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Posted by William A. Jacobson on September 02, 2015 45 Comments
The Iran nuclear deal, which is so bad in so many ways explained here so many times, is a done deal. Democrats now have enough votes in the Senate to prevent an override of an Obama veto of a resolution of disapproval, if it even gets to a vote given Democrats are close to the votes needed to filibuster. Partial blame belongs to Republicans in the Senate for agreeing to a procedure that required passage of a resolution of disapproval by a supermajority, rather than approval by a supermajority, or even a majority. But at least Republicans opposed the deal, which means that majorities in each house of Congress are against it. Whatever procedural mistakes Republicans made are dwarfed by the substantive embrace of the deal by most Democrats in Congress. That despite the fact that the deal is hugely unpopular overall, and is at best a split decision even among Democrats not in Congress. It is not an exaggeration to say that loyalty to Obama was the overriding factor. Democrats in Congress were the main targets of Obama's demagoguery -- be with Obama or be for war; be with Obama or be for the monied lobbyists. The message was clear: Be with Obama or be a traitor. So the deal will not fail. To say that it "passes" is inaccurate. There will be calls once the votes are taken to heal. To make Israel, once again, a matter of bipartisan consensus.

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Posted by Kemberlee Kaye on September 02, 2015 26 Comments
Does calling it 'Democratic Socialism' make it less socialisty? Nah. Not really. But that doesn't stop Democratic presidential hopeful Bernie Sanders from pretending there's a difference. "What Democratic Socialism is about, is having a government which reflects the interests of the ordinary people, rather than is currently the case, the billionaire class," explained Sanders.
Bernie Sanders Explains Why You Shouldn't Be Scared Of The Ter...Bernie Sanders explains why you shouldn't be scared of the term 'socialism' Posted by NowThis on Monday, August 31, 2015

Posted by Kemberlee Kaye on September 02, 2015 168 Comments
In Kentucky, a county clerk refusing to issue same-sex marriage licenses despite the Supreme Court's recent ruling has made her way into national headlines. Rowan County Clerk Kim Davis claims her religious beliefs have created an issue of conscience which prohibits her from participating in or condoning gay marriage. Citing God's authority, Davis has stopped issuing all marriage licenses. The whole affair turned into one horrid media circus:
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Posted by William A. Jacobson on September 02, 2015 35 Comments
New York University is expanding, and a coalition of groups are opposing the expansion. Some due to community concerns, some due to concerns over the cost of NYU tuition, room and board. The protest was descibed in NYU Local:
Yesterday, a rally organized by Faculty Against the Sexton Plan (FASP) drew a crowd of over 200 people in Washington Square Park to protest the NYU 2031 expansion plan. The rally featured voices not only from FASP, but also support from the Student & Labor Action Movement, NYU Divest, the Roosevelt Institute, New York State United Teachers, Students for Justice in Palestine, Long Island University, Cooper Union, and a variety of other students and community members. The event also featured a performance by the theatrical percussion group STOMP.
After the airing of grievances, NYU Local noted:
Several NYU students shared personal narratives relating the burden of NYU’s financial obligations. These stories related how the high cost of NYU’s tuition has robbed students of normalcy. One student, wearing a mask and identifying herself only as “Mandy,” described how she was forced into prostitution to pay her rent and tuition bills.
See the Featured Image. The Observer further described:

Posted by Amy Miller on September 02, 2015 36 Comments
Some Second Amendment advocacy organizations are putting their members on alert among concerns that anti-gun organizations are using social media to encourage members to target open carriers with police action. The Coalition to Stop Gun Violence has posted a series of messages on its page encouraging its followers to immediately call police if they feel uncomfortable in the presence of an openly-carried firearm. The Buckeye Firearms Association caught a screen grab from the Coalition's Facebook page: swatting This is a screenshot taken today (9/2/2015) of the Coalition's Facebook page, doubling down on their original call to action:

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Posted by Amy Miller on September 02, 2015 13 Comments
Last Friday, Harris County Deputy Darren Goforth stopped to fuel up at a suburban Houston gas station. Soon after, Shannon Miles pulled up, put a gun to the back of Goforth's head, and shot him 15 times. It wasn't a murder---it was an execution; and now, those close to the investigation are asking whether or not nationwide anti-cop rhetoric played a part in it [emphasis mine]:
Surveillance video from the gas station shows that Goforth, 47, had just come out of a convenience store after he had pumped gas and that Miles got out of his red truck, she said. “He runs up behind Deputy Goforth and puts the gun to the back of his head and shoots. Deputy Goforth hits the ground and then he continues to unload his gun, shooting repeatedly into the back of Deputy Goforth,” [Harris County District Attorney Devon] Anderson said. Goforth was shot 15 times and a witness saw the shooting, Anderson said. She added that the shell casings match the .40-caliber Smith and Wesson handgun found at Miles’ home. Harris County Sheriff Ron Hickman said Saturday that the attack was “clearly unprovoked,” and there is no evidence that Goforth knew Miles. “Our assumption is that he (Goforth) was a target because he wore a uniform,” the sheriff said.

Posted by Amy Miller on September 02, 2015 43 Comments
Today Democratic Senator Barbara Mikulski committed her vote in support of the controversial Iran nuclear deal, bringing the total number of Senators backing the deal to 34---the magic number needed to ensure Democrats can sustain President Obama's veto should Senators opposed to the deal bring forward a resolution of disapproval. More from the AP:
Democratic Sen. Barbara Mikulski of Maryland became the crucial 34th vote in favor of the agreement. "No deal is perfect, especially one negotiated with the Iranian regime," Mikulski said in a statement. She called the accord "the best option available to block Iran from having a nuclear bomb. For these reasons, I will vote in favor of this deal." The backing from Mikulski, who is retiring next year, gives supporters the margin they need to uphold an Obama veto of a congressional resolution of disapproval if Republicans pass such a measure later this month. And it spells failure for opponents of the international agreement who sought to foil it by turning Congress against it. Leading that effort were Israel and its allies in the U.S., who failed to get traction after spending millions of dollars trying.
Reaction on both sides, of course, exploded:

Posted by Amy Miller on September 02, 2015 7 Comments
Do Cops' lives matter? The answer wasn't so obvious to whoever murdered Abilene, Texas-based Officer Don Allen. Allen, 27, was found dead in his Abilene-area home Monday evening. Investigators found nothing to suggest that the killing was a random act of terror against police officers in general, but are treating the death as a suspicious homicide. More from Fox News:
At a news conference Tuesday, Abliene Police Chief Stan Standridge described Allen's death as "suspicious" and said the FBI, ATF, and the Texas Rangers were among the agencies investigating the case. Standridge did not specify exactly how Allen died, but said that multiple leads were being investigated and multiple motives were being considered. The Tarrant County medical examiner was due to conduct an autopsy on Allen's body.

Posted by Mike LaChance on September 02, 2015 20 Comments
A few years ago, liberals in politics and media insisted that rhetoric coming from the Tea Party was violent and that we needed a new tone in political discourse. Now that #BlackLivesMatter activists are openly advocating violence, those folks are nowhere to be found. Last night on FOX News, Megyn Kelly brought this double standard into focus. Josh Feldman of Mediaite has more:
Megyn Explodes: Liberals Rip Dangerous Tea Party Rhetoric But #BlackLivesMatter’s Is Fine?! Megyn Kelly really went off tonight on the hypocrisy of Democrats and liberal media figures who were quick to condemn dangerous tea party rhetoric for the 2011 Tucson shooting but are now keeping silent about dangerous rhetoric from #BlackLivesMatter protesters. After some protesters were filmed chanting “pigs in a blanket, fry ’em like bacon,” Kelly was amazed that not only have Democrats avoided the issue, but they’ve been recently trying to establish a connection between them and the movement.

Posted by William A. Jacobson on September 02, 2015 17 Comments
From Kate:
Harrisonburg, VA...northwest of Charlottesville, VA (looks like car owner from Charlottesville). Just took this picture in a retirement home 15 minute parking space...so probably owned by a baby-boomer who has a parent in the retirement community. :(
Bumper Stickers - Harrisonburg, VA - Obama Warren You know, I'm also from the Elizabeth Warren Wing of the Democratic Party.

Posted by William A. Jacobson on September 01, 2015 90 Comments
Donald Trump thumped Jeb Bush the other day with an Instagram ad that has received a lot of attention, and a lot of free TV air time. It was Willie Horton Part 2: It was, of course, "unfair" in the sense that Bush's comment about Act of Love related to illegal immigration in general, not those crimes. But it was brilliant political theater. Trump has been relentless in going after, prodding, and yes, emasculating the person who he viewed as his lead competition. Allahpundit describes the approach:

Posted by Kemberlee Kaye on September 01, 2015 14 Comments
In Project Veritas Action's undercover investigation into Hillary Clinton's presidential campaign, James O'Keefe claims Hillary's top campaign advisors violated FEC laws. Filmed during Hillary's campaign kick-off event, the video captures two senior Clinton campaign staffers allowing a Canadian citizen pay for campaign swag by giving her money to an American citizen. To their credit, the staffers recognized receiving donations from anyone who is not an American citizen was in direct violation of FEC laws, and said as much. When PVA's undercover reporter asked if she could take the Canadian woman's money and use it to make the purchase herself, the senior staffers agreed.

Posted by Kemberlee Kaye on September 01, 2015 11 Comments
Late Tuesday afternoon CNN announced an amendment to the rules for its debate scheduled for September 16. CNN's original rules included time-specific polling data that did not accurately mirror current GOP primary field standings. In particular, Carly Fiorina's rapid rise in the polls. Last week, a spokeswoman from CNN said the network would not yield to candidate complaints, saying:
“Our criteria are totally appropriate and we have been absolutely transparent about them throughout. If the Fiorina campaign had an issue with them they could have raised it when we published them in May. They did not,” the spokeswoman said. “Revising the criteria on the eve of the debate at the demand of and solely for the benefit of one particular candidate is not something we have done in the past, and we will not do it now.”
Mounting pressure from news outlets, public figures, and Carly Fiorina's campaign seems to have caused CNN to reconsider. The network explained that a lack of national polling data was to blame. With a significantly greater number of national polls taken during the same timeframe in previous election cycles, CNN claims they had no reason to believe this cycle would have rendered a polling deficiency. Rather than look to national polling averages in data collected from July to September, CNN has amended the debate qualification criteria so that rankings will be decided based on polling data released from August 7 to September 10.

Posted by Amy Miller on September 01, 2015 23 Comments
Back in July, the conservative media shined its spotlight on the controversial issue of "sanctuary cities" following the shooting death of Kate Steinle in San Francisco. This happened because perennial criminal and five-time deportee Juan Francisco Lopez-Sanchez, who had no business in this country, much less on the pier where Kate died, pointed a gun and pulled the trigger. He sought refuge underneath San Fran's "sanctuary" umbrella, and Kate Steinle paid the price. It was an inconvenient narrative for the Obama Administration, and an even more inconvenient scoop for reporters reluctant to address the issue of illegal immigration during an election cycle. Kate was laid to rest with little fanfare, but her family has taken up her cause, and is planning a lawsuit against San Francisco Sheriff Ross Mirkarimi, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, and The Bureau of Land Management.
Since the death of their daughter, Jim Steinle and Liz Sullivan have become activists demanding justice for their daughter. "Everyone can’t keep saying this is the way it is — it isn’t the way it has to be. We have to stand up and say we’re mad as hell we’re not going to take it anymore,” Sullivan said.

Posted by Amy Miller on September 01, 2015 61 Comments
During the first Republican presidential debate earlier this month, all hell broke loose after an exchange on the "war on women" between debate moderator Megyn Kelly and contender Donald Trump. The furor over Kelly's snark, and Trump's audacity, boiled over into a weeks-long debate between those convinced that Kelly had wrongfully attacked Trump, and those who felt like Kelly's question about Trump's tone toward women was fair. So, who won? I'm not ready to call this for either side yet (there's still plenty of time for either party to reload) but polling data suggests that as of right now, Donald Trump has come out on top over Fox News. From Public Policy Polling [emphasis mine]:
Trump is winning his fight with Megyn Kelly. When we last polled her in December of 2013 her favorability with Republicans nationally was 44/9. Her favorability is in a similar place now at 42% but her negatives have shot up to 20%, largely because she's at 20/43 with Trump's supporters.
Trumps supporters are angry about the way the debate exchange went down, and it shows.

Posted by Vijeta Uniyal on September 01, 2015 26 Comments
The United Nations has declared a war on racism and slavery. Not on real slavery, as practiced by Saudi Arabia and Qatar with an immigrant labour force, but as practiced by the people of Netherlands during their Christmas festivities.  The U.N.’s self-proclaimed “Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination” told the Netherlands to end its "Black Pete" Christmas tradition, in which Dutch people wear blackfaces, calling it a “reminder of slavery.” The actor portraying “Zwarte Piet”, as the jovial companion of Santa Claus is called in Dutch, usually puts on blackface make-up along with a fancy hat and Renaissance attire. (As the Dutch folklore goes, Santa’s companion is a Moor from Spain.) But the crusaders against racial discrimination at U.N. are not having any of it. According to the New York Times:

Posted by William A. Jacobson on September 01, 2015 27 Comments
Last week, in an August 24, 2015 Status Report, the Internal Revenue Service disclosed that Lois Lerner used a secret personal email account denominated as "Toby Miles." The filing was in a FOIA case filed by Judicial Watch. In a filing last night of an August 31, 2015 Status Report, the IRS revealed that  Lerner also used "a second personal email account" that, unlike the Toby Miles account, "does not appear to be associated with a denomination; only the email address itself appears." The IRS refuses to disclose the email address for either the Toby Miles or the newly discovered account. (added) Tom Fitton, President of Judicial Watch, commented on this latest disclosure:
“It is disturbing that the Obama administration’s explanations to a federal judge about Lois Lerner’s emails become inoperative after only one week. Last week, the court was told that that Lois Lerner had a second alias email account under the name “Toby Miles”. This week the court is told that the “Toby Miles” account isn’t a separate account but that that there still is a second Lerner account, address unrevealed, with IRS-related emails. This game of cat and mouse shows that both the Obama IRS and Justice Department continue with their contempt for Judge Sullivan’s orders that Ms. Lerner’s emails about this scandal be disclosed as the law requires.”
The August 31 status report reads, in part (full embed at bottom of post):
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