Has the NBA finally turned off voters? Yep, and the NHL, NFL and, well, pretty much all of Hollywood

Silvio Canto, Jr.  "A few months ago, the Golden State Warriors refused to go to the White House to join President Trump for a championship celebration.  They met with former President Obama instead.
"Yes, it's a free country, but should everything be about politics?  The White House visit goes back years.  It's about honoring a championship team, not about playing politics.

"The NBA has been very politically in your face, to say the least.  Let's look back at some examples:

Carmelo Anthony marched in a Baltimore protest over the death of Freddie Gray in April.

LeBron James, Kobe Bryant, Derrick Rose and others wore shirts that said "I can't breathe" to protest the death of Eric Garner in December.

The Los Angeles Clippers turned their shirts inside out to hide the logo to protest racist statements made by owner Donald Sterling in 2014.

The Miami Heat wore hoodies in solidarity with Trayvon Martin in 2012.

And the Phoenix Suns wore "Los Suns" jerseys to protest a controversial Arizona immigration law in 2010.

"I don't know of too many fans who want to get lectured about politics when they drop $100 to go to a game.

"A day ago, I learned that NBA TV ratings are down.  In fact, they've sunk to "new lows."

"To be fair, maybe they play too many playoff games, or people are not watching TV how they used to.

"At the same time, maybe they've turned off a lot of guys like me.  Again, I don't really care what LeBron James thinks, especially when he is not even playing up to his potential."

How the Left is saving me money  . . . "The Left's recent trashing of the American icon and patriot, Kate Smith, is my best recent example."

. . . So, I thought, what else has the Left ruined for me, and in the process saved me money?  Well, I no longer contribute a dime to my college alma mater, and haven't since they invited the buffoon, Chris Matthews, as their commencement speaker.  Second, I attend the movies hardly at all anymore, thanks to Hollywood's antics.  I can't see the character for the repugnant actor or actress.  I also scaled back my cable subscription due to the disgust I have for Comcast and Disney.  I read more and learn more, instead.  Just last week, I chose a much more reasonable store brand sneaker over the odious Nike brand, after it made Kaepernick its spokesperson.  Likewise, I gave up Ben and Jerry's ice cream for store brand and chose AMAC over the costlier AARP as a retirement organization.  I wouldn't give a dime to Progressive Insurance, but in fact, I made a good deal on a less expensive policy from a competitor, with much better service.

3.2% growth is the new normal

Don Surber

" 'The U.S. economy grew at a faster pace than expected in the first quarter and posted its best growth to start a year in four years," CNBC reported.
"That's the result of putting a capitalist in the Oval Office." . . .
. . . 
"It took a decade to recover thanks to Obama's inept administration.
"President Trump waved his magic wand. Poof. The Great Recession disappeared as he rolled back taxes and regulations. America is using tariffs to protect its industries again.
Today's report by CNBC said, "Exports rose 3.7% in the first quarter, while imports decreased by 3.7%. Economic growth also got a lift from strong investments in intellectual property products. Those investments expanded by 8.6%."
We are Making America Great Again, or as Sloppy Joe Biden would say, “America’s coming back like we used to be.”

"Like we used to be"?: GDP Growth Slows to 1.9 Percent in Obama's Final Days
. . . "All told, growth under Obama averaged less than 1.5 percent annually. Analysts have called into question just how much a particular president actually impacts the economy during his tenure. But even though the labor market surged under the Obama administration, GDP numbers stubbornly held back."

UPDATE: Ignorant press 'surprised' by 3.2% blowout GDP number
. . . "Charles Payne at Fox News, a seasoned financial journalist, gave the bug-eyed headlines a sidelong glance in this tweet:

Charles V Payne‏Verified account @cvpayne

OMG Breaking News 1Q 2019 GDP 3.2%Monster number Bloomberg was looking for zero gaign and experts dismissed great signs along the way. This is AMAZING!!!! I have to dig into the details. . . .

Once Again, Trump’s Economy Beats the ‘Experts’  "It wasn’t long ago that economists were warning that President Trump’s government shutdown — which extended into late January — would wreak havoc on an already struggling economy, especially in the first quarter of the year.
"So what are these experts saying now that GDP growth accelerated to a startling 3.2% in the first three months of the year?
"Early in the year, anyone following the news was being bombarded with warnings about the economic calamity that the lengthy (partial) government shutdown would cause.

“ 'The government shutdown may have done significantly more damage than was projected at the time,” is how one writer at Seeking Alpha put it." . . .

Weasel Zippers shares some memorable Biden bits that may not please the SJWs

Reminder: Biden Was Opposed To Bin Laden Raid, “Mr. President, My Suggestion Is Don’t Go”…

Video: Students Appalled By Footage Of “Creepy” Joe Biden Touching Women…

Social justice warriors are going to utterly maul Joe Biden  "Even before launching his 2020 presidential bid, Joe Biden knelt at the altar of identity grievance. He will kneel and kneel some more through the campaign. None of it will be enough, and he is destined to be mauled by the modern left’s grievance-mongers." . . .

'I get calls from people all over the world. World leaders are calling me, and they're almost begging me to do this, to save the country, save the world . . .

How the Obama White House engaged Ukraine to give Russia collusion narrative an early boost

Photo added by TD

The Hill  . . . "Bruce Ohr and Steele worked on their own effort to get dirt on Manafort from a Russian oligarch, Oleg Deripaska, who had a soured business relationship with him. Deripaska was “almost ready to talk” to U.S. government officials regarding the money that “Manafort stole,” Bruce Ohr wrote in notes from his conversations with Steele.

"The efforts eventually led to a September 2016 meeting in which the FBI asked Deripaska if he could help prove Manafort was helping Trump collude with Russia. Deripaska laughed off the notion as preposterous.

" 'Previously, Politico reported that the Ukrainian Embassy in Washington assisted Clinton’s campaign through a DNC contractor. The Ukrainian Embassy acknowledges it got requests for assistance from the DNC staffer to find dirt on Manafort but denies it provided any improper assistance.

"Now we have more concrete evidence that the larger Ukrainian government also was being pressed by the Obama administration to help build the Russia collusion narrative. And that onion is only beginning to be peeled.

" 'But what is already confirmed by Ukrainians looks a lot more like assertive collusion with a foreign power than anything detailed in the Mueller report."

Macron says Notre Dame should be rebuilt in line with diversity; architect suggests an Islamic minaret be included

Mike Harris

Jihad Watch "France flagged “more than 78,000 people” as jihadist security threats in 2017; three churches a day are attacked there; anti-Semitism is so prevalent (and violent) in France that it prompted the President of the Confederation of Jews in France to conclude that “in a few decades, there will be no Jews in France.”

"But none of these facts have troubled globalist Emanuel Macron (and company), whose focus is on making everyone feel welcome in France, no matter what. Never mind those who choose not to integrate. This can be partially explained due to the fact that Macron does not believe that there is anything substantial to integrate into. He once declared that there is “no such thing” as a true Frenchman or true Dane. So it follows that Macron has a few ideas of his own about the rebuilding of the Notre Dame cathedral that would reflect his undying commitment to “diversity,” even if they are callous toward Christians and those who respect France’s heritage. Macron does not believe that the rebuilding of the Notre Dame should be intended to restore the glory of the ancient Gothic cathedral (with the painstaking labor that went into it); instead, Macron wants it to be recreated to be “consistent with our modern, diverse nation.' ” . . .

"Perhaps most controversial is a proposal in Domus, the architecture magazine, by Tom Wilkinson, for the fallen spire to be replaced with an Islamic minaret, to memorialize Algerians who protested the French government in the 1960s."

Macron’s initial promise to restore the magnificent cathedral to its former glory has been shoved aside. Now he says it will be rebuilt “consistent with our modern, diverse nation”, and at the same time the French Government has announced an international competition to redesign the Notre Dame spire

 Debate over future Notre-Dame spire fuels French divisions  “ 'Personally, I’m in favour of restoring it to how it was because that’s the spire that has imposed itself on the collective memory,” he told Reuters. “It would be hard to perceive (a contemporary spire) because we wouldn’t really recognise it any longer as being Notre-Dame.' ”

"Creepy Uncle Joe Endorsed by Creepy Porn Lawyer! NYTimes Endorses…Border Wall???"

DB Daily Update

. . . "He’d have been better off being endorsed by the Boston Bombers. – Talk about your unwanted praise – within a few hours of the posting of his Twitter video announcing his candidacy, Joe Biden received an endorsement from possibly the last guy he’d ever want to get:"

"That’s right: The Creepy Porn Lawyer has bestowed his formal approval of the candidacy of Creepy Uncle Joe. Hooboy, that’s damn near as good as securing the treasured David Duke endorsement, huh? It’s a safe bet Avenatti won’t be receiving a thank you note from Biden for his generous gesture. 

"Avenatti is no doubt thinking about what might have been for his own self. Let’s all remember that it was just a few months ago that both MSNBC and CNN were offering the Creepy Porn Lawyer hour upon hour of free air time each week, and insufferable nitwits like CNN’s Brian Stelter and MSNBC’s Chris Matthews openly touting the Porn Shyster for the 2020 Democrat presidential nomination.

"But that was all before his wife – or was it his girlfriend, I forget which – accused him of being an abuser and took him to court for unpaid alimony/child support, and before the U.S. Department of Justice indicted him for all sorts of criminal activity. But hey, unlike Paul Manafort, he’s at least out on bail and able to bestow his glowing imprimatur on the actual Democrat front-runner.

"Attaboy, Joe, you really got it going now!" . . .

Blue State Blues: Republicans Cannot Win If ‘Ballot Harvesting’ Remains Legal

Breitbart

"California Republicans are determined to take back the four congressional seats they lost in Orange County in 2018, among the seven the party lost statewide.
"They have some political momentum, as Nancy Pelosi’s Democrats have proven incapable of doing anything except arguing about impeaching President Donald Trump.
"Unfortunately, the tactic of “ballot harvesting,” introduced last November, has made it impossible for Republicans ever to win again.
“ 'Ballot harvesting” involves using a third party, such as a well-trained political activist, to collect mail-in ballots on behalf of other voters and deliver them to the polls.
"There is no vetting of ballot harvesters, and no limit to how many ballots they can deliver.
"The tactic was legalized by then-Gov. Jerry Brown in 2016, over GOP objections. Hundreds of thousands of ballots were dropped off at polling places in 2018, making a difference in key races.
"Democrats argue that ballot harvesting is necessary to ensure equal access to the polls — just like other innovations, such as early voting and same-day voter registration. They say that anything that makes it marginally harder to vote is undemocratic.
"Democrats also accuse Republicans of trying to “suppress” the vote by pushing for safeguards to prevent fraudulent voting, such as requiring photo ID to vote or striking felons and non-citizens from voters’ rolls.
"It is worth noting that what Democrats are doing in California, which they want to export nationwide, is virtually unknown in the rest of the world.
"The international norm for democracy is in-person voting, with photo ID, and registration well in advance. Absentee voting tends to be restricted, and mail-in voting is rare." . . .

To Show Respect For Sri Lanka Victims, Democrats Vow Not To Mention Their Religion At All

Tony Branco

Babylon Bee  "U.S.—In order to show respect for the victims of the horrific attacks in Sri Lanka over the weekend, several top Democrats have vowed not to mention their religion at all.
"The best way we can show reverence for these victims," former president Barack Obama said, "is to be very careful not to mention that they were Ch---I mean, not to mention their religion. Oops, almost used the C-word there."
"If we need to construct strained descriptors for them, that's what we'll do," he added solemnly. "We'll make up contrived terms like 'Easter worshipers' and make sure that all our fellow Democrats follow these protocols."
Failed presidential candidate Hillary Clinton agreed, pointing out that it would simply be disrespectful to point out that these Christians were being targeted for their faith.
"Christians being persecuted doesn't fit in with our narrative. Therefore, it would be inappropriate for us to label them what they were. Instead, we'll make up really odd-sounding phrases and do verbal backflips to avoid saying the name of their religion."
"Besides, what difference, at this point, does it make?" she said."

Pictures added by TD

What Drove the Mueller Investigation?

Victor Davis Hanson

Mueller’s team went down every blind alley relating to its investigation -- except where Obama-era officials were likely culpable for relevant unethical or illegal behavior.

"Special counsel Robert Mueller’s two-year, $30 million, 448-page report did not find collusion between Donald Trump and Russia.
"Despite compiling private allegations of loud and obnoxious Trump behavior, Mueller also concluded that there was not any actionable case of obstruction of justice by the president. It would have been hard, in any case, to find that Trump obstructed Mueller’s investigation of an alleged crime.
"One, there was never a crime of collusion. Mueller early on in his endeavors must have realized that truth, but he pressed ahead anyway. It is almost impossible to prove obstruction of nothing.
"Two, Trump cooperated with the investigation. He waived executive privilege. He turned over more than 1 million pages of administrative documents. He allowed then–White House counsel Don McGahn to submit to over 30 hours of questioning by Mueller’s lawyers.
"Three, anyone targeted by a massive investigation who knows he is innocent of an alleged crime is bound to become frustrated over a seemingly never-ending inquisition." . . .

Hard to believe, but America's media has hit a new low

Washington Times

Let's ambush "Easter Worshipers"!

"Here’s how truly detestable America’s media has become.

"On Easter Sunday, MSNBC decided to ambush special counsel Robert Mueller as he attended services across from the White House at St. John’s Episcopal Church

“ 'We knew that he was going to be, he’s been there. He’s been there in the past so we waited for him,” MSNBC reporter Mike Viqueira proudly said on air. “He came out the side door of the church. I did have a couple of prepared questions to ask him.”

"Then MSNBC showed the footage.

“ 'Sir, could I ask you a couple of questions? Will you testify before Congress, sir?” Mr. Viqueira asks Mr. Mueller, right next to him as the special counsel tries to get into his car.

“ 'No comment,” Mr. Mueller answers. “Are you sure about that, sir?” Mr. Viqueira says. “No comment,” Mr. Mueller repeats. “If he were anybody but the president, would Mr. Trump be indicted, sir?” Mr. Viqueira says, nearly shoving the microphone into Mr. Mueller’s face. No response. 

. . . 

"The shot cuts back to Mr. Viqueira, now outside the White House. “I think it’s accurate to characterize director Mueller as being tight-lipped to my questions,” Mr. Viqueira says, smiling smugly. MSNBC host Joy Reid can be heard laughing at the reporter’s incredible wit.

"Condemnation for the episode of “ambush journalism” was universal, but actress Patricia Heaton had the perfect tweet.

“ 'Hello @MSNBC,” the “Everybody Loves Raymond” actress tweeted. “Today is Easter Sunday, the holiest day of the Christian calendar. Some of the faithful were murdered today while they worshiped. But you ambush Robert Mueller outside of his church and chuckle about it afterward. This is loathesome. Shame on you.”

"Others joined in on Twitter.

“ '@MSNBC just proved itself to be the ‘human troll network’ and is also doubling down apparently proud of this grotesque display of human indecency after a worship service on a spiritual holiday,” one user tweeted. “This harassment outside Easter service is outrageous. @MSNBC often typifies the very worst of the dismal state of ‘journalism’ in America today. Fourth Estate, please do better!” another tweeted.

“And then they LAUGHED after they shared their clip on the air. WOW,” a third tweeted." . . .

MSNBC TORCHED Over Classless, Easter Ambush of Robert Mueller 

"The American people are losing faith in the mainstream media these days, and it’s not hard to see why.

"First, there is the undeniable reality of television “news” and its lifeblood; the advertisers.  Without the sale of temporary media real estate to these corporations, (i.e.: commercials), there would be no money to pay for entertainers like Chris Cuomo, Shep Smith, or Rachel Maddow to talk to those expensive cameras.

"Of course, given that this is the overwhelming and near-singular source of revenue for these channels, there can be no doubt of their influence on the programming.  In any other supposedly unbiased industry, this would be an automatic disqualification for objectivity…but not in the wild world of infotainment." . . .

Clinton, Obama, and "Easter Worshipers"

Dennis Prager: Why Clinton and Obama Tweeted about ‘Easter Worshippers’

The Left won’t allow itself to acknowledge anti-Christian terrorism.

. . . "That is why it is important to understand Clinton and Obama’s tweets: to understand the Left, not to understand her or him.

"Here are the tweets:

"Obama: “The attacks on tourists and Easter worshippers in Sri Lanka are an attack on humanity. On a day devoted to love, redemption, and renewal, we pray for the victims and stand with the people of Sri Lanka.”

"Three hours later, Clinton tweeted: “On this holy weekend for many faiths, we must stand united against hatred and violence. I’m praying for everyone affected by today’s horrific attacks on Easter worshippers and travelers in Sri Lanka.”

"As they both spelled “worshipers” the same idiosyncratic way and used the term “Easter worshippers,” it is likely that either they had the same writers or Clinton copied Obama.*

"Here’s what’s critical: Neither used the word “Christians.” And in order to avoid doing so, they went so far as to make up a new term — “Easter worshippers” — heretofore unknown to any Christian.

"When Jews were murdered at the Tree of Life synagogue in Pittsburgh, Clinton mentioned the synagogue in a tweet. But in her post–Sri Lanka tweet, despite the bombing of three churches filled with Christians, Clinton made no mention of church or churches. In a tweet after the massacre of Muslims in New Zealand, she wrote that her heart broke for “the global Muslim community.” But in her latest tweet, not a word about Christians or the global Christian community." . . .   *Emphasis mine, TD

'Easter worshippers'?  . . . "But right on schedule, in coordinated JournoList-grade lockstep wording, multiple prominent Democrats jumped with that weird 'Easter worshippers' phrase to refer to the victims, too.  Together, with those mechanically same wordings, those talking points, they sounded as though they were out to create 'a narrative' for the press to parrot about Easter worshippers, and never mind that they were Christians, murdered in cold blood by Islamist terrorists.  Look at some of these tweets:" . . .

Hatred of "Easter Worshipers(sp)"

It did not begin with Islam, and it does not end with Islam. It is the same thing that possessed the 28-year-old Australian white nationalist and gun enthusiast Brenton Tarrant, who murdered 50 innocent Muslims at Friday prayers last month in Christchurch, New Zealand, at the lovely Masjid Al Noor on Deans Avenue and the little Linwood Mosque on the other side of town.

What Democrats Have FORGOTTEN About Citizenship

Voting is one of the cherished rights of American citizens. Let’s not cheapen it or our democracy by treating it as a matter of no importance.  Felons aren’t permitted to own guns, because we rather suspect they wouldn’t be putting them to good use. The same can be said for their voting rights.

American Thinker

Socio-Political Journal  "Who should be represented in our elections? That’s the question at the heart of Democratic opposition to the Trump administration’s decision to add a question about citizenship to the Census, a case now before the Supreme Court.
"It’s also at the heart of Bernie Sanders’ proposal that incarcerated felons be given the right to vote.
"That leading Democrats are now seriously opposed to the Census inquiring into citizenship, and at the same time favor giving felons the right to vote, is a sign of how far we have fallen from the idea that voting in our elections is one of the most sacred privileges Americans enjoy.
"Only citizens can vote, and that’s what’s behind the Supreme Court case. At issue there is whether the Census form can ask whether a person is a citizen.
"But Democrats argue that asking about citizenship will discourage immigrants, particularly Hispanics, from answering the Census and thus result in such groups being undercounted. So far, lower courts have accepted this bizarre argument, though the Supreme Court justices are likely to overturn their holding, likely on the ground that Congress has left it up to the executive branch to design the Census, period.
"If someone isn’t a citizen, he shouldn’t count when congressional-district boundary lines are drawn up. Otherwise, non-citizens will be overrepresented in Congress. If there were a district where only half the residents are citizens, it shouldn’t have full representation in the House of Representatives.
"What liberals are playing with is one of the most important things about belonging to a country — the sense of fellow-feeling for fellow citizens." . . .