Loose Lips Sink Ships

Friends, my latest article analyzes the recent bombshell developments in the Brett Kavanaugh confirmation battle.  How should Republicans respond to the Christine Blasey Ford allegations?  Will Kavanaugh ultimately prevail and join the Supreme Court?  Read on and find out!

In Defense of Brett Kavanaugh, Republicans Shouldn't Descend to Democrats' Level

With some glee, Democrats are celebrating what they presume is the demise of President Trump's nominee to be the next Justice of the Supreme Court, Brett Kavanaugh. The allegations made against Kavanaugh by Professor Christine Blasey Ford are indeed serious, but in the end they will fail to deflect Kavanaugh from his path towards confirmation. Kavanaugh will soon be on the court – and Republicans should, in the meantime, avoiding overreacting to the political gamesmanship in which Democrats are engaged, and most of all they should not smear Professor Ford, whose motives are ultimately as unknowable as the events which transpired on that fateful day in 1982.

In opposing the Kavanaugh nomination, leftists and Democrats have shown a willingness to use inflated rhetoric, false and misleading claims, ruthless character assassination, and disingenuous tactics of delay and obfuscation. In short, liberals seem to believe that the complexion of the Supreme Court is so important that they should stop at nothing to defeat the nomination of Kavanaugh. The way in which Democratic Senators talked down to Kavanaugh and twisted his record and his past remarks during his confirmation hearings was a new low point for decorum and respect in the United States Congress. Commentators have been saying for a long time that Americans' commitment to democratic norms and civil discourse has eroded to a dangerous degree, and the fight over Kavanaugh has been an obvious case in point. Democrats spoke early in the process of their desire to “bork” Kavanaugh (referring to their successful campaign to defeat Reagan's pick for the high court, Robert Bork, in 1987), but in truth Brett Kavanaugh has been handled much more roughly than Bork ever was. He has been put through the proverbial ringer.

The latest Democratic efforts to derail Kavanaugh, by weaponizing a vague and unverifiable claim of sexual assault from his teenage years, is a fitting capstone to what has been a truly grueling and repugnant confirmation process. The question now becomes, though, will Republicans respond in kind? Will they, fearing for their grip on the Supreme Court if Kavanaugh is defeated and Democrats take control of the Senate in 2019, overreact and lash out at Professor Ford? Will they attempt to discredit Ford by questioning her motives, her veracity, or even her sanity? My view is that this would be a serious mistake, as well unfair to Ford herself.

Talking heads in the media, and millions of Americans sitting in their living rooms, will naturally want to get to the bottom of what, if anything, happened between Brett Kavanaugh and Christine Blasey Ford 36 years ago. The truth, unfortunately, is that we can scrutinize their claims as much as we like, but we will never know the answer. A polygraph test cannot resolve the issue, because such tests are unreliable, and in addition recollections can be wrong, even if sincere. 

In the end, therefore, Senators, and the American people, will face a simple question: should Brett Kavanaugh's sterling record and reputation be ignored, because he might have behaved improperly towards Professor Ford, or is he, in the best traditions of American justice, innocent until proven guilty, and therefore deserving of confirmation? Much as some in the #MeToo movement might wish it were otherwise, this is still a country of laws, and one in which evidence matters. One cannot destroy a man simply by accusing him of wrongdoing. The election of President Trump in 2016 proved that, beyond any shadow of a doubt.

Republicans and conservatives, therefore, should have confidence that, going forward, Brett Kavanaugh, unless he suddenly admits guilt in the Ford matter, will be our next Supreme Court Justice. Frankly, the motives, veracity, and sanity of Professor Ford are irrelevant. Even if she were the most credible witness in the history of Senate hearings, her performance, no matter how compelling, should not be – cannot be – sufficient to end the career of Brett Kavanaugh. It is only facts that can accomplish that, not suppositions or posturing, and in this case the facts – the evidence – supporting the allegations are very thin indeed. Thus, we must in all fairness conclude that Kavanaugh is innocent.

On the other hand, Republicans face real danger. If they were to treat Professor Ford with, well, the same savagery and contempt that has been inflicted on Brett Kavanaugh, there is a possibility that public sympathy for the Judge would evaporate, and the whole affair could turn into an ugly mess. 

No, Republicans must be the adults in the room. They must treat Judge Kavanaugh, and his accuser, with the sort of fairness, circumspection, and respect that has eluded their Democratic colleagues throughout the process. Republican Senators thus far have shown every indication that they intend to do exactly that: they will act responsibly and judiciously, and they will show sensitivity to Professor Ford and allow her to keep her dignity. Americans will thus be left in no doubt about which party is acting in good faith.

The entire bare-knuckles campaign to defeat the nomination of Brett Kavanaugh can be likened to a leftist tantrum, characterized by vitriol as well as futility. The numbers in the Senate, after all, are with Republicans, and thus the truth has always been that, as long as Republicans keep their cool and close ranks to support a solid conservative nominee, nothing and no one can prevent them from confirming a good man like Brett Kavanaugh.

Democrats can fume all they like, but we won in 2016, and we will win again in the next few weeks, as we make Brett Kavanaugh a Justice of the Supreme Court, and, in the process, tilt the Court even further to the (responsible) right.

Dr. Nicholas L. Waddy is an Associate Professor of History at SUNY Alfred and blogs at: www.waddyisright.com. He appears weekly on the Newsmaker program on WLEA 1480.

The Lesser of Two Evils

Friends, difficult though I find it to root against any political candidate with the last name "Nixon", I think it's safe to say that Cynthia Nixon would have made a dreadful governor, and thus we can be glad that she was defeated by Andrew Cuomo in yesterday's Democratic primary.  We shouldn't be surprised, though, because Cuomo had a massive lead throughout the contest, and Nixon's brand of uncompromising kookiness, while it may appeal to the white granola crowd, doesn't cut it with typical Democratic primary voters, who tend to be working class people of color and not rarefied limousine liberals.  Nixon, of course, never was running for Governor of New York.  She was running for attention, and to annoy Andrew Cuomo.  She accomplished both objectives.  Well played!  The other big news is that the Super Kook, Zephyr Teachout, did not prevail in the Democratic primary for Attorney General.  Again I say: thank heavens!

For me, the other big takeaway from the election in NY is this: my instincts told me that Nixon would lose, but that she would outperform many of the polls that had her getting the support of 20-25% of voters.  I guessed she would win a third of the vote, and she did just that.  My insights are vindicated!  That's good news, because my instincts also tell me that the polls that indicate that Democrats are leading by ten points or more in the race for control of Congress are pure drivel.  My guess is that that Democrats may narrowly win the national vote for the House of Representatives, but they may still fall short of capturing control, nonetheless.  This has happened before, and recently too, in 2012.  My instincts also tell me that Republicans can and will hold on to most of their gains in state legislatures and governorships, and, most importantly, the Republican majority in the Senate will actually grow.  Mark my words: the "blue wave" will disappoint.  You heard it here first!

Lord, When Will You Lift This Plague of Cuomos?

Friends, some things never change, and one of them appears to be New York State's subservience to the Cuomo clan.  Sure, we briefly enjoyed the benevolent rule of George Pataki (remember those halcyon days?), but by and large we've been in thrall to one Cuomo or another since 1983.  Incredible!  Now, Governor Andrew Cuomo seems poised to win the Democratic nomination for Governor yet again, and no doubt he will go on to victory in November.  Is it conceivable that someday a Republican could beat him?  Yes, but almost certainly NOT in 2018, which will likely be a challenging year for Republicans.  So...take a deep breath, my fellow conservatives, and brace yourselves for more of the same!

All this and more, including FBI leaks designed to undermine President Trump, the race to become New York's next Attorney General, the excesses of the #MeToo movement, the near certainty of Brett Kavanaugh's imminent conformation to the Supreme Court, and the myth of "voter suppression", are discussed between me and Brian O'Neil in my latest Newsmaker interview.  Don't miss it!

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

The Axis of Evil: Steyer, Soros, Bloomberg?

Friends, you've probably heard of George Soros, the billionaire who backs countless left-wing candidates and causes, but Tom Steyer and Mike Bloomberg are giving old George a run for his money in the race to become Public Enemy Number One of American democracy. They are plowing hundreds of millions of dollars into Democratic campaigns, voter registration drives, pro-impeachment propaganda, and efforts to undermine the 2nd Amendment.  My latest article focuses on yet another tentacle in their monstrous plot against Trumpism and liberty: they are lavishing resources on a sometimes-covert effort to undermine the energy industry with nuisance lawsuits.  To them, you see, elections are but one tool in their well-equipped toolbox -- litigation is often more attractive, because they can count on a sympathetic hearing before elitist, liberal judges.  Thus far, these lawsuits haven't gone far, but we need to be vigilant, and we need to fight back against Steyer, Soros, and Bloomberg on every front: public relations, campaign funding, voter mobilization, and civil and criminal litigation.  They leave no stone unturned.  Let's match them stride for stride.

Thanks to The Daily Caller for publishing my latest article!

http://dailycaller.com/2018/09/10/steyer-bloomberg-manipulation-democracy/

Colin Kaepernick: the Greatest American Hero of All Time?

Friends, if you're as disgusted and perplexed by Nike's decision to embrace Colin Kaepernick, anti-American crybaby millionaire, as I am, then you might want to read my latest article, which happens to be on that very topic.  I perceive one clear lesson here: corporations see how active and passionate leftists are, and they want to capitalize on that energy.  So where is the energy among conservatives?  We better find it, or cultivate it, soon...or else!

https://townhall.com/columnists/nicholaswaddy/2018/09/10/nike-a-company-conservatives-should-love-to-hate-n2517384

We Have Not Yet Begun To Fight (China)!

Friends, don't believe everything you hear in the mainstream media.  In fact, believe as little of it as possible.  You hear over and over how trade wars are "stupid" and will only end up hurting all sides.  In fact, the media portrays Trump's trade dispute with China as a mistake of epic (even economically suicidal) proportions.  The truth, as you see in this article, is that thus far the tariffs against China are limited in scope, and have not even succeeded in reducing our trade deficit!  That is, Chinese exports to the U.S. are up, not down!  This is true partly because the Chinese are cooking the books, as usual.  They have devalued their currency to counteract the effects of our tariffs.  They want to maintain their grip on the U.S. market at all costs.  In any case, the "trade war" is only in its early days, and President Trump intends to greatly increase the percentage of Chinese goods subjected to tariffs.  Thus, the medium- and long-term effects of this trade dispute are something that we can only speculate on, at this stage.

The WaddyIsRight perspective?  This trade war has been a long time in coming, and it is absolutely necessary to realign our trading relationship with China and ultimately the rest of the world.  No other president, sadly, would have cared enough about American interests to push things as far as they have gone to date, but China needed to be called on its trade manipulation and hypocrisy, and -- thank God! -- Trump has done it.  My view is that the U.S. and China are already too economically interdependent, and, if this trade war leads us ultimately to diversify our trading links, and deepen our trade ties with countries other than China, that's all to the good.

In sum, the sky isn't falling, despite what the Chicken Little crowd in the mainstream media claims.  President Trump has thrown down the gauntlet, and, in the end, the Chinese will buckle and make a deal, just like South Korea and Mexico have done already.  And, if they don't, we'll buy our tvs and our tennis shoes elsewhere.  So be it!

https://finance.yahoo.com/news/chinas-trade-surplus-us-hits-record-31-billion-005626012--finance.html

Bang, Bang -- Your Second Amendment Rights Are Dead!

Friends, today I recommend to you two articles, the first of which, although on the long side, will give you some great historical and global perspective on the problem of "mass shootings".  Now, mass shootings are real and they are tragic, but there is little doubt that statistics about such incidents are frequently manipulated to support an anti-gun rights agenda.  The Left is famous, or at least it should be, for falsely claiming to have a monopoly on "science", "facts", and "data", but all too often this claim is based on chicanery and blatant dishonesty.  As this article makes plain, violence and gun violence are global problems, and they have been around for a very long time.  Moreover, as Chicago has proven beyond a shadow of a doubt, "gun control" offers no solution.  Let's study the problem dispassionately and see what common sense measures can be taken to reduce mass shootings -- but let's NOT throw the baby out with the bathwater and take away Americans' constitutional rights.  Are you with me?

https://www.realclearpolitics.com/articles/2018/09/04/mass_shootings_in_america_anatomy_of_a_hyped_statistic_137960.html

The second article is depressing, but perhaps not shocking, given the fallen world we live in: it concerns Nike's decision to make Colin Kaepernick a spokesman for their "Just Do It" advertising campaign.  Kaepernick certainly doesn't merit such adulation based on his football career.  No, it's his "courageous" decision to disrespect the American flag, in the pursuit of his private political agenda, that has Nike swooning.  Many Americans are showing their outrage by destroying their Nike sneakers and gear.  I must admit, I'm tempted to do so myself, although such a response smacks of leftist "snowflake" theatrics...  What do you think?  Should I light the match...or not?

https://apnews.com/f401c92b5a0e4f86b7ce9f2a5ff05dda/Kaepernick-has-new-deal-with-Nike-though-he's-not-in-NFL

Pope Francis: Holier Than Thou?

Friends, in my latest appearance on the Newsmaker program, hosted by Brian O'Neil, we delve into the top issues of the day, including: Lanny Davis and media bias, the politics of grief surrounding the death of Senator John McCain, the fate of Paul Manafort, judicial activism and the subversion of legislative control over Congressional redistricting, the nomination battle surrounding Judge Brett Kavanaugh, and the debate over Pope Francis's role in the alleged coverup of sexual abuse within the Catholic Church.  As always, we leave no stone unturned!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6OyxWT1rhzI&feature=youtu.be

Socialism and Your Kids

Friends, I recommend to you this very interesting article which appeared on the FoxNews website.  It claims that "democratic socialists" are targeting the teaching profession, because they believe that turning children into leftists will ultimately bear fruit for their movement.  Of course, they're right, but in reality this is something of a non-story, because leftist radicals and Marxists have been infiltrating our public school system (to say nothing of higher ed) for decades.  It's not a conspiracy, so much as it's a titanic cultural shift in education to the left.  Already, conservatives are pointedly not welcome in many school districts, and the curriculum includes a strongly leftist bias.  Many Christians and conservatives are choosing to home-school their kids, or send them to private schools, because the liberal indoctrination in the public schools has become so pervasive and severe.  The examples are legion.

My advice?  Don't send your kids to public school, if you can avoid it, and if you must send them to public school try to make sure that the local school administration is at least remotely commonsensical.  In addition, get out there and serve on school boards, volunteer, and perhaps even enter the teaching profession yourself.  We need more conservative patriots in our schools, even if they feel a bit besieged at first.

It's trite to say that "children are the future," but inevitably they are, so let's not abandon them to leftists!

http://insider.foxnews.com/2018/08/25/young-democratic-socialists-america-releases-pamphlet-targeting-teachers-unions-michael

Elegy for Silent Sam: Twice a Victim of History

Friends, while the mainstream media obsesses about the legal travails of Michael Cohen and Paul Manafort -- and obfuscates the inconvenient fact of President Trump's innocence of any crime -- my eyes have been turned to recent events in the Tar Heel State: North Carolina.  There, days ago, a mob of left-wing activists tore down the statue of "Silent Sam," who was a memorial to Confederate war dead.  The disrespect these protesters showed, not only to fallen Confederate soldiers, but also to the rule of law, American history and heritage, and basic standards of decency, is profoundly shocking.  Actually, I take that back -- it is disgusting, but not shocking, because the passion for silencing their opponents, and destroying all symbols of a hated past, seems to infuse the modern Left.  We have seen it before, and we will see it again.  At any rate, I wanted to register my disapproval.

“Silent Sam” Wasn't Silent Enough for a Liberal Mob

Recently we witnessed the tragic and grossly illegal toppling of the “Silent Sam” statue on the campus of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill by a crowd of enraged protesters. Silent Sam had stood for over 100 years as a memorial to fallen soldiers of the Confederacy. He represented not a single, specific individual, but a great mass of several hundred thousand Confederate soldiers who died fighting for their homeland, albeit a homeland that practiced slavery. He especially stood for the UNC alumni who died in the Civil War.

A campaign to have the statue removed from campus had been active for years, but the mob that formed on August 20^th was not inclined to wait. Silent Sam was knocked to the ground and stomped on by euphoric radicals. All this was done in the name of anti-racism and to defeat “white supremacy,” which in point of fact receded as a meaningful force in American politics decades ago. Besides a tiny fringe of genuine hardcore racists and “Nazis” in the U.S., white supremacy has become, more than anything, a rallying cry for the Left, and an excuse to bully, silence, and even physically assault conservatives. Racism is and ought to be condemned by the vast majority of Americans, but the use of violent and illegal tactics to achieve one's political goals is never acceptable.

The Left's rationale for the removal of the Silent Sam statue rested largely on the fact that it was dedicated by, among others, the avowed racist Julian Carr, who saw Silent Sam as embodying the “Anglo Saxon race” in the South. This was indeed an inauspicious start for the statue, but the fact is that Silent Sam himself had no explicit connection to white supremacy – he is, or was, simply a weary Rebel soldier, who represented ordinary combatant Southerners, the vast majority of whom did not own slaves, but who did feel a duty to defend their homeland from what was perceived as “Northern Aggression”. Regardless of the justice of their cause, these men fought and died in appalling numbers, and it is not unreasonable that the people of North Carolina, and the state of North Carolina, would honor their courage and their sacrifice.

While we must concede that the Left is correct that Silent Sam does have some potentially negative associations, the bigger problem is that the Left's desire to expunge historical symbols with such “baggage” is extremely selective. Very few historical personages rise to the level of moral purity and perfection demanded by the modern-day acolytes of political correctness. And, if all historical heroes and heroines are flawed, who are liberals to decide which of these luminaries are to be consigned to the dustbin of history?

To take an obvious example, liberals are united in celebrating the contributions of Susan B. Anthony to the cause of women's liberation and female suffrage. The fact of the matter is, however, that Anthony was a racist, who opposed passage of the 15^th Amendment, which enfranchised black men, because she believed that white women, due to their superior “intelligence, justice, and morality”, should received the vote first, and “the negro” last. She referred to newly emancipated black men as “densely ignorant”. That racist philosophy, however, has never prevented leftists from lauding Susan B. Anthony, from erecting statues in her honor, or from pushing for her face to appear on the currency of the United States.

Liberals seem to take the view that, if an historical personage was, in the main, “on the right side of history,” then his or her sins, no matter how inexcusable by modern standards, can be forgiven and forgotten. In fact, even to raise questions about his or her virtues, as I have with Susan B. Anthony, is to invite a charge of racism or sexism on oneself. Simply put, the heroes in the liberal pantheon are effectively beyond reproach. They occupy holy ground on which no critical thinker may tread.

If, by contrast, liberals simply don't like an historical figure, or they associate him or her with retrograde or conservative beliefs, that individual's flaws becoming defining features, and he or she can never be celebrated or memorialized, and can only be discussed in the context of evil, oppression, and injustice. The fact that even people who do bad things can have good qualities, worthy of examination and even admiration, offends the black-or-white moral code by which liberals live. To them, the verdict of history is an all-or-nothing affair: you are either with us, or you are against us, and “us” means the modern Left itself, the views of which are the only (self-referential) standard of rectitude liberals recognize. No higher law exists than this: the Left must prevail – over the past, over the present, and over the future.

In the end, conservatives must oppose the toppling of the Silent Sam statue for two reasons. First, because it is an affront to the rule of law and an instance of mob rule. Second, because how we interpret history is a reflection of the cultural and moral values that we practice and hold dear. We simply cannot afford to hand our nation's heritage over to leftists, who will expunge and destroy everyone, and everything, that fails to live up to their totalitarian vision of the perfect society. After a few years, we would have nothing left but a jerry-rigged gallery of purported heroes and villains, useful only as props in liberal propaganda.

Sadly, Silent Sam was twice a victim of history. He died first on the battlefields of the Civil War, fighting for a cause that was arguably doomed from the start. Last week, he died a second time – a victim of liberal rage and intolerance, and of political correctness gone berserk.

Let's do all that we can to make sure that the next chapter in American history won't be written by a left-wing mob.

Dr. Nicholas L. Waddy is an Associate Professor of History at SUNY Alfred and blogs at: www.waddyisright.com. He appears weekly on the Newsmaker program on WLEA 1480.

And here's the version that appears in The Daily Caller:

http://dailycaller.com/2018/08/25/silent-sam-silent-enough/