Is this the Joe Biden that Democrats hope will face Donald Trump in 2020?

Who could believe Joe Biden's strange conduct during the Biden-Ryan debate for Vice-President in 2012? Chris Wallace said that he was shocked by how "openly contemptuous" Biden appeared to act towards Ryan and that he thought Biden's behavior lacked historical precedent. Excerpts from The Tunnel Wall back on Friday, October 12, 2012. TD

Biden accused of being disrespectful in vice presidential debate with grins, laughs
. . . " 'Our vice president has shown he is an abusive political bully who belittles, mocks, ridicules and laughs at his opponent, the moderator, the viewers and anyone who questions this administration's lack of leadership," Martin said. "Solutions require respect. These skills the vice president, and this administration, clearly lack."
"Democratic strategist Joe Trippi, a Fox News contributor, said he thought Biden delivered a strong performance overall, but it was "diminished" by the "smirking."

“I don’t know about the likeability of that smirking … I found it condescending and overdone," Trippi said." . . .

Chris Wallace Shocked By Biden's 'Disrespectful,' 'Openly Contemptuous' Debate Treatment Of Ryan
. . . "You could talk about the smirks, the smiles, the head shaking, the mugging -- it was openly contemptuous and disrespectful," Wallace said. He said he was put off by the words as well as the style -- calling Ryan's statements "malarkey" and "stuff" and "loose talk.""Wallace called it "unprecedented" and "extraordinary.""Bret Baier asked if it was appropriate for Biden to smirk during the discussion of the Iranian nuclear issue. Wallace said he was laughing at Ryan and not Iran specifically, and on foreign affairs Ryan did better than most other subjects."


Krauthammer: Biden’s ‘disrespectful,’ ‘hugely condescending’ demeanor undid potential debate win  . . . “ 'If you heard it on radio, what you heard was Biden being aggressive, forceful, he was sort of on the attack all the time and he pushed the argument his way,” Krauthammer continued. “He did a lot of interrupting as well. And Ryan reacted with, I thought, excessive deference, allowing himself to be cut off and often just ending with a point that you might understand — for instance, when he talked about the Catholic Bishops — he made a point after Biden had said, ‘Oh, the Bishops of the Catholic church is not going to be compelled to do anything under ObamaCare.'”
“ 'Ryan said, ‘Then why is that the Bishops are suing the administration?’ But that is almost an aside, and it was lost, and then it was over by the next question.”
"Krauthammer’s conclusion? If the televised interpretation trumps the audio and the transcript, Biden’s the loser." . . .

Many links at National Review Online under the heading "Classless Joe". Here is a small sample:   

The VP Debate by Yuval Levin 

 Mark Steyn; Laughing All the Way to the Bank Collapse "Ryan isn’t a funny guy. But, when you’re earnest and a bit wonky and up against a smarmy third-rate lounge-act flashing his dentistry, you don’t have to be funny. A bit of righteous indignation would have helped. 

"An opportunity missed."

John Fund writes about Joe the Bully  "Al Gore lost his first debate to George W. Bush in 2000 with his audible sighs and sneering manner. Biden wasn’t quite that bad, but independent voters usually don’t like candidates who come off as a jerk. Biden’s rude demeanor hurt him tonight, providing a poor contrast to Ryan’s calmness on the split screen."

To say Trump is Hitler, America is Germany in 1933, or a grimy detention facility is a concentration camp means you have never been to Dachau.

CNN, are you aware? How long will it take for silly CNN to ever re-establish respect for it as a news source?

American Digest  "You think, after all that reading and those museum exhibits (and it is a thorough education, much more than an Instagram collection of artifacts, and oh look, a real prisoner’s uniform, honey!) you understand something. But not yet. You have really just arrived and in front of you is Dachau itself, the ground, the air — the same ground they saw and air they breathed — and you have a choice. Many visitors turn back toward the snack bar, falsely satiated after an hour thinking they saw Dachau and anxiously trying to remember if the shuttle bus runs back to the station on the hour or the half-hour.

"But if you wait for them to leave, now you can see Dachau.

"Most of the place is empty, acres of crushed stone with flat markers showing where the now-missing barracks where. The trees lining the central road bisecting the camp are old. They were here when Dachau was working. You can match up an individual tree from a 1942 photo with the one in front of you and touch it. The sun is warm this day, a beautiful late summer afternoon with those wonderful tickles of early fall around it. A day to be alive grandpa would have called it. There must have been days just like this in 1942 here. Were there afternoon moments when for the length of time one could close one’s eyes the prisoners left the camp?

"Yet while CNN works to convince viewers silver mylar blankets instead of comfy quilts for migrants means there are concentration camps in America, Dachau reminds physicians here dissected human beings alive as part of medical experiments. Just as is taught in beginning writing courses, truth comes from showing not just telling. For those who think there is little significant difference between Germany 1933 and America today, there is Dachau to visit…."

Entire original article at Hooper's War

This is not a sentimental place. It is not clean. A universe of victims died here but this is not a place that acknowledges victimhood, or raises awareness, or gives voice, or traffics in the shallowness of hashtags. Dachau is here to declare what happened and to charge you with doing something with that information on the scale and with the accuracy Dachau requires.

Trump’s Taliban Gambit; What’s next after the cancellation of the Camp David talks?

"I would note the departure this week of National Security Advisor John Bolton, though inelegantly executed, is not a major problem. Ronald Reagan had six national security advisors and was one of the most successful foreign policy presidents in history."

 Conrad Black "President Trump made the correct decision in canceling the peace talks with the Taliban of Afghanistan. These were never really peace talks. They were surrender talks. The primitive and barbarous Taliban represented them as such and to underline the point, engaged in a number of bombing atrocities in a cluster to correspond with their ill-considered invitation to Camp David to discuss peace with the Afghan government.

"The American manager of these discussions⁠—the well-respected former U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, Afghanistan, and Iraq, Zalmay Khalilzad—tentatively arranged for a complete American withdrawal from Afghanistan if the Taliban would promise not to tolerate any part of Afghanistan becoming a staging or training center for any external terrorist organization. Thousands of Taliban prisoners were to be released, and the arrangement was to be capped by an extended cease-fire, which the Taliban broke in a particular act of contemptuous bad faith just as the talks were to open at Camp David. The Afghan government was to join these talks for the first time. The Taliban has long regarded the Kabul government with extreme derision as puppets and stooges of the Americans.

"Khalilzad and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo seem to have been acting on President Trump’s desire to fulfill his campaign intention to wind down the effort in Afghanistan. The president’s fidelity to his pre-election promises is admirable and part of his apparently unshakable hold on the loyalty of almost all his original supporters. But if that commitment becomes a fetishistic objective in itself and does not respond to changed circumstances, it can be self-defeating inflexible dogma.

. . . Afghanistan Isn’t Worth It

"The Taliban have never treated agreements with any seriousness; making and then brutally violating them is part of their modus operandi. Apart from being militant Islamists, they seem not to have any commitment to any behavioral norms; they are completely uncivilized merchants of terrorist violence and primitive dictatorship, opposed to scholarship, liberality, or any emancipation of women above the status of slave labor, chattels of their men, and involuntary breeding stock.

"The Taliban have almost no general public appeal and enjoy the support of less than 10 percent of the Afghan population. But Afghanistan is a country with very weak internal structures apart from tribal arrangements. Its vulnerability is that it is a rugged, landlocked country with practically no resources beyond basic agriculture and has never been worth the effort that
 would be needed for a stronger country to impose control over it." . . .

So sad:

Let's talk gun safety, shall we?

Ian Macfarlane

Apparently, the off-duty cop didn't see the "No Guns Allowed" sign at the door.

Third Dem Debate was a Trip to Crazy Town, USA

Image by The Earl of Taint

Townhall  "On Thursday, 10 Democratic candidates took the stage for the third debate in the 2020 race for the White House. And let’s just say, crazy town is at full capacity with this crew and the policies they support.
"You name the problem—genuine or overblown—and they have a big government program or initiative that will fix it. At least, that’s what they claim. The candidates had many opportunities to highlight them during the three-hour primetime spectacle." . . .
. . . "It’s difficult to sit on the couch and watch these candidates tout far-fetched initiatives that will bankrupt the country and its taxpayers. But I guess that’s what’s expected when these presidential hopefuls and their policies are stuck in crazy town."

Yes, They Are Coming for Your Guns   . . . "For years, advocates of the right to keep and bear arms have suspected that confiscation was the endgame but have been rebuffed as paranoiacs in the press. Such a rebuffing is no longer possible. If it ever was, “Nobody is coming for your guns!” is no longer true — which means that a host of commonly posed inquiries now have the same simple answer. “Why do you oppose federal licensing?” Because leading Democrats are threatening confiscation. “Why do you oppose ‘universal’ background checks?” Because they would create a registry. “And why do you oppose a registry?” Because leading Democrats are threatening confiscation. Unwittingly or not, O’Rourke and his acolytes have stuck a dagger into the exquisitely calibrated gun-control messaging on which their party has worked for the better part of 20 years. No voter can now say he wasn’t warned."

The Democrat debate was terrifying. Who are these people?

White supremacy? Sounds like a plan.  Let's go with it.  No made-up accusation is over the line.  No plan to eviscerate the Constitution is a bridge too far.  The left loathes the limits our Constitution places on our government.  Thank God for the genius of our Founders.  Without them, we would not have prevailed to this day.  As for the loathsome Beto's vow to "take our guns," he has no idea the power of the sleeping giant he has awakened.  Americans who revere the Constitution are filled with a terrible resolve. Patricia McCarthy

The Democrat debate was terrifying. Who are these people?  . . . " In short, they well and truly intend to transform the country beyond what Obama did on his watch and not in a good way.  They mean to punish all of us who support Trump because, like Hillary, we are to them deplorable for loving our country.   They are not alone.  The DNC debate audience in Houston were mind-numbed clapping seals. The more punitively race-conscious and socialist the candidates' promises, the more they applauded.  

"The fact that there have been no American flags on the stage at any of the Democrat debates says it all.  One thing is certain: This election season is going to be a bumpy ride.  Like the colonists of 1776, we are looking at the choice between freedom and tyranny.  All Americans need to be cognizant of the deadly seriousness of their vote in 2020.  Trump's style and his tweets may offend some but his dedication to the preservation of America is boundless. He has pledged his life and fortune to the cause.  Gratitude is in order."

Blame academia for the insanity at Thursday's Dem debate  . . . "But I soon realized that I was the anachronism in that environment.  Every professor was some form of Marxist thinker.  They couched it in various terms such as post-colonialism, feminism, deconstructionism, queer theory, or some other "ism," but they all believed that the U.S. is hopelessly corrupted by white patriarchy and that the institutions needed to be overthrown, replaced by some form of socialist power structure.  The literature we studied was just a backdrop for these professors to project their various theories on their students.

"They were extremely effective at it.  Propaganda works, especially when couched in academic terms that appeal to the students' intellectual vanity.  Out of all my classes, only one other student offered even a peep of protest, an Army officer who was equally bemused by what he was hearing." . . . 

This is why every Democrat on a debate stage sounds like he or she despises America.  These candidates, many of them shifting left with the political winds, are chasing increasingly propagandized voters who are a product of colleges and universities.  They are radicals chasing a growing number of radicalized votes.

Democrats Represent All Countries But America, Mr. Kirk . . . "Before the Stars and Stripes were Democrat- disappeared, millionaire football players [and soccer stars] were “taking a knee’ during the singing or playing of America’s glorious National Anthem, that has now metastasized like a cancer.
"The Swan Song for the ideals that We the People cherish and revere most didn’t start with the National Anthem or flag.  It started when God Almighty was removed from the Public Square.
"We should have known when the Democrats openly shunned the Creator at their 2012 DNC convention, removing “God” from their party platform that the Democrats were leading the masses down a dark and God-less path.
“ 'The word “God” is nowhere to be found in the Democratic national platform this year, an omission Republicans have seized upon as a failure of their opponents to appreciate the divine’s place in American history..” (Washington Post, Sept, 5, 2012)
"What’s followed since is proof of where we now are.  Democrats have forced abortion on demand to late-term and live-birth abortion.
"The Almighty’s billions of years old Creation has come under the control of global warming/climate change alarmists, who ignore God’s Hand in the Universe." . . .
Hat tip to Canada Free Press: "Look away from the Democrats and pray fervently to God Almighty that they never transform America into a socialist state in 2020 or any time thereafter"

Perhaps O'Rourke knowing he has no chance wants to open this Pandora's Box for future campaigns. Then Democrats can hope for more mass shootings. You do not think in their private meetings that Democrats would not smile over that, do you? This party celebrated what they call the destruction of Justice Kavanaugh and the right to murder newborn infants; is this not all of a piece with leftist character? TD

Supercuts: Dems Swearing They Don’t Want To Take Your Guns Away, Then Beto Promising To Take Them To Dem Cheers… 

Beto O’Rourke: “Yes,” I Want To Tear Down Existing Border Walls 

AOC: Miami Will Not Exist ‘In a Few Years’ Without Green New Deal

Free Beacon

. . . "Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D., N.Y.) said Wednesday that Miami has only a few years left on this planet.

"At an NAACP forum, the democratic socialist touted the Green New Deal, her radical climate change plan many have criticized as unrealistic. Economists, investors, and energy industry experts have frequently noted the plan's astronomical costs and the unreliability of renewable energy, but Ocasio-Cortez said her critics are the ones who are "not realistic."

" 'When it comes to climate change, what is not realistic is not responding … with a solution on the scale of the crisis—because what's not realistic is Miami not existing in a few years," she said to applause.

" 'We need to be realistic about the problem," she added.

"Ocasio-Cortez proposed the Green New Deal as an "aspirational" plan and even resisted Republicans' desire to vote on it, but fellow democratic socialist Sen. Bernie Sanders (I., Vt.) released a fleshed-out version of the plan as part of his presidential platform. Sanders's plan would cost $16 trillion—more than 20 times as expensive, adjusted for inflation, as Franklin Roosevelt's New Deal.

"Sen. Kamala Harris (D., Calif.) has also made the Green New Deal part of her presidential platform, saying she will end the filibuster and "do whatever is necessary" to pass the plan." . . .

The invincible Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez

Some clever soul came up with the perfect description of a lack of understanding combined with cocky, sassy certitude: invincible ignorance.  Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez's invincible ignorance scares the powers that be on both sides.  That she attracts voters should worry all thinking people.

Dem Leader Says ABC Can 'Go to Hell' After Airing Controversial Ad Against AOC
"During Thursday night's presidential debate on ABC, the network aired a Republican ad critical of Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY). The spot, created by a Republican PAC called New Faces GOP, described AOC as "the face of socialism." The ad then shows her picture burning, before airing images of the Khmer Rouge genocide in Cambodia in the 1970s, orchestrated by brutal communist leader Pol Pot." . . .

Republicans spark outrage for airing attack ad during the Democratic debate...

The ad was narrated by aspiring Asian-American lawmaker Elizabeth Heng who fired back at AOC with a tweet of her own.

"Sharpiegate"? Really?

Sharpiegate Trending on Twitter: See the Best Trump Memes

Some were pretty good, like this one on the border wall:

MSNBC's Dylan Byers: CNN, Media Creating Feedback Loop With "Fixation" On #Sharpiegate

. . . "And I swear, I go to CNN.com and I see one of their foremost journalists, Jake Tapper, and he was writing a lead story on the website about how Trump invited a Fox News journalist into the White House to convince him of this. I’m like, not to sound like a politician, but there are kitchen-table issues here that so many more Americans want to read about." . . .

Dan Rather: Trump's Sharpie Poster Raises "All Kinds Of Questions"; "Something Is Really, Really Wrong With Him"
From the comments to this article:

And if Trump is so "inept" how come he has turned around the economy, created millions of jobs, increased wages, record low unemployment, renegotiated several trade deals to benefit American workers, 8 million off of food stamps, increasing labor participation rate, etc.  If that is "inept" then previous presidents, who didn't accomplish nearly as much, were downright counterproductive, abysmal failures.

Trump court pick whose family fled persecution blasts racism accusation as ‘hurtful’ during confirmation hearing

Menashi said not only is he not a proponent of “racial purity,” he is particularly sensitive to ethnic or religious discrimination because his family members were victims of such persecution. He is the descendant of Iraqi Jews, and his paternal grandparents fled Iraq after Kurdish neighbors helped smuggle his grandmother out of her city.

Menashi

Fox News via Michael Antonovich   . . . "Another point of contention during the hearing was whether Menashi could speak about legal advice he has given in his role with the White House counsel’s office. He was asked many questions about whether he advised on particular issues, such as reducing the number of refugees allowed to enter the U.S. and policies having to do with separating families at the border. Over and over, Menashi refused to answer, claiming this was protected by client confidentiality. 
"Senate Judiciary Committee members, including ranking member Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., and Dick Durbin, D-Ill., took issue with Menashi’s refusal to answer basic questions. Feinstein pointed out that when a previous administration attorney faced a judicial confirmation hearing, he answered these questions.
" Chairman Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., pointed out that in that situation, the committee spoke to the administration, who authorized the nominee to answer questions. Graham said that while the committee could have done the same for Menashi, they did not.
“ 'What you’re doing here is not fair,” Graham said.
"At the same time, Graham said that while Menashi should not be expected to divulge specific advice he gave, he should be able to say whether or not he gave advice on those issues. Menashi still was reticent when asked about giving advice on particular immigration-related matters." . . .

CNN Follows MSNBC’s Maddow in Pushing Smears Against Trump Judicial Nominee  . . . "Contrary to what media elites say, several of Menashi’s writings showed his concern for victims of bigotry and racism, such as one piece titled, “Chilling Free Expression” from August 16, 1999.
“ 'When students cannot evaluate claims of racism and sensitivity, and instinctively apologize whenever minority groups object, liberal education—not to mention rational discourse—suffers,” Menashi wrote at the time.
"Menashi’s writings also reveal that he is a huge advocate for free speech." . . .

That would be the CNN which published a call for "the “eradication” of Kellyanne Conway and Trump Supporters"

He followed it up by later using the same language against Kellyanne Conway, tweeting, “You are “the depraved evil” we need to eradicate.” 

Russia and America: Maybe the grass IS greener over there.

Russian Security Forces Raid The Homes Of Opposition Supporters… 

"Of course the NY Times calls it “an effort to stem discontent”.
"Via NY Times:

MOSCOW — In a nationwide crackdown to prevent discontent in Moscow from spreading to far-flung regions, Russian security forces on Thursday raided and searched hundreds of homes and offices across the country of activists affiliated with the opposition leader Aleksei A. Navalny.

The raids, the biggest operation yet against Mr. Navalny and his supporters, were carried out in more than 40 cities and towns as part of a criminal money-laundering investigation announced in August by the authorities against his Anti-Corruption Foundation. The foundation has been the vanguard of recent street protests in Moscow that led to the arrests of more than 2,000 people.

Mr. Navalny issued a statement denouncing the raids as the biggest police operation, in geographical reach, in Russia’s modern history and a clear attempt to “intimidate” and “demoralize.” He said security officials from the police, the National Guard and the Federal Security Service, or F.S.B., had simultaneously raided more than 200 sites in 41 towns and cities.

Keep reading…

And here in America:

TIME Editor, MSNBC Host Agree: Don’t Give Voice To Climate Change Dissenters, ‘There’s No Debate’….

Kamala Harris’ campaign should have ended tonight at #DemDebate

Legal Insurrection

She proved beyond a reasonable doubt that there’s no there, there.

"The Democrat debates are the best thing that ever happened to Donald Trump.

"Tonight’s debate in Houston was another example, a mostly sleepy affair in which the two leftist party leaders — Bernie and Warren — further cemented their primary policy of taking private insurance away from almost 150 million people. Some of the lesser contenders called them out on that, as did Biden.

"Warren was not much of a presence. She and Bernie are mostly interchangeable at this point. That’s not good for her. Her answer to almost every question is big, evil corporations.

"Spartacus gave an impassioned performance, it might move his needle a little, but won’t boost him from the bottom tier. Yang had a cute (and highly questionable) offer to pay 10 viewers $1000 if only they (and millions of others, of course) would go to his website. Klobuchar played the role of moderate Democrat, but got almost no air time.

"Castro is a disagreeable character, can’t imagine he helped himself by impliedly accusing Biden of being senile: “Are you forgetting what you said two minutes ago? Are you forgetting already what you said just two minutes ago?”

. . . 

. . . "Kamala Harris proved me wrong — I’ve viewed her as someone whose intellect is a mile wide and an inch deep. I’d like to revise that assessment — her intellect is a mile wide and half-an-inch deep. 

"There’s no there, there.

"Kamala Harris’ campaign should have been over tonight. But I’m not making predictions."