You Go, Girl!

 

Friends, my latest article reflects on the incredible turn of events we saw last week: the Democratic Party decided to play Russian roulette with itself by doubling down on Joe Biden and Kamala Harris.  I thought for sure they'd rethink that latter pick, but no -- all's well in America, apparently, and we just can't do any better than Sleepy Joe and Kam-Kam.  Okay...  If you say so!  Personally, I view this decision as a tad risky.  Read all about it here:

Brandishing the Albatross

In a week of major news stories, perhaps the most consequential development of all got lost in the shuffle. Joe Biden, octogenarian weakling, decided to run for reelection, and he left no room for doubt that Kamala Harris, the airhead who gives Air Force Two most of its buoyancy, will remain as his Vice-President and reprise her role as his running mate. This is a shocking decision that speaks to the runaway hubris of our left-wing ruling elite.

Harris, to be clear, has been a massive disappointment since she took office, and even before that. Her stumbles on the stump have led the White House to sideline her for most of the last three years. Her inability to get along with her own staff has led to unprecedented instability in the Office of the Vice-President. Her first and most high-profile mission, to take charge of the situation at the U.S.-Mexico border, has been executed with such sloppiness and negligence that she has been given little or no meaningful responsibility since. What's more, Democrats across the country running for office have mostly avoided appearing with Harris, although, to be fair, especially in the 2022 cycle, few of them had much enthusiasm for Joe Biden's company either.

The bottom line is that Harris is the considerably less popular sidekick to a president whose own popularity and approval ratings are already in dangerous territory. Harris is “underwater” in terms of favorability (her unfavorable numbers outweigh her favorables) by 16 points, which precisely matches Donald Trump's performance – a man Democrats regard as the Devil incarnate. To say that Harris is a drag on the Democratic ticket, rather an asset, would be an understatement.

In most election cycles, Harris's weaknesses would not matter. It is a truism among political analysts that voters do not vote for Vice-Presidents – they vote instead for (or against) whoever is at the top of the ticket.

The problem for Joe Biden and the Democrats, however, is that voters have grave doubts about Joe Biden's health, mental fitness, and durability. They doubt whether he can finish his first term. They are downright incredulous about whether he can finish a hypothetical second term.

That means that, in this cycle, more perhaps than in any other in American history, voters will be paying attention to who the major candidates chose as their running mates. This will be especially true if the Republicans nominate Donald Trump, in which case both major parties will have chosen as their standard-bearers men well past retirement age, and closing in rapidly on obsolescence. It would be grossly irresponsible not to weigh carefully whether these candidates have picked presidents-in-waiting who are up to the job.

Joe Biden's selection of Kamala Harris as his running mate – a woman in whom he himself reposes little confidence, based on the responsibilities his administration has been willing to grant her – can be explained in only three ways, and probably all three have equal validity.

One, Democrats have become captives of their own DEI (“diversity, equity, and inclusion”) rhetoric, and they are simply incapable of cashiering a woman of color in a position of authority under any circumstances, because the optics would be less-than-progressive and doing so would provoke howls of protest (the howls and the howlers suggest themselves) from certain key constituencies of the Democratic Party.

Two, Harris is to be retained because Joe Biden and his inner circle regard the GOP as so dysfunctional and electorally inept that they can put forward virtually anyone as their presidential and vice-presidential candidates, and Americans will have no choice but to vote for them. In other words, they view candidate quality as irrelevant, because the opposition has disqualified itself and is no longer viable. If you take seriously the claims made by Joe Biden in his presidential campaign announcement – that the Republicans have become“MAGA extremists lining up to take [our] freedoms away”, and to blow up American democracy in the process – then it makes sense that Americans would choose anyone and anything over four more years of Trumpist tyranny. (On the other hand, Republicans won the popular vote for the House in 2022 by 3 points, suggesting that reports of the death of the GOP are greatly exaggerated.)

The last possible explanation for Joe Biden's retention of Kamala Harris is more tactical in nature. Joe Biden's team, realizing his weakness, may believe that he requires a foil: a patsy to stand next to him who can, by his or her sheer awfulness, make “the Big Guy” look comparatively wise, capable, articulate, and continent (okay, three out of four ain't bad).

This is the role that Kamala Harris was born to play. She's played it to perfection since January 2021, provoking in Democrats and Republicans alike the resigned admission: “Yeah, Biden is no prize pig, but at least he isn't...her.”

And, maybe, given the realities of American politics, in which voters often vote for the candidate who they find least odious, this is enough. Voters, in short, don't have to like or believe in Joe Biden – they simply have to be able to imagine something or someone worse.

Presto! Cue Madam Vice-President...

The other way to look at all this, of course, is to observe that, by fielding a team of duds, the Democrats are almost certainly granting the Republican ticket a golden opportunity to outperform expectations in 2024, and quite possibly to seize back control of the White House (and, in that case, in all likelihood Congress as well).

Some have said that in 2016 only Hillary Clinton – a singularly weak and unlikable candidate – could have lost to Donald Trump. She did so, of course, partly because Democrats had convinced themselves that such a thing was impossible.

Could history be about to repeat itself in 2024? Could Biden fizzle and let Trump into the White House through the backdoor – a door held open by a bumbling, cackling Kamala Harris?

All we can do is wait and see.

Dr. Nicholas L. Waddy is an Associate Professor of History at SUNY Alfred and blogs at: www.waddyisright.com. He appears on the Newsmaker Show on WLEA 1480/106.9.

 

And here it is at Townhall:

 

https://townhall.com/columnists/nicholaswaddy/2023/04/30/brandishing-the-albatross-n2622629 

Whither Tucker?

 

Friends, speculation is rife about what Tucker Carlson will do next, now that his career at Fox is a thing of the past.  Will Fox enforce his contract, just to sideline him for another year and a half?  Or will they put Tucker at liberty, so that he can decide for himself where to go, and what to do?  One possibility is that Fox News's loss will be Newsmax's gain, and Newsmax seems exhilarated by the prospect...

https://www.tmz.com/2023/04/28/newsmax-interested-hiring-tucker-run-entire-channel/

 

In other news, the 2022 election may not have produced the "Big Red Wave" that we were hoping for, but it did yield some notable successes, including one that I'm just hearing about now: Republicans retook control of the State Supreme Court in North Carolina.  This is a big deal, because it means that Republicans in the legislature get to decide on the shape of state legislative and Congressional districts, and thus GOP control of the North Carolina House and Senate is likely to persist, and Republicans' chances of reacquiring a dominant position in the state's Congressional delegation are looking much brighter.  Of course, for similar reasons the Dems' recent seizure of the Wisconsin Supreme Court is very bad news.

 

https://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/3978137-nc-supreme-court-overrules-decision-that-struck-down-voting-maps/ 

Days of Yore

 

Friends, remember when Tucker Carlson was the most popular host on Fox News?  I do.  Seems like only yesterday, doesn't it?  Well, things move quickly in today's frenetic media environment.  Tucker is OUT!  I hear Mitt Romney and the Mormon Tabernacle Choir might take his place.  Seems fitting.

Tucker's fate is one of the main themes that Brian and I tackle on this week's Newsmaker Show, along with, of course, Joe Biden's announcement that he will seek reelection with Kamala Harris as his running mate.  We also talk about Lincoln's assassination, the tense atmosphere of 1983 (the height of the Cold War?), the efficacy of strategic bombing, and Italy's perfidy in both world wars.  

 

In other words, this week's show is the definition of "wide-ranging".  Long may it last!

https://wlea.net/newsmaker-april-26-2023-dr-nick-waddy/

***

When you've drunk deep of my wisdom in audio form, check out this article at Sputnik News.  I react to Tucker's firing and analyze the threats we conservatives face from those who would like to silence us.

https://sputnikglobe.com/20230426/carlson-ouster-marks-fox-news-transition-into-graveyard-of-conservative-media-titans-1109836267.html?fbclid=IwAR3Xv4DJNDFD4pcdg8B4nluLTheAGOdOMa47zGu1bObvRWA_l1hZWK88vRc

Four More Years???

 

Friends, we've seen it coming for a while now, but it's still hard to believe it's happening.  Joe Biden is running for reelection!  An 80-year-old president thinks: heck, why not serve until I'm 86?  Amazing.  Even more stunning, at least to me, is Biden's decision, announced at the same time, to keep Kamala Harris as his running mate.  Seriously???  A weak, unpopular president, who many people doubt can serve out his first term, let alone his second, is going to retain the services of an even weaker, less popular Vice-President, who no one wants to see in the Oval Office?  Basically, as far as I can tell, the Democrats are daring the American people to vote for anyone other than Biden-Harris.  The message they're sending is: "Yeah, we're old and awful and out-of-touch, but who else you gonna get?"  The third article below aptly summarizes Democratic/leftist thinking: they're confident that Biden can and will win, because the GOP alternative is simply unacceptable.  That is to say, they (the Dems) would never dream of voting for Trump (or DeSantis), so they assume Mr. and Mrs. America must feel the same way.  That seems like dangerous hubris to me.  This is a country that elected Trump once, and almost elected him again.  If the Dems think all they need to do is rest on their laurels and they're a lock for 2024, I say they're nuts!  Time will tell...

https://www.wsj.com/articles/joe-biden-2024-presidential-re-election-campaign-87ef002b

 

https://www.newsmax.com/newsfront/joe-biden-polls-approval/2023/04/25/id/1117508/ 

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2023/apr/25/biden-2024-campaign-weak-republicans

 

In other news, the irrepressible Jack has brought this article to my attention, and I hereby bring it to yours.  It's about a book on China and its economic policy.  Now, I agree with this skeptical analysis, to a large extent, but it does rather beg the question: how did a band of corrupt and incompetent communist gangsters manage to incubate one of history's greatest economic miracles?  Was it really all done despite the CCP leadership, instead of because of it?  That's hard to believe...but it may be true.

 

https://www.americanthinker.com/articles/2023/04/maos_legacy.html 

Götterdämmerung

 

Friends, in a sign that the complete collapse of civilization is nigh, Fox News has axed its most popular commentator: Tucker Carlson.  Of course, leftists have been trying to torpedo Carlson for years, but it now appears that they've won over Rupert Murdoch, who alone has the power to end Carlson's tenure at Fox.  Presumably, this cements Fox's status as the network of, by, and for RINOs.  It is, in other words, where prominent and outspoken conservative voices go to be...silenced, in the event that they offend the progressive masters of the universe, which they surely will.  How will this affect the overall media environment?  Will Fox survive as a right-leaning network?  Will other conservatives networks, like Newsmax, grow stronger?  Will pluralism, more generally, survive the propaganda and legal offensive that the Left has undertaken against its enemies, using character assassination and "lawfare" on an unprecedented scale?  Only time will tell.  As for Tucker himself, my guess is he'll land on his feet.  Ah, but where???

https://www.newsmax.com/us/tucker-carlson-fox-news-host/2023/04/24/id/1117291/

 

https://www.breitbart.com/the-media/2023/04/24/fox-news-suddenly-parts-with-tucker-carlson-last-show-was-friday/ 

In other news, Robert Reich thinks that Trump should be barred from running for president because he's a "traitor" guilty of "insurrection".  Has he been charged with or convicted of either?  Nah.  But the January 6th committee says it, so it must be true.  What's more important here is that some local and state election officials may be crazy enough to take Reich's arguments seriously, and we can't take for granted, therefore, the notion that, if Donald Trump receives the GOP nomination in 2024, he will be on enough state ballots to win the White House, even assuming that the American people want him there.

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2023/apr/24/trump-treason-constitution-election-republicans-robert-reich

The Violence That Isn't

 

Friends, my latest article, appearing at World Net Daily, focuses on the Left's truly massive blind spot for violence, intimidation, and illegality perpetrated by leftists.  Increasingly, progressives feel emboldened to use violence and other illegitimate means to pressure those of us on the right to accede to their demands.  They feel entitled to become violent and unlawful, and they know that, more often than not, these tactics succeed.  They succeed because no one in the mainstream media or in the justice system is paying any attention when leftists break the rules.  They get a pass.  They also succeed because we conservatives don't have the backbone to stand up to them and push on regardless of the Left's tantrums.  Anyway, read all about it below, and note that, at least in this one specific case, I believe that French President Macron is showing us how good governance can be restored.

French President Macron and the Left's Normalization of Violence

Democrats and progressives have nothing but contempt for the Trump supporters who stormed the Capitol on January 6^th, 2021, and they deplore, at least rhetorically, all attempts to subvert the peaceful, lawful democratic process. They very frequently go further, however, by blurring the distinction between those who broke the law on January 6^th, and those who merely questioned the legitimacy of the results of the 2020 election by exercising their right of free speech. To Democrats, all too often, even the thought crime of doubting Joe Biden's victory constitutes “insurrection”.

Further undercutting the Left's case against political violence, as many have pointed out already, is the very timid response of many progressive politicians to the wave of street protests and outright rioting that followed the death of George Floyd in May 2020. A summer of rage befell many American cities, and it took most leading Democrats quite some time to notice. To this day, many progressives deny that there is any connection between BLM and violence, and they refuse to admit that “Antifa” even exists.

Furthermore, the tactics of violence and intimidation employed by leftist agitators on college campuses, usually with the goal of preventing conservatives from being heard, are now so extreme and commonplace that elaborate security measures are necessary whenever a conservative, or more accurately a non-leftist, speaks. Similar tactics of intimidation are increasingly being used by liberal protesters against conservative Supreme Court Justices, as we saw in the wake of the Dobbs decision overturning Roe v. Wade, and Joe Biden's Department of Justice shows no appetite for standing in their way.

The recent school shooting in Nashville amplifies this theme of left-wing extremism. It was perpetrated by a transgender man/woman who had penned a (still undisclosed) “manifesto”, which presumably sheds light on why he/she chose to attack a Christian school. For some reason, though, the political/ideological dimension of these murders does not seem to interest the Left or the mainstream media. Instead, once again this mass shooting is described as the guns' fault, rather than the fault of the person who pulled the trigger. Very convenient!

In response to the Nashville shooting, three members of the Tennessee House of Representatives stormed onto the House floor and hijacked the proceedings, but, leading Democrats assure us, this breach of democratic norms was in fact a noble and necessary act of protest, which makes the subsequent expulsion of two of the renegade legislators a political abomination (despite the fact that it was, in practice, temporary and symbolic). President Biden himself stated that the so-called Tennessee Three had “joined thousands of peaceful protesters calling for action,” glossing over their forceful takeover of the House chamber, their use of a bullhorn, and the threatening slogans they bellowed, such as “No action, no peace!” and “Whose house? Our house!”, the latter a verbatim repetition of a rallying cry used in the January 6^th Capitol riot.

The takeaway appears to be that, for Democrats, violence and illegality perpetrated by leftists is neither violence nor illegality, or at the very least is not important, and may even be praiseworthy, but violence and illegality perpetrated by conservatives is horrific, by definition, and even non-violent, constitutionally-protected action by the political right can constitute a form of “violence”, in that it disturbs the peace of mind of leftists, and must therefore be vigorously suppressed by police and prosecutors.

This blatant hypocrisy is unfortunately not confined to the U.S. On the contrary, there is a disturbing worldwide trend involving the increased use of political violence by leftist activists, and the downplaying of such violence by sympathetic media outlets and left-wing politicians.

Not long ago, for instance, a wave of mass protests, mostly by progressives, forced the newly-installed conservative government of Benjamin Netanyahu in Israel to “pause” controversial judicial reforms. At one point, hot rhetoric from the Left caused the Mayor of Tel Aviv to be accused of incitement to murder. Street demonstrations, including the blockage of major highways, the refusal of some reservists to fulfill their military obligations, and crippling strikes were not the only factors influencing Netanyahu, however, as President Biden lent his weight to the chaotic protests, declaring ominously, “They [the Israeli government] cannot continue down this road, and I’ve sort of made that clear”. Thus, sadly, the reforms were halted, and leftist disrespect for the law was crowned with political success, as is often the case.

The recent mass protests in France, which have persistently descended into lawlessness and violence, have followed a similar pattern. As in Israel, disruptive strikes have been employed to intimidate the government into backing down. Because of escalating violence, a state visit by Britain's King Charles III was postponed.

Needless to say, leftist journalists, politicians, and union leaders do not regard the rioting as a poor reflection on those who are in opposition to President Macron's controversial pension reforms. No, not at all. Instead, the protests and violence are a sign that Macron's reforms have gone too far, and thus he should change course. And, one union boss adds, “it would be dangerous for the government not to listen”.

To his credit, Macron is standing firm. Last weekend, he signed into law the substance of his reforms, which will raise the minimum age for the receipt of a state pension from 62 to 64.

Macron's steadfastness in the face of leftist-inspired anarchy is as rare as it is commendable. He has paid a heavy political price for sticking to his guns. Macron has been castigated and vilified in ways so petty that one is reminded of the ravages of “Trump Derangement Syndrome”. Nonetheless, he seems to realize that surrendering to street thugs and agents of chaos by canceling the pension reform program would ultimately be fatal to his credibility as a leader. It would also be a disaster for France's finances.

As it turns out, there is arguably even more at stake in the battles now being fought on French streets. Macron, by standing up to the rioters, is striking a blow against the emerging consensus on the Left that the rules of democracy, and the rule of law itself, only apply to conservatives. According to this consensus, when progressives, by contrast, flout norms, violate rules, or openly and shamelessly break the law or perpetrate violence, these outrages are to be ignored, at best, or lionized as acts of “courage”, at worst.

What the Left most wants from this calculated campaign of incivility, lawlessness, and violence, of course, is to tighten its grip on power and to intimidate the political right into submission. Oftentimes, sadly, due to conservatives' natural reserve and timidity, they get their way.

President Macron is sending the vitally important message that leftists cannot count on these despicable coercive tactics to work in every case. As such, he is standing up for the integrity of democracy and the survival of liberty not just in France, but throughout the Western world.

We must hope that America can boast of a few statesmen like Emmanuel Macron – men who have the toughness to face down the leftist mob. If not, we better find such leaders soon, or else there might not be much democracy left to save.

Dr. Nicholas L. Waddy is an Associate Professor of History at SUNY Alfred and blogs at www.waddyisright.com. He appears on the Newsmaker Show on WLEA 1480/106.9.

 

And here it is at World Net Daily:

 

https://www.wnd.com/2023/04/viva-la-france-president-macron-stands-lefts-violence/ 

Sleeping Dragon

 

Friends, this week's Newsmaker Show covers some truly weighty topics, like the degree of danger posed by the buildup of China's People's Liberation Army, the (convenient) elimination of AM radios in electric cars, the growing campaign of personal destruction aimed at Democratic Party renegade RFK Jr., the vulnerability of the Biden Administration to charges that it is "soft on China", the Chicoms' projection of the power of their secret police onto American soil, the firm resolve of French President Macron in the face of leftist street thuggery, the stakes of Dominion's lawsuit against Fox News, and the role of A.I. in safeguarding the interests of the Deep State.  

Holy moly!  Can you really cover all those scintillating topics in just 20 minutes???  Yes, you can -- and, yes, I did!  Listening is believing...

https://wlea.net/newsmaker-april-20-2023-dr-nick-waddy/

 

***

 

In other news, SpaceX's massive new "Starship" failed to reach orbit, but Elon Musk was still pleased with what it accomplished in its first launch, and he's confident that it will someday soon take us to the Moon, to Mars, and beyond.

https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-65334810

 

I continue to be amazed that Joe Biden and the Democrats' poll numbers are holding up as well as they are, given the decline in Americans' real wages and real incomes in the last two years.  Usually, economic pain damages the party-in-power, but the Dems seem to have found the magic formula for redirecting the attention of their base away from its own impoverishment and towards...threats to "democracy", the rise of "fascism", rampant white supremacy and transphobia, and other fairy tales.  You have to hand it to the Dems: they know how to make half the country swallow whatever swill they're pitching.

 

https://nypost.com/2023/04/19/americans-have-taken-pay-cuts-each-month-since-biden-took-office/ 

Lastly, Fox News's historic legal settlement with Dominion is fascinating, in itself, but Fox is not out of the woods yet. Smartmatic also has a lawsuit pending against the cable news giant.  Plus, both companies are still pursuing lawsuits against other conservative journalistic organizations.  The bottom line is that conservative news companies are very exposed to legal threats and leftist "lawfare", as it's being termed, and frankly so is everyone who gets in progressives' way.  Donald Trump is just beginning to feel the wrath of the Left's vast assemblage of lawyers and prosecutors.  My guess is that this strategy of suing and prosecuting their enemies into the ground is just in its infancy.  Expect a lot more legal action in the years ahead.  And, just in case you're wondering, will left-wing news outlets ever be held legally or financially accountable for all the misinformation they peddle?  Ha ha ha ha ha ha!  Please!  That'll be the day.

https://www.newsmax.com/newsfront/dominion-voting-systems-donald-trump-2020-election/2023/04/19/id/1116814/

China Is Closer Than You Think

 

Friends, today we learned that Red China's secret police is operating on U.S. soil, in a revelation that will probably surprise precisely no one.  Numerous Chinese nationals face U.S. criminal charges, but will the Chinese government face any adverse consequences?  Ha!  Not if their latest check to "the Big Guy" clears...

https://www.breitbart.com/asia/2023/04/17/alleged-chinese-agents-arrested-for-operating-a-police-station-in-the-middle-of-new-york-city/

In other news, while you may resent the tax bill you recently paid to Uncle Sam, the truth is that spending is outpacing revenues by a large margin.  Much of that spending is fueled by debt, and servicing that debt is bound to become even more costly over time, necessitating -- you guessed it -- massive spending cuts and/or even more taxes.  The bottom line is that the Biden Administration is doubling down on a spendthrift fiscal strategy that maximizes its electoral prospects and rewards its key supporters, but makes a national reckoning inevitable.  I see no sign that the headlong dash to economic armageddon is being reconsidered, either.  The House GOP is making very feeble protests -- nothing more.

https://nypost.com/2023/04/17/this-tax-day-were-paying-more-than-ever-as-dc-drives-up-debt/

 

This article is quite extraordinary.  It's a scathing account of RFK, Jr.'s presidential ambitions, a love letter to the Biden family, and a shameless attempt to use the Kennedys themselves to destroy one of their own.  Bottom line: if you threaten the interests of the Democratic establishment -- as Bobby does -- they will use every resource at hand to obliterate you, personally, politically, and professionally.  Now, will Alvin Bragg indict RFK, Jr. for...something?  That's the next evolution of the Dems' hate machine, after all...

https://www.cnn.com/2023/04/16/politics/robert-f-kennedy-family-biden-2024/index.html

 

This is a fascinating article about the political impact of school choice.  It raises some very intriguing points about the institutional underpinnings of the Democratic Party.  Personally, I'm more interested in the cultural impact of school choice.  How can the Left control the worldview of the rising generation if they forfeit their dominance over K-12 education?

 

https://thespectator.com/topic/school-choice-destroy-democratic-party/ 

Finally, this is a long and detailed article about a particular manifestation of "pro-natalism" that is appearing among the highly educated.  I agree with their basic point of view -- that smart, successful people need to start having way more kids -- but the eccentric nature of their movement, and its obscurity, guarantee that they will have no meaningful effect on overall fertility.  No one yet has come up with a way to move the fertility dial in a positive direction, with the possible exception of the Nazis, but I don't see many people clamoring for fascism, do you?

https://news.yahoo.com/meet-elite-couples-breeding-save-100000548.html

C'est La Guerre!

 

Friends, we at WaddyIsRight wish to extend our kudos and admiration to French President Emmanuel Macron who, despite being an establishment tool 90% of the time, has chosen to expend enormous political capital pursuing landmark pension reforms, bucking a massive tide of protests that have swept across "la belle France".  The French people have been accustomed to retiring early, but in 2010 the minimum age to receive a state pension increased from 60 to 62.  Macron has now further increased the age minimum to 64.  Technically, this puts Frenchmen at a disadvantage to Americans, who can receive Social Security as early as age 62.  The upshot for me, however, is that the current American system, while popular, is fiscally unsustainable, as everyone knows, but as politicians simply refuse to admit, because to "mess with" Social Security or Medicare would be electoral suicide.  My view, therefore, is that the French are tackling a very serious problem, and Macron is taking the heat for performing this ultimately noble service to his nation, while we bury our heads in the sand.  What's especially impressive is that leftists are routinely using violence and "civil disobedience", worldwide, to forestall policy moves and even speech that they disdain.  Very often, they get away with it, because the media covers for them and sympathizes with their agendas.  No doubt that is true in France, too, but Macron has decided to press on.  Bully for him!  If only we had statesmen of his caliber here.  Instead, we'll sail nonchalantly over our own fiscal cliff, and in the end the cuts to Social Security and Medicare and Medicaid will be far more severe than they needed to be.  But that, I suppose, is "democracy" in action, right?

https://www.breitbart.com/europe/2023/04/15/france-burns-macron-signs-pension-reform-into-law-as-paris-riots/

 

There are some exciting things happening in space exploration and rocketry these days.  Take note!

 

https://www.newsmax.com/newsfront/spacex-musk-starship-launch-test-flight/2023/04/16/id/1116330/ 

Lastly, these two articles are a perfect demonstration of where we stand today in American democracy.  Both sides are accusing each other of being fundamentally undemocratic and vile.  Both sides have a point, but the blindness of the Left to its own violations of democratic norms is more complete, simply because leftists can burrow themselves much more deeply in an ideologically pure cocoon.  There is no need for any progressive ever to engage with alternative viewpoints, given the control over the media and popular culture that the Left enjoys, and most of them relish this myopia.  Note that Reich admits that the only way to beat American "fascism" is by adopting some of its methods.  How far will the Left go in jettisoning democratic restraints?  The question ought to be: how far does it need to go, to keep its grip on power?  Probably not very far, since they seem to have at least half the electorate in the palm of their hand.  The rest of us they can more or less bully into submission.

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2023/apr/15/the-modern-republican-party-fascism-robert-reich

 

https://12ft.io/proxy?q=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.reviewjournal.com%2Fopinion%2Fopinion-columns%2Fvictor-joecks%2Fvictor-joecks-some-insurrections-are-more-equal-than-others-2762675%2F 

Those Irrepressible Chicoms

 

Friends, what you see above is the city of Shenzhen in 1980 and 2013.  Quite a transformation, no?  The economic ascent of Red China is historic in so many ways, partly because its rise has been so quick and so uninterrupted.  This is but one of several world-historical themes that we dissect on this week's Newsmaker Show.  Other topics of discussion include: RFK, Jr.'s presidential ambitions, the fallout from the Pentagon leaks relating to the Russia-Ukraine War, the prospects for war between Taiwan and the PRC, the legality of the sort of "hush money" payments made by DJT in 2016, the legacy of COVID fascism in the wake of the official end of the pandemic itself, and the looming fiscal cliff that Biden and friends seem determined to push us all off.  

Man, oh man!  What a show.  I give it four and a half Limbaughs.  See if you don't agree.

https://wlea.net/newsmaker-april-12-2023-dr-nick-waddy/

***

In other news, here's our first evidence that RFK, Jr. enjoys a smattering of support among Democrats, especially older and female Democrats, who I guess are still swooning over his uncle.  Bobby, Part Deux, still has a long way to go, mind you.

https://unherd.com/thepost/one-in-10-democratic-voters-supports-robert-f-kennedy-jr/

Finally, there's talk of AOC, the lefty we all love to hate, taking on Kirsten Gillibrand to be the Dems' U.S. Senate candidate in New York in 2024.  What a fun ride that would be!  The more prominent AOC is and becomes, needless to say, the better it is for the GOP and for whomever happens to be the Republican candidate for president in '24.  I welcome AOC to the fray!  (On the other hand, I acknowledge that she's very likely to realize her ambition of becoming a Senator -- my Senator.  Ick!)

https://www.newsmax.com/john-gizzi/alexandria-ocasio-cortez-kirsten-gillibrand-new-york/2023/04/12/id/1115923/

The Second Coming of Camelot?

 

Friends, the candidacy of RFK, Jr. for the Democratic nomination for president got me to thinking about just how far the dastardly Dems have sunk since their glory days, and whether yet another Kennedy can resurrect them.  That's the subject of my latest article, kindly published by the good folks at American Greatness:

https://amgreatness.com/2023/04/10/a-return-to-camelot/

In other news, postmortem analyses of the GOP loss in the State Supreme Court race in Wisconsin are ongoing, and pro-choice Republicans are blaming pro-life Republicans.  The backlash to the Dobbs decision certainly was a factor, but consider how massively the Republican candidate was outspent!  That implies that the good guys lost simply because the bad guys were more organized, motivated, and ruthless.  What else is new?

https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2023/apr/9/whos-to-blame-for-republicans-loss-of-wisconsins-s/

 

Two recent stories should give us pause about the Dems' much-ballyhooed devotion to "democracy".  First, several prominent Dems are calling on the Biden Administration to ignore a recent federal court ruling about abortion...because they don't like it.  This comes on the heels of a wave of leftist criticism of the Supreme Court and repeated suggestions that it has lost all "legitimacy".  Second, the Dems and their fellow travelers in the media reacted with howls of outrage when two members of the Tennessee House of Representatives were removed from office for staging a raucous demonstration on the House floor.  It now appears that those same representatives will be reseated.  I fear this will send the message to Dem upstarts that they can behave any way they wish in a legislature that they don't happen to control, and Republicans may not have the gumption to restrain them.  In other words, Democrats seem to believe that the "rules" of democracy just don't apply to them, and that bodes ill in more ways than one.

 

https://www.wsj.com/articles/democrats-for-defying-court-orders-wyden-mifepristone-fda-texas-abortion-kacsmaryk-d8ee9973?mod=opinion_lead_pos2 

https://www.cnn.com/2023/04/10/us/tennessee-democrat-house-representatives-expelled-monday/index.html

 

In a rare bit of good news, the COVID public health "emergency" is finally being terminated, with the consent of our Dear Leader Joseph R. Biden.  That's nice, but I'm still waiting for the COVID fascists to be held accountable for their outrageous conduct from 2020 to present.  No doubt I'll be waiting a very long time!

 

https://www.newsmax.com/newsfront/joe-biden-resolution-covid-19/2023/04/10/id/1115689/ 

Finally, as President Biden seeks to torpedo any and all Republican efforts to impose spending discipline in D.C., and as Republicans show no ability or willingness to go to the mat to ensure that such discipline is enforced, our deficit is rising once again to perilous heights.  Increasingly, it seems we can neither get our fiscal house in order, nor keep interest rates low, nor tame inflation, which makes one wonder how long our surprisingly robust economy can hold out with all these crosswinds hitting it full force.

https://www.newsmax.com/newsfront/cbo-debt-spending/2023/04/10/id/1115675/

He Is Risen!

 

Friends, finally a post that isn't about Donald Trump!  Well, I say that, but in fact Easter and the Resurrection are about all of us, including Trump, and the promise that God's grace holds for us.  May the "good news" infuse the hearts and minds of every one of you, on this day and every day!  God bless.

Once More Unto the Breach?

 

Friends, we've had a mighty long hiatus from Kennedys in the White House, although Barack Obama was something of an honorary Kennedy, or a mocha Kennedy, if you will.  Well!  Now it appears that Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., the son of the RFK who ran for president in 1968 and whose life was cut short before he could clinch the nomination, is himself running for president in 2024.  Most insiders and analysts would tell you that he doesn't stand much of a chance.  I would be one of them.  For one thing, the Kennedy mystique is old news, to the say least.  More importantly, though, RFK, Jr. has a nasty tendency to think for himself, and to think way outside the box of leftist orthodoxy.  For instance, he has been very skeptical of vaccines, in general, and the COVID vaccines, in particular.  Now, that just isn't allowed on the Left, is it?  So, he's a long shot, but on the other hand the Dems may find themselves grasping at straws in 2024, if Sleepy Joe runs and then does a political face plant due to our economic woes, some spectacular policy failure, or perhaps an episode of dementia or physical frailty that's simply too obvious to conceal.  In short, there has to be a Democratic alternative to Joe Biden in 2024, and, if all else fails, I guess RFK, Jr. could be it.

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/robert-f-kennedy-jr-files-paperwork-to-challenge-biden-in-2024/ar-AA19ypy9?cvid=5c17ccf0005d4dff8c5dc8824fa18647&ei=36

 

You've heard a lot about the depressing election returns for Democratic centrists and Republicans this week, but there are some signs of hope, too, which it doesn't hurt to share here:

https://www.foxnews.com/politics/north-carolina-lawmaker-officially-leaves-dems-gop-says-turning-point-american-flag-criticism

 

https://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/3936134-republican-wins-special-state-senate-election-in-wisconsin-handing-gop-supermajority/ 

34 Counts of "We Hate You!"

 

Friends, it's official: DJT is a criminal defendant.  The world was riveted Tuesday as Trump was formally charged with 34 counts of...felony falsification of business records.  Big whoop!  I jest, but the consequences of this development are potentially revolutionary and earth-shattering, although not because of the substance of the charges themselves.  It's the political implications that are as disturbing as they are incalculable, in the long term.  This, of course, is one of our main topics of discussion on this week's Newsmaker Show, along with a shocking Wall Street Journal poll on the decline of traditional American values, Finland's admission into NATO, and the battle for the soul of the Democratic Party between establishment hacks and leftist firebrands.  In addition, Brian and I find time to analyze the retirement of Winston Churchill as British prime minister in 1955, as well as FDR's creation of the Civilian Conservation Corps.  In other words, my friends, this week's show is among the most captivating discourses on life, the universe, and everything that you will ever hear, and if, perchance, you were to miss it, chances are the remainder of your mortal existence would be one long exercise in ignorance and futility.  I'm just sayin': the stakes are high!!!

https://wlea.net/newsmaker-april-5-2023-dr-nick-waddy/

***

In other news, your favorite commentator is sounding off at Sputnik News about the ramifications of the first charges ever laid against a former U.S. president.  Read all about it here:

https://sputniknews.com/20230404/trump-arraignment-never-good-sign-when-politicians-prosecuted-on-trumped-up-charges-in-a-democracy-1109124772.html

New York, New York (It's a Hell of a Town)

 

Friends, say what you want about the "Big Apple", and it's always been an acquired taste, but today America's biggest city itself took the first bite out of Donald J. Trump, its former resident.  Frankly, I'm amazed it took Trump-hating prosecutors this long to charge Trump with...something (or, rather, anything, because they really couldn't care less what the charge is just as long as it makes them look like Trump-slayers).  In any case, the lefties are likely to get what they most want out of this "case": a news cycle that, for the next 18 months, ignores all issues of substance and focuses relentlessly on Trump-related drama.  It's called misdirection, and you're about to get a truly massive dose of it.  Fortunately, if you've been an observer of the mainstream media for long enough, you may have developed an immunity by now...

https://www.newsmax.com/politics/donald-trump-criminal-case-new-york/2023/04/04/id/1115061/

 

In other depressing news, the liberal Democratic candidate for Supreme Court Justice in the state of Wisconsin won, meaning that elections in that state will be even more questionable, and in all likelihood it will be open season on fetuses, gun owners, and other bête noires of progressives.  What's really disappointing about this race is how little energy and money Republicans and conservatives put into winning it.

 

https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/elections/wisconsin-supreme-court-election-liberals-win-majority-rcna77190 

 

Lastly, the far-left candidate for Mayor of Chicago also won, meaning that that benighted city will slide further into anarchy and wokeness.  Chicago's only hope, and that of most deep blue cities, is a blank check from the federal government...which may indeed be forthcoming, as long as Democrats run the show.

https://www.politico.com/2023-election/results/chicago-mayor/

Red State Blues

 

Friends, those of us who live in "flyover country" -- that is, in the massive, traditionally-oriented, mostly rural heartland of America, ruled with disdain by coastal elites -- are feeling mighty dispirited these days.  In 2020, we lost the presidency and the Senate.  In 2022, we convinced ourselves that a "Big Red Wave" was coming to our rescue.  It flopped.  What's worse, the culture seems to be turning inexorably away from us and our values, and every major institution is abetting that decline rather than fighting it.  It's enough to make you ask the question: is it time to give up on American politics, and to accept defeat?  Whether we accept it or not, if we conservatives do end up as a permanent (or semi-permanent) minority in a nation ruled by forces mostly hostile to us, what will life be like?  This article begins to explore these vital questions, and I would very much like to hear your thoughts on it.

https://amgreatness.com/2023/04/01/when-we-are-the-minority/

 

We keep hearing that the economy is about to plunge off a cliff, but it never quite seems to happen.  Even the housing market is now showing some signs of life.  Is this good news or bad?  Well, I guess it's good news for Team Biden, which means, as usual, we can't assume that the tide of history will sweep Sleepy Joe away.  We may have to do it the hard way!

 

https://www.cnbc.com/2023/04/03/home-prices-rise-after-declines.html 

Finally, in a move that will surprise no one, NASA has embraced and espoused identity politics in the selection of the crew for the first "Artemis" mission that will return mankind -- err, humankind -- to the general vicinity of the Moon.  Of course, the lefties still won't be satisfied.  What -- no disabled trans Pacific Islanders???  What an outrage!!!

https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-65165845