The Patriot Post Digest 5-8-2018

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The Patriot Post Digest 5-8-2018
From The Federalist Patriot
Free Email Subscription
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The Patriot Post® · Mid-Day Digest
May 8, 2018 · https://patriotpost.us/digests/55828-mid-day-digest

IN TODAY’S EDITION

Trump requests Congress rescind $15 billion in spending. Baby steps.
New York’s #MeToo attorney general goes down to sexual misconduct allegations.
Michelle Obama puts women in their place for not electing Hillary Clinton.
Climate alarmists are far less likely than skeptics to practice environmentalism.
Tim Allen’s “Last Man Standing” is making a comeback.
Plus our Daily Features: Top Headlines, Memes, Cartoons, Columnists and Short Cuts.

THE FOUNDATION

“We must not let our rulers load us with perpetual debt.” —Thomas Jefferson (1816)

IN BRIEF

Rescinding $15B — One Small Step for Budget Restraint1

Nate Jackson

Republicans just hate children, says Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer. His hyperbole comes thanks to President Donald Trump’s request to rescind $15 billion in federal spending. More accurately, unspent money from expired programs. This presidential authority from the 1974 Congressional Budget and Impoundment Control Act hasn’t been used in two decades, and Trump’s use of it now is a step in the right direction on spending. But we’re going to need a lot more steps like it.

Schumer railed, “Let’s be honest about what this is: President Trump and Republicans in Congress are looking to tear apart the bipartisan Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP), hurting middle-class families and low-income children, to appease the most conservative special interests and feel better about blowing up the deficit to give the wealthiest few and biggest corporations huge tax breaks.”

Oh please. Trump’s request is to rescind $15 billion in unspent money from previous years, including $7 billion from CHIP. That doesn’t jeopardize anything or anyone. Furthermore, as we’ve admonished Democrats before, taxpayers keeping more of their own money isn’t ransacking the middle class2.

A little perspective is needed. While we’re glad to see Trump and Republicans show some modicum of fiscal responsibility, actually being honest about what this is requires acknowledging that it’s a baby step. When the federal deficit is projected to be roughly $1 trillion annually, $15 billion is a drop in the bucket pool. It doesn’t apply to the drivers of the national debt: major entitlement programs3. And it doesn’t even apply to the outrageous $1.3 trillion omnibus bill4 Republicans passed earlier this year.

In fact, as David Thornton notes5, “Republican leaders resisted the temptation to target the omnibus, which was negotiated with Democrat leaders. Congressional leaders were concerned that breaking the deal with Democrats would endanger future negotiations. Instead, the funds will be cut from money that was authorized but never spent on programs such as the 2009 stimulus, Obamacare and the Ebola response.”

Still, a White House official told6 The Daily Signal that omnibus cuts “will come in a future rescission package.” As Rep. Mark Walker (R-NC) put it, “Absolutely we hope this is just the beginning.”

Republicans can still tout the idea of fiscal restraint to voters in primary states today. Democrats will never cut spending. Republicans will at least make an attempt. Yay?

https://patriotpost.us/articles/55824-rescinding-$15b-one-small-step-for-budget-restraint

Another #Resistance Leader Taken Down by #MeToo7

Thomas Gallatin

A star of the progressive Left and a significant Democrat leader in the anti-Trump #Resistance suddenly fell from prominence in the span of less than 24 hours. New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman resigned late Monday after The New Yorker published a story8 revealing allegations from four woman of his physical abuse and sexual misconduct. The irony here is that Schneiderman has been an outspoken supporter of the #MeToo movement. As The New York Times reports9, “He pushed himself to the forefront of the #MeToo movement, announcing a lawsuit against the company once run by the former filmmaker Harvey Weinstein, who was accused of decades of sexual misconduct.” In announcing the lawsuit, Schneiderman said, “We have never seen anything as despicable as what we’ve seen right here.”

Not only was Scheiderman a proponent of #MeToo, he was also a big advocate for victims of domestic violence. In 2016 he declared, “We must recognize that our work keeping New Yorkers safe from domestic violence is far from over.” His office for years published a brochure for victims of domestic violence entitled “Know Your Rights10.” In 2010, when he was a state senator, Scheinderman introduced a bill that made intentional choking to the point of unconsciousness a violent felony. Interestingly, one of the accusations against him is that of choking and slapping.

But what may hold the most sting for leftists is the fact that Scheiderman was a prominent leader in the #Resistance movement against President Donald Trump. The Times notes, “Mr. Schneiderman was widely seen as harboring ambitions to be governor.” The AG’s website biography states, “Where Washington D.C. has failed to lead on the issues that matter, Eric has made clear that New York will provide a road map for the rest of the country.” The biography further notes, “Since November of 2016, Eric has led the fight to protect New Yorkers from the most harmful policies of the Trump Administration.” Recall that Schneiderman sued to block Trump’s travel ban11, claiming it was a “Muslim ban.” He also defended New City’s self-proclaimed “sanctuary city” status for illegal aliens, and he led the charge against fossil fuels12 over climate change.

On a final note, here’s an ironic prophecy from Schneiderman’s biography: “Eric … believes there has to be one set of rules for everyone, no matter how rich or powerful.” Exactly.

https://patriotpost.us/articles/55823-another-resistance-leader-taken-down-by-number-metoo

Top Headlines13

Trump expected to end waiver of sanctions on Iran, endangering nuclear deal (The Washington Post14)
Trump didn’t hold back on slamming Kerry for engaging in “shadow” diplomatic efforts15 to save Iran deal (The Washington Free Beacon16)
Democrats dismayed by Trump’s push for conservative judges (Reuters17)
First Super Tuesday of 2018 primaries — Trump looms large (The Federalist18.)
April sets gun sales record (The Washington Free Beacon19)
Lt. Colonel Oliver North will be new president of the NRA (The Daily Wire20)
Irony alert: Melania Trump launches campaign against cyberbullying (Business Insider21)
95,745,000: Record number not in labor force as Boomers retire (CNS News22)
Social Security beneficiaries top 62,000,000 for first time (CNS News23)
Humor: Nation’s high school students encouraged to just wear large paper bags to prom to avoid offending any cultures (The Babylon Bee24)
Policy: What Trump should do with the Iran deal (The Heritage Foundation25)
Policy: How to make Putin pay a high price for his aggression (The Daily Signal26)
For more of today’s news, visit Patriot Headline Report27.

https://patriotpost.us/articles/55827-tuesday-top-headlines

FEATURED ANALYSIS
Michelle Obama Puts Women in Their Place28

Lewis Morris

Michelle Obama took American women to task at the recent United States of Women Summit29 in Los Angeles. Was it for failing to think for themselves? Was it for not standing up for their rights? No, it was for declining to mindlessly and unanimously line up as a gender to support and elect Hillary Clinton in 2016.

“In light of this last election, I’m concerned about us as women and how we think,” the former first lady told the friendly, lefty crowd. “What is going on in our heads where we let that happen, you know?”

Obama expressed amazement that a plurality of all American women (and 52% of white women) voted for Donald Trump, even though Clinton was supposedly the Most Qualified Candidate™ in the history of the republic — and a woman to boot. According to the twisted, identity-based Democrat worldview, that alone should have been enough for every woman in the country to pull the lever for Hillary.

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The Patriot Post Digest 5-8-2018
From The Federalist Patriot
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The reasons for Clinton’s loss have been explained in rich detail, so there is no reason to go over all that again here. What is curious, though, is that a year and a half removed from her well-deserved defeat at the polls, people are still pushing the narrative that women voters are to blame for her loss.

Voters align themselves with political parties based on the belief that those parties will address their concerns and govern according to their wishes. If that party delivers, then its candidates are reelected. If those politicians don’t deliver, then they don’t deserve reelection. They must recalculate their connection to voters, change their ways, and try again.

Those are truisms — unless that political party is the Democrat Party, in which case certain voters (women, blacks, minorities, homosexuals, etc.) are expected to support their elected representatives whether they deliver or not, simply because the voters themselves have certain anatomical features or skin color.

Democrats have a mindset not unlike the Mafia. Once you’re in, you’re in for life. They don’t take kindly to individual thought. They don’t appreciate criticism from within their ranks. And they certainly don’t like it when their base turns against them.

Michelle Obama’s words echo Clinton’s own 18-month-long tantrum that has laid blame30 for her loss with just about everyone but herself and the Easter Bunny.

For years, the press and much of the public have viewed both Obama and Clinton as strong women. They were leaders and examples of what women can achieve. They spoke of the sisterhood and how women can and should support other women. The unspoken part was that women should only support Democrat women. And while female independence was espoused to be the end goal, that independence was only supposed to go as far as the Democrat Party itself. Anything beyond that meant being a traitor, not an independent woman.

The truth is Obama and Clinton are doing a disservice to the very cause they claim to support. You can’t be for female empowerment and then chastise women when they empower themselves to make a choice that you don’t like.

Obama hopes her rhetoric will shame women back into towing the party line. Short of that, she is probably counting on like-minded women to ostracize those who dare support Donald Trump, admittedly a man whose sexual transgressions are manifold.

It would be nice to think that the decades-long stranglehold Democrats have over their identity-based constituents may be starting to loosen. But that might be wishful thinking. After all, when television series like “The Handmaid’s Tale” receive industry awards and critical accolades, it’s easy to see that the Left’s indoctrination of the public continues apace.

“The Handmaid’s Tale,” which was just renewed for a third season, has become a rallying cry in the Left’s culture war. The show, based on Margaret Atwood’s dystopian novel31, depicts an America that has become a Christian theocracy in which women hold no rights and are kept around for the sole purpose of having and raising children. Kind of like in Islamic fundamentalist countries in the real world.

Atwood spilled her anti-capitalist, anti-Christian, anti-Semitic, anti-American views into a book in 1985, and she has had praise heaped upon her ever since. She claimed to be railing against the Reagan Revolution at the time, and the Left now sees the story as relevant again with Donald Trump. Or so the leftist narrative goes.

The bitter irony is that Atwood’s dreary, despotic world is more likely to become reality if the power of the Left remains unchecked. When people like Michelle Obama and Hillary Clinton demand total allegiance from their gender, their acts of character assassination and their refusal to tolerate differing opinions are exactly what constitute tyranny.

https://patriotpost.us/articles/55820-michelle-obama-puts-women-in-their-place

MORE ANALYSIS FROM THE PATRIOT POST

Climate Change Hypocrisy36 — Study finds that skeptics’ behavior is more environmentally friendly than that of “true believers.”
The Return of ‘Last Man Standing’37 — After ABC dumped him, Fox is picking up Tim Allen’s hit sitcom for a seventh season.
Video: Things More Popular Than Nancy Pelosi38 — She promises to win and run for speaker, but that may only benefit Republicans.

BEST OF RIGHT OPINION

Gary Bauer: Sessions in Contempt?39
Dennis Prager: The War on Wisdom40
Stephen Moore: The Internet Under Siege41
Cal Thomas: The Exhaustion Factor42
Tony Perkins: New York Times Bites Off More Than It Can Skew43
For more of today’s columns, visit Right Opinion44.

OPINION IN BRIEF

Gary Bauer: “Former Secretary of State John Kerry appears to be violating the Logan Act. News broke late Friday that Kerry has been secretly meeting with top Iranian officials, advising them on how to fight President Trump’s efforts to renegotiate or cancel the 2015 nuclear deal. This is not the first time Kerry has been caught freelancing when it comes to foreign policy. Earlier this year, he told Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas to ‘hold on and be strong’ and ‘not yield to President Trump’s demands’ because Trump wouldn’t be president for very long. There never was any doubt about it before, but Abbas recently exposed himself as a blatant anti-Semite. Even the Palestinian apologists at The New York Times condemned Abbas and declared that it was time for him go. That is who Kerry is giving advice and counsel to. Of course, Kerry stayed at the table talking to the Iranians while the regime sponsored mass rallies calling for the death of America and a second Holocaust through the destruction of Israel. It is beyond the pale that John Kerry is giving advice to two governments hostile to the United States. Perhaps Special Counsel Robert Mueller should be investigating Kerry to make sure he is registered as a foreign agent.”

SHORT CUTS

For the record: “It’s clear that from the beginning … they’re investigating a person, not a crime. And in so doing, it is the most vile violation of the Constitution.” —Joe DiGenova, former Trump attorney, on the Mueller investigation

Observations: “Since [Stormy] Daniels never has claimed that she was forced into a supposed sexual relationship, the only basis for any claim … was her threat to make her claims about a supposed affair public to injure Trump’s reputation. Would that violate federal law? Good question. And somehow, I doubt that [Robert] Mueller is investigating that.” —Hans von Spakovsky

Upright: “I don’t agree with everything the NRA espouses, but I understand their position. You have to be extreme to counter the other extreme. … The Second Amendment, if you really studied it … makes perfect sense today. What’s happening is a total misuse of the Second Amendment.” —"Criminal Minds" actor Joe Mantegna

Braying Jackass: “It has not been Republicans. It is always Democrats. We’ve been there for you. We’re gonna stay there for you. And damn this president! We’re not going to let him destroy organized labor.” —Rep. Maxine Waters (D-CA)

Well, bye: “I want to thank some of you for sending good wishes a very long way during my campaign and the months that followed. I received a number of invitations from Kiwis to permanently relocate [to New Zealand], and I must say that I really did appreciate the offers, gave them some thought.” —Hillary Clinton on what she almost did after losing in 2016 (If only she’d followed through.)

And last… “The fact that one of our two major political parties is advocating lowering the voting age to 16 is a good example of the absence of wisdom among a large segment of the adult population. What adult deems 16-year-olds capable of making a wise voting decision? The answer is an adult with the wisdom of a 16-year-old.” —Dennis Prager

https://patriotpost.us/articles/55822-tuesday-short-cuts

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. We also humbly ask prayer for your Patriot team, that our mission would seed and encourage the spirit of Liberty in the hearts and minds of our countrymen.

Semper Vigilans Fortis Paratus et Fidelis

Nate Jackson, Managing Editor
Mark Alexander, Publisher