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POLITICS

Kweisi Mfume’s Return to Congress A leftist radical prepares to replace the late Elijah Cummings.

https://www.frontpagemag.com/fpm/2020/02/kweisi-mfumes-return-congress-discover-networks/

Last week, Kweisi Mfume — who served as a Democratic member of Congress from 1987-96, and as president of the NAACP from 1996-2004 — defeated 23 opponents in a special primary to determine who will represent the Democratic Party in the upcoming general election on April 28, when the voters in Maryland’s Seventh Congressional District will pick someone to serve out the remaining months of the late Elijah Cummings’ uncompleted term in the House of Representatives. In his acceptance speech, Mfume dedicated his victory to the memory of his longtime friend, Mr. Cummings: “This is for him. This is for him!”

In light of the fact that the population of District Seven is overwhelmingly Democratic, Mfume’s victory in the general election is all but assured. And that triumph will represent the closing of a circle: Cummings filled Mfume’s vacated congressional seat when Mfume resigned from the House in 1996, and now Mfume, nearly a quarter-century later, has come back to succeed Mr. Cummings in that very same seat. Embracing a political orientation that he describes as “very, very progressive,” Mfume is prepared to promote the same leftist policies that Rep. Cummings advanced for 23 years – policies that helped turn Maryland’s Seventh District into a high-crime, high-poverty basket case.

During his first go-round in the U.S. House, Mfume was a highly prominent member of the Congressional Black Caucus (CBC), where he served a stint as chairman. A highly noteworthy tidbit about the CBC is the close relationship it has long had with the legendary Jew-hater Louis Farrakhan, leader of the Nation of Islam (NOI). In September 1993, Mfume, in his role as CBC chairman, proudly announced that his Caucus was entering into a “sacred covenant” with Farrakhan’s NOI, meaning that the two organizations would consult with one another on legislative issues and political strategies.

Sanders drags Democrats to the left; will it be 1972 all over again? By Mark Penn

https://thehill.com/opinion/campaign/482718-sanders-drags-democrats-to-the-left-will-it-be-1972-all-over-again

Democratic voters enter the core primary season unsettled and uncertain, as Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) narrowly won the New Hampshire primary — his second very strong performance — a move that could pull the Democratic Party to the far left and prompt a repeat of its 1972 electoral disaster.

But the contest between the left and moderate wings of the Democratic Party is far from over.

Sanders is an avowed democratic socialist whose “free college” mantra has captured the party’s youth vote, despite his having turned 78 years old. For decades he has lectured against the problems of big banks, an economy that works for the few, and the need for revolutionary change. It is odd — in a time of such great prosperity, low unemployment and rising wages — that his message would resonate.

The short answer is that his “socialist” message rings true to about 20 percent to 25 percent of the electorate — they just all happen to be concentrated among Democratic primary voters. The exit polls, for example, put the voters in the New Hampshire primary at 60 percent liberal while the electorate as a whole is no more than about 25 percent liberal. In a nutshell, this is the problem with today’s parties and the primary system: It is too easy for candidates who are out of step with America to gain traction in the Democratic Party, and this distorts all of Democratic politics among those who want to be president and thus pander to those voters.

The Bottom Tier Disappears. Biden and Warren Collapse. Bernie, Pete, and Amy Thrive. By Jim Geraghty

https://www.nationalreview.com/corner/new-hampshire-primary-joe-biden-elizabeth-warren-collapse-bernie-sanders-pete-buttigieg-amy-klobuchar-thrive/#slide-1

After having no discernible results the night of the Iowa caucuses and unclear results in the following days, the voters of New Hampshire brought some needed clarity to the Democratic presidential primary.

They began by clearing out the detritus. The Granite State electorate demonstrated that Andrew Yang, as fun, easygoing, amiable, and thoughtful as he was, was not going to be a factor at all. The Yang Gang was impassioned, but an “extremely online” phenomenon — loud and seemingly numerous on social media, not so numerous in offline life. That having been said, Yang can fairly ask whether having Iowa and New Hampshire go first puts such candidates as him at a deep disadvantage.

Michael Bennet also departed the race, after telling Time magazine Saturday: “We can surprise a lot of people — and it’s not going to take much to surprise them.” No. Shush. You were always in denial about your odds of victory. The media are not being mean, presumptuous, or closed-minded when they say certain long-shot candidates have no shot, and we are under no obligation to play along with lawmakers who are psychologically delusional about how their campaigns are doing.

Deval Patrick also will depart the race Wednesday. The theme of his rally yesterday was, “it’s never too late.” Actually, it was.

Bloomberg Pledges to Investigate ICE ‘Abuse’ in Immigration Proposal By Mairead McArdle

https://www.nationalreview.com/news/bloomberg-pledges-to-investigate-ice-abuse-in-immigration-proposal/

Democratic presidential candidate Michael Bloomberg released a sweeping immigration proposal on Monday in which he pledged to launch an investigation into alleged Immigration and Customs Enforcement “abuses.”

In his ten-page proposal, Bloomberg pledges to launch a Department of Justice probe into the 400 allegations of sexual assault or abuse reported against ICE since 2017 while limiting the opportunity for future abuses by “significantly reducing immigrant detention for those who do not pose a threat to public safety.”

The proposal also calls for extending the legal status of participants in the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, which protects from deportation undocumented immigrants who were brought into the country as children, and those in the Temporary Protected Status program, which shields immigrants who cannot return home due to natural disaster or armed conflict.

Bloomberg would also implement a place-based visa system, which would allow states and localities to accept immigrants to help address the economic and social needs of different locations. The plan would encourage professionals to apply for visas, including doctors, nurses, entrepreneurs, and international students.

The former New York City mayor promised not to embrace policies that “run counter to American values,” such as President Trump’s travel ban, a southern border wall, or family separations at the border.

After heavy bipartisan backlash, the Trump administration in June, 2018 shuttered its “zero tolerance” policy of allowing children to be separated from their parents after the family crossed the border illegally. Over the previous year, migrant children were separated and housed separately from their parents as the adults were prosecuted.

Party Leaders on Edge After Democrats’ Ragged 2020 Launch . By Julie Pace

https://www.realclearpolitics.com/articles/2020/02/10/party_leaders_on_edge_after_democrats_ragged_2020_launch_142356.html

For Democrats, this was supposed be a moment to begin easing three years of built-up of anxieties. Instead, the launch of the 2020 presidential primary has left the party deeply unsettled and President Donald Trump gleeful about the chaos.

Party leaders are on edge over embarrassing technical issues that marred this past week’s Iowa caucuses, as well as lower than expected turnout in the leadoff state. Front-runners Bernie Sanders and Pete Buttigieg face questions about their long-term political viability, while some supporters of the two leading women left in the race — Sens. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts and Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota — are raising alarms about what they view as persistent sexism.

“It’s a hard start,” said Laura Keeler, a 35-year-old from Concord, New Hampshire.

Indeed, it’s far from the 2020 launchpad most Democrats envisioned as they eagerly anticipated their opportunity to take on Trump. The turbulent start to this election year has also crystallized the challenges confronting Democrats in trying to mount a formidable challenge to an incumbent backed by an energized and united Republican Party and fortified by a soaring economy.

The Iowa goat orgy comes to an end with Buttigieg getting the most delegates By Andrea Widburg

https://www.americanthinker.com/blog/2020/02/the_iowa_goat_orgy_comes_to_an_end_with_buttigieg_getting_the_most_delegates.html

On Sunday, six days after the Iowa Caucuses took place, the Iowa Democrat Party finally released the 2020 Results. Based upon the complicated, vaguely parliamentary-style algorithm that Iowa uses, Buttigieg won 14 delegates, and Bernie trailed him with 12 delegates. Warren eked out 8 delegates, former frontrunner Biden got 6, and Klobuchar got 1 delegate. None of the candidates got anything out of their Iowa efforts:

With 38-year-old Buttigieg having leaped to prominence in Iowa, it’s time to remind everyone of a few pertinent facts:

1. Between 1972 and 2010, nine of the Iowa Democrat caucus winners secured their parties’ nomination (although both Clinton and Obama were unopposed during their second-term runs). However, of those nine, only three – Carter, Clinton, and Obama – won the presidency. Buttigieg now has the potential to win the primaries.

2. Buttigieg was raised in an extremely Marxist home:

The father of Democratic presidential hopeful Pete Buttigieg was a Marxist professor who spoke fondly of the Communist Manifesto and dedicated a significant portion of his academic career to the work of Italian Communist Party founder Antonio Gramsci, an associate of Vladimir Lenin.

[snip]

He supported an updated version of Marxism that jettisoned some of Marx and Engel’s more doctrinaire theories, though he was undoubtedly Marxist.

[snip]

Paul Kengor, a professor at Grove City College and an expert in communism and progressivism, said Buttigieg was among a group of leftist professors who focused on injecting Marxism into the wider culture.

In sum, just as was the case with Barack Obama and his mentor, Frank Marshall Davis, Buttigieg grew up steeped in Marxism.

3. Although Buttigieg is now challenging Bernie, when Buttigieg was a high school senior, he thought Sanders the most admirable politician in America:

One outstanding and inspiring example of such integrity is the country’s only Independent Congressman, Vermont’s Bernie Sanders.

The Democrats on Soleimani Biden, Buttigieg and Sanders say they would not have killed the Iranian terror master.

https://www.wsj.com/articles/the-democrats-on-soleimani-11581289385?mod=opinion_lead_pos2

One of Vice President Joe Biden’s better lines in 2012 was “Osama bin Laden is dead, and General Motors is alive.” The crowd at the Democratic convention loved it. This year it sounds like the Democratic campaign theme may be that Iranian terror master Qasem Soleimani is dead and the world is more dangerous because of it.

That’s a fair judgment from Friday’s debate in New Hampshire when ABC’s David Muir asked the candidates “if your national security team came to you with an opportunity to strike, would Soleimani have been dead or would he still be alive under your Presidency?”

Pete Buttigieg responded: “In the situation that we saw with President Trump’s decision, there is no evidence that made our country safer.” He deplored Soleimani’s “murder and mayhem” but then zagged to the Iraq war, the Iranian nuclear pact, and a wounded veteran friend he saw in an airport. Mr. Muir tried again, but the former mayor came down with a decisive, “It depends on the circumstances.”

Mr. Muir then moved to Mr. Biden, who at least didn’t fudge. “No. And the reason I wouldn’t have ordered the strike, there is no evidence yet of imminent threat that was going to come from him,” Mr. Biden said, before veering to “America First policies” and NATO. No mention that bin Laden wasn’t an “imminent threat” by the time he was killed.

Next up was Bernie Sanders, who listed several of the world’s “very bad leaders” but said we can’t “assassinate” them because that would open the door to “international anarchy.” He said the only recourse is diplomacy.

The answers were revealing and mark a sharp difference in the coming campaign. Mr. Trump shares some of the isolationist impulses of Democrats, but he is willing to use force to kill America’s enemies. The mayhem that critics said would follow the killing of Soleimani hasn’t happened. Mr. Sanders’s answer is no surprise. But Messrs. Buttigieg and Biden missed a chance to show they would act decisively as President to deter those who kill Americans.

Mini Mike Bloomberg thinks Americans are really stupid and lack nuance By Andrea Widburg

https://www.americanthinker.com/blog/2020/02/mini_mike_bloomberg_thinks_americans_are_really_stupid_and_lack_nuance.html

Looking at the dysfunctional group of Democrat presidential candidates, Mike Bloomberg is planning, through strategically placed ads and a well-funded ground-game, to be the last man standing. His problem, though, is that he’s a bully, lacks charm and, as a recently unearthed video reveals, dislikes and disrespects the American people.

American politicians used to pretend they liked the citizens whose votes they sought. Nowadays, though, Democrat politicians limit themselves to attacking their opponents; they also attack the American voters. The most famous example is Hillary’s “deplorables” statement:

“You know, to just be grossly generalistic, you could put half of Trump’s supporters into what I call the basket of deplorables. Right?” Clinton said. “The racist, sexist, homophobic, xenophobic, Islamaphobic—you name it. And unfortunately there are people like that. And he has lifted them up.”

Barack Obama castigated Americans as bitter-clingers and hostile xenophobes:

You go into some of these small towns in Pennsylvania, and like a lot of small towns in the Midwest, the jobs have been gone now for 25 years and nothing’s replaced them. *** And it’s not surprising then they get bitter, they cling to guns or religion or antipathy to people who aren’t like them or anti-immigrant sentiment or anti-trade sentiment as a way to explain their frustrations.

John “Reporting for Duty” Kerry didn’t think much of the military:

You know, education, if you make the most of it, if you study hard and you do your homework, and you make an effort to be smart, uh, you, you can do well. If you don’t, you get stuck in Iraq.

Pelosi and Rumpelstiltskin By Eileen F. Toplansky

https://www.americanthinker.com/articles/2020/02/pelosi_and_rumpelstiltskin.html

Watching Nancy Pelosi and her gang of insolent quislings, it was hard not to think of the Grimm Brothers’ fairy tale “Rumpelstiltskin.”  Power, greed, deal-making, sacrifice of children, and petulant rage are a few of the themes of this fairy tale that aptly describe the current Democrat party.

The fairy tale relates that a young woman must spin straw into gold thread because her father, a miller, foolishly boasted to the greedy king that she can.  Clearly, this is an impossible task until a “strange little man” saves the day — but at what cost?  Constantly trying to keep up with the demands of the avaricious king, the miller’s daughter accepts a bargain that entails giving up her newborn baby son if she cannot identify the “little man’s” name.  Through happenstance, she is able to counter the odious demand, and the now identified Rumpelstiltskin flies into a fit of rage.  In fact, in “his anger he stamped with his right foot so hard that it went into the ground above his knee; then he seized his left foot with both his hands in such a fury that he split in two, and there was an end of him.”

So what does an ancient fairy tale have to do with Nancy Pelosi?

For far too long, the Democrats have wheedled their way into American’s lives with sly promises and sleight-of-hand maneuvers.  Oh, a bone or two will be flung, but the depressed Baltimores, Detroits, and Clevelands never improve.  A recreational center may be built, but illegals bearing deadly intentions and drugs will not be stopped as they destroy neighborhoods.

There were important themes in New Hampshire’s Democrat debate echo chamber By Andrea Widburg

https://www.americanthinker.com/blog/2020/02/there_were_important_themes_in_new_hampshires_democrat_debate_echo_chamber.html

After the 2016 presidential race, Scott Adams said that reality isn’t fixed but is, instead, situational. Democrats and Republicans, he argued, were watching two different movies. One movie had Trump as an eccentric, America-loving man who would fix systemic problems; the other movie had Trump as Hitler and his concentration camps. Time would tell which movie was fiction and which was a documentary. (Hint: There are no concentration camps.)

At the Democrat debate in New Hampshire, it was clear that the Democrat candidates are watching a very different movie from the rest of America – and, more significantly, a movie different from the data. Andrew Yang, Pete Buttigieg, Elizabeth Warren, Joe Biden, Bernie Sanders, Amy Klobuchar, and Tom Steyer are not enjoying “morning in America.” Instead, they’re trapped in a nightmarish American landscape filled with poverty, hate, and despair.

The candidates live in an America with both endemic and epidemic poverty, all made worse under Trump. Except that employers created 225,000 new jobs in January alone — and real wages keep rising.

For Democrats, systemic racism is omnipresent. Reality, though, has Americans saying that race relations and minority status are better under Trump than under Obama.

Laughably, Elizabeth Warren, whose campaign witnessed a mass minority walkout in Nevada owing to racist working conditions, earnestly lectured the audience in New Hampshire about the problem of systemic racism. And Bernie, the old Marxist, insisted, “We have a racist society from top to bottom.”

The candidates were united in stating that Trump is an utterly evil, bizarre, dishonest, corrupt, racist blight on America, as proven in part by his saying mean things about Democrats. None were troubled by the irony of their making over-the-top attacks on Trump, while simultaneously claiming that Trump is mean and divisive.