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White House press secretary Sean Spicer addressed the media on Jan. 30, three days after President Trump signed an executive order halting the flow of refugees to the United States. (Peter Stevenson/The Washington Post)

White House press secretary Sean Spicer has an incredibly difficult job: Explaining and defending a president in Donald Trump who views himself as the best spokesman for his own cause and isn't afraid of a little controversy or a lot of it. From defending the president's exaggerated claims about the crowd size at his inauguration to explaining the travel ban Trump imposed via executive order last Friday, it has not been an easy 10 days behind the podium for Spicer.

But, on Monday, while making the case that congressional Democrats should be wary of outright opposition to Trump's Cabinet nominees or his soon-to-be-announced Supreme Court pick, Spicer made a very important point: that Democrats when analyzing the overall electoral strength of the party are not in a very good place at the moment and may want to be wary of assuming they know what the country really wants.

By the numbers, Spicer is 100 percent correct. Here's a chart built by the indomitable Philip Bump that makes plain just how dire the down-ballot situation is for Democrats:

Republicans now have total control of the state legislature and governorship in half yes, HALF of the 50 states.

By contrast, there are only six states where Democrats have total control of the governorship and the state legislature.

In the House, Republicans are now in the midst of a sustained period in which they control more seats than they have since the late 1940s. In the Senate, Republicans not only control 52 seats but have an election cycle in 2018 in which they could, plausibly, approach the coveted 60-vote plateau.

Given those numbers, it's not possible to argue that the Democratic Party is the healthier of the two national parties at the moment.

Now, the history of politics is littered with parties that overestimated their mandates and within a few years found themselves on the outside looking in when it comes to control of the levers of political power. And there is already some of that rhetoric seeping out of this White House.

"The message came through loud and clear that people want forceful leadership," Spicer said Monday of the 2016 election results. That's true sort of. Trump did win the electoral college. But he lost the popular vote to Hillary Clinton by nearly 3 million votes. And, while Republicans held onto their congressional majorities, they did lose ground in both chambers.

At the moment, it's Republicans who have every right to brag about their dominant status as a national party. But always remember that pride comes before the fall.

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If you're a Democrat, these 3 charts should really worry you - Washington Post

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Skinner expanded on her demand in an interview with Politico this week: No one in the Trump operation has released any of the documentation to indicate what was the circumstance, or whether she had full legal status.We only know they had a lawyer look at whatever papers she chose to give.

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In 2010, when Arizona passed a controversial immigration law that allowed state and local law enforcement officers to check the immigration status of anyone stopped for another valid purpose, Democrats especially in California objected that it empowered local police to demand your papers. That, they said, conjured images of the Nazi Gestapo.

For the past six years, the Los Angeles City Council has boycotted Arizona over the laweven though the implementation has been subject to court battles, and in the end,many of the most controversial clauseswere thrown out or abandoned.

Ironically, Democrats continue to refer to Trump in Nazi terms.

According toVariety, Actress Lily Tomlin, who was speaking to reporters backstage at the recent Screen Actors Guild awards,compared Donald Trumps executive orderson immigration to the actions of the Nazis.

Youve got to change the laws, just like hes changing, Trump is changing the laws now. Hes trying to change the laws.You know, my mind is going too fast. I wanna think about the fact that, you know, I dont wanna make this comparison, Im not making it any way, but the Nazis, they changed the laws if they didnt agree with them. They just changed them and they could do whatever they wanted.

Tomlin added, Oh my gosh, I feel like Im talking to someplace in Germany many decades ago.

Tim Donnelly is a former California State Assemblyman.

Author,Patriot Not Politician: Win or Go Homeless

FaceBook:https://www.facebook.com/tim.donnelly.12/

Twitter:@PatriotNotPol

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California Democrat to First Lady: 'Show Us Your Papers!' - Breitbart News

Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn., argued Monday that President Trump's executive order on immigration would ultimately "get Americans killed" because it would boost the notion that America is at war with Muslims, and serve as a recruiting tool for the Islamic State.

Murphy said on MSNBC that the Islamic State now is "on its heels," and said one of its arguments for existing is that there is a war between Muslim and Christian people, between east and west, and we have now handed them a path to rebirth."

"This is going to be all over the dark Web, recruiting both international terrorists and lone wolves here at home," he said.

"And in Iran specifically, a country that is right now tilting between hardliners and moderates who want to engage with the west, this is a huge win for hardliners. This makes [Iranian President Hassan] Rouhani's job more difficult, and if you're really worried about a conflagration between the United States and Iran, this makes it much more likely," Murphy added.

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"So, this ultimately is going to get Americans killed, I believe it," he said. "And we can make the moral argument, I think that's important, but the national security argument probably should lead here."

Trump on Friday issued an order suspending immigration from Iraq, Iran, Libya, Syria, Somalia, Sudan and Yemen, all Muslim-majority countries. The 90-day ban is meant to give federal agencies time to review the information they need to verify the identity of people seeking to enter the United States.

The order also halted refugee admissions for 120 days, and stops Syrian refugee admissions indefinitely.

Also from the Washington Examiner

"This will be the biggest such act that our country has ever seen," he said.

01/30/17 10:38 AM

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President Trump is set to announce his Supreme Court pick Thursday or maybe even earlier, if a rumor flying around Washington is to be believed. There have been reports that Trump, who during the campaign named 21 prospective nominees and promised his final choice would be one of them, has narrowed his options to three, all currently serving on federal courts of appeals: Neil Gorsuch from the 10th Circuit, Thomas Hardiman from the 3rd, and William Pryor from the 11th.

But there's also a feeling in Washington that some other player might still be in the mix.

01/30/17 12:53 AM

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Democrat: Trump's temporary immigrant ban will 'get Americans killed' - Washington Examiner (blog)

Rep. Jerry Nadler, D-N.Y., said Monday that President Trump was wrong to issue an executive order temporarily banning immigrants from Muslim-majority countries because American citizens are the real terrorism threat in the U.S.

"The real threat here so far is home-grown, American terrorists, and not people from these seven countries," Nadler said on CNN.

Trump on Friday issued an order suspending immigration from Iraq, Iran, Libya, Syria, Somalia, Sudan, and Yemen. The 90-day ban is meant to give federal agencies time to review the information they need to verify the identity of immigrants seeking to enter the United States.

It also shut down the refugee program for four months, and indefinitely suspended acceptance of Syrian refugees.

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Democrats and even some Republicans have said the order goes too far, but Trump's team has said the temporary ban is needed in the face of terrorism threats that some immigrants could pose to U.S. citizens.

A federal court has already stopped one part of Trump's plan that calls for the deportation of some immigrants. Nadler predicted Trump's entire order would fall in the courts.

"I think the courts will stop it," he said.

Top Story

President Trump is set to announce his Supreme Court pick Thursday or maybe even earlier, if a rumor flying around Washington is to be believed. There have been reports that Trump, who during the campaign named 21 prospective nominees and promised his final choice would be one of them, has narrowed his options to three, all currently serving on federal courts of appeals: Neil Gorsuch from the 10th Circuit, Thomas Hardiman from the 3rd, and William Pryor from the 11th.

But there's also a feeling in Washington that some other player might still be in the mix.

01/30/17 12:53 AM

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House Democrat: 'American terrorists' are the real threat - Washington Examiner (blog)

Meadville City Council candidate Herb Riede, a Democrat, is looking forward to the challenge of what he calls, reviewing a tax system implemented in the 1950s and making it friendly to homeowners and businesses, he said in a release announcing his candidacy.

Riede said he hopes to help the city get past the habit of catching up with old major projects without long-term planning and then simplify and reduce the number of redundant revenue streams.

As a former member of a Boro Council and mayor, I have experienced writing and passing budgets and have utilized the process to improve constituent services, Riede said in the release. I intend to provide creative solutions that helps council to better hold the line on if not restore city services without relying on painful tax increases.

Riedeand his fiance, Lisa Fralick, will be joined on the trail by their sons, Herbie and Seth, ages 4 and 11, respectively. Their twin daughters, Allie and Abbie, are seniors at Meadville Area Senior High School and already have committed to Edinboro University of Pennsylvania and the University of Pittsburgh at Titusville for the fall. They are working on the campaign to help their father register new Democrats for the primary and to gain volunteers as they themselves prepare to vote for their father in their first election, turning 18 this April.

Riede can be found at HerbRiede.com, on Facebook.com/HerbRiede and @HerbRiede on Twitter and his cell is (814) 795-9597.

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Riede announces Meadville City Council candidacy as Democrat - Meadville Tribune