Liz Cheney and the curse of open primaries; Unless Wyoming Republicans turn out en masse, their state’s foul open primary system could return Liz Cheney to Congress.

 What sort of political thinking would come up with an open primary? Example: Joe Biden seems to me to be the product of Republicans voting in a Democrat primary; Cheney, Romney and Kinsinger would be big favorites among Democrats. TD

"If you’re familiar with my blog, you know that one of the things that makes me incandescent with rage is open primaries. This year, the open primary system has proven to be and will continue to prove to be, a disaster for Republicans.

"To understand how bad this is, we need a short discussion about traditional primaries versus open primaries. Under the old primary system (which still applies in a barely there majority of states), voters with allegiances to each party would have a chance to pick the person they believe best represents their values. Then, in November, thanks to debates and advertising, the voters, having been exposed to the two political ideologies from the best-situated representatives and make an informed vote.

"Sure, ideals and realities seldom match but, for many decades, after the party’s candidates stopped being selected in smoke-filled rooms by party insiders, it worked pretty well. Republicans got the conservative candidates of their choice; Democrats got the leftist candidates of their choice.

"That’s not how it works in open primary systems. Under the open primary system, there are, technically speaking, “Republican” and “Democrat” primaries, with candidates under both headings battling it out for dominance so that he or she can be the party’s representative in the November election. Under the noxious “open primary,” though, Democrats can vote for Republican primary candidates and Republicans can vote for primary candidates.

"The theory is that this system will force each party to run less extreme candidates than it might if it were campaigning only to its base. That is, the parties run “moderate” candidates so that people from the opposite party, if feeling a bit disaffected, can say, “Hey, I like the moderate cut of that opposing fellow’s jib. I think he ought to be on the November ballot.’

"Except that’s not what happens. What actually happens is that the smart party puts up on one candidate in the primaries, so no one in the party has a choice to make in the primary, and then tells its people to vote for the worst candidate on the other side. Admittedly, that may not happen in the average election but, since 2016, nothing’s been average anymore.". . .

What Now, Ukraine?

Sarah Palin predicted in 2008 that Putin would invade Ukraine if Obama was elected | The Independent | The Independent  "Long-derided as a soccer mom with a limited grasp of international geopolitical affairs, it turns out the world may have misunderestimated(sic) Sarah Palin.

"Speaking as the Republican vice-presidential nominee in the 2008 US presidential campaign, Palin warned that if Barack Obama was elected.". . .

By Victor Davis Hanson

We are on new ground, in which a nonnuclear Western ally—understandably but dangerously—may now seek to destroy a nuclear Russia’s assets on Russian soil or in neutral or even Russian seas.

"It was supposed to be a clear-cut, unambiguous invasion. Vladimir Putin’s much larger, richer, and more bellicose Russia staged a shock-and-awe attack on a much smaller, poorer Ukraine. He intended to decapitate the government in Kyiv. Then he would annex the eastern half of the country, and quickly consolidate his easy wins in preparation to ratchet up pressure to force western Ukraine into the Russian Federation.

"The rest is history. The Russian military proved ill-equipped and ill-supplied. It was poorly led, with a high percentage of low-morale, conscript troops. Russia had no viable strategic plan to capture, much less hold, the Ukrainian capital. Ukraine was Russia’s version of our Kabul—but tens of thousands of deaths added to the equation.

"Russian strategists naïvely believed NATO would become paralyzed in mutual recriminations and fear and follow the usual German prompt of appeasement. In fact, NATO united precisely because of the dire worries over further Russian aggression, as the alliance pressured Germany to back off from its self-interested Russian romance.

"Sanctions seldom have a good record of quickly stopping a war, and they have not so far in this instance, either.".of for1e, its war crimes against civilians, and pathetic propaganda turned off most of the Western world and it, in turn, boycotted, sanctioned, and embargoed Moscow. These porous and slow-moving efforts nonetheless will eventually make it even more difficult for Russia to muster the economic and military wherewithal to sustain a stalled invasion.". . .

Every Time Biden Drained Strategic Oil Reserves, Prices Ended Up Higher. Here’s The Proof

 Daily Caller  "Oil and gasoline prices increased after each of President Joe Biden’s three Strategic Petroleum Reserve releases which were designed to curb consumer costs.

"Biden ordered a 50-million-barrel SPR release in November, a 30-million-barrel release on March 1 and a 180-million-barrel release on March 31, saying the “historic” actions would ease pressure felt by Americans at the pump. But marketplace and government data analyzed by The Daily Caller News Foundation paint a different picture. (RELATED: Biden Considers Draining Yet Another Key Emergency Fuel Stockpile: REPORT)

"On Tuesday, the average price of gasoline reached an all-time high of $4.59 per gallon, according to AAA data, while domestic oil prices remained above $110 a barrel, far higher than their 2015-2021 average of $53.15 per barrel and 2021 average of $68.14 a barrel, Federal Reserve data showed.". . .

Joe Biden on Memorial Day: Democracy Has “Never Been Good” (VIDEO)

The Gateway Pundit  "Joe Biden on Monday delivered a Memorial Day address at the 154th National Memorial Day Observance at Arlington National Cemetery.

"Biden was joined by Jill Biden, Secretary of Defense, the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Kamala Harris and Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff.

"79-year-old Joe Biden struggled to read his teleprompter and had a slip-up.

“ 'Democracy is not perfect. It’s never been good – perfect,” Biden said.

JOE BIDEN on Memorial Day: “Democracy has never been good.” pic.twitter.com/Sz9qA4pVZz

— Benny Johnson (@bennyjohnson) May 30, 2022

DISGRACE: Biden Uninvited Border Patrol Agents From Uvalde Speech

 

Tony Branco

PJ Media  "Always ready to exploit a tragedy, Joe and Jill Biden went to Uvalde, Texas, on Sunday to visit the community after the mass shooting at Robb Elementary School.

"While the response of local enforcement has come under scrutiny, we’ve learned that Border Patrol agents ultimately ended the shooting at the school, and killed the shooter. Their heroic actions deserve the nation’s praise, but instead, Joe Biden dissed them by uninviting them from his speech.

“ 'Biden administration officials uninvited many of the Border Patrol agents and other law enforcement officers who responded to the Robb Elementary School shooting from a meeting with the president scheduled for Sunday in Uvalde,” reports Breitbart. “Despite the event being planned for a large open-space facility, administration officials cited space as a reason for the retracted invitations.”

"According to their report, Border Patrol agents were among the law enforcement officials who received an invitation to the event and many had accepted before being informed they were no longer invited. More than 90 percent who had been invited were told they would not be able to attend anymore.". . .

Biden's 'support of police' is hard to believe

"Wearing the badge shouldn't make you a target," Biden said during his remarks. Again, he doesn't see the irony that his own policies and the views of his party are what is doing that.

Michael Letts. . ." 'It is a different world," Biden said.  "Over the last several years it is so much more complicated, the job is complicated.  We expect so much more from all of you."

"He wants police officers to think he understands the difficulty they face in doing their job and that he supports them.  Nothing could be farther from the truth.  Not only does he not support them — as he has shown with his initial support for efforts to defund police departments — but his laxness toward law enforcement has encouraged lawbreakers.

"His efforts hit the police coming and going.  He makes it harder for them to do their job from a funding and legislative perspective while at the same time making the job more dangerous by supporting poor prosecution and enforcement, which only encourages criminals.  The combination makes being a police officer in America more dangerous than ever.  The result is that police are killed, and more services like the one at the National Peace Officers' Memorial.

"Biden correctly pointed out that officers need to serve as psychiatrists, mental health counselors, and drug counselors in order to do their job.  This is another way that police are endangered.  They are often expected to prioritize these functions over their primary function of law enforcement.  This sometimes means they have to forgo their own safety, and the result is that officers are killed.". . .

Biden hosts a photo op in Uvalde, but not before he disinvites Border Patrol agents who responded to the massacre

Comment to this post: Beto in there asking for invitations from parents have disguised everyone…. Why do they want a politician there while they grieve. Opportunist all of these politicians… 

  Olivia Murray  "Apparently, for Joe Biden, only certain murdered children are worth memorializing — ones who fit his political agenda.  Although it's been over a year and a half since little eight-year-old Jackson Sparks was mowed down at a Christmas parade, Biden has yet to pay his respects to the community of Waukesha, because the killer didn't use a gun.  However, Salvador Ramos did, so Biden's handlers sprang into action for a press opportunity, but not before revoking invitations from heroes:

Biden administration officials uninvited many of the Border Patrol agents and other law enforcement officers who responded to the Robb Elementary School shooting from a meeting with the president scheduled for Sunday in Uvalde. Despite the event being planned for a large open-space facility, administration officials cited space as a reason for the retracted invitations.

"His presence, unsurprisingly, was met with sincere disgust.". . .

Beto in there asking for invitations from parents have disguised everyone…. Why do they want a politician there while they grieve. Opportunist all of these politicians…

Uvalde local down the street from where Biden is attending mass says he needs to visit the border and address the issue. She tells me that the local resources in Uvalde are used up in dealing with migrants pic.twitter.com/wmStxBMV7b

— Jorge Ventura Media (@VenturaReport) May 29, 2022

Ukrainians see their culture being erased as Russia hits beloved sites

 NBC News

“This was done so Russia can say that there is no Ukrainian culture, that Ukrainian identity does not exist," said the director of a museum that was demolished by a Russian strike.

"SKOVORODYNIVKA, Ukraine — When a missile strike reverberated throughout the town of Skovorodynivka at 10:45 p.m. on May 6, Nataliia Micay instantly knew what had been hit.

"But by the time Micay sprinted down the road from her house to the town’s treasured Hryhorii Skovoroda Literary Memorial Museum, it was too late. A massive fire had engulfed the centuries-old yellow building.

"Firefighters and other locals worked through the night to extinguish the flames, hoping to salvage whatever they could. But the building and its contents were burned to the ground.

“ 'This was intentional. It was a prepared plan. They knew that this legacy was here,” Micay said, wading through the scorched remains, pointing to where paintings, sculptures and books had filled the rooms during her nearly 30 years as the museum director.

“ 'This was done so Russia can say that there is no Ukrainian culture, that Ukrainian identity does not exist.”. . .

The Wereth Eleven; Battle of the Bulge

HistoryNet

Members of an African American artillery battalion went from being hated to revered to tortured and killed by the SS at Wereth during the Battle of the Bulge. The crime remains unsolved.

Sacrifice: The 333rd Field Artillery at the Battle of the Bulge | The National WWII Museum | New Orleans (nationalww2museum.org)

Climate Change, the Flu, and the Death of Satire

 American Spectator  "It has become ever more difficult in recent years to write satire because the world is going crazy so fast that satire becomes reality — sometimes poisonous reality — before you can finish writing or even start laughing. Even somewhat far-fetched predictions can no longer be taken lightly.  

"This column suggested recently that if the government can do the kinds of things it has been doing to “protect” the public against the Fauci Flu, think what it can do to prevent the “existential” crisis of climate change. 

"The Fauci Flu has not yet been referred to as an existential threat. But why not? Simply because no one would believe that? How can you be so sure? 

"It is true that for many months many people have been discounting whatever the government has been saying about the Flu, and masks, and the vaccines, and the boosters. Think about, among other disgraces, how then-New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo lied about the number of people who had died (largely because of his policies) in nursing homes. And now we learn Gov. Gretchen Whitmer of Michigan did the same thing. That rising distrust in government is one reason it has become ever more necessary for the government to try to shame people into doing what the government announces is good behavior. 

"But not everyone distrusts government. Rasmussen Reports released a poll recently that showed Democrat voters support harsh measures against the unvaccinated. The poll found that 48 percent of voters favor imposing a Fauci Flu vaccine mandate on employees of large corporations, and 48 percent oppose. Okay (sort of), up to that point, but then the results get nasty. 

"Fifty-nine percent of Democrat voters “would favor a government policy requiring that citizens remain confined to their homes at all times.' ”. . .

Greta Thunberg Mural Equipped With Laser Eyes That Shoot At SUVs

“We want the mural to really make a positive impact in the fight against climate change,” a spokesperson told sources. “Greta’s pouty glare is certain to generate guilt and shame in many motorists, but that didn’t seem like enough. By adding the lasers, we can begin taking out the worst offenders in their Hummers and Land Rovers.”

Memorial Day 2022

 

Mount Joy World War II veteran, last survivor of Malmedy Massacre dies at 99

Harold Billow - The Log Book Project

Biden: Joe Biden's Walter Mitty dreams

 Joe Biden loves his lies - American Thinker   "President Biden has made many false autobiographical claims.  He was a truck driver.  He was a coal miner.  He helped organize Black churches while in high school for Civil Rights activities.  He used to bring his children, then grandchildren, one at a time, when each turned age 15 or 16 (depending on the version), to Europe to tour either Dachau or Auschwitz (again, depending on the version).  He went to Soweto in South Africa to visit the imprisoned Nelson Mandela, who in fact was held 800 miles away on Robben Island.  He claimed he was arrested in Soweto; he wasn't.

"I could go on and on.  But during this Memorial Day weekend, we can add a new Walter Mitty  autobiographical lie to Biden's lengthy and ever-growing list.". . .

Biden, in his Walter Mitty Dreams,Threatens To ‘Punch’ Trump… Tunnel Wall

Ivy League Professor Joe Biden's secret life as Walter Mitty (independentsentinel.com)

‘Walter Mitty’ Biden has been pushing the lie that he was an Ivy League college professor despite having been called out for it several times. He is currently elaborating on it. I posted this lie more than once but he keeps on doing it and it never gets old.

Joe Biden's Walter Mitty fantasy life - American Thinker  . . ."("mistakenly says," see) but the Washington Examiner's Alana Goodman decided to look a little further into this, producing a series of data points to reveal a pattern.  Here's the short list, but read the whole thing to see how bad the details are:. . .

. . ."In every instance, Biden was the underdog, the man of courage, the guy who stood up to evil forces and made himself a hero.  Not one of these claims was true, but that's just the point: Biden spends mental time in a fantasy universe, very unlike the one he actually lives in.  In reality, he's a man of no accomplishments and nothing but political loyalties.  The world Biden inhabits is the Washington swamp, a boring place characterized by big sleazy money deals and family enrichment, cronyism in smoke-filled rooms.  Biden's China and Ukraine deals, enacted by his underachieving junior, were abetted by Biden's political muscle in the background.  That's the only life Biden can point to.

"Yet he keeps repeating these vivid products of a nonexistent fantasy life, one that requires courage, courage he's never had, sort of like Walter Mitty, who as I recall from the story I read in high school was a bored man who led a humdrum life and imagined himself acting in heroic roles in his vivid fantasies.  That's Joe Biden, apparently, a really bored political hack who livens up his own world by repeating lies about his feats of heroism.". . .

Biden’s Walter Mitty Complex