American Thinker: The winners of 2022

 

The winners of 2022; American Thinker   "The year 2022 has finally come to an end, as we look to 2023 with hope and cautious optimism, let's review the winners 2022 in no particular order of importance:". . . 

   . . ."Sadly for Americans, the Democrats are among the winners of 2022. Biden's catastrophic misgovernance ruined the economy, caused high inflation, caused a crime wave, and brought in an uncontrolled influx of illegal aliens and the smuggling of illicit drugs into the U.S. Instead of addressing these issues, the Democrats remained focused on Trump, their green new deal, and the welfare of Ukraine.

Biden struggled to string a coherent sentence due to his declining cognitive abilities. Biden’s Vice President Kamala Harris had similar problems despite her functioning cognitive abilities. The rest of the Democrats were pretenders who claimed to be compassionate yet their sole focus remained on one cause, themselves.

"Despite that, the Democrats didn’t do too badly during the midterms. Biden lost fewer seats in the House and Senate than Democrat stars such as Barack Obama and Bill Clinton. Yes, the elections were compromised but in the end, the Democrats didn’t receive the routing they deserved.

"Tomorrow, I will deliver my list of sinners of 2022."

Democrats May Regret Releasing Trump’s Taxes

 Legal Insurrection

“While a majority of voters are OK with House Ways and Means Committee Democrats releasing former President Donald Trump’s federal income taxes, they also feel that what’s good for the goose is good for the gander.”

"Democrats have just released Trump’s taxes, their last attack on him before losing control of the House. They may regret this and sooner than they think.

"Trump was rich when he entered office and served only four years. There are millions of Americans who are far more curious how people who have held office for decades have become wildly rich on a public sector salary.

"Paul Bedard writes at the Washington Examiner:

Voters seek revenge on Democrats who released Trump taxes

Voters are not in a very Christmas-y mood when it comes to Washington’s punishment politics.

In fact, they’d like to see some payback.

While a majority of voters are OK with House Ways and Means Committee Democrats releasing former President Donald Trump’s federal income taxes, they also feel that what’s good for the goose is good for the gander.

Asked in a new Rasmussen Reports survey if the incoming GOP House majority should release the taxes of Democrats who voted to reveal Trump’s taxes, 54% said yes.

And it wasn’t just Republicans, 63%, and independents, 53%, but included more Democrats than not. Rasmussen said that 45% of Democrats wanted the taxes of the Trump critics released to 38% who didn’t.

The partisan divide was much wider on the overall question of releasing Trump’s taxes, which is to be completed Friday by House Democrats. Some 53% said they approved of the release to 40% who disapproved.

Democrats especially were supportive, with 79% approving of the release. Among Republicans, 63% disapproved.

"House Republicans must have read that poll, because they’re already reacting.

"Joel Pollak of Breitbart News reports:". . .

What Biden’s political evolution means for progressives in 2023; The original Santos, whom Democrats condemn

 The Hill   "Earlier this month, a president who voted for the Defense of Marriage Act in 1996 as a senator signed the bill to officially repeal it and enshrine marriage equality into law.  

"President Biden has always fashioned himself as a centrist, even when seeking the Democratic Party’s presidential nomination, which makes his evolution on particular issues a fascinating weather vane.  

"After finally hearing progressives’ calls on everything from climate change and student debt to a filibuster carve-out this year, where might Biden advance next in 2023

“What’s been interesting is to watch his evolution,” said Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.) in a wide-ranging interview with The Hill this week. It’s been “really good to see him absorb information, take information in, and move.”   

"Immigration, climate, judicial nominees, overtime pay — the list is lengthy. And wondering what Biden will tackle next has progressives on the edge of their seats. 

"Many who preferred other candidates in the 2020 presidential primary were skeptical that lifelong moderate Biden would push for their priorities, having seen him spend decades as a centrist Senate homebody. They saw more liberal contenders such as Sens. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) advocate on behalf of progressive causes, and some were pessimistic about Biden’s desire to work with their flank. 

"But as he ticked off major successes, from the American Rescue Plan to the Inflation Reduction Act, many warmed to the idea that Biden could indeed become something akin to the FDR-style leader he now aspires to be. The more he accomplished, the more the left wing offered its trust. And progressives started drafting longer wish lists to try their luck in the new year.  

"“We were very careful in putting together our executive action list to work very closely with the administration,” Jayapal said. “I would say 90 percent of what was on our list was stuff that they also were very interested in.” 

"Jayapal, who was just elected to another term as chairwoman of the House Progressive Caucus, was pleased about the White House’s receptiveness to progressives’ agenda. When legislation stalled, frequently by moderate Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) and now-Independent Sen. Kyrsten Sinema (Ariz.) and a small group of members in the House, she said administration officials were often enthusiastic to work on executive actions as workarounds to the narrow congressional majority.". . .More... 

Democrats Get Reminded That Before George Santos, There Was Joe Biden

“I’ve done some dumb things, and I’ll do dumb things again. I’ve done some dumb things as senator, and I’ve done some dumb things as a lawyer. Ladies and gentlemen, I’ve been dumb,” then-Sen. Joe Biden said during his failed 1988 presidential campaign over allegations he was a serial plagiarist.

Tuesday night on Tucker Carlson’s program, former Democratic Congresswoman and 2020 presidential candidate Tulsi Gabbard grilled Rep.-elect George Santos (R-N.Y.) over what he admitted were lies he told on the campaign trail about who he is and his educational and family background.

In my opinion, Santos did not come off smelling like a rose during their lengthy exchange, but here’s the video so readers can decide for themselves what to  think: https://twitter.com/i/status/1607917139154837504

Is there any precedent at all to this George Santos situation? Has Congress ever had someone with so many remarkable biographical holes?

— Sam Stein (@samstein) December 22, 2022

"The answer is yes – and that “someone” is named Joe Biden. Take, for instance, the repeated lies he told about his and his family’s history while on the campaign trail during his failed 1988 presidential run. Not only was he untruthful about his life story, but he also was caught numerous times lifting passages from the speeches of other prominent politicos, including Robert Kennedy and JFK, without attribution: 

Too bad the media lost their appetite for Biden scandals when he actually became their nominee. pic.twitter.com/tLNVGQgSc8

— NewsBusters (@newsbusters) December 27, 2022

Much more here. The man is a treasure trove. A sad condemnation of the Democrat Party and what it has become. TD

 

The 6 Biggest Lies From Mayorkas and DHS About Team Biden’s Post-Title 42 Plans

 Heritage

"A "tissue of lies" is defined by The Free Dictionary as "a number of false statements made to deliberately hide the truth."

"Under this definition should be a copy of the Department of Homeland Security’s "Update on Southwest Border Security and Preparedness Ahead of Court-Ordered Lifting of Title 42." 

"In it, the Biden-Harris administration absolves itself of any responsibility for the unmitigated disaster on the U.S. southern border, instead blaming global conditions and Congress.

But the truth is President Joe Biden, Vice President Kamala Harris, and Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas own both the current chaos as well as what happens after Dec. 21, when they can no longer use Title 42 to expel foreign illegal immigrants.

"Here are the biggest lies of the "Update":. . .

1. It’s Congress' fault. 

"Biden is asking lawmakers for an emergency $3.5 billion for DHS to deal with the border. Senate Homeland Security Appropriations Committee Chair Chris Murphy, D-Conn., disingenuously claims that "There’s still a whole bunch of Republicans that are rooting for chaos on the border … " and that he just wants to "make sure we have enough money to let the border guards do their job."

"In fact, Border Patrol agents are not doing their job because Mayorkas has them acting as clerks to process and parole thousands of illegal immigrants a week. If anyone wants chaos, it’s the Biden administration, which is using it to extort money and radical concessions from Congress.

"The memo says that "absent Congressional action to enact comprehensive immigration reform" (in which they include amnesty) and "create a fair, fast, and functioning asylum system," there will be overcrowding in facilities and mass release of illegal aliens "from DHS custody into communities without NGO [nongovernmental organization] or other sponsor support."

"That’s a shakedown. The additional billions Biden wants would go to Mayorkas’ migration machine to process and parole millions of alien arrivals, not to keeping them out of the country or stopping the flow of killer drugs.

2. It was broke when we found it.. . .  Full article here...

Simon Hankinson is a senior research fellow in the Border Security and Immigration Center at The Heritage Foundation.

 Idaho murder suspect Bryan Kohberger's Washington neighbors, witnesses react to grad student's arrest  

He said he saw "nothing unusual" from his now-accused neighbor.

Williams said he learned that Kohberger had been arrested just this morning, from social media, and spotted some of the law enforcement vehicles in the parking lot outside his home. 

Upon hearing the news, he said he wondered, "How long has he f------ been here?

Friend of Idaho murder suspect visibly shakes in TikTok video after news of his arrest and says the last time she saw him he was doing security at a SCHOOL - as shocked neighbors break their silence 

REVEALED: Idaho murder suspect Bryan Kohberger conducted study of criminals' decision-making - and posted this chilling research project to Reddit seeking help from ex-cons

"In May, Kohberger took to Reddit to ask criminals to complete an anonymous survey about how and why they break the law. "

. . ."Questions included: 'Did you prepare for the crime before leaving your home?', 'Why did you choose that victim or target over others?' and 'What was the first move you made to accomplish your goal?' 

Questions included: 'Did you prepare for the crime before leaving your home?', 'Why did you choose that victim or target over others?' and 'What was the first move you made to accomplish your goal?' 

'After committing the crime, what were you thinking and feeling?' was another. 

He also asked how criminals 'leave the scene' and whether they acted alone. 

In the context of a criminology degree, the survey may seem perfectly innocent. 

It gains harrowing sinisterism in light of his arrest on suspicion of quadruple homicide today. 

No one from Kohberger's family or university has yet commented on his arrest. 

The Press Finally Realizes the Bidens Are Pretty Terrible

RedState

"Wonders never cease. It seems that the press has finally decided to acknowledge that Joe Biden has disowned his grandchild.

"As RedState reported earlier on Friday, the child in question was fathered by Hunter Biden and has been at the center of a long legal battle over child support. Specifically, the president’s son doesn’t want to pay it and has done everything he can to avoid his paternal responsibilities. According to The Daily Beast, the Biden family “seemingly wants nothing to do with the child,” who was not even allowed to be at the inauguration.

"For all the talk about “decency” regarding Joe Biden, he sure seems to be a pretty indecent guy, doesn’t he? What kind of person disowns their own granddaughter, especially when it was Biden’s own son that has been such a degenerate? And to be sure, this isn’t just a matter of custody. According to past reports, Jill Biden didn’t even put up a stocking for their grandchild this past Christmas (or the one before that).

"That’s hard for me to fathom. The Bidens have become fabulously wealthy, mostly on the backs of taxpayers, either directly or via influence peddling, but they can’t take care of their own grandchild? That makes no sense unless the explanation is that Joe and Jill Biden are just legitimately selfish, terrible people, and to be honest, I think that’s the explanation.

While the press has always painted Biden and his family as empathetic and relatable, they are incredibly vicious and dysfunctional below the surface. One look at Hunter Biden will tell you that, and the president himself is ruthless in a different way.

"But as my colleague Jim Thompson shared in his piece, that ruthlessness isn’t over. The Daily Beast’s blurb links to a new story out of Arkansas revealing that Hunter Biden is still fighting to not have to pay child support and is opposing the child taking his last name.". . .

Taliban Minister: We’ll Harbor Al Qaeda and Abuse Women Even If America Nukes Us

Not a word of thanks to Democrats for equipping their magnificent army.

Daniel Greenfield

“If they impose sanctions on us, drop a nuclear [bomb] on us, start a war against us again, or have any other plan, we are still compelled to implement the commandments of our religion.”

"I don’t know, maybe another $1 billion in “humanitarian aid” from the Biden administration will convince the Taliban to become moderates just like Turkey, Qatar, the Muslim Brotherhood and Al Qaeda.

"The Taliban Minister Of Higher Education Neda Mohammad Nadeem would like to explain something to our diplomats and misunderstanders of Islam. (MEMRI)

Mawlawi Neda Mohammad Nadeem: “There comes some suspicion in one’s heart about why the Islamic Emirate is doing this. It does not reopen schools, does not allow co-education for women, has imposed so many hijab restrictions, does not allow women in government departments…Why does it not allow women into ministries unless they cover their head and face? And why don’t you see the national interest?

“[The answer is that] we are all Muslims. To us, Allah’s religion is the most important thing. Had the Islamic Emirate considered the development and civilization of people as their real aim, then there would have been no need for war to begin with. [We could have] handed Osama [Bin Laden] over to them, and given women freedom like they demand now. The [governmental] system was already there – why was it necessary to [sacrifice] hundreds of thousands of martyrs?

“[But] Allah’s religion does not allow us to accept what those infidels want. The hijab is commanded by Allah’s book. ‘O Prophet, tell your wives and daughters and the believers’ women to veil themselves.’ This is commanded by Allah’s book.". . .

2022’s top 5 biggest political losers include senators, a congresswoman and even a world leader

David N. Bossie | Fox News    'In the full-contact sport of politics, there are always winners and losers and 2022 was no exception. Among the winners this year are House Republicans, who won back the majority in the U.S. House and Florida Governor Ron DeSantis who was re-elected with a stunning 59% of the vote in Florida. And then there are the unlucky ones on the other side of the ledger who drew the short straw this year. And to that end, here are the biggest political losers of 2022."  

5. Representative Liz Cheney  

Rep. Liz Cheney's actions as part of the January 6 Select Committee cost her a job in Congress and earned her possibly the top spot as one of 2022's biggest losers. (REUTERS/David Stubbs)

And perhaps the biggest loser of 2022 is outgoing Republican Representative Liz Cheney. Cheney went from being one of the leading conservative voices in the U.S. House to a footnote in former Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s biography in the course of 24 short months. *

"Cheney managed to lose an unlosable congressional primary in Wyoming due to her partisan perch on the illegitimate January 6 Select Committee. Not only did the committee waste millions and still come up with absolutely nothing new, it was in the end exposed as a taxpayer-funded presidential exploratory committee. To quote a committee staffer from a recent Washington Post story, "…when [the committee] became a Cheney 2024 campaign, many of us became discouraged." 

The left honors Biden so they should love George Santos

If he switches to the Democrats he will be just fine. He and Biden can swap war stories over coffee.

 Sinner or saint, George Santos must be seated | The Hill  "In a city that virtually floats on the uplift from inflated resumes, Representative-elect George Santos (R-N.Y.) is a standout. The incoming freshman is accused of a dizzying array of false claims, ranging from being Jewish to being a graduate of leading colleges. A host of congressional, state and federal investigations are in the works.

"The problem is that, for the most part, he is accused of something that is no crime in Congress: lying.

"Indeed, if lying were criminal, the House would be hard pressed to assemble a quorum outside of a federal penitentiary.

"More practically, Santos has constitutional defenses to any effort to bar him from taking his seat to represent New York’s 3rd Congressional District.

"Santos, 34, appears to have been a virtual false-claims machine.". . .

HUGE: House Republicans Find Text and Email Evidence that Pelosi Staffers Secretly DECREASED Security at US Capitol for Jan 6 – While at Same Time Pelosi Was Organizing Film Crew that Day

The Gateway Pundit   "Rogan O’Handley posted a text message from Nancy Pelosi’s staff secretly editing the J6 security plan for the US Capitol and then telling the House Sergeant at Arms to “please act surprised” when the final draft was published.

"The House Sergeant at Arms responded, “I’m startled!” to the request showing his willingness to play along.

"This is more evidence that the January 6 disruptions were planned in advance.". . .

"President Trump requested additional National Guard protection for the US Capitol that day. Pelosi turned him down.

"But during this same time Nancy Pelosi, possibly the most dishonest politician of our time, organized a film crew to come to the US Capitol and film her that day.

"It was as if SHE KNEW something big was going to happen.

"Now this wicked woman is caught.". . .

Nothing to see here

Just a text from Pelosi’s staff secretly editing the J6 security plan and telling the House Sgt. at Arms to “please act surprised” when the final draft was published

Translation: Pelosi’s staff was directly weakening J6 security & didn’t want anyone to know https://t.co/tqdiwNidlM pic.twitter.com/zMBN6CfJhQ

— Rogan O’Handley (@DC_Draino) December 30, 2022 

Breaking! Ray Epps Admits To Orchestrating The Infiltration Of The Capitol In A Text To His Nephew (Screenshot)

. . .“Mr. Epps informed us that he was not employed by, working with, or acting at the direction of any law enforcement agency on January 5th or 6th or at any other time, and that he has never been an informant for the FBI or any other law enforcement agency,” a select committee spokesperson said.

"The statement came after the FBI and Justice Department leadership refused to confirm or deny, under oath, whether Mr Epps was working with federal authorities or whether they knew why he hasn’t been charged in connection to the violence.

"Mr. Epps has become the latest flashpoint in the battle for narrative control over writing and rewriting the cause and consequences of the 2021 riot at the US Capitol.

"To the right, Mr Epps has been cast as a “fed-protected provocateur“ based mostly on his disappearance from the FBI’s most-wanted list without charge despite appearing in multiple videos on January 5 and 6.

"To the left, he is a central figure in an attempt to reframe the attack as a false flag “Fedsurrection” that is little more than a conspiracy theory to shift blame away from Donald Trump and his supporters."

Impeach Biden or not?

 

Andrew C. McCarthy

No, President Biden Should Not Be Impeached For Lax Border Security –

I believe that the Democrats did great harm to the impeachment process in the use of snap impeachments and poorly drafted articles against Trump. The Republicans should not follow the same casual approach to the constitutional standard or process.

Five Reasons to Impeach Joe Biden - American Thinker  "America has a two-tiered justice system. If you are liberal and vote Democratic, you can get away with anything. Hillary Clinton is proof of that. If you are conservative, Republican, and a Trump supporter, you can’t even get away with scratching your own behind. But for argument’s sake, let’s suppose we have a single standard for justice. In that case, here are five unassailable reasons that justify impeaching President Biden. This is not meant to be a complete list, but it will do for starters.". . .

Biden's pathetic disregard for the humanitarian catastrophe at the border (nypost.com)

. . ."The fiscal year that ended September 30 saw a record 2.4 million migrants encountered at the southern border, up almost 40% from the previous year (which was already a record-breaker). There have been at least 207,000 encounters already in November, as well as 137,000 “gotaways” — migrants spotted but not stopped by Customs and Border Protection agents — since October 1. 

"Remember too that a huge chunk of those stopped are turned back under Title 42, a Trump-era COVID rule that Biden tried to get rid of (then panicked when he saw how bad the numbers were and reversed course). But a federal court has ordered the rule must expire by Dec. 21. So expect another tidal wave increase to start 2023. 

"And as bad as they are, the raw numbers can’t give a real sense of the human toll. Small border towns are being strained to the breaking point by migrant inflows. Even El Paso, a midsize city, has been pushed to the point of declaring a state of emergency. And the migrants too bear the cost: At least a record 853 died that fiscal year trying to cross, up from 546 (itself a record) in 2021. Countless others likely died in transit. ". . .

Comment to this post: "I am in total agreement, the stupidity of the American voter will destroy this country!"

 

Liz Warren’s Disappearing Act

 Steve Feinstein   "Despite the Biden administration’s intentionally misleading, disingenuous blathering about this 50-year-high inflation being transitory, any 19-year-old freshman Econ 101 student could see that it wasn’t. Janet Yellin knew she was lying when she said it. “President” Biden read what his handlers wrote and said that this awful inflation would abate.

It’s been one lie after another from the Democrats in D.C., compounded with economic policies that could only make matters as bad as possible. When President Trump left office in January 2021, the national average for gasoline was around $2.30/gallon. Biden immediately signed a series of anti-energy executive orders restricting fracking, oil exploration, and fossil-fuel production. He did this for two reasons: 1) To counter and negate anything that President Trump had done, simply out of infantile spite; 2) To curry approval and favorable publicity with the Green New Deal faction and their supporters.

"Predictably, retail gasoline pricing spiked. It was soon in the mid-$3.00 range, more than a dollar over where it was under President Trump. This was well before Russia invaded Ukraine. This was not “Putin’s price increase.” This was all Biden. As fuel went up, transportation/delivery costs increased and pricing for all goods started to go up. This was an absolutely unnecessary tax on the American public, diluting consumer’s buying power and sapping their confidence.

"The Biden energy policy’s effect on overall consumer pricing would have been bad enough if that’s all that there was. But it wasn’t, not by a long shot. ". . .

. . ."So, where is Senator Warren on this? How come charging 23% for unpaid credit card balances while offering 1% on savings is okay with our “consumer financial watchdog?” It’s pitifully obvious that Warren and her liberal ilk have absolutely zero clue about any of this. They don’t know what financial challenges real middle-class people face on a daily basis, nor do they care in the slightest. Her kindred spirit, Bernie Sanders, owns multiple homes, is financially independent, has gotten rich from public money, yet all he does is criticize, regulate, and over-tax the private companies that employ his constituents. Greenies like John Kerry fly in private jets and rationalize it, while Gavin Newsome dines maskless in pricy French restaurants.

"Warren is totally invisible on matters that truly count to average Americans. Like virtually all liberals in power positions, she talks purely for public effect, but accomplishes nothing. She doesn’t even try. She has disappeared completely.". . .