Trump makes a deal with Pelosi and Schumer and everyone is upset – I was, too, when I first saw it. The deal is to extend the debt and spending to December in return for hurricane relief right away. Some are saying that Trump got rolled – that come December, it’ll just be as it is, now, and in order to get spending and the debt over with, again, Trump will just have to knuckle under and go with the Democrats. It could be that way – but after pondering it, I don’t see what else Trump could do. You see, the GOP wanted an 18 month extension on the debt…in other words, to get the issue past the 2018 mid-terms, but far enough in front of 2020 that their vote on extending it, again, for no Conservative return would be acceptable. In other words, the GOPe was going to screw over it’s voters, again. Now, we still might get screwed over on this, but what will now hit in December is DACA, Debt and Wall. Trump wants all three. Democrats want two of the three. GOPe wants the same two of the three. But if Trump plays his cards right, the GOPe won’t get it’s two, nor the Democrats their two, unless Trump gets his three. We’ll see if Trump can do it – if he’s really learning the ropes of doing business in DC and is now going to use Democrat and GOPe foolishness in order to undo both sides of the Uniparty.
The left is going full blast against Columbus – part of their desire to go full blast against all things American, in the end. Remember, the left hates this country – they honestly believe (because they get their history from books which simply lie about America) that this nation was evil from the get-go and only a complete renunciation of the past coupled with the imposition of a Progressive ideology can make our nation worthy. We have to fight them on this – and I’ll start the ball rolling by saying that the concept of Columbus as a bad man is false from start to finish. He wasn’t a slaver. He wasn’t trying to kill and destroy. He was trying to explore so that trade could expand and the world be made, ultimately, a better place. He was incredibly brave and was one heck of a seaman. He was heroic in the largest sense of the word and we can do no better than trying to emulate him.
Putin nixes an oil embargo on North Korea. At the end of the day, both Russia and China – very stupidly, in my view – think there is a value in the North Korean regime remaining a strategic thorn in our side. I think we will be pressed to carry out some military action to teach the North Korean regime that there is a limit and they can’t cross it.
A HuffPo writer put out a call for any DACA recipient who voted for Trump to get in touch – probably so he could write a story about how such people have now turned on Trump. Problem is: DACA recipients can’t vote. Don’t know if the writer was ignorant of this, or forgot that the MSM holds to the line that non-citizens don’t vote in our election.
For some reason, Trump’s FBI is fighting Congress over the release of information on the infamous Trump Dossier. It is, of course, Deep State people in the FBI trying to gum up the works, but one wonders why Sessions and Trump are laying the law down on this.
Senator Flake is in trouble for his re-election bid next year – it is a good analysis, but I think Flake is likely doomed simply because he’s taken too hard a stance against President Trump. Its not a matter of disagreeing with him (lots of people in that corner) but that Flake comes off as a Never Trumper who simply cannot conceded that Trump is, indeed, the President of the United States. The Trumpster vote in AZ will desert him in the primary…now, whether or not the GOPer who gets the nomination can beat the eventual Democrat in a State slowly trending blue remains to be seen. I think that it can happen – mostly because I think that a very large number of Democrats are completely switching to the GOP as Trump changes the party from a Think-Tank Conservative party to a Populist Conservative party. Time will tell if I’m reading this right.
Blogs For Victory 
I first have to mention the unbelievable level of dishonesty in the media surrounding the DACA issue. I am truly in disbelief how willfully the media distorts and mischaracterizes this issue purely to push an agenda and for political gain. It is media mal practice at the very least and criminal at worst.
Re: the GOP. I have never seen a more worthless body of flesh. Paul Ryan and Mitch McConnell should resign in disgrace and apologize to this country and their constituents for misleading, if not downright lying, about their intentions while campaigning. Trump is exposing the fact that all politicians ultimately do the work of their donors and handlers, rather than that of their constituents, and every 2 or 6 years, they are paid handsomely to lie about their intentions and win reelection. This paradigm works well in progressive Democrat circles because intent is all that matters on that side of aisle. I once had a died in the wool Democrat tell me that intentions are all that matter. If a politician has the right intent in their heart, than they have won their vote, regardless of results. I, and most conservatives, on the other hand are ONLY focused on results, so regardless of how pure your intentions are, if you can not deliver constructive results, get the hell out.
Let’s continue to encourage the leftist Democrats to run from crisis to crisis, ie; Climate Change, Obamacare, RUSSIA!, DACA, etc.. Not only is it fun to watch but in the process they diminish themselves in the eyes of most red blooded Americans. Who by the way really don’t have too much in common with either party anymore.
And from a citizen of the great State of AZ – I will never vote for Jeff Flake. He symbolizes everything that is wrong with the GOP.
Kurt Schlichter echoes your thoughts in his column this morning.
Wow, the rage against the GOP Congress is really gaining momentum. Schlichter nails it, and Erikson agrees. From his column this morning:
Let’s be honest here. The Republicans in Congress were always going to find some deal with the Democrats. They were always going to find a way to surrender ultimately. What President Trump did was just short circuit the process and shorten the length of time we will suffer through failure theater where the Republicans in Congress and the Wall Street Journal editorial page try to convince us a turd sandwich is tasty.
Because he is still not a Trump fan, though he has moderated his strident anti-Trump rhetoric, he goes on:
The President did us all a favor.
But there is a problem. By giving the Democrats a three month extension, the President has essentially compressed the legislative calendar. The GOP will now have to do tax reform, immigration, spending, and debt ceiling all at one time. This exponentially increases the odds of a terrible deal.
With the President siding with Pelosi and Schumer so publicly, he has given the GOP every reason to publicly claim the President must want to work with the Democrats. And work with the Democrats they will — to undermine the President.
Using the newly compressed legislative calendar as an excuse, they will undoubtedly cut several bad deals with Democrats and lump them all together in a couple of pieces of legislation. Remember, there are two parties in Washington, the stupid party and the evil party. Occasionally they get together and do something that is both stupid and evil and the press heralds it as a bipartisan accomplishment.
We are on the road to stupid and evil more expeditiously because of what President Trump just did.
http://theresurgent.com/the-president-shortened-the-failure-theater-but-he-increased-the-odds-of-a-bad-deal
The thing is, I’m afraid he is right. I want him to be wrong, I want him to have been unaware of some strategic behind the scenes maneuvering that will trade this deal for a better one down the road. But unless Trump can physically beat this gaggle of RINOs into submission, I’m getting more and more pessimistic.
From Schlichter’s great article – “wokedness”!! I love it.
I will disagree a little with Erickson’s take on it only because I think Trump is the elephant in the room who will stop the evil and stupidity. Congress can lay whatever they want on Trump’s desk but he still has to sign it, and one thing should be crystal clear by now – Trump is neither Republican or Democrat and his loyalties are right where they should be; with the average, every day, working class American. So if Congress wants to pork up a new immigration bill that ultimately harms current Americans, Trump will never sign it, and better yet, Trump won’t care about the political fall out that scares people like Erickson and Goldberg.
As I said, I want Erikson to be wrong about Trump—but you have to admit, he is right about Congress.
I get the impression Erickson is not saying Trump is on the side of the bad guys, just that he might be being outmaneuvered. Face it, he has made some blunders. But to give him credit, he bounces back and tries to fix them, which is what a businessman does, not so much what a politician does.
Erikson’s take on what he calls decompressing the legislative calendar, having “… to do tax reform, immigration, spending, and debt ceiling all at one time…” also “…exponentially increases the odds of a terrible deal.” I’m not so sure of that. When I was reading that paragraph, before I got to his conclusion, I was thinking that this would put more pressure on the Republicans to perform. I still think that might be the case. That gives Trump three months to twist arms and let the rage against Republicans in Congress build, and if we the people are smart we will use that 90 days to increase pressure from our side.
No doubt Trump has made some blunders and the media reminds us everyday of them, but one thing I have noticed is Trump’s learning curve. He is getting much better everyday it seems and is finding his stride. He is learning politics and in my opinion, he will be out smarting and out maneuvering all of the career politicians within a year.
Today Trump’s Administration started to push back against Title IX lawlessness and entered the fray on the side of a baker who doesn’t want to bake the cake. I can’t imagine any of his GOP opponents from 2016 doing this – maybe Cruz or Paul, but even then rather doubtful. The Official Establishment Word on such things is that they are losing issues. Perhaps they are, but they are my issues…issues I care about and vote GOP because of. I want them fought for. Trump is fighting for them. With these actions, he’s my guy from now on…at least he’s trying to get things done that I want done.
He’s my guy, too, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t times I want to shake him till his pants fray.
I have always subscribed to the notion that when someone tells you who they are, believe them. NY Mayor Bill de Blasio:
What’s been hardest is the way our legal system is structured to favor private property. I think people all over this city, of every background, would like to have the city government be able to determine which building goes where, how high it will be, who gets to live in it, what the rent will be. I think there’s a socialistic impulse, which I hear every day, in every kind of community, that they would like things to be planned in accordance to their needs. And I would, too. Unfortunately, what stands in the way of that is hundreds of years of history that have elevated property rights and wealth to the point that that’s the reality that calls the tune on a lot of development.
The Democrats continue to move towards communism. Karl Marx would be so proud.
And you know what? The Dems don’t care. When Obama told us who HE was—–“fundamentally transform America” and so on—they trampled each other in their race to the polls to make him president.
However, Obama usually spoke in vague platitudinous abstracts. De Blasio is coming right out and telling these elites that he wants to take over their property, and that might start a little tingle of concern. Obama talked about taking over someone ELSE’s property (money), in non-specific abstract terms, which sounded OK, but de Blasio is telling these property owners right up front, to their faces, that he wants to actually control their buildings and their land, and dictate how much money they can make from it.
It will be interesting to see how they react when it is their ox being gored, instead of some vague undefined “Other”, without tax deductions and other protections of wealth, being dinged for spreading its wealth. At some point it might sink in that under this kind of government, they can no longer think of their property as theirs, if they have no control over it.
Democrats demonstrate their lack of self awareness nearly ever day, and here is today’s example:
Planned Parenthood CEO on DACA decision: “Everyone has the right to live”
Isn’t that hilarious?
Let’s post that belief on big banners above every PP office. It would be a great sign for demonstrators to carry when the march in front of the infanticide factories.
They believe that an unborn child isn’t alive…because they don’t believe in objective truth.
In other words, Mark, they are science deniers.
The truth is that they’re science deniers only when the science conflicts with their ideology. So they’re not only science deniers but hypocritical science deniers.
They deny the science that proves there is life in the womb. They deny gender science. But they cling to their self-defined “science” of AGW, in spite of the fact that their “science” is a case of having a theory and then bending facts to make them fit, that their “science” is based on old data often contradicted by new, that their “science” was invented to further political and economic interests, and that their “science” consists of things that can’t be reproduced to prove their accuracy.
BTW, you have to love the Left’s addiction to phrases, the most recent being the labeling of Trump as a “hurricane denier”—spouted, of course, by a fake scientist. I know, he’s not really a scientist, he just plays one on TV. But that’s good enough for the Loony Left.
Another BTW—-in reading comments after some article this morning I saw one objecting to the use of the term “the left”, claiming there is no definition of “the left” and in fact there is no such thing as “left” or even “right”. This guy is a spokesman for the new Idiocracy in which definitions don’t matter—or don’t even exist.
BTW, you have to love the Left’s addiction to phrases…
This has been going on for a long time when the left figured out such phrases and quotes connected with the mindless or “undecided, but not willing to do the work to find the truth” group.
“Doesn’t fit, must acquit.”
“The Second Amendment only protects the people who want all the guns they can have. The rest of us, we’ve got no Second Amendment. What are we supposed to do?” Rep. Louise Slaughter (D – NY)
“What bothers me most about today is that we’re getting used to it. ENOUGH. The 2nd amendment must go. Violence has to stop. Culture MUST change.” Actor Jay Mohr
“Birther”
“Fascist”
“Teabagger”
Joe Biden on culturalism: “In Delaware, the largest growth of population is Indian Americans, moving from India. You cannot go to a 7/11 or a Dunkin’ Donuts unless you have a slight Indian accent. I’m not joking.”
Barack Obama: “I’ve now been in 57 states? I think one left to go?”
Howard Dean: “We know that no one person can succeed unless everybody else succeeds.”
Nancy Pelosi on the economy: “every month that we do not have an economic recovery package 500 million Americans lose their jobs.”
Bill Clinton on ordinary Americans: “African Americans watch the same news at night that ordinary Americans do.”
Marion Barry, former mayor of Washington, DC: “If you take out the killings, Washington actually has a very very low crime rate.”
California Senator Barbara Boxer: “Those who survived the San Francisco earthquake said, ‘Thank God, I’m still alive.’ But, of course, those who died, their lives will never be the same again.”
Bill Clinton: “It all depends on what the meaning of the word ‘is’ is.”
If anyone ever questioned the integrity and objectivity of the MSM, stop. Your questions have been answered:
“This will get good coverage if he works with Democrats for as far as the eye can see. It will produce more liberal policies, which a lot of people in the media like,” Halperin proclaimed.
He laughably argued that “The establishment media likes bipartisanship over ideology” and predicted: “He will get good coverage the more he works with them.”
Mark Halperin on MSNBC admitted this morning that the coverage of Trump will be more favorable if he begins to work with Democrats.
But there is no bias in the media right?
Sad to hear about Eric Bolling’s son. No parent should ever have to bury a child. Also, disturbing to hear about Eric’s departure from Fox. Evidently at Fox, you’re guilty until proven innocent and unfounded accusations are enough to have most anyone fired. Because of that – I WILL NEVER WATCH FOX AGAIN. Ever since Meghan Kelly became their first “glitter and glam” pundit with her 8 pounds of mascara and nauseating quirky smiles, I have watched less and less to the point that I would turn on Brett Baier and a little of Tucker, but no more. I am done. Goodbye Fox.
When the story first broke of Bolling texting lewd messages/photos, there was a mention of it happening a number of years ago. I’m not defending such behavior, and he, in fact, denies it, but the timing seems more than a little strange. Sounds like it has to do more with Rupert Murdoch’s sons than anything else.
I haven’t completely given up on Fox, but about the only program I watch regularly is Special Report with Brett Baier. It’s gotten to the point where there’s really nothing new in terms of political coverage, which begs the question, what exactly IS the point?
The elitist Murdoch boys came in with their own agenda and have ruined the network. Charles Payne, who is a terrific business analyst on FBN was recently suspended because of “sexual allegations” and yet came off of suspension this week because those accusations were unfounded, so they definitely shoot first and investigate later and I hope they lose money hand over fist because of it.
I’ve been vaguely aware of Bolling’s problems (not counting the tragedy of his son’s death) but I’m kind of taking a holiday from paying any attention to anything outside my current projects. Much as Cluster says, I’m tired of it all. What is real is hyped with so much pumped-up emotion it’s not worth watching on TV, and even radio is tiresome. I read selected news and opinion blogs and if I want to know more I look it up.
But, having said that, I don’t think it is right to come back on someone for something done in the past. I’m not talking about crimes, but about stupid actions. Who hasn’t done or said something stupid, even tasteless? I’ve gotten jokes and even pictures that were not in good taste, but not sent to offend or irritate or titillate, just because they were part of something that is funny. Not being a fragile little snowflake looking for attention or a payout, I just take it for what it is. I laugh, or I don’t laugh. If it bugs me, I delete it.
Ever seen the Walmartian photo collections? Certainly some of these could be called “lewd” and many are at the very least downright vulgar. Actionable? I think not.
I am not talking about the kind of sexting that Weiner engaged in. As no one is describing the “…lewd messages/photos..” there is no way of knowing what they were. We see clickbait all the time online that consists, often, of some pretty lewd photos.
After my email account was hacked, someone has latched onto one of my email addresses, spoofed it, and is sending out dozens of emails a day to who knows who, probably also to everyone in my old contact list, offering lewdly phrased sex acts and similar enticements. They don’t go through my email provider or account, but they show my address as the sender. I reported this to some agency allegedly concerned with such spoofing being part of trying to get financial information, and as some of these spoofed emails are financial enticements as well (offering credit cards, credit reports, etc) I copied the contents of some of them in my report, and they all contained links to the same few sites. But anyone who hovers over the subject line of any of these will see my email address as the alleged sender. So I could very easily be accused of sending lewd emails.
I also believe in redemption. I believe that people can be in bad places and do utterly stupid things, and then move on and regret having done those things, and never do them again. If there is a response to something stupid, or offensive, when it happens, that is one thing. But hanging onto something in hopes it can lead to a payout of some sort later is just wrong, and should not be rewarded.
BTW, a mature and realistic response to something sent that is truly offensive to the recipient is a simple statement that it was offensive and a request that it not happen again. If the behavior continues after that, it can constitute harassment and call for stronger measures. Without that kind of response, there is an implied acceptance of it.
We’re in an increasingly sick society in which there is no leeway for mistakes if a profit can be made. And not just a financial profit—there is the profit of attention, fame, acceptance by a certain group of people, a sense of power over someone else, satisfaction of revenge, etc. That, combined with the immediacy of the internet and the eagerness of an increasingly toxic Left, can lead to injustice, fueled by hysteria.
Remember, some of the allegedly “sexually abusive” comments made by O’Reilly were in the nature of Fox having a lot of pretty blondes on-air. The definitions of words like “abusive” “lewd” “harassing” and so on are so flexible, there is no way to know what anyone is talking about these days, much less what is real and what is not.
There is a strain of mercilessness and cruelty in our times – people are eager to leap upon anyone who fails and to say that the failure is all that person is. I don’t know if Bolling did that stuff or didn’t – he’s been fired, so Fox at least thinks he did or, at least, felt that in the lawsuit they wouldn’t prevail (Big, Bad Corporation against Poor, Little Person is always bad optics). I felt for him over the loss of his son – that blow is far, far worse than losing his gig on Fox. I hope he can stand the strain – and if he has done something shameful, I hope he repents of it and tries to mend his ways. That is all anyone can ever do – and as long as there isn’t a serious criminal element to it, then it’s not for us to push our way in and make something about it.
I don’t get the whole thing, itself – for goodness sake, there is no real privacy on the internet. Everyone should, by now, be pretty aware that anything you do – and especially anything you send! – will be found out, in the by and by. A person doing such a thing is relying upon the good sense and discretion of someone who would do such a thing – that is just lunacy. It’s like the person who has an affair with a married person thinking that said person will be faithful to them.
To be sure, in my sojourn in social media, I have come across people who are lewd and crude – but they don’t seem to be in the least embarrassed about it, and likely don’t hold any position where discovery would result in a loss, either in social or financial standing. My view remains: if you can’t do it without embarrassment, in your front yard, in broad daylight, with grandma watching, it is best not to do it on the internet. But even so, anyone who takes any time to examine their own life – and especially anyone who takes the time to read The Imitation of Christ – knows that temptations abound, and they are difficult to fight off. We’re sinners, after all – all of us, and pretty much all the time. Some sins are greater, some are lesser…but the enemy is unconcerned with what sort of sin a person does, as long as the sin gets done. Small sins, over a long period of time, have the same effect as great sins. Happy is the person who can reject just one sin a day…it is a triumph of immeasurable worth.
How’s THIS for a scary image? My heart goes out to the people of Florida. We have good friends who live in Fort Myers. The heat got to them around the end of July, and they went to visit a daughter in northern North Carolina. We talked to them last night, and they’re fully expecting to not find much left of their house in Fort Myers. Other friends who live in the same development, but on the second floor or a high rise condo instead of a duplex had chosen to ride it out as of a couple days ago when it looked like Irma was going to impact the east coast. I hope they changed their minds and got the hell outa Dodge. If not, our prayers are with them.
I am still struggling with the notion that we can not accurately predict the path of a hurricane 2 or 3 days out, but are told with great certainty that the polar caps will melt in 20 years.
And doesn’t it seem odd that the power grid fails in 65 mph winds? In 2017, we haven’t figured out a solution to that yet? Why aren’t 90% of power lines now fiber optic and buried??
but are told with great certainty that the polar caps will melt in 20 years.
Not only that but that they’re 95% sure that the actions of man are causing it.
You’re right, Spook, that is a scary image.
At the bottom of the page is this comment, in a link to another weather story:
Why Irma and Harvey Could Finally Get Republicans to Care About Climate Change
Of course, all that matters is CARING. Maybe the GOP should issue a statement that Republicans care, we really really truly do CARE, about the climate changing—which is not the same as claiming to know why it is changing, now much it is changing, if it is changing for the better or the worse, and if anything can be done about it. Not important. What is important is that we CARE.
And BTW, we also know that the strident squealing of AGW hysterics aside, the claim that the mild temperature increase of a few years ago is related to a stronger hurricane season has been debunked.