The Patriot Post Digest 2-2--2016

[nChrist]

________________________________________
The Patriot Post Digest 2-2--2016
From The Federalist Patriot
Free Email Subscription
________________________________________

Daily Digest

Feb. 2, 2016

THE FOUNDATION

“It should be the highest ambition of every American to extend his views beyond himself, and to bear in mind that his conduct will not only affect himself, his country, and his immediate posterity; but that its influence may be co-extensive with the world, and stamp political happiness or misery on ages yet unborn.” —George Washington, 1789

TOP RIGHT HOOKS

The ‘Stupid People of Iowa’?1

“How stupid are the people of Iowa?” Donald Trump asked at a rally in November, though for all we know he’s asking that same question after his second-place finish in Monday’s Iowa caucus. He asked it while marveling that Ben Carson was surging in the polls two (long) months ago. It wasn’t Carson who knocked Trump off his pedestal Monday, though; it was Ted Cruz. And Marco Rubio came very close to doing likewise (Trump and Rubio won the same number of delegates). Cruz’s victory is clearly the headline of the night — not least because the one guy unequivocally opposed to ethanol subsidies2 won the most caucus votes ever in the state that most benefits from those subsidies. But Rubio’s late surge and likely momentum going forward may be the more interesting story. His path seems much clearer now than 10 days ago. That said, Trump remains formidable and certainly has the ability to win the nomination.

Another key story is how wrong the polls were. Cruz won with 28%, Trump got 24% and Rubio finished with 23%. The Real Clear Politics average: Trump (28%), Cruz (24%) and Rubio (17%). Oops. Once again, the only poll that matters is the one on Election Day.

One factor in Trump’s loss might have been his increasingly vitriolic attacks on Cruz3, accusing the Texas senator of lying (by using Trump’s own words, by the way) and insisting that everybody hates Cruz. Evangelicals also proved decisive for Cruz and perhaps grew increasingly wary of Trump4.

Some final notes on the GOP side: Mike Huckabee, who won Iowa in 2008, ended his campaign Monday night. Rick Santorum, the 2012 Iowa winner, can’t be far behind. And what did $155 million in campaign cash buy Jeb Bush? A sixth-place finish with less than 3% of the vote.

Now for the Democrats. Hillary Clinton managed to pull near-defeat from the jaws of victory, and a narrow loss for Bernie Sanders is still a “win” for him. As we go to press, Clinton leads by less than a percentage point. After her machine spent a year building a get-out-the-vote operation and a 12 point lead as recently as two weeks ago, she collapsed, surely leaving many to wonder if this isn’t a repeat of 2008. Her bitter tone in her speech clearly reflected her wounded sense of entitlement.

By the way, former Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley dropped out of the race. Yes, until last night he was still in it.

Notable quotes:

Cruz: “Tonight is a victory for the grassroots. Tonight is a victory for courageous conservative across Iowa — and all across this great nation. … Iowa has sent notice that the Republican nominee and the next president of the United States will not be chosen by the media; will not be chosen by the Washington establishment; will not be chosen by the lobbyists. But will be chosen by the most incredible powerful force where all sovereignty resides in our nation by ‘We the People’ — the American people.”

Trump: “They said don’t [go to Iowa]. I said I have to do it, and we finished second. And I want to tell you something: I’m just honored.”

Rubio: “For months, for months they told us we had no chance. For months they told us because we offer too much optimism in a time of anger, we had no chance. … This is a time we need a president that will preserve, protect the Constitution of the United States, not one that undermines, attacks and ignores the Constitution of the United States.”

Islamophile Obama to Visit Radical Mosque5

Can somebody say “Blinding Islamophilia6”? On Wednesday, Barack Obama is scheduled to visit a Baltimore mosque to show his support for the Islamic community. A White House staffer emailed7 The Washington Post saying Obama is going “to celebrate the contributions Muslim Americans make to our nation and reaffirm the importance of religious freedom to our way of life. … As the President has said, Muslim Americans are our friends, and neighbors; our co-workers, and sports heroes — and our men and women in uniform defending our country.” The Muslim Public Affairs Council told the Post that it helped the White House to pick which mosque to visit, and that the Islamic Society of Baltimore was an “average Joe mosque.”

But the mosque isn’t exactly filled with the “moderate Muslims” Obama and the rest of the Left like to say make up the majority of adherents to the Religion of Peace™ in the United States. As Investor’s Business Daily reports8, the mosque is affiliated with the Islamic Society of North America, a group the Justice Department named in 2007 as an unindicted coconspirator for giving $12 million to Hamas. Furthermore, the mosque’s former imam of 15 years, Mohamad Adam el-Sheikh, left to replace Anwar Awlaki — the al-Qaida leader who was influential for the Fort Hood jihadi, and later killed by an Obama drone strike — at a Virginia mosque where some of the 9/11 hijackers attended. El-Sheikh also founded a Muslim organization that U.S. prosecutors say is the U.S. franchise of the Muslim Brotherhood. If this mosque is what the Obama administration says represents moderate Muslims, will Muslim leaders condemn this visit?

Electric Vehicle Expectations Short Circuit9

With the per-barrel cost of crude oil hovering below $35 and showing no signs of spiking, gasoline prices continue to drop. Today, the national average for a gallon of regular unleaded fuel is a remarkably low $1.79. The steady decline throughout 2015 no doubt propelled the auto market on its way to setting a new benchmark. Last month, the Associated Press reported that “U.S. auto sales hit a record high of 17.47 million in 2015, topping the old record of 17.35 million set in 2000.” The report added, “Analysts expect sales could go even higher this year as unemployment continues to decline and more young buyers enter the market.”

However, the outlook for the electric vehicle market is far less sublime. Recall this prediction from Barack Obama’s 2011 State of the Union address: “With more research and incentives, we can break our dependence on oil with biofuels, and become the first country to have a million electric vehicles on the road by 2015.” But with 2015 in the history books, the report card is rustier than a decades-old junk car. According to statistics provided by hybridcars.com10, a total of 411,120 plug-in electrified vehicles (PEV) have been purchased in the United States since 2008. Obama’s prediction would be right if he was talking globally — about 1.2 million PEVs have been sold worldwide — but he wasn’t, which means he only reached about 41% of his goal. In other words, good enough to earn an “F.” But who said anything about graded tests? This is government, after all.

[nChrist]

________________________________________
The Patriot Post Digest 2-2--2016
From The Federalist Patriot
Free Email Subscription
________________________________________

The ironic thing is that both cheap gasoline and the struggling electric vehicle market are the result of failed policies. Instead of depending less on gasoline-powered vehicles, millions of Americans are buying them in droves despite Obama taking undeserved credit11. And hybridcars.com notes, “Last year the U.S. purchased 2.8 percent fewer PEVs than it did in 2014.” No wonder Tesla CEO Elon Musk says “the industry as a whole, I think, will definitely suffer from lower oil prices.” The trends are completely opposite what Obama said they would be. But he’ll gladly take credit for them anyway. Only in government is missing your goal by 59% considered a success.

Don’t Miss Patriot Humor

Check out Discernment12.

If you’d like to receive Patriot Humor by email, update your subscription here13.

FEATURED RIGHT ANALYSIS
Economic Reality vs. Obama’s Economic Fantasy14

By Paul Albaugh

With the first month of the year 2016 behind us, expectations of economic growth remain one of the top concerns for voters in this year’s election cycle. Most presidential candidates have laid out their proposals for addressing the nation’s economic woes. Granted, the president of the United States doesn’t run the economy, but the ability to influence economic policy is a key characteristic of the presidency, and more often than not, a president’s success or failure is attributed to his ability to lead the nation in economic growth.

Economic growth has been scarce during the last seven years. Barack Obama may boast otherwise, but claims that aren’t backed up by evidence are completely meaningless. For starters, the advance report15 for U.S. Gross Domestic Product (GDP) — the value of everything a nation produces — shows that the economy expanded at a paltry 0.7% for the last quarter (Q4) of 2015. That is a significant drop from the 2% growth in the fall and 3.9% last spring.

Overall, the U.S. economy grew only 2.4% for 2015, which matches economic growth from 2014. Many factors contribute to the sluggish growth. In Q4 for instance, consumers spent less, mainly on higher ticket items such as cars; exports fell 2.5%; and businesses spent less on new equipment.

Yet some economists contend that the economy is healthy and well on its way to fully recovering. Consumers actually spent more money in 2015 than in each of the years of the previous decade, but this is likely attributed to the decline in oil prices and lower energy costs due to more favorable weather conditions overall.

However, the overall picture of the economy is abysmal when compared with economic growth in the decades following World War II. According to James Pethokoukis of the American Enterprise Institute, we have essentially suffered16 “a lost decade” — at least by American standards. From WWII until 2005, the U.S. economy grew at an average rate of 3.5%. That was the norm, but not in Obama’s America.

Growth over the last decade has yet to reach 3%, with the highest GDP growth being in 2006 at 2.7%. Recall that GDP growth for 2015 was just 2.4% overall. Forecasters from the Congressional Budget Office now claim that a 2% growth figure is now permanent.

Pethokoukis puts that in perspective: “It may not seem like such a big difference but it is. It’s the difference between having a $21 trillion economy in 2026 or a $23 trillion economy. (That $2 trillion difference, by the way, is the size of the entire Italian economy.) And that gap grows larger year after year, decade after decade. And with that growth gap come fewer jobs, lower incomes, and less opportunity.”

This is the economic reality we face. In addition to poor growth, there are additional indicators that the economy has not fully recovered and that we have a long way to go. Recall that back in December, the Federal Reserve raised interests rates17 for the first time in nine years under pressure that it was the time to do so because the economy had recovered. By all indications, that was a mistake.

The stock market — a barometer of economic confidence — has taken a hard hit18, likely at least in part because of the rate hike. Yet there is talk that the Federal Reserve may raise rates again in the coming months. As noted19 by Investor’s Business Daily, “The Fed has been spectacularly wrong in recent years about its policy moves. Maybe it’s time it started listening to markets instead of dictating to them.”

Despite all of the evidence that our economy is weaker, not stronger, that our growth has remained stagnant, not expanded, and that there is enormous economic uncertainty among the American people, Obama refuses to acknowledge that his policies are largely to blame.

Instead, during his weekly address20, he bragged, “I’ve never been more confident about our future.”

The Heritage Foundation notes in its 2016 Index of Economic Freedom21 that America’s economic freedom has declined rapidly22 during Obama’s tenure. When Obama took office, the U.S. ranked 6th in economic freedom in the world; now in 2016, we are ranked 11th.

The list below highlights several of the reasons. Since early 2009:

    Government spending has exploded, amounting to $29,867 per household in 2015.
    The national debt has risen to $125,000 for every tax-filing household in America — a total that just topped $19 trillion23.
    The government takeover of health care is raising prices and disrupting markets.
    Bailouts and new government regulations have increased uncertainty, stifling investment and job creation.

The U.S also has the highest corporate tax rate in the developed world, which has resulted in companies moving overseas, fewer American jobs and lower wages. Further, the overall annual cost of meeting the regulatory requirements imposed on businesses by the Obama administration has risen astronomically since 2009.

As the 2016 presidential primaries are now underway, every voter needs to consider asking the following questions. Do we want to continue down Obama’s path of socialist policies that have resulted in economic ruin for America? If the answer is yes, then the choice is clear; Bernie Sanders or Hillary Clinton. Or do we want to halt the socialist policies of Obama and prevent the destruction of America’s economy? If that answer is yes, then the choice is equally clear; vote for the candidate that has the best understanding of our God-given rights, free-market principles and limited government, and who has a track record of lowering taxes and reducing regulations.

[nChrist]

________________________________________
The Patriot Post Digest 2-2--2016
From The Federalist Patriot
Free Email Subscription
________________________________________

MORE ORIGINAL PERSPECTIVE

    ANALYSIS: Cooling Off the Global Warming Talk24
    Matt Ridley on How Fossil Fuels are Greening the Planet25
    Iran Awards Medals for Capture of U.S. Sailors26
    Obama Red Lines in Syria27
    Obama Mission Creep — Iraq, Afghanistan and Libya28
    Chicago Police Possibly Disabled Dashcams29

BEST OF RIGHT OPINION

    Michael Barone: Republican Debate Shows Where Comprehensive Immigration Is Headed: Nowhere30
    Stephen Moore: Who of the Candidates Has Fairest Tax Plan of All?31
    Tom Fitton: NYPD Prioritizes Sensitivity Toward Muslims Over Public Safety32

For more, visit Right Opinion33.

TOP HEADLINES

    What to Expect in the New Hampshire Republican Primary34
    Debt Hits $19 Trillion for First Time Ever23
    White House Won’t Say if It’s Behind Facebook Gun Ban35

For more, visit Patriot Headline Report36

OPINION IN BRIEF

Michael Barone: “It’s undeniable that both Rubio and Cruz have changed their positions [on immigration] since 2013. For immigration restrictionists, such as best-selling author Ann Coulter and maverick Democratic blogger Mickey Kaus, that’s disqualifying. Once past the election, they argue, these guys will flip back and with the cooperation of House Speaker Paul Ryan will shove through a path to legalization that will incentivize further illegal immigration. Presumably, they believe that Donald Trump, who also supported forms of legalization, wouldn’t because he has become so identified with the issue. But the effective reality, as National Review’s Ramesh Ponnuru has argued, is that immigration has become a Republican litmus test issue. Rubio’s and Cruz’s deft maneuvering off their previous positions proves that. And Rubio is persuasive in arguing that a bill with legalization can’t be passed until the American people — i.e., Republican voters — are convinced that enforcement has been made effective. My sense is that a President Rubio or President Cruz would be as bound by their current positions as a President Trump. … Paul Ryan is not likely to spend the huge amount of political capital required to pass a bill supported mainly by Democrats and opposed by a large majority of House Republicans. Donald Trump’s candidacy, however it turns out, has changed the immigration calculus for Republican politicians. … The opening for ‘comprehensive’ immigration legislation seems to have closed.”

SHORT CUTS

Insight: “When plunder becomes a way of life for a group of men living together in society, they create for themselves in the course of time a legal system that authorizes it and a moral code that glorifies it.” —Frederic Bastiat (1801-1850)

Noteworthy: “Rubio won 44 percent among those who cared about winning in November (21 percent of voters). Trump crushed among voters who want someone who tells it like it is (14 percent of voters). Meanwhile, Cruz dominated among voters who want someone who shares their values (42 percent), and held his own, losing narrowly to Trump, among those who want a candidate who can bring needed change (21).” —Rich Lowry

For the record: “Trump is right about one thing. The public is sick of traditional politicians who make promises but don’t deliver, while driving up the debt and lining their pockets. But whose fault is that? Ultimately it’s the voters' fault, because they are the ones who put them in office, demanding more from government than it can, or should, deliver and demanding too little of themselves.” —Cal Thomas

Alpha Jackass: “[Ted Cruz] had a better ground game [in Iowa] than El Chapo might have had, you know.” —Bob Schieffer

Belly laugh of the week: “The past two to three weeks, Hillary Clinton has blossomed into the kind of candidate that you dream about.” —Van Jones (Sure, if you’re a Republican!)

Braying Jenny: “Most [climate change skeptics] are not that ill-informed. They just have to do what the Koch brothers tell them. They say, ‘Don’t believe your lying eyes — listen to us.’” —Hillary Clinton

Non Compos Mentis: “I think the extraordinary request that Secretary Clinton put forward to actually release her emails is something that I’m not sure has a precedent, at least for federal officeholders.” —Josh Earnest

And last… “Whether you like Ted Cruz or not, you gotta be pleased that the anti-ethanol candidate beat the Branstad ethanol-fueled engine.” —Washington Post’s Charles Lane

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.