Archive for August, 2017

It’s Better to be Hated by Liberals Than Have Their Help. – Townhall

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Posted: Aug 05, 2017 12:01 AM

Liberals do not believe in the rights of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness which are American ideals, or at least they used to be. If you love freedom, then you will be hated by the modern liberal who believes that government should regulate individual freedom. If you love freedom and believe that the state does not own you, then leftist hate should be a goal, not a fear. Dr. Helen Smith

I thought of what Daddy had said when I asked him why hed never gone on public assistance. Because they take away your manhood, he said. Clarence Thomas

Most liberals are hateful people. As hateful as Nazis. As hateful as KKK members. As hateful as Fred Phelps and his God hates f@gs wackos, who are, come to think of it, Democrats. Liberals are as much defined by whom they hate as what they believe in.

They hate straight, white males and non-liberal white people in general. They hate Christians. They hate Republicans in general and conservatives in particular. They hate women who dont tow the feminist line. They hate the wealthy, business owners, bankers and stockbrokers. They hate southerners, gun owners, soldiers and cops. They hate gay Americans and minorities who dont want liberal help.

The Left is no longer subtle about its hatred. It comes shining through like a beacon on a black night. Liberals hurl abuse at these people, attack them on social media and reward liberals who make the most vicious attacks on those groups.

Yet, over time, liberal complaints have become a badge of honor. In fact, if there arent liberals lobbing hate at you, youre probably doing something wrong.

If you look at the groups liberals hate the most, youll usually find theyve got their sh*t together. What groups of people do liberals believe its okay to discriminate against based on their skin color? Whites and Asians. Which two racial groups are doing best in America? Whites and Asians. Who are the most competent people in America? The ones youd want on your side if things got bad because they know how to make things happen? Business owners, cops and soldiers. Because they live in the real world where they must make tough choices, theyre detested by liberals who snipe from the sidelines while avoiding the tough, dangerous dirty work those groups have to do. Christians? The fact that they try (and sometimes fail) to make their lives better by adhering to a strict moral code makes them hated by liberals who have no code at all. Gun owners are willing to take responsibility for their own safety by learning how to use a potentially dangerous tool. Liberal hatred of stockbrokers is a favorite of mine because it reminds me of one of my favorite stories from the liberal Occupy protests.

When the Occupy hippies gathered outside the Chicago Board of Trade building to yowl about how unfair it was that stockbrokers make so much money, the traders responded by showering them with McDonalds job applications. Of course, even that cruel joke (Go get a job at McDonalds) makes more sense than the liberal solution, Go to a protest to complain that other people make more money than you. This is so typical for the Left. You think bankers and stockbrokers make too much money? Then maybe you should be a banker or stockbroker.

Of course, thats a conservative solution. Go forth and take responsibility for making your own life better. In fact, the very reason that conservative minorities like Ben Carson, Ted Cruz and Herman Cain are hated by liberals is because theyre living examples of that message.

Meanwhile, how do liberals help minority Americans? Hows Compton looking these days? How about Chicago? Flint, Michigan? Liberal help means living in poverty in terrible neighborhoods, but always having someone else to blame for your failed life. It means feeling angry, victimized and hated by people whove never thought twice about you while liberals promise to help you by tearing down statues of Confederate generals. That doesnt put money in your pocket, but it makes cosmopolitan liberals feel better about themselves.

This is usually how liberal help turns out for people.

Transsexual men, you dont have a mental illness! Mutilate yourself through surgery and libs will claim that the guys who dont want to date you and the women who dont want to share a bathroom with you are bigots! Lord knows you wouldnt want to suggest mentally ill people get psychological treatment instead of life-altering surgery.

Liberals help the poor by raising the minimum wage, but shrug their shoulders when it inevitably causes large numbers of poor Americans to lose their jobs. Conservatives who quite correctly predicted that would happen are called heartless.

Liberals will hand you welfare, food stamps and public housing. You just have to give up your pride and self-reliance in exchange. Its like that scene from 300, where Xerxes says to Ephialtes, Unlike the cruel Leonidas, who demanded that you stand, I require only that you kneel. Its conservatives who want people to stand on their own two feet and liberals who need their adoration in return for their pathetic help.

Liberals love to see women kill their babies so much that Susan Smith should be their patron saint, but are they going to be there for those women down the line when theyre alone one day, thinking about how they killed their own child? Yet, conservatives who encourage sexual responsibility are mocked and those who oppose killing children are called anti-choice.

Lefties love to encourage college kids to act like snowflakes. Why, their tender ears cant be expected to listen to contrary opinions! So, what happens when little Jimmy the Snowflake walks into a work environment where nobody cares about his opinion, what offends him or his personal problems? Next thing you know, little Jimmy is living at home with mom and dad again because he cant hold a job. How about exposing these kids to contrary opinions and refusing to treat them like theyre made of glass? Apparently, thats cruel and horrible!

You want an easy way to tell if someone is a loser at life? All you need to do is look for the people who need liberal help to make it. Want an easy way to tell when those same people are pulling their lives back together? Watch to see when they dont want any more help and want to start taking care of themselves. Liberalism is for poor people who are content to stay poor. Conservatism is for poor people who want to make a better life for themselves. Lefties love to tell you that theyre looking out for the most disadvantaged people in society, but they never want to admit that their help may be the biggest disadvantage those people have.

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It's Better to be Hated by Liberals Than Have Their Help. - Townhall

RICK JENSEN: O, Canada! If only liberals knew all the facts – Harrison Daily (subscription)

Canada is often touted in the United States as the panacea of health care, leadership, love, peace and thick bacon.

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RICK JENSEN: O, Canada! If only liberals knew all the facts - Harrison Daily (subscription)

Democrats fear Russia probe blowback – Politico

ALISO VIEJO, Calif. Democrats are increasingly conflicted about how forcefully to press the issue of possible collusion between the Trump campaign and Russia.

Fearful of alienating voters who appear more concerned about the economy and health care, Democrats campaigning in districts across the country are de-emphasizing Russia in their rhetoric and some are warning that a persistent focus on the Russia investigation could backfire.

Story Continued Below

In the races where Im working, I think voters think that Russia is important and that the questions need to get answered, Bill Burton, a veteran Democratic consultant, said at a political convention this past weekend. But theyre mostly sick of hearing about it, and they want to hear politicians talk about things that are more directly important in their lives.

In a state that is critical to the partys efforts to retake the House, Darry Sragow, a Democratic strategist whose California Target Book handicaps races in California, called Russia a distraction and said Democrats are going to be in deep, deep trouble if they dont start talking about what voters care about.

We need to talk about what people think about when they wake up in the morning, and its not Russia, Sragow said. The more we talk about stuff that voters dont truly care about in their daily lives it confirms that the Democratic Partys brain has been eaten by the elites in Washington who have been sitting fat and happy for a lot of years while working Americans have lost their jobs and lost confidence in the future.

Public polling suggests the electorate is deeply suspicious of Trumps ties to Russia but also tired of the months-long inquiry into possible collusion between the presidents campaign and Russia. According to a Quinnipiac University Poll released this week, 63 percent of American voters believe Moscow interfered in the 2016 election, and in a POLITICO/Morning Consult poll last month, more than half of voters said it was inappropriate for Donald Trump Jr. to meet with an attorney linked to the Russian government.

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But a plurality of voters in the POLITICO/Morning Consult poll said Congress should not seek to impeach Trump. An earlier Harvard-Harris Poll found nearly two-thirds of American voters say investigations into Trump and Russia are hurting the country.

In that polling, wary Democrats see shades of 1998, when Republicans were widely believed to have overreached on the Monica Lewinsky scandal, losing five House seats in the midterm elections.

Obviously, you dont know how everythings going to come out and what cycles were going to go through with the independent counsel and the report, said Mark Penn, the Harvard-Harris Polls co-director and former adviser to Bill and Hillary Clinton. But if you were to ask me as of today, Democrats are doing a lot better on health care than theyre doing on Russia Theres a risk that they repeat 98, that the Republicans create a campaign on issues and [Democrats] get tagged too much with only being about negative arguments.

The Russia investigation has proved alluring to Democrats for both the seriousness of the allegations and for the angry response it has provoked from Trump. And for Democrats bidding to unseat Republican incumbents even those who have generally supported the investigation the various probes have provided a platform on which to yoke Republican House members to Trump.

Brian Flynn, one of several Democrats challenging Rep. John Faso in New York, said, The effect of Russia isnt people think John Faso is involved in Russia What it is doing is showing the betrayal of the people who put them in office, and that is how were using it.

Still, Flynn said, I dont talk a lot about it Were not going to win on an anti-Trump, anti-corruption approach.

Hans Keirstead, one of several Democrats challenging Rep. Dana Rohrabacher in California, said Russia is not the story its an opener. Running against Rohrabacher, a fierce defender of Russia on Capitol Hill, Keirstead said, Russia just shows he is paying attention to things that are not district-focused.

Even so, the Russia issue and its near-constant stream of developments remain a staple for many Democrats. On Thursday night, critics of Rep. Michael Burgess confronted the Republican lawmaker on Trumps Russia ties at a town hall in Texas, while in California, Democrat Doug Applegate took to Twitter to mock GOP Rep. Darrell Issa as Trumps lapdog.

Earlier this week at a gymnasium in Rohrabachers Orange County district, several hundred activists joined in a game of Who said it? Dana or Putin?

In a room off the gym floor, Rep. Ted Lieu said, I think it depends what happens with this special counsel investigation No one knows. It could be issue No. 8 in voters minds, or it could be No. 1 if they find collusion or people start getting indicted.

Democratic National Party Chirman Tom Perez speaks at a rally to protest against President Donald Trump's firing of Federal Bureau of Investigation Director James Comey outside the White House on May 10. | Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

Later, at the podium, Lieu told the crowd, Here is a fun fact for you: the first article of impeachment for Nixon was obstruction of justice.

Scott Simpson, a Democratic consultant who works on races throughout the country, doubted focusing attention on the Russia investigation would alienate voters or hurt Democrats in the midterm elections. But he said voters are not attuned to Russia and that health care is just so much more top of mind.

California Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom, whos running for governor, was even more direct in a recent appearance on MSNBCs Morning Joe. The Russia investigation, he said, doesnt do anything for Democrats at all Its a loser.

Its not just the complicated nature of the Russia probes and their distance from many voters immediate concerns, that are leading Democrats to question the value of the issue on the campaign trail. Most voters who consider Russia a significant issue will tie the controversy to Trump, not members of Congress, said Colin Rogero, a Washington-based Democratic media consultant.

And unlike on health care, Republican House members believe they have little cause for concern on Russia, with many echoing Trumps charge that the investigation is fake news.

Democrats have forgotten one of the edicts of one of the wise men of their party, Tip ONeill, who said all politics is local, said Dave Gilliard, a strategist for four of Californias targeted Republicans Reps. Jeff Denham, Mimi Walters, Issa and Ed Royce. Russia is the furthest thing from those voters minds If you went out on the street right now and asked 100 people what the most important issue right now is, I would be shocked if one said Russia.

Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul last month called the Russia investigation a "witch hunt, and House Intelligence Committee Chairman Devin Nunes has said Washington should stop chasing Russian ghosts around the closet.

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Even Rohrabacher, who would appear to be the most susceptible House member to any anti-Russia sentiment, dismisses any concern. After audio leaked of House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy saying, supposedly in jest, that he suspected the Russian president of paying then-candidate Trump and Rohrabacher, the congressman said he posed for a photograph with McCarthy at a fundraiser last month both of them holding drinks known as Moscow mules.

I think that health care and tax reform will determine who controls the House of Representatives and who controls the Senate, Rohrabacher said. Republicans made a serious error when they started yakking away about Within 100 days were going to do this and that, which was totally unrealistic.

As for Russia, Rohrabacher said, This is not an issue that voters are concerned about not in my area, and certainly I dont think throughout the country.

Rohrabacher was heading to the beach for a meeting about shark detection technology, which he said has promising implications for swimmers along the coast.

Thats the type of thing that I think impresses voters more than telling people that the Russians are just as evil and threatening as they were during the Cold War, Rohrabacher said. Im confident about this election, and its not going to be about Russia.

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Democrats fear Russia probe blowback - Politico

The future of the Democratic Party could be written in upcoming gubernatorial races – Washington Post

When West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice announced that he was leaving the Democratic Party and returning to the Republican Party, the move highlighted once again the dominance of the GOP at the state level and signaled to beleaguered Democrats the importance that the 2018 gubernatorial elections could play in starting a comeback.

With Justices switch, announced Thursday at a rally with President Trump, Republicans now hold 34 of the 50 governorships, tying the record for the most ever for the GOP. Democrats, who at the beginning of the Obama presidency held 28 governorships, have seen their ranks dwindle to just 15. At some point over the past decade, according to the Republican Governors Association, there has been a Republican governor in 46 of the 50 states.

Republican control of the states is even more lopsided when the partisan balance of state legislatures is included in the statistics. According to the National Conference of State Legislatures, Republicans now hold the governors office and control of the legislature in 24 states. Democrats enjoy total control in just six, with 18 states having split control. (Nebraska has a Republican governor and a unicameral, nonpartisan legislature.) Eight years ago, Democrats held the upper hand, controlling 17 states to nine for the Republicans.

For Democrats, the rapid loss of power in the states is both cause for alarm and some reason for hope. Republicans posted enormous gains in the states and in Congress in the midterm elections of 2010 and 2014. If it happened for the GOP, Democrats ask, why couldnt it happen for them?

Midterm elections for a new president generally result in losses, sometimes substantial losses, and Trump currently suffers from the lowest approval ratings of any new president at this point in a first term. Thats compounded by the fact that the president and congressional Republicans have so far failed to enact a health-care bill, which could dampen enthusiasm among many GOP voters.

GOP strategists believe they must prepare for a political climate like that of 2006, when Republicans lost the House and surrendered their majority among governors.

A year from now, the atmosphere might look better, if the economy continues to expand and Congress enacts major legislation. If not, look for Republican gubernatorial candidates to distance themselves from Washington.

[Gov. Justice of West Virginia announces party change at Trump rally]

Democrats plan to make an issue of Trump in the state races. They also hope to see more intraparty turmoil over allegiance to the president in Republican gubernatorial primaries. That was a feature of the Virginia GOP primary earlier this year.

Even if there are favorable conditions for the Democrats, it is difficult to overstate the significance of these 2018 contests for their longer-term implications for the party. Winning more governorships offers at least two potential dividends. First, it could bring new faces to a party desperately in need of a reinvigoration through fresh, younger talent. Second, it could give Democrats more power in the redistricting battles that will take place after the 2020 Census and that will affect the shape of the House for a decade.

The future of the Democratic Party really is at stake in these gubernatorial elections, said Elisabeth Pearson, executive director of the Democratic Governors Association.

Over the next 15 months, there will be 38 gubernatorial races, starting this November with contests in Virginia and New Jersey. Democrats are heavily favored to pick up New Jersey, where current Gov. Chris Christie (R) has an approval rating in the teens. In Virginia, currently in Democratic hands under Gov. Terry McAuliffe, the race will be closer, but Democrats rate a narrow advantage.

The real test will come in November 2018, with the Republicans having to defend 26 states to just nine for the Democrats. Of those 26 Republican-held seats, about half will feature incumbents running (although several were appointed since 2014 and will be running on their own for the first time) while the remainder will be open seats and therefore potentially more attractive targets.

But heres just one example of the challenge for Democrats. Republicans currently hold the governorships in Maryland, Massachusetts and Vermont, all deep-blue states presidentially. Yet the incumbents Larry Hogan in Maryland, Charlie Baker in Massachusetts and Phil Scott in Vermont are among the most popular governors in the nation. In a wave election, one or more could be vulnerable, but Democrats cant count on easy pickups in states where their presidential candidates won by big margins last year.

[Republican lawmakers head home for recess with little to show]

Their best hopes in blue states will be in Maine, where outgoing Republican Gov. Paul LePage has been a source of constant controversy, and in Illinois, where Republican Gov. Bruce Rauner, a businessman who had never held office until he was elected four years ago, has been in a multiyear war with Democrats in the legislature. Meanwhile, Democrats could find themselves on the defensive in at least one other blue state, Connecticut.

Nor can Democrats look to many deep-red states for easy pickups. The nonpartisan Cook Political Report list of solid or likely Republican gubernatorial seats includes a dozen or so of these red states. Democratic strategists say they will not write off those states, arguing that they are determined to go after seats in all areas of the country.

As is so often the case in politics, the Midwest looms large in the gubernatorial elections. To mount a serious comeback, Democrats will need to show strength in the region that gave Trump the presidency over Hillary Clinton. In Wisconsin, Gov. Scott Walker (R) will be trying for a third term. Since winning the office in 2010, he has survived a recall election and a reelection campaign. Walker remains a polarizing figure, but the Democratic bench is not strong there.

Three Midwestern states will have open races: Michigan and Ohio, currently held by Republicans, and Minnesota, now in Democratic hands. Ohio went strongly for Trump, and Democrats have struggled in most statewide races in recent elections. Michigan narrowly backed Trump and probably will see a fierce battle for the governorship. Minnesota backed Clinton by a surprising small margin, and the gubernatorial race next year will be crowded and competitive. In Pennsylvania, incumbent Gov. Tom Wolf is seen by Republicans as vulnerable, and Democrats recognize he will have a serious challenge.

Other traditional presidential battlegrounds present opportunities for the Democrats, including Florida, New Mexico and Nevada, where Republican governors Rick Scott, Susana Martinez and Brian Sandoval are term-limited. Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper (D) also is term-limited, giving Republicans an opportunity in a purple state.

The overlay of the coming redistricting battles adds an extra element of importance to 2017 and 2018 gubernatorial races. In 28 of the 38 states with elections this year or next, the governor has the power to veto a redistricting map produced by the state legislature. For Democrats, that provides the easiest route to check the power of Republican-held legislatures to draw maps favorable to their party and vice versa.

Outside money will probably be pouring into many of these contests. Democrats have set up an operation aimed specifically at winning back House seats through more balanced congressional district lines, and that has heightened attention on the gubernatorial races. Normally, our people are focused on federal races, Pearson said. This year, it feels like the difference between night and day.

Next years congressional elections will draw outsized attention for the possibility of Democrats regaining control of the House and putting a huge roadblock in front of Trump and the GOP. But no one should lose sight of the longer-term importance of the gubernatorial races and what they will say about the rebuilding efforts of the Democratic Party.

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The future of the Democratic Party could be written in upcoming gubernatorial races - Washington Post

Idea of Democrats funding anti-abortion candidates draws ire – PBS NewsHour

Healthcare activists with Planned Parenthood and the Center for American Progress protest in opposition to the Senate Republican healthcare bill on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., June 28, 2017. Photo by Joshua Roberts/Reuters

The proposal seemed modest in todays polarized political climate: The head of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee suggested his group might help fund candidates who didnt share the partys support for abortion rights.

The backlash from abortion-rights activists and organizations was quick and harsh. The basic message: Dont go there.

A coalition of progressive groups, including Planned Parenthood and NARAL Pro-Choice America, issued a statement of principles challenging the party to be unwavering in its support for abortion rights. Scores of women who have had abortions made the same point in an open letter to House Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi, a staunch abortion-rights supporter who nonetheless says theres room in the party for opposing views.

The DCCC should not be supporting any politician who does not respect a womans right to control her body, said Karin Roland, of the womens rights group Ultraviolet. There is no future of the Democratic Party without women so stop betraying them for a misguided idea of whats needed to win elections.

The latest brush fires were sparked this week by the DCCC chairman, Rep. Ben Ray Lujan of New Mexico, when he told The Hill newspaper that the committee is willing to aid candidates who oppose abortion rights. His core argument: Democrats after a series of dismaying losses in national and state elections will only reclaim power by winning in GOP-leaning districts and states where the liberal base cant deliver victories on its own.

A DCCC official, Meredith Kelly, said Lujan isnt looking specifically for abortion-rights opponents, even in conservative districts. But, she added, We are working right now to recruit candidates who represent Democratic values and who also fit the districts they are running in.

READ NEXT: In Texas, legal battle over abortion law hangs over special legislative session

The current Congress is almost monolithic when it comes to abortion. Only a small handful of Republicans vote in favor of abortion rights; a similarly small number of Democrats support restrictions on abortion.

Some Democratic officials suggest the argument over Lujans remarks is overblown a handful of outliers wont change the agenda if Democrats reclaim congressional majorities.

Abortion-rights leaders have a different view.

Every time the Democrats lose an election, they start casting about in ways that are deeply damaging to the base, NARAL president Ilyse Hogue said. If they go out and start recruiting anti-choice candidates under the Democratic brand, the message is, Were willing to sell out women to win, and politically thats just suicide.

Dawn Laguens, executive vice president of Planned Parenthood, said politicians who personally object to abortion should be welcome in the Democratic Party as long as they dont vote to impose that view on others.

Supporting candidates who voted that way, said Laguens, would be comparable to supporting candidates who voted against LGBT-rights.

These are fundamental issues that Democrats have staked their world view around, she said.

Stephen Schneck, a longtime political science professor at Catholic University and board member with Democrats for Life of America, contends that the Democratic leadership would benefit from more diverse views on abortion.

Internal tensions are really good for a party, he said, citing polls showing that more than 20 percent of Democratic voters oppose abortion in most cases.

However, Schneck acknowledged that its hard to find common ground on any abortion-related policies, with the possible exception of boosting support for women who carry babies to term. Advocacy groups on each side of the abortion debate tend to scorn the concept of compromise and to base their fundraising campaigns on vows to be unyielding.

READ NEXT: How states are fighting over womens access to health care

A prominent anti-abortion leader, Marjorie Dannenfelser of the Susan B. Anthony List, a group that supports anti-abortion candidates, said she and her allies were proud of working to weaken the influence of abortion-rights supporters in Republican ranks.

When the roles were reversed 10 years ago, and some within the Republican Party were advocating for a big tent on abortion, we worked very hard at the time to keep the GOP pro-life from the top down, she said in an email.

In some respects, Lujans remarks dont represent a new stance for the Democrats campaign apparatus. The Democratic Governors Association in 2015 helped John Bel Edwards, an anti-abortion Catholic, win the Louisiana governors race, an upset in a Republican-dominated state.

The governors group is now eyeing the 2018 race for governor in Kansas. The Democratic field includes former legislator and agriculture commissioner Joshua Svaty, who had an anti-abortion record in the Kansas House.

Laura McQuade, who runs Planned Parenthood Great Plains, warns that anti-abortion governors play a very different role from rank-and-file members of Congress getting a chance to weigh in on bills that would restrict abortion access.

McQuade, who is critical of Svatys candidacy, notes that Kansas last two-term Democratic governor, Kathleen Sebelius, supported abortion rights and went on to serve as President Barack Obamas health secretary. Democrats dont have to abandon support for full gender equity to win, she said.

Svaty has not made his abortion stance a feature of his campaign, telling journalists it wouldnt be a defining issue of his administration.

Kansas Democratic Chairman Josh Gibson has avoided taking a side, saying, Its up to primary voters to decide where they want to place their emphasis.

In Louisiana, Democrats embraced Edwards candidacy, even as he featured his abortion opposition in campaign ads. The heavily Catholic state is accustomed to Democrats who oppose abortion rights, and the Democratic Governors Association had no qualms embracing Edwards over his GOP opponent, then-Sen. David Vitter.

As governor, Edwards has left it to the Republican attorney general to defend previously adopted abortion restrictions in court. He has signed new abortion regulations, though he did not champion the proposals. Among them: a three-day waiting period for women seeking abortions.

The issue is personal for him, explains Edwards aide Richard Carbo. Edwards and his wife rejected medical advice to abort a baby of theirs whod been diagnosed with spina bifida. Shes now a healthy adult.

Carbo said Edwards called Democratic National Committee Chairman Tom Perez earlier this year when Perez declared it is not negotiable that every Democrat should support a womans right to abortion services.

He wants this to be a big tent party on this issue, Carbo said.

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Idea of Democrats funding anti-abortion candidates draws ire - PBS NewsHour