The Patriot Post Digest 4-25-2019

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The Patriot Post Digest 4-25-2019
From The Federalist Patriot
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The Patriot Post® · Mid-Day Digest
Apr. 25, 2019 · https://patriotpost.us/digests/62612-mid-day-digest

THE FOUNDATION

“Guard against the impostures of pretended patriotism.” —George Washington (1796)

https://patriotpost.us/fqd/62608-founders-quote-daily

IN TODAY’S EDITION

Democrats abuse the Constitution while claiming its authority.1
Number 20: Joe Biden jumps in the 2020 race.2
Daily Features: More Analysis3, Columnists4, Headlines5, Opinion in Brief6, Short Cuts7, Memes8, and Cartoons9.

IN BRIEF

Trump Digs in Against Dems’ Impeachment Crusade10

President Donald Trump has been fighting against Democrats seeking to impeach him since he first took the oath of office. Following the conclusion of Robert Mueller’s report, in which Trump was exonerated11 of any collusion conspiracy, the wind may have been taken out of the Democrats’ impeachment sails, but that hasn’t stopped them from continuing to blow. Instead they insist that Mueller’s findings demand more investigations, as if congressional Democrats will be able to find what Mueller and his team of Hillary Clinton donors did not find: that Trump committed an actual crime.

Clearly, Trump has had enough of this partisan witch hunt. So, rather than bend to the House Democrats and their incessant subpoenas, which they dubiously justify as a needed constitutional check on his executive power, Trump has decided to dig in his heels. “We’re fighting all the subpoenas,” he stated. “Look, these aren’t … impartial people. The Democrats are trying to win 2020. They’re not going to win with the people that I see, and they’re not going to win against me. The only way they can luck out is by constantly going after me on nonsense.” He then concluded, “I say it’s enough.”

Trump is certainly correct in noting that it has been enough, and he is right in observing that all Democrats are aiming for is to take him out. That said, by digging in too much, Trump is potentially playing into their “obstruction” game plan.

Like the Mueller investigation, Democrats don’t really have anything on Trump; their aim is to get him on some procedural obstruction “crime.” Hence, the Dems’ cynical appeal to constitutional “separation of powers.” It is a purely politically calculated strategy that assumes a criminal act on the part of Trump, when there is no actual crime on which to justify their new investigation.

By continuing to peddle the myth of Trump having likely committed a crime, they can then feign concern for constitutional fealty when he balks at their demands. It is true that Congress is a coequal branch of government that has investigative and oversight powers, but that power is grossly abused when it is applied for purely partisan reasons.

https://patriotpost.us/articles/62607-trump-digs-in-against-dems-impeachment-crusade

Biden Makes It 20 for 202012

Will he or won’t he? It’s the question that has dogged Joe Biden for months now. He answered that question by announcing earlier in the week that he would be announcing his third presidential bid today via a video13 announcement and a kick-off rally on Monday in Pittsburgh. Even before throwing his hat in the ring to become the 20th Democrat candidate — 32 years after launching his first campaign in 1987 — the 76-year-old Biden loomed large in the race. Most polls show him in the leader group, though no doubt that’s largely due to name recognition.

That’s why it was no wonder to see Democrats and their Leftmedia mouthpieces preemptively rip Biden to shreds14 in recent weeks over what everyone has known about him for 40 years — he likes to touch females during ceremonies and photo ops. It’s not that Biden’s behavior hasn’t always been creepy, but this particular Democrat primary season makes all sorts of old news new again.

But The Wall Street Journal reports on Biden’s strategy to take the “middle” lane: “In the months leading up to his announcement, Mr. Biden said he would run as an ‘Obama-Biden Democrat,’ seeking to cast himself as a healing figure for a divided nation and restoring many of the Obama-era policies that have been reversed or challenged by Mr. Trump’s administration.” As a purported “blue-collar guy” from Scranton, Biden believes he could compete for the Rust Belt voters who gave Donald Trump their votes and the presidency.

His trouble will be winning the Democrat nomination as an old white guy who’s not a full socialist. Indeed, aside from his creepy touching and regular gaffes, Biden’s biggest obstacle is his own record15 — extensive, failed, and not where today’s Democrat Party is on the issues. The old white guy who wrote the book on the party’s Democratic Socialism, Bernie Sanders16, leads the fundraising field with $26.6 million. Biden begins with $0.

Yet based on his announcement video, he’s clearly hoping to capitalize on division in a phony call for unity — by using the Leftmedia’s fake news17 about Trump and Charlottesville. He aims to raise money on and garner votes for his experience and unique ability to be “Not Trump.” But how unique is that in a party with nothing but a Hate Trump18 platform?

https://patriotpost.us/articles/62605-biden-makes-it-20-for-2020

ON OUR WEBSITE TODAY

Featured Analysis: College: An Overpriced Scam19 — Mike Rowe argues Americans are “obsessed with credentialing,” and it’s costing kids big time.
Electric Vehicles Leave Outsized Carbon Footprint20 — When all factors are considered, electric vehicles are not nearly as pollution free as many assume.
American Spirit: Cop Gives Young Man Ride to Job Interview Instead of Ticket21 — Rather than paying a fine, the young man ended up landing a job with FedEx.
Video: My Body, My Choice For Self-Defense?22 — American culture says women get to choose … except for guns. Why is that?
Video: Is Liberty and Happiness Still Valuable?23 — What has America lost and what do we need to pursue to put her back on the right track?
Don’t Miss Alexander’s Column
Read Mueller Is Done, but the Democrats’ MAGA Obstruction Continues11. Democrats have spent the last two years using their “Russia collusion” subterfuge to undermine real progress for all Americans — and will spend the next two years doing the same thing.

If you’d like to receive Alexander’s Column by email every Wednesday, update your subscription here24.

TOP NEWS EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

BARR IN THE HOT SEAT: “Attorney General William Barr will testify next week on Wednesday to the Senate Judiciary Committee and answer questions about special counsel Robert Mueller’s final report, released last week. Barr will appear at 10am on May 1 before the Senate committee, chaired by Republican Senator Lindsey Graham, according to a press release from the committee. He is expected to testify to the Democrat-led House Judiciary Committee the next day.” (National Review26)
MEASLES WATERSHED: According to Reuters27, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention “has confirmed 695 measles cases so far this year, the highest level since the country declared it had eliminated the virus in 2000. The resurgence, which public health officials blamed in part on the spread of misinformation about the safety of vaccines, has been concentrated mainly in Washington state and New York with outbreaks that began late last year.” Reuters also reports28 that “New York City has issued civil summonses to 12 people it said were not complying with a mandatory measles vaccination order as the number of recorded cases in the city’s worst outbreak since 1991 rose to 390.”
NEW BORDER ULTIMATUM: “President Donald Trump on Wednesday again threatened to close part of the southern border and send more ‘armed soldiers’ to defend it if Mexico did not block a new caravan of migrants traveling toward the United States. … U.S. officials … said they are expecting a request from the Department of Homeland Security in the coming days for additional troops, although that number is expected to be in the low hundreds. About 5,000 active duty and National Guard troops already are at the border.” (Reuters29)
PHONE SURVEILLANCE ON THE CHOPPING BLOCK? “The National Security Agency has recommended the White House drop the controversial phone surveillance program that was secretly launched during the George W. Bush administration following the 9/11 attacks… The program, which collects metadata on U.S. phone calls and text messages, was started without a court order, and its existence wasn’t known until former intelligence contractor Edward Snowden leaked information to journalists about it in 2013. … If the White House follows the NSA’s recommendation, the program’s legal authority will expire in December.” (The Week30)

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The Patriot Post Digest 4-25-2019
From The Federalist Patriot
Free Email Subscription
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HISPANICS BENEFIT FROM TRUMP ECONOMY: “Latinos are finding their economic legs under the Trump administration, leading the surge in home ownership and income growth and record low poverty rates, according to two comprehensive new surveys. While they remain far behind whites in income, they have seen their third consecutive year of income growth and have a higher workplace participation rate, according to the National Association of Hispanic Real Estate Professionals and the Hispanic Wealth Project.” (Washington Examiner31)
FACEBOOK PAYS BIG FROM PRIVACY DISLIKE: “Facebook said on Wednesday that it expected to be fined up to $5 billion by the Federal Trade Commission for privacy violations. The penalty would be a record by the agency against a technology company and a sign that the United States was willing to punish big tech companies. … Facebook has been in negotiations with the regulator for months over a financial penalty for claims that the company violated a 2011 privacy consent decree. That year, the social network promised a series of measures to protect its users’ privacy after an investigation found that its handling of data had harmed consumers.” (The New York Times32)
LEGAL TROUBLE FOR ILLINOIS GOVERNOR: “In a state known for its history of political scandals and corruption, Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker is the latest official reportedly under federal investigation. The 54-year-old Democratic governor, his wife, and his brother in law are all being investigated … over a tax break appeal. Pritzker and his wife advocated for a property tax break after they purchased a 126-year-old mansion. According to a Cook County inspector general’s report, first lady M.K. Pritzker told workers at the home to remove toilets in the residence in order to declare it ‘uninhabitable’ so that they could get a substantial tax break. The inspector general’s report says Pritzker’s brother-in-law Thomas Muenster and M.K. Pritzker’s personal assistant were involved and the alleged scheme cost taxpayers more than $330,000.” (Washington Examiner33)
MORE IRS BUNK: “The Satanic Temple has been officially recognized as a church by the Internal Revenue Service, three months after taking Sundance by storm as the subject of the documentary ‘Hail Satan?’ According to an announcement from ‘Hail Satan?’ distributor Magnolia Pictures, the temple is now eligible for the tax-exempt status given to other religious institutions.” (The Wrap34)
HUMOR: Liberal makes it through entire day without being offended (IMAO35)
POLICY: After 20 years of reform, are America’s schools better off? (National Review36)
POLICY: Banning fetal-tissue research isn’t bad for science. It’s an opportunity. (The Daily Signal37)
For more of today’s editors’ choice headlines, visit In Our Sights38.

The Patriot Post is certified ad-free, unlike third-party commercial news sites linked on this page, which may also be pay-walled.

https://patriotpost.us/articles/62606-thursday-top-news-executive-summary

OPINION IN BRIEF

Gary Bauer: “Bernie Sanders is taking flak for his crazy idea to let convicted felons, including terrorists and rapists, vote in our elections. But he’s not the only one. Kamala Harris seemed open to the idea, saying, ‘I think we should have that conversation.’ Well, let’s have that conversation. America is a narrowly divided country. Donald Trump won the presidency due to 77,000 votes in Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin. Trump won Michigan by fewer than 11,000 votes. Last year, the state had nearly 40,000 people behind bars. Do we really want convicted felons, who are likely to be very supportive of left-wing candidates who are soft on crime, deciding our elections? Here’s something else to think about: The victims of the Boston Marathon bomber were not only denied their right to vote, they were also denied their right to life. It would make more sense to give the surviving spouses of those victims two votes than to let the bomber vote!”

SHORT CUTS

For the record: “We have, in many ways, almost fallen victim to our own successes in health care. Vaccines work, and work so well, that the diseases they’re meant to prevent have faded from our collective memories. Instead of knowing children in our classes forever changed by polio, as parents, we fear side effects from the very treatments meant to spare our children from harm and danger. This false equivalency is ultimately leaving more babies and vulnerable people exposed and at risk, without protection from a vaccinated population around them.” —Holly Scheer

Alpha Jackass: “It’s a national disgrace that Trump sleeps in the White House instead of a federal prison cell, but it has been a while since I had any expectation that the special counsel Robert Mueller’s findings, many of which were finally released to the public on Thursday, could set things right.” —New York Times columnist Michelle Goldberg

Braying Jenny: “Congress should hold substantive hearings that build on the Mueller report and fill in its gaps, not jump straight to an up-or-down vote on impeachment. In 1998, the Republican-led House rushed to judgment. That was a mistake then and would be a mistake now. Watergate offers a better precedent.” —Hillary Clinton in an op-ed giving advice on following up to Mueller’s report (Sheerly by coincidence, we’re sure, Watergate was when Democrats ousted a Republican president.)

Collusion! “What’s clear from this administration, and what’s clear throughout the entirety of his business practices, is that they will lie, cheat, and steal. They’ll do anything to win. They have so eroded institutions of democracy. We have to be prepared for lying, cheating, and stealing. They have an approach to undermining our democracy that is shameful and that is why we are organizing everywhere. That is why we are preparing for every eventuality.” —DNC Chairman Tom Perez

Friendly fire: “I have a hard time seeing the [Bernie Sanders] coalition ultimately coming together.” —Pete Buttigieg

Gender bait: “I will have a woman running mate. To me it’s really clear that we do that.” —Sen. Cory Booker

“Not radical” doesn’t make it moral: “More than 30 countries around the world today such as Canada, South Africa and Finland allow prisoners to vote. This is not a radical idea. Every American citizen must be able to vote. Period.” —Sen. Bernie Sanders

Non compos mentis: “I truly believe that a child cannot consent to being on a diet the same way a child cannot consent to having sex. … I do not think it’s surprising that the man who shot up Christchurch, New Zealand, was also a fitness instructor. … Nazis really love this idea of an idealized body, and so it makes a lot of sense to me that a fitness instructor … might also think about an idealized body in this thin white supremacist way.” —"Fat Sex Therapist" Sonalee Rashatwar at St. Olaf College

And last… “Joe Biden will return the nation’s values to the happy days of 2009-2016, when he was VP of an admin that fanned the flames of Ferguson, let migrants die in US custody, allowed ISIS to grow, caged children, spied on & tried to jail reporters, and used tear gas on immigrants.” —Twitter satirist @hale_razor

https://patriotpost.us/articles/62604-thursday-short-cuts

Join our editors and staff 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