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Mike LaChance has been covering higher education and politics for Legal Insurrection since 2012. He also creates content for American Lookout, and is a columnist for Townhall.
Since 2008 he has contributed work to the Daily Caller, Breitbart, Gateway Pundit, the Center for Security Policy, the Washington Free Beacon, and Ricochet.
Mike is a Generation X, New England lifer who describes his political views as conservative and libertarian.
You can find him on Twitter @MikeLaChance33
Your weekly report from the crazy world of higher education....
ICE readies 2,400 beds for new spring surge of illegal immigrants through Texas The Obama administration is bracing for another surge of illegal immigrants next spring, bringing online a family detention center that will have 2,400 beds. “We must be prepared for traditional, seasonal increases in illegal migration. The Dilley facility will provide invaluable surge capacity should apprehensions of adults with children once again surge this spring,” said Acting Immigration and Customs Enforcement Director Thomas S. Winkowski. In advance of the president’s new pro-immigrant announcement set for Thursday night, ICE is readying its strategy for next year when over 100,000 illegals are expected to flood over the U.S.-Mexico border. The agency said in a statement that it hopes illegal immigrants look at what they are doing in building holding facilities like the 2,400 bed center in Dilley, Texas, and will decide the trip isn’t worth it.Uh huh. Good luck with that. Charles Kruathammer recently nailed the issue with a prediction.
GOP Governors Mostly Hostile on Obama Immigration Executive Action Potential 2016 GOP presidential candidates at the Republican Governors Association annual conference gave very different responses to the president’s decision to announce major executive action on immigration reform Thursday. At the gathering at the posh Boca Raton Resort and Club, New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie dodged, Texas Gov. Rick Perry threatened, Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal accused the president of throwing a “temper tantrum” and Ohio Gov. John Kasich sounded a more moderate tone. Christie, the RGA’s outgoing chairman, refused to weigh in saying, “We will have to wait and see what he says and what he does and what the legal implications are.”Is that a story? You know who else used to be hostile to that power grab?
Pure. Comedy. Gold....
Obama in 2006: ‘I Have Stolen Ideas Liberally’ From Jonathan Gruber This weekend, President Obama dismissed MIT professor Jonathan Gruber as “some adviser who never worked on our staff.” But back in 2006, the president struck a much more laudatory tone while addressing the future architect of Obamacare. At a Brookings Institution meeting in 2006, Obama praised the policy accomplishments of the man who would later imperil the Affordable Care Act through repeated comments belittling the intelligence of American voters. In the video provided by conservative group American Commitment, the president calls Gruber one of “the brightest minds from academia and policy circles,” claiming he’s one of a small group of experts from whom he’s “stolen ideas liberally.”Watch it all here: Deroy Murdock of National Review notes that Obamacare made Gruber a very wealthy man:
"Some adviser who never worked on our staff."...
Media in 2006: Hillary Clinton is inevitable.
Media in 2014: Hillary Clinton is inevitable.
#FoolMeOnce
— Aleister (@AmericanGlob) November 15, 2014
When it comes to presidential elections, Iowa is a very important state and as Lee Rood of the New York Post points out, Hillary may have a problem:
Is Iowa already sick of Hillary Clinton? DES MOINES, Iowa — If you’re a die-hard Democrat in New York hoping to overcome the disappointment that was Nov. 4, you’re worried. But here in Iowa, where the first-in-the-nation caucuses are a mere 14 months away, some are breaking into a cold sweat. Most party leaders here will assure you all conversations about the 2016 presidential nomination still begin and end with Hillary Clinton. The former first lady and secretary of state is a sentimental favorite. Though she has not formally announced her candidacy, her well-oiled super PAC may be the most deeply rooted ever at this stage in the Hawkeye state. “I don’t know of any party regulars or activists who are really pushing anyone else,” says Jerry Crawford, who co-chaired Clinton’s 2008 campaign in Iowa and helps lead Ready for Hillary in the state. But that may be the problem. Familiarity breeds if not contempt, then frustration.Do you know who else isn't excited about the prospect of a Clinton run? Joe Biden.
Washington Post columnist Charles Krauthammer said President Obama’s plan to grant amnesty to 4.5 million illegal immigrants was “an impeachable offense.” Krauthammer said that prosecutorial discretion, which Obama is invoking to justify his executive action, is only meant for extreme cases in which one or two individuals are prevented from being deported. “I believe it is an impeachable offense,” Krauthammer told Fox News host Megyn Kelly on Thursday.Watch the exchange: Senator Ted Cruz has also been outspoken about Obama's plan.“This idea of prosecutorial discretion is really a travesty. It is intended for extreme cases. for a case where you want to show mercy for individual or two where it’s unusual incident unusual circumstances and you say, okay, we’re going to give this person a pass. it was never intended to abolish a whole class of people subject to a law and to essentially abolish whole sections of a law.”Krauthammer said Obama’s executive action threat resembles a South American dictator more than an American president.“That’s the way the system is in Venezuela. If the the caudillo isn’t able to get stuff done through congress, he issues a decree and that’s it, and he’ll arrest anybody who gets in the way,” Krauthammer said. “The whole American system is designed that it has to be a collaboration between the Congress and the president. Congress has to pass it, he has to sign it. That’s the way the damn thing works.”
RNC Releases New “#Grubering” Video WASHINGTON – Today, the Republican National Committee (RNC) released a new web video entitled “#Grubering,” highlighting clips of ObamaCare comments made by Jonathan Gruber and House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi. “Gruber’s comments reveal how President Obama and Democrats like Nancy Pelosi took advantage of Americans and violated the trust of voters. Like Gruber, they clearly think Americans are too ‘stupid’ to figure out what’s in our own best interest,” said Chairman Priebus. “In 2009, Nancy Pelosi encouraged Americans to read Gruber’s ObamaCare analysis, and now she is claiming she doesn’t know who Gruber is. The lack of transparency from the White House and Democrat leaders is appalling.”Here's the spot: Gruber's insulting remarks have gone viral and even CNN is reporting the story now.
Your weekly report from the world of higher education....
Nancy Pelosi says she doesn’t know who Jonathan Gruber is. She touted his work in 2009. House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) said Thursday that, not only did Jonathan Gruber not play a significant role in drafting Obamacare, but that she doesn't even "know who he is." Many have pointed out since then that Pelosi's office has cited Gruber's work in the past. That's notable, but it's very unlikely Pelosi herself wrote those press releases herself or even participated in their drafting. But then there's this: Pelosi herself has also mentioned Gruber and his work -- back in November 2009, at the height of the Obamacare debate.Here's the video. Who do you believe--Ms. Pelosi, or your lying eyes?
Harry Reid wants Warren in Senate leadership Senate Democrats want to enlist a progressive firebrand as a member of their leadership: Elizabeth Warren. The incoming Senate minority leader, Harry Reid, is engaged in private talks with the Massachusetts freshman to create a special leadership post for the former Harvard professor, according to several people familiar with the matter. It’s unclear exactly what the new job would entail — but luring the populist liberal into leadership could inject fresh blood into a team reeling from significant midterm election losses. Adding Warren, Democrats say, would bring in a nationally known name who could help sharpen the Democratic message as it goes toe-to-toe with the new Senate Republican majority. The move would likely be viewed favorably by an increasingly liberal caucus.The Democratic Party's hard-left progressivism was soundly rejected by the American people last week. Their solution to the problem? Even harder-left progressivism! That being said, maybe Elizabeth Warren will finally get big money out of American politics...
You don’t protect my freedom: Our childish insistence on calling soldiers heroes deadens real democracy Put a man in uniform, preferably a white man, give him a gun, and Americans will worship him. It is a particularly childish trait, of a childlike culture, that insists on anointing all active military members and police officers as “heroes.” The rhetorical sloppiness and intellectual shallowness of affixing such a reverent label to everyone in the military or law enforcement betrays a frightening cultural streak of nationalism, chauvinism, authoritarianism and totalitarianism, but it also makes honest and serious conversations necessary for the maintenance and enhancement of a fragile democracy nearly impossible. It has become impossible to go a week without reading a story about police brutality, abuse of power and misuse of authority. Michael Brown’s murder represents the tip of a body pile, and in just the past month, several videos have emerged of police assaulting people, including pregnant women, for reasons justifiable only to the insane. It is equally challenging for anyone reasonable, and not drowning in the syrup of patriotic sentimentality, to stop saluting, and look at the servicemen of the American military with criticism and skepticism.Jazz Shaw of Hot Air notes that this isn't the first time we've seen this sentiment from our liberal friends:
White House Spin on Midterms Leaves Reporters in Disbelief The White House is still reeling from Tuesday’s elections, and has continued to deflect any questions on the subject. Press Secretary Josh Earnest did his best to keep the mood light and respond to the press Thursday, however, his audience was not impressed. “Would you say that Tuesday night was a big loss for Democrats?” a reporter asked. To the dismay of his audience, Earnest declined to answer directly since it would not be appropriate for him to offer any sort of “punditry.” “There are lots of people who get paid a lot more money than I do, who are responsible for offering up analysis and spinning the elections,” Earnest said. “I’m not going to do that.”Watch and enjoy: As I said, I look forward to more of this.
In their own minds....
A lot of the celebrities who appeared in the midterm Rock The Vote PSA didn’t actually vote in the last midterm Celebrities are less likely to vote in midterm elections, just like us! Rock The Vote released a public service announcement last month with a parody of Lil Jon's "Turn Down For What" that featured public figures who explained why they planned to vote in the midterm elections, but according to public records, a number of them didn't vote in the last midterm election. At least five who appeared in the PSA — "Girls" actress Lena Dunham, comedian Whoopi Goldberg, "Orange is the New Black" actress Natasha Lyonne, "Rich Kids of Beverly Hills" star E.J. Johnson, and actor Darren Criss — did not vote in the last midterm, records from Los Angeles County and New York City show.Of course, Ms. Dunham has bigger things to worry about at the moment. Kevin Williamson of National Review and Bradford Thomas of Truth Revolt had the audacity to review Lena Dunham's new book and (gasp) quote her. It's pretty creepy stuff. Thomas noted the passage where Dunham describes exploring her baby sister's genitals at the age of seven:
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