The Patriot Post Digest 9-15-2016

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The Patriot Post Digest 9-15-2016
From The Federalist Patriot
Free Email Subscription
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Mid-Day Digest

Sep. 15, 2016

THE FOUNDATION

“Wish not so much to live long as to live well.” —Benjamin Franklin (1746)

TOP RIGHT HOOKS

A Tale of Two Health Reports1

Yesterday both presidential candidates released reports on their medical health. Hillary Clinton released a letter from her doctor, Lisa Bardack MD, which listed some recent health checks including, interestingly, a brain scan and some of her current prescribed medications. Bardack concluded that Clinton was “in excellent mental condition” and “healthy and fit to serve as President.”

Hours before Hillary’s doctor’s note was made public, Donald Trump went on the Dr. Oz show, where he gave Oz the medical record from a recent physical he’d received. Dr. Oz look over the record and stated, “I looked at them and tried to process it pretty quickly and I got to say as a doctor, if he was my patient, they are good for a man of his age.”

With recent polls now showing Trump leading in some key battle ground states, the Leftmedia can’t make Hillary’s health controversy2 go away fast enough. NBC News reported that Clinton had released her “medical records” — a letter from her doctor — while Trump had merely “offered some new information about his own well-being.” The report gave a subtle dig at Trump for not releasing medical records to reporters and NBC highlighted the fact that, at 70, he would be the oldest person ever to be elected president (Ronald Reagan was 73 when re-elected in 1984). But it should be noted that Trump is not the candidate who suffered recent medical episodes3.

The Washington Post also chose to focus on Trump by slamming him with the headline, “Despite gestures, Trump is still the least transparent U.S. presidential candidate in modern history.” Are they kidding? Other than posting a copy of Hillary’s doctor’s note, there was no more reporting on her health. It was as if to say, “Okay, got the doctor’s note. The controversy is over. Move along folks; nothing more to see here. Now look at how much Trump is hiding!” Clearly the Leftmedia is giving Hillary a pass on her recent medical episodes hoping that there are no more such incidents. The health of a potential president is a legitimate concern and something to be considered when voting. Instead of informing, the Leftmedia is circling the wagons.

Katie Couric Target of Gun Group Lawsuit4

Back in May5, Katie Couric — the infamously well-known liberal “journalist” — shot herself in the foot with an unmistakably agenda-driven edit to a Q&A session with the Virginia Citizens Defense League. Couric posited to the group an enquiry concerning opposition to expanded background checks and how that position jives (or in Couric’s view, doesn’t jive) with keeping firearms out of criminal hands. But in the film, “Under the Gun,” in which the interviews appear, the pro-gun group is portrayed as shell-shocked and unprepared for such a damning “gotcha” question.

In truth, the group laid out their case in a quick and articulate manner. No doubt Couric now wishes she’d thought twice, as she will have to defend herself in court. This week the Virginia Citizens Defense League announced a $12 million defamation lawsuit against Couric. According to VCDL president Philip Van Cleave, “We were horrified to see how Couric and her team manipulated us and the video footage to make us look like fools who didn’t stand up for the Second Amendment. We want to set the record straight and hold them accountable for what they’ve done. You shouldn’t intentionally misrepresent someone’s views just because you disagree with them.”

As columnist Jonah Goldberg has pointed out6, “As a society, we want to be entertained far more than we want to be informed, which is why these scandals vanish the instant they become boring. It’s also why Katie Couric is more of a reality TV star than a real journalist.” Adding gun rights into the mix makes that a real problem.

Obama’s Title IX Iron7

Throughout his time in office, Barack Obama has sought means by which to unilaterally orchestrate his desired leftist transformation of American culture. One of his most effective tools has been novel use of the Title IX portion of the 1972 Education Amendment of the Civil Rights Act. Obama and team have essentially limited freedom of speech on college campuses through their radical interpretations and applications of the law. Examples of this have been seen in the administration’s approach to combating problems of campus sexual assaults. The Education Department’s Office for Civil Rights (OCR) under Obama recently took Fostburg State University to task stating that the university’s sexual harassment policy fell short of Title IX standards. The university’s policy used “common sense” and “reason” as the measurement by which to establish whether or not an incident was to be identified as sexual harassment.

The OCR sees this standard of determining what constitutes sexual harassment as too limiting. So what standard does the OCR suggest as liberal enough to meet Title IX demands? For the OCR, any claim of sexual harassment is the standard — no matter how innocent or unintentional the words or actions of an accused individual may be. In other words, if sexual harassment is claimed, then it has occurred. What of due process and the concept of innocent until proven guilty? Evidentially, there is no room for these roadblocks as leftists pursue their goal of radicalized gender “equality.” No wonder they’re attacking “common sense” and “reason.”

Having such a subjective standard for determining what constitutes sexual harassment accomplishes two things. First it helps to further the leftist narrative that America’s colleges and universities are plagued with a “rape culture” beyond what conservatives would argue is one of sexually promiscuity. Secondly, it creates another convenient excuse for the government to justify dictating even more policies and practices to which schools will be bound. Another problem, more government power.

Don’t Miss Alexander’s Column

Read The Patriot Post at 20 — A Long and Difficult Journey8. From those who have been given much…

If you’d like to receive Alexander’s Column by email, update your subscription here9.

BEST OF RIGHT OPINION

Victor Davis Hanson: The Legacies of Barack Obama10
Veronique de Rugy: Congress to Embrace Its Favorite Pastime, Kicking the Can11
Ken Blackwell: When Politicians Play Doctor, Patients Always Lose12

For more, visit Right Opinion13.

TOP HEADLINES

IRS Commissioner’s Impeachment Vote Punted14
Ford Moving All Production of Small Cars to Mexico15
Leaked Papers Reveal Democrat ‘Pay for Play’16

For more, visit Patriot Headline Report17.

FEATURED RIGHT ANALYSIS
Income Rises — or Does It?18

By Allyne Caan

In news that surprised many, the latest Census Bureau report on U.S. incomes showed the largest leap in median household income since 1967, when the government started tracking it. In 2015, median household income rose 5.2%19, or almost $2,800, to $56,516. While this still falls short of the 2007, pre-recession level of $57,423 (adjusted for inflation), Barack Obama was quick to claim credit: “This is all a consequence of some of the smart economic policies we’ve been putting in place over the last several years.” Not so fast.

What Obama and Co. aren’t touting is fine print from page five of the Bureau’s report20, which says, “The data for 2013 and beyond reflect the implementation of the redesigned income questions.” How convenient. The government redesigns questions and, voila!, incomes rise — just in time for the election homestretch.

New York Post columnist John Crudele unravels some of the mystery21. He explains that beginning in 2014, the Census Bureau “began to ‘collect the value of assets that generate income if the respondent is unsure of the income generated.’” And the government began using “‘income ranges’ as a follow-up for ‘don’t know’ or ‘refused’ answers on income-amount questions.” What’s more, the latest report compares 2015 to 2014, but already this year, household incomes have “slackened.” Crudele concludes that as a result of the revised methods, “income levels reported could be noticeably higher, say 5.2 percent higher, without the actual income being 5.2 percent higher.”

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The Patriot Post Digest 9-15-2016
From The Federalist Patriot
Free Email Subscription
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What’s more, as The Heritage Foundation’s James Sherk notes22, the report measures inflation using the Consumer Price Index, which “is less accurate than other inflation estimates.” Based on anecdotal evidence around the nation, that’s putting it mildly.

In other words, if you start celebrating higher incomes and folks give you blank looks, there might be a reason. Furthermore, the report notes the exception to its good news is for those living outside metropolitan areas. In other words, the places where Trump has the strongest support.

Of course, Obama is trying to make this support unthinkable. While stumping for a bed-ridden Hillary Clinton in Philadelphia earlier this week, Obama feigned shock at working-class Trump supporters, saying, “Really? This is the guy you want to be championing working people? This guy who spent 70 years on this earth showing no concern for working people?” (In the same speech Obama hilariously referred to Clinton as the “steady” and “true” candidate23.) But which of the two candidates has run a private business that actually hired people?

In reality, despite convenient Census Bureau numbers that sing “Happy Days are Here Again” — and despite claims that poverty is down, more people have health insurance, and the mythical “gender pay gap” is shrinking — folks just aren’t buying it. Why? They’re not seeing it in their household budgets.

The Washington Post recently rattled off24 a list of these “progress” indicators only to say, “Despite all of this, every single poll shows that more than six in 10 Americans feel the country is on the wrong track.” In fact, the margin isn’t even close — just 27% think the Ship of State is navigating rightly, while 66% think we’re off course. Perhaps these polls are harder to rig than Census Bureau and ObamaCare numbers.

The Post surveyed several pollsters to learn the reasons for the pessimism (because, you know, pollsters are always right). The answers ranged from general dissatisfaction with government and lack of consumer confidence to distrust in the system and overall frustration with economic, cultural and other societal indicators. It’s worth noting that Obama’s fundamental transformation has extended throughout nearly every aspect of life, so these cultural considerations are as important as the economic ones.

What’s going to be especially interesting for the presidential election is how voters in key swing states answer the right track/wrong track question. Income gains lag behind25 in some of those states.

Still, Obama is painting his visions of economic fairytales26 in a desperate attempt to relocate Hilary Clinton to 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue. At that same rally in Philadelphia — which, incidentally, has a 26% poverty rate27 and the highest “deep poverty” rate (defined as 50% or less of the poverty rate) among the nation’s 10 biggest cities — he pointed to falling poverty, rising incomes, etc., as proof of his success. He even credited himself with lowering gas prices (no, seriously, he repurposed28 conservative mockery, saying, “Thanks, Obama.”)

Clinton instead insulted Americans who feel left behind. In the same speech where she mocked the “basket of deplorables29,” she said, “Now some of those folks, they are irredeemable, but they are not America. But the other basket … are people who feel that government has let them down, the economy has let them down, nobody cares about them, nobody worries about what happens to their lives and their futures. They are just desperate for change.” That may be, but they’re desperate because of Democrats' deplorable policies.

Indeed, staged rallies, empty boasting and sweeping insults aside, most Americans simply don’t believe things are as grand as Obama claims. And when it comes down to trusting Census Bureau numbers or looking at their own paychecks (or unemployment checks) to gauge the landscape, Americans will always do the latter.

MORE ANALYSIS FROM THE PATRIOT POST

Elitist Submission to Islamic Terror30 — France is the proverbial canary in the coal mine. We should heed the warning.
Injured Teen Football Player Stands for National Anthem31 — There are some football players left in this nation who are still proud to be American.

OPINION IN BRIEF

Victor Davis Hanson: “Following the Clinton model, a post-presidential Obama will no doubt garner huge fees as a ‘citizen of the world’ — squaring the circle of becoming fabulously rich while offering sharp criticism of the cultural landscape of the capitalist West on everything from sports controversies to pending criminal trials. What, then, is the presidential legacy of Barack Obama? It will not be found in either foreign or domestic policy accomplishment. More likely, he will be viewed as an outspoken progressive who left office loudly in the same manner that he entered it — as a critic of the culture and country in which he has thrived. But there may be another, unspoken legacy of Obama, and it is his creation of the candidacy of Donald J. Trump. Trump is running as an angry populist, fueled by the promise that whatever supposed elites such as Obama have done to the country, he will largely undo. Obama’s only legacy seems to be that ‘hope and change’ begat ‘make America great again.’”

SHORT CUTS

Insight: “I would rather starve and rot and keep the privilege of speaking the truth as I see it, than of holding all the offices that capital has to give from the presidency down.” —Henry Brooks Adams (1838-1918.)

Upright: “Taxpayers shouldn’t have to fund Planned Parenthood in particular, but it would be nice for a change to see Republicans make the case that the federal government shouldn’t be funding family planning services at all. But just like the Republican-led battle to stop ACORN from receiving federal funds a few years ago, it appears that the GOP’s desire to save taxpayers a few bucks has more to do with politics than it does with concerns about government spending.” —Veronique de Rugy

Race bait: “Baseball is a white man’s game, and is so by the specific design of the people who run it. … Baseball’s whiteness in 2016 is so starkly in contrast to baseball’s postwar roots, where not only did the giants of the game like Jackie Robinson, Henry Aaron and Willie Mays share its face along with Stan Musial, Mickey Mantle and Sandy Koufax, but also because it was in baseball where the [Colin] Kaepernick moments occurred, from Robinson’s fighting for integrated hotels to Aaron and the Braves' demanding integrated seating as a condition for moving from Milwaukee to Atlanta. The black heritage has disappeared along with its progeny.” —ESPN’s Howard Bryant

Non Compos Mentis: “Hillary is under no illusions that you want to have sex with her, or that she’s going to seduce you, or out-think you.” —Democrat congressional candidate Joe Garcia

Sad! “It used to be, cars were made in Flint and you couldn’t drink the water in Mexico. Now, the cars are made in Mexico and you cannot drink the water in Flint.” —Donald Trump

Late-night humor: “Following an uproar over her hidden pneumonia diagnosis, Hillary Clinton said yesterday that she just didn’t think it was going to be that big a deal to keep the illness from going public. Sure, when has keeping a secret ever hurt a Clinton?” —Seth Meyers

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.