The Atlantic: Hillary ‘Really Does Need To Stop’

Hot Air 

"It’s really nothing new that someone is suggesting Hillary needs to take a step back and stop whining about why she lost the 2016 election. People on the right have been doing that for more than a year. Even Democrats are gingerly saying the same thing out loud these days (or not so gingerly in some cases). Hillary’s own former campaign manager was pretty openly hinting she should dial it back a couple months ago. But this piece published by the Atlantic yesterday signifies a turning point. The left’s response to Hillary’s refusal to leave the stage is no longer a subject of piecemeal complaints. It’s now a kind of conventional wisdom which right and left both share. Simply put, Hillary’s endlessly blame-shifting and rehashing of 2016 has become broadly ridiculous even on her own side of the aisle.

What’s so wrong with Clinton’s letting off a little steam? For starters, she’s bad at it—by which I mean she too often winds up making herself look bad. Whenever she talks about What Happened, her recent book recounting her experience as a presidential candidate, Clinton comes across as self-pitying and self-justifying, in large part because she cannot resist bringing up all the other folks and forces she considers at fault. This has reached the level of bad political joke. (In October, Newsweek compiled a handy list of “Every Excuse Hillary Clinton Has Given for Her 2016 Election Loss.”)

 Full article here.

Sarah Huckabee Sanders Has Classy Response to Questions About Michelle Wolf Jokes

Townhall

"White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders responded Thursday to Michelle Wolf’s controversial jokes about her at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner.

" 'I think that evening says a whole lot more about her than it does about me," Sanders told "Fox and Friends."

" 'The people that were my friends before that evening are my friends today, and I am going to continue doing the job that I came here to do every single day,” she continued. “I am very proud of the fact that I work in this administration for this president, and we're going to keep pushing forward, doing everything we can to make America better.' " . . .

Journalism and vulgarism  . . . ""For many in the left-wing media circles who presently vent opprobrium for the nightmare that is President Trump, the Joys refers to the era of Camelot for them, which naturally reached its zenith under Obama but nevertheless remained in the ascendant under Bush, in which was still possible that some loutish comedian like Stephen Colbert might be able to elicit a few cackles from that most elite reception of Washingtonian luminaries at the annual White House Correspondents' Dinner." . . .

Associated Press omits Democratic party affiliation from report on anti-Semites in DC government

Washington Examiner

"An Associated Press report said that "anti-Semitic conspiracy theories" are rampant in "DC city government" did not state that all of the lawmakers identified for anti-Jewish remarks in the story were members of the Democratic Party.

The story, published Wednesday and authored by Ashraf Khalil, bore the headline "Anti-Semitic conspiracy theories roil DC city government."

"It mentioned City Councilman Trayon White, who posted a video on social media claiming that Jews control the weather; Mayor Muriel Bowser, who was present for a meeting with lawmakers including White, wherein he claimed the "Rothschilds" controlled the World Bank; D.C. Public Housing Authority board member Josh Lopez, who organized a rally to support White; and Councilman Jack Evans, who is quoted in the story as also offering words of support for White.

"All four officials are registered Democrats, something the story never pointed out. Josh Lopez, the Housing Authority board member, resigned on Tuesday.

"The lack of party identification in the story is of note because some recent reports have suggested there is a correlation between a supposed rise in anti-Semitism across the country under President Trump, a Republican."

Dem Rep Refuses to Give Trump Any Credit for North Korea Negotiations

Free Beacon

"Gregory Meeks says South Korea deserves credit for the possible release of American prisoners"

. . . "CNN’s Poppy Harlow brought up the pending release of detained U.S. citizens in North Korea, which the administration has said is "imminent," and Meeks said the credit for their release goes to Moon. Harlow and John Berman repeatedly asked Meeks why he would not commend Trump’s actions at all, but the congressman maintained Moon is the driving force of the negotiations.

. . . " 'It seems like you're doing everything you can to not say the president deserves credit," Harlow replied. "Is he doing a better job, for instance, than the Obama administration did or the Bush administration or the Clinton administration, handling North Korea right now?"

"Meeks did not answer the question, preferring to describe how Moon has taken the lead in starting a "dialogue" with the North.

" 'President Moon got elected based upon the fact that he wanted a better relationship with North Korea, and he went about doing it at the same time that President Trump was calling [Kim] ‘rocket man,’" Meeks said.

"The hosts asked Meeks a total six times whether Trump deserved any credit for the negotiations. After Meeks answered for the final time, Berman noted "Trump was part of the equation.' "

I must praise CNN for Ms. Harlow's efforts to pin down this Democrat for his shameful efforts at sheer propaganda.

What The Teacher Of The Year Wore To Meet Trump Proves Exactly Who The Real Tolerant One Is

Daily Caller

. . . "Trump made no mention of the political statement Manning was sending with her pins and kept the comments at the event politics-free. Trump said, “To Mandy and all of the amazing educators here today: Your tireless dedication doesn’t just inspire your students, it inspires all of us. And I can tell you, it very much inspires me. We honor you and every citizen called to the noble vocation of teaching.' ” . . .

Christians' Munich Moment in California

Fay Voshell  "Scarcely any moment in American history is as important for America's Christians as the developing crises over religious freedom now happening in California.

"The legislature of Sacramento not only is underhandedly banning books opposed to the doctrines of the transgender religion (including the Bible), but also has threatened Christians' rights to free assembly and freedom of speech.

"According to its website, Summit Ministries, an organization devoted to advising Christian youths on how to live out a Christian worldview, has canceled its scheduled appearances at Biola University in Los Angeles "due to concerns that California will forbid some of what it teaches."

"Summit's concern is real." . . .

. . . "Summit apparently preferred the Munich solution. It preferred peace in our time.  But by capitulating to the state's threat, Summit Ministries has made the battles California's Christians face even harder.  The heat will inevitably be turned up on churches and ministries that teach Christian morality.

The truth is that Summit's capitulation almost ensures there will be no peace for Christians in California.  Unfortunately, the next battles to be won or lost also will have the odor of Summit's capitulation and defeat, no matter which state Summit flees to for refuge.

Alas, the Christian church in America is generally as weak as Summit has shown itself to be in the face of opposition to its God-given constitutional rights.  She is almost constantly capitulating while preoccupied with attacking other Christians.  She is far too subject to think herself safe in her subculture bubble, constantly retreating into a non-relevance auguring the first step into nonexistence.  Meanwhile, she is too often leaving the mighty but outnumbered 144,000 to fight the onslaught alone.

The American church, for the sake of the Christians among her and for the sake of those outside her walls – their freedoms are also threatened – must wake up and take up the motto, "We have not yet begun to fight."

The madness of 'cultural appropriation' exposed rot in the American soul (Updated)

Let's file this under "American Silliness", shall we? TD

Rick Moran  "Keziah Daum is an 18 year old high school girl who set off a worldwide debate on the idea of "cultural appropriation." Daum wore a dress to prom loosely based on a Chinese design and committed the mortal sin of not being Chinese. 

"She was called out for her sin by another teen, Jeremy Lam:" [bleep]

. . . 

" 'Cultural appropriation" may be the sickest, most outrageousely stupid element of political correctness in existence. The history of human civilization would never be known without the Egyptians culturally appropriating the idea of writing from some unknown source. Every major advance in the history of civilization has occurred because of one culture appropriating and improving upon an idea or invention from another culture.

"Can you imagine what the world would be like if the invention of agriculture had remained in the fertile crescent? It is mind boggling that in a country that has made cultural appropriation a huge part of its identity, there would be those who would accuse anyone of "privilege" for doing what comes naturally to humans; learn from others.

"I don't think that the cultural appropriation accusers will be able to gain as much traction with anyone except the true believers after this incident. " 

 Shaming teen for wearing ‘racist’ dress to prom is crazy -- Where does nonsense of cultural appropriation end?

When everything is racist, then nothing will be racist.
Personally I'd not want my daughter to wear that dress for reasons better than "cultural appropriation". TD

How a Pretty Prom Dress Helped Reveal Rot in the American Soul

"If you’re a normal human being, like the majority of Americans who saw their Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter feeds fill up with prom pictures last weekend, you thought that was a pretty girl in a pretty dress. Nothing more.
" But if you’re a toxic social-justice warrior, you saw something else. You saw oppression. You saw exploitation. You saw bigotry. You saw — gasp — “cultural appropriation.” The dress, you see, had obvious Asian influences, and Daum isn’t Asian:

Jeremy Lam@jere_bare

My culture is NOT your g*****n prom dress. https://twitter.com/daumkeziah/status/988115815068139520 …

4:34 PM - Apr 27, 2018 · Salt Lake City, UT

. . . "Let’s take the concept of “cultural appropriation.” It’s absurd down to its very definition. Susan Scafidi, author of Who Owns Culture? Appropriation and Authenticity in American Law, defines it like this: 

Taking intellectual property, traditional knowledge, cultural expressions, or artifacts from someone else’s culture without permission. This can include unauthorized use of another culture’s dance, dress, music, language, folklore, cuisine, traditional medicine, religious symbols, etc. It’s most likely to be harmful when the source community is a minority group that has been oppressed or exploited in other ways or when the object of appropriation is particularly sensitive, e.g. sacred objects. 

"In a multi-ethnic, multi-racial culture like America’s, the potential for offense is unlimited. (Moreover, who, exactly, is empowered to grant “permission” to wear clothing, cook food, or use language? Is there a central registry?" . . .

Update: In a World Where Everyone's Offended by Everything, Can Comedy Exist?

Condi Destroys Kanye Critics: ‘I’ve Been Black All My Life – Don’t Tell Me How To Be Black’

The Libnorants

Daily Caller  "Former Secretary of State Condi Rice gave a full-throated defense of rap mogul Kanye West Wednesday morning on Fox Business Network.

"West has been the subject of recent controversy after his embrace of pro-Trump policies, activists and campaign gear. This week, he shared messages about Republicans freeing slaves, the perils of the welfare state and socialism and declared that black slavery was a “choice.”

"Kanye’s swing to the right has not been received well by those on the other side of the aisle. Congresswoman Maxine Waters essentially told Kanye to shut up.

"When asked for her take on the backlash to Kanye’s actions, Condoleezza Rice defended him. The former secretary of state said, “people should be able to express their views. Not all of us have to think politically the same way.”

“ 'I said to people sometimes ‘I’ve been black all my life. You don’t have to tell me how to be black,'” Rice continued. “So I think we need to recognize that in some ways the height of prejudice is to look at somebody and think you know what they think because of the color of their skin.' ” . . .

Reuters Poll: Black Male Approval For Trump Doubles In One Week

Michelle Wolf Isn’t the Problem. The Dinner’s the Problem

Daily Stream

America Needs  an Adversarial Press

. . . "Right or left, we all need reporters to be equal-opportunity skeptics. Of course we don’t trust the other side. But we really can’t trust our own. As Lord Acton so famously said, as I explained here, “Power tends to corrupt.” Our own people get sucked into the thing, whether you’re a conservative who calls it “the swamp” or a leftist who calls it “the power elite.”

"The WHCD celebrates the, let me call them “the swamp elite.” They’re saying to the rest of us: “We’re really friends, because we’re the insiders. We run the country our way, for our own purposes. We may fight in public, but only to settle who’s the top insider. Some of us may really hate each other, but that’s the way it is in any family. The important thing is we’re family. And you’re not.”

"Down with the dinner. And down with what it symbolizes."

Michelle Wolf's Potty Mouth Was Wrong, Too

Foul language isn’t foul because it’s about sex, after all. It’s foul because it aims to shock, to disgust and to cheapen. It’s foul because it’s degrading. And it’s degrading partly because it treats sex as far less than it is, far less than it was meant to be. 

Sarah’s Grace as White House Correspondents’ Association Tries to Save Face  

 . . . "Kathy Griffin thought the performance was “great.” Then again, she thinks the President’s severed head in the age of ISIS is funny. Griffin said Wolf “was hired to do a roast. That was her job.” Apparently, the malice Wolf threw in for free. 
"Griffin then argued that a comedian’s job is to “push the line and go over it again.” That’s what a comedian says to justify doing anything for attention — however obnoxious, malicious or vulgar. Notice there’s nothing about being funny in her definition. 
"But let’s accept Griffin’s premise for a moment. How was Wolf “pushing the line”? She’s in a room full of people, nearly all of whom are liberals. How is it “pushing the line” to trash Sanders? Or speaking gleefully of abortion in a predominately pro-choice arena? She wasn’t pushing the line. She was parroting the party line. Happens all the time. You put a colorful twist on stock liberal positions, add vulgarity and viciousness, then shout “Look at me! I’m edgy!” 
"The funny thing? Sarah Sanders is the one coming out of this looking like a champ. "

Hillary Clinton's New Excuse On Why She Lost The Election

Daily Wire  "Failed presidential candidate Hillary Clinton said during a leadership conference this week that her chances of winning the 2016 presidential election were hurt because she was a capitalist.

"Clinton, who made the remarks at the Shared Value Leadership Summit, said that being a capitalist hurt her because so many Democrats are "socialists."

" 'You may be the only presidential candidate since World War II that actually had to stand up and say, 'I am a capitalist.' And you did. Did it hurt you?" asked Alan Murray, who is the Chief Content Officer for Time Inc.

" 'Probably," Clinton replied. "It's hard to know, but if you're in the Iowa Caucuses and 41 percent of Democrats are socialists or self-described socialists, and I'm asked, 'Are you a capitalist,' and I say, 'Yes, but with appropriate regulation, appropriate accountability,' you know, that probably gets lost in, 'Oh, my gosh, she's a capitalist!'"

HELPFUL: In which Hillary Clinton admits the Democratic Party is loaded with socialists… "I’d never defend socialists, BUT — socialists in the Dem Party weren’t the reason she didn’t go to Wisconsin. But add “I’m a capitalist” to Hillary’s super long list of reasons she lost."

Hillary Clinton said Wednesday that being a capitalist probably hurt her cause in 2016 because so many Democrats in the party today are socialists.

. . . "She has laid blame on numerous factors for her eventual general election defeat at the hands of President Donald Trump, Sanders and his diehard supporters among them. Sanders ripped Clinton as beholden to Wall Street interests during the primary, and she wrote his attacks did "lasting damage" to her.

"Clinton also criticized Sanders as unrealistic in his policies and for essentially offering voters a bill of goods." . . .

When Character ASSASSINATION is the Name of the GAME

Socio-Political Commentary...

"Adm. Ronny Jackson, President Trump’s choice to head the Veteran’s Administration, learned last week that in today’s Washington, character assassination is the name of the game. Republican senators looked the other way as Democrats, led by Montana Sen. Jon Tester, leaked unsubstantiated charges from unnamed accusers claiming the decorated veteran as an incompetent pill pusher, bully and uncontrollable drunk. By week’s end the admiral, knowing that he was never going to be confirmed anyway, removed himself from consideration.

"The allegations had never been vetted, but Mr. Tester leaked them anyway in an ultimately successful effort to derail yet another Trump appointee. Senate Democrats are waging all-out war against Trump nominees and seem to have no qualms about inventing allegations the president might dismiss as “fake news” to achieve their goals. In this instance, Mr. Tester was the chosen assassin by virtue of his ranking position on the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee and his constant posturing as the guardian of veteran’s rights. He took to the task with real enthusiasm, ensuring that a floundering agency will continue leaderless for the foreseeable future.

"They knocked the admiral out, but as the dust was settling it became clear that Mr. Tester’s charges were pure bunkum, made up and circulated to destroy the admiral’s reputation simply because Mr. Trump nominated him.

"Adm. Jackson is a veteran of the war on terror and has served three presidents as White House physician. None of them noticed the behavior that so concerned Mr. Tester, and former President Barack Obama was impressed by Adm. Jackson’s intelligence, diligence and competence, writing that “Ronny has earned my confidence and the gratitude of my family for his diligence and knowledge.' ” . . .

The Silence of the Republican Lambs on Ronny Jackson, the Roaring Economy, and More  . . . "The midterms are a few months away.  Will Republicans run with Trump or against him?  Any guesses as to which option has the higher probability of getting them re-elected?  Will Republicans engage and dance or stand in the corner as wallflowers?  If they play this wrong, it may be their last dance."

Are NBC and CNN Paying Off Top Spies Who Leaked Info With On-Air Jobs?

The Tablet  . . . Guess what? Comey’s briefing was the news hook.

"Proof of the set-up is found in the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence’s 253-page-long Report on Russian Active Measures that was published last week. According to the report, James Clapper acknowledged “discussing the dossier with CNN journalist Jake Tapper.” Their discussion “took place in early January 2017, around the time [intelligence community] leaders briefed President Obama and President-elect Trump on ‘the Christopher Steele information.’ ”

"So here’s how it worked: Clapper told Comey to brief Trump on the dossier. Clapper then told Tapper that Comey had briefed Trump on the dossier. In other words, the reporting on the Steele dossier for which CNN won its award was an operation coordinated between spies and the press whose purpose was to report the existence of “compromising information” on the president-elect—information that consisted of unverified politically-funded opposition research produced by one of the CNN journalist’s former colleagues. Buzzfeed then published the dossier in its entirety—a document that prior to the briefing no press organization had been able to verify and hence had refrained from making public.

"Since then, thousands of articles on the Trump-Russia collusion story have taken CNN’s original story as the model for a new kind of American journalism, spoon-fed to a pliant digital press by cabals of political operatives and ex-spooks. Lies, innuendo, wild conspiracy theorizing, and the insistent assumption of guilt have replaced old-fashioned rules of sourcing, objectivity, and basic plausibility. While the social cost of this radical departure from these century-old norms is likely to be high, it has acquired two main forms of justification, the twin pillars of the new press." . . .

Tony Branco

The linked article to this cartoon demonstrates how the WaPo chose to discredit it along with the cartoonist.