The Patriot Post Digest 7-22-2016

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The Patriot Post Digest 7-22-2016
From The Federalist Patriot
Free Email Subscription
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Mid-Day Digest

Jul. 22, 2016

THE FOUNDATION

“The ingredients which constitute safety in the republican sense are, first, a due dependence on the people, secondly, a due responsibility.” —Alexander Hamilton (1788.)

FEATURED RIGHT ANALYSIS
Trump — The Convention Keynotes1

By Mark Alexander

    “The greatest good we can do our country is to heal its party divisions and make them one people.” —Thomas Jefferson (1801)

Last night was the conclusion of, to put it kindly, one of the most contentious party primaries in American history. It would follow that the most cantankerous of the candidates, Donald Trump2, prevailed.

In this quadrennial campaign season, the Republican Party fractures have been rivaled only by the 1856 political convention, when the Whig party disintegrated and three new parties, the Republicans, the Know Nothings, and the North Americans, were vying for its constituents. But the GOP convention held the Party together, despite one notable failure to endorse on day three3, and the fact that two primary contenders were no-shows.

Mr. Trump needed to accomplish four things in his GOP acceptance speech.

He needed clearly frame his presidential objectives, a challenge for a candidate who has a tendency for “syntactical drift.” He did.

He needed to clearly highlight the abject failures of the Obama/Clinton regime and hang Hillary Clinton4 with her disastrous political and policy record. He did.

He needed to offer solutions to the broad range of serious problems our nation faces, after almost eight years of that regime. He did.

Finally, he needed to reach far across Democratic Party5 lines for this generation’s blue-collar working Americans, as Ronald Reagan6 did so effectively in 1980 and 1984. Trump can win only if those voters cross party lines in large numbers. He succeeded in extending that reach.

Ivanka Trump introduced her father, and as The Washington Post noted, “She was poised. She was confident. And, most of all, she was on message. … Ivanka did it all without savaging Hillary Clinton or Democrats. She simply painted an alternative — and far more appealing — picture of a man who everyone already thought they knew. Ivanka’s speech was a home run…” (Full Transcript Here7)

For his part, Donald Trump delivered (yelled, really) what was, arguably, the broadest and most populist speech by any presidential candidate in the history of our Republic. The MSM talkingheads described Trump’s remarks as “dark.” Well, he shined a bright light on the fact that our nation is in a very dark place right now.

I have excerpted the highlights of his remarks — the following are Trump’s words, with my parenthetical observations:

Who would have believed that … we would have received almost 14 million votes, the most in the history of the Republican Party; and that the Republican Party would get 60% more votes than it received [in 2008]. The Democrats, on the other hand, received 20% fewer votes than they got four years ago.

Together, we will lead our party back to the White House, and we will lead our country back to safety, prosperity and peace. We will be a country of generosity and warmth. But we will also be a country of law and order.

Our Convention occurs at a moment of crisis for our nation. … Any politician who does not grasp this danger is not fit to lead our country. The most basic duty of government is to defend the lives of its own citizens. Any government that fails to do so is a government unworthy to lead.

It is finally time for a straightforward assessment of the state of our nation. I will present the facts plainly and honestly. We cannot afford to be so politically correct anymore. If you want to hear the corporate spin, the carefully crafted lies, and the media myths, the Democrats are holding their convention next week. Go there.

(Trump noted the significant increase in violent crime, and then transitioned to a hot-button for most Republicans — immigration.)

Nearly 180,000 illegal immigrants with criminal records, ordered deported from our country, are tonight roaming free to threaten peaceful citizens. The number of new illegal immigrant families who have crossed the border so far this year already exceeds the entire total from 2015. One such border-crosser was released and made his way to Nebraska. There, he ended the life of an innocent young girl named Sarah Root. … One more child to sacrifice on the altar of open borders.

What about our economy? … Nearly four in 10 African-American children are living in poverty, while 58% of African-American youth are not employed. Two million more Latinos are in poverty today than when [Obama] took his oath of office less than eight years ago. Another 14 million people have left the workforce entirely.

Obama has doubled our national debt to more than $19 trillion, and growing. Yet, what do we have to show for it? Our roads and bridges are falling apart, our airports are in third-world condition, and 43 million Americans are on food stamps.

(Trump noted Obama’s disastrous “Iran deal8”)

America is far less safe — and the world is far less stable — than when Obama made the decision to put Hillary Clinton in charge of America’s foreign policy. Let’s defeat her, OK? … Her bad instincts and her bad judgment — something pointed out by Bernie Sanders — are what caused the disasters unfolding today.

Let’s review the record.

(Trump laid out the most notable of Clinton’s foreign policy malfeasance9.)

After 15 years of wars in the Middle East, after trillions of dollars spent and thousands of lives lost, the situation is worse than it has ever been before. This is the legacy of Hillary Clinton: death, destruction, terrorism and weakness. But Hillary Clinton’s legacy does not have to be America’s legacy.

A change in leadership is required to change these outcomes. … Americanism, not globalism, will be our credo. … The American People will come first once again.

(Trump reiterated his plan to correct the catastrophic national security and economic damage done by Obama and Clinton.)

A number of these reforms will be opposed by some of our nation’s most powerful special interests. That is because these interests have rigged our political and economic system for their exclusive benefit. … Big business, elite media and major donors are lining up behind the campaign of my opponent because they know she will keep our rigged system in place. They are throwing money at her because they have total control over every single thing she does. She is their puppet, and they pull the strings. That is why Hillary Clinton’s message is that things will never change, never ever. My message is that things have to change — and they have to change right now.

I have visited the laid-off factory workers, and the communities crushed by our horrible and unfair trade deals. These are the forgotten men and women of our country. … But they’re not going to be forgotten for long. These are people who work hard but no longer have a voice.

I AM YOUR VOICE.

I have no patience for injustice, no tolerance for government incompetence, no sympathy for leaders who fail their citizens.

When a secretary of state illegally stores her emails on a private server, deletes 33,000 of them so the authorities can’t see her crime, puts our country at risk, lies about it and faces no consequence — I know that corruption has reached a level like never ever before in our country. … Her single greatest accomplishment may be committing such an egregious crime and getting away with it — especially when others, who have done far less, have paid so dearly.

I have joined the political arena so that the powerful can no longer beat up on people that cannot defend themselves. Nobody knows the system better than me, which is why I alone can fix it. Millions of Democrats will join our movement, because we are going to fix the system so it works for all Americans.

When I take the oath of office next year, I will restore law and order to our country.

(Trump mentioned “law and order” four times in his remarks.)

[Obama] has used the pulpit of the presidency to divide us by race and color… This administration has failed America’s inner cities. It’s failed them on education. It’s failed them on crime. It’s failed them in every way and at every single level.

(Trump reiterated the Islamic threat globally and locally.)

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The Patriot Post Digest 7-22-2016
From The Federalist Patriot
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We are going to defeat the barbarians of ISIS. … We must work with all of our allies who share our goal of destroying ISIS and stamping out Islamic terrorism. This includes working with our greatest ally in the region, the State of Israel.

(Trump reiterated his immigration reform plans.)

Anyone who endorses violence, hatred or oppression is not welcome in our country and never will be. Decades of record immigration have produced lower wages and higher unemployment for our citizens, especially for African-American and Latino workers. We are going to have an immigration system that works, but one that works for the American people.

We are going to build a great border wall to stop illegal immigration, to stop the gangs and the violence, and to stop the drugs from pouring into our communities.

My opponent wants sanctuary cities. But where was sanctuary for Kate Steinle? Where was sanctuary for the children of Mary Ann, Sabine and Jamiel? … By ending catch-and-release on the border, we will stop the cycle of human smuggling and violence. By enforcing the rules for the millions who overstay their visas, our laws will finally receive the respect they deserve.

Tonight, I want every American whose demands for immigration security have been denied — and every politician who has denied them — to listen very closely to the words I am about to say. On January 20th of 2017, the day I take the oath of office, Americans will finally wake up in a country where the laws of the United States are enforced. … My plan is the exact opposite of the radical and dangerous immigration policy of Hillary Clinton. Americans want relief from uncontrolled immigration. Communities want relief.

Hillary Clinton is proposing mass amnesty, mass immigration and mass lawlessness. Her plan will overwhelm your schools and hospitals, further reduce your jobs and wages, and make it harder for recent immigrants to escape from poverty and join the middle class.

(Trump reiterated his commitment to fair trade policies.)

I have a different vision for our workers. It begins with a new, fair trade policy that protects our jobs and stands up to countries that cheat. It’s been a signature message of my campaign from day one, and it will be a signature feature of my presidency from the moment I take the oath of office.

Remember, it was Bill Clinton10 who signed NAFTA, one of the worst economic deals ever made by our country. Never again. I am going to bring back our jobs to Ohio and Pennsylvania and New York and Michigan and to all of America. … [Hillary Clinton] has supported virtually every trade agreement that has been destroying our middle class. She supported NAFTA, and she supported China’s entrance into the World Trade Organization — another one of her husband’s colossal mistakes.

I pledge to never sign any trade agreement that hurts our workers, or that diminishes our freedom and independence. … America first! America first!

(Trump reiterated his commitment to tax and regulatory reform, and rebuilding America.)

Middle-income Americans and businesses will experience profound relief, and taxes will be greatly simplified for everyone. Reducing taxes will cause new companies and new jobs to come roaring back into our country. … Then we are going to deal with the issue of regulation, one of the greatest job-killers of them all.

We will build the roads, highways, bridges, tunnels, airports and the railways of tomorrow. This, in turn, will create millions more jobs. We will rescue kids from failing schools by helping their parents send them to a safe school of their choice. My opponent would rather protect bureaucrats than serve American children, and that’s what she’s doing and that’s what she’s done. We will repeal and replace disastrous ObamaCare. You will be able to choose your own doctor again.

We will completely rebuild our depleted military, and the countries that we are protecting, at a massive cost to us, will be asked to pay their fair share. We will take care of our great Veterans.

We are going to ask every department head in government to provide a list of wasteful spending projects that we can eliminate in my first 100 days. The politicians have talked about it; I’m going to do it.

(Trump reiterated what I believe is the most important issue of this election.)

We are also going to appoint justices to the United States Supreme Court who will uphold our laws and our Constitution. The replacement of our beloved Justice Scalia will be a person of similar views, principles and judicial philosophy.

My opponent wants to essentially abolish the Second Amendment. I … will protect the right of all Americans to keep their families safe.

(Trump referenced his faith-based support.)

I would like to thank the evangelical and religious community, because, I’ll tell you what, the support they’ve given me, and I’m not sure I totally deserve it…

(Trump concluded in Reagonesque style.)

We can accomplish these great things, and so much more — all we need to do is start believing in ourselves and in our country again. It is time to show the whole world that America is back — bigger and better and stronger than ever before. … But to do that, we must break free from the petty politics of the past. America is a nation of believers, dreamers and strivers that is being led by a group of censors, critics and cynics.

I am your voice. So to every parent who dreams for their child, and every child who dreams for their future, I say these words to you tonight: I’m with you, I will fight for you, and I will win for you. To all Americans tonight, in all of our cities and in all of our towns, I make this promise: We Will Make America Strong Again. We Will Make America Proud Again. We Will Make America Safe Again. And We Will Make America Great Again.

(A full transcript of Mr. Trump’s speech can be read here11.)

Mr. Trump’s remarks could be summed up in this comment from President Reagan’s 1981 inaugural speech: “We hear much of special interest groups. Well, our concern must be for a special interest group that has been too long neglected. It knows no sectional boundaries or ethnic and racial divisions, and it crosses political party lines. It is made up of men and women who raise our food, patrol our streets, man our mines and factories, teach our children, keep our homes, and heal us when we’re sick — professionals, industrialists, shopkeepers, clerks, cabbies and truck drivers. They are, in short, ‘We the people,’ this breed called Americans.”

Next up is the Democrat convention, and the Left will begin saturating the airwaves with ad campaigns featuring Trump’s own derogatory remarks in public venues over the last 20 years, and criticism of Trump by his primary opponents this year.

But Hillary cannot pillory Trump on many issues. As we have written previously, “What’s she going to hit him with? His marital history? His ethics? His honesty? His wealth? His Wall Street connections? His political incorrectness? On every one of those issues, one of two things applies: Her record is either as bad as or worse than his, or he’s managed to turn a ‘weakness’ into a strength. Nothing may typify the latter better than his politically incorrect demeanor. Surely vast swaths of working class Democrats are tired of bowing to Clinton-style ‘progressive’ thought control, and they find Trump’s unfiltered presentation a breath of fresh air. We have to admit — a Trump-Clinton debate would be reality TV worth watching.”

BEST OF RIGHT OPINION

    Mona Charen: Why I Am Not a Cruzite12
    Charles Krauthammer: Notes From Cleveland: The Two-Part Rebellion13
    Jonah Goldberg: Can America Afford to Have a Ceremonial President?14

For more, visit Right Opinion15.

TOP HEADLINES

    Roger Ailes Resigns From Fox News16
    Russian Warplanes Bombed U.S. Base in Syria17
    Turkey’s Erdogan Gets Sweeping New Powers18

For more, visit Patriot Headline Report19.

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The Patriot Post Digest 7-22-2016
From The Federalist Patriot
Free Email Subscription
________________________________________

TOP RIGHT HOOKS

GOP Convention Highlights, Final Day20

Ivanka Trump: “For more than a year, Donald Trump has been the people’s champion, and tonight he’s the people’s nominee. Like many of my fellow Millennials, I do not consider myself categorically Republican or Democrat. More than party affiliation, I vote on based on what I believe is right, for my family and for my country. Sometimes it’s a tough choice. That is not the case this time. … Real change — the kind we have not seen in decades — is only going to come from outside the system. And it’s only going to come from a man who’s spent his entire life doing what others said could not be done.”

Billionaire Silicon Valley entrepreneur Peter Thiel: “I build companies and I support people who are building new things, from social networks to rocket ships. I’m not a politician. But neither is Donald Trump. He is a builder, and it’s time to rebuild America. … Americans get paid less today than 10 years ago. But healthcare and college tuition cost more every year. Meanwhile Wall Street bankers inflate bubbles in everything from government bonds to Hillary Clinton’s speaking fees. Our economy is broken. If you’re watching me right now, you understand this better than any politician in Washington. And you know this isn’t the dream we looked forward to. … When Donald Trump asks us to Make America Great Again, he’s not suggesting a return to the past. He’s running to lead us back to that bright future.”

RNC Chairman Reince Priebus: “To some people — and some presidents — America is just another country. To Republicans, America is the greatest nation on earth. We don’t apologize for America. We celebrate America. At every level, Republicans stand for aspiration and achievement. We stand for peace and prosperity. We stand for freedom and fairness. These values have inspired people the world over, ever since we won our freedom over two centuries ago. … If Hillary Clinton is given the chance, she’ll stack the Supreme Court with activist left-wing judges who will treat the Constitution like a doormat. You can kiss your gun rights goodbye if she ever finds her way into the White House. In foreign policy, a Clinton presidency means forgetting our friends and enabling our enemies. … You all know [Donald Trump has] brought millions of new voters into our Party because he’s listening to Americans who are anxious about a country which has lost its way.”

A Series of Election Questions21

The 2016 Republican National Convention is now in the books, and the Democrats' version begins Monday. With that in mind, here are some considerations for Republicans of all stripes — elected officials, party poohbahs and voters, whether registered GOP or merely considering their votes — in this tumultuous election year.

The most remarkable thing about the 2016 cycle is how disliked both parties' nominees are. And, particularly on the Republican side, how bitterly divided some folks remain. Yet notwithstanding a few third-party options22, either Hillary Clinton or Donald Trump will be the president come Jan. 20, 2017. So what’s a voter to do?

The Patriot Post has for 20 years been on the front lines of the fight for Liberty and Rule of Law. We regularly (and vigorously) advocate for the Constitution and First Principles. That includes often asking, how do we best advance our principles?

Conservatives are far more likely than leftists to stand for principle, which sometimes puts them at odds with “the team.” There may be a few disgruntled Bernie Sanders voters out there, but the fact is Democrats always come together when it counts. That means they often achieve more of their objectives than Republicans do. And even when Republicans do accomplish their goals — slowing the advance of Barack Obama’s agenda23, for example — many on the team complain that a near-sack and incomplete pass on Obama’s part wasn’t a pick-six by Team Red. Of course, no team scores on every play.

Here, then, are some questions to ponder:

Will Hillary Clinton sign a repeal of ObamaCare? Will Trump?

Will Clinton seek to raise taxes? Will Trump24?

Who will put forth a better foreign policy vision? Will either candidate restore America’s standing in the world?

What will each one do about the Islamic State and the global terrorism threat?

What will the two candidates do with immigration policy?

What would a Republican Congress be able to do with Trump?

What would a Democrat Congress be able to do with Clinton?

Will Clinton appoint judges and justices who will uphold the Constitution? Will Trump25?

Does either candidate have the character of a president26? If not, does that matter any more?

Perhaps the biggest questions are these: Does party trump principle? Or is it the other way around? Do the two ever work together? Is principle advanced when the team loses?

We suppose if you asked 100 people those questions, you’d get a variety of thoughtful answers. But that’s what faces voters when they head to the polls.

MORE ANALYSIS FROM THE PATRIOT POST

    The GOP Is Standing at the Crossroads23
    Massachusetts AG Assaults 2nd Amendment27
    Fuel Economy Standards: Inflated and Unrealistic28
    NBA Discriminates Against NC29

OPINION IN BRIEF

Mona Charen: “By praising him so often and so unequivocally, didn’t Cruz help to detoxify Trump? Cruz is a decent and honorable person, but he abetted Trump’s indecency until Trump’s muzzle swung in his direction. And by sowing so much unfair suspicion about the Republican Party, didn’t Cruz help create the ‘burn it down’ mood of 2016, which, in the end, devoured Cruz’s own hopes, along with so much else? Politicians position, hedge and dodge. Understood. But when that positioning comes in the form of undermining a key institution, i.e. the Republican Party, it’s playing with fire. Institutions take decades or generations to build. The Republican Party, for all its faults, was the only vehicle for conservative ideas in our society. Ted Cruz, Laura Ingraham, Ann Coulter, Sean Hannity and the rest picked an ironic time to undermine it, since the party has never been more thoroughly conservative (at least as reflected in elected officials) than it was in 2016. Now, with a Trumpified Republican Party, conservatives are homeless and arguably crippled. If Trump wins, the transmogrification of the Republican Party will be total and "conservatives” will be Trumpites. If he loses (which is much more likely), the stain of Trumpism may keep Republicans from the White House for another generation. Either way, conservatism is the loser.“

SHORT CUTS

The Gipper: ”‘Trust me’ government asks that we concentrate our hopes and dreams on one man; that we trust him to do what’s best for us. My view of government places trust not in one person or one party, but in those values that transcend persons and parties. The trust is where it belongs — in the people. The responsibility to live up to that trust is where it belongs, in their elected leaders.“

Non Compos Mentis: "Scripture doesn’t say anything about LGBT bathrooms or anything like that.” —PBS’s David Brooks

The 84 murdered victims in Nice are unavailable for comment: “Today we can say that the tide has turned. Our coalition and partners on the ground have driven [ISIL] out of nearly 50% of the territory that it once controlled in Iraq and 20% of the territory in Syria. … They have only shrunk and moved backwards.” —John Kerry

The BIG Lie: “The world has never been less violent, healthier, better educated, more tolerant, with more opportunity for more people, and more connected than it is today.” —Barack Obama

Braying Jenny: “The verbiage that’s bothering me is that they call the police ‘the fallen.’ Now, first of all, that’s military terminology. … Now we’re applying it to police officers. That’s just stupid. That’s not good. That’s wrong. This whole militarization thing has gotta end and one of the cool things you could do right away, media, is to stop calling police officers who are killed in the line of duty ‘the fallen.’ And then the people who are shot by the police … should be called the executed — because that’s what they were, they were executed.” —radio talk-show host Randi Rhodes

And last… “The dark portrait of America in Trump’s speech was an argument: an argument that the state of the country has gone terribly wrong, and that the status quo must change. It is simple and largely accurate; soon we’ll see if the public agrees Trump is the man who can change the country for the better.” —Jim Geraghty

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.