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Monday, March 8, 2021

Briefly Noted: Kushners, SCOTUS, Etc.

We start the week with a bit of a news roundup--one which points toward the road ahead for conservatives.

Gavin Wax has takedown of the influence the Kushners--Jared and Ivanka--had over Trump. And probably still have: 


The 800 Pound Gorilla in Trump’s Inner Circle

If the president cannot learn from his most glaring mistake, Jared Kushner, it is time for the Republican Party to move on and find a worthy successor for the MAGA revolution he started.


The list of Kushner related miscues is long and disquieting. Most involve the Kushners' obvious antipathy for the Trump base, especially social conservatives. It also involves the Kushners advancing unqualified and venal cronies, such as Brad Parscale. This is a highly recommended read.

Where we may see some of this play out in coming months could be with Trump's endorsements. There are a number of GOP senators who will not be running for reelection in 2022 or who richly deserve to be primaried. The question will be, Will Trump make smart, principled choices when it comes to endorsements? Choices that will truly advance the agenda he has proclaimed and that has been embraced by so much of the country. 

This next is hardly news:


Supreme Court Tosses Trump's Last Election Appeals


Once the SCOTUS abdicated its constitutional responsibilities--there's no other way to put it--by declining the TX case, there was no reason to expect they would do anything other than what they have done--decline to take any election cases, without comment.

I've read the commentators who think Roberts has some sort of strategy to keep the SCOTUS out of politics and put the onus on the States to get their own electoral houses in order. While I hope that happens, I can't accept that the strategy itself--if that's the idea--is truly responsible from a constitutional standpoint. That the State legislatures should act forcefully to prevent a repeat of the usurpation by governors and other executive actors would obviously be a Very Good Thing--but like so many Very Good Things it's a lot easier said than done in our messy "system." The consequences of a SCOTUS abdication combined with a failure on the part of State legislatures to retake their constitutional role doesn't bear thinking for the future of America.

At the same time, Red States aren't the only States experiencing serious problems that could impact elections. We're all watching CA and NY, where Dem governors are in big trouble that could affect the fortunes of their parties. Well, perhaps at the margins. OTOH, there are other Blue States where the issue of school reopening is becoming a hot electoral issue that could play out in 2021--giving a preview of what could be a major issue in 2022 on a national level. Here's one article today that discusses this:


Democratic refusal to open schools is on the ballot in Virginia and New Jersey in 2021


Playing into the continued refusal of Dems--especially assisted by their Teachers Union proxies--to reopen, slowly spreading information and transparency on the scale of the Covid Hoax could finally factor in. This was an area that I felt that Trump really did fail, perhaps also as a result of heeding the Kushners. Here's just one tidbit:


CDC: Face Masks Don’t Prevent COVID-19, Study Finds Masks Have Negligible Impact On Coronavirus Numbers


Will the public finally become fed up with oppression by Covid hypochondriacs and their Globalist/Dem enablers and grifter special interest constituencies? There are finally some hopeful signs, but not nearly enough.

Finally, the wave of resentment directed at PC Woke oppression may swell anew as a result of the tsunami of Executive Orders emanating from behind the Border Fence surrounding the Imperial City on the Potomac. In addition to those EO's there have been numerous other actions taken to re-empower the Woke activists at the local level. Here's a good example:


Department of Education Reverses Decision that Found Race-Based ‘Affinity Groups’ Discriminatory


Technically, what actually happened is that the Zhou Baiden regime--as early as 1/22/21--simply suspended all investigation and investigation in this matter. It's finished, back to the Obama normal. What was the Obama Nornal? Try this example:


The practices carried out in the Evanston-Skokie School District were found to be in violation of civil rights law under Title 6. Among the practices that were found to be blatantly racist and discriminatory were “racially exclusive affinity groups” that not only separated students, but also parents and community members by their race, as well as an “explicit direction” policy that directed teachers to consider a student’s race when determining disciplinary action. The practices also involved a “Colorism Privilege Walk,” where White students would be told to step forward ahead of their non-White classmates, and would be shamed in front of the entire class for their “privilege.”


Now, understand that Evanston--home to Northwestern University--recently voted reparations for African Americans. The city proposes to pay $25K "reparations" per head--I'm sorry, I was too disgusted to sort out the details. Nevertheless, I continue to believe that all this will prove hugely unpopular. Time will tell, but all this is in the mix in the leadup to Election 2022, which promises to be an enormously consequential election.


30 comments:

  1. Elections shmections. The only reason that Republicans won the contested congressional races in 2020 is the Trump Tidal Wave Effect(c). Did the Democrats cheat in those races? You bet they did! But Trump drove so many people to vote that it overcame the rigged elections in those districts. In fact, the wave was so big that Trump would've won reelection if not for the frantic and outrageous stopped counting and import of millions of phony ballots. So don't kid yourself about 2022. There won't be Trump on the ballot to drive voters. And no matter how angry you think voters will be in 2022, many more voters will be too disillusioned by the collapse of law and democracy to vote. And Democrats will make darn sure to have all the cheating in place to manufacture a "blue wave,"just like they did in 2018. The only hope is that Red States nullify unconstitutional federal laws and actions and dare the feds to enforce federal writ. Genral strikes by truckers and other vital industries might play a part too. Elections? Not at the federal level.

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    1. Speaking of elections - rigged elections - has anyone seen this yet?

      https://www.amazon.com/Deep-Rig-Election-Fraud-Donald-ebook/dp/B08X1Z9FHP/ref=sr_1_4?dchild=1&keywords=patrick+byrne&qid=1615242937&s=digital-text&sr=1-4

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    2. Besides, by Nov. 2022, millions more immigrants will be voting (Dem).
      Why worry about those now on the rolls, when the rolls can be padded at will?

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  2. I recommend the Baris & Barnes What Are The Odds podcast after CPAC. Barnes thinks that as long as Jason Miller, Bill Stepien, and Justin Clark remain involved in Trump World that Trump is never going to get it together. This is a LONG podcast but I don't think any analysts / pollsters are more knowledgeable than these guys:
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lSFzq252X5w

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  3. I agree about the Kushner article. Robert Barnes and Rich Baris (People's Pundit) has been saying the same thing about him for the longest time. It is a weakness of Trump in that he values loyalty over competence.

    I disagree about Anonymous's comment about the 2022 elections.
    True that Trump is not on the ballot but the anger remains.
    Combined with the radical agenda being passed by the Fascists (I call them what they are), the anger is not dissipating. Also the Trump base is "woke up" and not "woke" about election integrity. That issue drives a lot of us.

    It cuts both ways too. People driven to the polls with anti-Trump sentiment will not feel so driven to go. Also the impact of their vote will become apparent with $3+ gas, High unemployment and the woke culture.

    Also there is that dirty nuclear bomb about to hit Congress. Reapportionment where Blue State have to fight over the scraps and the Red States get to divvy up the spoils.

    Politics are not static. There is a lot of work to be done but I am optimistic and most importantly engaged.

    Spartacus

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    1. People driven to the polls with anti-Trump sentiment will not feel *so driven* to go, until the next DS setup of "white supremacists/ insurrectionists" drives Dem activists/ MSM to spare no effort, to bring the Left out, pad voting rolls, and intimidate GOP voters, esp. in swing states/ districts.

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  4. Loyalty versus incompetence?

    It’s daughter and son in law.

    This attempt to drive a wedge in Trump’s family has been on going since 2016.

    Of course, the 800lb gorilla of Middle East peace is ignored. Yeah, they had a big hand that.

    You know, it’s not his family nor Trump himself that was the problem. It’s the fact that Trump and his family actively upset the power structure of our government.

    Trump is not a social or fiscal conservative. Yes, he did state and believes that programs like social security is not socialism. He was not that concerned about government spending. While he was not for official government recognition of gay marriage, he put gays in the cabinet, as ambassadors, and in judgeships, and stated he has no problems with homosexuality.

    If you are going to blame anyone, blame Trump. Sorry, I call this BS.

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    1. I can certainly agree with a lot of this. Re ME "peace", it's not peace--it's just a more overt anti-Iran and anti-Turkey alliance among Israel and various Sunni run states. That sort of marriage of convenience can fall apart quickly.

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    2. From the very get-go of Trump's administration, many turned a blind eye to the glaring, obvious reality of his dependence upon his daughter and son-in-law for their "senior" advice. It was no secret both have ties to Soros and our faux pas all along has been our failure to question why Trump needed a back door to every ostensibly Conservative agenda he implemented.

      The late Phyllis Schlafly would be doing somersaults in her grave to learn of Ivanka Trump's commie-mommy programs giving incentive to mothers to leave their children in day care so they can go work to supplement their income.

      And yes, while Trump postured as a Conservative defending and upholding Catholic and religious rights, he also boldly and proudly unfurled the multi-colored polyester fake rainbow flag to pander to that particular lobby.

      We wonder about Justice Roberts? We wonder why Trump, at the very end, when everything he needed to drain the global swamp lined up like dominoes before him, so egregiously failed us? What happened to his Executive Order 2018? Why, when Antifa and BLM were torching our cities and killing our citizens didn't he use the Insurrection Act as he should have done had he sincerely been invested in another term as POTUS?

      WHY? This says it all. It's a long read, but there can be no doubt that this is what the Left used to silence Trump and they will keep kicking this can down the road until the end of time. Trump will never, ever overcome his past. It is sickening to find respectable pundits and journalists still waving the flag for Trump who, just like the Leftist sycophants, refuse to see Trump for who he truly is. Meanwhile, can we doubt that he laughs all the way to the bank.

      Trump failed Americans miserably and the Leftists filth has done a great job of making a complete donkey out of him.

      https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2020/10/i-called-everyone-in-jeffrey-epsteins-little-black-book/

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    3. Well, that's 20 minutes I'll never get back. The MJ article says...nothing. If the left had Epstein dirt on Trump they wouldn't have bothered with all their illegal, risky, labyrinthine machinations for four years to take him down. In fact, they would have quietly taken him aside before he came down the escalator and ended his political career before it began.

      The left / media tried to tar Trump with Epstein when the Miami Herald article first came out. It did not stick and they backed off quickly--no doubt because they had the actual vulnerabilities. Trump kicked Epstein out of Mar-a-Lago for hustling young girls. No way he got through four years of pitched battle with the left without them throwing everything they had at him. They had nothing on him.

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    4. Thanks PDQ. You said it. I realize Mark approves these exercises in trolling every once in a while to help us hone our inner happy warrior.

      Mark A

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  5. agree with TXDude...Middle East peace was the holy grail until these guys achieved it...now the Dems are doing what they can to get back to their Iran/PLO axis. These pundits writing about Trump's mistakes and all this remind me of all the other RINOs. Trump is the populist choice, and there's a lot of populists out there in the people! The populists in the voting group don't care about all the policy wonk stuff- Trump shows he understands and stands with what most populists' common sense tells them, so he's their guy...and will be. Jared and Ivanka may not be Bible Belters and all that, but they are loyal, well-spoken, and competent at what they do. There weren't a lot of leaks during the Mid East negotiations. Ivanka is always very well spoken and seems very intelligent. I liked her on the Apprentice...nuff said!

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    1. Trump made a large number of bad personnel choices and stuck with them far too long before correcting them. "If you are going to blame anyone, blame Trump" is right on the money. In the end Trump was the chief executive whose campaign failed to effectively counter Dem attacks on voter integrity. He was the chief executive who chose a legal team that ran an unfocused, ineffective effort. Leave aside Kushner and Ivanka and their left-leaning proclivities, what brought Trump down was, IMO, self-inflicted wounds in the last year: 1) he failed to bring in any counterweights to Fauci and Birx until far too late 2) he didn't counterattack the DNC election integrity lawfare and 3) the post-election legal process was a complete muddle. I suppose it's easier to see all this in retrospect, but I must say all his tweets warning about the coming mail-in voting election mess showed he was quite aware of the danger. I was praying that he had a battle plan--but instead all he had was Rudy G.

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    2. @PDQuig

      1/ I can't disagree that Fauci (really, Covid) and election issues (really, Covid) were major problems for Trump and contributed mightily to his 'loss'.

      But I can't agree that they were self-inflicted wounds.

      Who could have imagined beforehand Fauci's treachery and incompetence in the face of a literally unprecedented crisis. Yes, Trump exposed himself to criticism from a hateful media by crowding the stage (and probably lost some votes) but I have a hard time identifying any specific actions he took which in fact exacerbated the pandemic, especially in light of the federal/state allocation of power tensions which the pandemic exposed. And, at the end of the day, the only real remedy for the pandemic (other than letting it run its course) is the vaccines (if they are in fact a remedy), for which Trump is entitled to a lion's share of the credit.

      Similarly, I find it hard to blame Trump for the election result. Don't forget, for every vote Trump lost because he is 'Trump', he won another because he is 'Trump'. At the end of the day this added up to far more votes than he got in 2016. Did Biden get more? As much as the Left would like to cancel anyone who thinks otherwise, a fair conclusion at this stage is that we really don't know.

      Yes, Trump should have challenged earlier and harder the tapestry of actions taken by the DNC and Big Tech and others to change election procedures. But we have learned that these challenges are incredibly hard to mount and to prevail on. We have learned that the state courts populated with political judges will ignore the state constitutions and the federal courts will not intervene or overrule. We have learned that state law will permit a recount of illegally cast votes (leading to the same result), but will not permit an audit to determine whether votes were in fact legally cast. We have learned that a post-election 'recount' will not even permit signature verification of mail-in ballots.

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    3. 2/Most importantly, we have learned that our presidential election system is vulnerable to the irregularities and illegalities which the Dems exploited and that practical remedies are not available, especially in the time frames for ballot casting and election certification currently baked into our election law.

      And then who could have predicted the utter abdication of the Supreme Court, which has simply refused to hear bona fide constitutional questions relating to the election and, worse, has given no explanation for its actions.

      Could Trump somehow have fought better or stronger against this election debacle? Perhaps. I was certainly not impressed by Giuliani's performance (does Giuliani have a drinking problem? Sure looks like it...) but as I type on March 9, 2021 I'm not sure in hindsight what litigation strategy could or would have prevailed in the face of state and federal courts' unwillingness to hear the cases on the merits or decide them on the law.

      As others have said, this breakdown poses yet another huge threat to our Constitutional republic.

      In summary, I'm inclined to believe that as a practical matter Trump did all he could do to win the election...and that but for election irregularities and illegalities for which he had no practical due process to contest, he may well have won the election.

      Yes, I think he knew this long before election day and I suspect his strategy was to win by such a decisive margin in the swing states that the Dems lawfare tactics would fail by sheer weight of numbers. As I watched his rallies in the runup to the election, I was optimistic that this would work. Does anyone remember the conservative pollster, Robert Cahaly of The Trafalgar Group, who stated publicly right before the election that Trump needs “to get further along than he is. I think he’s going to need to win Pennsylvania by four or five [percentage points] to overcome the voter fraud that’s going to happen there.” What voter fraud was Cahaly really talking about? We still don't know.

      Postscript: In the election debacle, as in so many other ways, Trump has demonstrated an uncanny ability to expose the real problems, and often the horrifying hypocrisies, in our system that the Elites would prefer we simply ignore. For this, Trump (in my book) will go down as one of our greatest Presidents.

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    4. Totally agree with these statements. Because of that we suffered. There is an article where I really like the ending section: A Party and a Movement, Not a Fan Club

      https://stream.org/hail-hydra-why-the-maga-movement-must-become-a-multi-headed-monster/

      Spartacus

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    5. All fair enough, however my assumption is that Trump was taking advice re Covid from his senior advisers--the Kushners. His big mistake was to turn it over to Pence and Fauci. Fauci has no particular qualifications, was a spectacular failure in the past, was known to be in bed with Dems, is too old and corrupt. He turned to the guy from CA way too late in the game, and the Kushners were giving him just the standard play it safe establishment style advice. He shoulda said, this is a totally new situation and we need somebody who can think outside the box. I acknowledge this is 20/20 hindsight, and that I listened far too long to screwballs like Osterholm. Still, Trump and the Kushners had access to a helluva lot more than any of us.

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    6. @Cassander

      Lots of great points. I started following Dr. Ioannidis after his March 17, 2020 cautionary article:
      https://www.statnews.com/2020/03/17/a-fiasco-in-the-making-as-the-coronavirus-pandemic-takes-hold-we-are-making-decisions-without-reliable-data/

      ...and it occurred to me even then that the models HAD to be junk. I had started a spreadsheet tracking Santa Clara County and CA Covid cases and deaths weeks before the county began charting the data graphically. The day after Ioannidis' article, Gov Newsom said that we would have 25.5 million cases by June 2020. A simple calculation showed me that the state's cases would have to double every three days for two months for that to occur--obviously ridiculous. All of this information told me that Trump needed outside-the-government experts to counter Fauci and Birx. Nobody was adducing any evidence or even fact-based hypotheses and we were ignoring long-established epidemiological doctrine (you do not quarantine the healthy). That is my issue #1 with Trump's handling Covid. Most executives like to have opposing points of view present during important policy decision-making. That's why I characterize Trump's failure as self-inflicted.

      As to the rest of your comments about the pre- and post-election I'll grant you many if not all of your points, but do not think your position and mine are mutually exclusive. It may well be that the DNC's Cloward-Piven approach overwhelmed the Trump team. I just thought that his awareness (as evidenced by his tweets) should have resulted in a more solid strategy. Even just sitting down one-on-one with Patrick Byrne and Matt Braynard in early December could have salvaged a few states--and that might have begun a preference cascade.

      Last point: what I see going on right now does not give me the warm and fuzzies that the state GOP parties are up to the challenge.

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    7. @PDQuig

      In terms of the future, I agree that we are most certainly not 'out of the woods'.

      In terms of whether 'Trump needed outside-the-government experts to counter Fauci and Birx', I wholeheartedly agree that he did. Where we might differ relates to the politics of taking Fauci and Birx out.

      He ended up, too late probably, with Scott Atlas, who the Left and the MSM also tried to destroy.

      Have you seen Atlas' powerful and brilliant article responding to the Left...published earlier this week?

      https://stanfordreview.org/scott-atlas-the-last-word/

      It should be required reading for every sentient American.

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    8. @Cass

      Yes, thanks, I did read it earlier today. A real tour de force that I circulated to my daily listserve distribution. There are SO many people who have blood on their hands for purposefully pushing bad science in the service of political power.

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  6. I have never understood the need for so-called “Conservatives” to hack away at Jared and Ivanka. He seems like a serious, kind of wonky guy who got some things done in the ME. Maybe not perfect but better than what preceded it - and he didn’t have to fight his way through a line of others trying to solve that knotty problem. For most of the so-called “diplomats” it was a Third Rail.

    As for Ivanka, she is not exactly Everywoman, but I cannot see where she has done anything but conduct herself with dignity and grace befitting a President’s daughter while being a good Mother and running her own business - which she dumped when it would have presented a potential negative for her and her father.

    I see a lot of the gossipy green-eyed hydra in those who undercut the man they purport to support by saying/posting nasty things about his family. The Trumps have far more class than anyone else I see in DC these days… or perhaps any day?

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  7. Do you see Biden foreswearing Hunter? No! He defends him. Hunter is family, imperfect and in many ways a failure, but Hunter also produces as in the mafia kickin up way.

    Either way, no matter the drag, Biden and the Democrats support.

    Trump’s daughter and son in law have made major contributions to his administration and the word itself. True, missteps have been made, but so?

    Sigh ...

    Many wanted W to ditch Cheney. Here we are again, tearing apart.

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  8. Spartacus nailed it, reapportionment + State party control and governorships means regardless of sentiment, illegals, Trump picks or much else, the GOPe will end up with both houses in 2022.

    Besides, the DS will need Repubs back in charge by then to deflect the liberal mobs, that way the Dems can go back to blaming the Uniparties other half again for what they didn't do.

    Deflect, rinse, wash, repeat, DC's business as usual. It's as predictable as the sun rising tomorrow.

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  9. Interesting article on the Kushners.

    Couple areas the article ignored:

    - role of the DOJ
    - immigration was no longer a hit button issue due to Covid and Trump
    - Role of AG Barr
    - Impact of voter fraud on Black Vote
    - Change of GOP to a working class party
    - Lack of traction at the time on Trans issue. It was not seen as a hot button issue by the base.
    - eGOP that impacted Trumps Senate confirmations
    - impact of Mueller investigation on Trump Administration
    - impact of Cancel Culture on Trump Administration hires. It limited his pool
    - Role of eGOP administration hires that hobbled many policies doing their part as the resistance.
    - use of lawfare to hobble the Trump Administration
    - impact of Paul Ryan and John McCain on first two years of Trump administration
    - pushback Trump encountered from elites on using Federal forces against Blm and Antifa.
    - how eGOP aided and abetted the voter fraud through their actions

    With everything and everyone that was against Trump, it’s amazing what he did get done.

    I wish Trump had picked a fight on critical race earlier in his administration, as well as pushing school choice. As well as start building the wall in his first year.

    Trump seems focused on fixing the GOP, with a a focus on controlling fund raising. He sees use of his name as high leverage. Lots of eGOP members of both houses are not running for re-election.

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  10. I don't but into anyone's ability to "fix" or change a political party by any means if election. It's aspirin for cancer.

    I think this is another bad idea pushed by political hacks advising Trump and it plays into the ole adage of Dem vs Repubs and RINO vs conservative. All are misnomers in my book. I'm very concerned that Trump's desire for revenge (which I don't fault him for) is overlooking the better means to actual change.

    This all focuses on minor symptoms and not the actual issues of the parties corrupted ways. Even if you vote out 86% of them you are not going to dent the parties overall function. The lobbyist, the funds, the consultants, the PACs, foundations, etc that are engrained into the organization and DC politics.

    Also, we've seen this party within a party game before. The Tea Party gave us the Paul Ryans, Mark Rubios and Trey Gowdys. The MAGA party within the party didn't fair well to begin with so why are we doing it again?

    Our country needs leadership in the absolute worse way and that leadership needs to be honest with us about the real issues going on, not the symptoms. Else were just going to be curb stomped again and again and again. I'd be much happier if Trump were being less allusive about motives and more open about the "why's" to his thoughts and goals... That was my original attraction to him and it's seeming very tone deaf to my ears right now.

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    1. That raises the very legitimate question of whether the American experiment--and, yes, the Founding Fathers did regard it as an experiment--is turning out to be a failure. And what the alternatives are.

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  11. I'm reading through the Gavin Wax article, and I notice most of his sources are MSM.

    The paragraph on Brad Parscale has sources:
    Yahoo
    Msn
    Guardian
    CNN
    Forbes

    How can we believe those sources are legitimate? And why would the author use them?

    Frank

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    1. Makes you wonder why AmGreatness published and I linked the Gavin Wax article.

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  12. Almost since his election day, many “Trump supporters” posted with great angst their beliefs that President Trump hung on Jared’s and Ivanka’s every word of “advice” and gave them great weight in his decision-making. Blamed Trump for this. They could never cite an example with a source to uphold their “opinion” but simply “believed” that he “had to be relying on them”.

    This made little sense to this mother of adult children who listens to their opinions, even solicits them, respects them, and then makes up her own mind. Viewing President Trump as a strong, decisive man with a good mind, I can’t imagine his doing anything different from that.

    I also do not believe in the boogeyman, assuming it to be everywhere, nor do I run and jump into bed from 4 feet out to avoid what might be hiding under it.

    Some seem to need to construct their own conspiracy theories, ooglyboogies and all the rest. Drama queens with zero roots in reality.

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