Recommended by R> Members Now we know that every time Donald Trump breaks one of the inviolable norms of The High Court of Washington, a thousand disabled, multi-ethnic, transgender children, wearing non-gender-specific, fair-trade, organic cotton onesies, are murdered to death. Orange Man Bad More
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Newly-gaveled Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi has sent a letter to President Donald Trump asking him to postpone the State of the Union address until after the partial government shutdown ends, or at least submit it in writing. I strongly disagree with Pelosi.
Pelosi’s stated reason is that the Secret Service can’t protect the president from his mortal enemies in the Congress due to the partial government shutdown. This is baloney. Pelosi’s real fear is that Trump will use the State of the Union to blast the intransigent Democrats for their refusal to protect American citizens and that Trump will do so effectively.
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On Wednesday, the new House Speaker asked President Trump to postpone his State of the Union address until the government shutdown is resolved — or simply to submit it in writing. For once, I agree with Nancy Pelosi.
Pelosi’s stated concern is that the Secret Service and Department of Homeland Security isn’t currently being funded. Understaffed security means that they can’t protect the President. (From House Democrats, presumably.) Anti-Trump hysteria already killed the White House Correspondents’ Dinner; if it also kills the pretentious pageantry of the SOTU, all the better.
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Well, House Democrats certainly did not waste any time. Their just-for-show funding bill not only rejects border security funding but also packs in all their abortion absolutist wishes. President Trump cannot trade away pro-life policies for some wall funding, so the House bill to end the government shutdown has been strictly leftist loyalty signaling. Can Democrats in leadership yield on these positions, or are they clinging to the backs of hungry young leftist tigers, who might shred their leaders’ careers in an instant?
MoreThe spending bill that Democrats introduced Wednesday includes language specifying that foreign non-governmental organizations that perform abortions consistent with the laws in their country are not ineligible for U.S. family planning funds.
The demand by the Senate Minority Leader and the Speaker of the House that the television networks give them equal time to respond to attack President Trump’s address to the nation is unprecedented. Yet, it flows naturally from our current political moment. The Democrats and their media wing are showing plainly that this is not “ordinary politics.” President Trump truly threatens their strategic vision of fundamentally transforming American into a society where only a Theresa May brand of “conservative” can be elected, occasionally slowing the rate of acceleration into permanent democratic-socialism.
Presidents have used radio to communicate with the American people since Calvin Coolidge first addressed the nation on December 6, 1923.
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In his first Oval Office address to the nation, President Donald Trump spoke about border security. You can also watch the address (and the response from Nancy Pelosi and Chuck Schumer) at https://ricochet.com/586720/trump-oval-office-address/.
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From FoxNews: “Hundreds of cops packed a California church Saturday in final salute to police officer Ronil Singh who was killed the day after Christmas when he stopped an illegal immigrant suspected of driving drunk. Ronil Singh, 33, a member of the Newman Police Department, was eulogized as a dedicated cop and a loving husband and […]
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Express VPN Jim Geraghty of National Review and and Greg Corombos of Radio America find themselves drowning in crazy martinis again today. They slap their foreheads as a new GOP congressman from Tennessee – who is also a doctor – appears to tell a constituent that he’s hesitant to accept the government’s denial that childhood vaccinations cause autism and says he thinks the Centers for Disease Control have “fraudulently managed” data on the issue. They also rub their hand with glee at the possibility of political inroads with young people as Democratic regulators in California consider a tax on text messaging and then consider some far more annoying aspects of modern communication that ought to be taxed. And they can only smile as Nancy Pelosi somehow jumps on the bandwagon for term limits in the Democratic leadership in exchange for four more years as Speaker of the House.
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I loved the Oval Office drama with Don, Chuck, and Nancy. I even enjoyed filling in imaginary speech bubbles above Mike’s head. While all the players in politics and media want to run this “government shutdown” hype train, it is mostly hype.
Congress arranges the discretionary budget, which is about one-third of annual federal spending, into twelve standard annual appropriations. Just to be clear on the current state of the 12 discretionary budget appropriations:
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I couldn’t believe Nancy Pelosi allowed herself to be filmed saying these things. She’s the one pledging to work across party lines.
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Jim Geraghty of National Review and Greg Corombos of Radio America marvel at how the crony capitalism that determined where Amazon will build its second headquarters united elements of the right, left, and libertarians. Jim also pushes back on arguments that competitions to land major businesses always involve soaking the taxpayers, but agrees that the liberals are very selective in their outrage over such moves. They also react to the news that President Trump is getting on board with a push for bipartisan criminal justice reform before the end of the year. And they pop the popcorn as some House Democrats remain determined to stop Nancy Pelosi from becoming Speaker of the House again, although her opponents are still missing one crucial thing.
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Jim Geraghty of National Review and Greg Corombos of Radio America begin by reflecting upon the grim news that Sen. John McCain will discontinue treatment for brain cancer. Then they tackle three good martinis, starting with House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi insisting she will run for Speaker of the House if Democrats win the majority, thereby preserving one of the GOP’s best arguments for keeping control. They also welcome the five-year prison sentence for Reality Winner, the NSA contractor who leaked classified information to the media. And they marvel at polls showing a dead heat in the Oregon governor’s race, which seems to be a result of non-stop protests in the state that snarl traffic, exhaust law enforcement, and leave areas thoroughly trashed.
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Jim Geraghty of National Review and Greg Corombus of Radio America celebrate the Supreme Court upholding the Constitution in two separate cases. They agree with the court’s conclusion that President Trump’s travel ban is within his constitutional and statutory right. They are also glad to see the Court side with free speech in striking down a California law that required crisis pregnancy centers to advertise abortion services. They are also pleasantly surprised that Democratic leaders are condemning Maxine Waters’ calls for the harassment of Trump administration officials.
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Jim Geraghty of National Review and Greg Corombos of Radio America enjoy watching Democrats publicly feud over how prominent the impeachment issue should be in 2018. They also shake their heads as the Seattle City Council tries to fight homelessness by taxing companies $275 for every employee if the business makes more than $20 million per year. They fire back as Never Trump “Republican” Steve Schmidt says Trump’s decision to embassy is only a calculation for the midterm elections and that the president has blood on his hands from the violence along the Israel-Gaza border. And Jim offers a champagne toast to mark the passing of prolific author and National Review friend Tom Wolfe.
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Casper Jim Geraghty of National Review and Greg Corombos of Radio America are thrilled to hear House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi state she will run for Speaker of the House if Democrats win back the majority. It’s hard to imagine a better talking point for GOP candidates. They also cringe as Vice President Mike Pence gives a shout out to former Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio during a visit to Arizona, noting Arpaio’s controversial record and how he would be a sure-fire loser if nominated for the U.S. Senate. And they’re not exactly shocked to learn that Donald Trump dictated the glowing, over-the-top letter released by his doctor in the 2016 campaign that vowed he would be the healthiest person ever to be president of the United States.
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Jim Geraghty of National Review and Greg Corombos of Radio America shake their heads as ProPublica issues a massive correction to confirm that President Trump’s nominee to be CIA director didn’t oversee the waterboarding of terrorists after all and that the original reporting was based on assumptions. They also sound the alarm on all the supposedly moderate Democrats running away from Nancy Pelosi as they run for seats in competitive or right-leaning districts. News flash: If Democrats win the House, Pelosi will be speaker. And they roll their eyes as Arizona Sen. Jeff Flake says the refusal of Republicans to denounce Trump suggests maybe the GOP doesn’t deserve to lead.
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David French of National Review and Greg Corombos of Radio America pause to cheer the Falcon Heavy rocket launch by Space X this week and David hopes it sparks more aspirational innovation that our nation so sorely needs. They also grimace as Republican majorities are preparing to jack up spending significantly over the next couple of years, even though some positive elements are included in the budget bill. And they sigh as Nancy Pelosi uses part of her marathon floor speech on immigration policy to say her young grandson blew out his birthday candles and wished he could look like his friend from Guatemala.
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In the course of an uninterrupted two-hour rant on the House floor (Republicans being too cowed to go through the “And still she persisted” thing again), Nancy Pelosi told Republicans they better pass Amnesty for illegal immigrants because the Pope demands it.
MoreAs she neared the end of her second hour (of her rant), Pelosi said she considered asking the House to pray for Dreamers all day.
Yes, we’re talking about Trump’s immigration comments but no, you don’t have to worry about your kids hearing bad language. Today, Jim Geraghty of National Review and Greg Corombos of Radio America cheer great news in the automotive industry as Fiat Chrysler announces it is investing a billion dollars in Michigan and planning to add 2,500 jobs to build Ram pickup trucks again. This follows earlier news that Toyota and Mazda will team to build a $1.6 billion plant in Alabama and employ up to 4,000 people. They also recoil at President Trump’s attitude towards people in deeply troubled nations, noting that it’s fair to point out there are many horribly corrupt and crime-ridden nations in various parts of the world and re-evaluate immigration policy but deeply wrong to suggest those people have no value. At the same time, many Trump critics suggest that diversity is what makes America great, and Greg and Jim set them straight. And they shake their heads as Nancy Pelosi dismisses congressional immigration negotiators as “five white guys” – including her top deputy among House Democrats – as she called for more diversity in the group.
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Jim Geraghty of National Review and Greg Corombos of Radio America are back from celebrating Christmas and are ready to bestow more of their prestigious Three Martini Lunch Awards. Today, they discuss their choices for the worst political scandals of the year, with both having nomination having connections to the 2016 campaign. They also discuss their limited options for best political theater of the year and try to figure out what the worst political theater was in a year full of cringeworthy moments.
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