Image 01 Image 03
Sign In or RegisterLogout

Author: Mike LaChance

Profile photo

Mike LaChance

Mike LaChance has been covering higher education and politics for Legal Insurrection since 2012. He has also written for American Lookout, Townhall, and Twitchy.

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

Posted by Mike LaChance on September 20, 2015 21 Comments
Hillary Clinton appeared on Face the Nation today and responded to questions from host John Dickerson on a wide range of issues, notably the Benghazi attack and her controversial email server. On Benghazi, Clinton claimed that she felt no political pressure to blame the attack on a video. On her email, she continued to insist everything was above board. Here's a partial transcript via CBS News:
DICKERSON: Benghazi. CLINTON: Right. DICKERSON: Was that your 3:00 a.m. phone call? And how well did you handle that crisis, by the standard you raised in that ad? CLINTON: Well, of course it was a crisis. And we lost four brave Americans, including the person that I asked the president to send as ambassador, Chris Stevens. But we live in a dangerous world. And even our diplomats are at threat. And that goes all the way back to, for goodness' sake, taking over our embassy in Tehran or the bombings of our embassy in Beirut, when President Reagan was in charge. This is a dangerous world. And I think what we had to do during that period of time, in trying to protect our people after the attack on the consulate, getting them evacuated, not only working on what was going on in Libya, because, remember, we had embassies that were under attack or threatened to attack by terrorist groups across North Africa, indeed, across a much larger swathe of the world. So, I think it was terribly tragic, what happened. I immediately asked for an independent review, just like former secretaries of state did. And I made that public. And the only other person who did that was Secretary Albright after our embassies were bombed in Africa.

Posted by Mike LaChance on September 20, 2015 16 Comments
Susan Brownmiller wrote the 1975 book Against Our Will: Men, Women, and Rape which set the stage for much of today's feminism. She is not, however, a huge fan of everything espoused by today's feminists, including slut walks and rape culture activism. Katie Van Syckle of New York Mag recently interviewed her. Hat tip to Ann Althouse:
I was wondering if you have been following the discussions of rape activism on college campuses. Yes, very closely. In the 1970s we had an extraordinary movement against sexual assault in this country and changed the laws. They [the campus activists] don't seem to know that. They think they are the first people to discover rape, and the problem of consent, and they are not. They have been tremendously influenced by the idea that "You can drink as much as you want because you are the equal of a guy," and it is not true. They don't accept the fact there are predators out there, and that all women have to take special precautions. They think they can drink as much as men, which is crazy because they can't drink as much as men. I find the position "Don't blame us, we're survivors" to be appalling. Also, they [college women] are not the chief targets of rapists. Young women and all women in housing projects and ghettos are still in far greater danger than college girls.

Posted by Mike LaChance on September 19, 2015 13 Comments
After the recent Miss America contest, some of the ladies on The View mocked Miss Colorado, who is a nurse, for wearing scrubs and a stethoscope during the pageant. Social media erupted following their obnoxious comments and now the show is paying the price with the loss of advertisers. Mary Bowerman of USA Today reports:
Advertisers pull ads from 'The View' following nurse comments The fallout continues over comments two hosts made on The View, about Miss Colorado's Miss America monologue about being a nurse. Johnson & Johnson and Eggland's Best Eggs have both announced they will no longer advertise on show following the comments. Johnson & Johnson said Thursday the company was taking the money saved from pulling ads from "a certain daytime program to good use," and announced a new donation drive for nursing scholarships. Likewise, Eggland's Best said Thursday that the company "appreciates nurses and values the important role they play in family health. In light of the comments about the nursing profession recently made on daytime television, we will no longer be advertising on the show in question."

Posted by Mike LaChance on September 19, 2015 11 Comments
The Greek island of Lesbos has been a popular landing point for refugees fleeing the Middle East by boat. The numbers have been so great that rafts and other flotation devices are piling up on the shore. The UK Daily Mail reports:
Piled 12ft high, the ever growing mass of rubber dinghies and life jackets abandoned on Lesbos by migrants who have risked crossing the Mediterranean by boat Shocking images have emerged of a huge pile of deflated dinghies and life-vests, left behind on the Greek island of Lesbos by the refugees and migrants who have successfully made the perilous journey across the Mediterranean. The pile of abandoned dinghies, some still intact and others worn through by the journey, which tens of thousands have already made this summer. But the crossing is notoriously perilous. Some 34 refugees, including 15 children, died this week off the coast of the southern Greek island of Farmakonisi. The UN said the accident had the largest recorded death toll from any in Greek waters since the migrant crisis began. The youngest victim was just one-year-old. Some 132 people were travelling on the wooden fishing boat when it capsized at around 3am, off the tiny island which is primarily a military base.

Posted by Mike LaChance on September 18, 2015 31 Comments
Fresh off her excellent debate appearance Wednesday night, Carly Fiorina made an appearance on Good Morning America with George Stephanopoulos who tried to back her into a corner over comments she made about the horrific Planned Parenthood videos. Just as he did last spring with Clinton Cash author Peter Schweizer, Stephanopoulos came off looking like a hack. Scott Whitlock of NewsBusters has the story:
Carly Fiorina Nails Stephanopoulos on Planned Parenthood: Watch the Tapes Former Democratic activist turned journalist George Stephanopoulos on Thursday went after Carly Fiorina for attacking Planned Parenthood during Wednesday’s presidential debate. The Good Morning America co-host grilled, “Another powerful moment last night was when you talked about those Planned Parenthood tapes. But analysts who've watched all 12-plus hours say the scene you've described, that harrowing scene you described, actually isn't in those tapes.”

Posted by Mike LaChance on September 17, 2015 70 Comments
Yesterday a Texas teenager, who happens to be a Muslim, brought a homemade clock to school and was arrested because the clock was mistaken for a bomb. Some people are blaming racism but zero tolerance policies are the real problem. NBC News reports that he won't be charged:
No Charges For Ahmed Mohamed, Teen Arrested After Bringing Homemade Clock to School Police in Texas said Wednesday that charges will not be filed against a 14-year-old Muslim high school student who was arrested after he brought in a homemade clock that a teacher said looked like a bomb. The arrest drew an outcry on social media. Hundreds of thousands of people used the hashtag #IStandWithAhmed — and President Barack Obama invited the teen to the White House. Ahmed Mohamed, who is Sudanese-American, was arrested on Monday in the Dallas suburb of Irving after he took the clock to his high school. He told The Dallas Morning News that he had been in robotics club in middle school, and he wanted to show his new teacher what he could do.

Posted by Mike LaChance on September 16, 2015 11 Comments
Hillary Clinton has a big problem. Although she's still favored to win the Democratic nomination in 2016, her favorability ratings have sunk to levels unseen since 2008. New York Times pollster Nate Cohn reported:
Signs of Hillary Clinton’s Troubles, in Charts Hillary Rodham Clinton was inevitably going to lose some of her aura once she started campaigning. The high favorability ratings she earned as secretary of state simply weren’t sustainable. But over the last two months, the steady and expected erosion of her ratings has surprisingly accelerated. Her ratings are now lower than they were in 2007 or 2008, or at any point in her political career.
Look at this devastating chart:

Posted by Mike LaChance on September 15, 2015 22 Comments
David Brock, the founder of the far left Media Matters for America, has taken on the unenviable role of Hillary Clinton defender in this election cycle. Yesterday, he appeared on MSNBC's Morning Joe program and proved that he's in deep denial over Hillary Clinton's scandals and the way they're being perceived by the American people. David Rutz of the Washington Free Beacon:
Brock Gets Hammered by Morning Joe Trying to Spin Clinton’s Email Conduct Media Matters founder and Hillary Clinton flack David Brock struggled to defend the conduct of his boss under aggressive questioning from MSNBC’s Joe Scarborough Monday. Brock, the former self-described “right-wing hitman” who underwent a massive political transformation in the late 1990s and became one of the Clintons’ most rabid defenders, appeared on Morning Joe to promote his new book blasting the New York Times and other “perceived enemies” he insists are out to destroy the Clintons. The hot topic, of course, was Clinton’s private email server, another “phony scandal” as Brock put it, that has sunk Clinton’s numbers on honesty and trustworthiness. “Are all the scandals involving the Clintons, quote, ‘fake scandals’”? Scarborough asked.

Posted by Mike LaChance on September 14, 2015 60 Comments
Governor Scott Walker was interviewed by CNN's Jake Tapper yesterday. The segment began with Walker's dropping poll numbers in Iowa but went on to cover a wide range of topics. Early on, Tapper refers to a column from National Review which charges the Walker campaign with being too lax in response to questions on big issues. That article can be read here. Later, Tapper brings up an op-ed Walker wrote for Hot Air about Obama's weak leadership in the face of violence against police officers. You can read that here. Jake Tapper is widely considered one of the most objective journalists in the mainstream media but as you watch the video below, you'll find him full of leftist talking points. The Koch brothers come up more than once, Walker is forced to defend himself as a career politician as if Hillary and Sanders aren't. Tapper also questions Walker about women's rights, Planned Parenthood, the Syrian refugees and more.

Posted by Mike LaChance on September 13, 2015 17 Comments
It's not every day that you hear people on MSNBC talking about Sarah Palin in a positive way and that's what makes this so much fun. Melissa Harris-Perry and her guests not only agree that Hillary doesn't come across as authentic, they suggest that Sarah Palin does. Jack Coleman of NewsBusters reported:
Gasp! MSNBC Panelist Says Hillary Should Emulate Palin's Authenticity It took nearly seven years, but at long last it's finally been heard -- praise for Sarah Palin on MSNBC. Even better, one of the people praising Palin -- and there were three, count 'em, three libs on the Lean Leftward cable network today doing so -- suggested that flailing Democrat Hillary Clinton could do worse than to look toward Palin as a political model to emulate. The gratifying twofer came on MSNBC's usually cringe-inducing Melissa Harris-Perry show during a panel discussion of authenticity or the lack thereof among politicians.

Posted by Mike LaChance on September 12, 2015 10 Comments
Baltimore's Democrat mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake has decided not to seek another term. Donna Owens of Reuters reports:
Baltimore mayor says will not seek re-election Baltimore Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake, whose city was rocked by riots earlier this year over a black man's death in police custody, will not seek re-election when her term ends next year, she said on Friday. Rawlings-Blake, who became something of a flashpoint in the troubled city, was criticized by the public for her handling of the April riots that followed the death of Freddie Gray, which saw dozens of cars and buildings burned. In a hastily arranged City Hall press conference, the Democrat, who is black, said her decision was not directly related to the Gray case but acknowledged the past six months have been a "tough time" for Baltimore. "While certainly I would not have chosen (the unrest), you don't choose ... you play the cards you're dealt," said Rawlings-Blake, 45, who spent 12 years on city council before becoming mayor in 2010. "I have chosen to govern for the next 15 months rather than campaigning."

Posted by Mike LaChance on September 12, 2015 11 Comments
Marco Rubio is not a fan of the Iran deal and had plenty of criticism for Democrats and his own party in a recent interview on FOX News. Al Weaver of the Washington Examiner reported:
Rubio pans Dems for 'walking the plank' on Iran deal Sen. Marco Rubio lit into Democrats supporting the Iran nuclear deal Friday after 42 of them blocked a resolution that rejected the deal on Thursday. During an interview with Fox News' Martha MacCallum, the 2016 hopeful called out Democrats for "walking the plank" by supporting the deal after seeing how Sen. Charles Schumer was treated by the administration after he came out against the agreement in August. Rubio also argued that Democrats who backed the agreement have "become captive to a radical element in their party." "They know it's a bad deal. The Democrats know it's a bad deal," Rubio said. "That's why they all couched their terms in the sense of 'I don't think it's perfect, I don't think it's ideal.'"

Posted by Mike LaChance on September 11, 2015 5 Comments
A new memorial center has been created in Shanksville, Pennsylvania to honor the people on United Airlines Flight 93 which crashed in a field on September 11th when passengers fought back against the terrorists. Here's an Associated Press report via FOX News:
Flight 93 memorial visitor center is dedicated A new visitor center has been dedicated on a Pennsylvania hill overlooking the site where United Airlines Flight 93 came down during the 9/11 attacks. The visitor center is at the Flight 93 National Memorial near Shanksville. It uses photos, video, artifacts and interactive displays to tell the story of how passengers and crew fought to regain control of the plane. The hijackers are believed to have wanted to crash it into the U.S. Capitol. An outdoor platform offers a commanding view of the crash site where 33 passengers and seven crew members were killed. U.S. Interior Secretary Sally Jewell said at Thursday's dedication that the center captures "the real honor of the 40 and what they did."

Posted by Mike LaChance on September 10, 2015 13 Comments
When it comes to Hillary Clinton's 2016 presidential campaign, it's like we're watching a replay of what happened in 2008. In 2008, Hillary Clinton was the presumptive Democrat nominee until the party's base cast her aside for a little known senator who was seen as an outsider with a more progressive resume. In 2016, the same scenario is playing out in the popularity of Bernie Sanders. In 2008, Hillary cried. This week, Hillary cried again. In 2008, Hillary seemed too focus-grouped and stale. Now, we're being told in advance that Hillary is going to be more spontaneous. Conservative author and columnist Mark Steyn made the same point on Hannity last night, saying that she's tone deaf and that she is once again defeating herself:
Steyn Rips Hillary's 'Tone Deaf,' 'Slow-Motion Train Wreck' Campaign Mark Steyn said on "Hannity" tonight that Hillary Clinton's "train wreck" presidential campaign is in trouble, and there is no doubt that she committed a crime with her private server and email.

Posted by Mike LaChance on September 09, 2015 6 Comments
New Jersey governor and 2016 Republican presidential candidate Chris Christie appeared on the FOX and Friends program yesterday and stated plainly that Obama deserves some blame for recent violence against police. Nick Gass reported at Politico:
Christie blames Obama for attacks on cops Recent violence against law enforcement is President Barack Obama's problem, New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie said Tuesday, blasting the president for failing to lead and uphold the rule of law. "This is the president's problem, because he has not allowed law and order to be the rule of the day in the United States. Lawlessness has been the rule of the day," Christie said in an interview on "Fox and Friends" after the hosts recounted recent killings of police officers in Illinois and Texas, and another shooting in Nevada over the weekend. "And now the president says little or nothing about these police officers that are being hunted."
You can watch the video below.
Accessibility by WAH