The dolt went and insulted gays by making creepy, graphic, gross tweets about a broadcasting rival, Fox News' Sean Hannity. with verbal images of Hannity supposedly engaging in gay sexual relations with President Trump, with graphic decriptions about sexual positioning, anal kissing, and other things, none of which is suitable for family viewing.

"Since the tweets are public, here is one:

Don't worry - just keep tweeting - you'll get back on top! (or does Trump prefer you on bottom?) Either way, keep your chin up big fella..XOhttps://t.co/R4QJCoGYCL— Jimmy Kimmel (@jimmykimmel) April 6, 2018 "

. . .

Don't forget Colbert did the same thing and had got criticism, but since he was mocking Trump, all turned out just fine.

Skeptics feel empowered to 'keep pushing' under Trump

Environment & Energy Publishing; The essential news for energy & environment professionals

"Climate skeptics are gaining ground.

"There's always been a vocal subset of conservatives who cast doubt on climate science, but what were once fringe views among broader Republicans — like warming's a hoax — are enjoying a growing acceptance in the GOP, worrying academics, scientists and sociologists.

" 'They have taken over the [U.S.] EPA," Naomi Oreskes, a professor of the history of science at Harvard University who has studied climate denier groups extensively, said in an email. "A very sad state of affairs."

"The groups sowing climate doubt are more emboldened than ever before, sociologists and historians said. Their effectiveness in the era of President Trump is a reflection of a deepening polarization in U.S. politics and a normalization of climate skepticism on the right, they said.

"Democrats and Republicans have never been further apart on climate change, according to public opinion polling released last week by Gallup.

"The results illuminate the anti-science sentiment within the GOP. The poll found that 82 percent of Democrats believe global warming has already begun compared with 34 percent of Republicans (Climatewire, March 28).

"That rift has contributed to major differences between the Republican administrations of Trump and former President George W. Bush, said Riley Dunlap, an environmental sociologist at Oklahoma State University. Bush's government internalized climate skeptics, but the groups scoring victories were largely silent when policies went their way. Now, however, those same organizations like the Heartland Institute and the Competitive Enterprise Institute boldly proclaim success — and then push even further.

" 'It's like they sense victory. They are proclaiming victories, and they keep pushing," Dunlap said. "This extreme radicalization of the Republican Party means they don't have to hide it. They don't have to dress it up like Bush 43 did. They can be in-your-face deniers.' " . . .