Here are my views on selected news items of the day.
Senate Majority Leader McConnell behind health insurance bill vote loss. (palmerreeport.com)
THE HUBRIS OF MAJORITY LEADER MCCONNELL – I find it absurd that Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell returns to his “old Kentucky home,” to tell members of a local Rotary Club that the president, who “has not been in this line of work before, had excessive expectations about how quickly things happen in the democratic process.” It seems that McConnell has forgotten why voters elected outsider Donald Trump to office.
President Trump’s response via Twitter that he “(didn’t) think so. After seven years of hearing repeal & replace, why not done?” was too kind.
In my view, what kind of majority leader allows a floor vote without an assurance that Sen. John McCain would vote “yea.”
Apparently, McConnell learned little from his eight years as minority leader under Sen. Harry Reid. I would have thought that the McCain rebuff would have been enough to wake up this six-term senator to scratch the recess and keep the senate in session to do what it takes to pass a health insurance bill. Obviously, McConnell is more interested in that slow “democratic process.”
WHO ARE THE LEAKERS? – The Washington Post yesterday reported that North Korea had successfully produced a miniaturized nuclear warhead that can fit inside its missiles, quoting conclusions of “U.S. intelligence officials in a confidential assessment.” Who are these officials and who gave the Post a copy of the confidential assessment?
The Post referred to “The analysis, completed by the Defense Intelligence Agency,” and in discussing the North Korean military threat, said “U.S. officials concluded …” The article also referred to conclusions in a “new assessment, a summary document dated July 28,” and states “The IC (intelligence committee) assesses (that) …” Who’s leaking this stuff?
After revealing this information, the article states that “The DIA (Lt. Gen Vincent R. Stewart) and the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (Dan Coats) declined to comment.”
BILL KRISTOL GOES AROUND THE BEND – Kristol, the editor-at-large of The Weekly Standard has been an anti-Trumper since the campaign, but he has now told The New York Times that he has begun “informal conversations about creating a ‘Committee Not to Renominate the President.’”
Bill Kristol goes around the bend. (realclearpolitics.com)
Think “around the bend” is an exaggeration? Well get this. Kristol has surfaced an idea that conservatives should rebrand themselves as liberals, according to Julie Kelly’s recent commentary in The Federalist. “Seriously. We’re for liberal democracy, liberal world order, liberal economy, liberal education.” He wrote.
It was Kristol who falsely suggested to the Times that Vice President Mike Pence was among a group of Republicans preparing to challenge President Trump. Pence called the rumor “disgraceful and offensive.” He continues to tweet about Pence in an effort perhaps to persuade the president that Pence is not loyal.
It was Kristol who tweeted on May 29, 2016 “Just a heads up over this holiday weekend: There will be an independent candidate – an impressive one, with a strong team and a real chance.” When that “impressive” candidate, David French, a National Review columnist, didn’t commit, Kristol backed Evan McMullin – who? – for president.
Long considered an intellectual on conservative principles, Kristol is no longer taken seriously.
THE NINTH MARYLAND CITY, College Park in Prince Georg’s County, is expected to allow non-citizens – including illegal aliens – to vote in municipal elections, according to Robert Knight, writing in the American Thinker.
“The radical nature of this voting scheme reflects the progressive view that borders are merely artificial inconveniences and that citizenship is a leftover concept from the slave-holding days that should give way to global consciousness,” writes Knight, “Apparently, no documentation will be needed at all for the non-citizens, green-card holders, undocumented fence-jumpers, or over-stays on visas.” For some reason, Maryland law stipulates that felons and mentally incapacitated individuals are banned from voting.
Last year, Virginia Governor Terry McAuliffe gave some 200,000 convicted felons the right to vote with the stroke of his pen.
How long will it be before Maryland will ask that these individuals be allowed to vote in state legislative races and the presidency?
