The Patriot Post Digest 6-22-2017

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The Patriot Post Digest 6-22-2017
From The Federalist Patriot
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Mid-Day Digest

Jun. 22, 2017

IN TODAY’S EDITION

Democrats’ scorched earth strategy with Trump and Russia isn’t working. Next move.
Leftists play with statistics again, this time to make phony claims about kids and guns.
The dire fiscal straits in Illinois should serve as a lesson for other states — and the nation.
Daily Features: Top Headlines, Cartoons, Columnists and Short Cuts.

THE FOUNDATION

“When we are planning for posterity, we ought to remember that virtue is not hereditary.” —Thomas Paine (1776)

TOP RIGHT HOOKS

Losing Ground, Dems Attempt Strategy Pivot1

The Trump-Russia collusion conspiracy has been on life support for weeks now, half-heartedly propped up by a few Democrats and their Leftmedia allies, but after a fourth straight special election loss2, some Democrats are suggesting pulling the plug on their scandal narrative. It has now become unquestionably apparent that the Democrats’ strategy of employing a scorched-earth anti-Trump obstructionist tactic is failing, and failing miserably. In fact, as Rep. Tim Ryan (D-OH) observed, “Our brand is worse than Trump.”

Democrats are now in the midst of a strategy pivot, not uncommon in the game of politics. As with any competition, those who find themselves losing the game must change tactics or risk greater defeat. With Donald Trump’s surprising election victory, Democrats were caught flat-footed, but they refused to relinquish the fight for the White House. They opted to double down on attacking Trump with the goal of delegitimizing his presidency at the very least and publicly entertaining the possibility of Nixon-like scandal leading to impeachment. This was a poor play on their part and served only to act as a distraction to the MSM, themselves and their constituents while exposing them to the majority of America as sore losers interested primarily in clawing for power.

Now Democrats are stepping out to do damage control. Sen. Chris Murphy (D-CT) noted this week, “The fact that we had spent so much time talking about Russia … has been a distraction from what should be the clear contrast between Democrats and the Trump agenda, which is on economics.” Rep. Joseph Crowley (D-NY) reiterated this talking point saying, “The shiny object which is Russia and the Trump administration is in many ways a smokescreen for Mitch McConnell and the Senate to do things they probably wouldn’t be able to get away with if the public and media were paying more attention. We’re guilty of that to some degree.”

Democrats are also working to pull the plug on their impeachment narrative, realizing it has only served to expose them as being blind partisans and uninterested in abiding by the choice of the people. So, how do Democrats back off their calls for impeaching Trump without giving ground on their anti-Trump bias? They vilify Vice President Mike Pence3. Hence this statement from Sen. Al Franken: “Pence ran the transition and some of the very worst nominees, I felt … were Pence selections, clearly, I think. He’s ideological, I consider him a zealot, and I think that in terms of a lot of domestic policy certainly would be worse than Trump.” A convenient excuse, but make no mistake, if they really had enough evidence to impeach Trump they’d do it in a heartbeat.

Leftmedia Use ‘Children’ to Push Anti-Gun Agenda4

The reason that famed axiom of “there are lies, damned lies and statistics” rings true is because of how often statistics are employed as a means of convincing others to believe assertions that simply aren’t true. A favorite leftist tactic is to trot out statistics linked to children. If they can tie any political issue to its impact upon kids, the most innocent among us, then they can claim the high ground and demand that conservatives acquiesce to their political demands or be labeled as uncaring and anti-children.

On Monday, CNN released a story5 with the following provocative headline: “Guns kill almost 1,300 US children annually, study finds.” The Washington Post took it to the next level with the editorial headline6, “Children are dying because of America’s lax gun policies.” Both articles open by relaying emotional stories about young children being accidentally shot. The Post’s editorial is nothing but a hit piece against guns and the National Rifle Association, offering almost no actual data. CNN at least offers some of the study’s statics but uses them in what can best be described as a crafty game of semantics dodge ball.

First, CNN and the Washington Post intentionally broaden the application of the term “children.” As previously mentioned, the articles open with tales of gun accidents involving young children, and the clear implication is that the number of children killed by guns mentioned in the headlines must be young. The trouble is that both articles’ opening anecdotes are outliers that don’t accurately reflect the study. Of those 1,300 children killed by guns, less than 4% were by accident or under the age of 13. According to the study, the number of teenagers killed, ages 13 to 17, was 12 times higher than those 12 and under.

Second, the stories falsely perpetuate the notion that the majority of children killed was due to accidents related to the presence of guns and lax gun laws. Of the 1,300 children and teenagers killed by firearms, however, 53% were classified as homicides (largely a gang problem), 38% were suicides and 3% were due to the action of law enforcement intervention. In other words, very few children, either young or teenage, are killed by gun accidents. The vast majority of gun deaths of young children and teenagers are due to intentional criminal acts. Ignoring these facts, the Post suggests that more laws are needed to prevent children from gaining access to guns in the home.

Finally, while 1,300 children killed annually by guns is unquestionably a tragedy and an outrage, nearly a million children are aborted every year, and yet leftists defend that slaughter as a “right.”

Top Headlines7

Ryan shares vision for tax reform, pledges action in 2017. (The Daily Signal8.)

Senate health-care draft repeals Obamacare taxes, provides bigger subsidies for low-income Americans than House bill. (The Washington Post9)

DNC’s May fundraising at its lowest since 2003. (CNS News10)

Johnson testifies DNC rejected DHS help on hack, Russia meddling did not alter ballots. (Fox News11)

California court dismisses 14 criminal charges against Center for Medical Progress. (National Review12)

Nearly 30% of illegal immigrant children at border have ties to MS-13 or other gangs. (The Washington Times13)

Trump announces prospects for “solar wall” along U.S. southern border. (Fox News14)

Michigan Police officer assaulted by jihadi. (WEYI15)

Oh no! Evergreen College president: Disruptive students will be given a stern warning. (Hot Air16)

Humor video: WOW!!! Trudeau Sets World Record In Avoiding Questions!!! (YouTube17)

Policy video: ObamaCare has failed the American people. (The White House/YouTube18.)

Policy: Sex in Red and Blue America. (Institute for Family Studies19)

For more, visit Patriot Headline Report20.
Don’t Miss Alexander’s Column

Read The Heterophobic Gender Deniers21, on gender dysphoria and the theater of the absurd.

If you’d like to receive Alexander’s Column by email, update your subscription here22.

FEATURED RIGHT ANALYSIS
Illinois’ Fiscal Dumpster Fire Is a Lesson23

By Allyne Caan

If you recently bought a lottery ticket in Illinois, the odds are stacked against you — way against you. The Land of Lincoln has gotten itself into such a financial pickle that it may not even be able to pay out lotto winnings, meaning the chance of striking it big would be, literally, zero.

Years of fiscal mismanagement have finally caught up with Illinois, and the state is now facing $130 billion in unfunded public pension liabilities and nearly $15 billion more in debt. And because of certain court-ordered payments the state is required to make, the Illinois comptroller recently sounded the alarm that mandated bills will equal 100% of the state’s monthly revenue. In case the obvious needs emphasis, this is a problem.

It’s so bad even Republican Governor Bruce Rauner didn’t mince words. “We’re like a banana republic,” he said24 recently. “We can’t manage our money.”

The crisis should hardly be a surprise. As George Will noted last year25, despite the state constitution’s requirement of a balanced budget, Illinois hasn’t had such a budget in 25 years.

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The Patriot Post Digest 6-22-2017
From The Federalist Patriot
Free Email Subscription
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Additionally, as the Illinois Policy Institute (IPI) notes26, pension reform has been staring state lawmakers in the face for 20 years. But objects at rest tend to remain at rest, and nothing brings out the inertia in government-union-backed elected officials like suggestions of public pension reform. Hence, the state’s staggering pension debt today.

Gov. Rauner campaigned on lowering the state’s income tax. Butting heads with the Democrat-controlled legislature, however, has led to nearly three years of budget gridlock. Illinois has not had a full-state budget since Rauner’s election in 2014, instead passing stop-gap measures — just like Big Brother at the federal level.

As Investor’s Business Daily notes27, “Not surprisingly, the Democrats would like higher taxes to fill the budget holes. … At the heart of it all is the so-called Blue State model of governance of the Democratic Party. It views government as an ever-expanding and always-available ATM to meet all needs, social and otherwise, with a ready supply of taxpayer cash.”

Yet as Margaret Thatcher noted with her typical wit, governments that apply the socialist approach of viewing taxpayers’ money as government’s money “traditionally do make a financial mess. They always run out of other people’s money. It’s quite a characteristic of them.”

Unfortunately, it looks like Illinois hasn’t fully learned this lesson. Instead of continuing to hold fast to the principles he’s pledged allegiance to for three years, just yesterday, Rauner caved, offering to hike the state income tax by 32%, expand the sales tax, and add a new tax on cable and satellite TV.

The Wall Street Journal pulled no punches in a scathing editorial28, calling Rauner’s move a “capitulation” and “a political defeat by any definition.”

Even worse, as the Journal notes, Rauner’s offer doesn’t include critical fiscal reforms and doesn’t fix the pension crisis.

What will the state get for the capitulation? According to IPI29, not much. Even with the tax hike, the state will likely be back in deficit by 2020. The Journal echoes this gloom, noting that while Rauner “may come out the political loser … the citizens of Illinois will suffer the most.” For that, it must be noted the real blame lies with the Chicago Democrats who really run the state. Rauner simply found the Chicago Machine to be too powerful.

While some are raising talks of a federal bailout, IPI’s Ted Dabrowski rightly warns27 this is a terrible idea: “A federal intervention on that scale would permanently damage healthy competition among states for people, jobs and ideas.”

Indeed, if lawmakers can run a state into the ground and then go to Uncle Sam for help, quickly lining up behind Illinois would be states like New Jersey, Connecticut and Massachusetts. (You’ll notice they’re all Democrat states.) Then there’s Puerto Rico, the Democrat-heavy island that aims to become the 51st state30 in hopes of receiving such a bailout. But make no mistake, taxpayers in “flyover country” have little interest in rescuing these states from their own stupidity.

That’s why Illinois’ lesson should be a lesson for all states. Decades of recklessly overspending taxpayer dollars and overpromising cushy pension benefits for government workers are bound to catch up with you.

That’s one set of Mega Millions numbers you can count on.

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Nate Jackson
Managing Editor

MORE ANALYSIS FROM THE PATRIOT POST

SCOTUS Protects Speech, Offensive or Otherwise32 — A win for The Slants, a win for the Redskins, and a win for every other American who enjoys Liberty.
Mike Pence Stands in the Way of Impeachment Gamblers3 — Democrats are stuck in a no-win situation, and are explaining away their failure with a new bogeyman.
Ossoff Outspends Handel, Then Bemoans Lack of Campaign Finance Reform33 — Then again, he’s following in the great tradition of big campaign spenders like Barack Obama.
The Skittles Rainbow’s Sour Flavor34 — No matter how tolerant and inclusive leftists try to be, it’s never enough for other leftists. The joke’s on them.

BEST OF RIGHT OPINION

R. Emmett Tyrrell: James T. Hodgkinson: Just Another Well-Intentioned Progressive35
Larry Elder: Minimum Wage Laws are Destroying Jobs — Just as Predicted36
George Will: Let Us Plunge Toward Our Fast-Unfolding Future37

For more, visit Right Opinion38.

OPINION IN BRIEF

R. Emmett Tyrrell: “Truth be known, the American Left, and that includes most of the MSM, has become quite morbid in its fascinations. The whole way it talks about poverty, the environment, immigration, race — practically any social problem — is morbid. I look at The New York Times and The Washington Post every morning. They sit there on my breakfast table. Rarely does their front page not feature what the political philosopher Kenneth Minogue called a ‘suffering situation’: several starving Africans; a corpse or two from some hellhole; an impoverished Appalachian family with at least one child, his head shaved because of cancer or some other horrible malady; a gay couple that has suffered a setback. I could go on, but you get my point. The MSM is obsessed with misery, social strife and — dare I say it — political correctness. As long as these values dominate and there is no mitigating alternative, the public had best be armed.”

SHORT CUTS

Insight: “You can’t give the government the power to do good without also giving it the power to do bad — in fact, to do anything it wants.” —Harry Browne (1933-2006)

For the record: “Fully one-third of Pelosi’s 193 House Democrats now come from just three states, the usual liberal suspects of California, New York and Massachusetts, not the crucial Heartland. Pelosi’s entire leadership team is also coastal, and like her, linger on in their mid-70s.” —Andrew Malcom

Friendly fire, part I: “The DNC & DCCC has [sic] NO idea how 2 win cause they have no message, no plan, no leaders, won’t fight & hate the resistance.” —Michael Moore on Twitter

Friendly fire, part II: “It’s not going to work for us just to have an anti-Trump message. … In the last election, Donald Trump, frankly, had a message that resonated with people. … What we didn’t talk about enough, consistently, was about jobs, the economy, and fighting for people who want better times ahead.” —Rep. Cheri Bustos

Friendly fire, part III: “The Democrats are nothing now but words and fantasy and hallucination and Hollywood. There’s no journalism left. What’s happened to The New York Times? What’s happened to the major networks? It’s an outrage. … I think it’s absolutely grotesque the way my party has destroyed journalism.” —Camille Paglia

A broken clock… “I’m bothered by the lack of emerging evidence about the underlying crime, that there was actually collusion or coordination between the Trump White House. … I’m just afraid we’re being swallowed up by the politics of scandal, when there’s less and less evidence that they actually colluded.” —NY Times’ David Brooks

Political futures: “The Democratic Party is going to be torn apart by the Left and the centralists. Now, the Republican Party is also being torn apart between the centralists and the hard right, but they’ve rented a candidate. The candidate has rented a party, and they will probably without much fuss get behind Donald Trump, I would assume, assuming he runs for re-election.” —Michael Bloomberg

And last… “In the accelerated churning of today’s capitalism, changing tastes and expanding choices destroy some jobs and create others, with net gains in price and quality. But disruption is never restful, and America now faces a decision unique in its history: Is it tired — tired of the turmoil of creative destruction? If so, it had better be ready to do without creativity. And ready to stop being what it has always been: restless.” —George Will

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.