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« on: April 27, 2016, 06:49:22 PM » |
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The Patriot Post Digest 4-27-2016
From The Federalist Patriot
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Mid-Day Digest
Apr. 27, 2016
THE FOUNDATION
“It is an unquestionable truth, that the body of the people in every country desire sincerely its prosperity. But it is equally unquestionable that they do not possess the discernment and stability necessary for systematic government. To deny that they are frequently led into the grossest of errors, by misinformation and passion, would be a flattery which their own good sense must despise.” —Alexander Hamilton (1788.)
TOP RIGHT HOOKS
The Presumptive Nominee?1
Donald Trump drew one step closer to sewing up the Republican nomination by winning stronger-than-expected majorities in all five states that voted Tuesday. His wins in Connecticut, Delaware, Maryland, Pennsylvania and Rhode Island present two sides of a coin. On one side, none of those five state (except perhaps Pennsylvania) is in play for Republicans in November. On the other side, Trump’s saving grace has been his crossover appeal, meaning he may in fact remake the election map — though even that may not work out in his favor when he’s trailing Hillary Clinton in places like Utah and Mississippi. Trump declared in his victory speech, “I’m a unifier. I unify people. We’re going to have such unity. … We’re going to win and we’re going to beat Hillary Clinton.”
Strong opposition to Trump remains among conservatives, however, which is perhaps due to factors like Trump reportedly never voting in a Republican primary. Or maybe it’s statements like the one he made in 2004: “In many cases, I probably identify more as a Democrat.” But at least we know Trump’s New York values2 play well in certain sectors of the Northeast, while Ted Cruz’s conservatism decidedly does not.
After a predictably dismal finish, Cruz asked, “Can Republicans stop the media’s chosen Republican candidate3?”
It’s looking less likely. As National Review’s Rich Lowry observed, “Trump’s [Tuesday] numbers are what you would expect of a frontrunner who is beginning to put a race away.” All eyes will now turn to winner-take-all Indiana, which may be Cruz’s Alamo. California looms large, as well. Trump still must win a majority of the remaining delegates to reach 1,237, so the race isn’t over.
Meanwhile, Hillary Clinton likewise moved closer to securing the Democrat nomination, with wins in four of Tuesday’s five states. She too claimed, “We will unify our party to win this election.”
The most frustrating thing right now is that the Republican who by all appearances will fare worst against Clinton is none other than Trump. She should be indicted with felonious handling of classified information, but as of a judge’s decision Tuesday, Trump will be the defendant in a suit alleging he defrauded people through Trump University. And they’ve got a good case4. Which one do you think the Leftmedia will give more play? And which will swing more votes — procedural arguments about email, or defrauding poor people?
Obama Suddenly Advocates Missile Defense5
Barack Obama addressed North Korea’s nuclear shenanigans in an interview with CBS, attempting to look presidential while the Middle East falls apart. He told Charlie Rose, “Our first priority is to protect the American people and our allies, the Republic of Korea, Japan, that are vulnerable to the provocative actions that North Korea is engaging in.” He continued, “It’s not something that lends itself to an easy solution. We could, obviously, destroy North Korea with our arsenals. But aside from the humanitarian costs of that, they are right next door to our vital ally, Republic of Korea.”
Well, yes, and we could easily destroy Iran with our arsenals, too. Or most any other nation for that matter. But if these remarks were intended to stave off any future nuclear development, don’t bet on that happening. Obama did, however, go on to say, “One of the things that we have been doing is spending a lot more time positioning our missile defense systems, so that even as we try to resolve the underlying problem of nuclear development inside of North Korea, we’re also setting up a shield that can at least block the relatively low-level threats that they’re posing right now.”
Here, he’s absolutely right. To force change, you must demonstrate strength, and a missile defense shield is an excellent way to do it. But where was this sentiment during the early stages of Obama’s presidency when he outright retreated from a planned missile defense shield in Europe and cut billions from missile defense programs? Regardless of what fantasies this administration choses to indulge in, Iran still wants The Bomb and is working tirelessly underground to get it. Why should our response to Iran be any different than our response to North Korea? Or Russia? Or any other fundamentalist or geopolitical foe?
Obama’s newfound revelation is also an about-face when it comes to, well, North Korea. As Ed Morrissey writes6, “It’s worth noting that Obama had the opportunity to demonstrate missile-shield capabilities in this region before. The US Navy has the capability to operate its ABM system in the region and at one time had deployed it there, but Obama didn’t order its use when Pyongyang fired off a long-range missile a few years ago. Perhaps a demonstration of that strength might be in order soon.” If there’s one thing you can count on with this administration, it’s unbridled flexibility. And that’s the scariest thing.
Breaking U.S. Law to Push Climate Treaty7
Current U.S. law prevents the United States from forking over money to a United Nations organization if a group that is not an officially recognized state is also a member. And while it may seem like the rule splits hairs, there’s good reason for it. As The Hill explains8, the rule was established so that the Palestinians can’t pull a foreign policy fast one and leverage the UN to declare statehood without first sitting down and negotiating a lasting peace deal with Israel. But peace in the Middle East isn’t as important to Barack Obama as cementing a legacy of climate change policies that pander to ecofascists.
Senate Republicans point out that the U.S. cannot give $10 million a year to the UN’s Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) because the Palestinian Authority also signed onto the framework. But as the whole climate change treaty wasn’t a treaty when Obama didn’t want to try winning approval from the Senate, Obama says the organization the treaty established is not an organization. “The UNFCCC is a treaty, and the Palestinians' purported accession does not involve their becoming members of any UN specialized agency or, indeed, any international organization,” State Department spokesman John Kirby argued. “Further, we do not believe that it advances U.S. interests to respond to Palestinian efforts by withholding critical funds that support the implementation of key international agreements, which could undermine our ability to pursue important U.S. objectives.” See? The ends justify the means.
But Obama’s arguments don’t hold water, according to The Heritage Foundation’s Brett Schaefer and Steven Groves. The two wrote9 that UNFCCC is an organization established by the treaty — one that employs about 500 people, similar to organizations like INTERPOL. As a result, Congress should exercise its power of the purse and pull the strings shut on this implementation of Obama’s ecofascist plan.
BEST OF RIGHT OPINION
Jonah Goldberg: With Indiana a Critical Battleground, Pence Must Pick a Side10
Walter Williams: A Superior Vision11
Rich Lowry: The Working-Class Meltdown12
For more, visit Right Opinion13.
FEATURED RIGHT ANALYSIS
Voting for Criminal Justice Reform14
By Lewis Morris
The GOP is putting criminal justice reform on the list of items to focus on after the recent Republican National Committee spring meeting in Florida. Taking the lead of conservative states such as Texas, Alabama and Georgia, the national party crafted a resolution15 that would support efforts to lower mandatory minimum sentencing in nonviolent cases and allow well-behaved inmates to earn time off their prison terms.
Bipartisan legislation16 in the House and Senate was introduced last year, but there has been some back and forth over whether the bill is too soft on certain types of crime. |
