The Perpetual Presidency

Victor Davis Hanson

Obama believes that all of Trump’s successes are due to Obama, and all of Trump’s setbacks are his own.

"Former president Barack Obama recently continued his series of public broadsides against his successor, President Donald Trump.

. . . 

"Still, after 22 months, no one knows what the final verdict will be on the Trump administration. So it seems wise to wait until Trump’s four-year term is over before weighing in on his legacy or lack of one.

"By the same token, the frenetic Obama should take a deep breath, stop arguing the past, and allow history to adjudicate his own eight-year economic and foreign-policy record.

"Given that Obama was a strong progressive while Trump surprisingly has proven to be a hard-right conservative, their presidencies offer a sort of laboratory of contrasting worldviews.

"History will decide whether a more managed or more deregulated economy works best. We will learn whether a focus on traditional energy sources is preferable to an emphasis on subsidized green energy.

"In recent times, Republican ex-presidents — Ronald Reagan, George H. W. Bush, and George W. Bush — left the limelight at the end of their tenures. They kept silent about their successors, and they allowed history to be the judge of their relative successes or failures. Reagan and the younger Bush often were ensconced on their ranches in out-of-the-way places. Obama would do well to buy a ranch, too.

"In contrast, progressive ex-presidents such as Jimmy Carter, Bill Clinton, and Obama saw the presidency as a never-ending story. Politics were a 24/7, 360-degree, all-encompassing experience. All envisioned their retirements as opportunities to relitigate their administrations and to politick the present in hopes that future kindred presidencies would be progressive and would continue their own agendas.

"Carter frequently warned that the Reagan defense buildup and tough stance toward the Soviet Union were dangerous and would lead to an existential confrontation.

"Clinton became a fierce critic of the Iraq War as his wife Hillary prepared to enter the 2008 presidential race as an anti-Bush candidate.

"Obama still seeks to convince the country that Trump is “unfit” to be president." . . .

NRO contributor Victor Davis Hanson is a senior fellow at the Hoover Institution and the author, most recently, of The Second World Wars: How the First Global Conflict Was Fought and Won. @vdhanson

Ballot-harvesting, not just for California anymore...

What it shows is that statehouses are important because they set election laws.  If the state is run by Democrats, rest assured they will take every advantage to secure absolute power.  What's needed now is a concerted Republican counterattack, not to secure absolute power, as the Democrats have done, but to secure free and fair elections from a willing electorate.

Monica Showalter "California looks like a lost cause for Republicans, given how Democrats clinched the midterm with a series of new laws.  Maybe no big deal, given that California has been a solid blue state for something like 20 years.  But are Americans aware of the potential for California vote-rigging to come to their states, making them so blue that no conservative will ever be able to win an election?

"A California political operative, Edward Ring, writing in American Greatness, lays out the coming spectacle:

Come to California to see what's going to roll out across America in time to guarantee a progressive landslide in 2020.  It may be perfectly legal.  But it's so rigged it would make Boss Tweed blush. ...

The way they did this was to pass laws designed to rig the system.

Three laws in particular combined to stack the deck against Republicans.  First came the Motor Voter law.  This meant that as soon as any California resident acquired or renewed his driver's license or state ID, he would be registered to vote automatically.  Second, the state legislature authorized counties automatically to send absentee ballots to voters, even if they had not requested those ballots.  Third, the rules governing ballot custody were changed so that anyone could turn in absentee ballots, not just the actual voter.

The opportunities presented by these three laws were fully exploited by Democrats.

"Ring warns that Democratic legislatures in states that went all blue in the last midterm – Democrats picked up six new houses and several governorships – were watching California very closely.  They want what California has and are likely to pass the three laws California did to seal their permanent power entrenchment: Motor Voter laws that register voters whether they like it or not, absentee ballots mailed to voters whether they like it or not, and ballot-harvesting with no chain of custody by absolutely anyone." . . .

More overwhelming silliness from the left

‘Whiteness’ Forum Denounces The Christian Cartoon ‘Veggietales’ As Racist

“The Christian cartoon ‘VeggieTales’ is racist because the villains are vegetables of color,” The College Fix reports the forum as saying."

Not a good time to be a children's cartoon character.

'Rudolph' Actor Responds To Critics Calling Iconic Film Bigoted, Sexist
"Last week, the Huffington Post went all Huffington Post and bemoaned the Christmas classic "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer" as "seriously problematic," allegedly perpetuating bigotry, sexism, and discrimination.
"As one can imagine, sane people from all walks of life were pretty flabbergasted and frankly annoyed with the needless complaining from the Social Justice far-Left. This includes actress Corrine Conley, who voiced the doll in the original 1964 children's movie." 

More succinctly put, a user wrote: "Oh for heaven’s sake, #LightenUp!"

Jeb Bush: President Trump ‘Couldn’t Have Been Nicer’ After Father Died

True, the Democrats and major media want to try to make it look like it is out of character for Trump to act with common decency and respect. Yet when McCain show no class by banning the president from his funeral, they have no problem with it. Democrats and the media are disgusting in their actions and could lead to real trouble in this country if they continue and their brand of hatred spreads. From the comments

MSNBC Panel: Trump Probably Thought Bush Funeral Was All About Him Even Though It Wasn’t, but It Was A Rebuke Of Him  . . . ". Even when it’s not about Trump, they’ll find a way to make it about their obsession. They make money for making it be about Trump so even when it isn’t they can’t stop.

The Consequences of #MeToo for Women: 'Gender Segregation'  . . . "On Wall Street, many men have adopted Vice President Mike Pence's sage advice: avoid having dinner alone with any woman not your wife. There are other changes in behavior with female co-workers as well: don't sit next to them on flights, book hotel rooms on separate floors, and avoid one-on-one meetings.
"And never close your office door when meeting with a female.
"It's not just Wall Street, of course. The changes are affecting businesses nationwide in every industry." . . . 

“The virgin birth story is about an all-knowing, all-powerful deity impregnating a human teen. There is no definition of consent that would include that scenario. Happy Holidays,” Sprankle said.

Professor stated: Virgin Mary didn’t give consent 
"A Minnesota professor suggested in a series of tweets that the Virgin Mary did not consent to the conception of Jesus Christ and suggested that God may have acted in a “predatory" manner." . . .
This guy really had to reach to come up with this theory. TD

. . . "The Creepy Line" makes a compelling case that a small number of people at a few Silicon Valley companies have tremendous power to do creepy things.

. . . "But a new documentary, "The Creepy Line, " argues that companies like Google and Facebook lean left and have power they shouldn't have. The title "Creepy Line" refers to a comment by former Google chairman Eric Schmidt, who said when it comes to issues like privacy, Google policy "is to get right up to the creepy line but not cross it.' "  . . .

Bush funeral: Reconciliation and civility Update: Except for Hillary

I have to admit appreciating Michelle Obama's greeting of Trump. After watching so many divisive victimhood excerpts from her commencement addresses I did not picture her as this gracious. The Tunnel Dweller

Monica Showalter

"Update from Thomas Lifson:

In contrast to the politeness of everyone else, Hillary Clinton refused to acknowledge the arrival and greeting of President and Mrs. Trump as they joined the other presidents sitting in the front row of the George H.W. Bush funeral at the National Cathedral. President Trump leaned over his wife to shake hands with President and Mrs. Obama, who graciously reciprocated. Bill Clinton, sitting on the other side of Michelle Obama, did not reach out to shake hands, but at least looked in the direction of President Trump. But not Hillary Clinton.

The woman defeated by Donald Trump stared straight ahead, refusing to acknowledge the arrival of the president of the United States only a few feet away. Neither a glance nor a nod broke the frozen expression of anger on her visage.

"No foot-stomping Wellstone funeral, no bitter McCain funeral. The Bushes are keeping it classy, with class something they've always been known for, and it's nice to see that they haven't changed. Their bitter political spats with President Trump are not going to dirty this up. They want the event to really be about President Bush and no one else."

Attacking Sully

She then imposed the false narrative of a power struggle between a dominant master (who had Parkinson's and needed a service dog to help him function throughout his day) and a helpless creature conscripted into training and forced to help 41.

James Aaron Brown "Ruth Graham, in an article published at Slate, demonstrated one of the worst vices of American media. Specifically, she sought to provoke and entertain the audience she writes for by unnecessarily criticizing Sully H.W. Bush, the service dog to George Bush, the 41st president of the United [S]tates.

"As the photo of Sully resting in front of 41's casket reached into every American's home and phone, Ruth felt that her greatest contribution would be to point out that Sully was simply an employee and not a beloved family pet.  Furthermore, she sought to do what many in her camp might do: impose a postmodern and deconstructionist interpretation upon a photo.  She then imposed the false narrative of a power struggle between a dominant master (who had Parkinson's and needed a service dog to help him function throughout his day) and a helpless creature conscripted into training and forced to help 41.  Her rationale?  This is what Sully was trained to do as an employee." . . .

Why was Sully lying in front of the casket of 41?  According to Graham, "it's a bit demented to project soul-wrenching grief onto a dog's decision to lie down in front of a casket."  Well, if we use science, then we will take stock of previous observations and compare similar accounts of dogs with funerals.  We will then look at studies or seek out experts like Dr. Coren to see if there is any meaningful correlation.  If we don't apply our own confirmation bias, as it seems Graham did in her article, we will find that Sully is doing what many a child with the same cognitive abilities and what other dogs in Sully's situation do.
If our society's goal is to entertain ourselves with false criticism, Slate proves this point.  . . .

 Critics did not like Graham's tacky article. Was she assigned this article, or did Slate's editors just happen to like it?
Other opinion articles by Graham

The final flight of President G.H.W. Bush

Rich Terrell

The downing of GHW Bush's plane in WW2 and his rescue.

George H.W. Bush World War II Service: 5 Fast Facts You Need to Know

George Herbert Walker Bush was a teenager when he became a Naval aviator during World War II. (Getty)

How could you not get a kick out of this piece of video? Remember the President vs broccoli?

American Thinker

Why Democratic Socialists Could Never Produce the Instant Pot

Intellectual Takeout

If Ocasio-Cortez cared about her constituents, she might take time to learn how entrepreneurs, with the freedom to use resources to serve consumers, have lifted billions out of poverty in the past few centuries. If the goal of democratic socialists to abolish capitalism is reached, we’ll never hear of future Dr. Wangs.

. . . "In November, Ocasio-Cortez asked her 1.2 million Twitter followers to post their favorite Instant Pot recipes. Perhaps she should ask her Twitter followers to explain to her how markets work to produce innovations like Instant Pots. There are no innovation recipes that guarantee entrepreneurial success.

"In my essay, “The Instant Pot and How Empathy Is at the Core of Capitalism,” I explored how Dr. Robert Wang risked $300,000 of his savings to invent the Instant Pot. No doubt Ocasio-Cortez sees herself as a highly empathetic person as she sets out to redistribute other people’s money, but Dr. Wang’s company was built on putting empathy into action with his own money.

"Empathy, as Dr. Wang knows, is the open secret of business success. Empathy, not greed, is the essence of an entrepreneurial mindset that fosters innovation to meet the urgent needs of customers.

"To those who assume capitalists are greedy, it may seem startling to call profit-seeking entrepreneurs compassionate. For many, compassion begins with politicians redistributing income. Yet empathy is a gateway to compassion. When an entrepreneur sees clearly the unmet needs of others, action to alleviate the need is possible.

Ocasio-Cortez’s platform calls for Medicare for all, housing as a right, and a federal jobs guarantee with a $15 minimum wage. Her motivation is not merely an expanded social safety net. These are just her first steps toward the abolishment of capitalism.

"We can wonder what government agency she envisions will conjure up innovations as good as the Instant Pot. Will future Dr. Wangs apply to a government board for funding? And since Ocasio-Cortez sees a desperate need for more healthcare and housing, how could precious funding be deployed to build something that satisfies unarticulated needs?

"If you use an Instant Pot, you already know its unique features. Burn protection is a design feature of the Instant Pot. Little steam escapes, and the result is perfectly cooked food without minding the stove. In my household, like many others, the Instant Pot has revolutionized cooking and eliminated pot scrubbing." . . . Read the full article

This article has been republished with permission from Foundation for Economic Education.

Related: Venezuela Reveals the Natural Progression of "Democratic Socialism"

Venezuela shows that socialism requires time to reduce a prosperous economy to misery and rule over its ruins.

..."Francisco Toro, writing in the Washington Post, tries to whitewash socialism in the wake of the destruction of Venezuela. He sends a message to “true believers” of the cause, from violent, hooded fanatics behind Soviet flags to eternally-offended worshipers of the ultra-left Senator Sanders or the comparatively moderate followers of Hillary Clinton." . . .

Bush's Finest 30 Seconds: The Willie Horton Ad

Ann Coulter  "The press in America is even worse than we imagine. We sense that they’re biased and stunningly incompetent. They are those things, but so much more. Our media’s version of the news is mathematically and precisely the opposite of the truth.

"The death and burial of George H.W. Bush is only the latest example.

"In the puffery and revisionism that accompany funerals, the man who gave us David Souter, an unnecessary war, tax hikes he promised not to impose and the Americans With Disabilities Act (aka The Destruction of Small Libraries Throughout New England Act) has been elevated to saintlike status.

"But the one incident the media decided to excoriate Bush for was, in fact, his finest moment: the Willie Horton ad.

"If we let the media get away with this, they will have once again redefined what constitutes acceptable discourse in America and cemented the notion that our political process should never be soiled by such a campaign ad — the one thing Bush got right in his entire public career.

"Far from representing the “low road,” the Willie Horton ad was the greatest campaign commercial in political history. The ad was the reason we have political campaigns: It clearly and forcefully highlighted the two presidential candidates’ diametrically opposed views on an issue of vital national importance." . . .

. . . "(An independent group unconnected to the Bush campaign produced an ad seen by 16 people showing Horton -- appalling the press by using his mug shot, rather than his First Communion photo as prescribed by The New York Times' standards and ethics policy for black criminals.)" . . . (Below)

Perhaps France should avoid Obama-type leaders in the future

French surrender on carbon tax upsets allies  . . . "Trump gloated on Twitter, “The Paris Agreement is fatally flawed because it raises the price of energy for responsible countries while whitewashing some of the worst polluters … in the world. I want clean air and clean water and have been making great strides in improving America’s environment. But American taxpayers – and American workers – shouldn’t pay to clean up others countries’ pollution.”

"The president misses the point. This is not about protecting the environment. If it were, the globalists would pile on Red China to clean up its act. This is about crippling our economy instead." . . .

French President Macron Suspends Gas Tax But He May Have Won The Too-Little-Too-Late Award  . . . "For the past three weeks, France has been hit by large scale riots (see my post on the subject). The cause of the riots is that a stagnant French economy that is strangling in government regulation was made even worse by French President Emmanuel Macron’s virtue-signaling decision to slap a 23% tax on fuel to combat “climate change.” This left many families literally unable to eat some days each month." . . .

It can be harder to take movements seriously when they are promoted by silly celebrities, needing approval from their silly peers. TD

Bob Dole Salutes President Bush One Last Time

Townhall  . . . "Dole, 95 years old, shares many things in common with President George H. W. Bush, who died on Friday at age 94. For starters, they are both World War II heroes and they both ran for president in the 1980s, with Bush finally prevailing in 1988." . . . 
. . . "As you can tell from the video, Dole respects his fellow veteran and political rival and wanted to give a proper sendoff." . . .
Senator Dole in World War 2, severely wounded in Italy:  

The reign of Queen San Fran Nan

Establishment Media Bias Blames Its Victims

Tony Branco

The American Spectator  Increasingly the public sees through the media’s arrogance and double-dealing.

"Liberals love victims… except those of establishment media bias. The American public astutely recognizes the bias, even as the establishment media adamantly refuses to acknowledge it. This ironic role reversal — from publicizer to perpetuator — reveals the true goal in the left’s love of victims and the establishment media’s role in advancing it.

"No group exalts victimhood like the left. In its view, there is no greater sin than to “blame the victim.” Yet, this is precisely what the establishment media does to those who dare confront its evident bias.

"Those with the temerity to expose the obvious are immediately labeled for relegation — haters, racists, misogynists, xenophobes, homophobes, traitors to their group, ignorant, or themselves biased — simply fill in the blank. To rephrase Shakespeare: The fault lies in themselves, not in their media stars.

"This increasingly occurs as evidence of establishment media bias grows. The proof comes from the public the professes to serve. Americans see the establishment media as biased — particularly against conservatives.

"Just before the election (10/25), Rasmussen released a poll showing 56 percent of Americans thought reporters were trying to influence the election when they wrote about a congressional race — and by 4-1, they were perceived as trying to help the Democrat. Just days later, Morning Consult wrote that 64 percent of voters said the press had done more to divide the country than had President Trump (56 percent).

"An internet search provides countless confirmation of this perceived bias. No wonder. Only those sharing the same anti-conservative bias cannot see the establishment media’s. Ignoring larger liberal failings and harping on — if not concocting — even picayune conservative ones were obvious through the Obama administration, the 2016 presidential campaign, and the Trump administration’s first two years.

"The establishment media’s treatment of the public it claims to serve starkly exposes what the left does with power once it actually attains it. Despite professing a desire to sow fairness and harvest harmony, liberals beat any plowshare into a sword as soon as they get it." . . .