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« on: August 02, 2016, 04:45:58 PM » |
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The Patriot Post Digest 8-2-2016
From The Federalist Patriot
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Mid-Day Digest
Aug. 2, 2016
THE FOUNDATION
“Patriotism is as much a virtue as justice, and is as necessary for the support of societies as natural affection is for the support of families.” —Benjamin Rush (1773)
TOP RIGHT HOOKS
Khan’s Sacrifice and Obama’s Trash Talk1
Barack Obama isn’t one to shy away from controversy. On the contrary, he’s usually right at the center of the scrum. It was no different when he addressed the Disabled American Veterans Convention Monday and weighed in on the controversy over Gold Star families2. “As commander in chief,” Obama declared, “I’m pretty tired of some folks trash-talkin' America’s military ‘n troops.” He then praised each branch of the military with entirely appropriate evaluations of their abilities and might.
But for Obama to position himself and his party as the true patriots in this election is a BIG lie. Yes, our Armed Forces are still the best in the world. However, Obama has weakened them at every turn with sequestration and other budget cuts, and, worse, with his leftist social engineering policies that have driven military morale to dangerous lows. And that’s not to mention what he’s done with veterans here at home, who have died by the thousands waiting for care from Veterans Affairs. On a global scale, Obama and Hillary Clinton have made it more dangerous for our military with their disastrous policies.
As for Clinton, she began this whole kerfuffle by carefully selecting just the right Gold Star family — two Muslim immigrants; Khizr Khan is even an immigration attorney — to speak at the Democrat convention and bait Donald Trump. Unfortunately, he took the bait, but she is the one who cast the line.
It’s worth noting that Captain Humayun Khan was killed in 2004 while saving other soldiers from a suicide bomber in a car in Iraq — the war Obama and Clinton abandoned for political gain. He served honorably and was awarded a Purple Heart and the Bronze Star Medal for his valor. And his family represents the moderate Muslims both Democrats and Republicans say they hope to assimilate. Sadly, instead of honoring Capt. Khan’s sacrifice, our political “leaders” have turned him and his family into a political football.
Judicial Activists Dismantling Voter ID Laws3
Judicial activism is taking a heavy toll at the state level, where the conservative groundswell generated by Barack Obama’s leftist agenda is taking hit after hit. Unfortunately of late, four states with voter ID laws have suffered stinging defeats. It began on July 20 in Texas, where the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals ordered the state’s “discriminatory” ID requirement law to be amended4 by the lower courts.
Then, on Friday, North Carolina and Wisconsin were dealt similar blows. In the Tar Heel State, the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals invalidated voter identification requirements5, arguing such laws are onerous because they “target African Americans with almost surgical precision.” Meanwhile, in the Midwest, U.S. District Judge James Peterson decreed6, “The Wisconsin experience demonstrates that a preoccupation with mostly phantom election fraud leads to real incidents of disenfranchisement,” thus the Badger State’s “strict version of voter ID law is a cure worse than the disease.”
Unfortunately, the setbacks didn’t end there — and probably won’t for some time — as yesterday North Dakota joined the ranks7. According to U.S. District Judge Daniel L. Hovland, “It is clear that a safety net is needed for those voters who simply cannot obtain a qualifying voter ID with reasonable effort.” He went on to argue, “Voter fraud in North Dakota has been virtually non-existent.” Furthermore, “The undisputed evidence before the court reveals that Native Americans face substantial and disproportionate burdens in obtaining each form of ID deemed acceptable under the new law.”
None of these laws were repealed through the ballot box, but rather by judges who ignored state legislatures, elected by their constituents with knowledge of what’s best for their state. As Thomas Jefferson warned, “The judiciary of the United States is the subtle corps of sappers and miners constantly working under ground to undermine the foundations of our confederated fabric.” That’s why, in the words of John Adams, “Judges, therefore, should be always men of learning and experience in the laws, of exemplary morals, great patience, calmness, coolness, and attention.”
The Election Thus Far8
Now that both conventions have ended and each party’s nominees have been confirmed, what can be learned and expected as the campaign season moves forward? First, let’s take a look at the numbers. Of the 221 million eligible American voters only 30 million voted during the primaries. Donald Trump received the most votes of any Republican nominee in history, but Hillary Clinton received even more votes, thanks to the fact that there are more registered Democrats than Republicans. Even with a record number voting this primary season, only 9% of Americans selected Trump and Clinton as the nominees.
As expected, both Trump and Clinton received respective jumps in the polls following their conventions. Though the polls show that Trump has slightly narrowed the gap nationally, this election will be won or lost based upon acquiring the electoral votes from the usual swing states of Florida, North Carolina and Ohio. For Trump to have a realistic chance of winning, he needs to sweep all three. With Hillary essentially starting at 242 electoral votes, all she would need to win is 28 more. Florida alone accounts for 29.
Of course, four months is a political eternity. Will this highly unprecedented and thus far unpredictable election year continue to surprise and confound? Or will recent electoral history and conventional wisdom hold sway confirming that this is Clinton’s election to lose? Trump may have already begun laying the groundwork for rationalizing a loss, telling a crowd he’s afraid the election is “going to be rigged.” But he also made the same argument that our own Mark Alexander made last week9: “If you really like Donald Trump, that’s great, but if you don’t, you have to vote for me anyway. You know why? Supreme Court judges, Supreme Court judges. Have no choice, sorry, sorry, sorry. You have no choice.”
Don’t Miss Patriot Humor
Check out Clinton Falls into Trump Trap10.
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BEST OF RIGHT OPINION
Thomas Sowell: The Political Picture12
Stephen Moore: Welfare Is the New Work13
Cal Thomas: Hillary’s Recycled Speech14
For more, visit Right Opinion15.
TOP HEADLINES
First Water, Now Trash Woes Hit Flint, Michigan16
FBI Tech Pleads Guilty to Acting as Agent of China17
DHS Grants 8,000 Syrians Temporary Amnesty18
For more, visit Patriot Headline Report19.
FEATURED RIGHT ANALYSIS
Democrats Campaign on Gun Control20
By James Shott
The New York Times sees a renewal21 of Democrats’ efforts to increase restrictions on guns. The newspaper says that after 20 years of holding back on the gun control initiative, “a string of mass shootings involving high-powered weapons, rising anxiety about domestic terrorism, and killings of and by police officers have emboldened Democrats. They say the shootings are intensifying support for gun control, elevating weapons policy to a top-tier issue, with particularly strong appeal to suburban female voters.”
Democrats, The Times says, will press for new restrictions in political races across the country that will include expanded background checks, new limits on gun purchases and increased scrutiny on gun makers and dealers — all of which is buoyed by polls they say show strong support for these measures. |
