Friends, there's a big election coming up tomorrow: a special election to decide whether Republicans will hold onto the seat in Pennsylvania's 18th Congressional district. Some polls give a slight edge to the Democrat, Conor Lamb, over the Republican, Rick Saccone, despite the fact that the district favored Trump over Clinton by 20 points. The Democrats have put a maximum effort into stealing the seat, in the hope that they can feed the narrative of a cresting "blue wave" in 2018. For those keeping score, there have already been four special elections for the House of Representatives since Nov. 2016, and Republicans have won every one. In most cases, Democrats convinced themselves they could compete, only to come up short. Now, we all know that lefties don't lack for ego, so let's not give them anything to crow about, eh? My prediction is that Saccone will win, and Democrats will congratulate themselves for getting close. How did they make it competitive? Their candidate, Conor Lamb, is young and, according to endless fawning news reports, handsome. He's also done everything in his power to avoid connecting himself to liberalism, Nancy Pelosi, or Trump-hatred, despite the fact that he's a member of the party which espouses all three. If he wins, it will be a triumph of dissimulation, but...I doubt he can win. Time will tell.
Meanwhile, here's a fun story: Emperor Cuomo is sweating bullets, because his campaign for the Democratic nomination for Governor of New York may not be the usual coronation. He might be challenged from the (loony) left. Let's hope this is a storyline that repeats itself a lot between now and November. There's a good chance that many electable Democrats will be picked off by angry Bolshevists. Wouldn't that be great?
http://www.nydailynews.com/news/politics/cuomo-freakout-moment-cynthia-nixon-gov-run-article-1.3868894
In other good news, President Trump is wisely backing away from his bone-headed proposal to raise the age for buying some firearms from 18 to 21. Unfortunately, legislation to that effect passed in the great state of Florida. We must hope it gets overturned by the courts.
https://www.nytimes.com/2018/03/12/us/politics/trump-guns-age.html
Lastly, just a little more good news: President Trump has blocked the sale of Qualcomm, a very important U.S. telecommunications company, to a foreign firm. He has done so to protect U.S. national security, although, as I've written, even as a U.S. company Qualcomm is a menace, and further measures are needed to protect our national edge in high tech R&D and manufacturing. Nonetheless, Trump has done more in a year to safeguard our technological preeminence than most Presidents do in one or two terms. Bravo!
https://www.nytimes.com/2018/03/12/technology/trump-broadcom-qualcomm-merger.html
Dr. Waddy: I'll reserve comment, pending the results,on the PA special election but I think your prediction to be probable. Cuomo has faced loony left challenges before; they won't deny him the nomination but he may be ripe for deposition ,as was his histrionic and equally self righteous and imperious father, this time. The conviction of his close confidant on corruption charges will wound him, it will. Even NY eventually gets disgusted with the ego driven Cuomo family. George Pataki didn't seem a likely giant killer but he got the job done in '94. President Trump is wise to back away from denying 18 year olds, who are held to very adult responsibilities like the draft, their Constitutionally affirmed right to obtain commonly used firearms. He knows such a restriction cannot prevent criminals and maniacs from obtaining arms. I go to alot of gun shows and I know that the three day waiting period for all firearms just enacted in Florida will have a a very deleterious effect on gun shows in that state and that that is why leftists support it. Gun shows are more than gun flea markets; they are major mobilization sites for gun rights advocates. I go to them for that and for the prospective fun of bringing home a surprise - the acquistion of something I did not know would be available. The denial of this enjoyment will cut way down on gun show attendance. The shows are major private entrepreneurial enterprises and this unneeded restriction is going to cost. And for what? It won't stop any determined maniac. As for gun shows being major sources for gang bangers? Anyone who has been to a gun show knows how laughable that notion is. Major gun bad asses would be be very, very uncomfortable in a gun show crowd because it consists of blatantly law abiding sorts.
ReplyDeleteDr. Waddy: One other comment: our hope that the Florida statute prohibiting purchase of many firearms by those under 21 years of age is far beyond a hope. NRA, the most competent and effective defender of all gun owners' rights, has already taken action in a typically prescient and well prepared manner, against this measure, in court. Support them! They are always on the scene for us!
ReplyDeleteDr. Waddy, I will also reserve commenting on the PA special election as results are still too close to call. I was just reading an article that the authorities in PA are grumbling about a recount.
ReplyDeleteI also agree with Jack on the comment about the issue of age in owning a gun. I also think the NRA has a very good case against FL- that should be interesting to watch play out. I believe they cited the 2nd Amendment.
Lastly, the halt of sale concerning Qualcomm is a good thing. Way to many monopolies and not to mention the security issue as well.
Hi, folks. Jack, thanks for the perspective on gun shows. I've never attended one, but I'm sure I'd find the company congenial. I didn't realize the waiting period in Florida applied to gun shows. That is indeed bad news. Florida voters are going to feel very conflicted in the Fall. They have a thoroughly Republican state legislature and executive branch, but it's those same Republican politicians who just nixed some of their constitutional rights... Where does a conservative patriot turn at a time like this?
ReplyDeleteJack and Linda, I really hope the NRA wins its case on the 18-21 gun ownership question. I don't know if the federal courts have weighed this issue before, but I wouldn't hold my breath for a positive response. Now, if Justice Kennedy were to retire and we replaced him with a genuine conservative, we might be in business...
I was very disappointed to see how close the result was in Pennsylvania. As I mentioned before, Lamb, if he wins, will have done so by running as a stealth Democrat, but we can't deny that the left is fully mobilized/energized. They will present us with a big challenge in the mid-terms.
Dr.Waddy: Nancy Pelosi some 15 minutes ago: "In view of their crushing repulse in PA I now call on the GOP to do the right thing and resign all of its seats in the House. Should they do so we will give their views some attention (more than they deserve) but make us wait until Jan.2019 for our now assured restoration and we will be without mercy". I think we can harbor reasonable hopes that that, hyperbolic as it is, really is what is going through their minds now. It will make them characteristically presumptuous and overconfident. You would have thought they would have long since learned that their thinly and disingenuously disguised contempt for the real America is a big loser. Surely they knew it in 2016 but they fluffed anyway. I agree with you that we have a hard fight ahead but we are up to it and they are down to it.I just assumed the 3 day wait applied to gun shows in Florida; NY state laws are enforced at our gun shows (you can't complete and would be ill advised to negotiate, a private gun transaction in the parking lot); I'm sure the ghouls are trembling at the implications of this sanction. My understanding is that much of Florida is Dixie and that they are much better able to counter the "New Yawkas" in their midst than we are in this occupied entity. The Supreme Court waiting game is painful. With Gorsuch it is as Churchill said " this is not the end, it is not even the beginning of the end but it may be the end of the beginning". We dodged the fatal bullet when Hillary fell; now time and favorable circumstance be on our side. If President Trump can replace Kennedy, Ginsburg and Thomas (I'm very concerned about his health) our judicial system will have been saved from the baby boomer curse.
ReplyDeleteJack -- I concur. We are one multi-Justice pileup on the interstate away from a Supreme Court that once again upholds the constitution! Probably the transition won't happen all that suddenly, but Trump is only getting started as a selector of judges... I'm sure you're right that the Dems are salivating in advance of 2018, but they've got a lot of divisive primaries ahead of them first! We'll see which of them run that gauntlet successfully.
ReplyDeleteDr. Waddy: I think SCOTUS will be the decisive factor in 2020. Everyone will know what is at stake and that consideration will eclipse all others. If we lose in 2018, it could be a needed wake up to that existential reality; the President probably needs seven more years to save the courts.But first things first: we should not be presumptuous but we should be of good cheer for our prospects this year.
ReplyDeleteAgreed, Jack. No reason to panic. As I've said before, I think there's a decent chance that we lose ground in the House and pick up seats in the Senate -- and arguably, because of the courts, the latter is far more important.
ReplyDeleteDr. Waddy: Good, good point.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Jack. I was reading today about how Republican candidates for the Senate in 2018 plan to make maximum use of President Trump. They see little to be gained by running away from him, and potentially much to gain by riding his coattails in the states which he won by large margins. I think it's a sound strategy.
ReplyDelete