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Bolton says his impeachment testimony would not have changed outcome But former Obama administration national security adviser Susan Rice Rice challenged his decision not to publicly discuss Trump’s Ukraine pressure campaign.

Posted By on February 20th, 2020

https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/politics-news/bolton-says-his-impeachment-testimony-would-not-have-changed-outcome-n1139461

NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Former national security adviser John Bolton said Wednesday he was surprised that Senate Republicans rejected his offer to testify in President Donald Trump’s impeachment trial. But he said that even if he had testified, it wouldn’t have changed the outcome of the trial because of how House Democrats handled their investigation.

“I think the House committed impeachment malpractice,” Bolton said at an event at Vanderbilt University with Susan Rice, who was national security adviser during the administration of former President Barack Obama. “The process drove Republicans who might have voted for impeachment away” because “it was so partisan,” he said.

But, he added, “my testimony would have made no difference to the ultimate outcome.”

All but one Senate Republican voted to acquit Trump of abusing the power of his office by pressuring Ukraine to investigate a political opponent.

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Polarization Narrative Is a Triumph for Leftism Mark Bauerlein

Posted By on February 20th, 2020

amgreatness.com/2020/02/19/polarization-narrative-is-a-triumph-for-leftism/

The sharp divide in our politics is not an unfortunate consequence of rising extremism or some other trans-ideological cause. It is exactly what the American Left has wanted all along.

When commentators regret the ferocious polarization in the United States following the election of President Donald Trump, conservatives must be wary. Polarization as a term to describe the political scene has strategic value for liberals. In calling what has happened to our country a problem of a disappearing middle, liberals obscure actions of the Left that have produced the antagonisms of the present. Here’s how it works.

We begin with a longstanding norm, one embraced more or less by everyone. At some point, a vanguard of progressives comes along to challenge, decry, and subvert the norm. At first, the populace rejects the critics and the middle is secure (for instance, the way the Beat Generation was confined in the 1950s to small social enclaves).

But the critics don’t give up. They press the point in movies, the media, classrooms, and courtrooms, turning those spaces into forums of dissent.

They begin, too, with a benign premise: let’s not take our values for granted, let’s examine our assumptions, consider alternative viewpoints. We are a relatively open society, we have a natural American penchant for innovation, and so the consideration moves forward.

As the genuinely radical nature of progressive critics emerges, conservatives, traditionalists, and some moderate liberals step up and cry, “Whoa!” It’s not that they are trying to shut the other side up or end the debate. Instead, they have examined the progressive line of thinking and judged it wrong. The goal, then, is to oppose any action taken on the basis of the critique. Keep on talking, they say, but we don’t want to change our laws, our education, our norms, our country.

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Jante vs. Jihad Scandinavian self-hatred meets the Islamic drive to conquer. Bruce Bawer

Posted By on February 20th, 2020

https://www.frontpagemag.com/fpm/2020/02/jante-vs-jihad-bruce-bawer/

Let’s begin with a quick look at a February 14 column, “This Is How Scandinavia Got Great,” by New York Times writer David Brooks – yet another legacy-media article based on the premise that pretty much everything in Scandinavia is just plain wonderful, even if the author has no personal experience of the subject one way or the other.

In his piece, Brooks argues that Denmark, Sweden, and Norway take a categorically different approach to schooling than America does, and that that different approach makes those countries splendiferous in ways that we should admire and emulate. “They look at education differently than we do,” Brooks avers, contending that Scandinavian schools focus not on transmitting knowledge and skills – what a waste of time that would be! – but on effecting “the complete moral, emotional, intellectual and civic transformation of the person” by helping kids to “understand complex systems and see the relations between things — between self and society, between a community of relationships in a family and a town.”

Yes, it sounds like borderline gibberish, but I think I know what Brooks is talking about. And it’s this: from day care onward, Scandinavian kids are indoctrinated into seeing the world through social-democratic eyes. They’re inculcated with the so-called Jante Law, an ingrained cultural mindset that, as formulated in 1933 by Danish-Norwegian author Aksel Sandemost, dictates: “Don’t think you’re anything special….Don’t think you’re good at anything….Don’t think anyone cares about you.” In Scandinavian schools, kids learn to think and act in lockstep, to put community above the individual, and to view nonconformity and ambition as distasteful.

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On a Democratic Socialist Government: Is It Even Legal in the United States? Communism forces men into slavery by force. Democratic Socialism does it by votes. Jason D. Hill

Posted By on February 20th, 2020

https://www.frontpagemag.com/fpm/2020/02/democratic-socialist-government-it-even-legal-jason-d-hill/

When I first applied for US citizenship and subsequently became a United States citizen, there was a question on the qualifying exam that asked if I had ever been a member of the communist party or had ever advanced the ideas of communism. As a committed conservative Democrat at the time (I am now a committed conservative independent) the question caused me no turmoil. I answered: NO to both. It was a disqualifying question. It seemed uncontroversial to me. Communism and the ideals of the American commitment to freedom, liberty, property rights, individualism and free market capitalism were philosophical and political antipodes. If I had answered yes to those questions, I would properly have been deemed an enemy of the state and regarded as unqualified to become a naturalized American citizen, not on political grounds — but, fundamentally, on moral ones.

The right to regard oneself as an end in oneself, the right to carve out a conception of the good life for oneself independent of government interference, the right to voluntarily deal with others (or not) by means of one’s own independent judgment and, further, the right to life, liberty and the pursuit of personal happiness — are indelibly constitutive features of our American system of government and socio-political ways of life.

The right to also create unlimited wealth that is a material application of a value produced by one’s mind — and tangibly ratified and endorsed by consumer support — is protected by the traditional American system. When I produce something tangible and I manifest it in the world, and it is rewarded by others, I know that this is a function of the application of my values and rational faculty to the problems of human survival that others have rewarded me for.

So when the Democratic Socialist Congresswoman from New York, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, says we have enough billionaires, I know she is placing a moratorium on the precondition for wealth creation: the stupendous creativity of the human mind, and, therefore, a strike against the mind and the human brain.

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Dems’ Showdown in Vegas Did a strong challenger to Trump emerge from the brawl? Lloyd Billingsley

Posted By on February 20th, 2020

https://www.frontpagemag.com/fpm/2020/02/dems-duke-it-out-vegas-lloyd-billingsley/

Before Wednesday’s MSNBC Democrat debate, some group calling itself Pigeons United To Interfere Now (PUTIN) released pigeons wearing MAGA hats and at least one with a wig resembling the hair of President Trump. For a town like Las Vegas, it was a rather pathetic intro for what shaped up as a championship fight. As the late Howard Cosell might have called it:

“In this corner, Michael ‘Mini’ Bloomberg, weighing in at more than 60 billion dollars, in the biggest fight of his career.” Bloomberg trained for the bout by running New York City and showing people how to be farmers in five minutes. In this bout, he would be the primary punching bag.

Bloomberg billed himself as the candidate who could beat Trump, “the worst president we’ve ever had,” and run the country. “I’m a manager, I’m a philanthropist,” Bloomberg said. He had made a lot of money but “I’m spending that money to beat Trump.” Democrats weren’t buying it, and went after Bloomberg on his record with stop-and-frisk.

Bloomberg acknowledged that he was sorry and had asked for forgiveness. He touted the “right to live” and said he cut murders in New York from 650 a year to 300. The Democrats pivoted to his record with women.

“He calls women sap broads and horse-faced lesbians,” said a breathless Elizabeth Warren, like a character in a ’40s gangster movie.

Bloomberg said he had “no tolerance for the behavior the MeToo movement has exposed,” but others wondered about the non-disclosure agreements. Joe Biden said people had been paid to keep quiet. Bloomberg said the agreements had been made consensually and the parties, “wanted to keep it quiet.” On other fronts, the New York billionaire got in some shots of his own.

The surest way to get Trump reelected, he said, was “the ideas on this stage.” They had been tried before, and, Bloomberg said, “Communism just doesn’t work.” That drew gasps from the audience, which cheered the ideas Bloomberg rejected.

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The Real Winners of the Afghan Election: The Taliban by Con Coughlin

Posted By on February 20th, 2020

https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/15624/afghan-election-winners

Of the country’s 9.6 million registered voters (among a total population of 37 million), a total of just 1.82 million votes were counted. Of these, nearly one million were discarded due to irregularities, meaning that Mr Ghani achieved his victory by winning a paltry 400,000 votes, which can hardly be described as a commanding mandate.

The result should serve as a warning to US officials as they enter a crucial phase in peace talks with the Taliban about the organisation’s true motives.

Far from having an interest in achieving a negotiated settlement of the long-running Afghan conflict, the Taliban’s ultimate goal is to persuade the Trump administration to end its military presence in the country so that it can once again seize control of the country and turn it into a safe haven from which Islamist terrorists can again plot their devastating attacks against the West.

The announcement that Afghan President Ashraf Ghani has emerged as the victor in the country’s election contest could well prove to be a hollow victory so far as the survival of Afghanistan’s fragile democracy is concerned.

Declaration of the election’s outcome, which took place in September last year, was delayed because of allegations of vote-rigging in the contest, as well as claims that many Afghans did not vote because of intimidation tactics by the Taliban.

Even when the final result was announced this week, with election officials confirming that the 70-year-old Mr Ghani had narrowly claimed victory with 50.64 percent of the vote, the main opposition candidate, Abdullah Abdullah, continued to insist that the contest had been marred by massive fraud and technical problems.

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Greek Islanders Want Their Life Back by Burak Bekdil

Posted By on February 20th, 2020

https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/15603/greece-islands-migrants

“We want our islands back… We want our lives back!!!” — Posters across Greece’s northeast Aegean islands.

The owner of the beautiful tavern… “recollects how the ‘refugee business’ works… the distance between the Turkish mainland and Lesbos is shortest here (just five miles): “It’s 1,500 euros per person and one boat takes up to 60 persons. One boat’s turnover is thus 90,000 euros if it travels once a day.”

At Moria, the largest camp on the island of Lesbos, 19,000 refugees presently seek shelter at a facility with a capacity of 2,840 people.

In 2016 Ankara and Brussels reached a deal in which the EU committed six billion euros ($6.6 billion) in migrant assistance and a more liberal visa regime for Turkish nationals in return for Turkey stopping migrants from crossing. The deal has not stopped the refugee flow from the Turkish coast. Turkey claims that so far, only about $2 billion has been paid.

Locals are angry. So are the migrants. Tens of thousands of migrants have illegally landed here, on the islands of Greece, since 2015. Some leave, some stay but most wait to be “processed’ in the hope of finding their ways into Europe’s richer countries, such as Germany.

“Theloume piso ta nisia mas…, Theloume piso ti zoi mas!!!” echo poster slogans across Greece’s northeast Aegean islands, inviting locals to debate the poisoning refugee catastrophe: “We want our islands back… We want our lives back!!!” Lesbos, an island situated on the easternmost corner of Europe and neighboring Turkey, is one of the victims that once was a paradise.

There is always the lighter side of things. A tavern owner recalls a 2015 dialogue with a Syrian migrant who had just disembarked from the rubber boat that carried him to a faraway corner of Lesbos after a perilous journey. The refugee arrives at the tavern and, in broken English, asks: “Tell me, quick, where does the train leave for Germany?”

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During the Democrat debate, they all talked about how to spend your money By Andrea Widburg

Posted By on February 20th, 2020

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

“Despite all the hate, one thing was missing from the debate: Trump’s actual policies. Except for complaining about Trump’s withdrawal from the Paris Accord, none of the candidates justified their hatred. Trump is no longer a president with policies. He is a bogeyman who lives in their heads, a monstrous creature whose mere existence despoils the world. They claim that he’s a fraud, as if he hasn’t already proven himself to the American people over the past three years.”

Putting aside the unpleasant personalities and pointless squabbles that the Democrat presidential candidates showed America on Wednesday night in Nevada, what was important was that they shared with us their vision for an American future. They see America as a dark, hate-filled dystopic country that can be saved only if a government under their care collects as much money as possible from its citizens and spreads it around to people whose votes they want.

If you cast your mind back to 2016, Trump did not speak to different racial or economic constituencies. He spoke to all Americans. His vision for America included secure borders, lower taxes, fewer regulations, strong national security, and a withdrawal from the Wilsonian ideal of America as the world’s policemen. To the extent Democrats claimed Trump was a racist it was because they interpolated racism into his words where none existed.

Trump continues to govern for all Americans. Sure, he boasts about low black unemployment, but his point is always that a rising tide lives all boats – and that he is the tide and all Americans, regardless of race, color, creed, gender, sexual orientation, etc., are the boats. His Keep America Great rallies continue to speak to everyone. He sees America as a shining jewel that can become even bigger and brighter in his next term.

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China’s Facade of Stability Recent stresses have exposed the lack of trust at the core of Beijing’s repressive model. By Jimmy Lai

Posted By on February 20th, 2020

https://www.wsj.com/articles/chinas-facade-of-stability-11582156842?mod=opinion_lead_pos5

There exists today no vaccine for the coronavirus now engulfing China. That is a challenge for President Xi Jinping as he struggles to contain it. But the spread of the coronavirus has revealed a truth that poses a much greater risk to Mr. Xi: There is no cure for Chinese communism except the collapse of the party.

The more Mr. Xi pursues his authoritarian agenda, the more distrust he will sow at home and abroad. Far from transforming Beijing into the world’s leading superpower, his policies will instead keep China from taking its rightful place of honor in a peaceful, modern and integrated world.

This much should already be clear from how badly Chinese authorities have botched their response to a virus that each day claims more innocent Chinese lives. The first culprits were the local authorities in Wuhan. When Dr. Li Wenliang tried to alert people about a potential outbreak, the official response was to have the police pressure him to sign a letter that accused him of spreading rumors and disturbing public order.

Then, when the outbreak did happen and a seafood market was identified as the probable origin of the virus, local authorities closed it down. They hid the threat, telling the public that the market was merely being renovated. In other words, as the outbreak was already under way the local government did what Communist governments always do: cover up.

Deception is China’s true rule of law. Now the world must start asking something that Chinese people living under communism ask themselves every day: How reliable can China’s political, social and economic institutions be when its local government leaders routinely lie to their citizens and superiors alike?

Mr. Xi has no understanding of this. He talks of a “people’s war” on the coronavirus and has mobilized vast resources to combat it. Communist governments excel at mobilizing resources because they are command economies, and these big actions—quarantining entire cities, deploying the military, building hospitals overnight—can look impressive.

But their efficacy is hobbled by the lack of free communication.

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Knives Out: A Glorious Wrestlemania of a Democratic Debate By Jim Geraghty

Posted By on February 20th, 2020

https://www.nationalreview.com/corner/knives-out-a-glorious-wrestlemania-of-a-democratic-debate/

Early on, political consultant Mike Murphy labeled the debate “a six way tornado of long-repressed rage, fear and desperation.” For Elizabeth Warren, Pete Buttigieg, Amy Klobuchar, and maybe even Joe Biden, the end is near. A lot of these candidates, who would be allies under different circumstances, now can barely stand to be on the same stage with one another.

The non-Bloomberg candidates contend that the former mayor is trying to buy the presidency, and they detest him for waltzing in late and rocketing up to top-tier status by throwing around hundreds of millions of dollars in ads. Within the first ten minutes, everyone had thrown a hard metaphorical punch on him and seemed to gang up on him with glee.

Tonight we saw that Mike Bloomberg the presidential candidate is way less impressive than Mike Bloomberg the advertising campaign. He’s regretful and embarrassed by the way stop-and-frisk turned out. His lawsuits and NDAs were just some jokes that went wrong. He promises to release his tax returns in a few weeks, and everyone has to understand because he’s too wealthy to use Turbo Tax.

Warren just tore Bloomberg apart on his former female employees who can’t talk about their disputes with him because of nondisclosure agreements. Bloomberg looked like the proverbial deer in the headlights, utterly unprepared for this, other than to insist that he had many female employees over the years and most of them hadn’t sued him or contended that he created a hostile working environment. Biden got in a good shot: “If people who signed NDA’s want to come forward, just say ‘yes they can.’” When Joe Biden is verbally body-slamming you over treatment of women, you’ve made a critical error.