The Patriot Post Digest 4-28-2017

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The Patriot Post Digest 4-28-2017
From The Federalist Patriot
Free Email Subscription
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Mid-Day Digest

Apr. 28, 2017

IN TODAY’S EDITION

Now that Obama’s being paid by Wall Street, perhaps the magic has faded.
The NRA convention highlights one thing: The battle for the Second Amendment continues.
Is the end near for NAFTA? Depends on where Trump ultimately comes down.
Daily Features: Top Headlines, Cartoons, Columnists and Short Cuts.

THE FOUNDATION

“I should consider the speeches of Livy, Sallust, and Tacitus, as preeminent specimens of logic, taste and that sententious brevity which, using not a word to spare, leaves not a moment for inattention to the hearer. Amplification is the vice of modern oratory.” —Thomas Jefferson (1824)

TOP RIGHT HOOKS

Obama’s Lucrative Speech Fee Assailed by Leftists1

Barack Obama appears to be following in the footsteps of Bill and Hillary Clinton, both of whom leveraged their political careers to rake in $100 million dollars through overpriced speaking fees. Already, Obama has secured not one, but two2, speeches for which he will earn a comfortable $400,000 apiece. Not bad for being “unemployed” for 99 days. By the way, Obama is slated to receive a handsome $60 million for his forthcoming memoir.

In the “Audacity of Hope,” Obama proclaimed: “The path of least resistance — of fund-raisers organized by the special interests, the corporate PACs, and the top lobbying shops — starts to look awfully tempting, and if the opinions of these insiders don’t quite jibe with those you once held, you learn to rationalize the changes as a matter of realism, of compromise, of learning the ropes.” Fast forward to today and this statement sounds less like something he’s opposing and more like a great description of his presidency.

Some powerful voices on the Left aren’t thrilled with the dichotomy of Obama’s supposed sentiments versus his deeds. Sen. Bernie Sanders responded, “I think it just speaks to the power of Wall Street and the influence of big money in the political process. I think it’s unfortunate.” And Sen. Elizabeth Warren stated, “I was troubled by [this revelation]. One of the things I talk about in [my] book is the influence of money. I describe it as a snake that slithers through Washington. And that it shows up in so many different ways here in Washington.”

Neither of course has room to talk, because both have tarnished their own reputations with double standards. Socialist Sanders is part of the 1%, but evades taxes like the plague3. For her part, Warren lectures America about the importance of equal pay for women, yet the gap among her own staff dwarfs the national average4. For all the Democrats' talk about the evils of money (which is true to an extent), it sure is amazing how often they are the victims of their own drivel.

Keep Your Powder Dry5

The 146th NRA Annual Meetings & Exhibits kicked off yesterday in Atlanta, and continue through the weekend. Some 80,000 Patriots are expected to attend, including our own Mark Alexander. Donald Trump is there this morning to address the crowd that helped get him elected. There’s much to celebrate — Barack Obama’s anti-Second Amendment reign is ended, and Justice Neil Gorsuch now sits on the Supreme Court.

But we’re also reminded the battle is never over. We’re amused every year when some anti-gun leftist warns about an NRA-member crime wave or the general danger of so many thousand “anti-government gun nuts” descending on whatever city. National Review’s Jim Geraghty scoffed6, “Not only has there never been a shooting at an NRA Annual Meeting, crime in the city usually goes down during that weekend. (If you were a mugger, would you try robbing NRA Convention attendees?)” He then highlighted several reports from previous conventions to back up those crime stats.

If only leftists as respectful, peaceful and clean when marching for abortion or the climate or Science™ — never mind when they’re rioting against free speech on various college campuses. Which brings us to one obnoxious complaint from a professor emeritus at the University of Missouri, where free speech took it on the chin7 recently. He asked rhetorically, “Which organization is more dangerous to Americans — ISIS or the NRA?” His answer was that the NRA is closer to reaching its objectives, which he implies makes it worse than the Islamic State. Let that sink in.

About those NRA-backed objectives: Trump has a lot of lower court judges still to appoint, and there will be numerous court battles over gun rights in the days to come. Cities like DC and Chicago still remain as hostile as possible to the Second Amendment. The House has yet to pass the National Concealed Carry Reciprocity Act. High school shooting teams still must fight8 to keep from being excluded from yearbooks over pictures of guns. And anti-gun zealots are still flush with cash, waiting to exploit the next mass murder by a psychopath and cast blame on all law-abiding gun owners.

In short, liberty lovers can’t relax thinking we’ve won.

Top Headlines9

House passes bill to avoid shutdown. (The Hill10)

Promises kept, and not yet kept, in Trump’s first 100 days. (The Daily Signal11)

The Democrats' first 100 days. (The Washington Free Beacon12)

Why U.S. economic growth may be stronger than we think. (The Daily Signal13)

Acosta confirmed as labor secretary, first Latino member of Trump cabinet. (NPR14)

Former Trump adviser Mike Flynn under DOD investigation, had been warned not to take foreign payments. (ABC News15)

Federal agencies spent $13.5 million on vehicles they may not use. (The Daily Signal16)

Despite the facts, Iran deal is more popular than ever, poll shows. (Morning Consult17)

In response to Berkeley, Rep. Sean Duffy asks Betsy DeVos to take action on taxpayer-funded campuses. (Washington Examiner18.)

Transgender patient sues Dignity Health for discrimination over hysterectomy denial. (The Sacramento Bee19)

Why this Saturday’s People’s Climate March is a farce. (LifeZette20)

Policy: The economic prospects of advanced coal technologies have never seemed so promising. (U.S. News & World Report21)

Policy: Stadium subsidies are thriving in sports season. It’s time for governments to just say no. (E2122)

For more, visit Patriot Headline Report23.

FEATURED RIGHT ANALYSIS
Is the End Near for NAFTA?24

By Michael Swartz

Since being signed into law by Bill Clinton in 1993, the North American Free Trade Agreement has been a political whipping boy for various interests. In particular, one group of Americans has never warmed up to the opportunities NAFTA could have provided.

That sting was felt by those who saw the maquiladoras lined up along the border between the United States and Mexico. These duty- and tariff-free assembly plants were a constant reminder to those whose livelihoods were being erased by a southward stampede of American manufacturing. Thanks to NAFTA, companies could now crank out products once made in the Rust Belt with a significant cost difference thanks to the cheaper labor in Mexico. Meanwhile, those fortunate enough to get a job in these factories could begin to make their way up Mexico’s version of the economic ladder.

On the other hand, some estimates25 say NAFTA supports 14 million American jobs, and has generated $1 trillion in trade between the three nations.

A number of politicians over the years have attempted to curry favor with protectionists by running against NAFTA, but none were more forceful or outspoken while being successful than Donald Trump. There’s little doubt that thousands of onetime laborers and factory workers took to heart Trump’s promise to repeal or at least renegotiate the trade pact with more favorable terms for America, and those votes may have made the difference in states like Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin.

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The Patriot Post Digest 4-28-2017
From The Federalist Patriot
Free Email Subscription
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Promising to address the issue in his first 100 days and actually governing are two different things, though. Factor in Trump’s tendency to shift positions on the fly26, and you get what one Canadian trade group’s director of government affairs called27 Trump’s “typical way of doing things — saying completely unreasonable things as a negotiating posture.” Thus, it was only a matter of a few hours — and conversations with both Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto — before the president’s initial threat to drop NAFTA entirely softened to a vow to renegotiate the pact28 while reserving the right to withdraw and negotiate separate bilateral deals with each nation.

Having separate deals rather than one common market seems to be Trump’s true preference29 anyway. Trump showed this by withdrawing from the Trans Pacific Partnership. Then again, just Thursday he threatened to terminate a bilateral trade agreement with South Korea, calling it too “a horrible deal” that’s left America “destroyed.” So who knows.

As a deal struck in the days before more recent technical advances like iPhones, Google, and virtual retail, where even a tiny shop has the capability to sell products to far-flung corners of the world, there are many observers who believe a renegotiation of NAFTA could rejuvenate the free trade movement and enhance economic freedom30. They also see it as an opportunity to make the deal more of a trade agreement, eliminating many of the sidebar issues negotiators insisted on including, such as environmental mandates or labor regulations.

On the other hand, there are those who feel that the U.S. should adopt a “Buy American, Hire American” stance on trade and immigration. Trump issued an executive order regarding that very thing last week. Others call that “dangerous nonsense”31 and argue it isn’t a viable solution at the moment because (A) the last thing the world economy needs is a trade war that America starts, and (B) adopting a protectionist approach to trade and — to a lesser extent — immigration will only lead us in that direction. To lead in a market, one must first be able to compete in it. Companies that corner a domestic market often become complacent and lag far behind globally.

Yes, NAFTA has problems. Witness the recent Trump move to place tariffs on Canadian softwood32 because the administration argues our northern neighbor is subsidizing its industry at America’s expense. For its part, Canada also puts its own tariff on American dairy products, so we aren’t talking about a completely free trade zone here. Broad areas of commerce between the three nations, particularly in energy and technology, are exempted from NAFTA.

Whichever way the Trump administration eventually decides to go, the prevailing wisdom is that NAFTA isn’t long for its present form. If he can master the art of this deal, Donald Trump may set the precedent for American prosperity in a global economy for the next couple generations. Because whether you agree with his trade positions or not, it’s clear his message is “America first.”

MORE ANALYSIS FROM THE PATRIOT POST

Just When ObamaCare Repeal Looked Doable…33 — The House Freedom Caucus is working overtime to craft fixes and compromises, but moderates now stand in the way.
The Death of Higher Education34 — As tuition and far-left ideologies rise, many universities are experiencing a plunge in enrollment and donations.
FCC’s Process to Abolish Net Neutrality Gets Rolling35 — We’ll see what comes of Ajit Pai’s plan, but we’re at least headed in the right direction.

BEST OF RIGHT OPINION

David Harsanyi: Bill Nye’s View of Humanity Is Repulsive36
Erick Erickson: Don’t Just Do Something37
Charles Krauthammer: Populism on Pause38
Hans von Spakovsky: Our Next Supreme Court Pick Will Be the Kicker39

For more, visit Right Opinion40.

OPINION IN BRIEF

David Harsanyi: “[Bill] Nye is a fellow denier of one of the most irrefutable facts about mankind: Human ingenuity overcomes demand. … Talking about humans as if they were a malady that needs to be cured is, at its core, immoral. And listening to a man who has three residences lecture potential parents about their responsibilities to Mother Earth is particularly galling. Although many thousands of incredibly smart and talented people engage in real scientific inquiry and discovery, ‘science’ is often used as a cudgel to browbeat people into accepting progressive policies. Just look at the coverage of the March for Science last week. The biggest clue that it was nothing more than another political event is that Nye was a speaker. ‘We are marching today to remind people everywhere, our lawmakers especially,’ he told the crowd, ‘of the significance of science for our health and prosperity.’ Fortunately, our health and prosperity have blossomed despite the work of Nye and his ideological ancestors.”

SHORT CUTS

Insight: “Tax reform is taking the taxes off things that have been taxed in the past and putting taxes on things that haven’t been taxed before.” —Art Buchwald (1925-2006)

For the record: “General Flynn was a career military officer who maintained a high-level security clearance throughout his career in the military. His clearance was last reissued by the Obama administration in 2016 with full knowledge of his activities that occurred in 2015.” —Sean Spicer

Reality sets in: “I loved my previous life. I had so many things going. This is more work than in my previous life. I thought it would be easier.” —Donald Trump

Non Compos Mentis: “There are those who think that [Rep. Jason Chaffetz], in some ways, have [sic] some connections to what is going on in the Ukraine and perhaps in Russia itself and knows something about all of this. I don’t really know. I can’t say, but he’s strange in the way that he’s conducting himself.” —Maxine Waters

Alpha Jackass: “Where’s Melania going to go if we don’t have any sanctuary cities?” —The View’s Whoopi Goldberg

Friendly fire: “What is the Democratic agenda? What does the party have to offer besides disunity, obstruction, incoherence, obsession, and obliviousness? They haven’t rallied behind a plan to fix Obamacare or an alternative to the president’s tax proposal. They seem dead set against enforcement of immigration laws, they seem opposed to any restrictions on abortion, they seem as eager as ever to regulate firearms and carbon dioxide. It’s hard to detect a consensus beyond that.” —Matthew Continetti

Late-night humor: “According to reports, a group of buyers led by Jeb Bush and Derek Jeter has won the auction to purchase the Miami Marlins. Jeter is excited to get back to baseball, while Jeb is excited to get back to losing.” —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.