The Patriot Post Digest 2-1-2017

[nChrist]

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The Patriot Post Digest 2-1-2017
From The Federalist Patriot
Free Email Subscription
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Mid-Day Digest

Feb. 1, 2017

IN TODAY’S EDITION

    Tom Price and Steven Mnuchin hit a Democrat roadblock.
    The Left has a serious problem with selective outcry.
    Neil Gorsuch is an outstanding pick for the Supreme Court.
    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

Which Is the Party of Obstructionists?1

Democrat obstructionists are exploiting a rarely used strategy to delay as long as possible some of President Donald Trump’s nominees. According to The Hill2, “Senate Democrats on Tuesday refused to attend a committee vote on two of President Trump’s more controversial nominees, effectively delaying their consideration. Democrats on the Senate Finance Committee boycotted votes to advance Rep. Tom Price (R-Ga.), Trump’s pick to head the Department of Health and Human Services, and Steven Mnuchin, his selection to head the Treasury Department.”

They amusingly insist the boycott revolves around ethics. We’re (ahem) enlightened that the righteous Left is suddenly worried about principles, but Hatch, for his part, rebutted, “I can’t understand why senators who know we’re going to have these two people go through can’t support the committee.” We can. Both nominees are despised by Democrats. And as far as Price is concerned, the Left may be trying to change ObamaCare’s fate. As The Wall Street Journal notes3, “In addition to slowing action on key Trump administration jobs, the move also throws a wrench — at least temporarily — into Republican efforts to speed up repeal of the Affordable Care Act.” Who’s playing politics with Americans' health again?

For the record, boycotting a nominee isn’t unheard of, though not necessarily to this degree. It happened in 20034 and again in 20135, both involving EPA nominees (Mike Leavitt and Gina McCarthy, respectively). This time, however, Democrats are boycotting two nominees simultaneously. It has less to do with genuine concern about their policy ideas and ethics than it does ultimately derailing the GOP’s momentum.

In a Feb. 2016 op-ed for The Washington Post, now-retired Sen. Harry Reid warned6 that the GOP risked being “remembered as the most nakedly partisan, obstructionist and irresponsible majority in history.” Fast forward to today, and the Senate hasn’t even gotten to Trump’s Supreme Court and EPA picks. By the time all is said and done, Reid’s words will most accurately reflect his own party. Fortunately, the only difference is that, thanks to Reid’s failed leadership, the Democrat Party is an irresponsible minority.

Where’s the Outcry Against Obama’s Deportation Order?7

While leftists struggle to come to terms with President Donald Trump’s temporary moratorium8 on refugees and decry his coming crackdown on illegal immigrants, you won’t hear a peep from those same people regarding Barack Obama’s little-discussed deportation order that he enacted on his way out the door.

Thousands of oppressed Cubans continue to seek refuge elsewhere to escape the Castro regime’s iron fist. Nevertheless, Obama, who extended unbefitting olive branches to the Cuban government, broke longstanding protocol by making a sly, last-minute decision to ban and ultimately deport defectors9 who land on American soil. Those who were hoping to be protected under the U.S. “wet foot-dry foot” policy suddenly aren’t.

As Obama explained it, “Effective immediately, Cuban nationals who attempt to enter the United States illegally and do not qualify for humanitarian relief will be subject to removal. By taking this step, we are treating Cuban migrants the same way we treat migrants from other countries.” Chances are, most leftists who see that quote without any attribution could mistake it for a Trump directive. The Left has a serious problem with selective outcry, which depends entirely on who is in office and the political circumstances.

Top Headlines10

    Senate confirms Elaine Chao for Transportation secretary. (USA Today11)

    Betsy DeVos clears committee with zero Democrat votes. Full Senate vote next. (Washington Free Beacon12)

    DHS Sec. John Kelly defends travel suspension, personnel helped draft the EO. (Military.com13)

    More Americans than not support Trump’s immigration order. (Washington Examiner14)

    Trump names Ronald Vitiello to head Border Patrol. (Washington Times15)

    Oops: Pentagon believes Iran-backed attack on Saudi frigate meant for U.S. warship. (Fox News16)

    The problem is… 48.9% of union members worked for government in 2016. (CNS News17)

    Videos prove Planned Parenthood’s ultrasounds used for killing, not care. (Live Action18.)

    Leftists seek to honor fired Acting AG Sally Yates with JFK Profile in Courage Award. (RedState19)

    Vox: Cancel the Oscars broadcast to protest Trump immigration policy. Yes, please do! (Vox20)

    Policy: A federalist Rx for ObamaCare ills. (Manhattan Institute21)

    Policy: Is it a “Muslim ban”? (National Review22)

FEATURED RIGHT ANALYSIS
Trump Delivers on Supreme Court Nomination23

By John J. Bastiat

Donald Trump promised during his campaign for the presidency to nominate a constitutional conservative to the Supreme Court, and he did not disappoint. With the selection of Judge Neil Gorsuch, currently serving on the Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals, Mr. Trump delivered on yet another campaign promise. This fulfillment was particularly important for millions of conservative voters, as it was the deciding factor24 in their decision to pull the handle for Mr. Trump over his opponent. (What was her name again?)

Judge Gorsuch’s credentials are impressive by any standard: top undergraduate honors at Columbia, top law school honors at Harvard, top PhD honors at Oxford, and an unwavering history of originalist constitutional interpretations that would make the late, great jurist Antonin “Nino” Scalia proud. Gorsuch beat out a strong list of fellow contenders Mr. Trump had paraded before the public during his campaign for the White House, with the promise he would choose his nominee from among that list. And he did.

What does this nomination mean for America’s future? For starters, an immediate uphill battle. Within literally seconds after the president’s announcement, the statist juggernaut launched into full swing, with the usual suspects in the Senate immediately pulling the gloves off and lining up to deliver blows.

Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-NY) soap-boxed that Democrats would oppose nominees who were not “bipartisan and mainstream.” Meanwhile, Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-VT) hissed lines from his dog-eared copy of the playbook: “I had hoped that President Trump would work in a bipartisan way to pick a mainstream nominee like Merrick Garland and bring the country together. Instead, he outsourced this process to far-Right interest groups. This is no way to treat a co-equal branch of government or to protect the independence of our federal judiciary.”

From this mummy’s wisdom, of course, we learn two pearls: 1) A judge who reads the plain language of the Constitution and interprets it accordingly is a choice of the “far-Right interest groups,” not the American public, who would rather see “living, breathing Constitution” patsies contort the law to whatever suits the Left; and 2) In the wake of their abject Election Day spanking, the Democrat leadership’s “new” course is to continue spewing the same bile and venom that helped its candidates so much back in November. How excitingly new and refreshing! Hey Dems, keep it up: America needs you to abandon even more seats in the midterms!

Since Schumer has pledged that Democrats will filibuster any Trump nominee of whom he does not approve, many have questioned if the only option available for Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) would be to invoke the “nuclear option.” There are other prescriptions for breaking the filibuster, including utilization of existing rules25 as proposed by our colleagues at The Heritage Foundation: “A majority may use Rule XIX (the two-speech rule) to shorten the amount of time members are able to filibuster. This rule prohibits any senator from giving more than two speeches on any one question during the same legislative day.” It is important to note that a “legislative day” is not confined to a 24-hour period but to whenever the Senate adjourns, which could potentially last for months, as it did in 1980. After all, senators have given their speeches — they may not speak again — and confirmation can be obtained by a simple majority vote.

[nChrist]

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The Patriot Post Digest 2-1-2017
From The Federalist Patriot
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Republicans could also load the Senate docket with legislative proposals, which, if delayed by filibuster, could wound Senate Democrats in their home states.

However confirmation is achieved, a Justice Gorsuch means an end to the 4-4 split, an end to ideologically driven deadlocks arising in the wake of Justice Scalia’s departure and a return to juridical sanity on the High Court. Judge Gorsuch referred to Scalia as “a lion of the law,” also noting how much he misses him. He should: He has big shoes to fill. We are very optimistic, however. Echoing the same judicial philosophy and disarming manner as Nino consistently used with great impact, in accepting his nomination Judge Gorsuch humbly remarked, “A judge who likes every outcome he reaches is very likely a bad judge.” The implication is one all constitutionalists should understand: The outcome follows the law, not vice versa. And in this regard, Judge Gorsuch has been a reliably solid judge over a host of decisions before the Tenth Circuit, most notably in Burwell vs. Hobby Lobby. There the court struck down contraceptive mandates under ObamaCare — mandates that would have otherwise violated the religious free exercise rights of Hobby Lobby’s owners in lieu of the “rights” of its employees to have employer-funded contraceptives. The decision is one of many similar examples demonstrating to us that Judge Gorsuch gets it.

Conservatives across the nation are unified in declaring this selection an unequivocal win, because it’s a victory for Rule of Law. As Mark Alexander notes, “Despite how the Democrats and their Leftmedia echo chamber want to frame this issue, it is NOT a ‘Republican versus Democrat’ or ‘conservative versus liberal’ issue. This is a Rule of Law26 versus a rule of men27 issue. Our Founders and Constitution prescribed that the purpose of the Supreme Court is to uphold Rule of Law in accordance with their oaths ‘to Support and Defend28’ our Constitution, not legislate by judicial dictate as has been the case by statist jurists on the court for the last 70 years.”

As Thomas Jefferson warned on judicial despotism29, “The opinion which gives to the judges the right to decide what laws are constitutional and what not, not only for themselves, in their, own sphere of action, but for the Legislature and Executive also in their spheres, would make the Judiciary a despotic branch.”

Indeed, President Trump continues building an administration that is tantamount to a Reagan revival30. With this critical nomination, it’s now up to the Senate to hit this one over the wall.

MORE ANALYSIS FROM THE PATRIOT POST

    Going Nuclear Not the Only Option31 - The GOP’s options on Trump’s SCOTUS nominee are not as limited as many suggest.
    Iran’s Saber-Rattling32 — Iran conducts ballistic missile test in defiance of a UN resolution.

BEST OF RIGHT OPINION

    Star Parker: Mercy for the ‘Dreamers’33
    Michelle Malkin: Not All Refugees Are Welcome34
    Ben Shapiro: The Left Won’t Stop Threatening Violence Against Trump35
    Hans von Spakovsky: Acting AG’s Defiance of Trump Shows Politicized Nature of DOJ36

For more, visit Right Opinion37.

OPINION IN BRIEF

Star Parker: “Running a country is art, not science. If it were science, we could write software and send everybody in Washington home. Unfortunately, we need leaders who understand what our country is about to make tough calls when things are not black and white. The immigration issue is about law and law is about defining the lines you don’t cross. Whether it is the physical line that defines the borders of our nation or the legal lines that protect the life, liberty and property of citizens. Those who came here illegally of their own volition have violated both and this cannot be tolerated. President Trump said, ‘A nation without borders is not a nation.’ I would add to this that a nation without law is not a nation. You need both. Those whose arrived as minors, because their parents violated the law, do, I believe, deserve special consideration. Certainly, as Christians, we understand that justice has two components — judgment and mercy. Judgment is the implementation of the law in its severity. Mercy is understanding and appreciating when there should be exceptions. Too often we have those who just want severity. And too often we have those who just want mercy. Yet again, you need both.”

SHORT CUTS

Insight: “The power to determine the quantity of money … is too important, too pervasive, to be exercised by a few people, however public-spirited, if there is any feasible alternative.” —Milton Friedman (1912-2006)

Alpha Jackass: “How you react to the Muslim ban today is how you would have reacted to the imprisonment of my [Japanese] grandparents and parents [who were placed in internment camps] 75 years ago. If you are silent today, you would have been silent then. If you are complicit today, you would have been complicit then.” —Rep. Mark Takano

The BIG Lie: “Let’s put [Trump’s refugee moratorium] in perspective. There is a group that has proven itself to be far more deadly on American soil. A group that has killed someone once a week for the last two years: Toddlers.” —Gabby Giffords

Belly laugh of the week: “[Sally Yates] displayed the fierce intellect, unshakable integrity, and deep commitment to the rule of law that have characterized her 27 years of distinguished service to the Department of Justice under both Democratic and Republican administrations. Her courageous leadership embodies the highest traditions of the Department of Justice, whose first duty is always to the American people, and to the Constitution that protects our rights and safeguards our liberties.” —Loretta Lynch

For the record: “Any such official who feels he can’t in good faith implement the likely new policies of the new administration shouldn’t stay on. It’s wrong for such a person to deliberately put himself in a position where he either has to implement a policy to which he conscientiously objects, or resign and embarrass the new president. The obvious way to avoid that is simply to decline to stay on in the first place.” —Jim Talent

Delusions of grandeur: “Obama is one of the greatest presidents that this country has ever produced. … He has … stated that when he can no longer sit back and remain silent, he will speak out, as he has done, and that’s why he is such a phenomenal leader.” —Rep. André Carson

Braying Jenny: “[Betsy DeVos] has … never taught in public school, never attended public school and is an enemy of the public schools.” —Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz

Non Compos Mentis: “Before you head to church today, remember to thank God for his son, Jesus, a refugee who fled to Egypt.” —"Rev.“ Al Sharpton

And last… "For Supreme Court Justice, President Trump has nominated a white male who believes in God. Rioting in the streets should begin shortly.” —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.