Marxism For Our Times; The progressive agenda does not help the "have nots."

Weekly Standard

Marx's memorial in Moscow. Creative commons

. . . "Younger and Portney observe similar bahavior elsewhere, and illuminate this in part by taking the Communist Manifesto and replacing the word "communism" with activism and "bourgeois" and "proletarian" with "haves" and "have nots," which generates a surprisingly trenchant message." . . .

. . . 

Ethan Epstein sagely pointed out in these pages that Hillary Clinton's opining that the fact that the GDP in the states where she won in the 2016 election amounted to fully two-thirds of the country's total is somehow important would, in fact, be so only if we were to implicitly weight the importance of citizens by their income, a grotesque perspective but one that increasingly seems to comport with a progressive upper-class perspective that our net worth is somehow representative of someone’s individual worth.

"Achieving economic equality—or even something tantamount to an equality of opportunity—may represent the progressive cri de coeur, but many liberals seem fine with concomitantly pursuing various other social goals that come at the expense of the great unwashed and undermine that very goal."

Ike Brannon is a nonresident fellow at the Cato Institute.

Kissinger Endorses Trump’s Meeting with Kim Jong-un

National Review

"Henry Kissinger has endorsed President Trump’s planned meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, saying he thinks Trump’s unique style was instrumental in facilitating it.

“ 'The president has his own original style, and it’s unlikely to be changed at this stage of his life,” the former secretary of state told the New York Times. “But it also is conducive to bringing forward opportunities like this Korean conversation. It is not what we traditionalists would have recommended in the first place. . . . But I have to say, when I have thought it through, and how it could play out, it could restore a political initiative to us, and could compel a conversation with countries [who may not otherwise want one].”

"The legendary foreign-policy adviser received the Nobel Peace Prize in 1973 for negotiating a ceasefire in Vietnam. Between 1969 and 1977, Kissinger was instrumental in ending the Vietnam War, opening communication and diplomatic relations with China for the first time since 1949, and easing the pressure of the Cold War." . . .

MAIREAD MCARDLE — Mairead McArdle is a news writer for National Review Online and a graduate of Thomas Aquinas College.

God’s Will as Something to Laugh About

Stephanie Ruhle of MSNBC had this to say the following day: “If you noticed when Larry Kudlow spoke on CNBC yesterday, he ended by saying, ‘However things work out, it will be God’s will.’” After laughing out loud, she added: “That’s an interesting way to talk about being the national economic adviser to the president, God’s will?”

National Review

"President Trump’s decision to appoint Larry Kudlow director of the National Economic Council was a big deal for free-market conservatives. The administration is not just picking up a competent policy wonk with significant experience and instincts in macroeconomics, but also adding a five-star talent in messaging and communications. As the vast majority of Americans are free-market-leaning, one could argue that the battle of public presentation is the need of the hour (versus, say, the Sandinista wing of the Democratic party, as manifested by Bernie Sanders, Elizabeth Warren, Bill de Blasio, and Kamala Harris). Coherent articulation of a market-driven prosperity message has been Kudlow’s bread and butter for most of his adult life. President Trump needs him. America will benefit.
. . . 
"There is no reason to overthink what a struggling anchor has to say about the high-profile Larry Kudlow. Humanistic elitism is not new, and if anything, the Joy Behars (though she at least can’t be accused of uttering her bigoted ignorance for clickbait) and Stephanie Ruhles of the world can be congratulated for occasional bouts of accidental transparency. Ruhle’s mockery of Christian faith is one step in the march the secularists intend for American life, a godless and faithless (and I assure you, hopeless) one. It does not stem from a desire for humanistic rationalism, one in which people would make better career and family decisions because they reject seeking God’s will. Rather, her comment was an attempt to sway the national conversation by mockery. If you can’t beat ’em, make fun of ’em." . . .

DAVID L. BAHNSEN — David L. Bahnsen is the founder and chief investment officer of the bicoastal Bahnsen Group wealth-management firm, a trustee at the National Review Institute, and the author of the new book Crisis of Responsibility: Our Cultural Addiction to Blame and How You Can Cure It.

My son was a Columbine shooter. This is my story | Sue Klebold

Intellihub

"The mother of Columbine High School shooter Dylan Klebold explains what may have caused her son to do what he did"

"Sue Klebold, the mother of one of the Columbine school shooters Dylan Klebold, gave a live presentation at TEDTalks in February of 2017, where she talked about what she’s learned from the tragedy after her son Dylan and his friend Eric murdered 13 people on April 20, 1999.

"According to the video’s description:

Sue Klebold is the mother of Dylan Klebold, one of the two shooters who committed the Columbine High School massacre, murdering 12 students and a teacher. She’s spent years excavating every detail of her family life, trying to understand what she could have done to prevent her son’s violence. In this difficult, jarring talk, Klebold explores the intersection between mental health and violence, advocating for parents and professionals to continue to examine the link between suicidal and homicidal thinking." . . .

Hillary, the press still loves you!

CBS Continues Its Blackout of Hillary’s Mumbai Mess; Brief Coverage on ABC & NBC Sunday Shows  . . . "Given the blowback, you’d imagine that the broadcast networks would have found at least a few moments for this controversy. You’d be wrong. As of Monday morning, March 19, ABC, CBS and NBC have so far failed to mention Clinton’s comments on either their morning or evening news programs (although CBS did find a few seconds to talk about Clinton fracturing her wrist on the same trip).

"NBC and ABC did squeeze in brief mentions on their Sunday shows, eight days after the original comments, while CBS’s Face the Nation continued to hide the entire mess from viewers." . . .

Hillary Clinton Explains Comments That Women Vote How Their Husbands Tell Them To Vote  . . . "Clinton says she did not realize how hard it would hit many who heard it.

"Clinton repeated that she lost the support of white women overall “to a candidate who relies on scare tactics and false attacks, masking the fact that he is otherwise no friend to most Americans.' ”

But Why Was Hillary in India, CBS? Net Notices Fall, But Not Her Bashing of Americans  . . . "Why was Clinton in India? Did she say anything interesting? In fact, she said this: 

I won the places that are optimistic, diverse, dynamic, moving forward.... And his whole campaign — 'Make America Great Again' — was looking backward. You know, you didn't like black people getting rights; you don't like women, you know, getting jobs; you don't want to, you know, see that Indian American succeeding more than you are — you know, whatever your problem is, I'm gonna solve it.

"Yet, as Graham noted, here was the non-coverage of Clinton insulting large swathes of the country: 

ABC: Zero. (Unless....you count The View!)CBS: Zero.NBC: Zero. PBS NewsHour: Zero.NPR: Zero. MSNBC prime time: Zero. The New York Times: Zero.The Los Angeles Times:  Zero.USA Today: Zero. 

Al Sharpton’s Group And Black Lives Matter Team Up For Pro-Farrakhan Protest

Can anyone tell me in light of all this why so many idolize the Obamas?

Daily Caller

• Black Lives Matter, the New Black Panther Party, and Rev. Al Sharpton’s National Action Network are organizing a protest in defense of Nation of Islam leader Louis Farrakhan
• Farrakhan is a notorious racist and anti-Semite with close ties to Democratic politicians and activists
• The black activist groups are lobbying against a GOP resolution formally condemning Farrakhan for his anti-Semitism

. . . "Black Lives Matter, the New Black Panther Party and the National Action Network are among the groups spearheading the protest, the organizers said in a press release.

"The groups are protesting a House resolution, introduced by Republican Indiana Rep. Todd Rokita, that formally condemns Farrakhan’s anti-Semitism. The activists instead want lawmakers to pass a resolution condemning President Donald Trump. (RELATED: Seven Louis Farrakhan Quotes On Jews, Gays And White People)" . . .

UPDATE: Women’s March Loses Members Due to Leaders’ Ties to Farrakhan

. . .  And Planned Parenthood, the movement’s most prominent sponsor, dumped Women’s March Co-president Tamika Mallory as a keynote speaker at a luncheon next month.

"Mallory attended a speech by Farrakhan in February that he laced with anti-Semitic and homophobic language. He proclaimed that “the powerful Jews are” his enemy while “[W]hite folks are going down” along with Satan and that “by God’s grace, has pulled the cover off of that Satanic Jew.”

"Mallory penned an op-ed in early March, but as I pointed out a few days ago, the lack of self-awareness blew my mind, especially the parts where she wrote that she will stand against anti-Semitism and homophobia. GIRL. You love and defend a man who HATES Jews and gay people.

"Not only that, but she even implied that religious leaders should hate Jews because they killed Jesus. (Someone remind her that Jesus was Jewish!)

Leader Carmen Perez loves Farrakhan and notorious anti-Semitic, Israel hater Linda Sarsour spoke at one Nation of Islam even in 2015.

"Their support has enraged supporters. The New York Post continued:" . . .

Gina Haspel in the dock for doing her duty, legally

NY Daily News

"President Trump’s choice of veteran CIA operative Gina Haspel to lead the nation’s top spy agency has set off a cascade of protest from advocates who condemn her as an apologist for torture, if not a monstrous war criminal.

"Haspel’s role in the agency’s enhanced interrogation program deserves Senate scrutiny. But the effort to drown her in righteous indignation, overlook the rest of her long and strong record, and deem her summarily disqualified from leading the intelligence shop is woefully misguided.

"More than 16 years after the destruction of the World Trade Center, there is much the American public still does not know, and may never know, about the U.S. government’s secret program of spiriting away and questioning terrorists.

"What we do know is that Haspel reportedly oversaw a secret prison in Thailand where one Al Qaeda operative, mastermind of the U.S.S. Cole bombing, was waterboarded three times.

"Widely circulated reports that Haspel also oversaw the interrogation of Abu Zubaydah, who was waterboarded some 70 times, have since been corrected. She did not.

"She did, however, reportedly follow through on a boss’ order to have videotaped evidence of Zubaydah’s sessions destroyed. She must answer to the morality and legality of that act." . . .

Sessions makes his move

J.R. Dunn  "Back in 2011, the indomitable Peter Schweizer published Throw Them All Out, a detailed examination of political corruption as it is actually practiced in the halls of Congress.

"In his investigation, Schweizer found one single member of Congress against whom no allegations could be held – who had never taken a dime that was not his, had never cut any backroom deals, had never, simply put, played the game.

That individual was Jeff Sessions.

"That fact is all you need to know to understand why Donald Trump selected Sessions for the Department of Justice, and why Sessions has followed the course he has in taking on the "Russia collusion" coup effort.

"Sessions is the quintessential Eagle Scout.  He will follow the rules down to the last subclause and will not make his move until every "t" has been crossed and every "i" dotted.

"We saw the first results of this approach last Friday – in dealing with Andrew McCabe, this century's prime example of a "cookie full of arsenic.' " . . .

Trey Gowdy: It Wasn’t Republicans And It Wasn’t Trump Who Recommended McCabe Be Fired It Was His Own Fellow Agents

FBI officials recommend Andrew McCabe be fired

Weasel Zippers

Former Ass’t FBI Director: High-Ranking People Throughout Government Protected Hillary Clinton From Being Indicted

Former assistant FBI director: High-ranking people throughout the government had a plot to protect Hillary Clinton from being indicted

"Former assistant FBI director James Kallstrom suggested Sunday morning that the constant shifting of high-ranking government officials over the last year is related to an internal plot to help Hillary Clinton during the 2016 presidential election.

" 'I think we have ample facts revealed to us during this last year and a half that high-ranking people throughout government, not just the FBI, high-ranking people had a plot to not have Hillary Clinton, you know, indicted," Kallstrom said on Fox News' "Sunday Morning Futures With Maria Bartiromo."

"Kallstrom, who worked at the FBI for 27 years, was responding to Bartiromo's question about whether he thought that someone in the FBI was directing officials to protect Clinton.

" 'Do you think somebody was directing them or do you think they just came to the conclusion on their own, this leadership at the FBI and the Department of Justice, that they wanted to change the outcome of the election?" Bartiromo asked.

"Kallstrom also said officials had a scheme to blame Trump for the Russian interference during the 2016 election.

" 'They had a backup plan to basically frame Donald Trump and that's what's been going," Kallstrom said." 

McCabe's Domino Is Only the First to Fall  "Oh, what a tangled web the unindicted co-conspirators in the Deep State coup to keep Hillary Clinton out of prison and Donald Trump out of the White House have woven.  When you tell the truth, the adage goes, you never have to remember anything.  But when you lie, you have to remember the lies you told to cover the earlier lies, and you certainly have to keep your story in line with your other co-conspirators.

"That Andrew McCabe, in his response to his firing, failed miserably on this score, implicating former FBI Director James Comey, is the conclusion of George Washington University law professor Jonathan Turley:" . . .

James Comey perjured himself before Congress, before the FISA court, and before the American people.  Indict McCabe, then Comey, then just go down the list.  McCabe promised to take people down with him if he was fired.  Time to make some popcorn.

Hillary stands with Indian-Americans ....in India

Steve Hilton  . . . "Whoever.” “You name it.” Clinton’s catalog of insults to the people she once hoped to represent typically ends with the rhetorical equivalent of an exasperated monarchical hand sweeping people away as if they were serfs who had dared to show their dirty faces to the queen.

"But Hillary really outdid herself recently in Mumbai in India.

"After dismissing American women who dared to vote against her as brainless robots when it comes to politics – this from the self-styled champion of women! – she went on to describe Trump supporters (roughly half the country, let’s remember) as people who “didn’t like black people getting rights, you don’t like women getting jobs, you don’t want to see that Indian-American succeeding more than you are.”

"Let’s not waste too much time on how unintelligent, offensive and bigoted that remark really is. The best response might just be to point to one prominent Trump supporter who now serves in  the president’s Cabinet: U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley, an Indian-American professional woman who as governor of South Carolina not only took down the Confederate flag but said that it “should never have been there.' ” . . .

Hillary Clinton tries to explain her comments on Trump voters after backlash  

Clinton summed up Trump's message as "you know, you didn't like black people getting rights, you don't like women, you know, getting jobs. You don't want, you know, to see that Indian American succeeding more than you are."

The Media, the NRA, and Islam

It's too bad the American left doesn't treat the NRA even half as fairly as it treats Islam.  "That would refer to American Muslims, 13 percent of whom, according to the Pew Research Center, say they support suicide bombings and other violence against civilians in defense of Islam.  (According to Pew, the percentage is considerably higher among foreign Muslims.)

Yet every time a jihadist goes on a killing spree, the American left, through its propaganda arm – otherwise known as the mainstream media – is quick to remind us that Islamic terrorism is an aberration and in no way reflective of the "religion of peace."

"In fact, jihadist terror is so aberrant that countless talking heads, including the one who used to occupy the White House, have declared it un-Islamic, going so far as to claim that a vast terrorist army known by various names, but most conventionally as the Islamic State, has nothing to do with Islam.

"That would actually be laughable – sort of like claiming that the National Rifle Association had nothing to do with guns – if thousands of people weren't being slaughtered.

"Yet countless Islamic scholars, learned men (they're all men) who have done little other than study the Koran their entire lives, boldly contradict the leftist cadre of pundits and professional apologists, most of whom are not Muslim and have no expertise in the field of Quranic study (sort of like Dianne Feinstein defining an "assault rifle"), by saying that in their learned opinion, what terror networks like al-Qaeda and the Islamic State are doing – visiting violent jihad upon the infidel – is exactly the duty of every true Muslim and that anyone who says differently is either an infidel or a heretic and should be killed.  (How's that for the religion of peace and tolerance?)

"So whom are you going to believe, Anderson Cooper, who knows as much about Islam as he knows about picking up girls in singles bars, or ten thousand imams who have literally memorized every verse in the Quran?" . . .By Chuck Hustmyre

McCabe's firing demonstrates that the swamp is deep

Jack Hellner  . . . "The investigation by Mueller is and has always been a witch hunt targeting Trump and it is destroying a lot of people, but the media and Democrats only have cared so far about McCabe and other FBI agents who clearly violated their duty by protecting Hillary, targeting Trump, and not telling the truth about it. 

"The swamp is deep and Trump is obviously not the problem. The main problem is that the majority of the media is protecting the swamp instead of the American people. I would think they would be ashamed but they are not. They continue to double down."