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Title: The Patriot Post Digest 10-8-2018 Post by: nChrist on October 08, 2018, 04:36:42 PM ________________________________ The Patriot Post Digest 10-8-2018 From The Federalist Patriot Free Email Subscription (http://patriotpost.us/subscription/new) _______________________________ The Patriot Post® · Mid-Day Digest Oct. 8, 2018 · https://patriotpost.us/digests/58708-mid-day-digest THE FOUNDATION “The Constitution … is a mere thing of wax in the hands of the judiciary which they may twist and shape into any form they please.” —Thomas Jefferson (1819) https://patriotpost.us/fqd/58706-founders-quote-daily IN TODAY’S EDITION Now that Justice Brett Kavanaugh has been confirmed… Why is Trump’s approval rating up? He may be just the man for the job. The motivated women voters to watch in November: conservatives. Democrats don’t embrace the mob; they are the mob. Pence takes on the Chinese threat. Daily Features: Top Headlines, Memes, Cartoons, Columnists, and Short Cuts. FEATURED ANALYSIS Thank You Justice Kavanaugh1 Mark Alexander Allow me to offer, on behalf of our Patriot Post staff and grassroots American Patriots2 across the nation, our gratitude and thanks to Justice Brett Kavanaugh, his wife Ashley, and their family, who were willing to remain steadfast against the fires of hell in defense of our Constitution and the Supreme Court. Shortly after a highly contested 50 to 48 vote last Saturday, Kavanaugh was administered his oath by Chief Justice John Roberts, becoming the 114th Supreme Court Justice. After his nomination was delayed, he will be seated on the Court a week into its current term, as Justice Roberts noted, “so that he can begin to participate in the work of the Court immediately.” Joe Manchin (D-WV) was the sole Democrat voting for Kavanaugh, relieving the need for Steve Daines (R-MT) to return from his daughter’s wedding Saturday to cast his vote in favor of Kavanaugh. Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R?-AK) voted “present.” This latest SCOTUS vote represents the lowest support for any nominee, just behind the 52-48 vote to confirm Justice Clarence Thomas in 1991, and a partisan trend. The 2005 confirmation of George Bush’s nominee John Roberts was 78–22, with half of Democrats voting with Republicans. Bush’s 2006 nominee Samuel Alito was confirmed by a vote of 58-42. Donald Trump’s3 nominee Neil Gorsuch was confirmed by a vote of 54-45. Adding Judge Kavanaugh to the Court restores it to the balance under Ronald Reagan4. What is also notable about this vote is that, since the 1991 confirmation of Justice Thomas, no Republican president replaced a Democrat appointment to the Court. Despite the absurdly contentious opposition to Kavanaugh, should President Trump have the opportunity to replace a Democrat-nominated justice — Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Stephen Breyer, Elena Kagan, or Sonia Sotomayor — expect the Democrats to go completely ballistic. Sen. Bob Casey (D-PA) summed up the vote for Democrats: “It was a very tense moment in the chamber. I think that reflects the tension in the country.” It reflects precisely the tension Democrats hoped to generate. For Republicans, Sen. Lindsey Graham5 (R-SC) said, “A good man made it through a terrible process. If this is not bottom, God help us.” Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME), who cast a deciding vote for Kavanaugh, said, “We have come to the conclusion of a confirmation process that has become so dysfunctional it looks more like a caricature of a gutter-level political campaign than a solemn occasion. … One can only hope that the Kavanaugh nomination is where the process has finally hit rock bottom.” But I doubt we have hit rock bottom in Democrat partisanship, and given the extreme reactions6 they have fomented, security details for SCOTUS members and congressional Republicans need to be greatly enhanced. The partisan debates over Kavanaugh’s nomination defined several overarching distinctions between Republicans and Democrats in general, and we hope the American people took notice. First, after Donald Trump3 nominated a second constitutional constructionist candidate for the Supreme Court, one who would uphold his oath “to support and defend7” our Constitution’s Rule of Law8 as every justice should, Democrats tipped their power-lusting statist hand for the nation to see in full. Democrats made clear that they don’t support the fundamental principles of Rule of Law, and they object to SCOTUS nominees who do. They want nominees who will use their position on the High Court to do their statist political bidding in order to gain evermore power — precisely why Thomas Jefferson warned the Court could become “the despotic branch9.” This opposition to constructionist judges was laid bare in the deceptive strategy to stop Brett Kavanaugh scripted by Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-CA)10, the judiciary committee’s ranking minority member. That scripted deception leads me to the second distinction between Republicans and Democrats: Leftists will employ any scorched-earth strategy in their “end justifies the means” politics of personal destruction in their quest for power. Feinstein and Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) crafted a subversive strategy to make Christine Ford, who accused Kavanaugh of groping her 36 years ago, the poster proxy for every woman who has ever suffered some regrettable sexual encounter — the entire spectrum of such encounters, from a sense of being objectified to actually being sexually assaulted and raped. And there are millions of legitimate allegations and convictions associated with such claims. In other words, Feinstein and Schumer used Ford’s unsupported, unsubstantiated, uncorroborated and in fact refuted allegations as a political charade to generate outrage among women who have been victims of assault and their supporting friends and family — all in an attempt to convert that collective victimization identity into political capital, both against the Kavanaugh nomination and as fodder for the midterm elections. After the confirmation vote, one Demo constituent summed up their strategy: “I feel raped all over again.” The Feinstein/Schumer strategy betrayed a third distinction between Republicans and Democrats. Democrat congressional leaders believe — in fact depend — on their assumption that women are emotionally incontinent idiots11, whom they can stir into a political frenzy that will convert to votes in election cycles. For this reason, Democrats framed Kavanaugh as the poster proxy for every male who has ever offended a woman — the full spectrum of offense. Former senior Obama spokesperson, Marie Harf, elucidated that strategy: “[36] days from now we go into a midterm election, and [Kavanaugh] will help Democrats at the polls. Women will be fired up.” Ya think? Finally, the responses by Feinstein and Schumer demonstrate the depth to which Democrat hypocrisy has sunk. According to Schumer: “Let them look back on this chapter as the shameful culmination of the scorched-earth politics practiced by the hard right in America.” Every inch of “scorched earth” was laid to waste by Schumer and Feinstein. According to Feinstein: “Judges are expected to be ‘even handed, unbiased, impartial, and courteous.’ However, at the hearing last week, we saw a man filled with anger and aggression.” Actually, those who stand in judgement of judicial nominees are expected to be “even handed, unbiased, impartial, and courteous.” Judge Kavanaugh’s response12 to Feinstein, et al., was entirely fitting. And for the record on their abject hypocrisy, both Feinstein and Schumer voted against impeaching Bill Clinton13 for perjury after he lied about having “relations” with a low-level subordinate employee in the Oval Office. Now, the Senate should request that the FBI investigate Feinstein’s scripted charade, starting with the timing of her media leak regarding the Ford accusations. Put her under oath… As for the impact of the Feinstein/Schumer charade on the midterm elections, it may backfire on them14. It’s notable that in the wake of their assault on Justice Kavanaugh, Donald Trump’s approval rating is up15. https://patriotpost.us/alexander/58707-thank-you-justice-kavanaugh Why Is Trump’s Approval Up?15 Thomas Gallatin Was it the good economic news of record-low unemployment numbers? Was it the successful renegotiation of NAFTA? Was it the Senate Democrats’ hateful smear job of newly confirmed Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh? Was it a combination of all of these? This past Friday, Rasmussen released its latest presidential tracking poll16 showing that 51% of likely voters now approve of President Donald Trump’s job performance, compared to 48% who disapprove. This is Trump’s highest approval rating since March 2017. Title: The Patriot Post Digest 10-8-2018 Post by: nChrist on October 08, 2018, 04:38:18 PM ________________________________ The Patriot Post Digest 10-8-2018 From The Federalist Patriot Free Email Subscription (http://patriotpost.us/subscription/new) _______________________________ One reason for Trump’s growing approval may have more to do with his uncanny ability to get his political opponents to reveal their true colors. By refusing to play by Washington’s conventional politically correct “rules,” Trump tweaks the “sensibilities” of the political elites. In so doing he has effectively exposed a growing political cancer of social-Marxism that has almost completely infected today’s Democrat party — a party that now has no room for political centrists but rather has become a bastion of the extreme Left. When Americans witnessed the number of high-profile Democrats who willingly threw out one of our nation’s bedrock principles of jurisprudence — the concept of “innocent until proven guilty” — in order to weaponize a “social justice” mob all for the sake of seizing power, many were rightly horrified and left wondering, just who are these Democrats? It appears now that more Americans are recognizing that despite, or maybe even because of, his obvious character flaws, Trump is actually the best man for this dirty job. Through thick and thin, Trump has demonstrated that he will stand and fight to come through on his promises. Frankly, the fact that his approval rating isn’t even higher shows just how far the nation still has to go. https://patriotpost.us/articles/58702-why-is-trumps-approval-up Top Headlines17 Kavanaugh confirmed to Supreme Court (The Washington Times18) Don’t forget: Kavanaugh probably would have been blocked if Democrats hadn’t filibustered Gorsuch (Hot Air19) Democrats pledge to investigate Brett Kavanaugh if they win in November (The Daily Wire20) Thanks Obama: Health insurance deductibles up 212% since 2008 (Reason21) Federal government cut 1,000 jobs in September; -16,000 under Trump (CNS News22) Pentagon report on U.S. defense industry a “wakeup call” — too reliant on China for materials (Fox Business23) China says it’s not afraid of a trade war with the U.S. — its actions show otherwise (CNBC24) High-school band halftime show depicts students holding cops at gunpoint — at a school near where two officers were killed25 just last week (WSMV NBC 426) Chicago police officer guilty of murder in shooting black teen (Bloomberg27) Humor: Ginsburg volunteers to be “swing vote” (ScrappleFace28) Policy: Trauma and Truth: The feminist movement has shifted the definition of rape to include regret (City Journal29) Policy: The lessons of America’s longest war: Afghanistan still a question mark after 17 years of fighting (Washington Examiner30) For more of today’s news, visit Patriot Headline Report31. https://patriotpost.us/articles/58705-monday-top-headlines MORE ANALYSIS FROM THE PATRIOT POST Identity Politics Failed Democrats … Again35 — They tried hard to rally women over Kavanaugh. But Republican women are angry at Dems. Democrats Don’t Embrace the Mob; They Are the Mob36 — Having convinced themselves that Trump is apocalyptic, they’ve resorted to rank fascism. Pence Calls Out the Chinese Threat37 — The vice president warns Beijing against continuing its current threatening road. Why Columbus Day Is Worth Celebrating38 — But if you live in any number of “enlightened” progressive cities, today is “Indigenous Peoples’ Day.” Video: Left Goes Literally Crazy for Kavanaugh39 — Does the Kavanaugh confirmation circus goes beyond politics or ideology into diagnosable mental illness? Video: Mental Health Crisis40 — They live on the street, often foraging through dumpsters. Some threaten us. Occasionally, they assault people. OPINION IN BRIEF Jeff Jacoby: “America badly needs more highway capacity. Our interstate system was built in the 1960s and 1970s for a nation of 200 million with a $1 trillion economy. Today the United States has a population of 325 million and a $19 trillion economy. We are a much bigger nation with a much bigger economy. Our transportation infrastructure hasn’t kept up. This isn’t a problem that can be solved with more bike lanes, carpooling, or public transit, even with ample funding and goodwill. Over the last quarter-century, federal and state governments have invested heavily in adding carpool lanes, and about 20 percent of federal Highway Trust Fund money is diverted to public transit. Yet single-driver highway travel remains dominant and indispensable. … Adding new highway lanes isn’t enough, though. It is also crucial to price them sensibly. That means no more freeways. Those who drive on highways should pay for the privilege, via tolls that change as traffic flow changes, the goal at all times being to keep vehicles moving at a steady speed. Habituated by a lifetime of ‘free’ highway driving, some motorists (but only some) bristle at the thought of having to pay to use an expressway. But congestion is payment, too — payment with time instead of with dollars. As a means of paying to drive, variable tolling is obviously far more efficient than jammed-up traffic. It’s also the only means that advances the purpose for which highways exist: quickly getting people where they need to go.” SHORT CUTS Upright: “We have come to the conclusion of a confirmation process that has become so dysfunctional it looks more like a caricature of a gutter-level political campaign than a solemn occasion. … Our Supreme Court confirmation process has been in steady decline for more than 30 years. One can only hope that the Kavanaugh nomination is where the process has finally hit rock bottom.” —Sen. Susan Collins in a speech announcing her “yes” vote for Brett Kavanaugh You don’t say: “[Christine Ford] is a woman that has been, I think, profoundly impacted. On this … I can’t say that everything is truthful. I don’t know.” —Sen. Dianne Feinstein The social justice: “Starting with Justice O'Connor and continuing with Justice Kennedy, there has been a person who, er, found the center, who people couldn’t predict in that sort of way. … It’s not so clear that, you know, I think going forward, that sort of middle position — you know, it’s not so clear whether we’ll have it.” —Justice Elena Kagan on Brett Kavanaugh’s confirmation Braying Jenny: “Whatever happens, I’m just glad we ruined Brett Kavanaugh’s life.” —Ariel Dumas, “comedy” writer for Stephen Colbert (She later apologized, saying, “The complexity of frustration, anger and sadness can’t be accurately conveyed on twitter, and I regret my tone-deaf attempt at sarcasm in the wake of it.”) Political futures: “I’ve never campaigned against a colleague in my life. That’s about to change. I’m going to go throughout this country and let people in these purple states, red states, where Trump won … know what I think about this process.” —Sen. Lindsey Graham For the record: “The Democrats have some soul-searching to do. In the Kavanaugh matter, they debased themselves, the Senate, and democratic discourse all at the same time — and they have squat to show for it. Playing dirty comes naturally to them, and they don’t seem to mind the muck. But playing dirty — this dirty — and losing? That’s some shameful stuff.” —Kevin Williamson And last… “Liberals convince themselves they’re ending the patriarchy as their men are busy telling women what they should do.” —Peter Heck https://patriotpost.us/articles/58703-monday-short-cuts Join our editors and staff 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. We also humbly ask prayer for your Patriot team, that our mission would seed and encourage the spirit of Liberty in the hearts and minds of our countrymen. Semper Vigilans Fortis Paratus et Fidelis Nate Jackson, Managing Editor Mark Alexander, Publisher |