But Gorsuch ... and Other Excellent Judicial Picks ... and a Tax Cut ... and Major Deregulatory Actions ... and Immigration Enforcement ... and the End of the Individual Mandate ... and a Roll Back of the HHS Mandate ...

Column by a man who has not thought well of Donald Trump.


 Rich Lowry   . . . and the reversal of the insane Title IX policy on campus . . . and an exit from the Paris Accords . . . and the avoidance of whatever Hillary would have wrought. 

"There is a meme used by anti-Trump conservatives on Twitter. Whenever Trump steps in it, they tweet the words “But Gorsuch.” It is meant to mock Trump loyalists who hold out Gorsuch’s nomination as a Trump accomplishment that overshadows any of his failings. The meme can be quite amusing — one version has a road sign emblazoned with the words “But Gorsuch” close to disappearing in a flood. 

"But I’ve never quite understood why anti-Trump conservatives would be so slighting about Gorsuch. He will presumably be a bulwark of the Constitution long after Trump has departed the White House three or seven years from now and is tweeting as a private citizen again. Bushies used to count George W. Bush’s two Supreme Court nominees as a central part of his domestic legacy, understandably (and Bush completely blew one of his nominations before getting it right). Trump is half-way there, with lots of time on the clock. 

 Now, it appears very likely that they will get the tax bill, which includes a rifle-shot elimination of the individual mandate. And the administration has been steadily reversing the executive aggrandizements of the Obama administration." . . .

 Full article

Mueller Strategy: It Is Now an Obstruction Investigation

Andrew C. McCarthy

Which means that it’s an impeachment investigation

"The smoke is clearing from an explosive Mueller investigation weekend of charges, chattering, and tweets. Before the next aftershock, it might be helpful to make three points about where things stand. In ascending order of importance, they are:

 1.) There is a great deal of misinformation in the commentariat about how prosecutors build cases. 2.) For all practical purposes, the collusion probe is over. While the “counterintelligence” cover will continue to be exploited so that no jurisdictional limits are placed on Special Counsel Robert Mueller, this is now an obstruction investigation. 3.) That means it is, as it has always been, an impeachment investigation.  

. . . "Since there is no collusion case, we can safely assume Mueller is primarily scrutinizing President Trump with an eye toward making a case of obstructing an FBI investigation. This also makes sense in light of the pleas that have been taken." . . .Read more

Donald Trump Attacks FBI For Going After Flynn Not Clinton

Clinton deleted 31,830 emails that she deemed ‘personal’ three weeks after receiving a congressional subpoena.

usbacklash.org

Far Left Icon Garrison Keillor Fired from Public Radio for Alleged “Inappropriate Behavior”

Image by Ghenghis Gary

The Gateway Pundit   Minnesota Public Radio reported:

Minnesota Public Radio (MPR) is terminating its contracts with Garrison Keillor and his private media companies after recently learning of allegations of his inappropriate behavior with an individual who worked with him.

Last month, MPR was notified of the allegations which relate to Mr. Keillor’s conduct while he was responsible for the production of A Prairie Home Companion (APHC). MPR President Jon McTaggart immediately informed the MPR Board Chair, and a special Board committee was appointed to provide oversight and ongoing counsel. In addition, MPR retained an outside law firm to conduct an independent investigation of the allegations. Based on what we currently know, there are no similar allegations involving other staff. The attorney leading the independent investigation has been conducting interviews and reviewing documents, and the investigation is still ongoing. We encourage anyone with additional information to call our confidential hotline 1-877-767-7781.

MPR takes these allegations seriously ". . .  Blah, blah, blah.

 USA Today:   . . . "In a statement provided by representative Azhar AlFadl Miranda, editorial page director Fred Hiatt said, “Readers are entitled to a basic level of transparency from the columnists they read in The Washington Post. Garrison Keillor failed to meet that standard this week. Knowing he was under investigation for his workplace behavior, he should not have written a column on that subject; or, if he was going to write, he should have told his editors and readers that he was under investigation. Instead, he wrote a column defending Sen. Al Franken without any disclosure of his own situation.' ” . . .

Journalist: Obama’s Russian Collusion Far Exceeds Trump’s Relationship With The Country

Daily Caller  "Claudia Rosett, an award-winning journalist who worked for the Wall Street Journal for 17 years and known for her groundbreaking reporting on UN corruption, picks through the nuances of despots and dictators around the world.

"Rosett  . . . said the message from the 2016 election had nothing to do with Russia, but everything to do with shrinking paychecks, vanishing jobs and over-regulation.

"The Democrats’ rhetoric about Trump’s supposed Russian collusion does not match the degree of enthusiasm and flexibility that former President Barack Obama actually displayed to Russia for his entire two terms, Rosett says in this video interview.

"She cites: when Obama was caught on a hot mic promising flexibility to Vladimir Putin, shelving missile defense for Europe in a phony “reset” with our dangerous adversary, inadequate pursuit of Edward Snowden who is still hiding in Russia, the imaginary “red line” with Syria that opened the door to Russia being emboldened in the Middle East, the Iran deal that advantaged Russia and their allies on the world scene and the weak response of the U.S. when Russia annexed Crimea, which belonged to Ukraine." . . .

For more on Claudia Rosett, get her book or read her pieces here. 

Millennials, Unschooled In Political Truths, Pine For Third Party

Weasel Zippers

"Bernie is their man.

"Via Washington Times:

Apparently, neither Democrats nor Republicans are resonating with the youth of America.But rather than fight it out, millennials want an entirely new system.

Fully 71 percent of millennials say the country needs a third political party.

That’s according to a new NBC News/GenForward poll released this week.

And the anti-status quo showing in this survey likely has a lot to do with millennials’ views of President Donald Trump. Sixty-three percent think he’s doing pretty much a lousy job as president, while 65 percent see America, circa 2017, headed on the wrong track.

Meanwhile, six in 10 also currently disapprove of Congress, with 59 percent holding negative views of Republicans on Capitol Hill and 42 percent, of Democrats.

Of course, these are the same millennials who just pined for America to turn away from capitalism and toward socialism. In a YouGov survey published last month, 44 percent of millennial-age Americans said they’d rather live in a socialist country — and 7 percent said they’d prefer communism.

Keep reading…

Emphasis mine. TD 

The First Victory Over ISIS: Where do we go from here?

Max Boot  "At various points during the 16-plus years since 9/11, Americans have cheered the success of our armed forces in fighting terrorism. The first such moment was the rapid downfall of the Taliban regime in the fall of 2001, which led one American officer to crow that pitting the high-tech U.S. military against the primitive Taliban had been “the Flintstones meet the Jetsons.” Then, in the spring of 2003, came the equally sudden downfall of Saddam Hussein after the U.S. military’s “thunder run” into Baghdad, leading President George W. Bush to declare “Mission Accomplished.” The unexpected success of the surge in Iraq in 2007–8, after years of worsening violence, led to further cheering—but it was nothing compared with the cacophony of praise that greeted Osama bin Laden’s death at the hands of U.S. Navy SEALs in 2011. That feat alone practically guaranteed President Barack Obama’s reelection.

"And now we have arrived at yet another joyous moment, with the defeat of the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) in sight." . . .

The truth is that this was a bipartisan triumph. While Trump committed slightly more U.S. forces to the fight and gave them slightly more permissive rules of engagement, his administration, by and large, followed the blueprint laid out by the Obama administration, of assisting indigenous forces to fight ISIS with advisers, air power, and even artillery rather than committing U.S. ground-combat forces. Much of the credit for routing ISIS belongs, in any case, not to politicians in Washington but to the fighters on the ground . . .

San Francisco spits on Kate's grave (Updated)

 Barbara Simpson

"Because of the sanctuary city ruling, they said no. The man was released instead, to the streets – a homeless, unemployed illegal-alien felon. And until Kate Steinle was killed, he was someone who could have mixed into the huge illegal population of California. There are so many, no one even notices anymore, but if you do, you’re regarded as a racist."

" . . .The liberal establishment of the city has supported the result, and the insinuations are that anyone who complains is a bigot. Mayor Ed Lee continues to defend the city’s immigration policies even as a memorial grows at the scene of the shooting.

"But in reality, that verdict has made Kate Steinle’s murder a symbol of justice denied. I’ve been inundated with e-mails from people the news business and friends who are horrified that the rights of average citizens have been trampled in the rush to protect illegal immigrants from any criticism.

"A tweet from former Illinois congressman and conservative talk host Joe Walsh was printed on the front page of the East Bay Times – he wastes no words:

“Two years ago, the city of San Francisco killed Kate Steinle.

"Yesterday, the city of San Francisco spit on her grave.”

"A friend of mine, Jim Eason, wrote me:

“ 'There’s a 3-part suggestion: (1) get a weapon; (2) learn how to use it and (3) be able and WILLING to use it. The police cannot protect you – the bureaucracy will not help you – in California, you are on your own. Good luck' ”

Update: San Francisco Defends Sanctuary Status As Backlash Mounts

"Doubling down on stupid.  Via WBTV:" . . .

City officials vowed to stand behind their “sanctuary city” policy. It’s what led Jose Ines Garcia Zarate to be released from San Francisco’s jail despite a federal request to detain him for deportation several weeks before Kate Steinle was fatally shot in the back in 2015. He had been deported five times and was wanted for a sixth.
“San Francisco is and always will be a sanctuary city,” said Ellen Canale, a spokeswoman for Mayor Ed Lee.
Sanctuary policies improve public safety by allowing immigrants to cooperate with police without fear, said state Sen. Scott Wiener, a Democratic former San Francisco supervisor.

The one big issue is how can we protect those illegals who are witnesses or victims of crimes who have the courage to come forward? TD

ANTIFA Met With ISIS, FBI Believes They Were Seeking Weapons and Bomb-Making Equipment

Infidel Bloggers    "Antifa radicals are meeting with ISIS. This is directly from an FBI field report."

The contributor is connected with Infowars, so watch for corroboration at other sources. TD

Walmart Under Fire for Selling Antifa T-Shirts?  A search found no such items, but Zazzle has them.

Bloviating abroad, Obama reminds us why we elected Trump

Monica Showalter  "Miss him yet? Former President Obama is back, taking big-dollar speaking engagements in places like Paris, and unintentionally reminding us why we elected Trump.

"Based on his speech for a group of communications executives called 'Les Napoleons,' he thinks women make better leaders than men, men are 'having problems' with sex harassment, global warming's Paris Treaty is coming back, and 'global challenges' must be faced.

"Retch.

"Agence Presse-France has a couple of versions of the ex-president's Paris speech yesterday and it's godawful. They can be read here and here.

"What Obama's speech was full of provides a handy checklist for why we voted for Trump. To wit, it includes:. . . 

. . . "What we are seeing here is an empty suit with absolutely nothing to say. He hasn't changed a bit after all these years and now stands for the 'resistance,'luxury quarters, edition. He obviously intends to keep sniping at President Trump on foreign shores, for big dollars. AFP reports that the whisper number is $400,000 a pop. What a pathetic picture this is. Keep talking, Obama. All you do is remind us why we voted for Trump."

Our jury system seems to lack something in today's political climate

"Justice was rendered, but it was not served."

Elise Cooper: Injustice: The American Way?   "Four recent cases show how there is no justice for victims.  Who is speaking for the victims, since they can no longer speak for themselves?  In three of the instances, the "surviving victims" appear to be forgotten as they suffer from losing a loved one forever and ever.  People need to question what is going on in our society." . . .
Kate Steinle . . .
Ahmed Abu Khatallah . . .
Bergdahl . . .
Sarah Sims  . . .
. . . What all these cases show is the complete disregard for victims and their families.  It appears that the judge and jury were looking for any excuse to allow the perpetrator to be given a lesser sentence and not to take responsibility.  For all these cases, Kate's father, Jim Steinle, summed it up: "We're just shocked – saddened and shocked[.] ... [T]hat's about it[.] ... There's no other way you can coin it.  Justice was rendered, but it was not served."

Selwyn Duke: We can thank a flawed jury system for the Steinle verdict  

"Much has been said about the acquittal of felonious invader José Inés García Zarate, the killer of young Kate Steinle, who died in her father's arms.  While most of the focus has been on "sanctuary cities" – a euphemism for treasonous, lawless cities – there perhaps has been no scrutiny of the people whose minds are too often a sanctuary from knowledge and reality: modern jurors.

"The problem stems from "The Error of Impartiality," which is the title of an essay on this very subject.  For what is often perceived in jurors as fairness is just fecklessness – of the moral variety.

"When choosing jurors, pains are taken to dismiss people with preconceived notions about the case.  But consider:  if in question is a high-profile matter such as the O.J. Simpson or Steinle case, what kind of person would know nothing about it or have formed no opinions?  Does this reflect impartiality or just indifference?. . ."

"Lionel Cryer (Depicted by actor on FX series) is the juror who gave OJ Simpson a black power fist as he left the courtroom after the verdict"

. . . "In the final episode of American Crime Story: The People V OJ Simpson showed the moment when one juror gave Simpson a black power fist as he left the courtroom following the jury's verdict.

"That moment did indeed happen too, though it was not caught by the cameras in the court because they could not reveal the identity of the jurors.

"It is now known that it was Lionel Cryer who raised his fist, a former Black Panther who Marcia Clark decided to not have removed as a juror in the racially-driven case." . . .

Counterpoint: Why Steinle ‘Not Guilty’ Verdict Is Not ‘Disgraceful’
. . . "14. If I could change the system in any way, I’d change the verdict forms. Instead of “guilty” and “not guilty,” I’d change it to “proven” and “not proven.” That’s really what the criminal system is about. It’s not about finding the truth as some people think. It’s exclusively about what can be proven. Sometimes the truth is difficult to prove.(just ask any prosecutor)" . . .

Can we finally stop calling them moderate Democrats?

Silvio Canto, Jr.   "It was very late, or very early, depending on your time zone, but the tax bill passed the U.S. Senate.  The final tally was 51-49 with no last-minute surprises.

Cartoon added by TD

"Unfortunately, it was a party-line vote.  Every Democrat voted no – another example that diversity in that party is a word and not much else.

"So can we finally stop talking about all those Democrats who will work with President Trump because he carried their state by double digits?  Where in the world are those people?

"What we saw in that vote was two things:

1. The Democrats stick together, no matter what they say back in West Virginia or Montana.  A Democrat in the U.S. Senate is a vote for Senator Schumer.Are you listening, Alabama?  Judge Moore may have his many faults, but a Senator Jones from Alabama will be another Schumer disciple!2. The red-state Democrats will have a lot of explaining to do, unless the GOP nominates a total loser and gives away Missouri, Indiana, et al.

Thursday Night’s NFL Game Looked Like A Ghost Town

Daily Caller

michael phillips@michaelpRTD

Midway through the first quarter and a lot of folks are sitting this one out.

"The Dallas Cowboys beat the Washington Redskins Thursday night in Dallas, 38 to 14.

"The matchup between the two teams is one of the most storied in the NFL and the two teams are historically popular with their rabid fan bases.  

"However, that fact was not on display last night when the teams gathered in Dallas. According to tweets from reporters at the game, the crowd was absolutely abysmal for the matchup." . . .

"The popularity of the NFL has taken a severe hit since dozens of players in the league participated in national anthem protests. Fans have burnt their gear and ratings have steeply declined.

"If last night’s game is any indication, the NFL is in big trouble."

Via Weasel Zippers