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An important article by Victor Davis Hanson on the extreme measures taken by the Trump deranged and the impacts of these measures on national politics going forward.
We have the worst media and political class since the American Civil War and maybe the worst of all time.
Conrad Black:
“…As far as can be determined, the question of whether the Senate should conduct a trial or dismiss the spurious articles of impeachment as unworthy of trial by vote of the majority, is being addressed as a matter of President Trump’s political convenience.
Senator Ted Cruz (R-Texas) is doubtless sincere and may be accurate in saying that the acquittal that is almost certain to result from a trial will clear the president more convincingly than the Republican majority determining at the outset that the charges are frivolous and vexatious harassment and simply should be rejected.
It is clear from the utterances of the authors of the malicious idiocy that has got impeachment to the Senate, Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) and Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerry Nadler (D-N.J.), that the Democratic line will be they caught the president in wrongful acts but the trained Republican seals in the Senate voted with their partisan prejudices rather than their judicious and independent judgment.
Under the circumstances, then, it is better to go ahead with a trial. If the Senate majority’s wish is for witnesses, the president can invoke executive privilege in some cases, but the confection of the false whistleblowing and its apparent guidance by Schiff and his staff should also be exposed.
Since the legal case is nonsense and the outcome foreordained, it is only a public relations battle now. The farther the administration is seen to enable an airing of the facts, the better and more electorally valuable will be the result. The Democrats created this trap for themselves; they should be allowed to take the consequences when that trap snaps closed on them…”
Hat tip to Stephen Kruiser
“…Yesterday, the Speaker celebrated impeachment with souvenir pens, bearing her own golden signature, brought in on silver platters. The House’s partisan process distilled into one last perfect visual. Not solemn or serious. A transparently political exercise from beginning to end…”
North Carolina Sheriff: I will not enforce an unconstitutional law
North Carolina Sheriff: I will not enforce an unconstitutional law https://t.co/PV6eTHQW74
— Jack Poso 🇺🇸 (@JackPosobiec) January 17, 2020
https://twitter.com/BearUKnow/status/1217699011915866112
Daniel Henninger:
“…The traditional view of African-American voters supporting the Democratic Party could be upended by three recent polls, which show growing support for President Trump among black voters. What if in November enough black Americans voted for Donald Trump to re-elect him into the presidency?
This unlikely straw has been in the political winds recently because in three opinion polls—Emerson, Marist and Rasmussen—President Trump registered about 30% support among black voters.
Asked to respond by, former Hillary Clinton adviser Joel Payne said: “I have a better chance of jumping center for the Celtics tonight than Donald Trump having 30% support in the African-American community.” He may get the call.
The reason this unlikely 30% number breaks the seals in Democratic heads is that for years it has been a rule of thumb in politics that if black support for Republicans ever reached 20% of the total vote, a Democratic presidential candidate would not be able to win, ever.
A Gallup analysis of the Roper Center’s exit poll data has Republican candidates averaging about 10% of the black vote since 1976. In 2016, Mr. Trump topped out at 8%. Still, one wonders if Mr. Trump’s potential pull from black and Hispanic voters may be the sleeper issue of the 2020 campaign, the way conventional wisdom missed the 2016 Trump vote in Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin.
One anecdote: I was walking through a neighborhood food court in Manhattan last month and noticed a new counter that sells smoked fish. Behind it, learning the operation, were five employees—all in their 20s and all black or Hispanic. A thought occurred to me: That’s the Trump economy. That is the reality behind the monthly jobs numbers. An entrepreneur got a loan to open this small business and gave these five what looked like their first jobs. Also reported in the past two years is how workers in their first or second jobs are moving up the pay scale into higher-level jobs…”
I'm a fighter pilot, I call it like it is and that's what I did today. pic.twitter.com/2PHc1fo2xo
— Martha McSally (@MarthaMcSally) January 17, 2020
Post Editorial Board:
“…Democrats’ strategy for the Senate impeachment trial is apparently to turn it into a never-ending Senate investigation — even though that was supposed to be the House’s job.
Start with the General Accounting Office opinion that Team Trump’s temporary hold on aid to Ukraine constitutes a violation of the law. Maybe — but the GAO is no kind of court or other legal authority. If this was a real issue, the House could’ve raised it long ago. “We forgot” is just an old Steve Martin joke.
Then there’s the claim that assertions by Rudy Giuliani crony — well, ex-crony — Lev Parnas just plain compel the Senate to consider “new evidence” and call witnesses to get to the bottom of the Ukraine affair.
Rudy looks pretty foolish, and sleazy, for ever associating with this guy. But Parnas is facing federal indictments and plainly figures his best bet to skip prison is to win an immunity deal by confirming every conceivable anti-Trump suspicion. His “evidence” is mainly his own handwritten notes — written when? Can he prove that?
All this is starting to seem like a farcical replay of the Brett Kavanaugh confirmation hearings, which had wrapped up until Democrats decided to play the Christine Blasey Ford card. That prompted a media furor that led to excruciating extra hearings, which changed no one’s mind. Then they pushed for more hearings about other, even less substantial charges. Even the now-disgraced Michael Avenatti got into the act.
The House is supposed to finish its investigation before sending the case to the Senate — not demand the Senate do the real work. What’s to prevent Adam Schiff & Co. from coming up with more Parnases (and Avenattis) to stretch this out for months?
As former federal prosecutor Andy McCarthy notes, a regular court facing this sort of stunt would stop the trial until the prosecution actually finished its investigation.
Two months ago, Democrats insisted the president was such a danger to the country that they didn’t dare take time to build a stronger case. Now they’re eager to keep the case going … forever: Just keep building up ever more fog.
As a bonus, the strategy leaves the Senate unable to do any other work, such as confirming more judges. It also keeps Chief Justice John Roberts from doing his normal work at the Supreme Court.
The Senate must reject Democrats’ “endless overtime” approach. Either send the articles of impeachment back to the House, marked “incomplete,” or just move straight to a final vote after the opening arguments…”
