The Patriot Post Digest 8-4-2016

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The Patriot Post Digest 8-4-2016
From The Federalist Patriot
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Mid-Day Digest

Aug. 4, 2016

THE FOUNDATION

“In reality there is perhaps no one of our natural Passions so hard to subdue as Pride. Disguise it, struggle with it, beat it down, stifle it, mortify it as much as one pleases, it is still alive, and will now and then peek out and show itself.” —Benjamin Franklin (1771)

TOP RIGHT HOOKS

Can Trump Reset and Get on Message?1

By Mark Alexander

Donald Trump’s family and senior advisers are conducting an intervention of sorts this week, endeavoring to convince him to stay on message — the Obama-Clinton economy and foreign policy. Can he do it?

I wrote yesterday about Trump’s pathological propensity for being his own worst enemy. Since Trump announced his presidential candidacy, no week has passed when he has not said something thoughtless, if not “yugely” absurd, which derails political momentum targeting the Obama-Clinton economy and foreign policy. His endless loop of unforced gaffes send all of his handlers and backers into damage control mode — and his endorsers into some state of buyer’s remorse.

Why is this the case? For 10 years prior to his candidacy announcement, Trump hosted his successful reality show “The Apprentice.” For all those years, he controlled the script — what did and did not make it to air. It seems that Trump has yet to figure out that he has NO control over the script of his “Make America Great Again” reality show, other than controlling what he says. His unfiltered off-script ramblings are often tactless when not outright asinine, unlike the politically astute Hillary Clinton, whose remarks are always cunning and calculated. Whether on stump speeches, or when he takes media bait, there is no filter between Trump’s stream of consciousness and any live microphone (or social media feed) in his proximity. And he has yet to grasp the concept, “When you find yourself in a hole, stop digging.” Consequently, the endless cycle of his inane insults is the greatest obstacle to recruiting enough voters from #NeverTrump to #NeverClinton2 in order for him to win. Trump is, truly, his own worst enemy, and if he wins in November, it will be on Clinton’s plethora of weaknesses, not his strengths.

It is not too late for Trump’s family and advisers to rein him in. But if he will not stop diverting from his message with nonsense like kicking a mother and baby out of a rally3, then he can pack it up and go home now.

Obama’s Latest Jail Break4

The Obama administration loves to let criminals off the hook — and not just Hillary Clinton. On Wednesday, Barack Obama commuted the sentences of a single-day record 214 inmates. In fact, over Obama’s two terms, he has issued 562 commutations, which is more than the last nine presidents combined. Just wait until his final days in office.

Of this latest batch, The Hill reports5, “It’s part of Obama’s ramped-up effort to free prisoners slapped with lengthy sentences during the government’s war on drugs. Among those freed on Wednesday were 67 people serving life sentences, mostly for nonviolent drug crimes.” Obama has focused on prison reform6 in a cynically political effort to appeal to Democrat constituencies. Prison reform is desirable — especially when it comes to the constitutionally dubious federal war on drugs — and some of these prisoners probably deserved commutation. The problem is how Obama goes about accomplishing reform.

Furthermore, a note about The Hill’s “nonviolent offenders” framing. The vast majority of violent crime in America is the result of inner city gangs and drugs. And more than 50 of these criminals — a quarter of those released — were in prison for some manner of gun crime, whether carrying a firearm during the commission of a drug crime, being a felon in possession of a firearm, or possessing a stolen gun. Didn’t Obama just lament7 it was “easier for a teenager to buy a Glock than get his hands on a computer or even a book”? So why is he releasing criminals guilty of gun crimes just to make a political point? Conservatives say we should enforce existing gun laws and protect the Second Amendment. Obama says we should trample the Second Amendment with gun control, while he releases criminals who violate gun laws and runs guns to Mexican drug cartels.

Clinton Wants More Income Redistribution8

As this campaign season has unfolded, one issue that is usually front and center has been somewhat sidelined. What happened to all the talk about taxes? No need to worry, for Hillary Clinton recently dusted off the old Democrat playbook, and has once again touted the need to raise taxes on the rich. Except that during a campaign stop in Omaha, Clinton said, “Because while Warren [Buffett] is standing up for a fairer tax code, Trump wants to cut taxes for the super-rich. Well, we’re not going there, my friends. I’m telling you, right now — we’re going to write fairer rules for the middle class and we are going to raise taxes on the middle class!” Though the crowd roared, it’s safe to assume Clinton misspoke. But knowing Hillary it’s also safe to assume it was a Freudian slip.

Adding up the numbers, Clinton has called for a tax increase of $1.3 trillion over 10 years as a means to support her political agenda of redistribution. Two of her priciest polices are an increase in paid family leave coverage of up to 12 weeks and her “College Compact” plan that would provide free community college tuition to students who work 10 hours a week. Hillary claims that her plan of raising taxes on the rich will cover these expensive plans. But according to the American Action Forum, Clinton’s math comes up short by an estimated $2.2 trillion. In other words, Clinton would not only significantly raise taxes, she would also substantially add to the ballooning national debt9 that currently stands at $19.4 trillion.

Clinton has pledged to not raise taxes on anyone making less than $250,000, yet she has stated that she would have no problem with increasing the payroll tax or even placing a tax on soda, and she has endorsed a 25% national gun tax. She is also open to considering some form of a carbon tax. When her buddy George Stephanopoulos asked if her pledge to not increase taxes on the middle class was “rock-solid,” she hedged, saying it was her “goal.”

Democrats like Hillary Clinton firmly believe that the government is entitled to more of your money than you are. They believe they know how to spend it better. As, with all Marxian ideals, the needs and wants of the individual are inconsequential compared to the “needs” and goals of those in power.

Coast Guard Birthday10

On Aug. 4, 1790, the U.S. Coast Guard was created by Congress, which authorized Treasury Secretary Alexander Hamilton to build a small fleet of 10 cutters to protect the coast. As the Coast Guard marks its 226th birthday and continues to serve a critical role under the Department of Homeland Security, we at The Patriot Post offer our thanks for a job well done. Happy Birthday and Semper Paratus!

Please visit the Patriot Post Shop11 for a great selection of items bearing the Coast Guard’s insignia.

Don’t Miss Alexander’s Column

Read Clinton’s Khan: Who Is Trashing Whom?12. Hillary Clinton used the Khans' religious, ethnic, cultural and political status, in addition to their loss and grief, as fodder for a disgraceful political charade.

If you’d like to receive Alexander’s Column by email, update your subscription here13.

BEST OF RIGHT OPINION

Veronique de Rugy: Higher Medicaid Expansion Costs Reveal Another Obamacare Design Flaw14
Terence Jeffrey: Five Ways Obama Disserved His Office15
George Will: Trump’s Shallowness Runs Deep16

For more, visit Right Opinion17.

TOP HEADLINES

ATF Illegally Hoarded Gun Owner Info18
DC Cop Arrested for Supporting ISIL19
SCOTUS Blocks Transgender Bathroom Ruling20

For more, visit Patriot Headline Report21.

FEATURED RIGHT ANALYSIS
Yes, the Leftmedia ‘Rigs’ Elections22

By Arnold Ahlert

“We’re running against a rigged system,” Donald Trump said at a rally Tuesday, “and we’re running against a very dishonest media.”

Trump, inelegant as he is, nonetheless has a point. And one of the primary reasons he continues to resonate with millions of Americans is exactly because of his willingness to take on both.

Yet it is an integral part of the system itself that should worry Trump and his supporters the most. That’s because other than some yet-to-be-revealed “events on the ground,” this election could hinge on the three presidential debates scheduled23 to be held on Monday, Sept. 26 at Hofstra University in Hempstead, New York; Sunday, Oct. 9 at Washington University in St. Louis; and Wednesday, Oct. 19 at the University of Nevada in Las Vegas.

And once again, the likelihood of a “rigged system” being stacked against the GOP candidate looms exceedingly large.

Both the first and second debates will be held at the same time as two nationally televised NFL football games. The dates are set by the ostensibly non-partisan Commission on Presidential Debates (CPD). Following complaints by the Trump camp, who insisted the scheduling was an attempt to hide Hillary, much like the DNC’s scheduling of the Sanders-Clinton debates in low viewership weekend slots, the CPD issued a statement insisting the “dates for the 2016 debates will serve the American public well.”

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The Patriot Post Digest 8-4-2016
From The Federalist Patriot
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Maybe they will and maybe they won’t, given the reality that millions of Americans watch football, including a sizable portion of the blue-collar demographic that favors Trump. But a far more germane question should be explored: is the CPD actually non-partisan? Their Board of Directors consists of 14 members, and while it is impossible to fully determine an individual member’s exact political persuasion, their biographies are indicative.

Seemingly on the left are former ABC News anchor Charles Gibson; former PBS news anchor Jim Lehrer; former Democrat Party Rep. Jane Harman, who resigned from Congress to head the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars; philanthropist Howard Buffett, eldest son of billionaire investor Warren Buffett; Dorothy Ridings, former president of the Council on Foundations & League of Women Voters; former FFC chairman Newton Minow, former Princeton University president Dr. Shirley M. Tilghman; and former president and general counsel of the Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund (MALDEF) Antonia Hernandez.

Seemingly on the right, John Griffen, managing director of Allen and Company, an investment bank involved in media and entertainment deals; Notre Dame president Rev. John I. Jenkins; former GOP Indiana Governor Mitch Daniels; former chairman of Citigroup and the former chairman and CEO of Time Warner Richard Parsons; former Republican Senator from Missouri and NHL owner John Danforth; and former GOP Senator from Maine, Olympia Snowe.

Assuming a reasonable degree of accuracy based on political and business affiliations, that’s a noticeable lean to the left. More so in light of further consideration: Parsons was an adviser for quintessential RINO Nelson Rockefeller, Danforth complained that there’s an audience for the “anger and hatefulness” Trump expresses, and Snowe insisted Trump is “damaging the (GOP) party brand.”

In defending themselves against the Trump campaign charges, the CPD explained the debate schedule was announced in Sept. 2015, and to be fair, the commissioners couldn’t have known who would be the GOP standard-bearer at that time. Yet it would strain credulity to think they believed the Democrat race was up for grabs, given the published knowledge of that party’s overwhelmingly pro-Clinton super-delegate affiliation. An affiliation that rendered the Sanders campaign irrelevant right from the beginning.

A planned irrelevancy24, as Wiki-leaked DNC emails and subsequent resignations) of key DNC officials have revealed.

Yet if truth be told, the ultimate indication of the CPD’s neutrality ought to be their selection of moderators for the debates. (This year’s moderators haven’t been announced yet). Their track record in that regard?

In 2012, this “non-partisan” body selected PBS’s Jim Lehrer, CNN’s Candy Crowley and CBS’s Bob Schieffer to host the debates. All three are unabashed leftists. Moreover, Crowley proved it with her outrageous “thumb on the scale” performance, backing Barack Obama’s false assertion that he called Benghazi an act of terror right away. This despite the reality that Crowley’s own news network reported25 the White House characterized Benghazi as a terror attack “for the first time” on Sept. 20, nine days later.

Crowley’s effort arguably cost Mitt Romney the debate — and quite possibly the election itself.

And if you think the selection of leftist debate moderators in 2012 was an anomaly, think again. In 2008, the CPD selected26 PBS’s Jim Lehrer, NBC’s Tom Brokaw and CBS’s Bob Schieffer as moderators. In 2004, it was27 Lehrer, Schieffer and ABC’s Charles Gibson. In 2000, Lehrer moderated28 all three presidential debates. In 1996, there were only two presidential debates — both moderated29 by, you guessed it, Jim Lehrer. In 1992, Lehrer moderated30 two of the three debates, and ABC’s Carol Simpson moderated the other. In 1988, two debates moderated31 by Lehrer and CNN’s Bernard Shaw. In 1984, two debates moderated32 by ABC’s Barbara Walters and former NBC newsman Edwin Newman. In 1980, two debates moderated by PBS’s Bill Moyers and ABC’s Howard K. Smith.

After a 32 year span of consistently leftist or left-leaning debate moderators, how is it possible to take seriously the assertion — made by the mainstream media, no less — that the CPD is non-partisan?

It isn’t, which is why is behooves the Republican National Committee to snap out of more than three decades worth of self-inflicted impotency and demand an end to this partisan nonsense. Now, before the CPD stacks the deck once more. Again, Trump resonates because he stands in stark contrast to a GOP mindset that acquiesces to this kind of steamrolling. Steamrolling that becomes even more galling when they frame it as an effort to rise above the very same “gutter” politics Democrats practice with impunity.

It is virtually axiomatic the media will remain in Hillary’s corner over the remainder of the campaign. Yet if the RNC, and by extension the Republican Party itself, timidly abets another hijacking of the debate moderators, they may never recover. And if that’s the way it goes down — for the tenth time in a row — maybe they shouldn’t.

MORE ANALYSIS FROM THE PATRIOT POST

A Deficit of Priorities9
The One Thing to Know About the Trump-Ryan Flap33
Pope Francis' Logic Fail34
Criminal Charges Forthcoming in EPA Mine Spill?35
Europe’s Migrant Crisis Not Going Away36

OPINION IN BRIEF

“Remember when the Obama administration promised that the Affordable Care Act’s expansion of Medicaid would be awesome? … A colleague of mine at the Mercatus Center, Brian Blase, recently reported a shocking statistic: The Department of Health and Human Services just ‘found that the ACA’s Medicaid expansion enrollees cost an average of $6,366 in (fiscal) 2015 — 49 percent higher than the $4,281 amount that the agency projected in last year’s report.’ That’s quite a mistake. If you’re thinking this type of mistake is nothing new … you’re right. In this case, the error comes from having assumed that the state officials who oversee the Medicaid program are good stewards of our money. It turns out they aren’t, however, because they simply respond to the terrible incentives built into the law. … Congress could do something about this new ACA scandal. The only acceptable solution would be to radically reform a program that — according to new research by academics Amy Finkelstein, Nathaniel Hendren and Erzo Luttmer — only returns 20 to 40 cents of value for each dollar spent on new enrollees and fails to demonstrate that it provides real health benefits to those enrolled.”

SHORT CUTS

Insight: “Depression and mass unemployment are not caused by the free market,  but by government interference in the economy.” —Ludwig von Mises (1881-1973)

Observations: “Republicans have substantially lost their party and its traditional posture. That’s over now. This is a new party that will live or die based on the way the story of Trump ends. The history books leave no room for asterisks next to nominees' names.” —Chris Stirewalt

For the record: “Most Republicans cannot stomach the idea of a Clinton presidency. Most Democrats cannot stomach the idea of a President Trump. Either would be ‘the end of America as we know it.’ They have separately agreed on the same course of action: Defeat the other guy, at any cost.” —Ian Tuttle

Friendly fire: “The current race is which of these two is the more unacceptable, because right now neither of them is acceptable. Trump is helping her to win by proving he is more unacceptable than she is.” —Newt Gingrich

Braying Jenny: “The White House has addressed this [$400 million payment to Iran], and I think actually this is kind of old news.” —Hillary Clinton

Alpha Jackass: “We would not, we have not, we will not, pay a ransom to secure the release of U.S. citizens. That’s a fact. That is our policy and it is one that we have assiduously followed. The only people who are making that suggestion are right-wingers in Iran who don’t like the deal and Republicans in the United States that don’t like the deal.” —Josh Earnest

Upright: “There is a statute that prohibits us from engaging in Iran dealing with dollars, so [Obama] had to print the money here, ship it over to Switzerland, turn it into Swiss francs and euros, and ship it over to Iran. If a private company had done this, it is called money laundering. The CEO would be in jail right now.” —Charles Krauthammer

And last… “Apple has replaced the pistol emoji with a green water gun in the latest iOS update, because apparently that’s what will help solve gun violence. I’m unaware of any mass shooter or murderer who confessed to his or her crime via text, writing: ‘I’m going to [pistol emoji] so and so.’ But just in case, Apple is here to protect us all from the dangers of tiny pixelated weapons.” —Ashe Schow

Semper Vigilans Fortis Paratus et Fidelis!
Managing Editor Nate Jackson

Join us in daily prayer for our Patriots in uniform — Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen, Marines and Coast Guardsmen — standing in harm’s way in defense of Liberty, and for their families.