That moment when Trump just let Biden keep talking...

I"t ought to be enough to sink him. Trump knew what he was doing when he did the moderator's job for her, and drew Biden out."

  Monica Showalter  "President Trump had several good moments in the final debate, as Andrea Widburg noted in her excellent curation here.

"In my own view, the standout moment came last, when Trump just drew out Joe Biden on energy, first on fracking, and then on the entire energy industry, setting him up and then ... letting him keep talking.

"In response to debate moderator Kristen Welker's question about poor communities living downwind of refineries and having health issues, Trump spoke of the jobs that drew them to the area, which had some strength, but he might have added that any such issues were local issues in Democrat-run cities, underlining the importance of not voting for Democrats. It worked well enough, though.

"But what really helped him was when he got Joe Biden talking. 

"Like a good probing moderator, Trump drew Biden out on what he really had in mind when he put out maudlin stories of the smokestack era of his youth, and Biden took the bait every time.

"Here's the transcript:" . . .

ben-garrison-cartoon/

What the Toobin scandal really exposes

. . . "In fact, that's the single most disturbing aspect of the entire incident, and one that has no doubt caused many of us to be stricken with a new phobia: the fear of getting on Zoom meetings."

P.F. Whalen  . . . "For clarity, and contrary to Ms. Lazarus's suggestion, it seems obvious that Toobin's race has had no role in his employers' disinterest in discipline or the media's lack of accountability.  Toobin is getting a pass not because he is white, but because he is a leftist who hates Donald Trump and conservatives, and who works for CNN.  If a non-white person had behaved similarly, he would likely be treated the same as Toobin, provided he were on the left.  Imagine if an identical incident happened with a conservative legal pundit from Fox News.  Would the media be satisfied with an explanation of "my mistake was not that I was playing with myself during a business meeting; I just screwed up by allowing my laptop's camera to show it"?  We all know the answer.

"The larger tale is how this mindset continues to infect the entire left and its media.  When email messages from Hillary Clinton, John Podesta, and other Democrats at the DNC became public knowledge in 2016, the focus of Democrats and the mainstream media was not on the content of those emails, some of which was highly damaging to the Clinton campaign.  No one from the DNC disputed their authenticity, but all the media wanted to talk about was how they were acquired.  Those mean old Russians did this, and how dare they let the American public know the truth about how we operate?" . . .

This...is CNN!

Trump Won the Debate—But Won Bigly the Post-Debate

Final thoughts on the debate: The moderator Kristen Welker was far better than the prior debate and town-hall moderators, in avoiding the scripted stuff like the Charlottesville distortions and ‘when did you stop beating your wife’ questions. That said, she interrupted Trump far more than she did Biden, and focused more on Biden-friendly questions. But most importantly, Trump kept his cool, was deferential to Welker, and was tough but not cruel to Biden.

Ian Macfarlane

  Victor Davis Hanson  "There was a low bar for Joe Biden in the first debate, given his cognitive challenges. Because he exceeded that pessimism, he won momentum. 

"In opposite fashion, there was similarly an expectation that a disruptive Donald Trump would turn off the audience by the sort of interruptions and bullying that characterized the first debate. 

"He did not do that. He instead let a cocky Biden sound off, and thus more or less tie himself into knots on a host of topics, but most critically on gas and oil. So likewise Trump will gain momentum by exceeding those prognoses. 

"But far more importantly, the back-and-forth repartee will not matter other than Trump went toe to toe, but in a tough, dignified manner and beat Biden on points. Biden did not go blank — although he seemed to come close, often especially in the last 20 minutes. Had the debate gone another 30 minutes, his occasional lapses could have become chronic.

"What instead counts most are the days after.  The debate take-aways, the news clips, the post facto fact checks, and the soundbites to be used in ads over the next ten days all favor Trump. In this regard, Biden did poorly and will suffer continual bleeding in the swing states. 

"We will know that because by the weekend Biden will be out of his basement and trying to reboot his campaign and actually be forced to campaign. 

"So we are going to hear over the next week that Biden simply denied the factual evidence of the Hunter Biden laptop computer, the emails, the cell phones, and the testimonies from some of the relevant players as a concocted smear, a Russian disinformation attack. That denial is clearly a lie. It is absolutely unsupportable. And Biden will have to drop that false claim.  

"Biden will suffer for unequivocally denying what is now a demonstrable fact: there is evidence that his family ran a systematic shake-down operation to peddle inside access and influence for millions of foreign dollars in profits. In the debate, Biden seemed bewildered why anyone could ever conclude the obvious." . . .

Hunter becomes the hunted

 

Yogi Love for The American Spectator,

NY Post: Former Business Partner of Hunter Biden Says Joe Biden Was In On Family Deal 'to Make Millions' From China   . . . "Part of his statement reads:

. . . "I am the CEO of Sinohawk Holdings which was a partnership between the Chinese operating through CEFC/Chairman Ye and the Biden family. I was brought into the company to be the CEO by James Gilliar and Hunter Biden. The reference to “the Big Guy” in the much publicized May 13, 2017 email is in fact a reference to Joe Biden." . .  

. . . "Bobulinkski also took a shot at the liberal media, which continues to ignore or suppress any news that might be detrimental to Joe Biden:

"If the media and Big Tech companies had done their jobs over the past several weeks I would be irrelevant in this story. Given my long standing service and devotion to this great country, I could no longer allow my family’s name to be associated or tied to Russian disinformation or implied lies and false narratives dominating the media right now."

"I would ask the Biden family to address the American people and outline the facts so I can go back to being irrelevant," he wrote.

Coyotes? What coyotes? Come on, man!

Sister Toldjah  "Of all the post-presidential debate hot takes from Democrats last night, perhaps the most idiotic of them all was the one posted by Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) in the wee hours of the morning, over two hours after the debate between President Trump and Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden had concluded.

"Anyone who watched the hour and a half event knows that a wide range of topics were discussed, from fracking to Obamacare, to the Hunter Biden email scandal.

"But as per the norm, “Squad” leader AOC was narcissistically hellbent on not just making the debate about her, but also about yet again proclaiming herself to be a victim of sexism or something.

"Why? Because during the debate, President Trump had the nerve to call her by the name she uses on Twitter and in the hallways of Congress – AOC – rather than call her Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez." . . . 

Mr. Trump explains the meaning of "coyote" to liberals

And THEY make fun of Trump?! HA! Lots and lots and LOTS of blue-check libs don’t know what a coyote is 

In a way, you kinda gotta give them a little credit for actually knowing there is an animal named coyote.

The Left: Biden Had Better Win or the Country Gets It! Weeks of Riots Threatened

Democrats have left this nation a third-world country. TD

PJ Media

"It looks like the 130 nights of looting, rioting, and hell in downtown Portland were just a prelude to the kind of fury the Left will unleash if Joe Biden isn’t elected on November 3.  The Resistance has promised a violent, nationwide hissy fit because “Trump must go. It’s as simple as that.”

"My advice is to vote early, stock up on boxed wine, and pop the popcorn.

"The Federalist first reported that the folks we last saw rioting outside the White House, setting the “president’s church” on fire, attacking people leaving a White House event, all while being given the tacit approval of the D.C. government, have left instructions for massive civil unrest if their candidate, Joe Biden, doesn’t win.

"Antifa, rioters, and other members of the Left are urged to swarm elections offices.

Find out where the votes will be counted where you live. Make a plan with others to get there and stay until all the votes are counted. And come up with a plan to create serious disruption if Trump really tries to steal the election!

"What they mean by if “Trump really tries to steal the election” is if he wins.

"The “Shut Down DC” group, which is disappearing its web content faster than you can say antifa, implores its followers across the country to vote on “November 3rd. After You Vote, Hit the Streets!” It appears that unrest, riots, and arson will happen anyway, regardless of what the polls say on Election Day. Just like every day in Portland." . . .

SUPER CUT: Yes Joe Biden Will Ban Fracking…

Weasel Zippers

FACT CHECK: Joe Biden DID Call Blacks “Predators” Who Were “Beyond The Pale” And Were “Not Socialized”

"He said it! He crowed as a lousy Senator, but the knock-out punch was Trump calling him on fracking. He stood there and bold-faced lied again and again.

"The media is the enemy, but the tape from the debates about his anti-fracking declaration will get out. It will keep PA red."

CAWTHORN: America Needs A New Republican Party

Washington Times

Madison Cawthorn

"Our party, the Grand Old Party, is no longer very grand. But it is very old."

"When I was given the honor of speaking at the Republican National Convention, I didn’t want to let the opportunity pass without sending a clear message to my generation and younger voters among millennials and Generation Z. The status quo days of the GOP being defined by what we are against, rather than what we are for, are over. We intend to listen, but we also intend to win the argument.

"Make no mistake: In a flawed and imperfect two-party system, the Republican Party represents America’s best hope of saving this nation and preserving republican principles of liberty and limited government. For the past two decades, however, the Republican Party has marginalized principled reformers in its own ranks and let itself be branded as the “party of no.” On things such as health care, the environment, and other key issues, our leadership has aggressively attacked ideas from the Left but has failed to force consensus around the best ideas from the Right. It wasn’t always that way. And if we want to be a credible party in the future that can win national elections, that trend cannot continue.

"The party of Lincoln has a proud history of leading the charge on the big issues of our times, including issues the modern Left feels like they own. Ronald Reagan signed and George H.W. Bush implemented the Montreal Protocol, which resulted in the most drastic decrease of greenhouse gases achieved by any president. It was Theodore Roosevelt who created the National Park System and safeguarded countless acres of public land for Americans to enjoy. I echo the words of Ronald Reagan when he said, “Preservation of our environment is not a partisan challenge; it’s common sense.” It’s our duty to be stewards of earth; we must answer that call.

"Among younger voters, it’s no surprise independents outnumber both Democrats and Republicans. Both parties are guilty of failing to represent their constituents. I believe that the far-Left Democrats who have seized control of their party represent the very worst that America has to offer, but I truly believe that, in a close second, are many career politicians within the Republican Party. " . . .

The Biden-Trump show, final act before the Awards Show

 

Rich Terrell

If The Debate Moderator Won’t Ask Biden Tough Questions, Trump Should  "Heading into the second and final presidential debate tonight, with less than two weeks until Election Day, voters deserve some straight answers from Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden. And if debate moderator Kristen Welker of NBC News won’t ask Biden the tough questions — and we all know she won’t — then President Trump should.

"First and foremost, Trump should ask Biden about the trove of emails uncovered last week by the New York Post. Earlier this week, Trump’s campaign said that if the media didn’t ask Biden about this, Trump would, “and there will be no escape for Biden.” 

"The emails expose a massive foreign corruption scheme, showing how the younger Biden was profiting off his family name in a series of overseas business deals that appear to have involved his father. The elder Biden has so far refused to answer any questions about the substance of those emails, instead angrily attacking anyone who brings up the Post’s reporting and claiming it’s all part of a “smear campaign” against him and his family. Last year Biden insisted, “I have never spoken to my son about his overseas business dealings.' ” . . .

Former Vice President Joe Biden will take the debate stage for the final time tonight as new questions surrounding his son's overseas business ventures explode.

Here’s everything you need to know about the bombshells altering the dynamics of an already contentious race two weeks out.

Iam Macfarlane

Is this the real reason they've been hidin' Biden before the debate?   . . . Assuming it's correct, the schedule-alteration process could be facilitated by keeping Biden in rooms with full-spectrum lighting during his new waking hours so that, maybe, "sundown" for him is 12 A.M.

"Whatever the case, the person managing Biden's dementia has got to be the most competent individual aiding his campaign.  After all, the ex–vice president couldn't remember the name of the man he worked under for eight years, Barack Obama, in August.  Yet he seemed very much like his old old self in the Sept. 29 debate with Trump.

"This could be because Biden is on dementia medication — Namenda, to be precise — as a rumor allegedly from an ex-campaign staffer holds.  Or it could be that he was wearing a wire last month, as others contended, or that he got the debate questions in advance (à la Donna Brazile in 2016).  Or it could be a combination of factors.

"As for my theory, is it a stretch?  Perhaps, but I won't be too surprised if Joe's opening words to debate moderator Kristen Welker are "Good morning!' "

BREAKING: Judge Barrett Approved by Senate Judiciary Committee

 

Democrats skipped out but were there in spirit, I'm sure

Townhall  "The Senate Judiciary Committee approved Judge Amy Coney Barrett's nomination to the Supreme Court on Thursday morning, on party lines. Democrats on the committee boycotted the vote and their elected duties, but could not prevent Judge Barrett from being confirmed by the committee. The stunt pulled by the committee's Democratic members allowed Judge Barrett's to be approved unanimously." 

"Senate Judiciary Chairman Lindsey Graham praised Judge Barrett's exemplary qualifications, and glowing endorsements from colleagues, peers and the American Bar Association (ABA). Sen. Graham pointed out that Senate Democrats allowed Judge Barrett's swift confirmation to be possible, by changing Senate threshold rules in 2013.

“ 'Back then, I told Senator Schumer they would regret changing the rules on judges. Today, they will,” he said." . . .    https://twitter.com/i/status/1318984568528130048

Here is Why Judiciary Republicans Broke No Rules in Holding Vote on Judge Barrett as Dems Boycotted

Republicans looking to confirm Judge Barrett on or around Oct. 26    "The Hill reports that Senate Republicans are eyeing a final vote to confirm Judge Amy Coney Barrett to the Supreme Court on Monday, October 26 — less than a week from today. That timeline isn’t locked down, but Republicans are planning a rare weekend session that would set up a final vote early next week.

"My initial take was that Barrett probably wouldn’t be confirmed before the election (and probably not afterwards, either). I thought that Sens. Collins, Murkowski, and Romney would all oppose her confirmation, and that a random GOP Senator or two, with nothing to lose, would join them. I also wondered whether McConnell could get a vote for Barrett this quickly.

"But Romney immdediately made it clear that he was on board with confirming Barrett. And now, it seems there’s a chance that even Murkowski will vote to confirm her.

"As for timing, I suspect that McConnell and his caucus were highly motivated to get confirmation done because they saw it as a means of saving their Senate majority. They probably recognized that the odds in this election are against them, and that they needed a game changer." . . .

AMY CONEY BARRETT HEARINGS: 6 THINGS TO WATCH  . . . " 'We will talk about when the actual vote occurs in committee and on the floor. Democrats will not supply the quorum," Schumer said. "Period."

"A quorum is the minimum number of members present for a committee or the full Senate to conduct business and hold votes. The quorum in the full Senate is 51 members and the quorum of the Judiciary Committee is nine members including two in the minority party. This means that if one or fewer Democrats show up to the planned Oct. 22 meeting where the Judiciary Committee plans to vote on the Barrett confirmation then they could prevent the committee from reporting the nomination to the Senate. 

"There are ways around this. Most notably, the Senate can vote on a discharge resolution that would remove the responsibility of considering the Barrett nomination from the committee, allowing Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., to call the nomination for a full vote. " . . .

Republicans Derail Democrats’ Barrett Boycott Plans, Send Chuck Schumer
Scrambling  "

Der Schumerglower

Democrat plans to derail a Senate Judiciary Committee vote approving Amy Coney Barrett’s confirmation to the Supreme Court ended up in shambles Thursday after Republicans moved up the vote by several hours, leaving Democrats scrambling to respond.

"The vote to recommend Barrett be confirmed to the Supreme Court was scheduled for 1 pm but, after learning that Democrats on the panel planned to boycott the hearing in, moved up the vote to 9 am. Barrett’s nomination was passed out of committee on a party-line vote, 12-0.

"Typically, a Democrat boycott might have forced the Judiciary Committee out of session, since it prevented the formation of a quorum, but Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Lindsey Graham (R-CA), allowed for a last-minute rule change, giving Republicans the power to pass Barrett out of committee on a simple majority vote." . . .

"Elect Joe Biden: He’ll Be The Worst President In U.S. History"

 

Image by Ronny Gordon.

Issues & Insights  "Ranking modern presidents, from first to worst, is an entirely subjective matter. That said, we’re quite sure Joe Biden will be, if elected, the most destructive president of our lifetimes if not of all time." . . . 

"Here, though, is what can expect from a Biden presidency:

• A hard left shift in policies that the Democratic Party, already too far left, has surrendered to. Few will dare call it socialism, but that’s what it will be, with government continually taking bites out of civil society, centralized bureaucrats planning the economy, and political cronies cashing in.
• Higher taxes.
• A sclerotic economy.
• An unsustainable government-run health care system.
• An executive branch that recognizes no limits to its power: “This messy democracy and our constitutional republic are wildly inconvenient and Democrats are done pretending to abide it,” writes Ned Ryun in American Greatness.
• Demands for a modern inquisition to “erase (President Donald) Trump’s lies” and “name every official, politician, executive, and media mogul whose greed and cowardice enabled this catastrophe.”
• A commander in chief “who is controlled by a movement that believes America is bad.” 
• Energy policy based on the costly and needless Green New Deal.
• A rollback of the Trump administration’s deregulation achievements.
• An acceleration of the cancel culture.
• Accommodations to the Antifa and Black Lives Matter zealots who want to destabilize the country. Under a Biden administration, these groups will eventually become de facto stormtroopers for the Democrats.
• Unpunished violence from the left against those who publicly oppose Biden and the Democrat-media machine, and/or support the Republicans remaining in office, law enforcement, and free speech.
• Childish foreign policy.
• A campaign to ban gasoline-powered automobiles.
• A president who will sleep through that 3 a.m. phone call.

"None of these make America a better country. They all add up to a dystopian future, far removed from what once was a land like no other in history." . . .   Full article here

Months Before Illegal MS-13 Gang Member Murdered Family, Kamala Harris Failed To Prosecute Him

Michael Austin, WJ   "Democratic vice presidential nominee Sen. Kamala Harris of California failed to prosecute a known gang member and illegal immigrant who went on to murder a man and two of his sons in 2008.

"The gang member, Edwin Ramos, had been arrested three months before the killings.

"Harris, who was the San Francisco district attorney at the time, had a chance to stop Ramos. According to SFGate, police had warned her that he was a known MS-13 gang member with multiple run-ins with the law." . . .

. . . Although President Donald Trump has stood strongly against MS-13, the American left has done anything but. Back in May 2018, Trump referred to MS-13 members as “animals,” a comment that was then taken out of context by the left-wing media to make it seem as though he was referring to illegal immigrants rather than the notoriously violent gang.  . . .