My observations on the news of the day.
Nate Beeler editorial cartoon.
MYSTERY SOLVED – I have often wondered about the origin of the word “demagogue” – a person, especially a political leader, who arouses the emotions, passions and prejudices of the people. DEM-agogue. Get it? It came to me this week as Democrats are spewing more hate against the Trump administration with their classic demagoguery. “Thousands of people are going to die” with the repeal of ObamaCare, and “tax cuts for the rich” with the proposed tax reform bill. Columnist Thomas Sowell refers to the Dem line as “tax lies for the gullible.”
As expected, The New York Times plastered, “Tax Overhaul Would Aid Wealthiest” across six columns of the front page, while The Wall Street Journal reported in a straight forward manner, “Trump Unveils Broad Tax-Cut Plan.” The media bias and hate continues.
RULES FOR THE CLINTONISTAS were/are different than for General David Petraeus, or for you and me. FBI Director James Comey revealed that they found more than 6,000 Hillary Clinton e-mails, including some that were classified, that had been forwarded by her aide Huma Abedin to her husband’s (Anthony Weiner) computer. So, not only did she fail to disclose the device to the FBI during the investigation, she didn’t realize that the forwarding of classified e-mails to an unsecure computer was illegal. The rules of perjury simply don’t apply to the Clintonistas.
A BIG MISTAKE – Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell named 13 senators to form a study group as the Senate prepares to address health care insurance. The problem is there are no women and no Democrats in the group. I doubt that he has forgotten that GOP Senators Susan Collins and Lisa Murkowski went against the party in the vote to confirm Betsy DeVos to become Educations Secretary. Democrat Sen. Joe Manchin of West Virginia would be a willing participant, who could possibly attract others from the opposition party.
A DECISION ON THE PARIS AGREEMENT on climate change by President Trump is expected soon. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, Energy Secretary Rick Perry and Ivanka Trump are persuading the president to stay in, but renegotiate the terms, while EPA Director Scott Pruitt and advisor Steve Bannon want him to get out. Oddly enough, if the president decides to remain in the agreement, it could strengthen lawsuits against the White House over his agenda, which includes his sweeping repeal of Obama emission regulations. The U.S. would also face legal problems if it moves to weaken emission goals under the agreement. The U.S. still owes $2.5 billion (yes, billion) to the UN Green Climate Fund. More evidence of the lack of negotiating expertise in the Obama administration. My guess is that the president will negotiate a deal that will allow him to retain a seat at the table, but at a much less monetary contribution and less of an emission commitment.
MY ENGLISH VOCABULARY LESSON for the day: All passes are free, so suffice it to say, someone was given a pass … not a free pass.
