The Patriot Post Digest 1-13-2017

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The Patriot Post Digest 1-13-2017
From The Federalist Patriot
Free Email Subscription
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Mid-Day Digest

Jan. 13, 2017

IN TODAY’S EDITION

FBI under investigation for pre-election Clinton probe, but Comey helped her.
Police view their jobs as much harder and more dangerous after Obama years.
Given Trump’s election win, leftists suddenly rediscover the Constitution. Don’t buy it.
And more news, policy and opinion.

THE FOUNDATION

“It is a misfortune, inseparable from human affairs, that public measures are rarely investigated with that spirit of moderation which is essential to a just estimate of their real tendency to advance or obstruct the public good; and that this spirit is more apt to be diminished than prompted, by those occasions which require an unusual exercise of it.” —James Madison (1788.)

TOP RIGHT HOOKS

No, Comey Helped Clinton1

The soul searching over the election loss has yet to begin for Democrats and the Left. They’re still in that angry “it’s everyone else’s fault” stage — whether it’s the FBI, the Russians or voter ID laws. So, one week before the inauguration, it’s apparently time to “firm up” the case against the FBI. Thursday, the Justice Department announced that its inspector general will investigate allegations of misconduct involving FBI Director James Comey and his handling of the Hillary Clinton email probe, among other allegations. This is truly ironic given the fact that, as Mark Alexander wrote before the election, Comey’s actions2 to exonerate Clinton days before the election were designed to aid her. Comey went out of his way to protect Clinton, but since the tactic didn’t work it’s time to pull out the long knives.

Democrats' biggest problem is the fact that they’re unwilling to face the true reasons why they lost the election. They don’t want to own the fact that Hillary was a terrible candidate with a compromised record, and who is still under FBI investigation3, by the way. But that’s not the only reason, or even the main reason Americans rejected Hillary. Her victory would have meant a continuation of the past eight years: a stagnant economy, eroding of individual liberty all in the name of “social progress,” skyrocketing health care costs, the continued flow of illegal immigrants across our borders and the unending blaming of America for the world’s ills.

Americans wanted change and quite simply Hillary Clinton offered only more of the same. Americans saw in Donald Trump an outsider who clearly believes in and is proud of this country and wants to truly change things up in DC.

So, go ahead, Democrats — blame Comey and back it up with investigative findings. But the reality is self-deception eventually leads only to self-delusion and eventually self-destruction.

Don’t Violate My Liberal Bubble — A Case Study4

I have a type-Hollywood friend on the Left Coast, who posted derogatory remarks about AG nominee Jeff Sessions on her social media page. After I challenged her views, and those of her likeminded friends who responded, she removed the post. No doubt she took it down because she did not want her leftist colleagues to know she associated with someone outside their bubble — especially a conservative with constitutionally constructionist views.

Consequently, I sent her a message suggesting she must have missed Barack Obama’s farewell remarks. Unfortunately, I had to slog through his self-congratulatory sycophant fest5, and one thing he stated emphatically pertained to social media echo chambers: “For too many of us, it’s become safer to retreat into our own bubbles … especially our social media feeds, surrounded by people who look like us and share the same political outlook and never challenge our assumptions. … And increasingly, we become so secure in our bubbles that we start accepting only information, whether it’s true or not, that fits our opinions.”

While it is my friend’s prerogative to post liberal copy/paste political diatribes, and then remove that post when challenged, this was a case study in how liberals — even intelligent liberals like my friend, protect their social media bubbles from the threat of opposing views. I know, you’re thinking that “intelligent liberal” is an oxymoron, but many liberals have plenty of education — it’s just that, in the inimitable words of Ronald Reagan6, “The trouble with our liberal friends is not that they’re ignorant; it’s just that they know so much that isn’t so.”

At The Patriot Post, we exercise a policy regarding emotive rants: “Don’t swap spit with a jackass.” But we never miss an opportunity to engage the alternative views of those who articulate them well. By necessity, we cover a very wide range of media and policy sources every day — even the daily policy statements from the American Communist Party. We all have friends who hold a wide range of opinion and perspective, and those whose convictions are more than “feelings,” offer great debate opportunities. But my Left Coast friend demonstrated that she, like most liberals, avoids opposing views like the plague, preferring to be “secure in their bubbles.”

Top Headlines7

Obama launches post-presidency campaign to redistrict nation for Democrats. (Business Insider8.)

New legislation puts consumers in control of health care funds. (The Daily Signal9) 

House panel confirms administration cooked U.S. intel books on ISIL10 to bolster Obama’s re-election campaign. (The Daily Beast11)

Millennials falling behind their parents, earning 20% less at same stage in life. (CNBC12)

Armed citizen kills highway sniper who ambushed trooper in Arizona. (Bearing Arms13)

Justice report finds systemic failures by Chicago police. (Chicago Tribune14)

Democrats repeatedly grill Trump nominees on same-sex marriage. (Washington Examiner15)

More adults identifying as “LGBT” — 4.1% total, and 7.3% of Millennials, as fatherlessness rate rises16. (Gallup17)

Obama helps Castro on his way out, ending visa-free path for Cubans who make it to U.S. soil. (Yahoo18.)

Biden receives participation medal19 from Obama. (The Washington Post20)

StemExpress drops its lawsuit over undercover fetal-parts video. (National Review21)

Policy: Taxing imports should not be part of tax reform. (Real Clear Policy22)

Policy: Addressing the problems surrounding nuclear waste policy. (American Action Forum23)

FEATURED RIGHT ANALYSIS
In Age of Trump, Leftists Rediscover Constitution24

By Louis DeBroux

It’s nothing short of amazing to witness how the progressive Left has suddenly rediscovered a “love” for the Constitution now that they’ve lost the White House. For decades, leftist Democrats have shown utter contempt for our Founding Documents — a contempt that became gleeful frenzy in support of Barack Obama’s all-too-frequent usurpations.

In 2012, progressive icon Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, in an interview on Egyptian television, declared, “I would not look to the U.S. Constitution if I were drafting a constitution in the year 2012.” Obama, of course, famously called the Constitution “deeply flawed,” and in his farewell address5 dismissed it as “just a piece of parchment” — without life from progressive dreams, his implication was.

Rejecting constitutional limits on his power, Obama repeatedly rewrote the disastrous ObamaCare law by executive fiat, issuing waivers to the politically connected, extending deadlines, subsidizing payments, etc. He launched a war against Libya without congressional authorization, and he gutted the work requirement for welfare benefits. He violated decades-old bankruptcy law to pay off labor unions before secured creditors in the auto bailout, he spied on the press, and engaged in illegally collecting the digital communications of every American. Even this just scratches the surface.

This week, as Senate Democrats attempted to smear and defame their colleague and attorney general nominee Sen. Jeff Sessions25, it was Sen. Ted Cruz who exposed the blatant hypocrisy26 of their claims that Sessions would not enforce the law fairly. As Cruz noted, the Senate Democrats who now praise Rule of Law were silent when the Eric Holder Justice Department sold guns to Mexican drug cartels that were then used to murder U.S. Border Patrol Agent Brian Terry and hundreds of Mexican citizens. They were silent when Obama allowed the IRS to illegally target and harass conservative non-profits, and when he refused to appoint a special prosecutor to investigate that outrage.

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The Patriot Post Digest 1-13-2017
From The Federalist Patriot
Free Email Subscription
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They were silent when Obama instituted Operation Chokepoint to cut off banking services for legal businesses because Obama didn’t like those businesses, and silent as Obama sent millions of dollars to so-called sanctuary cities that stand in the way of enforcing U.S. immigration law. They were silent when he unilaterally rewrote American immigration law, granting de facto amnesty to millions of illegals (and releasing thousands of illegal alien rapists, robbers and murderers onto an unsuspecting population), and they were silent as Obama illegally released terrorists from Guantanamo Bay, and when he paid out a nearly $2 billion ransom to Iran, the world’s largest state sponsor of terrorism.

But progressives have discovered respect for constitutional principles and processes in other areas as well.

Democrats under Obama gutted the filibuster and erased the lines of separation of powers, yet now are desperate to restore them to stop Trump from enacting his agenda.

And after spending much of the last decade in a full-scale assault on the freedoms of religion, speech and association — trying to force Catholic nuns to provide abortion-inducing birth control drugs to employees of their charitable order, and prosecuting Christian bakers, florists, photographers, bed-and-breakfast owners and others who decline to provide services for same-sex “weddings” because of sincere religious convictions — leftists suddenly revere the freedom of association, as evidenced by their throaty declarations of refusal to provide services for the inauguration of President-elect Donald Trump and his wife, Melania.

Citing their conscientious objections to Trump and his policies, many musicians announced their refusal to perform at his inauguration, including Elton John, opera star Andrea Bocelli (who was reportedly considering it before leftist mobs threatened to boycott him), and Celine Dion. And though the Rockettes have been booked to perform, some of the dancers have publicly expressed their objection to doing so.

Fashion designers have come out to let us all know they refuse to design outfits for the first lady, and artists are even demanding that First Daughter Ivanka Trump remove their paintings27 from her home and office — paintings that she’s already paid for!

In Washington, DC, which is overwhelmingly Democrat, many homeowners who rent their homes through travel site Airbnb are refusing to rent to Trump supporters28 coming to town for the inauguration, claiming that to do so would violate their conscience. As one homeowner stated, “I have a visceral reaction to the thought of having a Trump supporter in my house. … No amount of money could make me change my mind. It’s about moral principles.” One wonders if this woman would risk a fine or jail to hold to her principles, since DC’s anti-discrimination law makes it unlawful “to interrupt or terminate, or refuse or fail to initiate or conduct any transaction in real property … based on … political affiliation.”

BuzzFeed, which is under fire29 this week for publishing a sleazy and utterly uncorroborated hit piece on Trump, last year refused to run political ads for the Trump campaign because they oppose his politics.

Hopefully, the rabidly anti-Christian, anti-Republican, anti-conservative, anti-marriage, pro-abortion progressive hordes will one day acknowledge that the freedoms of religion, speech and association are guaranteed to all Americans, regardless of their political affiliation.

Will the Angry Left finally see the wisdom of the Founders, or will they simply continue to feign respect? To ask is to answer.

MORE ANALYSIS FROM THE PATRIOT POST

Trump National Security Nominees on the Hot Seat30 — Mattis, Kelly and Pompeo each face the Senate.
Police View Their Jobs as More Dangerous31 — A poll of officers confirms the Ferguson Effect.
Scott Pruitt to Inherit EPA Emissions Mess32 — The outcome of the EPA’s allegations against Fiat Chrysler is uncertain.

BEST OF RIGHT OPINION

David Limbaugh: Liberals Are Putting Conservatism, Not Just Sen. Sessions, on Trial33
Michael Barone: The Intelligence Community, Russia and Trump34
Jim DeMint: Repealing ObamaCare Is Just the Start35

For more, visit Right Opinion36.

OPINION IN BRIEF

David Limbaugh: “Democratic attacks on [AG nominee Jeff] Sessions are not grounded in any concern that he is a racist or has something terrible in his ancient history. They know that Sessions is not a racist and that he is an honorable man. His disqualifying sin, in their eyes, is that he is a conservative — and a southern one at that, which makes it even easier to demonize him as a bigot. For if you watched the hearings, you saw that it was not Sessions particularly who was on trial but conservatism and all subscribing to it. Nor is the rule of law a genuine concern to Democrats, despite their gnashing of teeth over faux fears that Sessions would refuse to enforce certain progressive laws already on the books. They only care about the rule of law when invoking it benefits them politically. In fact, one of the main reasons they oppose Sessions is that he indeed is committed to the rule of law and the impartial administration of justice. They are agenda-oriented above all and willfully trample the rule of law when it interferes with their progressive ends.”

SHORT CUTS

Insight: “Let the laws be clear, uniform and precise; to interpret laws is almost always to corrupt them.” —Voltaire (1694-1778.)

Upright: “[Obama’s] final speech, amazingly, could have been given, nearly unedited, in 2008. Why it even ended with ‘yes we can.’ Is there more powerful evidence of the emptiness of the intervening two terms? When your final statement is a reprise of your first, you have unwittingly confessed to being nothing more than a historical parenthesis.” —Charles Krauthammer

Race bait: “I want to express my concerns about being made to testify at the very end of the witness panels. To have a senator, a House member and a living civil rights legend testify at the end of all of this is the equivalent of being made to go to the back of the bus. It is a petty strategy.” —Rep. Cedric Richmond in remarks regarding Jeff Sessions' confirmation hearing

Belly laugh of the week: “I think [the outgoing administration] was scandal-free beyond [Obama’s] personal life. The man’s integrity, his decency and his optimism about America that he both embodied and pursued I think will be his legacy.” —former Obama press secretary Jay Carney

Alpha Jackass: “Could Obama murder Trump & Pence, then pardon himself? Asking for humanity.” —British political correspondent Rupert Myers

Non Compos Mentis, part I: “I can’t think of anything like that.” —Nancy Pelosi, whom Vox says “cannot think of a single part of the Affordable Care Act that has underperformed her expectations”

Non Compos Mentis, part II: “[ObamaCare] is a free market initiative. Buy insurance, then you get a subsidy if you need it.” —Nancy Pelosi

We should really talk about this over school lunch: “I think Michelle is the finest first lady in history.” —Joe Biden

Village Idiots: “I fully support imposing martial law — delaying the inauguration — until Trump is ‘cleared’ of all charges.” —Rosie O'Donnell

And last… “When it comes to race relations, Obama denies there has been a change in climate. He’s a race climate change denier.” —Twitter satirist @weknowwhatsbest

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.