The Left’s Swift Shift After RFK Jr.’s Trump Endorsement Kennedy’s indictment of his former party, along with his endorsement of Donald Trump, has sent shock waves through the chambers of the self-appointed elite who would rule us. By Roger Kimball

https://amgreatness.com/2024/08/25/the-lefts-swift-shift-after-rfk-jr-s-trump-endorsement/

The thing I admire about contemporary deep-state Democrats is their nimbleness.

This nimbleness was on ostentatious view in the regime response to Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s announcement Friday that he was 1) suspending his campaign (at least in battleground states) and 2) throwing his support behind Donald Trump.

The acrid scent of panic might have been expected among the limp-wristed, totalitarian faithful. And, in fact,  beneath the amusing cologne of anti-Trump bluster, the panic was indeed discernible.

But there was also that trademark smooth-as-a-suppository (as Saul Bellow put it) suaveness, exemplified, for instance, by former Obama strategist David Axelrod.

“Robert F. Kennedy Sr.,” Axelrod posted shortly after the deed was done, “would have been appalled to see his son cut a deal to drop out for [t]he race and endorse Trump.”

Imagine: someone agrees to drop out of a race at the last minute and support a rival candidate!  As the commentator Ned Ryan put it in response to Axelrod’s snippy post: “You suddenly seem offended by someone cutting a deal to drop out of the race and endorse someone else.”

Cast your mind back, David, to July 21 of this year.  That’s when Joe Biden, having been made an offer he couldn’t refuse by the secret committee running the country, suddenly announced that he was dropping out of the race. This was, remember, after Biden repeatedly insisted that he was staying in the race and was looking forward to the next debate against Trump. Yes, the first was a disaster, but he would show ’em!

The Quiet Before the Storms in Ukraine, Gaza, and Taiwan? Amid doubts about Biden’s ability to effectively lead the U.S. in his remaining months as president, our enemies abroad might see an opportunity to alter the global balance of power. By Victor Davis Hanson

https://amgreatness.com/2024/08/26/the-quiet-before-the-storms-in-ukraine-gaza-and-taiwan/

There are three current hot or cold wars: on the Ukrainian border, in the regions surrounding Israel, and in the strategic space between Taiwan and mainland China. All three conflicts could not only expand within their respective theaters but also escalate to draw in the United States.

And all three involve nuclear powers.

Various Russian megaphones routinely threaten to use tactical nuclear weapons against Ukraine. Some boast about sending strategic nuclear bombs or missiles against its Western suppliers, especially as the costs of Russian aggression mount and the humiliation of Putin escalates.

Nuclear Israel and near-nuclear Iran have both exchanged attacks on their respective homelands—and promise to do so again.

China likewise on occasion existentially threatens Taiwan. Its freelancing generals and spokesmen periodically warn Japan and the U.S. of dire nuclear consequences should they intervene on Taiwan’s behalf.

In all these theaters, there superficially appears to be stasis and deadlock: Israel is said to be bogged down in Gaza as it seeks to neutralize 400 miles of subterranean command-and-control installations and munitions, find and rescue surviving Israeli hostages, and take out the Hamas leaders. And no one believes that the degradation of Hamas will mark the end of the war, given the agendas of Hezbollah, the Houthis, and Iran, to attack periodically and chronically the Jewish state.

Combined Russian and Ukrainian dead, wounded, and missing may be nearing one million. Experts argue about whether the current apparently successful Ukrainian counteroffensive towards Kursk inside Russia was merely a demonstration to gain diplomatic concessions. Or was it designed to take and hold ground inside the Russian homeland? Or intended to draw off Russian offensives to the southeast? Some call it brilliantly conceived but dangerous—given the risk of its ending like the ill-fated Battle of the Bulge German offensive of 1945 that achieved startling initial success but was soon ground down by superior numbers and ultimately weakened the overall German defense.

RFK Jr. Chooses Democracy Over Democrats “In the name of saving democracy, a Democratic Party set itself to dismantle it.” by Daniel Greenfield

https://www.frontpagemag.com/rfk-jr-chooses-democracy-over-democrats/

On Friday evening, a Kennedy joined Trump on stage in Glendale, Arizona. The first major Trump rally after the DNC convention featured RFK Jr as an answer to the Republicans who had come out for Kamala at the showcase event for her political campaign. The Kamala campaign had enlisted a former Pence aide, Stephanie Grisham, a former discredited press secretary, and former Rep. Adam Kinzinger, while Trump brought out Camelot on stage. But what happened at the Desert Diamond Arena in Glendale went beyond a matchup of names.

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. was more than the heir to a storied last name and acronym, he was the most successful third party presidential candidate since Ross Perot took on Bush and Clinton. Earlier in the summer before the Biden coup, RFK Jr had been polling as high as 10% despite media coverage that veered between hostile contempt and determined disregard. And he had done it without Perot’s massive fortune or the media’s endless willingness to give the billionaire airtime in the eventually successful hopes of kneecapping Bush and aiding Bill Clinton.

While there were other third party candidates in the race, RFK Jr polled so well because he was seen by his supporters as representing a genuine alternative to the two-party system and whose idiosyncratic views were authentically his own in sharp contrast to candidates like Cornell West or Jill Stein who just represented even more left-wing versions of the Democratic Party ticket.

The Media Marketed Candidates

https://issuesinsights.com/2024/08/23/the-media-marketed-candidates/

Until Thursday night, we did not know that Kamala Harris and Tim Walz are truly supreme beings. They are the kindest, bravest, warmest, most wonderful humans we’ve ever known. We realize this now because the media told us so.

And the American media would never try to manipulate the voters, would it? It just tells the story straight. For instance:

“Kamala Harris’ Speech Was Powerful and Heartfelt” — Variety
“One little heartbeat of hope.” — Van Jones, CNN
“If you didn’t think you knew Kamala Harris before, you may know her now. This was a powerful, strong speech.” — Norah O’Donnell, CBS
“The emotion and the feeling down here is, I don’t know. Seven-year-old birthday part is how I would put it. There is joy and there’s not a lot of thinking. It’s a good time.” — Tony Dokoupil, CBS
“Harris embraces patriotism, savages Trump in acceptance speech” — Politico
“Harris prosecutes case against Trump and pitches herself as a middle-class champion” — National Public Radio
“This is a new chapter, as she said, in the American story.” — Robert Costa, CBS
“She is interested in not just doing what the left or the right says you should be on, in terms of the ideological sides, but what she thinks is the right thing to do.” — Abby Phillips, CNN
“Kamala Harris Gave the Best Acceptance Speech I’ve Ever Seen” — New York Magazine
“A-plus. The best since Bill Clinton’s ‘Man From Hope’ remarks in 1992.” — Washington Post

And of course, the media were all in on Walz’s speech from the night before. They gushed over his “Midwest dad energy.” He’s a “relatable dad,” everyone’s favorite coach and teacher, “Midwest nice,” wears flannel better than any man before him, and no one – no one – gives better pep talks. His “plainspoken style” is to be deeply admired, his mere presence reminds us “that America is good and that we shouldn’t give in to hopelessness,” his family is so adorably irresistible that it just brings all the right people to tears.

The Israeli Imperative to Destroy Myths, Not Just Missiles by Ruthie Blum

https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/20895/israeli-imperative-destroy-myths

[I]t’s crucial not to lose sight of the bigger picture: the acute multi-front assault on the Jewish state since Oct. 7 and the chronic one that’s been going on from various directions for decades.

Today’s PA leader, Mahmoud Abbas, has the same agenda as his predecessor [to annihilate the Jewish state in stages], but dresses differently for foreign consumption. Having his pocket lined with millions of dollars, euros and shekels doesn’t hurt in this effort, since the mega-wealth enables him to purchase the best that Armani has to offer. It has also provided him with the cash to fund his “pay for slay” policy.

Though Fatah, the faction headed by Abbas, is a longtime foe of Hamas, it shares the rival group’s aim of eliminating Israel. To this end, the schools, mosques and media it controls glorify “martyrdom for Allah.”

Nevertheless, the U.N. continues to treat the PA as a “moderate” entity whose goal is independent statehood, free from the ostensible shackles of Israeli “occupation…” The idea behind this fallacy is that a reformed Palestinian group can replace Hamas in Gaza when the war is over. Good luck finding anyone in the PA who fits the bill…

This hasn’t prevented the administration in Washington from clinging to the notion of a viable “two-state solution” in the la-la-land of U.S. foreign policy. This outlook poses an even greater threat in the long term than the Hezbollah drones and rockets that the IDF destroyed early Sunday.

Most sane analysts understand that Hamas and Hezbollah are Iran-backed terrorist organizations whose military capabilities have to be countered. But illusions about the PA remain dangerously intact. It’s imperative for Israel to destroy the myth along with enemy missiles.

Israel’s preemptive strikes against Hezbollah targets in Lebanon during the wee hours of Sunday morning temporarily shifted focus away from Hamas in Gaza and from the next round of bogus “ceasefire” negotiations in Cairo for the release of hostages.

Philippines Is ‘Next Ukraine’: China Escalating in South China Sea by Gordon G. Chang

https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/20893/china-philippines-next-ukraine

With his assault on the Philippines, Xi could be finally making his own move in East Asia.

Beijing claims all the features and waters inside its infamous “cow’s tongue,” now defined by ten dashes on official maps, which encloses about 85% of the South China Sea. Those waters, the Chinese proclaim, are “blue national soil.”

It appears… that China’s leader is not planning to start hostilities with an invasion of the main island of Taiwan.

Xi, in the domestic political landscape he has shaped, knows he is vulnerable, especially because his policies are being blamed for making a deteriorating situation worse. Xi needs a quick political victory, but unfortunately for him, a takeover of Taiwan is out of reach.

That means, I think, he has decided to move on a weak neighbor. The Republic of the Philippines fits the bill.

The risk is that an attack on the Philippines will lead to general conflict in the region. As an initial matter, Manila and the U.S. are parties to a 1951 treaty. The Biden State Department has issued written warnings — the last one on August 19 — that the U.S. was willing to use force against China to discharge its obligations…

In addition, NATO members over the last several years have become involved in the South China Sea.

On August 23, China’s foreign ministry said that the country had taken “countermeasures” against two Philippine military aircraft near Subi Reef in the South China Sea.

Four days earlier, Chinese Coast Guard vessels, without justification, rammed two Philippine boats near Sabina Shoal as they tried to resupply forces stationed at Flat and Nanshan Islands.

MORE HEADLINES FROM THE WEEK THAT WAS

Iran Wants Trump Eliminated by Election Day https://www.newsmax.com/world/globaltalk/iran-trump-election-day/2024/08/21/id/1177404/

 

The Garbage That Starts Off the Democratic Party Platform https://www.frontpagemag.com/the-garbage-that-starts-off-the-democratic-party-platform/?

 

Liar-in-chief: Joe Biden’s astonishing legacy of falsehoods, deceptions and slander https://www.wnd.com/2024/08/liar-in-chief-joe-bidens-astonishing-legacy-of-falsehoods-deceptions-and-slander/

 

*** DNC Livewire Night 1 *** Bidens to Sing Swan Song, Hillary Clinton to Crow About Glass Ceiling Eight Years After Defeat https://www.breitbart.com/2024-election/2024/08/19/dnc-livewire-night-1-bidens-to-sing-swan-song-hillary-clinton-to-crow-about-glass-ceiling-eight-years-after-defeat/

 

BIDEN’S ANGRY SWAN SONG AT DNC: ‘LIES AND SLURS HIS WAY THROUGH HIS ENTIRE SPEECH’ [VIDEO MONTAGE]

Craig Bannister : Aug 20, 2024  MRCTV.org

 

‘Bizarre performance’: Douglas Murray analyses Biden’s DNC address https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-bBcrg4QPAM

WATCH WND LIVE: Dumb and Dumber at the DNC https://www.wnd.com/2024/08/watch-wnd-live-dumb-and-dumber-at-the-dnc/

 

BIDEN AND HARRIS WERE COOKING THE BOOKS THE WHOLE TIME! 1 MILLION JOBS VANISH IN DOWNWARD REVISION; TRUMP RESPONDS TO FRAUDULENT JOBS NUMBERS (VIDEO) Cristina Laila : Aug 21, 2024  The Gateway Pundit

 

CNN commentator leaves panel stunned after blasting Democrats https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WZJt8pfp92U

 

Pure Evil: Planned Parenthood Reportedly Ends Lives of 25 Innocent Babies with Medicated Abortions Offered at the DNC https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2024/08/pure-evil-planned-parenthood-reportedly-ends-lives-25/

 

Hillary Clinton receives loudest cheers of the night — seemingly bigger than Kamala Harris — at DNC as she smirks at ‘lock him up’ chants https://nypost.com/2024/08/19/us-news/hillary-clinton-receives-loudest-cheers-of-the-night-with-booming-standing-ovation-at-dnc/

 

Hillary Clinton: ‘Kamala will restore abortion rights nationwide’ https://www.christianpost.com/news/hillary-clinton-kamala-will-restore-abortion-rights-nationwide.html?clickType=link-topbar-news

 

Megyn Kelly Exposes the Truth About First Lady Michelle Obama’s Speech at the Democratic Convention https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TR7k3soyC6k

 

WATCH: Barack Obama mocks Trump’s ‘weird obsession with crowd sizes’ https://www.wnd.com/2024/08/watch-barack-obama-mocks-trumps-weird-obsession-with-crowd-sizes/

 

MICHELLE OBAMA ENDORSES PORN IN SCHOOLS AND TRANSING KIDS ON DNC DAY 2 Ben Johnson : Aug 21, 2024  The Washington Stand

 

Kamala would be our most pro-Hamas president https://www.wnd.com/2024/08/kamala-would-be-our-most-pro-hamas-president/

 

 

Pro-Israel Group, Denied Permit to March, Gathers at ‘Hostage Square’ in Chicago https://www.breitbart.com/middle-east/2024/08/20/pro-israel-group-denied-permit-to-march-gathers-at-hostage-square-in-chicago/

 

Pro-Palestinian Protesters Breach Wall at Democratic National Convention https://www.breitbart.com/politics/2024/08/19/pro-palestinian-protesters-breach-wall-at-democratic-national-convention/

 

Donald Trump Blasts Kamala Harris’s Economic Plan: ‘Can’t Answer How She’d Pay for It’ https://www.breitbart.com/politics/2024/08/19/donald-trump-blasts-kamala-harris-s-economic-plan-cant-answer-how-shed-pay-for-it/

 

UN exhibit memorializing terror victims completely ignores Jews, Erdan says https://www.jns.org/un-exhibit-memorializing-terror-victims-completely-ignores-jews-erdan-says/

 

By Ignoring the Bidenites’ Advice, Israel Managed to Eliminate Many Hamas Jihadis https://www.frontpagemag.com/by-ignoring-the-bidenites-advice-the-israelis-managed-to-eliminate-many-hamas-jihadis/?

 

Climate Meltdown: Ivy League Scientists Expose Climate Fraud https://libertysentinel.substack.com/p/climate-meltdown-ivy-league-scientists?

 

Keir Starmer accused of having ‘his head in the sand’ over migration crisis https://www.skynews.com.au/opinion/outsiders/keir-starmer-accused-of-having-his-head-in-the-sand-over-migration-crisis/video/189652d2aeea6abdd11c8bac8b09324f

‘Furious’ – Netanyahu refusing to meet British FM after UK embraces ICC arrest warrant – report https://worldisraelnews.com/furious-netanyahu-refusing-to-meet-british-fm-after-uk-embraces-icc-arrest-warrant-report/?

 

Exposing The New York Times: A Legacy of Antisemitism and Deception https://rairfoundation.com/exposing-new-york-times-legacy-antisemitism-deception/

 

AMERICAN SOCIETY OF PLASTIC SURGEONS REJECTS TRANSGENDER SURGERIES FOR MINORS Matt Lamb : Aug 19, 2024  LifeSiteNews.com

Danish Drugmaker Ready to Cash In with 10 Million Monkeypox Vaccine Doses Set for Production Following WHO’s Global Health Emergency Declaration https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2024/08/danish-drugmaker-ready-cash-10-million-monkeypox-vaccine/

 

South African group refutes WHO’s declaration of an mpox emergency and warns the public about the risks of the vaccines https://expose-news.com/2024/08/22/south-african-group-refutes-whos-declaration/

The Case for a Merit-Based Immigration System The current system is not only economically counterproductive but incentivises people to become illegal immigrants. Jay Sophalkalyan

https://quillette.com/2024/08/23/why-we-needs-points-based-immigration/

As the 2024 US presidential election approaches, immigration continues to be one of the most divisive topics in the national conversation. Amid this debate, one disparity is frequently overlooked: the contrasting treatment of international students who have graduated from US universities versus undocumented immigrants. While international students must navigate a complex and highly selective process to secure their place in the country, many undocumented immigrants attempt to manipulate the asylum system, adding strain to an already overwhelmed infrastructure. This contrast underscores the shortcomings of the current immigration framework and highlights the urgent need for a points-based immigration system.  

Asylum Seekers and the Legal Limbo

The US has a moral obligation to assist asylum seekers and refugees. Following the Refugee Act of 1980, the country admitted 50,000 refugees annually from around the world—including some of my own aunts and uncles, who were fleeing the genocide in Cambodia. But the process was different back then. Asylum cases were reviewed while applicants were still overseas. Defectors, dissidents, and refugees from places like Cambodia and Vietnam were stationed in refugee camps and pre-vetted before being granted visas to enter the US.

Before the advent of rapid transit and instant communication, the idea that large numbers of asylum seekers would be able to arrive at land borders unannounced was almost unimaginable, but this changed in around 2014. The US Border Patrol officers, who had been trained to intercept single Mexican men crossing the border in search of work, now faced an influx of entire families from Central America, who arrived, promptly turned themselves in, and sought asylum. Some of those who were successful naturally shared tips on how to game the system on their social media accounts. The number of economic migrants entering under the guise of seeking asylum increased.

His Own Words: Why RFK Jr now Backs Trump

https://quadrant.org.au/opinion/america/2024/08/his-own-words-why-rfk-jr-now-backs-trump/

On Friday (US time) the unthinkable came to pass: A Kennedy, the closest America gets to political royalty, endorsed Donald Trump. Below, the edited text of his announcement, in which he lays out his reasons: lawfare, the corruption of a forever lying media, the fear, as he puts it, that a party beholding to ‘Big Pharma, Big Tech, Big Ag, and Big Money’ represents not democracy but its betrayal. — rf

___________________

SIXTEEN months ago, in April of 2023, I launched my campaign for President of the United States. I began this journey as a Democrat — the party of my father and my uncle, the party to which I pledged my allegiance long before I was old enough to vote.

I attended my first Democratic convention at age six in 1960. Back then, the Democrats were the champions of the Constitution, and civil rights. The Democrats stood against authoritarianism, against censorship, and against colonialism, imperialism, and unjust wars. We were the party of labor and the working class. The Democrats were the party of government transparency and the champion of the environment. Our party was the bulwark against Big Money interests and corporate power. True to its name, it was the party of democracy.

As you all know, I left that party last October because it had departed so dramatically from the core values I grew up with. It had become the party of war, censorship, corruption, Big Pharma, Big Tech, Big Ag, and Big Money. When it abandoned democracy by cancelling the primary to conceal the cognitive decline of the sitting President, I left the party to run as an independent…

…I’m sorry to say that while democracy may still be alive at the grass roots, it has become little more than a slogan for our political institutions, our media, and our government, and most sadly of all, for the Democratic Party.

In the name of saving democracy, the Democratic Party set itself to dismantling it. Lacking confidence that its candidate could win at the voting booth, the DNC waged continual legal warfare against both President Trump and myself. Each time our volunteers turned in those towering boxes of signatures needed to get on the ballot, the DNC dragged us into court state by state attempting to erase their work and to subvert the will of the voters who had signed. It deployed DNC-aligned judges to throw me — and other candidates — off the ballot and to throw President Trump in jail. It ran a sham of a primary, rigged to prevent any serious challenge to President Biden.

Campuses Aren’t Ready for the Return of Encampments Leslie Lenkowsky

https://www.nationalreview.com/2024/08/campuses-arent-ready-for-the-return-of-encampments/

Indiana University’s confusion over its policies for dealing with demonstrators is likely to prove representative.

As students start returning to their colleges and universities this month, many will find new rules about protests, camping, signage, and other types of “expressive activity” on their campuses. These changes were prompted by last spring’s demonstrations over the war in the Middle East that led to confrontations among students and faculty, disrupted classes and graduations, and in some cases resulted in police action and arrests. Penn, Texas, and Harvard are among the schools reportedly revising their policies.

At its July meeting, Indiana University’s board of trustees adopted a new “expressive activity” policy, which went into effect on August 1. It may provide a glimpse into what higher education is planning to do about last spring’s demonstrations — and why it doesn’t go far enough.

In late April, a group of IU students and faculty (along with outsiders) began what was meant to be an “indefinite” encampment in Dunn Meadow, a portion of the Bloomington campus at which protests had been allowed since the 1960s. In short order, IU’s leadership — after specially trained administration and faculty teams failed to persuade the protesters to dismantle the encampment — asked campus and state police to remove the tents. Several hundred faculty members quickly signed a petition demanding the resignations of IU president Pamela Whitten and her provost, Rahul Shrivastav. Neither resigned, but in response, the university’s trustees retained Cooley LLP to conduct an independent investigation.

The law firm’s July report is disturbing. It describes a chaotic situation in which well-organized demonstrators faced off against understaffed and unprepared “de-escalation” teams and police. After several attempts, the teams succeeded in dismantling most of the encampment, making more than 50 arrests, but allowing the protesters to remain.