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« on: December 15, 2017, 07:01:43 PM » |
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The Patriot Post Digest 12-13-2017
From The Federalist Patriot
Free Email Subscription
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The Patriot Post® · Mid-Day Digest
Dec. 13, 2017 · https://patriotpost.us/digests/52916
IN TODAY’S EDITION
Doug Jones may have won in Alabama, but it’s a big loss for Democrats.
More revelations from the politicized circus known as the Mueller investigation.
Tax cuts benefit all Americans, notwithstanding Democrats’ class warfare whining.
Conservative warnings about the federal debt aren’t just crying wolf.
A geriatric Twitter battle has amusing results when Elizabeth Warren steps in it.
Lois Lerner argues the public doesn’t care to know about her misdeeds.
Plus our Daily Features: Top Headlines, Memes, Cartoons, Columnists and Short Cuts.
THE FOUNDATION
“A good moral character is the first essential in a man, and that the habits contracted at your age are generally indelible, and your conduct here may stamp your character through life.” —George Washington (1790)
FEATURED ANALYSIS
Jones Wins, Democrats Lose1
By Mark Alexander
Roy Moore narrowly lost his bid for the Senate Tuesday, a gain of one for Democrats in the Senate but a major political loss for Democrats’ 2018 campaign strategy.
A month ago, The Washington Post published a politically timed hit piece2 detailing allegations of sexual misconduct against Moore — claims that are almost 40 years old. Clearly, the Post sat on the allegations until after Moore won the primary so as to do maximum damage to the GOP and President Donald Trump3. Of course, the Post has a gloating editorial4 this morning.
Moore’s opponent, Doug Jones, was a Democrat placeholder in a state Trump won in 2016 by almost 28 percentage points. He was destined for defeat until the Post bushwhacked Moore, leaving no time to disprove any of the allegations.
Moore’s unconvincing denials5 — the “creep factor” — and the fact Trump had supported his Republican primary opponent, Luther Strange (only in the last week promoting Moore’s election as a Republican placeholder), combined with Al Franken’s pending resignation6 over less serious charges, sank Moore’s campaign.
Republican endorsements for Moore quickly vanished, and despite the fact many Alabama voters believed the accusations against Moore should be adjudicated in court and not judged by Leftmedia talkingheads, many, like Sen. Richard Shelby, could not bring themselves to vote for Moore without those charges being resolved. Thus, in a state Democrats hadn’t won in 25 years, 12 counties flipped from red to blue, and Moore lost 49.9% to 48.4% – in a state where Republicans consistently have won statewide elections by 65 percent or more. His defeat brings the GOP’s Senate majority down to 51-49.
Trump backhandedly complimented Jones, saying, “Congratulations to Doug Jones on a hard fought victory. The write-in votes played a very big factor, but a win is a win. The people of Alabama are great, and the Republicans will have another shot at this seat in [2020].”
So what are the lessons?
First, this was a big loss for Steve Bannon, who thinks Mitch McConnell is a worse enemy than Chuck Schumer. McConnell is far from perfect and the GOP majority has failed to do some big things this year (i.e., repeal ObamaCare as promised), but it has also succeeded in other areas. Yet fratricidal infighting7 in the name of destroying the “establishment8” will accomplish nothing for the GOP/Trump agenda.
Second, the Jones win is a big loss for Democrats. The Democrat Party9 had hoped to drag out Moore’s ethics case and hang him around the necks of every Republican in the 2018 midterm elections. As it is, yes, Democrats gain a Senate seat … for now. As The Wall Street Journal concludes10, “The good news is that Mr. Moore’s loss may give the GOP a better chance of holding the Senate majority next year. Democrats were primed to make Mr. Moore a national symbol of sexual harassment to drive turnout among women. GOP incumbents would have been asked about Mr. Moore every day.”
That advantage is now gone. And, as Jim Geraghty quips11, “I guess this means Al Franken has to go ahead with his resignation, huh?” We argued last week that Franken was waiting to see if Moore won as part of the Demos’ effort to profile Moore and Franken.
However, with no impeachable offense emerging from Robert Mueller’s fake collusion12 investigation, Democrats now have a proven “sexual allegation” strategy to use against Trump as a centerpiece of their 2018 and 2020 campaigns.
In the meantime, with a one-seat Senate majority, it’s time for Republicans to get to work passing tax reform and the rest of their agenda, earning the trust of voters and leaving this Moore circus in the rearview mirror.
And a footnote: It will be interesting to see where the Moore allegations end up now that they have served their intended political purpose. I predict they go away, given the claims are decades old, unsubstantiated by any burden of proof standard, and thus unprovable.
Growing Stench of Politicization Rising From Team Mueller13
By Thomas Gallatin
An all-too-familiar stench of politicization is now strongly wafting from Robert Mueller’s investigation, which is looking more and more like a swamp creature than a corruption fighter. Even as there continues to be a total lack of evidence supporting the Trump/Russia collusion conspiracy, on which the creation of Mueller’s special counsel hinged, there is a growing pile of evidence suggesting that the investigation itself is compromised; that it is rife with Obama-Clinton deep state corruption.
For starters, six of Mueller’s team of 15 lawyers were Hillary Clinton donors14. While that’s not illegal, it does little to alleviate concerns over the possibility of the investigation being a designed partisan hit job. Second, and what is proving to be most concerning, are the incestuous connections between Mueller team members and Obama/Clinton.
So who are these Mueller team members who are potentially compromised?
Andrew Weissman is a veteran prosecutor who was found to have praised Sally Yates, an Obama holdover at the Justice Department, for her refusal to enforce Donald Trump’s temporary travel ban executive order. Weissman emailed Yates, “I am so proud. And in awe. Thank you so much. All my deepest respect.” Sounds impartial, no?
How about Aaron Zebley, who had a long working relationship with Mueller and was known as his “right hand” man when Mueller headed the FBI. In 2015, Zebley represented Justin Cooper, Clinton’s IT staffer who helped set up the former secretary of state’s secret home server, and participated in the smashing of Hillary’s Blackberry devices to avoid them being subpoenaed.
Then there is the too-hot-to-trot pair Peter Strzok15 and Lisa Page, both no longer on the Mueller team, who were engaged in an extramarital affair. The pair shared over 10,000 texts16 in 2016 that are currently being reviewed by Justice Department. The content of those texts show both were highly critical of and opposed to Trump while they favored Hillary, with text such as “F Trump” and “Hillary should win 100,000,000 – 0.”
But there’s more to these two. Both Strzok and Page were key players in the FBI’s investigation into the Clinton email scandal. Strzok was responsible for the significant language change that softened the implications against Clinton from criminal “grossly negligent” to the less prosecutable “extremely careless.” Strzok was the agent who oversaw the FBI’s interviews of Mike Flynn, who has subsequently pleaded guilty to lying to the FBI. And Strzok was also a key figure in the FBI’s handling of the fake Clinton/DNC-funded17 anti-Trump “dossier” created by Fusion GPS. |
