How McConnell Outplayed Pelosi

The Republican leader unified his caucus by relying on precedent

Matthew Continetti  "Mitch McConnell was clear when he addressed the Senate December 18: Any impeachment trial of President Trump would follow the precedent established by the trial of President Clinton 20 years ago.
"Clinton's trial was divided into pieces. The Senate agreed unanimously to begin with a briefing, opening arguments, questions from senators, and a vote to dismiss. Whether to hear witnesses or introduce additional evidence were questions decided later. "That was the unanimous bipartisan precedent from 1999," McConnell said. "Put first things first, lay the bipartisan groundwork, and leave mid-trial questions to the middle of the trial."
"The arrangement satisfied Chuck Schumer back when he was a recently elected junior senator from New York. Funny how times change. Now Senate minority leader, and looking to damage Republicans in a presidential election year, Schumer demanded that McConnell call witnesses and ask for additional documents at the outset of the proceedings. Pelosi followed his cues. After the House impeached Trump on December 18, she said she wouldn't transmit the articles of impeachment until McConnell gave in to Schumer's demands.
"McConnell refused. He continued to point to the (relative) bipartisanship of the Clinton era. "The Senate said, 100 to nothing, that was good enough for President Clinton," he said on January 6. "So it ought to be good enough for President Trump. Fair is fair." The following day, McConnell ridiculed the idea that Pelosi had "leverage" over the Senate: "Apparently this is their proposition: If the Senate does not agree to break with our own unanimous bipartisan precedent from 1999, and agree to let Speaker Pelosi hand-design a different procedure for this Senate trial, then they might never dump this mess in our lap." Fine with him. The Senate has plenty of other things to do." . . .

Nancy Pelosi’s Delusions of Grandeur; Madam Speaker is a greater threat to democracy than the man she impeached.

The American Spectator; Madam Speaker is a greater threat to democracy than the man she impeached.

"House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has repeatedly portrayed President Trump as an existential threat to the republic. As she put it when announcing the House impeachment inquiry, “The actions taken to date by the president have seriously violated the Constitution.” She later justified her mad rush to hold an impeachment vote in December by claiming it was necessary “to defend democracy.” In reality, by presiding over the hyper-partisan passage of two inscrutable articles of impeachment and holding them hostage until the Senate allows her to dictate how it will conduct the president’s trial, Pelosi has revealed that she is the genuine menace to our unique system of government.

"The speaker of the House has no authority to impose conditions on the Senate in return for transmitting articles of impeachment to that body. The Constitution unambiguously invests the upper chamber with the sole power to conduct presidential impeachment trials, and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has made it abundantly clear that he has no intention of acceding to Speaker Pelosi’s unconstitutional demands: “There will be no haggling with the House over Senate procedure. We will not cede our authority to try this impeachment. The House’s turn is over. The Senate has made its decision.” Yet Madam Speaker continues to issue high-handed ultimatums:

The President & Sen. McConnell have run out of excuses. They must allow witnesses to testify, and produce the documents Trump has blocked, so Americans can see the facts for themselves. The Senate cannot be complicit in the President’s cover-up.

'By presuming to dictate what the president and Senate Majority Leader “must” do, Pelosi is deliberately undermining the checks and balances built into the system by the Framers." . . . 

Flashback: Feinstein On Clinton Impeachment, ‘Tears At The Fabric Of The Presidency’

Weasel Zippers
"But now, it’s just hunky dory."

Steve Guest

✔@SteveGuest

FLASHBACK: In 1998, Democrat Senator Dianne Feinstein said impeachment hurt the U.S. internationally and that the Senate should finish the trial "as quickly as possible"

Feinstein added that impeachment tore “at the fabric of the presidency.”

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1:53 PM - Jan 17, 2020

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Pelosi's Pen not Mightier than Trump's Sword

Image by Scott Kunst of The Shrug

Pelosi's Pen not Mightier than Trump's Sword  . . . "Democrats have often mocked Trump rallies as carnival shows filled with actors from central casting and others literally paid to be there. Democrats in 2016 reassured themselves that these were just bitter clingers out for a good time. They weren’t going to actually turn out to vote. Yet they did, in numbers so great that Hillary Clinton had to cancel the fireworks show.

"The makeup of the audience at Trump rallies has been changing but in a way that should be frightening to Democrats. Rather than just diehard Trump supporters we see a growing number of independents attending, many picking up their Maga hats on the way in:

Several days ago, Trump’s campaign manager Brad Parscale posted statistics from last week’s rally held in Toledo, OH, which showed that 43% of attendees identified as either Democratic or Independent….

 REPORT: Over 50 Percent Of Attendees At Trump’s Wisconsin Rally Weren’t Republicans  Stats posted by Brad Parscale

Excellent data from Milwaukee:
20,395 Voters Identified
15,738 Voters From Wisconsin
57.9% Were NOT Republicans (Yuge!)
4,313 Registrants Didn't Vote in 2016

Every Democrat Still Running for President Supports Abortions Up to Birth

Life News

. . . "Bernie Sanders thinks it is a constitutional right to kill an unborn baby for any reason up to birth – and to force taxpayers to pay for it, too. The Vermont senator and presidential candidate has been touting a radical pro-abortion position that calls for unrestricted abortions up to birth, taxpayer-funded abortions and more.
"Sanders claimed his position is constitutional.
“ 'Abortion is a constitutional right – not a privilege for those who can afford it,” he wrote on Twitter.
"Joe Biden once was more moderate on abortion, supporting restrictions on taxpayer-funded abortions and other measures, more recently, he has embraced his party’s extreme platform on abortion. In June, he announced that he no longer supports the Hyde amendment, which restricts taxpayer-funded abortions.
"Biden’s new health care plan would expand abortions in multiple ways. If elected president, he would codify Roe v. Wade into federal law, prohibiting states from passing even moderate restrictions that protect unborn babies from late-term abortions, according to the report." . . .

In May, when asked about abortions in the third trimester, Buttigieg said he thinks they should be legal and unrestricted. He told Fox News’ Chris Wallace, “I trust women to draw the line.”

There is no doubt that Tom Steyer, the single largest donor to the Democratic Party in recent years, would support abortion on demand if elected. Last summer, as the party debated welcoming pro-life Democrats, he announced that he would donate money only to pro-abortion candidates.

 And finally, Minnesota Senator Amy Klobuchar would work to make abortion an “American right” if elected to the highest office of the United States.

Trump Administration Rolls Back Michelle Obama’s Lunch Regulations On Her Birthday

“If kids are not eating what is being served, they are not benefiting, and food is being wasted,” Perdue said in a statement.

Chicks On The Right  Making School Lunches Great Again?  Trump is again loosening one of many Obama-era-regulations. This time, he’s rolling back Michelle Obama’s strict lunch rules, allowing schools to provide healthy meals with more flexibility and fewer regulations.

"Hold my carrot, please. Allow me to wish Michelle a happy birthday. I can only imagine how butt-hurt she is over this one. Well, it’s her birthday, and she can cry if she wants to.

Who the heck is Michelle Obama to tell schools what they can serve kids for lunch? And so what if it’s her birthday? Happy birthday! Now pass the burger and fries https://t.co/GmitOOwLml— Dinesh D'Souza (@DineshDSouza) January 17, 2020

"For someone who values a person’s right to choose, Mrs. Obama dealt out her “If You Like Your Lunch You Can’t Keep It” plan on America’s kids as if she was a strict nutritionist or something. Maybe she’s “Becoming” one? But seriously, Obama’s school lunch plan was her choice or the highway, as with everything else under liberal rule. I used to joke about how I was surprised she didn’t force all kids to take up a vegan diet.
"Not that I have any problem with vegans, don’t get me wrong.  In all fairness, nutrition is essential. And despite political affiliation, people fall on both sides of the fence with this issue. I tend to gravitate to more flexible school lunch rules because I’ve heard stories from people about how so much of the “healthy food” was never eaten and much was wasted under Obama’s school lunch program.

Chocolate milk is heading back to school lunches as the Trump administration is rolling back rules that Michelle Obama championed during her time as First Lady.Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue said on Thursday “These common-sense flexibilities, provide excellent customer service to our local school nutrition professionals while giving children the world-class food service they deserve.”Under Trump, the U.S. school lunch program can add noodles, biscuits, tortillas and other foods made mostly of refined grainsPresident Donald Trump’s administration on Thursday relaxed rules championed by former first lady Michelle Obama aimed at making U.S. school lunches healthier. Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue, delivering on a promise he made when he took office in May 2017, said schools under the current rules faced challenges serving meals that were both appetizing and nutritious." . . .

Trump Admin Wishes Michelle Obama Happy Birthday In The Best Way Possible
"They completely ignore how disgusting Michelle Obama lunches were for the kids who basically revolted on social media because the meal[s] were revolting."
That should win Mr. Trump many friends in Hollywood.

Maybe they are OK, but just don't photograph well

Twitchy thought Mr. Trump was tacky about it all.

Somber Impeachment Ceremony Concludes With The Impeachment Dancers

Yesterday's Disgusting Impeachment Charade Brutally Summed Up by a Single Cartoon   "Yesterday’s impeachment charade was quite the spectacle and circus.

"Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi and her motley crew of bottom dwelling scum-sucking Democrats made impeachment seem like a cross between a party and a religious ceremony.
"It was a vile and disgusting spectacle and a massive turn off to the average American voter.
Here is everything anyone needs to know about yesterday’s disgusting impeachment charade brutally summed up with one cartoon:" . . .

"Somber Impeachment Ceremony Concludes With The Impeachment Dancers"

. . . “ 'It is gravely serious to accuse the president of high crimes and misdemeanors,” Pelosi said as dancers gyrated behind her. “And we do this reluctantly and with a heavy heart.”

"After the ceremony and the dance number concluded, Democratic leaders all had a moment of silence to reflect on the gravity of their undertaking, the only sound now being the making of impeachment balloons by the Impeachment Clowns there to entertain the children.

"With President Trump officially impeached and the trial now in the hands of the Senate, the House Democrats left feeling their important work was done -- except for all the fundraising emails they had to write." From The Babylon Bee

Pictured: Democrat managers carry impeachment papers to the Senate

Nancy Pelosi's Impeachment Pens Look Like Bullets

Does anyone remember the outrage from the left when Sarah Palin put out a map with targets on districts she wanted to focus her efforts on? Why is there a deafening silence in the media about Pelosi's murder pens? We all know what she's saying here, don't we, or do I have to spell it out for you?
And now, to calm your rage, let's laugh at the Empire of folly as they march to their ultimate doom.

Status of Democrat's Sham Articles of Impeachment Push, Summed Up By 3 Cartoons

A Walk on the Riled Side
For only the third time in our nation's history, an American President is facing an impeachment trial to determine whether or not he will be removed from office. Such an event demands a full accounting of the facts, a deep understanding of the events which have brought us to this perilous state, and insightful, informed analysis of the trial as it unfolds.
"None of which you're going to find here, Lord knows, because we're sick of this shameful sham and won't dignify it with anything resembling "work" on our part.
"Rather, we will ridicule the Democrats' preposterous march to the Senate to deliver the articles of impeachment by pointing out that they reminded us of the Wicked Witch of the West's guards, the Winkies, strutting about while intoning: "Yo-ee-oh, Yo-ee-oh, Yo-eeoh, Ee-Ohhhh-ya!" These morons looked like they were carefully carrying a vial of nitro glycerine rather than multiple sheets of used toilet tissue.
"Not that the idiocy started with that pinheaded procession..."

Full article here.

Hey Trump, Declassify The Secret Letters Obama Sent To Iran

“I must become a whistleblower,” Doran, a senior fellow at the Hudson Institute specializing in Middle East security issues, tweeted Friday in response to a self-serving opinion piece by Kerry published by The New York Times. Doran called out Kerry for his op-ed and the “ludicrous and reckless contention” that “diplomacy” with Iran and the nuclear deal negotiated under former President Obama’s watch was working until Trump ruined everything

Noisy Room  "Now is the time Mr. President to blow the system, deep state right out of the water… in fact, time it with the post impeachment operation.
"Remember ladies and gentlemen there were these side deals that Barack Obama and John Kerry negotiated with Iran which are hardly fully known today. How about the side deal that Obama gave terror amnesty to Qassim Soleimani and in fact to all terror operations in Iran?
"Imagine the articles of impeachment on Obama had we known… well, it is time to know it now.
"Not only were there secret letters to General Soleimani, but there were secret letters to Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
"Back in 2014: The contents of the letter to the Ayatollah Ali Khamenei weren’t disclosed, and State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki declined to discuss it Thursday. The Wall Street Journal, which first reported its existence, quoted people it said had been briefed on the letter as saying the letter was sent last month and that it outlined a shared interest in fighting ISIS militants in Iraq and Syria.
"Kerry will travel to Muscat, Oman, for trilateral meetings Sunday and Monday with Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif and Catherine Ashton, the E.U.’s high representative for foreign affairs and security policy. That’s two weeks before a Nov. 24 deadline for Iran to reach a comprehensive deal with U.N. negotiators on an agreement to dismantle most of its nuclear centrifuges. Psaki said there was no link between the nuclear agreement and possible future coordination on the fight against ISIS." . . .  Denise Simon,  Founders Code

This Tawdry Impeachment Spectacle Must Run Its Course

Alexander Hamilton in Federalist 65 warned of the routinization of presidential impeachment. The danger, partly, is that impeachment could become a regular delaying and tainting tactic by the party out of the White House if it has the majority in the House of Representatives (as has been the case in 36 of the last 52 years in which three of the country’s four impeachment crises occurred, plus the Iran-Contra approach during Ronald Reagan’s administration). This is certainly not what the principal authors of the Constitution favored, and there is no reason to believe that it is what the public wishes.

Conrad Black  . . . "Under the circumstances, then, it is better to go ahead with a trial. If the Senate majority’s wish is for witnesses, the president can invoke executive privilege in some cases, but the confection of the false whistleblowing and its apparent guidance by Schiff and his staff should also be exposed.
"Since the legal case is nonsense and the outcome foreordained, it is only a public relations battle now. The farther the administration is seen to enable an airing of the facts, the better and more electorally valuable will be the result. The Democrats created this trap for themselves; they should be allowed to take the consequences when that trap snaps closed on them.
"It is unlikely the president will fail to gain some political ground. This is the Democrats’ nuclear option—the ultimate weapon—and it has been bandied about as a threat against Trump even before he won the presidency, as we learned from that pillar of disinterested jurisprudential sophistication, Rep. Al Green (D-Texas).
"For Trump-haters, there is nothing he is not guilty of; for his supporters, the entire subject is egregious and defamatory piffle. The opposition to impeachment has drifted gradually toward the president’s side, so the wall-to-wall Democratic bias of almost all the national media has failed to hold back the tide of perception that these charges are legal and constitutional nonsense.
"For any reader who has been in a submarine or outer space or Antarctica for the last six months, the charges are abuse of office and contempt of Congress. The first is not a ground for impeachment unless specified as treason, bribery, or another high crime or equivalent misdemeanor—and none such is alleged. As to the second charge, the only thing the president is actually guilty of is contempt of Schiff, Nadler, and Pelosi for running a rigged partisan mudslinging operation where the president received none of the protections accorded to defendants by the Bill of Rights; failure to be contemptuous of it would itself be contemptible.
"The president was only asking for the facts about the Bidens’ conduct in Ukraine, not for an indictment of the Bidens. Any application of pressure is denied by the Ukrainian president, and in any case, the allegedly withheld assistance to Ukraine was delivered and the investigation requested did not occur. If they weren’t so obnoxiously sanctimonious, Nadler and Schiff would be eligible for theatrical awards for deadpan comedy in presenting such bunk as grave adjudication." . . .

"A republic, if you can keep it"

Chris Wallace: Commemorative impeachment pens 'not a good look' for Nancy Pelosi

. . . “ 'I actually think she hurt herself,” Kilmeade said. “And that show yesterday looked so phony, that solemn march while handing out commemorative pens.”

“I completely agree with that point,” Wallace said in response."

I believe the appropriate word would be "gloating"

BBC commented on the use of so many pens by Pelosi
Perhaps the Queen will forgive us and take us back.

Shameless CNN; yet no reporters there have resigned for conscience reasons

Did CNN finally push its biases too far for the American people? 
 . . . "One Democrat institution that's trying hard to turn up the volume is CNN, as it demonstrated during Tuesday's debate.  The most noted example of CNN's bias occurred when moderator Abby Phillip asked Bernie a loaded question that assumed facts not in evidence:

CNN reported yesterday — and Senator Sanders, Senator Warren confirmed in a statement — that, in 2018, you told her you did not believe that a woman could win the election. Why did you say that? (Emphasis added.)

"Bernie firmly denied saying any such thing and explained why it was risible to believe he did.  After he ended by reaffirming his denial in response to Phillip's final request for clarification, Phillip, without missing a beat, turned to Warren and asked, "Senator Warren, what did you think when Senator Sanders told you a woman could not win the election?" . . .

Gutfeld on the worst debate ever

Rolling Stone: CNN’s Debate Performance Was Villainous and Shameful . . . "This time, the whole network tossed the mud. Over a 24-hour period before, during, and after the debate, CNN bid farewell to what remained of its reputation as a nonpolitical actor via a remarkable stretch of factually dubious reporting, bent commentary, and heavy-handed messaging." . . .

. . . "Lee treated the story as fact, using constructions such as, “Sanders responded that he did not think a woman could win,” and “the revelation that Sanders expressed skepticism that Warren could win.”

. . . "If the network doesn’t see trouble in this, it’s delusional. Voters on both sides of the aisle have changed since the Bernard Shaw days. They pay more attention to media manipulations, and it doesn’t get much more manipulative than punching above the facts to advance transparent political narratives, which is a new and accepted habit in the commercial news landscape.
. . . "We’ll find out in Iowa and New Hampshire what Democratic Party voters believe about that Warren-Sanders meeting, but that grimy story pales in comparison to the bigger picture: Episodes like this are why people hate the media."

Well, not everyone. A young niece had a California school textbook showing CNN was one of the few news sources that was neither left nor right. We posted on it many times including this: CNN: Remember when they called it "the most trusted name in news"?

Democrats: The Silliness of Those Who Govern This Nation

. . . [Pelosi] has no class, no grace. She is a blight on her district, the House of Representatives and our country. Her inscribed pens certainly belie her pretense that the moment was "prayerful" and "historic." It is all a cheap, contemptible exercise in futility. Her legacy will be forever tainted by her mendacious participation in the worst political scandal in American history.

Rich Terrell

Pelosi: Pretense, posturing, perfidy, and pens  "Has there ever been a more disingenuous person in politics than Nancy Pelosi?  Of course, there have been many phony, hypocritical politicians over the course of American history, but few who have quite risen to the appalling behavior of Speaker Pelosi (or Adam Schiff).  Even as she visibly declines mentally - she can barely utter a coherent sentence - her party continues to pretend she is not only relevant but that she is lucid, a master strategist.
. . . "Nancy Pelosi's record will be justly eviscerated by future historians for her leadership role in the hoax.  Adam Schiff will be remembered by historians for his blatant abrogation of nearly all constitutional dictates that the founders laid out regarding impeachment and for his pathological lies and his maniacal crusade to unseat a duly elected President.  He is his district's cross to bear.

"The final nail in the coffin of Pelosi's reputation to date is her using a platter full of pens imprinted with her signature with which she signed the two stupid articles of impeachment. "

CNN and MSNBC: Video Montage: Craziest Media Commentary During Delivery of Articles of Impeachment  " ‘It’s beyond formality; there is something almost religious to it’ "

Democrats show their hand as Senate impeachment proceedings begin  . . . "Again, the one thing we know with certainty is that the point of this impeachment is not to remove a president who engaged in treason, bribery or other high crimes and misdemeanors in a way that shocked the nation’s conscience. It is, instead, to remove an unusually successful president without the risk of an election; to hamper his ability to function while in office; and to throw a lifeline to Joe Biden’s flailing candidacy." From CNN:

McConnell On Pelosi’s ‘Commemorative Pens’: ‘Nothing Says Seriousness And Sobriety Like Handing Out Souvenirs’  She will be loved in Hollywood.

Fake history is a lot like fake news -- left-leaning propaganda devoid of truth and substance.  . . . "The falsely proclaimed historical importance of the Articles of Impeachment against Donald Trump is fake history and no phony pomp and circumstance can change that. What is real are Donald Trump’s accomplishments in making America great again." 

Pelosi Pulls A Schiff, Deliberately Misquotes Trump-Zelensky Call on House Floor

Dems’ impeachment trial strategy: endless circus worse than Kavanaugh hearings

Democrats’ impeachment trial demands are plain ridiculous  . . . "Even now, the documents raise questions that would be natural to answer in an impeachment inquiry — if the inquiry hadn’t already ended." . . .

CNN’s bias is now beyond laughable. Updated X 2

What’s most infuriating about CNN isn’t that hosts like Don Lemon and Chris Cuomo or ­reporters like Raju, Jim Acosta and Jim Sciutto have an agenda — it’s that they pretend they don’t.  David Harsanyi

CNN’s bias is now beyond laughable  "As Sen. Martha McSally (R-Ariz.) walked through the hallways of the Senate Thursday, CNN senior congressional correspondent Manu Raju asked her if the Senate should consider “new evidence as part of the impeachment trial.” McSally shot back: “Manu, you’re a liberal hack. I’m not talking to you.”

“ 'You’re not going to comment about this?” a dazed Raju asked. “You’re a liberal hack, buddy,” McSally replied as she walked away. Predictably, conservatives cheered, while mainstream media decried McSally’s move as unbecoming.
"Whatever your take, the interaction reflects three years of mounting frustration with an overtly partisan media, exemplified by CNN, which has dropped any pretense of fairness and become an organ of the Democratic Party.
"The problem isn’t that Raju asked the question — that’s his job, after all. It’s that virtually all questions posed by political reporters these days are framed to support the narratives and assumptions of one political party, the Democrats.
"CNN’s Jake Tapper, remarking on the incident, called Raju’s query reasonable, because it was “the question of the day.” Indeed, that’s the problem. Democrats are always dictating the “question of the day.' ” . . .

You only need to juxtapose the McSally brouhaha with Nancy ­Pelosi’s news conference this week to see how liberal journalistic malpractice works. Without any evidence, the House speaker accused Team Trump of sedition and criminality and claimed — again — that the 2016 presidential election had been stolen by Russians, knowing full well no one would really challenge her.

. . .
UPDATE: Sen. Martha McSally turns her meltdown at a reporter into fundraising stunt

"Hours after Arizona Republican Sen. Martha McSally berated a CNN reporter on live TV, her campaign was already attempting to raise money off of the exchange.

"For $35, McSally supporters can now buy tee shirts emblazoned with her comment.

"McSally, who lost her 2018 Senate race to Democratic Sen. Kyrsten Sinema, but was later appointed to fill the late Sen. John McCain's (R-AZ) vacant seat by Republican Gov. Doug Ducey, was asked by CNN's Manu Raju on Thursday if the Senate should consider new evidence in Donald Trump's impeachment trial.

" 'You're a liberal hack," she responded. "I’m not talking to you. You’re a liberal hack.' " . . .

McSally went on Fox News on Thursday night to brag about her comments to Raju. "[Reporters] run around trying to chase Republicans and ask trapping questions," she said. "I'm a fighter pilot, I call it like it is."

Update #2:  Pelosi Releases Limited-Edition Replica Of Dentures Worn During Trump Impeachment  . . . "The dentures have Pelosi's signature emblazoned in gold across the gums. Only 300 sets were made, so you'll need to jump on this opportunity to get this coveted souvenir from Trump's somber impeachment ceremony.

"The bidding starts at $1,000.00 per pair, with all proceeds going to help Dems campaign on impeachment. Excited Democrats began bidding on the dentures, driving the price up into the tens of thousands of dollars immediately. ""This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to get a historic relic from this somber, very serious impeachment trial," Pelosi said in a speech". . . 

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