Monday, June 17, 2024

Victor Davis Hanson: How Left-wing Conspiracies Work

  American Greatness (amgreatness.com)

When we hear such things in the months to come, remember that these mythologies are usually a warning: what the left is alleging is, quite often, precisely what the left is already doing. 

No wonder, then, that we should expect some sort of similar hoax to arise before the 2024 election. Do not be surprised when told of a “secret” Trump plan uncovered to round up critics in 2025 and send them to “camps,” . . . 

"Since 2016, there has been a clear pattern to left-wing conspiracies—beyond the obvious fact that they traffic in lies, stereotypes, and paranoia to serve precise political agendas.

"We now know that the conspiracy to cook up the Russian-collusion hoax—Donald Trump allegedly conniving with Vladimir Putin to rig the 2016 vote—was perpetrated by the Hillary Clinton campaign. Its funding was hidden by the Democratic National Committee, the law firm Perkins Coie, and Fusion GPS.

"The Russian “disinformation” laptop hoax—the notion that the same Russians four years later created a fake Hunter Biden laptop to smear the Biden family on the eve of the first 2020 debate—was jumpstarted by the Biden campaign’s then-chief foreign policy advisor, current Secretary of State Antony Blinken.

"There was never much evidence that a wayward bat or pangolin in a meat market birthed the COVID-19 pandemic, despite the efforts of China, Western and international health officials, and Dr. Fauci’s health bureaucrats to spread that lie.

"The January 6th riot was certainly wrong and buffoonish. But the idea that it was an insurrection aiming to violently overthrow the U.S. government was also a left-wing myth fueled by the Democratic House leadership and the media.

"All these schemes have their commonalities:

1) They are aimed at achieving political objectives. . . .

American decay is flowing from the Ivy League

 Washington Examiner (msn.com)


"There is no one culprit behind the civic, legal, and moral decay the country is facing, but there is one institution that is contributing to the problems far more than it is to any solution: the Ivy League.

"The three Ivy League law graduates on the Colorado Supreme Court were among the four justices who decided they could remove former President Donald Trump from the ballot for being an insurrectionist despite him not even being charged with that crime. As Ivy Leaguers are wont to do, they decided that their own opinion of the world should control how the world works, creating their own trial verdict out of whole cloth to declare that Trump is disqualified from holding federal office as a result.

"Again, it is no coincidence that the three Ivy League graduates on the court (from Harvard, Penn, and Yale, respectively) all backed this legal fabrication that they could unilaterally determine when someone violated a criminal law passed by Congress. The assault on democratic norms and the political decay it will cause to the legal system is just the latest in a banner year for the Ivy League.

"The surge in antisemitism has come primarily from universities, and it has been the worst at Ivy League schools such as Penn and Harvard. In fact, the presidents of both universities were unable to even say that calling for the genocide of Jews violates their respective student codes of conduct. That even as Harvard threatens sanctions against students for not calling other students by their preferred pronouns." . . .

NYT Opinion Writer: 'What Have We Liberals Done to the West Coast?'

Matt Vespa (townhall.com)

The problem is liberals think they’re always right. There is no humility, and any actual failures are due to the ignorance of people who are less than, either because of income or education, who don’t know any better. That’s gospel in liberal America, which is why people like Trump get a lot of attention.

"I don’t know if this is an organic period of self-reflection for liberals or if they’re just trying to pull a long con on voters, showing they’re aware of their movement’s problems, but if we elect them, things will be different. Nicholas Kristof was never someone I’d thought who’d pen a lengthy column about the failures of liberalism. Alas, he did, blaming West Coast liberalism for turning that part of the country into a hellhole. Republicans can’t be blamed; there aren’t enough of them in the cities that dot the Left Coast. Even Democrats have called out progressives for their ridiculous levels of anemia when it comes to governing.
"Kristof doesn’t shy away from the West’s issues, noting the deplorable decay that’s taking hold in the region where he grew up as a native Oregonian. He blames progressives who are more concerned about maintaining ideological purity. " . . .

. . ."Politics always is part theater, but out West too often we settle for being performative rather than substantive. 

"For example, as a gesture to support trans kids, Oregon took money from the tight education budget to put tampons in boys’ restrooms in elementary schools — including boys’ restrooms in kindergartens." . . .

Latest Palestinian Poll Should Kill Further Discussions About Ceasefires

  Matt Vespa (townhall.com) 

The Left can whine all they want. It doesn’t change the fact that they’re antisemites who’ve become the political whores for the radical Muslim world. Nix any further ceasefire talk and wipe out the terrorist scum in Gaza.

  "It’s not like this is a shocking survey. We’ve known that for years, the Palestinian people, the so-called innocent civilians, support Hamas. They voted them into power back in 2005 and have allowed the terror group to rule the Gaza Strip for nearly a generation. The international community thinks Hamas can be reasoned with—are they taking hits from Hunter Biden’s crack pipe? You cannot if anything has shown us over the past few weeks and months. They’ve rejected every ceasefire proposal because civilian casualties are not a byproduct of their operations; it’s their agenda. Advertisement.

" And the people here, for the most part, support Hamas. A new poll from the Palestinian Center for Policy and Survey Research should kill any further talk of a ceasefire until Hamas has been eliminated and Israeli forces have set up security operations for the region. Enough. No one here supports a path to peace. Across the board, there is 60-plus percent support for the terror group, with roughly the same number rejecting a two-state solution. The exact figure delusionally thinks Hamas will win this war. Almost 70 percent support the 10/7 attacks.
"It's why civilians helped Hamas detain Israeli hostages. They’re no different. It’s why I’m not really crying over the 100-200 ‘civilians’ who allegedly got wasted during Israel’s justified and successful rescue operation last weekend. They weren’t innocent people—they were terrorists who got what they deserved." . . . 



The U.S. ignores Israel’s right to the land and promotes a Palestinian State instead

 Ted Belman - American Thinker

In Since when did the Palestinians become entitled to a state?  I pointed out that the Rogers Plan in 1969 started the process of supporting the Palestinian cause and every administration since then did likewise.  This culminated with President Clinton ramming Arafat down Israel’s throat. Only Trump went his own way. 


"I recently critiqued an interview of Columbia University's Prof. Jeffrey Sachs by Judge Andrew Napolitano on U.S. policy on Gaza.

"The judge started out by referring to "the slaughter that was going on in Gaza.”

"How can he be so ignorant? It has been proven repeatedly that there is no slaughter or genocide in Gaza. In fact Israel has the lowest kill ratio of any war previously by a factor of at least five.

"Surprisingly he spoke respectfully about Ben Gvir, who is Israel's minister of national security, and Bezalel Smotrich, Israel's minister of finance.

"The Saudi foreign minister said on May 27, 2024:

“Israel doesn’t get to decide if the Palestinians have a right to self-determination”

“This is something that is enshrined in the UN Charter.”

“It is something that is enshrined in international law.”

 “It is also a founding principle in the UN decision to found Israel”

HAMAS MASSACRE (saturday-october-seven.com)  Photo added by TD

"The judge called it “an accurate presentation of history” and Sachs added “What he said was absolutely correct.”

"I got(sic)news for all of them, none of it is true. Why so?

"Start with self-determination." . . .

‘Pay for Slay’: Palestinians still rewarding terror - David Rubin  "The Palestinian Authority (P.A.)’s “Pay for Slay” program is a deeply disturbing initiative that incentivizes violence against Jewish Israelis.  This program, which constitutes 8% of the P.A.’s budget, offers substantial monetary rewards to Palestinians who murder Israelis.  The more lethal the attack, the greater the financial reward to the terrorists’ families.  This practice, which costs the P.A. over $300 million annually, not only perpetuates violence, but also diminishes any prospects for peace in the region" . . .

The world must recognize that as long as the P.A. continues to reward terrorism, true peace will remain elusive.  It is imperative that the international community, led by the United States, demand an end to the “Pay for Slay” program.  This is not just about protecting Israeli lives; it is about upholding the principles of justice and human dignity.  The P.A.’s continued support for terrorism must be met with unwavering opposition from all who seek peace in the Middle East. 

Congress's best and brightest

Be Prepared for Chaos

 Clarice Feldman - American Thinker

"I think I’m not far off the mark when I suggest that the Democrat-run institutions and cities, which regularly are tolerating, if not encouraging, violent demonstrations by demonstrably linked green, pro-Palestine, Antifa gangs, are setting the stage for November’s elections, with the federal government’s apparent connivance." 

"I suggest you start preparing for a great deal of left-wing civic violence, supply disruptions (including food shortages) and widespread urban chaos. I say this because it is my sense that the Democrats, deep state, and their media enablers are all in rough shape and have no other way out but to fall back on their usual criminal methods of retaining power.

"I find it impossible to believe that President Biden will be the Democrat nominee, and if he is, that he can win. What do the Democrats do? They certainly can’t substitute Kamala Harris for Biden; she’s tanked in opinion polls even lower and faster than has Biden. There are no nationally known non-geriatric substitutes in the wings, save for California governor Gavin Newsom, whose record for screwing up is at least as bad as Biden’s. Youth and a good haircut can only go so far outside Newsom’s home state. Even liberals are now conceding the West Coast has lost its way and become dysfunctional, and who is a better avatar of West Coast progressives than Newsom?

"In an opinion piece in the New York Times, Nicholas Kristof asks if they have lost their way. He decries the lack of sensible governance, arguing that good intentions aren’t enough and good governance has demonstrably been lacking: 

[M]y take is that the West Coast’s central problem is not so much that it’s unserious as that it’s infected with an ideological purity that is focused more on intentions than on oversight and outcomes. [snip] . . .

While Biden courts the rich, white Hollywood elites, Trump campaigns hard for Detroit's black voters

Monica Showalter - American Thinker

As for Biden, there's no broad swathe -- just he and his bubble of rich, elite, and very white, supporters. Who, again, is the candidate black and other voters of all colors can trust?

"While Trump is out there fighting and campaigning for the working people, the forgotten, the minorities, the constituencies taken for granted by Democrats as the entitlement class, Biden is out courting the rich Hollywood elite -- white, out of touch, and all about hiding behind their money, like Tom and Daisy Buchanan.

"Both are meeting them where they live -- but Trump is the only one willing to address broad numbers of people, in this case, black voters, in order to make his case to them.

"Biden campaigns instead among the carefully vetted, the people who have no Republicans among their friends, the people who live in leftist bubbles. You'll never see him campaigning among the hoi polloi, not in his current fragile state, though in the last campaign, when he was let out among them, he often ended up in arguments with them, insulting some.

"Not so, Trump, who lives and breathes with the pulse of the people and criticizes only the elites.

"Their presidencies show this, too -- Biden has made small numbers of special interest elites very rich -- from greenie boondogglerss, to COVID fund takers, to public employee union members and to open borders NGOs. In this case, they all were vetted first.

"Trump, on the other hand, made vast numbers of people rich, across the board, no vetting, prosperity reaching every corner. "I made money under the Trump administration," my on the fence cousin in a Michigan town told me last year. She didn't like him much, but she made money, so she was going to vote for him. She could not say the same for Biden. She was smart, but she was not among Biden's elites." . . . 


Sunday, June 16, 2024

MSNBC's Morning Joe Segment About Biden's Strong G7 Summit Gets Demolished by European Press

 Matt Vespa (townhall.com)


"If you watched this Morning Joe segment on MSNBC, you’d think no American president had ever had a successful outing with foreign leaders until Joe Biden was elected. The media and Democrats are engaging in a full-court press after capturing numerous videos of Biden looking aloof and wandering off. The president’s campaign went so far as to call the clips misinformation. Joe Scarborough echoed that sentiment, claiming the unflattering images of the president looking absolutely lost were “cheap fakes.” 

"There’s a problem with this pivot: the European media saw the same thing, and they were all over Biden’s cognitive decline. So, for all the shouting about how fit Biden is, the European press obliterated that talking point in less than a day:


"Everyone can see it. It’s not a secret, nor is it controversial. Eighty-six percent think Joe Biden is too old to run again. You don’t get a consensus like that if a healthy share of voters hasn’t seen that this man can’t do the job. Biden’s approvals are so terrible that FiveThirtyEight’s Nate Silver irritated liberals by suggesting that maybe Joe should quit the race. 

Pedo Peter | Know Your Meme

Pedo Peter is the alleged nickname given to U.S. President Joe Biden by his son Hunter within the contact list and iMessages leaked during the Hunter Biden iPhone hack that happened on 4chan in July 2022. The nickname was thought to be Biden's because the President used to use the pseudonym Peter Henderson. It was also theorized to be a moniker for Naomi Biden's fiancée Peter Neal. Screenshots of the evidence surfaced first on 4chan and then spread to other social media like Twitter, causing controversy, speculation and conspiracy theories.

The last temptation of Merrick Garland

 Jonathan Turley (thehill.com)  

As it stands, few believe that will happen, despite Garland’s repeated line about transcending politics. It is not the mantra that is in doubt, but the man.


This week, Attorney General Merrick Garland took to the pages of the Washington Post to lash out at critics who are spreading what he considers “conspiracy theories crafted and spread for the purpose of undermining public trust in the judicial process itself.” His column, titled “Unfounded attacks on the Justice Department must end,” missed the point.

"It is Garland himself who has become the problem. The solution is in Wilmington, Delaware, where 12 average citizens just showed a commitment to the rule of law that seems to be harder and harder for the attorney general to meet.

"Since his appointment, Garland has repeated a mantra that he is apolitical and would never yield to the pressures of politics or the White House. When he was nominated, I believed that claim and enthusiastically supported Garland’s confirmation. He was, I thought, the perfect man for the job after his distinguished judicial service as a moderate judge.

"I was wrong. Garland’s tenure as attorney general has shown a pronounced reluctance to take steps that would threaten President Biden. He slow-walked the appointment of a special counsel investigating any Biden, and then excluded from the counsel’s scope any investigation of the massive influence peddling operation by Hunter Biden, his uncle and others.

"However, it is what has occurred in the last six months that has left some of us shaken, given our early faith in Garland." . . .

Building an Election Watchdog Army: RNC Co-Chair Lara Trump Announces New Program to Train 100,000 Poll Workers and 500 Lawyers to Safeguard 2024 Election in November

  The Gateway Pundit | by Jim Hᴏft 


"In a groundbreaking announcement made last Friday in Detroit, Michigan, Lara Trump, the co-chair of the Republican National Committee (RNC), revealed plans to build a formidable watchdog army. This force will be tasked with safeguarding the integrity of our elections this coming November.

" “Our other top priority is election integrity,” said Lara Trump. “If we don’t have free, fair, and transparent elections, nothing else matters. That is our goal at the RNC. Every single person in this country, regardless of how you vote, should want free and fair elections.”

"Joined by RNC Chairman Michael Watley, she detailed the plans to mobilize an ‘election watchdog army’ that will operate across the United States in November.

" '[Whatley and I started here in the state of Michigan, launching our election integrity program. What we want to do is train 100,000 people all across this country to be part of that team. Now, what does that mean? That means we want poll watchers, but not just that; we want poll workers. We have a unique opportunity right now that we have not had in 40 years as a party. For 40 years, there was a consent decree placed upon the RNC that did not allow us to train people to work as poll workers,” said Lara.

"The RNC’s plan also includes training individuals to work in tabulation centers where mail-in ballots are processed. They are seeking attorneys who can be present at every major polling location to proactively address any issues that arise.

"Lara called for any lawyers listening to join the effort, emphasizing that they do not have to be trained in election law. “We will train you on exactly what you need to be looking out for,” she said.

"The RNC has set up a website, protectthevote.com, for those interested in joining the team. The RNC will provide training in each state to equip team members with everything they need to know." . . .

Biden scraps attendance at Ukraine peace summit, heads to Los Angeles to raise campaign funds -- and Sabo is waiting for him

 Monica Showalter - American Thinker

George Clooney's wife, born of Druze and Sunni Muslim parents. 


"For Joe Biden, it's panic hour.

"That's why he scrapped attendance at a Ukraine goo-goo summit in Europe, to head on out to Los Angeles for a star-studded fundraiser instead:

"According to Reuters:

June 15 (Reuters) - President Joe Biden will attend a glitzy fundraiser in Los Angeles on Saturday with top Hollywood celebrities and former President Barack Obama that has raised $28 million, amid Democratic anxiety over opponent Donald Trump's growing fundraising clout.
Late-night TV host Jimmy Kimmel will interview Biden and Obama and Hollywood celebrities George Clooney and Julia Roberts are guests, in the latest star-studded event Biden's campaign hopes shows strength and momentum despite Biden's low approval ratings and concerns about his age.
"Nothing is more important than that fundraiser. Biden even changed U.S. foreign policy in order to oppose, not support, sanctions on the International Criminal Court for attempting to arrest U.S. ally Binyamin Netanyahu, prime minister of Israel after George Clooney made a phone call, saying it would affect his wife, who helped write the orders.
 
"Clooney will be there to help raise funds, so favors repaid. Biden did Clooney 'a solid' so out comes the red carpet glamour and fawning.". . .
 
I Meme Therefore I Am

Here's the contemptible part: . . ."Nothing is more important than that fundraiser. Biden even changed U.S. foreign policy in order to oppose, not support, sanctions on the International Criminal Court for attempting to arrest U.S. ally Binyamin Netanyahu, prime minister of Israel after George Clooney made a phone call, saying it would affect his wife, who helped write the orders."

Is an electric vehicle collapse inevitable?

 Mike McDaniel - American Thinker

Hertz unloading its EV fleet has been much in the news. Americans have a nasty tendency not to buy, or even rent, vehicles they don’t trust and don’t want. And now, even General Motors is beginning to bow to reality: 


"Were one to listen to Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, or Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm, one might come away with the impression that electric vehicles (EVs) are so popular, the government’s intention of mostly replacing internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicles with EVs by 2030 was a foregone conclusion. After all, the Mummified Meat Puppet Administration (MMPA) tells us they’ll build a half million fast chargers across America by then to handle the load, and they’ve allocated $7.5 billion we don’t have to that noble endeavor." ....

. . ."How is DEI—didn’t earn it—screwing things up?  At least 40% of the money has to go to “underserved communities,” which is brilliant because those are the communities least able to afford, or want, an EV, so they have no use for EV chargers."