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Title: The Patriot Post Digest 1-12-2016 Post by: nChrist on January 12, 2016, 07:00:51 PM ________________________________________ The Patriot Post Digest 1-12-2016 From The Federalist Patriot Free Email Subscription (http://patriotpost.us/subscription/new) ________________________________________ Daily Digest Jan. 12, 2016 THE FOUNDATION “Here comes the orator! With his flood of words, and his drop of reason.” —Benjamin Franklin, 1735 TOP RIGHT HOOKS Ghosts of SOTU, Past and Present1 In January 2009, Hope ‘n’ Change™ was still fresh, and Democrats and many Americans were looking forward to a new start and a real recovery from a tough recession. As Barack Obama prepares to deliver his final State of the Union Address tonight, however, the shine is tarnished, and he has no one to blame but himself. Looking back to his first address to Congress in 2009, Obama said things that would make us laugh out loud if they weren’t so serious. He renewed his call for a “recovery plan” (a.k.a. the $800 billion “stimulus”) though he insisted it was “not because I believe in bigger government — I don’t” and “not because I’m not mindful of the massive debt we’ve inherited — I am.” He also declared we have a “responsibility to ensure that we do not pass on to [our children] a debt they cannot pay.” When Obama gave that speech, total national debt was $10.8 trillion. It’s quickly approaching $19 trillion. So he was mindful, alright — as he whipped out the nation’s credit card to pay for redistribution to Democrats' favored constituency groups, thereby setting a new minimum level of spending that would be very hard to cut. He’ll come very close to doubling our national debt over his (insufferably long) eight years. In terms of his other numerous initiatives and promises, he delivered on ObamaCare (though it was built on a foundation of lies2 and is not at all3 the success he claims), climate change regulations (via the EPA, not Congress), withdrawing from Iraq (we all know how that turned out4), homosexuals serving openly5 in the military, raising taxes6 on the top two income brackets, and a handful of other things that grew government, increased debt or advanced leftist social engineering. Fortunately, however, Republican wins in 2010 and 2014 slowed his progress. Intentionally declining to tackle immigration reform with Democrat congressional majorities, Obama eventually made a show7 of executive action and decreased enforcement to keep the issue as a political wedge. But he did not succeed in achieving his idea of reform. Likewise, he has failed to do anything really meaningful8 to restrict gun rights, and he managed to become Gun Salesman of the Decade. The extent to which he was able to raise taxes was limited, as was the trajectory of federal spending. His current boasts of cutting the deficit are both disingenuous and empty — he nearly quadrupled it first, and it’s only falling because Republicans blocked many further increases. So tonight we can expect a typically petulant man to take aim at his opponents, painting them in the worst possible light as he blames them for his failures. On the bright side, it’s his last State of the Union. 2016 Not Looking Good for ObamaCare3 There’s a high probability that Barack Obama will boast of the success of his signature health care legislation at tonight’s State of the Union Address. It was one of the policies he highlighted in his first weekly address of 2016, saying his administration has covered 17 million people. But Obama is throwing out an eight-digit number, saying it with a smile, and selling a statistic that actually shows ObamaCare isn’t performing like promised. As Investor’s Business Daily notes9, 11.3 million people enrolled through an ObamaCare exchange in 2015. But many of those people were switching plans, through voluntary effort or government coercion. Furthermore, the Congressional Budget Office estimated that ObamaCare needed to enroll 20 million Americans for it to become solvent. Obama’s rosy 17 million doesn’t look good now, especially in the face of crumbling co-ops10 and fewer Millennials signing up than expected. This lack of participation comes as 49 states11 expect insurance premium hikes this year. While Mississippi is the only state expected to see a (slight) drop in the price of health insurance, 29 states will see double-digit percentage increases (like the 25% increase The Patriot Post faced in 2015). Minnesota will get hit the hardest, with an expected 47.7% increase. But all this insolubility only underlines the biggest issue with ObamaCare: It’s still unconstitutional for the government to tell Americans to get insurance and dictate what kind of insurance they can receive, two legislate-from-the-bench Supreme Court rulings notwithstanding. Fewer Democrats Than Ever12 “I am absolutely certain that generations from now, we will be able to look back and tell our children that this was the moment when we began to provide care for the sick and good jobs to the jobless; this was the moment when the rise of the oceans began to slow and our planet began to heal; this was the moment when we ended a war and secured our nation and restored our image as the last, best hope on Earth. This was the moment — this was the time — when we came together to remake this great nation so that it may always reflect our very best selves, and our highest ideals.” —Barack Obama, upon securing the Democrat nomination in 2008 Oh how the mighty have fallen. Yes, Obama won re-election, but his two mid-term elections have been disasters for his party. He proved too heavy a load13 down the ballot, even in off-year elections. And it turns out the blow wasn’t just to elected Democrats around the country, but to registered voters as well. In the latest Gallup survey14, “the percentage of U.S. adults identifying as Democrats is now at the lowest point in the past 27 years, down from the prior low of 30% in 2014.” The current tally is just 29%. To be sure, the GOP has its own problems15, and Gallup measures its numbers at a paltry 26%, but that’s not a record low for Republicans either. And conservative-leaning voters are less party-loyal than liberals. According to Gallup, “The rise in political independence is likely related to Americans' frustration with party gridlock in the federal government. In the past several years, dissatisfaction with the government has ranked among the leading issues when U.S. adults are asked to name the most important problem facing the U.S., and was the most frequently mentioned problem in 2014 and 2015. Also, Americans' favorable ratings of each party are on the lower end of what Gallup has measured over the past few decades.” So why do voters keep voting for more government? Don’t Miss Patriot Humor Check out The Height of Narcissism16. If you’d like to receive Patriot Humor by email, update your subscription here17. FEATURED RIGHT ANALYSIS Corrupt Clinton Foundation Under Expanded FBI Investigation18 By Paul Albaugh For Americans who have been paying attention to the numerous scandals19 that have always surrounded Hillary Clinton, many are wondering when and if she will ever be indicted and charged for her crimes. If her improper handling of classified emails, use of her private server and failure with Benghazi have not been enough to derail her campaign for the presidency, perhaps an expanded FBI probe into the Clinton Foundation will be. Last spring, we wondered20 whether the Clinton Foundation would actually be Clinton’s downfall, but for the last several months the FBI investigations have been primarily focused on her emails and use of a private server. That has now changed. The FBI has expanded its investigation21 to include the Clinton Foundation and is looking into whether or not there is a connection between Foundation work and State Department business. If there is a connection between the two, then that would be a violation of public corruption laws, and should be disastrous for Clinton. Title: The Patriot Post Digest 1-12-2016 Post by: nChrist on January 12, 2016, 07:01:54 PM ________________________________________ The Patriot Post Digest 1-12-2016 From The Federalist Patriot Free Email Subscription (http://patriotpost.us/subscription/new) ________________________________________ Why would that be? Well, it just so happens that on the official website of the FBI, public corruption is listed as the top criminal priority. And by all indications, the FBI is holding to this standard. In fact, there are reportedly at least 150 FBI agents22 on the case. According to former U.S. Attorney Joseph DiGenova, that is “a very unusually high number” of investigators to be working on one case. Indeed it is a high number, but with there being an alleged exchange of favors between insiders from the Clinton Foundation and with the State Department led by Hillary Clinton, such attention is warranted. The stench of corruption is frankly, overwhelming. Hot Air’s Ed Morrissey notes23, “This development suggests something else, too. Hillary refused to turn over the server for even longer, finally surrendering the hardware last August. Originally, after being forced to give up her e-mails, she and her team went through the system and printed out about half of the 60,000+ messages it held. Hillary claimed the rest were personal and non-work-related, about her daughter Chelsea’s wedding plans and quick communications with Bill. That explanation is absurd on its face; that would amount to more than 20 personal e-mails a day for four years. At the time, many suspected that Hillary and her team deleted anything having to do with the Clinton Foundation, and then wiped the server so that the software could not be accessed.” But by all indications, the FBI is on to something and the dots are likely becoming more numerous, clear and connected. Is it possible that Clinton was using her private email server to cover up the real corruption at the Clinton Foundation? We certainly think that was one of the primary reasons, though the Clintons have always sought to keep their deals out of the public record. Her mishandling of classified material was no doubt against the law, but it may be incidental to the fact that she wanted to hide her corrupt Foundation activity. Further, she not only abused her position of power at the State Department, she used her position to enrich her family through the money-laundering slush fund known as the Clinton Foundation. In other words, she was receiving payments to the “charity” from foreign officials or governments that were very likely in return for special favors, projects and so on. That’s about as illegal and corrupt as a career politician can get and several former politicians are serving time for committing far less serious crimes. If the FBI probe reveals what we think it will and she is brought up charges for her numerous high crimes and misdemeanors, then Hillary for President will be no more and Hillary for Prison will become reality. But Democrats can take heart; there’s always Joe Biden24. MORE ORIGINAL PERSPECTIVE ANALYSIS: Leftist Tears and Emotional Policy25 How About Not Amending the Natural Born Citizen Clause?26 SCOTUS Union Case Is One to Watch27 Obama Supports an Oil Pipeline in Kenya28 No, the Powerball Is Not Our Ticket Out of Poverty29 Iran Deal Empowers the Radicals30 BEST OF RIGHT OPINION David Limbaugh: Obama: Bitter Partisan and Committed Ideologue to the End — and Beyond31 Mona Charen: Fighting for the Soul of the Republican Party32 Dennis Prager: Multiculturalism Trumps Protecting Women From Rape33 For more, visit Right Opinion34. TOP HEADLINES Report: U.S. Lets UN Pick Which Syrians Come to America35 Swedish Police Accused of Covering Up Sex Attacks36 Clinton’s Lead Over Sanders Vanishes37 For more, visit Patriot Headline Report38 OPINION IN BRIEF David Limbaugh: “The liberal media seem perplexed that President Obama plans to deviate from his usual State of the Union practice of ‘asking’ Congress for a laundry list of policy proposals and ‘not talking about himself.’ You heard me right; the narrative is that Obama hasn’t talked about himself in previous SOTUs. If that’s their perception, can you imagine what an ego-fest — a virtual orgy of self-congratulation — this could be? But enough about that for now. I just ask that you sympathize with those of us who feel as if we have to watch it because it promises to be even worse than the preceding ones — and that’s a very high bar. … I suppose some people still haven’t figured this out yet, but Obama’s narcissism doesn’t just drive him to establish a presidential legacy. He aims much higher. … He seeks to continue laying the groundwork for further radical changes once out of office, both through a Democratic successor and by remaining an active player in the private sector as a ‘community organizer.’ … We’d better brace ourselves, folks. This last year of two miserable terms is not going to be better. Obama has big plans for his pen and phone, and his upcoming speech is going to be a bizarre victory lap combined with in-your-face promises of more (and worse) to come. We can never let our guard down.” SHORT CUTS Insight: “Government is like fire. If it is kept within bounds and under the control of the people, it contributes to the welfare of all. But if it gets out of place, if it gets too big and out of control, it destroys the happiness and even the lives of the people.” —Harold E. Stassen (1907-2001) Class warfare I: “I would say that people who make $250,000 a year are doing pretty well.” —Bernie Sanders, who simply wants to take more from those earners Class warfare II: “I’m proposing every idea I can … to make those at the top actually pay their fair share.” —Hillary Clinton Non sequitur: “I saw homegrown terrorism in Oklahoma City, and I saw foreign terrorism in New York City, and I saw people grieving over the loss of their loved ones. And at some point, we all have to come together as a country again and stand against violence and do something to get the guns out of the hands of people who shouldn’t have them, no matter who they are.” —Hillary Clinton (Notice that the Oklahoma and New York attacks didn’t involve guns.) Narrative fail: “Certainly one thing we can do is to keep guns out of the hands of people like [the assailant who tried to murder a Philadelphia cop]. Somebody who planned to carry out a terrorist act or somebody who has significant mental problems shouldn’t be so easily able to get their hands on a gun.” —Josh Earnest (The firearm used in the attack was stolen from the police.) Non Compos Mentis: “Ninety percent [of terror assaults on American soil] are from these white Caucasian men. … Usually they are people who are religiously motivated and politically conservative. … 9/11 is basically the only act of foreign-born terrorism that’s ever happened in the United States.” —University of California-Merced lecturer Dr. Ross Avilla And last… “Tonight, Obama will deliver a speech describing a strong, optimistic America. He’ll be reading Reagan’s 1986 State of the Union address.” —Twitter satirist @weknowwhatsbest 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. |