Democrats haven't learned a darned thing from the election

Rick Moran  "Democrats have been predicting a landslide in the off year elections of 2018 largely based on the notion that Donald Trump is so unpopular that Democratic candidates will simply waltz to victory.

"That may be. But first, they have to show that they actually care about people in all those congressional districts that voted for Trump over Hillary Clinton. They must demonstrate a respect for people who don't live on the coasts or in blue congressional districts.

"One Democratic congresswoman representing Silicon Valley shows that the Democrats have a long, long way to go." . . .

. . . Sources inside the meeting told the Free Beacon that Eshoo was frustrated with Pai's comments. She wished out loud that Pai would stop talking about "Podunk, USA*" and instead be more concerned about the venture capitalists on Sand Hill Road in her district near Palo Alto, according to the sources.
Many in the room reacted negatively to Eshoo's remarks, sources said. A member who represents a flyover state did not appreciate the term "Podunk," which means a small, unimportant town, and said districts in Middle America are just as important as those in Silicon Valley. . .

. . .
"Democrats aren't only "out of touch" with most of the country, they hold their fellow citizens in contempt. That attitude was perfectly encapsulated by former President Obama's observation during the 2008 campaign that voters in the heartland are "bitter" and "cling" to guns and religion while hating immigrants. 

"In the nearly 10 years since Obama told a San Francisco audience that most Americans were ignorant racists, not much has changed in the Democratic party. Try as they might to hide their smug sense of superiority, every once and a while, it manifests itself. Until they realize that many Americans are deeply resentful of that attitude, it's a pretty good bet that it won't matter who is president; they will lose."

* You know: those states who are still represented because of the Electoral College .

Krauthammer: A political ax murder

Charles Krauthammer   "It was implausible that FBI Director James Comey was fired in May 2017 for actions committed in July 2016 — the rationale contained in the memo by Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein.  

"It was implausible that Comey was fired by President Trump for having been too tough on Hillary Clinton, as when, at a July news conference, Comey publicly recited her various email misdeeds despite recommending against prosecution.

"It was implausible that Trump fired Comey for, among other things, reopening the Clinton investigation 11 days before the election, something that at the time Trump praised as a sign of Comey’s “guts” that had “brought back his reputation.” . . .

. . . "These implausibilities were obvious within seconds of Comey’s firing and the administration’s immediate attempt to pin it all on the Rosenstein memo. That was pure spin. So why in reality did Trump fire Comey?

"Admittedly, Comey had to go. The cliche is that if you’ve infuriated both sides, it means you must be doing something right. Sometimes, however, it means you must be doing everything wrong.

"Over the past year, Comey has been repeatedly wrong. Not, in my view, out of malice or partisanship (although his self-righteousness about his own probity does occasionally grate). He was in an unprecedented situation with unpalatable choices. Never in American presidential history had a major party nominated a candidate under official FBI investigation. " . . .

Minimum-Wage Hikes: A Feel-Good Lie That Destroys Jobs And Minority Kids' Futures

thefederalistpapers

Investors.com  "Minimum Wage: Once again, another city self-righteously imposes a minimum-wage hike on private employers. And once again, it finds out it's a business- and job-killer — and only boosts pay for a handful of people. This time it's the Big Apple, New York, that's discovering the ugly truth. But don't feel left out: Your town may be next.

"In "Minimum-Wage Boost Squeezes New York City Restaurants," the Wall Street Journal notes that restaurants "are being pinched" by the increase in the minimum from $9 an hour to $11 an hour at the start of this year. Sure, that doesn't sound like much, but it's in fact a 22% increase on restaurants' most basic employee costs.

"And guess what? $11 an hour becomes $13 an hour at the end of this year, another 18% rise.

" 'In the five months since the $11 hourly wage took effect," the Journal said, "several well-known restaurants have closed or announced plans to do so." And more closures are on the way.

"It's true that, as minimum-wage proponents claim, New York is unlikely to suffer horribly from recent minimum-wage hikes. With the boom on Wall Street in recent years, the restaurant industry right now is mostly doing fine.

"Moreover, wages in New York are already high, so the actual impact will be limited in terms of the number of employees affected. Prized workers at many restaurants often make much more than the minimum calls for.

"Even so, it will have an impact. For one, prices are bound to go up. Many people will suddenly find once-affordable restaurants to be out of their financial reach. Business will suffer." . . .

Trump and the Media / Democrats

"Media Runs Straight Past Loonyville En Route to Batsh*t Crazy Land"

"Trump Derangement Syndrome (TDS) is VERY REAL.  Joe Concha points out some of the more mild MSM moonbattery… however, they’ve gone straight past that level . . . "

THE REAL STORY: Trump Didn't Fire Comey To Cover Up Russia. He Just Got Mad At Comey, Then Jumped On A Landmine He Planted Himself.

"While the Democrats and media suggest that President Trump fired FBI director James Comey in order to somehow stymie an investigation into Russian collusion with the Trump team in the 2016 campaign, the more plausible theory was far less damning to Trump. I theorized on Wednesday that this was all an elaborate set-up for a bank heist. But that’s not the theory to which I’m referring. Here’s the actual theory:" . . .

How Low Can CNN Go? Now It's Covering President Trump's Ice Cream Habits. Seriously.

Three cheers for Sarah Sanders   "One has to almost like punishment to face the White House Press Corps these days.  Ever since President Trump was inaugurated, this 100% liberal Democrat murder of crows sits there each day and harasses Sean Spicer, or, as in the last few days, Sarah Huckabee Sanders.  Spicer has toughened up since his early days, but Sanders, who is temporarily replacing him as he serves his Naval Reserve duty, is a born natural.  Like her father, former governor Mike Huckabee, she has the gift of strong, plain language, and she is quick on the draw.  How anyone endures the tedium of this press corps is a mystery, but she seems to revel at the opportunity to push back." . . .

Will the press corps ever learn?  Doubtful.  They have been carefully taught that they are special, that their "job," in the words of Mika Brzezinski, is to tell us how to think!  They are so thoroughly convinced of their own righteous power, they actually believe we pay attention to them.  Even after Trump's victory!  Go figure.

Russia’s Foreign Ministry Slams US Media: ‘Colossal Bias …Lack of Independent Thinking’

CNS News   'Russia’s foreign ministry on Thursday lashed out at the U.S. media for their coverage of Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov's visit to Washington this week. Instead of focusing on bilateral relations, American media outlets wanted to talk about alleged Russian interference in the U.S. election and the firing of FBI Director James Comey.

" Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said U.S. journalists asking questions of Lavrov after an Oval Office meeting with President Trump seemed “unaware of how silly it was to ask the foreign minister of a another country about the reasons for certain personnel changes in their own country.”

“ 'Most of the questions concerned Russia’s alleged intervention in the U.S. election and the dismissal of the FBI director,” Zakharova said.

“ 'This indicates the colossal bias of the mass media, the lack of independent thinking and control by certain political groups,” she said.

'Lavrov’s unheralded meeting with Trump Wednesday made waves because it was closed to the White House press corps while a photographer with the Russian state-owned news agency TASS was allowed in.

'It was only after the Russian Embassy in Washington tweeted the TASS photos of Trump and Lavrov that most journalists and others became aware it had taken place at all.'  . . .

Sessions’ office releases memo to all 94 US attorneys calling for reversal of Holder-era policy (Video)

Fox News and Video  "Attorney General Jeff Sessions' office sent out a letter late Thursday to the nation's federal prosecutors instructing them to pursue the most serious charges possible against most criminal suspects.

"The move will send more people to prison and for much longer terms by triggering mandatory minimum sentences.
"Officials at the Department of Justice said the new guidelines are a direct rebuttal of policies implemented under President Obama’s attorney general, Eric Holder.
"The memo is already being referred to as “the Sessions Memo.” The 94 U.S. attorneys were instructed in the memo to “charge and pursue the most serious and readily provable offense.”
"These cases often carry the longest sentences.The memo also brings back into effect mandatory minimum sentences, which are expected to increase prosecutions and the prison population." . . .

Democrats Grind Senate’s Work to a Halt Over Comey’s Firing  "Democrats have gone from demanding former FBI Director James’ Comey’s resignation or dismissal to being puffed up with such outrage that the president has fired Comey they have decided to grind Senate work to a halt by cancelling or postponing meetings  . . . for a whole day.  This is their way of protesting the “lack of an independent investigation” into Russia’s alleged election meddling." . . .

How about they do it again tomorrow? And maybe next week?

Trump Cans Comey Like A Boss   . . . "But his “Free Pass for Hillary” press conference in July was perhaps the most transparently horrific decision by a Justice Department official since Janet Reno decided that she had to burn down the Branch Davidian compound to save its kids. Here’s the thing about Comey – he was arrogant. He was so arrogant that he took for himself the power to ignore the law because he determined, by himself, that if Hillary was treated like every other non­elite citizen the outcome would somehow be wrong. Voters might vote incorrectly if Hillary was held accountable and Comey, in his surpassing benevolent wisdom, could not allow that. 

"His press conference did incalculable damage to the American People’s faith in the rule of law. But he’s special, and his most­favored­felon treatment of fellow elite alum Hillary and her cadre of crooks was just professional courtesy. " . . .

Mark Steyn  "I'll say this for the suddenly departed FBI honcho James Comey: He's caused enough cases of whiplash to collapse Obamacare before the end of the week. The left in particular likes its cardboard heroes and cartoon villains drawn in bright Sharpie colors, and Comey insists on jumping back and forth between one role and the other like a movie stuntman leaping the roofs from northbound to southbound train. 

"Comey's not going to charge Hillary? What a stand­up guy! The very model of a dedicated public servant! 

"Comey's re­opened the Hillary investigation? What a partisan hack! He's just thrown the election to Trump! This is literally a police state!

"Comey's investigating Trump's ties to Russia? Thank God! This career civil servant is all that stands between us and that fascist dictator! 

"Comey's fingering Huma Abedin for forwarding emails to Carlos Danger? God, this Trump stooge won't let up, will he? 

"Trump's fired Comey? How dare he? This is a crisis for the integrity of our institutions... 

"Not surprisingly it's hard for these poor folk to keep up ­ to the point where Stephen Colbert had to rebuke his audience for cheering his announcement that Comey had been fired. That would have been the appropriate reaction had Obama done it circa November 1st last year. But now it's a constitutional outrage. " . . .

‘We won’t really know how to interpret the Comey firing until we know whom Trump nominates to replace him’

Volokh Conspiracy  "I want to echo Ilya’s recommendation of Politico’s instant symposium on the James Comey firing;I particularly liked these remarks from liberal Berkeley law professor Dan Farber, no fan of President Trump’s; I pass them along with Prof. Farber’s permission:

It’s premature but understandable that some people are calling James Comey’s firing a constitutional crisis. Comey violated clear Justice Department norms by his conduct while investigating Hillary Clinton’s emails. He compounded the offense by making false statements to Congress about Huma Abedin’s allegedly massive forwarding of sensitive emails to her husband, Anthony Weiner. If another president had fired another FBI director for such conduct in a high­ profile case, few questions would be raised.

But this is not just any president or any high ­profile case. The real concern here is that Trump has abused the power of his office to protect his political associates from criminal investigation. It’s not paranoia to think that Comey’s conduct concerning the Clinton investigation is merely a pretext for firing him, given that Trump applauded much of that conduct at the time. But we also have no proof that the justifications were pretextual.

We won’t really know how to interpret the Comey firing until we know whom Trump nominates to replace him. If Trump nominates an independent, respected figure to replace Comey, well and good. If he nominates someone who is compromised by associations with Trump or who lacks credibility as an objective investigator, then it will be fair to start making comparisons to Richard Nixon. That would be the point to start worrying in earnest about a constitutional crisis. . . 

 Eugene Volokh teaches free speech law, religious freedom law, church-state relations law, a First Amendment Amicus Brief Clinic, and tort law, at UCLA School of Law, where he has also often taught copyright law, criminal law, and a seminar on firearms regulation policy.

All in this same file drawer: Acting FBI Director: Yeah, The Decision Not to Indict Hillary Clinton Caused Controversy Within The Bureau

. . . "The announcement of a non-indictment came just days after former Attorney General Loretta Lynch was caught secretly meeting with former President Bill Clinton on her private plane in Phoenix. When caught, Lynch claimed the meeting was about grandchildren and golf. 

"Media reports at the time indicated the decision not to indict Clinton, combined with the secret meeting, was highly disconcerting to many FBI agents. 

"Today during testimony in of the Senate Intelligence Committee, Acting FBI Director Andrew McCabe confirmed there was in fact controversy. " . . .

TV Executives Admit in Taped Interviews That Hollywood Pushes a Liberal Agenda

From 2011: Hollywood Reporter  . . . 'Kauffman also acknowledges she “put together a staff of mostly liberal people,” which is another major point of Shapiro’s book: that conservatives aren’t welcome in Hollywood. 

"Maybe that’s because they’re “idiots” and have “medieval minds.” At least that’s what Soap and Golden Girls creator Susan Harris thinks of TV’s conservative critics. 

"However, the ranks of dumb right-wingers has dwindled, according to Harris, whose video has her saying: “At least, you know, we put Obama in office, and so people, I think, are getting – have gotten – a little bit smarter.” 

"Some of the videos have executives making rather obvious revelations, like when Larry Gelbart and Gene Reynolds talk about pacifist messages in M*A*S*H or when MacGyver producer Vin Di Bona says anti-gun messages were a recurring theme in that show. 

"But an additional video has Di Bona, who also created America’s Funniest Home Videos, becoming remarkably blunt about his approval of a lack of political diversity in Hollywood. When Shapiro asks what he thinks of conservative critics who say everyone in Hollywood is liberal, Di Bona responds: “I think it’s probably accurate, and I’m happy about it' ” . . .

11 Hollywood Conservatives Who Have Faced Discrimination Here are two:

Angie Harmon. The actress told Fox News that when she criticized Barack Obama, she had to deal with numerous rejections for work due to her conservative beliefs. Many on the Left smeared Harmon as a racist.

Dwight Schultz (formerly of the "A Team"). Per Shapiro, producer Bruce Paltrow overheard actor Dwight Schultz voicing praise for Ronald Reagan, prompting Paltrow to call Schultz "a Reagan a**hole." Months later, Paltrow noticed Schultz auditioning for St. Elsewhere, a TV series that Paltrow was producing, and asked what he was doing at the audition. When Schultz told them he was auditioning for one of the roles, Paltrow declared, "There's not going to be a Reagan a**hole on this show!"

Cartoon from Draw for Truth/ Hollywood

North Korea: An eco-friendly Hermit Country from Above (Photos)

Find North Korea in this photo:

LiveScience   Dark and Light  "If any image can tell the story of North and South Korea in one frame, it's this shot taken by an astronaut aboard the International Space Station in January 2014. The nighttime view shows South Korea lit up with electric lights. Seoul is so bright as to be nearly washed out. With a 2017 gross domestic product estimated at $1.4 trillion by the International Monetary Fund, South Korea is among the dozen most prosperous countries in the world. North Korea's GDP is estimated at around $25 billion. According to one 2016 estimate, the per-capita GDP of North Korea was $1,013 in 2015, lagging behind even undeveloped countries like Myanmar and Bangladesh."

There it is!

Hat tip to James G. Needham

"Kim is all the light we need! We love him and all he has done for us!"

The Birth of Hollywood Virtue-Signaling

Nowadays, the movie ads are required to feature a beautiful, dominant woman in the foreground. She who must never be bested by a male in any way, physically, intellectually, nor athletically.

National Review

. . . "In the Heat of the Night is not what you’d call a subtle movie. There isn’t a lot to chew over here. Assuming you already know racism is wrong, there’s no compelling reason to watch it in the first place. It’s so obviously an inferior work of art to the best films of 1967 that its recognition by the Motion Picture Academy seems an undeniable example of proto-virtue-signaling. In its eagerness to advertise its moral rectitude, the Academy overlooked the monumental films and rewarded a minor one. From then on, the quality of a film had to be weighed against whatever Hollywood’s political urges of the moment were." . . .

Living through the civil rights struggles in the 50-60s and being from a Jim Crow culture, I loved this scene and still do. (The white Hollywood Southern accent notwithstanding.)TD

The corruption of Democrat politicians and the fecklessness of Republicans

The Republicans shrink in cowardice before political opposition just as Obama did with America's enemies.

americanthinker.

Comey’s Firing and the Delicate Sensibilities of Senator Schumer  . . . "Mr. Comey reportedly has a net worth in excess of 11 million dollars – $10,894,000 more than I had when I was fired. I sure wish Chuck Schumer and the other breathless defenders of James Comey, who are complaining about the timing, the means, the lack of notice, etc., had cared about the way I was treated. But no.

"This is what Schumer said to me, in front of his entire staff, including his Chief of staff, Anthony Wiener: “We knew you weren’t anti-Semitic, but hey, your people did not defend you.”

"Unfortunately, the Right usually bows to the bullying; but not Donald J. Trump. Many Republicans accuse him of not being conservative, but he sure is courageous. Anyone who fights back against the bullies is going to offend the Left. The Schumers and their ilk have been bullying the Right for so long, they both think it’s natural." . . .Christina Jeffrey  More on this person below:

Firing of Comey like the Saturday Night Massacre? Hardly!

The Vindication of Christina Jeffrey

Dec, 1995: Much more in depth on Ms. Jeffrey here. 
The two parties have deep roots in this sort of thing.