Election Interference

For John, BLUF:  The Democrats, in 2024, got election help from overseas, including from the British Labour Party.  Nothing to see here; just move along.

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CONSCIOUSNESS OF GUILT

From 𝕏, by Mr Jim Ferguson, 14 January 2025, 6:21 AM.

Here is the Tweet:

BREAKING: Labour’s Head of Operations, Sophia Patel, has deleted her LinkedIn profile and locked her Twitter after explosive allegations surfaced that she organized 100 Labour staffers to meddle in the 2024 US election—allegedly to prevent Donald Trump’s reelection.

Here’s where it gets serious: thanks to extradition laws signed by former Labour PM Tony Blair, it’s now easier for UK citizens to be sent to the US to face charges.

Patel could potentially be charged with:
1️⃣ Election Interference
2️⃣ Failure to Register as a Foreign Agent (FARA)
3️⃣ Conspiracy to Commit an Offense Against the US
4️⃣ Cybercrime or Unauthorized Access
5️⃣ Transporting Funds for Unlawful Purposes
6️⃣ Interstate Travel to Aid Unlawful Activities

If convicted, these charges carry severe penalties, including significant fines and prison time.  Is Patel now terrified she’ll be extradited and prosecuted under US law?  This could explode into a major international scandal with far-reaching implications.

I don't see this as a big deal.  Considering the number of elections our Government has meddled in, that someone outside our nation should play in ours is not a susrprise.  That is not to say that we shouldn't take steps to limit outside intererence.

On the other hand, this move was a little tone deaf on the part of Prime Minister Keir Starmer and the Labour Party.  Maybe they thought Candidate Kamala Harris would win, but it was a bet with a big down side.

I say grant Ms Patel a pardon and use it to heckle Mr Starmer.

Hat tip to the InstaPundit.

Regards  —  Cliff

Running Against Ms Harris, Alternative View

Mr Trump's private life has not been off limits in 2016, 2020 or today.  An important question for Republicans in the 2024 Presidential Race is if Democratic Nominee Harris' personal life should be off limits.  Will the Republicans gain more votes by scuffing her up or by walking past the issue in a dignified manner.  The answer turns on how we view the female voting block.  Nothing to see here; just move along.

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YOU DON’T HIT A GIRL

From According to Hoyt, by Author Sarah Hoyt, 25 July 2024.

Here is the lede plus seven:

I’m tired. Maybe the fact that Canada is burning and in the air again has to do with this, or maybe it is the eternal wishful stupidity of the right.  Could be either or.

Unfortunately this means I have a fever, which lately happens when I’m having an auto-immune outbreak.

For those of you who are new here, when I get a fever it’s like when other people are on prednisone.  I lose what little governor I have. , Also, because my head hurts, I become very short on patience.

What does this mean?  Well– The old hands will tell you.

It means I roll up my sleeves, turn the Heinlein picture to the wall and speak without prettifying it for the sensitive souls.  I’m sorry.  But in case I haven’t mentioned it, I’m tired.

On facebook, someone took offense at my “Getting it out of the way” post.  First at my saying that Kamala probably has less recent African ancestry than I do — and mine isn’t that recent.  It’s someone who comments here, but he primly informed me that a little research would have prevented my embarrassing faux pas, since her father is of Jamaican ancestry so, obviously she has recent African ancestry.

Head>desk, repeat with gusto.  He then insisted the “cast of her father’s features” meant he was black.  I know that what y’all are conditioned to think of as “black” reads as “What?” to me, but seriously, the man looks Mediterranean with some English and I checked with people born here.  Also, I’m not going to post my own family photos, but the side that so far as we know (unless that’s the tiny amount of Nigerian in my 23 and me.  Yes, that’s right.  I’m a princess!) has no African blood looks more African than Kamala’s father.  Because, well… Portugal is a very mixed place, but also because what American’s consider “black” is not.

But even so, my contention in making that statement was not to dispute one-drop rules, because frankly who cares, but to argue that Kamala is no more black than I am:  She’s not black American by culture or ancestry.  Meaning that as far as there is a common (and there is) experience among Americans of (some) African ancestry whose ancestors were brought here as slaves, she ain’t got it.  She got made “black” because Joe wanted a “black woman” vice president and it was her or the “real governor of Georgia.”  That was it.  Which is disingenuous.

For those who don't follow Sarah, she is an immigrant from Portugal, having come here initially as a high school exchange student.  There is much more to the blog post.  Read the whole thing.

I take Ms Hoyt's point about is Vice President Harris Black.  When I look at her, or listen to her, I do not think Black.  I think Indian Subcontinent.  I am sure some would suggest I am in some form of denial.  Perhaps I am.  However, in my dillusion I am not denigrating her.  I liked Governoors Bobby Jindal and Nicky Haley and I liked Vivek Ramaswamy.

And, Vice President Harris was mentored, may still be being mentored, by the smartest politician in California, and perhaps in the US, former Assembly Speaker Willie Brown.

Besides the issue of is Ms Harris a Black candidate or a Middle Class "White Adjacent" candidate is the question of if her previous sex life is fair game for criticism.  I think it is disrespectful of her Husband. : Blogger Hoyt thinks we should not be delicate about this, just as Democrats and the Media (and the courts) have not held back in going after Mr Trump's private life.  We are in the big leagues now.

I still wish to focus on policy and Ms Harris' policy record as VEEP, Senator and California Attorney General. : For others, your milage may differ.  The question is, will US female voters clutch their pearls or will they be willing to take a hard 360 degree look at Ms Harris?

Hat tip to the InstaPundit.

Regards  —  Cliff

The Price of Oil and Votes

For John, BLUF:  The Current Administration is holding back ono foreign policy goals to lure voters in November.  Nothing to see here; just move along.

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You'll Never Believe Who Biden Is Using Now to Buy Votes in November

Here is the referenced article from The Wall Street Journal:

U.S. Talks Tough on Russia and Iran—So Long as It Doesn’t Raise Gas Prices

From PJ Media, by Blogger Stephen Green, 26 June 2024, 2:30 PM.

Here is the lede plus five:

There's tension inside the Biden Cabal between White House officials who want to soft-pedal oil sanctions on nasty foreign producers like Putinist Russia and Islamist Iran and Treasury Department staffers who have a soul.

The Wall Street Journal reported on Wednesday that Biden "wants to keep gas prices stable ahead of the election by encouraging oil to flow into global markets," and if that means imposing "softer-than-expected sanctions on major oil producers" like two to nasties mentioned above, then so be it.

Oh, and also Venezuela. What's the big deal in appeasing a socialist basket case like Nicolás Maduro when you're already servicing Vladimir Putin and whoever is in charge of Iran since President Ebrahim Raisi died in a helicopter crash last month.

(Two cheers for gravity!)

An unnamed senior administration official told the WSJ, "The president has wanted to do everything that he could to make sure that American consumers have the lowest price possible at the pump, as it affects families’ daily lives."

Every dollar of oil revenue that goes into Caracas, Moscow, and Tehran's coffers is another dollar that can be spent propping up the socialist Maduro regime, prolonging the Russo-Ukraine War, or providing the missiles, guns, and ammo that Hamas uses to murder Jews.

So, we are allowing the opponents of peace and democracy to flourish so that the price of gas at the service station can be low in early November, for the election.  I am with Mr Green:

I don't mind paying a little extra for each gallon when it supports producers in this country, or producers in countries that aren't endstage socialist hellholes, warmongering neoimperialists, or Islamic terror states. I do mind paying a little extra when it's American producers getting shut down by overregulation.

There is more to be read.

Regards  —  Cliff

Pleasantly Surprising Vote

For John, BLUF:  Amidst all the turmoil amongst the Ivy League schools, it turns out the students at Columbia elected an israeli Jew as Student Body President.  Nothing to see here; just move along.

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Israeli student elected by Columbia for role of student president as protests surge

Here is the sub-headline:

The election comes as the Columbia campus experiences an overwhelming wave of anti-Israel protests and student encampments.

From The Jerusalam Post, by The Staff, 28 April 2024 06:47, Updated: 28 April 2024 08:45.

Here is the lede plus two:

Columbia University has elected Israeli student Maya Platek as Columbia student government president for the 2024-2025 school year, the organization Students Supporting Israel (SSI) announced Friday.

The election of an Israeli student for the role comes as the Columbia campus experiences an overwhelming wave of anti-Israel protests and encampments.

Platek has been determined to speak up for Jewish students on campus as a member of SSI, an organization that, according to its website, aims to allow for a pro-Israel voice on college campuses.

Law Professor Glenn Harlan Reynolds commented;  'SECRET BALLOTS ALLOW THE SILENT MAJORITY TO SPEAK".

I mentioned this to someone and used the term Australian Ballot.  They drew a blank.  However, Wikipedia recognized this term for the Secret Ballot  While the Secret ballot is as old as ancient Greece, in the United States it didn't start until after the Presidential Election of 1884 (Democrat Governor Grover Cleveland of New York vs Republican James G. Blaine of Maine),♠ with Kentucky being the last state to adopt it, in 1891.

Per Wikipedia the four components of an "Australian ballot" were:

1. an official ballot being printed at public expense,
2. on which the names of the nominated candidates of all parties and all proposals appear,
3. being distributed only at the polling place and
4. being marked in secret.

There are those of us who are dubious as to if a Secret Ballot can be sustained in an era of no excuse mail-in ballots and ballot harvesting.

Hat tip to the InstaPundit.

Regards  —  Cliff

♠  Wikipedia characterized the election as being "set apart by unpleasant mudslinging and shameful personal allegations that eclipsed substantive issues, such as civil administration change."

Stopping The Donald

For John, BLUF:  There are a noticable number of Democrats who are exploring ways to thwart Former President Donald Trump from regaining the Oval Office.  Nothing to see here; just move along.

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Most Democrats Don’t Want Congress to Certify Election if Trump Wins

From Rasmussen Reports, on 11 March 2024.

Here is the lede plus three:

After the Supreme Court rejected attempts to disqualify former President Donald Trump from the ballot, a majority of Democratic voters now support another way to block Trump’s possible return to the White House.

A national telephone and online survey by Rasmussen Reports and The National Pulse finds that 35% of Likely U.S. Voters say, if Trump wins this year’s election, they would support Democrats in Congress refusing to certify the election results, including 20% who would Strongly Support such a move.  However, a majority (55%) would oppose Congress members refusing to certify a Trump victory, including 44% who Strongly Oppose the idea. Another 10% are not sure. (To see survey question wording, click here.)

Before the Supreme Court ruled against Colorado’s effort to bar Trump from the ballot in that state, it was suggested that Democrats in Congress could stop Trump from being certified as the election winner.

Fifty-seven percent (57%) of Democratic voters would support such a maneuver, including 34% who Strongly Support it.  However, the idea of Congress blocking Trump from office is opposed by majorities of both Republicans (78%) and voters not affiliated with either major party (67%).

One wonders if they would be willing to show up, and demonstrate on Capitol Hill, ahead of the vote come January 2025.  Mais non Monsieur.  Good, America loving Democrats would never do such a thing.  Or would they?

Perhaps the old saw applies—What goes around comes around.

Stopping Donald J Trump, through means fair or foul, seems to dominate the thinking of Democrats.  Or is it just the Progressives?

Regards  —  Cliff

Fighting Trump All the Way

For John, BLUF:  I expect Democrats to fight a Trump Second Term through Inauguration and beyond.  Nothing to see here; just move along.

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If Trump wins in November, expect a real insurrection from Democrats

Here is the sub-headline:

Hostile to freedom, fair elections, and America itself.

From Behind the Black, by Blogger Robert Zimmerman, 6 March 2024 3:29 pm.

Here is the lede plus five:

The reaction by Democratic Party politicians and pundits to the Supreme Court ruling on March 4, 2024 — voiding the effort by Colorado to throw Donald Trump off its ballot — reveals some very fundamental realities that must be faced by all Americans. To put it bluntly: These Democrats have no intention of accepting a victory by Donald Trump in the upcoming election, even if he should win by a majority so vast that no amount of election rigging can disguise it.

The first reaction to that decision was a major tell. Jean Griswold is the secretary of state of Colorado who had taken Trump off the ballot, claiming he was an insurrectionist even though that was merely her opinion as Trump has not only never been convicted of that crime, he has not even been charged with it. Immediately after the court rejected her actions unanimously, she tweeted the following:

I am disappointed in the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision stripping states of the authority to enforce Section 3 of the 14th Amendment for federal candidates. Colorado should be able to bar oath-breaking insurrections from our ballot.

Spurred by her blind hatred of Trump, Griswold’s refusal to deal with reality here is disturbing, to say the least. First, the court made it very clear, unanimously, that the states don’t have this authority when it comes to federal elections. That she as a lawyer could not recognize the plain legal arguments here that were agreed to by even the most radical leftists on the court indicates how blind she has become to reasonable disagreement.

Second, Griswold clearly thinks she by herself, based on nothing but her opinion, has the right to determine who is or is not an insurrectionist. In a country where by law and a very long tradition all people are innocent until proven guilty, by what law does she think she has that right?

The bottom line is that Griswold reveals the mindset of the Democrat Party. They are mentally unprepared to accept a Trump election victory, no matter what, and will do anything to block his victory.

I think Mr Zimmerman may be underplaying the hostility of Progressives to Mr Trump and his reelection.  I have been reading about a broad range of people, with a broad range of ways of thwarting the election and inauguration of Mr Trump.  Then there are the eg,) of the nation talking about thwarting Mr Trump if he makes it to the Oval Office.

It would appear that the Progressives have adopted as their motto "We had to destory the village in order to save it.".  that is a pretty stark view of the situation.  I winoder wht the villagers thought?

Hat tip to the InstaPundit.

Regards  —  Cliff

Family Feud

For John, BLUF:  My Middle Brother, Lance, lives out on the Coast, at the bottom of the Peninsula that contains San Francisco.  And he fits right in.  Nothing to see here; just move along.

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My Middle Brother, a Progressive Democrat of the first order, and a life-long debater (we had the same Debate Teacher in high School, M Gilliam) continues to needle me about the events of 6 January 2020.

As to the idea that 6 January was an “Insurrection,” it is an idea that is ludicrous. If you are going to stage an insurrection, a coup, you seize the communications points, you have people with weapons; a fair number of weapons. This was a demonstration that turned into a riot. A common day occurrence in Portland or Seattle in 2020. It wasn’t as organized as the CHOP (CHAZ) event in Seattle.

It is your right to claim it as an insurrection, but it makes you sound like San Fran Nan and Joseph Robinette Biden, and just as senile.

On the other hnd, the current efforts to remove Citizen Donald J Trump from the 2024 Presidential Ballot, Primary or General, does seem like an effort to subvert our democratic system.  Does this show a lack of consistency?  Not that I am suggesting my Brother lacks consistency on this issue.

Regards  —  Cliff

Protecting Elections From Bad Data

For John, BLUF:  Voter Roles need to be cleaned up across the fruited plain.  Nothing to see here; just move along.

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'Dirty voter rolls’ slammed, 131% of eligible DC voters registered

From The Washington Examiner, by Washington Secrets Columnist Paul Bedard, 8 December 2023, 11:45 AM.

Here is the lede plus one:

Several states and the District of Columbia have been hit by an election watchdog for failing to clean up their voter rolls of the dead and ineligible.

Judicial Watch said it just finished investigating registrations and sent letters to the district, California, and Illinois warning that they are violating the National Voter Registration Act by not cleaning up the rolls.

I actuzally think the head of our Electionx Office here in Lowell, Mr Greg Pappas, is working on clearing up our election rolls.  And it is needed.  Somnetimes a typo entering data gives us a strange entry, like the person on a recent (last eight months) Lowell roll with a birthyear in the 1600s.  Just a typo.

On Tuesday Evening the Lowell City Council voted to appoint Ms Lynda Clark to the Election Commission, replacing Ms Bev Anthes, who moved to Conneticutt four or five months ago.  I was sorry to see her leave our fair city.  Apparently so was the City's IT Department.  Today the Election Commission Web Page still shows Bev on the Election Commission.  Maybe next week.

I think Ms Clark is a solid choice.  Her background is in local government, where she is knowledgeable and tenacious.  Good luck, Lynda.

Hat tip to the InstaPundit.

Regards  —  Cliff

Mr Trump's Path

For John, BLUF:  Is Mr Donald Trump's presence in the 2024 Presidential race going to distort the outcome?  Nothing to see here; just move along.

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If Donald Trump Were An Ethical, Responsible Public Servant And Wanted To Do What Was In The Best Interests Of His Nation…

From Ethics Alarms, by John Marshall, 28 July 2023.

Here is the lede plus two:

…he would announce that he was withdrawing from the Presidential race immediately, because the prosecutions he faces, just or unjust, will be a destructive distraction from the election as well as an impediment to him serving as President if he were nominated and elected.

And if I were an aardvark, I could save money on groceries by eating ants and termites.

Trump won’t do this, of course (that is, drop out, not eat ants and termites), but it is the only ethical alternative. A lawyer facing a single serious indictment would step away from his or her law firm. An ethical judge would resign. A doctor facing indictments would take a leave of absence. A general facing such legal jeopardy would retire. The United States cannot have a Presidential candidate laboring under the shadow of multiple criminal prosecutions any more than it can afford to have a mentally declining President who serves as a puppet for aspiring totalitarians. Trump continuing his candidacy increases the likelihood of both.

Mr Marshall makes a good point.  But, Mr Trump is unlikely to step away.

As Mr Marshall points out:  "His entire career has been built on a foundation of stubbornness, resilience and a refusal to admit defeat:  quitting his quest for redemption goes against his core."  This persistence is who Mr Donald J Trump is.

All of that said, I do not believe Mr Trump is acting, in his own mind, in an unpatriotic manner.  His line, "They aren't after me.  They are after you, and I am just in the way."  He sees himself doing his duty, and is being opposed by the Deep State.

Regards  —  Cliff

Golf as an Analysis of President Donald Trump

For John, BLUF:  The Authoor tells us, in excrusiating detail, how Donald J Trump cheats at golf, and at life.  Nothing to see here; just move along.

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Commander in Cheat
Author:  Rick Reilly
Kindle Version:  257 Pages
Publisher:  Hachette Books
Language:  English
ASIN:  B07H4Z26T7
Publication Date:  2 April 2019

The Author, Mr Rick Reilly, gives us a solidly packed look at the life of Donald J Trump through the lens of the game of golf.  Mr Reilly sees golf as a game where players are congeniel and open and honest.  The occasional cheater is the odd man out.  Mr Reilly, who writes about golf for a living, has a reverence for the game and sees those who do not follow the norms, as he understands them, as fallen away.  In the eyes of Mr Reilly, Mr Trump is the worse offender regarding the norms of golf, and is thus unfit to be President of the United States.

To Author Reilly Mr Trump is unfit for the high office not just because he violates the norms of golf, but because he carries his attitude toward golf over into his conduct as President.  Rules are for others and win at all cost.  And, if you aren't winning, say you are anyway.  And corrupt the caddy who goes with you, involving him or her in your shenanigans..

The Author does a great job of documenting time after time how Mr Trump has cheated on the links and in developing golf clubs.  He paints Mr Trump as an unsavory character.  At the same time he documents how people enjoy playing with Mr Trump, who makes it a fun time, albeit, a fast round.

The question, of course, is if Mr Trump's egocentric need to always be the winner, the top performer, hinders or helps his performance as President.  The odds are looking good that he will again be the Republican nominee in 2024.  I very much doubt Mr Reilly will be voting for Candidate Trump, even if his opponent is Joseph R Biden, Jr.

I see the author's point and having come across people for whom looking good is more important than an honest appraisal of how good they are I see the problems.  On the other hand, I am not sure about the Author's understanding of the world.  The thing that popped out at me was his denigration of Mr Trump for naming his golf couse in Rancho Palos Verdes.

I have only played a round of golf twice in my life. so I don't have a good basis for judging the book, but one part does make me wonder.  The Author is dismissive of Mr Trump, Golf Course Developer, for naming golf courses not for where they are. but for a near big city.  For example, Trump National Golf Club Washington, D.C. is in Sterling, Virginia.  His second example is Trump National Golf Club Los Angeles, which is in Rancho Palos Verdes.  Mr Reilly says "Trump Los Angeles is in Rancho Palos Verdes, California, 75 minutes south of L.A."  I checked my computer map and used the LA Civic Center and Wayfarers Chapel, a well known landmark.  My map app has it at 42 minutes (31 miles), going straight South, to San Pedro, which is part of Los Angeles, and then due West.  I used to live in LA County and have driven out by Rancho Palos Verdes and think of it as part of Greater Los Angeles.  I think he wiffed.

But, I accept that Donald J Trump is so competitive that he is willing to cheat to be number one.  It is not a good trait.  On the other hand. in 2016 his opponent was Ms Hillary Clinton.  There were several books out there telling me that the Clintons were dishonest.  The FBI investigation of her use of a private email server for official public communications put me off.  I was very unhappy with her leading the Europeans support for Libya rebels.  I thought it was a gift to North Korea's Kim Jong Il and his desire to keep his nuclear weapons.  And the whole Benghazi imbroglio was bad.  I had a choice and I picked Candidate Trump.

In 2020 I again had a choice.  There was President Trump and there was former Vice President Neil KinnockJoe Biden.  I liked what President Trump had done with the economy, including overseeing the Black Labor Participation Rate increasing.  I thought he acted quickly with regard to COVID-19.  I was happy that he reached out to North Korea's Kim Jung il, even stepping into Kim's country.  In contrast. I didn't have faith in Mr Biden's promise to bring us all together.  I saw him as more of a weather-vane.  I voted for Mr Trump.

Regards  —  Cliff

Hearing the Voters

For John, BLUF:  Across the Fruited Plain School Boards (Committees) are being disrespectful toward Parents and other Rate Payers.  The good news is I do not see this arrogance on the part of the Lowell School Committee.  Nothing to see here; just move along.

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'Majority Doesn’t Always Dictate':  Fairfax County School Board Ignores 84% Rejection of Gender Ideology

From PJ Media, by Reporter Catherine Salgado, 6 July 2023, 11:33 PM.

Here is the lede plus two:

Democrats pose as the champions of democracy—except when democracy doesn’t go their way.  After 84% of parents in a Virginia county rejected co-ed sex education and gender ideology in schools, the taxpayer-funded school board dismissively announced that “the majority doesn’t always dictate.”

Fairfax County has been a hotspot of crazy LGBTQ ideology and persecution of concerned parents for quite a while now.  Woke or authoritarian nonsense from Fairfax schools includes pushing pornographic books on kids and suspending maskless students despite Virginia’s governor having lifted COVID-19 restrictions.

Despite being paid by taxpayer funds and thus being employees of the district’s parents, the school board has rejected poll results showing that parents in the county overwhelmingly reject gender ideology in schools and combining sex education for boys and girls from fourth grade onwards.

The only poll that counts is during an election.  In this case the Voters of Fairfax County, Virginia (a Washington suburb), have to stand up for themselves and vote the bums out.  Decisively.

As Voters we need to make sure our voices are heard.  Voters voting send a signal to elected officials.  More voters means a stronger signal.  Thus, it is important to encourage your neighbors to vote.

Hat tip to the InstaPundit.

Regards  —  Cliff

Is E Warren Secure in Her Seat?

For John, BLUF:  I would normally think Senator E Warren was secure in her position, but the poll mentioned below got my interest.  Nothing to see here; just move along.

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Shock Poll:  Dem Elizabeth Warren Surprisingly Vulnerable, Trails GOP’s Charlie Baker by Double Digits

Here is the sub-headline:

Former Gov. Charlie Baker (R-MA) holds a double-digit lead over Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) in a hypothetical U.S. Senate race match-up in Massachusetts, according to a poll.

From Breitbart, by Reporter Nick Gilbertson, 11 May 2023.

Here is the lede plus three:

The poll, conducted by the Fiscal Alliance Foundation, shows that 49 percent of the likely voter respondents would back Baker if he announced a bid, placing him 15 points ahead of Warren at 34 percent.

2024 Massachusetts Senate GE: Charlie Baker (R) 49% (+15) Elizabeth Warren (D-Inc) 34% Advantage, Inc/@FiscalAlliance, 750 LV, 5/6-7https://t.co/NCLiy4JkmW pic.twitter.com/ykA13tKN7m — Political Polls (@Politics_Polls) May 11, 2023

Moreover, the moderate Republican leads by a wide margin with independents, as Fiscal Alliance Foundation spokesman Paul D. Craney noted in a release associated with the survey:

Senator Warren has significantly higher unfavorable numbers than her fellow Democrats statewide and that seems to be creating an opening for Baker, who always enjoyed large amounts of cross-party appeal. Looking at the cross tabs, Republicans seem to coalesce behind Baker (79%) in a way that Democrats do not around Warren (56%), and Baker leads with independent/unenrolled voters 2-1 at 57-26%.

This is a late post, but it could be important.  The Presidential race could also complicate the calculations.

It is interesting to me that the Fiscal Alliance would match former governor Charlie Baker against Senator Elizabeth Warren.  For one thing, he isn't seeking the seat.  For another, Former Governor Baker isn't that popular with all the rank and file Republicans, although more popular than Senator Warren..

For sure, they are unlikely to come looking for me to run.

Regards  —  Cliff

Maxine Paddling Up Stream

For John, BLUF:  She claimed her opponent had a dishonorable discharge, from the Navy, which wasn't true.  He sued.  Nothing to see here; just move along.

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Libel Suit Against Rep. Maxine Waters Can Go Forward

From The Volokh Conspiracy, by Law Professor Eugene Volokh, 10 May 2023, 5:30 PM.

Here is the lede plus three:

From Collins v. Waters, decided today by the California Court of Appeal, in an opinion by Justice John Wiley, joined by Justices Grimes and Viramontes:

In 2020, challenger Joe E. Collins III and incumbent Maxine Waters competed for a seat in Congress.  During the campaign, Waters accused Collins of a dishonorable discharge from the Navy.

Collins shot back that he had not been dishonorably discharged. He showed Waters a document saying so. This document apparently was official.  There was nothing suspicious about its appearance.  The document, if genuine, would have established without doubt that Waters's charge was false.

Waters easily could have checked its authenticity, but did not.  Her appellate briefing asserts that today, years later, she still does not know the truth about whether Collins's discharge was dishonorable.

Later the document mentions a DD 214, which is a form issued when one is discharged, listing things like one's discharge status and awards and decorations.

I think Representative Waters was a little too quick to dismiss her challenger as unworthy.  She could lose this after the appeal.  It won't change the election outcome, but it might change the minds of voters.

Hat tip to the InstaPundit.

Regards  —  Cliff

Getting Everyone on Board

For John, BLUF:  The Environmentalists are not bringing along the larger population in their efforts to save the world.  Nothing to see here; just move along.

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Dutch farmers’ party secures landslide victory

Here is the sub-headline:

The BBB's huge election win is a direct challenge to Mark Rutte's coalition

From UnHerd, by Ms Senay Boztas, 16 March 2023.

Here is the lede plus three:

With the highest turnout in 30 years, Dutch voters gave an extraordinary signal to their four-party Government on Wednesday: the Farmer Citizen Movement (BoerBurgerBeweging, or BBB) is set to come first in regional elections, which decide the make-up of the Dutch Senate.

In a long voting day, with locations from repurposed drive-through testing centres to ancient churches, an estimated 61% of Dutch people turned out. The result was astonishing, even though the party has been creeping up the polls, feeding on anti-establishment feeling after unpopular Covid lockdowns.

Some analysts saw the election as a fight between two ‘moods’ in the Netherlands: a mood of (Right-wing) discontent, echoed also across other countries, versus the traditional consensus-driven Dutch mood. With 18 parties in parliament, politicians have typically found a way to muddle along, but this election was different thanks to the thorny issue of nitrogen compound pollution, which is tying the country in knots before a bill has even passed through parliament.

EU rules, Dutch laws, and court verdicts mean the country must reduce emissions of ammonia, nitrogen oxides and nitrous oxide from farming, transport and building machines. The question is who takes the hit — and whether 30% of productive farms should be shut, forcibly if necessary. The Netherlands, which feeds the world with its intensive farming and livestock-heavy agriculture, is at the sharp end of the international climate debate.

It is my secret belief that when folks talk about Caucasian European Males they are really talking about the Anglo-Dutch project, which brouoght Democracy to Europe and North America.  So, a major political change such as the recent Dutch elections should be seen as a possible signal of the system being out of adjustment

Through my narrow lens I see that the Progressive Environmentalists in the Netherlands have failed to build a sufficiently broad concensus among all voters, conidering all equities, to pass commonly agreed legislation, with all feeling they have a fair oppoortunity to make their case.  This is about building consensus,  That appears not to have happened before these recent elections. 

This should be a warning to all political parties and movements in the United States.  Just because you think your cause is righteous does not mean you don't have to build a consensus across the fruited plain.

Hat tip to the InstaPundit.

Regards  —  Cliff

What is it With Maricopa County?

For John, BLUF:  No, I am not denying that Joseph Robinette Biden is President, duely elected in 2020.  But, I am saying we need to avoid even the appearance of fraud in our elections.  Nothing to see here; just move along.

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How Maricopa County defeated election disinformation — for now

Here is the sub-headline:

From NPR, by Reporter Kirk Siegler, 11 November 2022, 11:37 AM ET.

Here is the lede plus three:

Maricopa County Chairman Bill Gates is the first to tell you he's in a bizarre position.

The longtime Republican activist, who once even served as the Arizona state GOP's own election lawyer, is now the target of violent threats and other intimidation by far right extremists.

"This isn't about partisan politics. It's not about conservative versus liberal.  This is about truth versus lies," Gates told NPR.

He's incredulous that he is being attacked by members of his own party, "given my background, all the Republican clubs that I started up, the things that I did to make sure that there wasn't fraud going on in elections on behalf of the Republican Party."

I guess that is one spin on the story, but it misses the elephant in the rooom—the inability of Maricopa zcounty to get the ballots counted.  And, apparently, of Arizona Law to work toward getting the bsllots counted,  Even third woorld countries do a better job at counting than Maricopa County  Worse, the constant adding of ballots offers the opportunity for individuals to introduce new, fraudulent, ballots.

I am not alone in thinking something is wrong with the inability of Maricopa County to get their ballots counted.  Blogger Ssrah Hoyt referenced an item from Legal Insurrecction.  The New Neo, who is from Massachusetts, links to the same article.

Taking days and days to get the results of an election is both undemocrtic and unAmerican,  Arizona, and other places, like Nevada, can, and should, do better.

Hat tip to the InstaPundit.

Regards  —  Cliff

The Media and The Big Lie

For John, BLUF:  The "Big Lie" about the 2020 Election is a concoctioon of the media and the Democrat machine.  It is a disappointment.  Nothing to see here; just move along.

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The Big Lie about 'The Big Lie'

From American Thinker, by Reporter William Sullivan, 4 November 2022.

Here is the lede plus four:

With only a few days left until the 2022 midterms, Newsweek laments a new poll by Redfield and Wilton Strategies showing that 40 percent of Americans still believe that the 2020 presidential election was "rigged or stolen."

This is presented as a shocking revelation about the number of Americans who still buy into the "Big Lie," despite its "being proven false," according to the article.

Newsweek buries this particular poll's more interesting observations.  For example, only 36 percent of respondents disagree that the 2020 election was rigged or stolen.  Of that group, more than one in three find it "understandable" that others might believe that the election was rigged or stolen. Another 15 percent of respondents neither agreed nor disagreed, and 8 percent signified that they "didn't know."

One way to characterize these data is the manner in which Newsweek does, which is to suggest that a horrifying 40 percent of Americans believe in what a bipartisan mainstream media blitz has promoted as "the Big Lie" for nearly two years.

A far more accurate way to characterize these data, though, is to recognize that there are more Americans confident that the election was rigged than there are Americans who are confident that it was all on the up and up.

Using the Newsweek data, only 25% are shocked that folks question the election.  Well, 25% plus President Biden.  That the media does not recognize this is a disappointment, and it is dangerous to our Democracy.

Hat tip to the InstaPundit.

Regards  —  Cliff

Hope for Next Week

For John, BLUF:  This 2022 election is about economic visions, the Proogressive vision vs the old fashion Adam Smith approach.  Nothing to see here; just move along.

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Why suburban women are flocking to the GOP: As simple as A,B,C

From The New Yoork Post, by Law Peofessor Glenn H. Reynolds, 4 November 2022, 6:18 pm.

Here is the lede plus four:

Something’s happening in the suburbs.  On the one hand, polls indicate that white suburban women are shifting — hard — toward the Republican Party.  On the other, lots more parents are homeschooling their kids, post-pandemic.  These phenomena are not unrelated.

Suburban women are shifting Republican — by 27 points, a Wall Street Journal poll found, with 74% saying the country’s headed the wrong direction — because the Democrats have let them down.

When people complain about taxes, the usual response is something along the lines of “what, you don’t want police and schools?”

Of course, as my father-in-law once said, when they raise taxes they tell you it’s for teachers and police, but when they get the money it goes to buy a fancy leather chair for some guy you never heard of in an office downtown.

But if you’re going to justify the whole of government by invoking police and schools, maybe it would be a good idea to . . . actually provide police and schools.  And Democrats across the nation went out of their way not to deliver either.

Proofessor Reynolds poses the impoortant question (IMHO), if Tueday is a Red Wave, will it result in the Democratic Party adjusting its direction, away from the Proogressive path?  If it does, then the 2024 election could well be about competent management of the economy, the border and the Government.

Hat tip to the InstaPundit.

Regards  —  Cliff

Even the Progressives in Mass Note It

For John, BLUF:  Sadly, the Mass GOP is not contesting eveery race in this year's election, and even the Progressive Act on Mass has noted it, indirectly.  Nothing to see here; just move along.

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Massachusetts Has the Leasst Competitive Overall Legislative Contest

Here is the sub-headline:

Fourth Time in a Row

From Saturday Scoop, by Ms Erin Leahy, Executive Director, Act on Mass, 29 Octoober 2022.

Here is the lede plus two:

While we have the chance here in Massachusetts to make some incredible changes — we could have the first Democratic governor in 8 years, we have the chance to pass the Fair Share Amendment and dedicate billions of dollars to improving our public transportation and education, and a new group of pro-transparency State Reps could be elected for the next session — it turns out we actually have the least competitive legislative races of any state this year, according to new analysis from Ballotpedia.  This means, more than any other state, our elected officials are uncontested in their bids for election.

Despite legislative competitiveness steadily growing over the past several years, Massachusetts has ranked dead last for the last four cycles.  Not only do we have the least competitive legislative races of any state, but the next closest states in New England ranked nearly double what MA scored on the competitiveness index.  When voters only have one choice of who to vote for, as so many do here in Massachusetts, our democracy suffers.

But that’s a problem for after the election.

Why after the elecction?  Because it is too late to fix the problem now.

While there may be a role for Third Parties in this problem, the big role goes to the Massachusetts GOP.  And the MassGOP is split, between a Downtown Boston Moderate (Rockefeller) Wing and the Hinterland Republicans, who tend to be and vote more as Conservatives.  Even the Mass GOP State Committee shows signs of this riff.

My experience in the Lowell Republican City Committee, and as Chairman for a couple of years, is that the "Establishment" Wing of the Party, from Governor Baker on down, tends to avoid us outside the more moderate inner circle.  Many trips to Lowell by the Governor and Lieutenant Goveernor, to meet with Democrats, never included an invite for cooffee at The Owl Diner, for me or for my successor as Chairman.  Representative David Nangle, yes, Chairman Cliff Krieger, no.

If the Republican Party is to revive it needs to be a little more united.  On the other hand, maybe the Downtown Boston Republicans are happy holding "The Corner Office".  I hope it is still working in January of 2023.

Regards  —  Cliff

Election Deniers

For John, BLUF:  While Democrats (and the Media) decry Republicans with questions about the 2020 Election, it turns out they are inveterate election deniers themselves.  Nothing to see here; just move along.

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Judge Throws Out Lawsuit by Stacey Abrams’s PAC Over 2018 Georgia Governor’s Election

From The Epoch Times, by Reporter Caden Pearson, 1 October 2022.

Here is the lede plus five:

A federal judge on Friday threw out a lawsuit filed by Stacey Abrams challenging Georgia’s election system after she lost the 2018 gubernatorial race to Republican Gov. Brian Kemp.

The lawsuit, which sought to change how the state administers elections, was filed around four years ago by Fair Fight Georgia, a political action committee established by Abrams after her election defeat. Earlier this year, the judge pared down the lawsuit by dismissing many of its original complaints.

Abrams alleged “misconduct, fraud or irregularities” in the voting process. She took legal action to stop counties from throwing out some rejected provisional and absentee ballots when updated vote totals affirmed Kemp was the likely winner.

When she eventually conceded on Nov. 16, 2018, Abrams vowed to take legal action to continue fighting the outcome.

“Although Georgia’s election system is not perfect, the challenged practices violate neither the constitution nor the [Voting Rights Amendment],” U.S. District Judge Steven Jones said in his ruling.

Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, who was the lead defendant in the case, hailed the ruling.

I don't think I have much more to say.  The facts speak for themselves.

Hat tip to the InstaPundit.

Regards  —  Cliff

Being Diplomatic Toward Allies

For John, BLUF:  French President Emaneuel Macron denounced the incoming Italian Prime Minister, Ms Gioria Meloni.  She did not take it well.  Nothing to see here; just move along.

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MACRON VS. MELONI

From Power Line, by Blogger John Hinderaker, 29 September 2022.

Here is the lede plus one:

France’s Emmanuel Macron, like a number of other world leaders, has denounced Italy and its incoming Prime Minister, Giorgia Meloni.  I will chalk that up as a mistake.  I don’t think a lot of people have seen this amateurishly-filmed response by Meloni, but it is scorching.

It is not hard to understand why colorless leftist leaders fear Meloni and denounce her as a “fascist.”  I think that means she gives speeches that are effective and that people like.  I don’t necessarily agree with everything Meloni says here, but she makes some good points about illegal immigration and Africa:

It the You Tube doesn't pop up. clock here.

I think Ms Meloni's critique is a fair one.

Hat tip to the InstaPundit.

Regards  —  Cliff