The Unsinkable Donald Trump

Friends, I recommend to you today this thought-provoking article by Victor Davis Hanson.  It reflects on the remarkable staying power of Donald Trump.  For four years he has been hammered relentlessly, so much so that Trump-hatred has become an obsession for about half the country.  And yet...he survives, even prospers at times!  Hanson suggests that pillorying Republican leaders has become de rigueur on the Left.  Any Republican, even one more "polite" and conventional than Trump, would be savaged day in and day out.  He would be called a racist, a "Nazi", a dictator, and worse!  Liberals would even fantasize about killing him.  All this, sad to say, is now NORMAL in America.  The question is, however, how would the Republican leader in question respond to these assaults?  Would he smile and carry on?  Would he turn the other cheek?  Would he mouth some pleasantries about "compassionate conservatism"?  Would he embrace elements of the Democratic agenda in order to seem more moderate?  This is the conventional playbook, after all.  Trump, however, plays by different rules.  When someone throws a punch at him, by God he punches back!  Could that explain the fact that he's still standing after all these years, and after so much adversity?  It bears consideration, I'm sure you'll agree.

https://amgreatness.com/2019/09/15/trumped-out/

TDS Just Went Off Into The Wild Blue Yonder...

Friends, have you been following the ridiculous story about USAF aircrew staying at Trump's resort near Glasgow, Scotland -- and how this supposedly represents another attempt by Trump to profit from his office?  Well, it was always malarkey.  Here's the proof:

https://www.foxnews.com/politics/air-force-deal-with-airport-turnberry

Anyone in the media or the Democratic Party who pushed this story ought to be ashamed of themselves.  They were smearing the honor and integrity of the U.S. Air Force, after all, in addition to that of President Trump!  These non-patriots ought to be asking themselves: do I really want to pick a fight with people who have B-52s at their disposal?  I think not!

In other news, last night was the third Democratic debate, and all the big guns were on the same stage for the first time.  My overall view is that this debate will do nothing to alter the dynamics of the race.  At times Vice-President Biden was fumbling and inarticulate, and at other times he was reasonably effective and apparently sincere.  He's still uncomfortable answering questions about race, and honestly I don't see why.  He has nothing to be ashamed about -- except his current endorsement of the Left's reverse racism masking itself as egalitarianism.  Warren was her usual self.  For a woman with a plan for everything, I must say her pronouncements in debates are remarkably vague.  She hates corporations -- that much is clear.  If anyone can prove that she's worked hand in glove with corporate interests at any point in her career, that could be a major blow to her "brand."  Bernie was Bernie.  Some of the other contenders put in good performances, but no one shone on stage.  I suspect poll numbers won't budge in the short term.  Frankly, it surprises me how passive many of the Dems have been to date.  You would think that if you were languishing at 1-5% in the polls, and Biden, Warren, and Sanders were leaving you in their dust, you'd want to shake things up a bit, and you'd be willing to throw a few bombs to do it.  But no -- the disagreements are mostly very polite, and no one seems to be in a big hurry to win over primary voters.  I keep wondering when these candidates will take the gloves off...  If the answer is never, then I'd say there's a good chance that the top three will all limp to the convention with a sizeable collection of delegates but with no majority, and then things could get really crazy!  We shall see.

Black and Red at the Same Time, You Say? Impossible!

Friends, today I bring you a very interesting article on Dan Bishop's win on Tuesday in North Carolina's 9th District.  As you'll see here, there was an interesting pattern indicating a combination of low minority turnout for the Democrat and higher than expected minority support for the Republican.  Could this trend repeat itself in 2020?

One of the little-reported stories of the 2016 election was that Trump did much better among female, black, and Hispanic voters than many pollsters had predicted he would.  This article suggests that, because of the strong economy, Trump could exceed those numbers in 2020 and confound his detractors once again.  I will hazard a correction, though: it is a mistake to see the economy as the only issue that can allow Trump to improve his performance with black and Hispanic voters.  Other issues, like the border, trade, an America First foreign policy, taxes, and abortion, to name just a few, can be a draw for some black and brown Americans.  It's a mistake to view minority voters as monolithic.

The key question in 2020, as always, will be: how successful will the usual Democratic snow-job on minorities be?  Democrats will try to convince black voters in particular that the KKK is at the gates once again, and Donald Trump is their honorary Grand Wizard.  Will this nonsense carry the day?  It has plenty of times before...but we must hope that minorities are growing tired of being played for fools.

https://spectator.org/why-nc-9-should-frighten-the-democrats/

How Soon We Forget

Friends, this week's Newsmaker Show explores all the hot topics, including the dismissal of John Bolton, President Trump's erstwhile National Security Advisor, the ramping up of our trade war with China, the media's toxic fixation on President Trump, and the latest machinations in the political battle over Brexit.  Brian and I also discuss the legacy of the 9/11 attacks -- on the 18th anniversary of that fateful day!

Check it out:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ruFhd22zi1Y&feature=youtu.be

In other news, congrats to Dan Bishop, who won a critical House special election in North Carolina!  The Dems spent millions, and they came close, but the good people of the Tar Heel state still did the right thing...

Finally, check out this article, which explores the relationship between conservatism and the environment.  Chris Buskirk, a big wheel at American Greatness, makes some excellent points.  Conservatives are caricatured as enemies of the Earth, but of course that isn't fair.  We all have to live on this planet, at the end of the day, and we all want to protect the natural environment.  Much of the time, we even agree on how to do it.  What we don't agree on is the liberal assertion that anyone who questions their agenda of environmental extremism is, ipso facto, a monster.  BTW, I like what Chris has to say about China.  China is one of the worst environmental offenders around, and, as we limit our dependence on China for manufactured goods, we can look instead to companies and countries that engage in more responsible practices.  You'd think this would be yet another argument for getting tough on China and supporting Trump's trade war -- but for some reason the Left has always had a soft spot for China and for the whole "developing" world.  They can pollute to their hearts' content, because it's only Westerners who offend Mother Earth.  Nonsense!

https://amgreatness.com/2019/09/09/how-conservatives-can-protect-the-environment-and-win-voters-too/

From Downing Street With Love

Friends, we can only hope old Boris has some tricks up his sleeve, because the political establishment is uniting to stop him from delivering Brexit for the British people.  Can it still be done?  Will Boris and his merry band of Brexiteers have the last laugh?  Stay tuned!  In the meantime, check out my latest article, in which I proffer some advice to the P.M.

https://townhall.com/columnists/nicholaswaddy/2019/09/09/think-outside-the-box-boris-n2552773

Trump Drops The Bomb On China (Metaphorically)

Friends, big news today!  Check out this article, which demonstrates the real effects of the US-China trade war.  At first, tariffs weren't even putting a dent in trade figures, including our massive trade deficit.  Now, that's turning around.  You could see this as searing agony for American exporters and consumers...or you could see it as a sign that Trump's pressure tactics are working.  China's exports have fallen more than US exports.  The trade deficit has narrowed considerably IN OUR FAVOR.  Give Trump some credit?  Oh no -- the MSM wouldn't think of it...but I just did!

https://www.axios.com/china-trump-trade-war-tariffs-october-negotiations-a63366c7-f819-417c-a442-5c208978b12b.html

The (Brexit) Allies versus the Axis of (Remainer) Evil?

Friends, the political establishment in Britain is doing its best to throw Brexit into the dustbin of history, just as the "Swamp" is working hard to send the Trump family back to New York City (and preferably to Rikers Island).  Boris Johnson, though, Britain's courageous Brexiteer P.M., has an ace up his sleeve: Britain is (nominally, at least) a democracy, and that means that the people get a say!  Right now the rebel Conservatives, Labour, the Greens, the Scottish Nationalist Party, and the Liberal Democrats are all conspiring to prevent a quick election, because they fear Boris would win it.  It will happen, though, probably by November, and all parties must begin to consider their strategy for victory.  It would seem that the Conservatives are embracing Brexit more strongly than ever before, and as a result an opportunity has arisen to form an alliance between Nigel Farage's Brexit Party and the Conservatives.  Such an alliance would be formidable, especially as the two strongest opposition parties, Labour and the Liberal Democrats, seem far apart on many issues and look set to divide the Remainer vote between them.  I endorse a pact between the Conservatives and the Brexit Party wholeheartedly!  Indeed, I would love to see old Nigel in Boris's next cabinet.  Can you imagine the horror that would cause among the globalists and the elitists?  I can!  Bring it on!

https://news.yahoo.com/nigel-farage-claims-election-pact-will-lead-to-a-100-strong-conservative-majority-114706153.html

Brexit Makes Britain Go Bonkers (Boris to the Rescue?)

Friends, recent days have seen some high drama at Westminster.  The opposition and 21 rebel Remainer Conservatives have taken over Parliament.  They are close to passing a bill that instructs the Prime Minister to request yet another Brexit extension from the EU -- and it more or less requires him to accept it.  The bill is designed to take a no-deal Brexit off the table, and thus, according to many Brexiteers, to sabotage Brexit itself.  This is because, if Britain can never threaten the EU with a no-deal Brexit, the EU can say in response: okay, then take the Brexit deal we offered you (a very soft form of Brexit that effectively binds Britain permanently to the EU customs union) or cancel Brexit!  It's a complicated picture, but in essence a Remainer Parliament has just pulled the rug out from under its own Prime Minister.  They want to ensure that, either there will never be a Brexit, or it will be postponed indefinitely, and if it ever happens it will be so mild that no one will notice its effects.

Boris's response?  He finds Parliament's actions outrageous, and totally at odds with the June 2016 referendum in which the British people chose Brexit.  He believes that the government -- his government -- no longer enjoys the support of Parliament.  It doesn't.  He believes that the only solution is to have another parliamentary election, so the British people can decide, hopefully once and for all, whether they want to elect Brexiteers or Remainers.  Based on the polls, in which the Conservatives have a solid lead, Boris expects that, if an election is held, he will win it, he will obtain a safe majority, he can repeal the law forcing him to seek another extension from the EU, and Britain can leave the EU on schedule on October 31st, either with a deal (struck by him, applying maximum pressure given the imminence of no-deal), or without a deal.

The opposition's position?  They have sought an election for years, believing it would give them the opportunity to capture power.  Now, though, in the face of the polls, they are hesitating.  First, they say, let's get that precious extension, and then we can talk about elections...

The upshot, I believe, is that Parliament has steadfastly refused to implement the people's will.  Now Parliament is undermining the Prime Minister.  The best solution is an election.  We must hope that the polls are right and that Boris will be the victor.  Then Britain can have Brexit at long last, and the British people can get on with their lives.  Hopefully, some decorum can also be restored to British politics.

The only question is: when will this election be, and how much mischief will Parliament get up to in the interim?

https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-politics-49588182

Also, apropos our discussion about leftist tyranny on college campuses, check out this shocking poll:

https://news.yahoo.com/poll-73-percent-republican-students-142449946.html

Those numbers ought to shame any liberal academic who dares to mouth the words "tolerance," "diversity," or "inclusion"!

James Comey Pulled a Fast One on America

Friends, this week's Newsmaker Show addresses some major news items, as you would expect.  First and foremost Brian and I tackle the Brexit fiasco.  Will Parliament pass a law forcing the Prime Minister to accept endless Brexit extensions, thus potentially scuppering Brexit?  Will P.M. Boris Johnson call a new election to obtain a safe, pro-Brexit majority?  Will opposition parties try to obstruct an election, out of fears they might lose it?  All this and more will be analyzed on this week's show.  In addition, we cover the dangers of "gun control" and the news that James Comey, former FBI Director, will NOT be charged with leaking secret and confidential information to the press.  This last development concerns me greatly, because, if no one is charged with a crime in connection with the plot to frame President Trump for "Russian collusion," these sorts of dirty tricks -- and worse -- will be perpetrated again.  Here's hoping the DOJ had some very good reasons for showing mercy, and that it will come down hard on other big fish in the scandalous machinations to surveil and then smear a major-party candidate for President.

Brian and I also cover some fascinating historical items, including the 1957 integration of Little Rock High School and its constitutional and foreign policy dimensions, the anniversary of Britain and France's declarations of war against Germany in 1939, the pattern of recovery in Europe after the war, and the death of Ho Chi Minh in 1969.

Don't miss it!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zoA4Urv1CqM&feature=youtu.be

Value for Money and Tolerance: Not American Higher Ed's Cup of Tea

Friends, I bring to your attention today a thought-provoking analysis of American higher ed and its many faults by Victor Davis Hanson.  I disagree with many of his assumptions -- his romanticization of the academy in the 60s and 70s, his condemnation of tenure, and his suggestion that many student debts should be forgiven -- but I agree with his overriding points that higher ed has become bloated with administration, slavish to the fashion for (selective) "inclusion", and oblivious to the marketability of many of its degrees.  I have little doubt that many who are in college don't belong there, and they could find better ways of establishing their credentials for gainful employment.  Above all, Hanson is right that too many professors use their positions to indoctrinate their students in leftist orthodoxy.  Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't, but writ large the academy is deluding millions of our best and brightest into supporting socialism, abortion on demand, environmental radicalism, reverse racism, anti-religious prejudice, Trump-hatred, and a host of other misconceptions.  Higher ed may never be a hotbed of conservatism -- but it could at least be more dedicated to professionalism and even-handedness.  That's not asking for too much, is it?

https://amgreatness.com/2019/09/01/from-icon-to-just-a-con/