by Jeffrey A. Rendall
Here’s a bit of wisdom: a liar is a liar is a liar.
It isn’t complicated; if there’s a Democrat running for senate from a red state chances are he or she claims they’re “my own person,” intends to “work with President Trump” on the issues of common interest (like what?) will defy the dictates of Senate Minority Leader “Chucky” Schumer and his merry band of socialist henchmen and last but not least plans to be an “independent voice” in the upper chamber representing the citizens of state X [insert any of the ten states that went for Trump in 2016 yet are weighing-in on Democrat senators in this year’s elections].
Pick a contest and the campaign narrative’s always the same regardless. No Democrat would ever hire me as a consultant but they’d save a ton of dough if they did – or maybe they should just read this column. The only problem (for them) is it’s all male bovine poop — all Democrat candidates utter the same things yet when the newly elected lawmakers head to Washington they revert back to the rubber-stamp big government political hacks they’ve always been.
Take Alabama’s Doug Jones for example. Granted many people have short memories but Jones eeked out a narrow victory in last December’s Alabama special election to fill the vacant seat of now-Trump administration Attorney General Jeff Sessions. Without rehashing the entire sorry affair, the GOP establishment (at both the state and national levels) decided en masse not to back Republican nominee Judge Roy Moore, opening the door wide for a lying Democrat lout like Jones to swoop in and call himself “Senator-elect” when the votes were tallied and sorted.
Upon victory Jones reiterated he was going to the nation’s capital to represent all Alabamians, but not surprisingly it didn’t turn out that way. No, Jones is a standard run-of-the-mill Democrat, a wolf in sheep’s clothing advocating for the same fiscal and cultural destruction of the United States as senators from much more liberal jurisdictions.
Seth McLaughlin reported at The Washington Times, “After his surprise win in a special election in late 2017 some analysts had predicted Mr. Jones would join Sen. Joe Manchin III, West Virginia Democrat, as the chamber’s middle, backing Mr. Trump on some key disputes.
“But those occasions have been few, and more often Mr. Jones has sided with his party’s leadership on spending cuts, immigration, abortion and those critical presidential nominations such as Justice Kavanaugh. ‘He would fit perfectly in New York or California, but in Alabama he is digging his own grave,’ Terry Lathan, chairwoman of the Alabama GOP, told The Washington Times. ‘He is dancing the wrong dance, with the wrong people, with the wrong music. He is not in step with us.’
“Mr. Jones defended his record in a rebuttal statement to the Times, saying he is focused on issues that affect the state’s everyday voters — not partisan politics.”
Fiddlesticks.
As examples of his “bipartisan” nature, Jones cites voting to roll back a handful of regulations from the disastrous Obama-supported Dodd-Frank banking bill as well as agreeing to confirm Mike Pompeo as Secretary of State (which was really a no-brainer when you think about it). At the time of those votes Jones probably figured he could get away with siding with Republicans to kill a few of Dodd-Frank’s more onerous provisions because they were relatively invisible to the vast majority of citizens and were, let’s just say… burdensome.
As far as Kavanaugh’s confirmation went, Jones toed the Schumer party line, remarking on the senate floor, “In my view, he [Kavanaugh] simply went too far by leveling unnecessary and inappropriate partisan attacks and accusations, demonstrating a temperament that is unbecoming a sitting judge, much less a Supreme Court nominee.” What a load of buffalo chips.
Jones likely found Kavanaugh’s he said/she said situation a little too analogous to Judge Moore’s and surmised his leftwing base would go berserk if he joined the opposition in confirming the Trump nominee. McLaughlin’s story indicated Jones is up for reelection in 2020 and he’s tiptoed around sensitive political matters to give himself a chance to extend his stay in DC.
Here’s thinking when Alabama voters go to the polls in two years (to once again vote for Trump by 30 or more points) they’ll officially recall Jones to the Yellowhammer State where he’ll reside for the balance of his political career as a “former” senator who won a quirky election in which the GOP waged and lost its own civil war. It appears Jones’s only shot at winning reelection would be to vote somewhere around the middle (say, a 50 percent American Conservative Union rating), something no Democrat would ever risk these days.
So-called “Independents” aren’t truly distinguishable from both parties – they’re liberals who are de facto Democrats (Maine Sen. Angus King and Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders), pols who for some reason think it’s cool – or advantageous – to claim they’re not members of the minority party. The closest thing to a true “independent” today are Senators Susan Collins and Lisa Murkowski, though the latter might as well be a full-blooded Democrat for all the value she contributes to Republican causes.
The late John McCain would also fit the “independent” label but wasn’t as consistently anti-Republican and typically only defied his party when he thought it was cool and attention-grabbing to do so.
For Jones – or any Democrat running for senate – to suggest he’s his own man is pure poppycock. Even West Virginia’s Joe Manchin (mentioned in McLaughlin’s piece as being in the center) is far to the left of his state’s voters. True, Manchin did supply a “yes” for Kavanaugh (and Neil Gorsuch last year) but he’s with the Democrats on all major fiscal matters. Where was Manchin when a spare vote was needed last fall to deal a deathblow to Obamacare?
He probably was down a coalmine shaft having a cocktail with Chuck Schumer, that’s where. Manchin’s no conservative – and he’s no “moderate” either. Today there’s no such thing in the Democrat Party.
American voters – at least most of them – get it. It’s no mystery the parties represent certain issues and today’s Democrats stand for kneejerk liberalism, big government, amnesty for illegal aliens, radical environmentalism, abortion on demand and now, sadly, mob violence. Nevertheless, the GOP ruling elites still worry they’ll lose the “moderate” center because of President Trump’s continued outside-the-beltway demeanor and attitude.
Somewhat lost amid all the turmoil and scuttlebutt of the media fracas over Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth “Pocahontas” Warren’s DNA test results last week was the very Donald Trump-ian controversy surrounding his Twitter commentary on former porn star-turned Trump accuser “Stormy” Daniels.
Daniels’ defamation case was rejected by a federal judge who ordered the adult movie maven to pay attorney’s fees. Trump was in no mood to let the matter to settle peacefully, labeling her “Horseface” and taking a victory lap. Needless to say the easily perturbed establishment media didn’t take the verbiage lightly – and neither did the so-called “leaders” of the GOP.
Melanie Zanona reported at The Hill, “Even Republicans who support Trump’s policies are deeply frustrated with his rhetoric, which they worry will further push away moderate and independent women from the party. Even if voters annoyed by Trump’s comments don’t vote for Democrats, they may feel so fed up with the nasty political climate that they will just sit out the election all together…
“Republicans are defending dozens of vulnerable seats this fall, many of which are in suburban swing districts, where college-educated women are expected to form a crucial voting bloc. And there are signs that the GOP may be in serious trouble with women who hold college degrees.
“The group narrowly went for Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton in 2016, but a recent Washington Post–Schar School survey shows that college-educated white women in key battleground races favor Democrats over Republicans by a whopping 27-point margin.”
Let me get this straight. First the establishment media predicted Trump would suffer a backlash with suburban white females due to his long and disreputable history with women (those who he was married to and those he wasn’t). Then the talkers alleged these educated fairer sex humans would reject him because of his tone and unpresidential behavior. Now they’re arguing Trump might be punished by this demographic group for calling a porn star extortionist “Horseface” on Twitter.
Tax cuts? Nah. More jobs for everyone? Who cares. Trump calls a sleazebag “Horseface” – that’s it, we’re not voting for him! The line was crossed. Preserving the dignity of porn scum everywhere mandates a stern reaction. College educated white women unite! We’re mad as heck and not going to take it any longer!
Seriously? Will anyone, much less an educated woman with a fancy diploma on her wall, decide to vote for or against Trump because he stooped to call a cinematic harlot a nasty name? Are suburban white women really that stupid or is the media blowing this out of proportion, again, because we’re two weeks away from a crucial potential history-altering election and Democrats are having a hard time controlling the narrative?
Zanona’s article additionally reported on the with-friends-like-these-who-needs-enemies” GOP House leader’s response to Trump’s “Horseface” comment: “’There is no place for that kind of language … he should not have said that,’ Speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wis.), who is usually measured in his criticism of the president, told CBS on Wednesday.”
Really, Paul? Perhaps in the abstract Ryan’s right – a president of the U.S. shouldn’t lower himself to playground-style name-calling — but when you’re on the receiving end of lurid accusations from someone like Stormy Daniels (as Trump has been) and she’s thrown out of court, “Horseface” is probably the nicest and most subdued thing that could come to mind.
Other Republicans apparently aren’t struggling with the notion of taking anti-politically correct stances concerning women. For example, South Carolina Senator Lindsey Graham made light of “Pocahontas” Warren’s DNA results by suggesting he would undergo a similar test himself – and predicted he possesses more Native American genetics than the “liar” Massachusetts Senator.
Caitlin Yilek of the Washington Examiner reported, “Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., is ready to show up Sen. Elizabeth Warren, saying Tuesday he plans to take a DNA test to find out whether he has more Native American heritage than she does.
“’I’m going to take a DNA test,’ Graham told ‘Fox and Friends’ on Tuesday. ‘I’ve been told my grandmother was part Cherokee Indian. It may all just be talk. … This is my Trump moment. This is reality TV.’
“Graham said he did not think much about his heritage until Warren released her DNA results concluding she may be between 1/1024 and 1/64 Native American. ‘I’m dying to know,’ Graham said. ‘I think I can beat her.’”
Graham’s claim to Native American heritage is every bit as credible as Warren’s considering it’s the stuff of family folklore. If Democrats believe it’s a serious matter to stand behind one’s own claims to ethnic heritage they should support Graham’s gesture and offer him a million bucks if it turns out he’s got a higher percentage of Cherokee blood than Warren (which shouldn’t be tough since most of America’s Caucasian population is more “native” than “Pocahontas”).
Will college educated suburban white women take offense at Graham’s tongue-in-cheek attempt to call out a Democrat on her phony stupidity? Time will tell, though it’s great to see Republicans such as Graham finally fighting back against the absurd political correctness of today’s minority party. It appears the Kavanaugh confirmation fiasco was the final straw for a lot of these guys. The GOP will be stronger for it.
Will the party’s candidates similarly benefit from having Mitt Romney stumping for them? Alex Isenstadt of Politico reported, “After spending most of the past year quietly tending to his own race, Romney is using his formidable national profile and expansive political network to elect embattled Republicans across the country. Weeks before his virtually assured election to the Senate, the 2012 Republican standard-bearer is issuing endorsements, appearing in TV ads and fundraising for hopefuls up and down the ballot.
“The burst of campaign activity is a stark reminder that the 71-year-old Romney will arrive in D.C. as much more than a typical freshman senator — and shows how he plans to use his prominence to reward allies and forge relationships…
“Romney’s endorsement has been particularly valuable for Republicans running in suburban areas, where President Donald Trump’s unpopularity threatens to drag them to defeat. [Rep. Mia] Love, who is running in a suburban Salt Lake City-area district, has made Romney’s support a central plank of her closing argument to voters. Romney was once a sharp critic of Trump, though he has since warmed to the president.”
So Mitt is the key to wooing the hearts – and votes — of suburban college educated white women? If so, bring him on!
Politicians aren’t exactly renowned for their truth-telling abilities but Democrats in particular seem susceptible to the “liar” bug. Voters must be trusted to do the right thing in two weeks and here’s thinking Donald Trump’s tweets or Democrat lies won’t deter them from doing so.
