Commentary

But first, this Wednesday breaking news …

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell announced that he would be relinquishing his leadership position in November, after the election, when the senate generally meets to confirm leadership.  He will stay on in the senate until his term ends in January 2027.

While McConnell has been on the receiving end of criticism from time to time, including some from his own party, most pundits will remember him for blocking the Supreme Court nomination of Merrick Garland, while shepherding three conservative Supreme Court nominations, 175 district court judgeships, and 54 to courts of appeal. Thanks, Mitch.

Biden-Trump

Monmouth University has been surveying public attitudes toward building a wall at the southern border since 2015, when Trump made it an integral part of his campaign.

“It shall be the policy of my administration that no more American taxpayer dollars be diverted to construct a border wall.” President Biden, January 20, 2021

When Biden stopped progress on the wall, about $100 million in fencing materials, paid for taxpayers, and enough to build 100 miles of wall, was stacked along the border to rust.

In an effort to clear up confusion over the miles of border wall completed by Trump before he left office, it should be noted that there are three types of border barriers. 

The wall seen in news coverage is classified as a primary barrier, designed to block access to people walking or in vehicles, is the type normally in contention.  The Trump administration constructed 62 miles of that type of barrier and replaced 351 miles of other primary barriers.  In addition, he replaced 22 miles of what are termed secondary barriers, designed to stop pedestrians.

Now, with immigration being the number one priority issue in the presidential campaign season, Monmouth notes that support for the wall has swelled from a low point of 35 percent during the Trump administration to 53 percent, as 61 percent view illegal entries a “very serious problem.”

Under the circumstances, it appears that “Mr. Biden still finds himself helping to build a border wall that was one of the signature objectives of his predecessor,” reported the New York Times, “even as he maintains that such barriers are ineffective in curbing unlawful entry from Mexico.”

That … despite his Department of Homeland Security’s statement that “There is presently an acute and immediate need to construct physical barriers and roads in the vicinity of the border of the United States in order to prevent unlawful entries.”

The administration is waiving more than 20 federal laws and regulations to allow for the construction of physical barriers along a portion of the border near McAllen, Texas.

Border Sidebar

Let me refresh your memory on how we got into the mess at the border. Just two months after Biden revoked Trump’s border policies, he named Vice President Harris to “lead the administration’s efforts to stem migration at the southern border.”  He said, “She’s the most qualified person to do it.”

Note his use of the word “stem,” which in this context means “stop or restrict.”

On September 11, 2022, during her appearance on NBC’s Meet the Press, host Chuck Todd spoke of “two million people crossing the border for the first time ever.  You’re confident this border’s secure?”

“We have a secure border in that it is a priority for any nation, including ours and our administration,” she answered, “But there are still a lot of problems that we are trying to fix,” she added before again falsely blaming the previous administration saying, “given the deterioration that happened over the last four years.”

She followed speaking of the need to “put in place a law and a plan for a pathway for citizenship for the millions of people who are here,” again accusing Republicans for “playing politics.”

Playing “hardball” is what Kramerontheright demands.  We don’t want a pathway to citizenship for those who crossed illegally.

President Biden will soon visit Brownsville, Texas, where he will see nothing. During an interview, the mayor said they were making the city pretty. Former President Trump will be visiting Eagle Pass, Texas, where we have seen what the Texas governor has done to STEM the invasion of illegals.

Biden Support Dilemma

While Biden supporters are concerned about the immigration issue and the continued comments about the president’s age and memory, the left-leaning media, except on a few occasions, are intentionally attempting to protect him.

As I wrote recently, while NBC Meet the Press host Kristen Welker openly asked Gov. Gavin Newsom about the president’s age and memory, she allowed him to give Biden a glowing endorsement.

At the time, I didn’t have the space to go into Welker’s clash with Florida’s Republican Rep. Byron Donalds, during which she tried to persuade Donalds that Special Counsel Hur essentially cleared the president when he said, “there wasn’t enough evidence to bring charges,” without adding that it was because he would be unable to convince a jury of a serious felony due to his mental state.

Donalds insisted that “The Espionage Act is clear.  You cannot possess those documents as a senator or a vice president.  Joe Biden took them from a SCIF, that’s a violation of the Espionage Act, period,” said Donalds.

I was reminded of FBI Director James Comey’s reason for not taking Hillary Clinton to trial over the mishandling of classified documents.  He didn’t see an “intent” to do so.

Black on Black

The Rev. Al Sharpton, who has been a controversial figure in American politics, has carte blanche with the Democrat party and the left-leaning media.  During the MSNBC coverage of a speech by former President Trump in South Carolina, Sharpton went on a rant against “those blacks that are standing there with him – have you no shame?”

I was reminded of the foolish remark Biden made during his 2020 appearance on The Breakfast Club, hosted by Charlamagne tha God:  “Well I tell you what, if you have a problem figuring out whether you’re for me or Trump then you ain’t black.”

Responding to Sharpton’s remark, Lattina Brown, a New York councilwoman, said, “You cannot tell black people who they can and cannot vote for.  “(I’m) tired of people like you shaming black people for finally having their own voice. 

“We have been done such a disservice for decades and we are always last.  It’s their constitutional right and really not for you to judge those who no longer want to be part of the sick radical agenda!”

It seems as though the Rev is a bit concerned about the black vote in 2024.

May God continue to bless the United States of America.