CNN did not ask a question about abortion

Silvio Canto, Jr.  "Am I the only one who found this surprising?  CNN did not ask a question about abortion during the two debates.

"In fact, even Planned Parenthood complained about it, according to this tweet:

In nearly 3 hours, there was not one question on abortion access or reproductive health care — despite the fact that the Trump administration is actively trying to dismantle our nation’s program for affordable birth control with a gag rule.

"No question about "reproductive rights"?  Wonder why?

"I would have expected, as the tweet suggests, for the candidates to unleash a fierce attack against President Trump.

"But no question was asked!

"I cannot read the minds of the moderators, but this could not be an honest oversight.  My guess is that they avoided this issue to keep former V.P. Biden from getting into another fight with the left wing.

"Or did the moderators run out of time or have too much to talk about?

"Sorry, but it's hard to believe that Democrats would have a debate and not have an opportunity to tell us about "reproductive rights."  Or maybe they have internal polling that tells them that later-term abortion is not playing well between the coasts."

This would have been a good question to ask:

The Dangerous Invective against Trump

Victor Davis Hanson
The continued litany of threats to physically assault or kill a president will haunt the country long after Trump is gone.

"Former vice president and current presidential candidate Joe Biden has bragged on two occasions that he would like to beat up President Donald Trump.
"In March 2018, Biden huffed, “They asked me would I like to debate this gentleman, and I said no. I said, ‘If we were in high school, I’d take him behind the gym and beat the hell out of him.’”
"Biden’s tough-guy braggadocio was apparently no slip. A year later, he doubled down on his physical threats.
“ 'The idea that I’d be intimidated by Donald Trump? . . . He’s the bully that I’ve always stood up to. He’s the bully that used to make fun when I was a kid that I stutter, and I’d smack him in the mouth.”
"Had former vice president Dick Cheney ever dared to say something similar of President Obama, what would the media reaction have been?
"Recently, Senator Corey Booker (D., N.J.), another presidential candidate, took up where Biden left off:
“ 'Trump is a guy who you understand he hurts you, and my testosterone sometimes makes me want to feel like punching him, which would be bad for this elderly, out-of-shape man that he is if I did that. This physically weak specimen.' ” . . .

‘Did Kamala Feed You These Talking Points?’ Tulsi DUNKS All Over Biased MSNBC Host

The media did not like this, Tulsi.  And in response, you had to be taken down; welcome to our world, TG.

Real Clear Politics  
. . .  "GABBARD: I want to break this down to what we are talking about today because you're talking about a meeting that took place three years ago.

"Every time that I come back here on MSNBC, you guys talk to me about these issues. It sounds like these are talking points that Kamala Harris and her campaign are feeding you because she's refusing to address the questions proposed to her.

"YASMIN VOSSOUGHIAN, MSNBC HOST: Congresswoman, it's important for the American people to have context about your foreign policy issues and where you stand. If you're leading with foreign policy and running for president of the United States, a meeting with Bashar al-Assad, which I’m sure you understand, is a very controversial meeting to take hence the reason why when you come on MSNBC it is important to talk to you about it. And of course every anchor has a different perspective and questions to ask of you.

"GABBARD: Every single time for three years? This is where the propaganda comes in."

Kamala (comma-la) Harris commented on her dust-up with Gabbard

HARRIS: Especially when some people are at zero or 1%, whatever she might be at. So I did expect that I might take hits tonight. But, you know, listen, this coming from someone who has been an apologist for an individual, Assad, who has murdered the people of his, you know, of his country like cockroaches. She who has embraced and been an apologist in a way to refuse to call him a war criminal. I can only take what she says and her opinion so seriously. So, you know, I'm prepared to move on.

 Kamala Harris stooped low to smear Tulsi Gabbard after getting taken-down by her in presidential debate  . . . "Rather than respond substantively to the issues, Kamala Harris’s campaign resorted to the lowest form of smear – one familiar to supporters of President Trump.  It’s “Russia! Russia! Russia!” all over again.

"Senator Harris left it to her press secretary, Ian Sams, to deliver the smear in a series of tweets:" . . .

"The Russian propaganda machine that tried to influence the 2016 election is now promoting the presidential aspirations of a controversial Hawaii Democrat"

With help from Hollywood, AKA the women of "The View":

. . . "The ladies of The View chimed in, with other smears of Tulsi, with Joy Behar noting “Republicans like her,” and then nodding her head [ominously], and Sonny Hostin calling her a “Trojan Horse.' ” . . .

Tulsi Gabbard Is Now A Russian Agent  . . . "You see, it couldn’t just be that Kamala Harris a terrible politician who has no business running for President. No, the only reason Gabbard attacked her is because the Russians made her do it. Do you sense trend yet? Anytime anyone threatens mainstream Democratic thought, it’s always the Kremlin’s fault. "Funny how that works.

"MSNBC’s Joy Reid, who’s never met a conspiracy theory she didn’t love, chimed in as well."

Wajahat Ali

✔@WajahatAli

 · Jul 31, 2019

Beware the Russian bots and their promotion of Tulsi Gabbard and sowing racial dischord, especially around Kamala Harris.

Joy Reid

✔@JoyAnnReid

It is notable that her purpose in these debates has been specifically to take Harris down.

"That’s called having a debate, Joy. That’s what the purpose of that gathering last night was. " . . .  Sheesh.

HISTORIAN: DEM THREATS AGAINST PRESIDENT REALLY 'SCARY'

Clarion News

"Any American in Santa Fe, New Mexico, or Keokuk, Iowa, or Fargo, North Dakota, who expresses a desire to “beat the hell” out of President Trump should expect a knock on the door from the Secret Service.
"Just to ask questions, you understand.
"But such violent rhetoric is becoming more common in the political arena, and Victor Davis Hanson warns in a Daily Signal column that there are “James Hodgkinsons” out there who turn those words into action.
"Hanson, a historian at the Hoover Institution at Stanford University and author of “The Second World Wars: How the First Global Conflict Was Fought and Won,” cited one of the more prominent threats to Trump.
"That’s from Joe Biden, who said, “If we were in high school, I’d take him behind the gym and beat the hell out of him.”
"Hanson noted that one year later, Biden “doubled down on his physical threats.”
"Biden stated: “The idea that I’d be intimidated by Donald Trump? … He’s the bully that I’ve always stood up to. He’s the bully that used to make fun when I was a kid that I stutter, and I’d smack him in the mouth.”
"Whew!
“ 'Had former Vice President Dick Cheney ever dared to say something similar of President Barack Obama, what would the media reaction have been?” Hanson speculated." . . ..

The Impossible Elegance of George Will

What do conservatives seek to conserve? “We seek to conserve the American Founding.” George Will

National Review

If progressives studied his latest brilliant tome, we’d have fewer progressives.

"George Will saved me from two unfortunate habits: overwriting and the Democratic party
"I model that remark after my favorite of Will’s many witticisms: “Football combines the two worst things about America: It is violence punctuated by committee meetings.” Will is rightly praised for his erudition. The Conservative Sensibility, the summa he has just published, is a tour de force. He is the dean of conservatism. But I don’t want to praise him for that, or not only for that.
. . . 
"Will’s writing style is more like Cary Grant’s suits: all dazzling simplicity. He is sober yet delightful, restrained yet vivid. In a word he is smart. It would be as shocking to come across a superfluous phrase or a turgid passage in Will as it would be to spot Grant looking like Bluto Blutarsky. . . . 

"Some Will gems from the past: 
“The nice part about being a pessimist is that you are constantly being either proven right or pleasantly surprised.” 

“Being elected to Congress is regarded as being sent on a looting raid for one’s friends.” 

“Freedom means the freedom to behave coarsely, basely, foolishly.” 

“A politician’s words reveal less about what he thinks about his subject than what he thinks about his audience.” 

“The future has a way of arriving unannounced.” 

After Her Shredding of Kamala, Drive-Bys Call Tulsi a Russian Puppet!

Rush Limbaugh  . . . "And no sooner did I give you the analysis that the media is claiming Russia is behind Tulsi Gabbard, here we have a story. This is from Breitbart. “Sen. Kamala Harris (D-CA)’s campaign press secretary suggested Russia was behind Rep. Tulsi Gabbard (D-HI) after she landed an effective blow on Harris’ record as a prosecutor during the Democrat debates on Wednesday night. Her press secretary, Ian Sams, tweeted shortly after the attack an NBC News article from February 2019 claiming the ‘Russian propaganda machine’ was promoting Gabbard.”

"Now, look at what’s happening. This, folks, is such a teachable moment, such an exciting moment. For three years — actually longer than that — but for three intense years the Democrats attempted to overturn the 2016 election with a bogus silent coup. It consisted of Obama DOJ and FBI people, intelligence, you know the drill. They all make up this story about the Russians stealing the election, colluding with Trump."

. . . "Tulsi Gabbard destroyed Kamala Harris. I don’t know if it’s gonna affect the primary, but just in terms of an attack it was effective. She just rip filleted her. And so what’s the retort? “The Russians are working with Tulsi Gabbard.” Russian bots are flooding Twitter today with likes and retweets of Tulsi Gabbard."

Kamala Harris Campaign Blames Russia for Humiliation by Tulsi Gabbard  . . . "Her press secretary, Ian Sams, tweeted shortly after the attack an NBC News article from February 2019 claiming the “Russian propaganda machine” was promoting Gabbard:

“ 'Reporters writing their stories with eyes on the modern-day assignment desk of Twitter, read this: ‘The Russian propaganda machine that tried to influence the 2016 election is now promoting the presidential aspirations of a controversial Hawaii Democrat,'” he tweeted. He later retweeted his tweet." . . .

Heaven help us when these people run this nation and anyone dares to speak out against them.

Tulsi Goes for the Throat: 'People Suffered' Under Kamala's 'Reign'  . . . " 'The people who suffered under your reign as prosecutor," said Gabbard, "you owe them an apology." It's fair to say that Harris received a major wound last night and it's likely that her easily-verifiable record will continue to dog her throughout her campaign." Gabbard Calls Harris's Flailing Response to Attacks 'Pathetic'

A Women’s Rights Group Is Enraged After After Biological Male Wins Women’s Weightlifting Match

Defiant America

Yay, Cece! You go, girl! But who's going to make her wear a Burkha in Saudi Arabia?

"A top-ranked runner in NCAA women’s track is dominating the competition and setting records one year after competing as a man at the same level.

"Cece Telfer. a biological male (transgender), won the women’s 400-meter hurdles last month and beat the second place competitor by over a full second.

"Transgenders continue to dominate women’s sport as Laurel Hubbard won three medals, two gold and one silver, in women’s heavyweight weightlifting competition in Samoa this month, Fox News reported.

"Women’s rights groups say that Hubbard, who competed for New Zealand in men’s weightlifting before her transition in her thirties, is having an “unfair” advantage against women and shouldn’t be allowed to compete in the Olympics in the women’s category.

"New Zealand-based lobby group “Speak Up For Women” called on the country’s Olympic committee and sports minister to “defend women’s sport,” Reuters reported.

"Hubbard, who competed for New Zealand in men’s weightlifting before her transition in her thirties, won two golds and a silver in three of the women’s heavyweight categories at the Games in Samoa earlier this month.

"She topped the podium ahead of Samoan runner up and Commonwealth Games champion Feagaiga Stowers in both categories, triggering outrage in the Pacific island nation.

"Fight on ladies; you have a lot of support! It is so totally unfair! It’s time to come back to reality—males were created with more strength and stamina!!!"

The 20 Strongest Arguments For and Against A Single Payer Health Care System

Business Pundit  "There’s hardly a faster way to turn a family dinner sour than by bringing up single-payer health care (“single payer”). Often known as universal health care, single payer has been an extremely polarizing topic for decades. Some of the basics of the debate include the fact that single payer is a method for organizing health care financing through the government. Single payer is primarily financed through taxes and pays the costs of essential health care for all residents of the state.

"The issue of whether or not the United States should adopt a single payer health care system has been at the forefront of national elections for decades. Common throughout the rest of the industrialized world, opponents of single payer often cite the differing needs, the role of America, and preferences of the American people as rationale against single payer. Add to that the fact that a majority of Americans are happy with their health care. Not to mention America’s current multi-payer health care system is the center of the world’s most cutting edge biomedical research. For many reasons, single payer is far short of a clear conclusion.  

"With that said, the United States is the only very highly developed nation without universal health care. That’s over 50 countries of diverse size, values, economic stature, and cultures. And many of these nations have implemented single payer successfully.  Add to that that many health outcomes in America aren’t getting better, and that Americans spend by far the most money on health care of any nation in the world. For many, the rationale for drastically changing our healthcare system is strong. With solid arguments on either side, we leave it to you to decide.  Is single payer health care really the right move for American health care?' . . .

Don Lemon as CNN debate moderator! Not a trace of shame from CNN

CNN does ‘disservice to voters’ by naming Don Lemon debate moderator, critic says
. . . "The New York Times reportedly forbids its reporters from appearing on both Maddow and Lemon’s programs, because they are considered too partisan even for the Times – which is often criticized for leaning left itself. Conservative strategist Chris Barron told Fox News that CNN’s decision is “a disservice to voters all across the political spectrum” because Lemon is so open about his own views.
“ 'They are more interested in the political version of a church revival than an actual debate,” Barron said.
"The far-left Maddow was front and center during NBC’s technical-issue-plagued debateand conservatives critics condemned her performance. BlazeTV White House correspondent Jon Miller told Fox News that Maddow “served up questions about her favorite conspiracy theories” that were “unbefitting of a news organization.' ” . . .

Hannity also blasted CNN's Don Lemon for comparing Trump and Adolf Hitler Tuesday night while arguing that such "bad people" shouldn't be given a platform.
. . . " 'You let your 'journalist' Don Lemon say this on your network last night? You should be ashamed of yourself," Hannity told CNN boss Jeff Zucker." . . .

We Called It: Don Lemon’s Lefty Questions from Last Night’s Debate  . . . "On Tuesday, NewsBusters asked how anybody could take Don Lemon seriously as a debate moderator, since the CNN host has used his show to relentlessly promote lefty policies and politicians, and launch invectives against Donald Trump and his supporters. 

"That rage against Trump was on display at Tuesday night’s Democratic debate when Lemon actually asked Congressman Beto O’Rourke: “President Trump is pursuing a reelection strategy based in part, on racial division. How do you convince primary voters that you’d be the best nominee to take on President Trump and heal the racial divide in America?' ”

Cummings, the Baltimore Rats....and Trump

https://www.conservativedailynews.com/author/afbranco/

Trump Exposes the Real Rats  . . . These sanctimonious crybabies can call “racism” all day long.  But the truth prevails.

"Baltimore ranks among the top ten most rat-infested cities in America, according to an annual nationwide study done by Orkin Pest Control.   Of course, all of the top ten, including Dallas-Fort Worth, are run by Democratic regimes.

"I have witnessed piles of garbage, dead animals, old furniture, and rotting food in these neglected ghettos.  Part of the rat problem stems from the lack of sanitation services provided in Baltimore and other inner-city neighborhoods.  

"Even Baltimore’s former mayor said her city smelled of rats and dead animals in front of TV cameras.  Catherine Pugh (no pun intended) would later have to resign for corrupt behavior. The current mayor of Baltimore, Jack Young, challenged Trump to send federal assistance.  Instead of funds, Trump should send a federal investigation. 

"Shamefully, Democrats have maintained Cummings’ district since 1953 and nothing has gotten any better for black Baltimoreans." . . .

Branco Cartoon – Operation Defensive Shield "The Best Defense is a Good Offense"

https://www.conservativedailynews.com/author/afbranco/

Cummings Skips Tour Of HUD Facility In Baltimore  . . . "HUD invited Cummings to tour the facility with Carson on Tuesday, however Cummings rejected the invitation, the Daily Caller has learned.

"When asked about Cummings’ absence at a press conference, Carson said that he did not know why Cummings did not attend the tour but guessed there may have been a scheduling issue.

Rat Becomes Media Star, Photobombing Baltimore Reporter’s Coverage of City’s Living Conditions

1999: Elijah Cummings called Baltimore 'a drug-infested area' where 'people are walking around like zombies'  Video
. . . "Keep in mind that the term "racist" was used over 1,100 times by CNN and MSNBC discussing Trump's tweets.  And it was never applied to Cummings."

The Dangerous Invective against Trump

Victor Davis Hanson
The continued litany of threats to physically assault or kill a president will haunt the country long after Trump is gone.

"Former vice president and current presidential candidate Joe Biden has bragged on two occasions that he would like to beat up President Donald Trump.
"In March 2018, Biden huffed, “They asked me would I like to debate this gentleman, and I said no. I said, ‘If we were in high school, I’d take him behind the gym and beat the hell out of him.’”
"Biden’s tough-guy braggadocio was apparently no slip. A year later, he doubled down on his physical threats.
“The idea that I’d be intimidated by Donald Trump? . . . He’s the bully that I’ve always stood up to. He’s the bully that used to make fun when I was a kid that I stutter, and I’d smack him in the mouth.”
"Had former vice president Dick Cheney ever dared to say something similar of President Obama, what would the media reaction have been?
"Recently, Senator Corey Booker (D., N.J.), another presidential candidate, took up where Biden left off:
" 'Trump is a guy who you understand he hurts you, and my testosterone sometimes makes me want to feel like punching him, which would be bad for this elderly, out-of-shape man that he is if I did that. This physically weak specimen.”

. . . Actor Robert De Niro has repeatedly expressed a desire to physically assault Trump. A month before Trump was elected, De Niro said of him, “I’d like to punch him in the face.” Later, De Niro doubled down with a series of “F*** Trump” outbursts.

 . . . This is especially dangerous in the aftermath of progressive zealot and Bernie Sanders supporter James Hodgkinson’s 2017 attempt to assassinate Republican congressmen at a practice for a charity baseball game. Representative Steve Scalise (R., La.) was shot and nearly killed. Three other people were also shot and wounded.

. . . Representative Rashida Tlaib (D., Mich.), just hours after she was sworn in, said at a rally that she had promised her young son that “we’re going to impeach the motherf***er.”

. . .  A few months later, comedian Kathy Griffin issued a video where she held up a bloody facsimile of a decapitated Trump head.

Actor Jeff Daniels On Colbert Show: We Need Someone Who Can “Punch [Trump] In The Face”   Video here.

How Did the Presidential Campaign Get to Be so Long?

Intellectual Takeout

"Four hundred and thirty-two days prior to the election and 158 days before the Iowa caucus, millions of Americans will tune in for the second round of Democratic debates."If this seems like a long time to contemplate the candidates, it is.

"By comparison, Canadian election campaigns average just 50 days. In France, candidates have just two weeks to campaign, while Japanese law restricts campaigns to a meager 12 days.

"Those countries all give more power than the U.S. does to the legislative branch, which might explain the limited attention to the selection of the chief executive.

"But Mexico – which, like the U.S., has a presidential system – only allows 90 days for its presidential campaigns, with a 60-day “pre-season,” the equivalent of our nomination campaign.

So by all accounts, the U.S. has exceptionally long elections – and they just keep getting longer. As a political scientist living in Iowa, I’m acutely aware of how long the modern American presidential campaign has become.

"It wasn’t always this way.

"The seemingly interminable presidential campaign is a modern phenomenon. It originated out of widespread frustration with the control that national parties used to wield over the selection of candidates. But changes to election procedures, along with media coverage that started to depict the election as a horse race, have also contributed to the trend." . . .

Rachel Caufield is Associate Professor of Political Science at Drake University.