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Republicans want you to believe that inflation in the United States is not part of a global problem but is 100% President Joe Bidens fault.

Just check out their recent over-the-top rhetoric. House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., has blamed Biden for creating raging inflation. In a tweet, Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, called inflation #BidenFlation, saying it was caused by Bidens policies. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., even made a speech on the Senate floor last week focused on inflation, in which he detailed the rising prices of goods, gas, etc., all leading to the crescendo that it was Biden and the Democrats' fault.

What the GOP has left out of all its speeches, television appearances and tweets slamming Biden is even a hint of a proposal to reduce prices.

But what the GOP has left out of all its speeches, television appearances and tweets slamming Biden is even a hint of a proposal to reduce prices. Even worse than the GOP not having a plan of its own, though, is Republicans determination to block Bidens efforts to help Americans. Theyve opposed his agenda to lower child care costs, create affordable housing and more. Biden made that very point in his June 14 speech about his plans to address inflation, in which he declared that Republicans in Congress are doing everything they can to stop my plans to bring down costs on ordinary families.

Theres no disputing that prices in our nation rose 8.6% in May since last year at that time, the highest rate since 1981. Food prices have risen over 10% since May 2021, and gas prices have skyrocketed. Just about everything we use on a daily basis costs more.

Biden candidly acknowledged this reality in last weeks speech, noting that inflation is sapping the strength of a lot of families. He said he understands firsthand what this is like, noting that when he was a child growing up in a blue-collar family, it mattered if the price of food went up.

A convergence of issues has caused this spike in inflation. The well-documented supply chain issues that followed Covid shutdowns drove up prices. Some of it was fueled by us, consumers who unleashed our pent-up demand to travel and buy goods after things reopened. More demand equals higher prices. Russias attack on Ukraine added to higher gas prices, which contribute to higher prices for goods, since it costs more to transport them.

This is in no way a Biden-caused problem unless Republicans are telling us he caused inflation worldwide, which they very well might say before November. A Pew Research Center report released just last week documented that in 37 of the 44 nations with advanced economies, the average annual inflation rate in the first quarter of this year was at least twice what it was in the first quarter of 2020. In fact, the United States during the first quarter of this year was 13 of 44 in terms of inflation, far eclipsed by countries such as Italy, Israel, Spain, Greece and Turkey.

This leads us to the hard reality that theres no easy solution for inflation; if there were, Biden wouldve flipped that switch months ago. And cynical Republicans know that.

At least Biden does have a plan, which, like the causes of inflation, is multifaceted.

At least Biden does have a plan, which, like the causes of inflation, is multifaceted.

With respect to gas prices, in addition to releasing oil from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve to increase supplies, the president last week sent a letter to U.S. oil companies demanding that they increase the production of oil and to stop unfairly profiting on Americans' need for gas. He even threatened to use all reasonable and appropriate Federal Government tools and emergency authorities to increase refinery capacity and output in the near term.

In his speech last week, Biden noted that on food costs, he was working closely with our European partners to get 20 million tons of grains locked in Ukraine out onto the market to help bring down food prices. The president also explained his efforts to reduce other household costs to offset the higher gas and food prices, such as capping the cost of insulin at $35 a bill for which passed the House in March but still has not passed the Senate due to lack of Republican support.

So where is the GOP plan to address inflation? Republicans have had plenty of time to come up with one, given that they have been screaming since last summer that Biden caused inflation.

Heres the best I can find: In May, Sen. Rick Scott, R-Fla., the chair of the National Republican Senatorial Committee, laid out his plan. The most effective thing Joe Biden can do to solve the inflation crisis he created is resign, Scott said. Then theres McCarthy, who earlier this month offered the following proposal as his solution to rising costs: I call on Speaker Pelosi and House Democrats to hold a prime-time hearing on the out-of-control inflation their policies have created.

Rep. Elise Stefanik, R-N.Y., the third-ranking member of the House GOP, isnt even pretending her party has a plan. She recently said of inflation, House Republicans will address these crises when we earn back control of the House this November. Sure, America, lets trust the party of tax cuts for the wealthy to look out for the rest of us.

We all get how politics works. The party out of power blames the party in power for everything thats bad. But in this case, inflation is directly impacting the lives of all Americans. Its time Democrats and the media press every Republican who blames Biden for inflation to answer this simple question: What is the GOP plan to reduce it? Americans deserve an answer.

Dean Obeidallah, a lawyer, hosts "The Dean Obeidallah Show" on SiriusXM radio's Progress channel. He has written for The Daily Beast, CNN.com and other publicationsand is a co-creator of the annual New York Arab-American Comedy Festival.

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Republicans would rather blame Biden for inflation than help fix it - MSNBC

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A Texas House candidate and police officer backed by former President Donald Trump and top Texas Republicans has been indicted on a charge of impersonating a public servant, according to authorities.

Dallas police said Friday that Frederick Frazier was placed on administrative leave after the department was notified that a Collin County grand jury indicted him. Impersonating a public servant is a third-degree felony.

Frazier turned himself in to the Richardson jail Friday and posted bond, said Teddy Yoshida, a spokesperson for the Richardson Police Department.

It is unclear what the specific allegations against Frazier are, and a spokesperson for the Collin County district attorneys office was not immediately available for comment.

Responding to the indictment, Fraziers campaign blamed his Republican primary runoff opponent, Paul Chabot, who had suggested Frazier posed as a city code compliance officer to get Chabots campaign signs taken down at a Walmart. In a statement, Fraziers campaign said Chabot, who has run for office multiple times before, is trying to overturn the results of that election by bringing up trumped complaints to law enforcement and testifying before a grand jury.

Frederick Frazier is looking forward to having the opportunity to defend himself in court, where we are confident jurors will see through Chabots lies in the same way that voters have five times before, the statement said.

John Thomas, Chabots consultant, issued a statement on Fraziers indictment:

An independent grand jury was empaneled and determined that Mr. Frazier committed multiple felonies. In fact, it was the Rangers and the McKinney PD who uncovered the felonies. Fraziers lying and deceit knows no limits. He committed crimes and refuses to fess up. He is a disgrace to himself and to those who dawn a badge in law enforcement. Paul Chabot demands Frazier have one shred of decency and immediately drop out of the race as its crucial that both a Republican and candidate with integrity represent the people of the 61st district.

Frazier easily won the Republican primary runoff last month for House District 61, an open seat in Collin County that leans Republican. A well-known advocate for law enforcement in Austin, Frazier had the backing of Trump, Gov. Greg Abbott, Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick and state House Speaker Dade Phelan. The Democratic nominee in the race is Sheena King.

During the runoff, Chabot spoke out about the alleged theft of dozens of his campaign signs. In one incident, Chabot said a Walmart store manager told him someone claiming to work for city code compliance came in and told the store to take down Chabots signs because they were illegally placed. Chabot said he reported that to the police.

The Texas Rangers ultimately looked into his claims. Chabot later obtained a report from the Rangers through a public records request that said the agency investigated Frazier in February for alleged criminal violations of Impersonating a Public Servant and potentially related Theft.

At the time, Fraziers campaign consultant, Craig Murphy, said his candidate denied any wrongdoing and called Chabots claims frivolous.

Texas Scorecard and Steven Monacelli, a freelance journalist who extensively covered the campaign sign controversy for Rolling Stone, were among the first to report Friday that Frazier had been indicted.

Join us Sept. 22-24 in person in downtown Austin for The Texas Tribune Festival and experience 100+ conversation events featuring big names you know and others you should from the worlds of politics, public policy, the media and tech all curated by The Texas Tribunes award-winning journalists. Buy tickets.

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Republican Texas House candidate in Collin County charged with impersonating public servant - The Texas Tribune

Mayra Flores was sworn in as the first Mexican-born member of Congress this week. And she did it as a Republican running in a Texas district that has only ever elected Democrats.

Flores, a 30-something mother of four, told me she was brought up with strong conservative values that focused on faith, family and hard work.

She won nearly 51% of the vote against her Democratic opponents 43% in the special election to replace Democrat Filemon Vela, who retired before his term ended.

She even earned the vote of Texas transplant and billionaire Elon Musk, the Tesla and SpaceX CEO, who revealed on Twitter he had just made his first-ever vote for a Republican candidate:I voted for Mayra Flores first time I ever voted Republican. Massive red wave in 2022.

Flores will serve out the remainder of Velas term and must face Democratic nominee Vicente Gonzalez in Novembers general election to keep the seat. While her initial term will be short-lived (and she has a tough fight ahead of her in the general), her victory signifies the growing shift of Hispanic voters connecting with a more conservative message.

The voters in Flores34thcongressional district are 84.5% Hispanic. Flores, who hails from the northeastern state of Tamaulipas, Mexico, and came to the US legally with her family when she was six years old, is a respiratory care worker and the wife of a border patrol agent. Her campaign never shied away from the issue of border security and her belief that everyone can earn the American Dream.

People want you to understand the things that are really impacting their lives, like inflation, education policies, the border crisis, which is literally in our backyard, escalating crime and the drug crisis, said Flores in an interview with The Post.

We need a legal immigration system that works not what we have going on here everyday in the district, she said of the flood of migrants entering the southern border daily.

Flores said she got involved with her local Republican party several years ago when she realized she lined up with their views on faith, education and border security.

She said Hispanic voters see themselves as Americans, while Democrats see Hispanic voters as an ethnic voting bloc. Because of that they felt entitled to our vote, Flores said. The problem is they do not represent our values of faith, community, work ethic or the desire to seek better opportunities.

Although Flores Rio Grande Valley district has been controlled by the Democrats for more than a century, the partys support here is steadily beginning to erode. While Obama won here by a whopping 22.1% just 10 years ago, Biden took it by just 4.2%.

Cameron County which is 85 percent Hispanic and located on the border has swung 14.3 percentage points toward Republicans in less than two years. Biden took that county by 13.2 percentage points; Flores won it by 1.1%.

Flores remarkable victory is reminiscent of the 2010 red wave, when Republican House candidates in the Rust Belt states of Ohio, Michigan, Wisconsin and Pennsylvania swept seats that Democrats had held for generations. The media and the Democratic Party never expected Hispanics to vote Republican in the same way they never expected legacy blue-collar Democrats to flip parties in the 2010 and 2014 midterms. But they did.

House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) said Democrats have taken these voters for granted. They always believed they were entitled to their vote in the same way they believed for years they were entitled to the working class white vote, but when you stop talking to voters about things they care about kitchen table issues like inflation, crime, the cost of gas or utilities and securing the border you lose them, he said.

While Flores was talking about those issues in the closing days of the election, her opponent was running on [the Capitol riot of] January 6. That showed how out of touch Democrats are in understanding what people are worried about right now, McCarthy said.

Flores victory is part of a larger trend in states with high Hispanic populations where Republicans are bagging local races. Last year the GOP took two heavily Hispanic mayoral races in Texas. Javier Villalobos defeated a Democrat-backed candidate in the border city of McAllen, while Mattie Parker bested a Democrat in Fort Worth who had endorsements from Beto ORourke and Julin Castro, both of whom ran for president in 2020.

When Flores faces Gonzalez in November, the newly drawn lines of the 34thdistrict will favor Democrats. But she said she is undaunted by that challenge.

Nothing is impossible when you work hard. We have it in us and were going to work really hard to earn everyones votes. And Im confident that were going to win that reelection in November because no one will be able to outwork us, she said.

Flores said she was honored to earn not just Musks vote but the support of everyone who has sent her to the US Capitol. Now, she wants to be their voice in Washington.

Prior to me running, no one really cared about what Texas district 34 had to say, she said.

I ran because I wanted to give back to this amazing country thats given me so much. Ive accomplished the American dream and I just want all our children to also accomplish the American dream. I ran because I didnt want that to slip away. I won because people heard that in me.

When I get to congress my job is supposed to focus on the issues that matter to my constituents, not whats important to people in Washington, DC.

Original post:
Why Mexican-born Rep. Mayra Flores is the future of the Republican party - New York Post

Former President Donald Trump has railed against the January 6 panel's public hearings.Chet Strange/Getty Images

Frank Luntz, a GOP pollster, told CNN that Trump is "paying a price" over the January 6 hearings.

He added that Trump can "send out his emails," but they're "having less and less of an impact."

Luntz also commented on Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, calling him "more than a threat" to Trump.

Conservative pollster Frank Luntz said this week that he thinks former President Donald Trump's popularity is being damaged by the January 6 panel's public hearings on the Capitol riot.

Speaking on CNN's New Day program, Luntz said the panel focused "too much" on politicians but commented that the hearings are still hurting Trump.

"Donald Trump is actually paying a price for what these hearings are showing. So it's having an impact, even among Republicans," Luntz said.

He also commented on the public hearings not providing enough visual material of the actual riot.

"And in the end, the American people react to the visuals, not just the verbal, not just the conversation, and it is those visuals that proved to them that something really awful happened on January 6," he added.

Luntz also told CNN that polling in New Hampshire showed that Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis is ahead of Trump in the state.

"Ron DeSantis is actually ahead of Donald Trump in a very credible survey. Trump's numbers are actually falling. And that is what's changing the dynamic here," Luntz said, adding that these changing impressions might influence whether Trump eventually runs for president again in 2024.

Asked about how DeSantis might fare in 2024, Luntz told CNN that the Florida governor was now "more than a threat" to Trump. Luntz highlighted that DeSantis had been proving himself and giving Republicans an opportunity to say that "it's time to move on" from Trump.

"Make no mistake, Donald Trump is the most popular political figure within the Republican Party, but there is now a specific challenger," Luntz said. "And Trump can yell and scream and send out his emails, I'm on his list, and they're all emotional, and they all are meant to blow things up, but they're having less and less of an impact with every single month."

Story continues

Luntz has openly criticized Trump on several occasions. For instance, in May last year, Luntz said Trump's baseless claims of voter fraud might cost the GOP the House in 2022. In April, Luntz revealed that Republican lawmakers were privately "laughing at" Trump behind his back because they think of him as a "child."

Meanwhile, Trump has railed against the January 6 panel's public hearings, demanding equal airtime on national TV and releasing a 12-page statement bashing the investigation while continuing to tout his baseless claims of voter fraud.

Read the original article on Business Insider

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Top GOP pollster says Trump is 'paying a price' even among Republicans for what the January 6 hearings have revealed - Yahoo! Voices

Follow live updates on the House committee hearing on the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol.

WASHINGTON The four hearings held in the past few weeks by the House committee investigating the Jan. 6 attack, with their clear, uninterrupted narratives about President Donald J. Trumps effort to undercut the peaceful transfer of power, have left some pro-Trump Republicans wringing their hands with regret about a decision made nearly a year ago.

Representative Kevin McCarthy of California, the minority leader, chose last summer to withdraw all of his nominees to the committee amid a dispute with Speaker Nancy Pelosi over her rejection of his first two choices a turning point that left the nine-member investigative committee without a single ally of Mr. Trump.

Mostly in private, Republicans loyal to Mr. Trump have complained for months that they have no insight into the inner workings of the committee as it has issued dozens of subpoenas and conducted interviews behind closed doors with hundreds of witnesses.

But the public display this month of what the panel has learned including damning evidence against Mr. Trump and his allies left some Republicans wishing more vocally that Mr. Trump had strong defenders on the panel to try to counter the evidence its investigators dig up.

Would it have made for a totally different debate? Absolutely, said Representative Brian Mast, Republican of Florida. I would have defended the hell out of him.

Among those second-guessing Mr. McCarthys choice has been Mr. Trump.

Unfortunately, a bad decision was made, Mr. Trump told the conservative radio host Wayne Allyn Root this week. He added: It was a bad decision not to have representation on that committee. That was a very, very foolish decision.

The committee employed more than a dozen former federal prosecutors to investigate the actions of Mr. Trump and his allies in the buildup to the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol.

With former television producers on staff, the committee has built a narrative told in chapters about the former presidents attempts to cling to power.

As it has done so, the committee has not had to contend with speechifying from the dais about Mr. Trumps conservative policy achievements. There has been no cross-examination of the panels witnesses. No derailing of the hearings with criticism of President Biden. No steering the investigation away from the former president. Ultimately, there has been no defense of Mr. Trump at all.

The committee presented considerable evidence this month of Mr. Trumps role, laying out how the former president pressured Vice President Mike Pence to go along with a plan to unilaterally overturn his election defeat even after he was told it was illegal.

On Tuesday, the panel directly tied Mr. Trump to a scheme to put forward fake slates of pro-Trump electors and presented fresh details of how the former president sought to bully, cajole and bluff his way into invalidating his 2020 defeat in states around the country.

The committee has also used prominent Republicans as witnesses to make its case, leaving Mr. Trumps allies with an impossible task: How are they to defend him even from the outside when the evidence against him comes from Republican lawyers, a widely respected conservative judge, his campaign advisers and even his own daughter?

The effectiveness of the hearings in putting Mr. Trump at the heart of the effort to overturn the election results has drawn the attention of, among others, Mr. Trump. He has made plain this week that he wants more Republicans defending him, and is displeased as the hearings play out on national television without pro-Trump voices.

The only Republicans on the committee are two who have lined up squarely against Mr. Trump: Representative Liz Cheney of Wyoming and Representative Adam Kinzinger of Illinois. They were appointed by Ms. Pelosi, not Mr. McCarthy.

Mr. McCarthy figured in July that it was better politically to bash the committee from the sidelines rather than appoint members of his party acceptable to Ms. Pelosi. He has said he had to take a stand after she rejected two of his top picks for the panel: Representatives Jim Banks of Indiana and Jim Jordan of Ohio.

Ms. Pelosi said she could not allow the pair to take part, based on their actions around the riot and comments they had made undercutting the investigation. (Mr. Jordan has subsequently been issued a subpoena by the committee because of his close dealings with Mr. Trump.) The speakers decision led directly to Mr. McCarthys announcement that Republicans would boycott the panel.

When Pelosi wrongfully didnt allow them, we shouldve picked other people, Mr. Trump said in an interview with Punchbowl News. We have a lot of good people in the Republican Party.

Mr. Trump has grumbled openly about the makeup of the panel, according to a person familiar with his remarks. Some members of the far-right House Freedom Caucus have also privately complained about the lack of pro-Trump Republicans on the panel, the person said.

Those close to Mr. McCarthy argue that the Democrats who control the committee would most likely not have allowed his nominees much power or influence over the panels work.

The hearings will pick up again on Thursday with a session devoted to Mr. Trumps effort to install a loyalist at the top of the Justice Department to carry out his demands for more investigations into baseless claims of election fraud.

The panel is planning at least two more hearings for July, according to its chairman, Representative Bennie Thompson, Democrat of Mississippi. Those hearings are expected to detail how a mob of violent extremists attacked the Capitol and how Mr. Trump did nothing to call off the violence for more than three hours.

Asked on Tuesday about the former presidents comments about the Jan. 6 committee, Mr. McCarthy instead talked about inflation and gas prices.

They focused on an issue the public is not focused on, he said of the committee. Mr. McCarthy added that he spoke with Mr. Trump this week.

One of the Republicans whose nomination Mr. McCarthy withdrew from the committee, Representative Kelly Armstrong of North Dakota, was a defense lawyer before being elected to Congress.

Ms. Pelosi had approved of Mr. Armstrong serving on the panel, along with Representative Rodney Davis of Illinois and Representative Troy Nehls of Texas.

Mr. Armstrong said he had watched the hearings as the committee laid out evidence in a choreographed, well-scripted way.

Had he been allowed to serve on the committee, he would have tried to steer the investigation and its questions at public hearings into security failures at the Capitol, he said, echoing a line of criticism that many Republicans have tried to direct at Ms. Pelosi.

It would be a lot less scripted. Wed ask questions, Mr. Armstrong said. There are real questions to be answered. My heart goes out to the law enforcement officials. They needed more people down there.

Still, he said, he stands by the decision made by Mr. McCarthy, who is considered the leading candidate to become speaker if Republicans win control of the House in the midterm elections in November.

I was in the room when we made that decision, and I still think it was the right decision, he said, arguing that House Republicans had to take a stand after Ms. Pelosi removed Mr. Jordan and Mr. Banks. I think it was the only option.

Mr. Trumps comments have sparked much discussion among House Republicans over whether it was the right decision.

Everybodys got a different opinion on that, said Representative Tom Cole, Republican of Oklahoma. Personally, I think the leader made the right call. The minute the speaker decides who the Republican members are, it turned against the legitimacy of it.

Representative Daniel Crenshaw, Republican of Texas, said he would have preferred to see an exchange of opposing views on the panel. Let the public see how that debate goes, he said. That would have been better, of course.

But Representative Fred Upton, a Michigan Republican who voted to impeach Mr. Trump for inciting the attack on the Capitol and is retiring from Congress, said he saw nothing but hypocrisy and foolishness in Mr. Trumps complaints. He noted that Mr. Trump made the strategic error of opposing a bipartisan commission, with no current lawmakers involved, to investigate the attack on the Capitol.

That commission would have had to finish its work last year. Instead, Mr. Trumps miscalculation led to the creation of the House Jan. 6 committee, which is continuing to investigate him, Mr. Upton said.

Trump opposed the bipartisan commission, Mr. Upton said. Once again, hes rewriting history.

Stephanie Lai contributed reporting.

Originally posted here:
Why Some Republicans Are Second-Guessing Boycotting the Jan. 6 Panel - The New York Times