thetennesseestar--2020-11-14--Democrats Say Facebook, Google Political Ad Bans Will Suppress Voter Turnout During Senate Double Ru

Democrats Say Facebook, Google Political Ad Bans Will Suppress Voter Turnout During Senate Double Runoff Election in Georgia

Facebook and Google are banning political ads from their platforms with no exceptions allowed , at a time when two U.S. Senate seats are up for grabs in a Jan. 5 runoff election in Georgia that could help determine control of that chamber , NBC News reported .
The Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee criticized the decisions , which they said , “ amount to unacceptable voter suppression.
” Facebook advertising executive Rob Leathern tweeted , “ We ’ re temporarily extending a number of measures we put in place to protect the election process .
Everyone on Facebook and Instagram @ @ @ @ @ @ @ labels we ’ ve been running on candidate posts saying Biden is the projected winner.
” Leathern also tweeted , “ We know that people are disappointed that we can ’ t immediately enable ads for runoff elections in Georgia and elsewhere .
It ’ s taken years to build the infrastructure that supports the Facebook Ad Library and ensure that political ads are transparent.
” Georgia is in an unusual situation this year in that both U.S. Senate seats are up for grabs ; a state ’ s seats are normally staggered @ @ @ @ @ @ @ are Republicans .
Incumbent U.S. Sen. David Perdue was on the regular six-year re-election schedule and is running against Democrat Jon Ossoff , The New York Times reported .
Incumbent U.S. Sen. Kelly Loeffler was appointed to her seat last year after Sen. Johnny Isakson retired for health reasons .
She was on a special election to serve the remainder of the term , which expires in 2022 .
Her opponent is Democrat Raphael Warnock .
Both races are now in runoff status because none of the candidates reached the required minimum 50 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ National Committee on Friday said it will invest in more than 600 staffers in Georgia at a cost of at least $ 20 million for the runoff , The Associated Press reported .
The RNC says it knocked on more than 3 million doors in Georgia for Election Day 2020 , made more than 8 million phone calls and registered at least 16,000 voters .
Jason M. Reynolds has more than 20 years ’ experience as a journalist at outlets of all sizes .
The Associated Press contributed to this story .


thetennesseestar--2020-11-14--Loeffler Campaign Launches ‘Radical Raphael’ Website Detailing Warnock’s Policies and Past

Senator Kelly Loeffler ( R-GA ) launched a website , “ Radical Raphael , ” detailing her Democratic opponent Raphael Warnock ’ s policies and past .
The homepage has a picture of Warnock , titled “ Raphael Warnock : The Most Radical and Dangerous Candidate in America.
” The website is a hint of the contentious general election runoff between the two .
The site summarizes Warnock as a “ left-wing radical with a dangerous agenda ” with “ anti-American values ” as presented through his policy and speech .
Further down , there ’ s included a campaign @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” The video makes light of clips from Warnock ’ s campaign videos before cutting to Warnock ’ s support of Reverend Jeremiah Wright .
Wright was Barack Obama ’ s pastor who gained notoriety when he publicly damned America and stated that the country could only blame itself for 9/11 .
The video also highlighted Warnock ’ s criticisms of police , Israel , the 2nd amendment , and Marxism .
At the bottom of the page , visitors can click one of three options : “ Anti-American Values , ” “ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Agenda.
” Under the first tab , the website linked Warnock with Marxism and Communist leader Fidel Castro .
Warnock has denied close ties with Castro , asserting that he never invited the dictator to speak at his church .
Then , the dropdown pages for each of the “ Anti-American Values ” ascribed to Warnock include links to articles , YouTube videos , and livestreams as way of proof .
The included topics accuse Warnock of close ties to Castro and Wright , anti-Israel sentiments , domestic abuse , anti-gun sentiments , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ concerning Warnock ’ s policies is organized the same as the first : drop-down pages with articles , videos , and social media posts as proof .
Loeffler ’ s campaign links Warnock to tax raises reaching trillions of dollars , socialized medicine , and the Green New Deal .
The third and final tab outlined what it described as Warnock ’ s “ Dangerous Agenda [ s ] ” – defunding and opposing the police , and emptying prisons .
The Tennessee Star reached out to Loeffler ’ s campaign about Warnock @ @ @ @ @ @ @ spokesperson didn ’ t respond with comment by press time .
Corinne Murdock is a reporter at The Tennessee Star and the Star News Network .
Follow her latest on Twitter , or email tips to [ email protected ] .

by Virginia Allen
Republican governors are sending National Guard troops to the southern border.
Governors of Arkansas, Iowa, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota, Virginia, and West Virginia announced this week they will send troops and resources to Texas to support the work of Texas Gov. Greg Abbott and Operation Lone Star to secure the southern border.
“President [Joe] Biden’s failure at our southern border puts the entire country at risk,” Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders said Thursday. “States must now step up where the president has failed to repel illegals, fight the cartels, and stop human and drug trafficking.”
Sanders is sending 80 National Guard troops to the border in July. Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt will send troop but has not clarified how many, and North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum also announced Thursday that he will send 100 National Guardsmen to Texas to help secure the southern border. Gov. Mike DeWine says he will send 14 State Highway troopers and supervisors to Texas for two weeks. South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem says she will deploy about 50 National Guard troops to the border this summer.
Arkansas, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, and South Dakota join nine other GOP governors who have already pledged to send troops and resources to Texas to help secure the state’s border with Mexico.
“The ongoing border crisis facing our nation has turned every state into a border state,” Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin said in a statement Wednesday.
“Given the intensive resource demands on Texas, the dangers posed by the fentanyl crisis, and impact of the border crisis on criminal activity to the Commonwealth, Virginia will do its part to assist the State of Texas’ efforts with the coordinated deployment of Virginia National Guard soldiers to assist in key aspects of their mission,” Youngkin said.
Youngkin is sending 100 troops and 21 supporting personnel to Texas from the commonwealth.
West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice is sending up to 50 National Guard troops and airmen to the border for up to 30 days. South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster says he will also send troops to the border but has yet to announce how may.
“The safety and security of South Carolinians require that we stop the drug cartels, criminals, and terrorists from entering our country to peddle their poison,” McMaster said in a statement Wednesday.
Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds said Tuesday that she will send 100 National Guard troops and 30 Department of Public Safety personnel to the border.
The Republican governors’ decision to send troops to the southern border comes in response to Abbott’s request for states to join Texas and help secure the border through the work of Operation Lone Star, Texas’ border security plan.
Nine GOP governors met with Abbott in Austin, Texas, on May 22 to discuss the border crisis. The meeting was held about a week after Abbott sent a letter to fellow governors asking them to help Texas secure the border.
The Texas governor applauded Idaho and Florida for already having sent border security resources and personnel to the Lone Star State to help secure the border and invited more governors to join in the “mission to defend our national sovereignty and territorial integrity and send all available law enforcement personnel and resources to the Texas-Mexico border to serve alongside our thousands of Texas National Guard soldiers and Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) troopers.”
Last week, Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee announced he will send 100 National Guard troops to the border and Nebraska Gov. Jim Pillen committed to send 10 state troopers to Texas to “help stop the influx of illegal immigration at our southern border.”
Florida, Idaho, and Mississippi were among the first states to answer Abbott’s call for help.
On May 17, Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves announced he was mobilizing a National Guard unit to the border.
“To keep Mississippians safe and limit the impact of our nation’s open borders, the Mississippi National Guard’s 112th Military Police Battalion has been mobilized and is supporting Customs and Border Protection officers and agents along the Southwest border.”
The day before Reeves’ announcement, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said Florida had “over 1,100 assets and resources available” to aid Operation Lone Star, including 800 National Guard soldiers and 200 Florida Department of Law Enforcement officers.
“At my direction, state agencies, including law enforcement and the Florida National Guard, are being deployed to Texas, with assets including personnel, boats, and planes,” DeSantis said. “While Biden ignores the crisis he created, Florida stands ready to help Texas respond to this crisis.”
Since the start of the Biden administration, Customs and Border Protection reports encountering more than 5.5 million illegal aliens at the southern border. Since fiscal year 2023 began on Oct. 1, CBP has encountered more than 1.4 million illegal aliens, about triple the number encountered at the southern border during fiscal year 2020.
CBP has seized a record 17,000 pounds of fentanyl at the southern border so far in fiscal year 2023, which ends Sept. 30, more than triple the total amount seized in all of fiscal year 2020.
– – –
Virginia Allen is a senior news producer and podcast host for The Daily Signal. She is the co-host of “The Daily Signal Podcast” and “Problematic Women.”
Photo “National Guard” by U.S. Customs and Border Protection.


thetennesseestar--2020-11-14--Norfolk Second Amendment Preservation Coalition Wins Court Case, Achieves 4K Signatures, Awaits City

Norfolk Second Amendment Preservation Coalition Wins Court Case, Achieves 4K Signatures, Awaits City Council

The Norfolk 2nd Amendment Preservation Coalition achieved all necessary signatures required to have the city council review its petition .
This followed last Friday ’ s court decision to award the coalition as much time necessary to gather signatures .
“ We think a decision like this is too important to let seven partisan city council members decide , ” Republican Party of Norfolk Chairman and Norfolk 2nd Amendment Preservation Coalition Founder Robert “ Bob ” Brown said .
Also Brown shared with The Virginia Star that this wasn ’ t his first time organizing and collecting signatures for petitions @ @ @ @ @ @ @ had led an initiative to collect signatures for a referendum to get an elected school board .
Brown also advocated for the recall against former Norfolk City Treasurer and councilman Anthony Burfoot over suspected criminal activity .
Burfoot was later indicted and sentenced to serve six years in federal prison .
However , Brown explained that his extensive experience couldn ’ t overcome the COVID-19 pandemic shutdowns .
Due to limits on gatherings and petitioning in public areas , Brown wasn ’ t able to obtain all the signatures he needed in the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the initiative .
“ I ’ m an experienced person for collecting signatures , but we couldn ’ t do it under their COVID restrictions , ” he said .
The coalition filed an injunction in May to get more time due to the pandemic .
Last month , they received their time in court .
Last Friday , the judge awarded the coalition an indefinite window of time to gather the required amount of signatures .
Brown stated that he went to work immediately following the ruling .
Within a matter of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ enough signatures for the city council to hear their petition : nearly 5,000 names .
Brown added that the private interests funding political action committees have influenced the political landscape in Norfolk .
He expressed confidence in his coalition ’ s ability to impact gun law changes in Norfolk .
“ The only way to beat it is to fight cash roots with grassroots , ” he said .
At this point , the city council has the option to wait 30 days to review the petition or they may address it during @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Corinne Murdock is a reporter at The Virginia Star and the Star News Network .
Follow her latest on Twitter , or email tips to [ email protected ] .
Photo “ Norfolk City Hall ” by City of Norfolk .


thetennesseestar--2020-11-14--Minneapolis Might Hire Outside Law Enforcement to Fight Rising Violent Crime

Five months ago , the Minneapolis City Council vowed to “ dismantle ” their police department .
But this week , the council voted 7-6 to advance a measure to temporarily hire between 20 and 40 additional officers from the Hennepin County Sheriff ’ s Office and Metro Transit Police to respond to violent 911 calls .
The plan still needs final approval , with an expected vote on Friday .
The turnaround follows a record number of homicides in 2020 .
The city has tallied roughly 74 homicides in the first 10-plus months of 2020 , the Tribune reported @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 500 people have been shot this year while 100 officers have left the department to date in 2020 , more than double the typical average .
Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey , who opposed dismantling the police department , supported the idea .
“ We ’ re not gon na be having these people out taking bicycle theft reports .
These are going to be people out combating crime issues , ” Minneapolis Police Department spokesperson John Elder told the Star Tribune .
The plan comes with an approximate price tag of $ 500,000 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s Office and Metro Transit Police for their officers through Dec. 31 .
Earlier this year , eight Minneapolis residents sued the city council and Frey , claiming they are violating the City Charter requirement to fund a minimum Minneapolis Police Department force of 0.0017 employees per resident , or roughly 730 officers .
The lawsuit argued that the number of licensed police officers has dropped from 825 at the start of 2020 to about 634 to protect a 425,000-person city .
The city has denied the allegation .
Minneapolis Police Chief Medaria @ @ @ @ @ @ @ they need extra resources to stop a mounting violent crime wave .
“ Our city is bleeding at this moment , ” Arradondo said .
“ I ’ m trying to do all I can to stop that bleeding.
” “ I ’ ve got almost 500 people who ’ ve been shot and wounded in this city , ” Arradondo said .
“ We can go back and forth on the $ 185 million [ budget ] , but that isn ’ t stopping the bloodshed that ’ s occurring every day @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Goodman described how more officers could help protect one of her constituents who was beaten , robbed , carjacked and now fears for her life .
“ This is not a perception of safety issue , ” Goodman said .
“ Even a handful of more officers means calls will be responded to faster … and might free up time to investigate.
” Other members were skeptical of any change $ 500,000 would make when officers have already been targeting violent crime .
“ So , we ’ re going to take a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ well and has not been addressing carjackings , has not been addressing the rise in violent crime … and say if we just do 5 % more of it , that will get us to a better place , ” Council member Steve Fletcher told Arradondo .
“ I ’ m struggling to get my head around why that is a good idea.
” About 90 % of the $ 185 million budget is salaries and benefits , Arradondo said , and he ’ s not sitting “ on a treasure chest.
” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to these victims of crime , then please stand by that , ” Arradondo told Fletcher .
“ I ’ m saying we need more resources today , and right now.
” Scott McClallen is a staff writer covering Michigan and Minnesota for The Center Square .
A graduate of Hillsdale College , his work has appeared on Forbes.com and FEE.org .
Previously , he worked as a financial analyst at Pepsi .
Photo “ Minneapolis Police Officer ” by Tony Webster .
CC BY 2.0 .


thetennesseestar--2020-11-14--827 Votes Disappear from Official Results in Richmond City Council Second District Race

Updates this week to the State Department of Elections website show vote totals in Richmond ’ s second district council race dropping from 14,086 to 13,259 — a difference of 827 votes .
While earlier results showed candidate Tavarris Spinks leading Katherine Jordan by 26 votes , the change saw Spinks ’ vote totals drop from 7,056 to 5,961 .
Jordan gained 165 votes , giving her 7,195 .
Spinks announced Thursday that he has filed a FOIA with the registrar .
“ It gives me no pleasure having to question the credibility of this reporting ; however , due @ @ @ @ @ @ @ number of initially reported votes and those posted now , voters in the Second District deserve to know how and why this disparity occurred , ” Spinks said in a statement .
975 provisional ballots are still uncounted .
A COVID-19 outbreak in the registrar ’ s office has delayed a meeting for consideration of the ballots until next week , according to Registrar Kirk Showalter .
“ I support [ Spinks ] and any candidate asking for clarification and transparency in their race results .
If our results flip , I will @ @ @ @ @ @ @ representative , ” currently leading opponent Jordan said in a tweet .
In an email Friday , Showalter told The Virginia Star that final results would be unavailable until next week .
“ Due to the COVID closure , no meeting can be held this week .
We are now looking at Tuesday , ” Showalter said .
“ We have finished with all precincts and updated the State website .
The only outstanding matter is the provisional ballots.
” Spinks and his campaign manager criticized Showalter for a lack of clarity , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ not be seen as evidence of voter fraud .
Spinks said , “ I want to make myself very clear ; I will fully respect any outcome , including the current figures , as soon as voters can be assured that results have been accurately calculated .
If my opponent maintains her victory , I will fully support her as our next Council Representative.
” “ Voters must have the utmost faith in our democratic system so I urge Ms. Showalter and the electoral board to acknowledge the damage that has been done @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s office and promptly formulate a plan to effectively rebuild the trust of the Richmond electorate , ” Spinks added .
“ Ms .
Showalter ’ s track record of resentment and indifference towards transparency has left the electorate with no reason to trust her word , ” Spinks ’ campaign manager Kelley Losier said in a statement emailed to The Star .
“ If she ’ s sincere about proving she ’ s qualified to manage Richmond ’ s democratic process , all she needs to do is show the receipts.
” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Virginia Star and the Star News Digital Network .
Email tips to [ email protected ] Photos “ Katherine Jordan ” and “ Tavarris Spinks ” by Katherine Jordan and Tavarris Spinks .


thetennesseestar--2020-11-14--Gov. DeWine Congratulates Joe Biden on Winning 2020 Presidential Election Before Official Determinat

Gov. DeWine Congratulates Joe Biden on Winning 2020 Presidential Election Before Official Determination

Ohio Governor Mike DeWine said Thursday “ we need to consider the former vice president as the President-elect.
” The move to endorse Joe Biden ’ s media-declared victory is not a surprise .
Ohio GOP leaders talked with The Ohio Star about the governor ’ s comments and the ongoing election controversies .
Lieutenant Governor Jon Husted said , “ I was co-chair of the Trump-Pence campaign and I ’ m proud we won Ohio by eight points.
” Husted continued “ As a former Secretary of State , I understand the importance of election integrity and when the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ my friend Donald Trump will honor the outcome.
” Former Congressman and Chairman of Ohio ’ s Future Foundation Jim Renacci said , “ I do believe that elections aren ’ t certified until December .
And until December we need to let the election process play out.
” Renacci also said that DeWine ’ s support should be stronger .
“ DeWine needs to remember that without Trump ’ s visit to Ohio the night before the Gubernatorial election , we may not have a Governor DeWine , ” he continued .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ won by three percent , so clearly he got a Trump boost.
” “ He ’ s not the President-elect until the Electoral College determines that to be the case , ” he said .
“ With so many questions about voter fraud , rigged voter machines and other irregularities , under no circumstance should Trump concede .
Nor do I consider Biden our president.
” Eight states have passed their election certification dates and Friday is the official day for Mississippi .
Of the nine states , seven of them are showing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ J. Trump .
On Friday , Georgia Secretary of State declared a hand recount of all votes in Georgia .
Speculation is high that Trump will work for a recount in Wisconsin – a battleground state offering 10 electoral votes with a 20,000-vote difference between the Presidential candidates .
Several court cases in Michigan , Pennsylvania and Arizona are still open .
One of the cases in Pennsylvania was decided Thursday when Judge Mary Hannah Leavitt ruled that Pennsylvania Secretary Kathy Boockvar had no authority to extend a deadline for voters to prove @ @ @ @ @ @ @ votes in question will not be counted , although they had yet to be added to the vote totals in Pennsylvania , according to The Philadelphia Inquirer .
The Star contacted Governor DeWine for additional comment – specifically asking why he encouraged others to call Biden President-Elect , given that several states have not certified their results and the existence of several lawsuits in key states .
Through Dan Tierney , the governor ’ s press secretary , DeWine said stated : I congratulate Vice-President Biden .
It would appear that President Trump @ @ @ @ @ @ @ legal actions .
The President ’ s lawyers have every right to present evidence in court on any legal issues or irregularities involving the election , and the courts are the proper place to hear evidence on these issues .
When lawsuits have concluded and election results are certified , it is important for all Americans to honor the outcome .
Jack Windsor is Managing Editor at both The Ohio Star and The Michigan Star .
Windsor is also an Investigative Reporter at WMFD-TV and The Virginia Star .
Follow Jack on Twitter @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ] .


thetennesseestar--2020-11-14--Media’s Hiding of Hunter Biden Scandal Robbed Trump of Clear Win: Poll

Enough of Joe Biden ’ s voters would have switched their selection had they known about his son Hunter ’ s money scandal , enough to give President Trump a clear victory .
In a new survey , 4.6 % of Biden ’ s voters said they would not have selected him had they been aware of his son ’ s China money affair .
According to a McLaughlin & Associates poll done for the Media Research Center , 36 % of Biden voters were not aware of the scandal .
And 13 % of those said they would not @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
“ Such a shift away from Biden would have meant President Trump would have won the election with 289 electoral votes , ” said the polling outfit , which did work for the Trump campaign in 2016 and this year .
The story was not covered much in non-conservative media , and Twitter and other social media platforms banned many of the reports on their sites .
Sen. Lindsey Graham had predicted that Hunter Biden 's newly discovered business deals overseas while his dad was vice president would swing the election .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ that cover-up , ” said MRC President Brent Bozell , adding , “ 4.6 % of Biden voters say they would not have voted for him had they been aware of evidence of this scandal .
This story would have potentially changed the outcome of this election .
The media and Silicon Valley were fully aware of this , so they actively tried to prevent it from reaching the American public .
The American people deserved to know the truth ; now it ’ s too late .
”

Enough of Joe Biden’s voters would have switched their selection had they known about his son Hunter’s money scandal, enough to give President Trump a clear victory.
In a new survey, 4.6% of Biden’s voters said they would not have selected him had they been aware of his son’s China money affair.
According to a McLaughlin & Associates poll done for the Media Research Center, 36% of Biden voters were not aware of the scandal. And 13% of those said they would not have voted for Biden had they known.
“Such a shift away from Biden would have meant President Trump would have won the election with 289 electoral votes,” said the polling outfit, which did work for the Trump campaign in 2016 and this year.
The story was not covered much in non-conservative media, and Twitter and other social media platforms banned many of the reports on their sites.
Sen. Lindsey Graham had predicted that Hunter Biden's newly discovered business deals overseas while his dad was vice president would swing the election.
“Now we know the impact of that cover-up,” said MRC President Brent Bozell, adding, “4.6% of Biden voters say they would not have voted for him had they been aware of evidence of this scandal. This story would have potentially changed the outcome of this election. The media and Silicon Valley were fully aware of this, so they actively tried to prevent it from reaching the American public. The American people deserved to know the truth; now it’s too late.”


thetennesseestar--2020-11-14--Pennsylvania Mail-In Ballot Snafu Is Ripe for the U.S. Supreme Court to Intervene

The Supreme Court will likely weigh in on Pennsylvania ’ s handling of mail-in ballots , and despite the pundits ' claims to the contrary , serious constitutional issues are at stake .
An exclusive interview establishes the Pennsylvania vote has major constitutional problems .
Joe Kantz , the chairman of the Snyder County Commission and the chairman of the Board of Elections for more than 10 years , spoke with me yesterday about the last-minute changes the Pennsylvania secretary for elections and commissions issued .
As detailed below , those changes strongly suggest that the electorally rich state the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ have violated the Equal Protection Clause and Article II , Section 1 , Clause 2 of the U.S. Constitution .
On election morning , as his team began pre-canvass activities , an out-of-state Democratic poll watcher pressured Kantz to provide him identification numbers for voters who had failed to include their ballots in the internal secrecy sleeve required by Pennsylvania law .
These so-called naked ballots are invalid under Pennsylvania law .
This gentleman pushed Kantz several times for this information , referencing an email from Jonathan Marks , the deputy secretary for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ me the email , which I had not yet seen , ” Kantz told me .
Kantz ’ s election director then checked her email and discovered the 8:38 p.m. Monday email from Marks .
Marks ’ last-minute email noted that county boards of elections had asked whether they could provide representatives of candidates or political parties information about voters whose absentee and mail-in ballots had been rejected .
Marks advised that the county board of elections should provide this information to party and candidate representatives during the pre-canvass .
“ I consulted @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” Kantz told me .
He apparently spoke with attorneys for other counties before advising that he did not believe the Pennsylvania election code provided for the sharing of voter identification information with third parties .
Snyder County , which is nestled in the middle of Pennsylvania under the shadow of the Appalachian Mountain range , leans heavily Republican , with the unofficial results showing the Donald Trump-Mike Pence ticket received 13,816 votes to Biden-Harris ’ s 4,848 .
“ About 60 ballots failed to include the inner sleeve as required by Pennsylvania @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” Kantz told me .
“ Approximately 25 additional voters had failed to sign the outer envelope , ” another mandate of Pennsylvania law .
With more than 47,000 votes separating Biden and Trump in the statewide tallies , those 80-plus ballots in the small Snyder County won ’ t change the outcome in Pennsylvania .
What might change the outcome , however , is the different treatment voters with invalid ballots received in larger , heavily Democratic areas , such as Philadelphia County , which recorded a whopping 575,975 votes for Biden-Harris @ @ @ @ @ @ @ with more than 56 percent of Biden voters using mail-in voting .
According to a complaint filed on Monday on behalf of Trump , Philadelphia County allowed voters it had determined had submitted naked ballots to remedy the defect , and further alleged that to figure out which voters should be notified of their error , Philadelphia County inspected mail-in ballots before Election Day in plain violation of state law .
Specifically , Section 13808 ( g ) ( 1.1 ) of the election code provides that “ no earlier than seven o @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” the county board of elections shall meet to conduct a pre-canvass of all absentee and mail-in ballots received to that meeting.
” At that meeting , “ the election officials shall inspect and open the envelopes of all absentee and mail-in ballots , remove such ballots from such envelopes , and count , compute and tally the votes reflected on such ballots , ” 25 P.S .
§3146.8 ( 1.1 ) .
Trump ’ s complaint charged that Philadelphia County officials inspected the ballots in a variety of ways to determine if @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for example , by feeling the envelope , holding it up to a light , or weighing it through sorting machines .
Trump ’ s allegations find support in an election update published by Election Protection .
Election Protection , also known as 866-Our-Vote , “ was founded in 2004 by a coalition of major left-leaning advocacy organizations , ” and now partners with an array of leftist groups , including the National Education Association , Service Employees International Union , American Federation of Teachers , Sierra Club , Southern Poverty Law Center @ @ @ @ @ @ @ American Way , and the Al Sharpton group , National Action Network .
In the days before the 2020 election , Election Protection issued various updates , including one on Oct. 30 , 2020 , which noted that voters in Pennsylvania might start getting emails that their ballots were rejected because voters had failed to sign the outside envelope or that it was weighed and determined to be a naked ballot .
The Election Protection update continued : In bolded language , highlighted in yellow , Election Protection then advised that the best @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to visit a polling place on Election Day to re-vote , adding that the Department of State had recently clarified that such votes would be counted so long as the voter was eligible to vote .
Trump ’ s complaint alleged that this approach is exactly what happened in the defendant counties , which included Allegheny , Centre , Chester , Delaware , Montgomery , Northampton , and Philadelphia counties .
Those counties ’ boards of election , according to the complaint , allowed voters to fix their defective mail-in ballots , while @ @ @ @ @ @ @ counties of Lancaster , York , Westmoreland , and Berks counties , did not contact voters who had submitted naked ballots , nor allow them a chance to re-vote .
When asked whether his election workers had attempted to determine if there were naked ballots inside the mail-in ballots before election day , Kantz told me , “ No .
State law prohibits pre-canvassing of ballots until Election Day , ” so his staff could not attempt to decipher whether the ballots inside lacked the inner security sleeve .
“ We did not @ @ @ @ @ @ @ we opened the outer envelope on Election Day , ” Kantz explained .
As noted above , Kantz also refused to provide third-party poll watchers with identification numbers for voters whose ballots lacked a signature or an interior secrecy sleeve .
While Pennsylvania ’ s Department of State had provided guidance that such voter information should be shared with candidates or party representatives , that guidance conflicts with the election code provisions governing canvassing of absentee and mail-in ballots .
“ No person observing , attending or participating in a pre-canvass meeting may @ @ @ @ @ @ @ any pre-canvass meeting prior to the close of the polls , ” 25 P.S .
§ 3146.8 ( g ) ( 1.1 ) provides .
Yet the Democratic strongholds were doing just that , according to Trump ’ s complaint .
Further , as this social media post reveals , Democrats appeared prepared for the Department of State ’ s last-minute announcement , seeking workers to contact voters on Election Day .
Significantly , the post noted that training would occur on Nov. 2 at 2:30 p.m. and foresaw that on Election Day @ @ @ @ @ @ @ about rejected ballots.
” ( The Department of State ’ s email to county election officials directing them to provide information concerning voters with rejected ballots to party and candidate representatives was not dispatched until after 8:00 p.m. on Nov .
2 . )
Workers would then be dispatched to the voters ’ homes and tell them they needed to re-vote .
This solicitation directed interested applicants to contact Sisneros Strategies , which promotes itself as helping “ campaigns , progressive and pro-labor candidates and organizations , ballot initiatives , state caucuses , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ their voter contact goals.
” These facts , when read in light of the U.S. Supreme Court decision in Bush v. Gore , provide strong support for aspects of Trump ’ s lawsuit .
As Andrew McCarthy concisely summarized : Here , revisiting the Court ’ s reasoning in Bush v. Gore is helpful to consider how that precedent applies to the Pennsylvania situation .
The majority in Bush v. Gore held that the varying standards violated the Equal Protection Clause of the Constitution , reasoning : “ The right to vote is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of the franchise .
Equal protection applies as well to the manner of its exercise .
Having once granted the right to vote on equal terms , the State may not , by later arbitrary and disparate treatment , value one person ’ s vote over that of another.
” Yet that is exactly what happened to Pennsylvania voters in at least two ways .
First , only voters in larger counties with access to “ Bluecrest sorting equipment ” could benefit from the pre-canvass sorting of ballots to determine which votes would @ @ @ @ @ @ @ sleeve .
Second , there was disparate treatment between residents in counties that inspected the ballots pre-canvass and then provided third parties the voters ’ information , and those that did not .
Under Bush v. Gore , this seems a clear violation of the Equal Protection Clause .
The situation in Pennsylvania brings up another constitutional concern , one raised in the three-justice concurrence authored by then-Justice William Rehnquist and joined by former Justice Antonin Scalia and current Justice Clarence Thomas .
In his concurrence , Rehnquist focused not on the Equal @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Section 1 , Clause 2 , of the U.S. Constitution , which provides , “ Each state shall appoint , in such manner as the Legislature thereof may direct , a number of electors , equal to the whole number of Senators and Representatives to which the State may be entitled in the Congress.
” The Bush v. Gore concurrence then explained that Article II , Section 1 , Clause 2 of the Constitution “ convey [ s ] the broadest power of determination ” and “ leaves it to the legislature exclusively @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of electors .
And “ a significant departure from the legislative scheme for appointing Presidential electors presents a federal constitutional question.
” The three-justice concurrence then explained how the Florida Supreme Court ’ s decision conflicted with the legislative mandate in violation of Article II .
In Pennsylvania , it was the Department of State , not the state courts , that significantly departed from the legislative scheme by , among other things , allowing the inspection of ballots before the day of the election and by permitting voter-information to be shared before @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Day .
The Trump team presents several other examples of violations of the election code , for instance , related to the curing of mail-in ballots and the failure to verify signatures .
How these arguments will play out is anyone ’ s guess , given the new makeup of the Supreme Court , but as the concurrence stressed : “ We deal here not with an ordinary election , but with an election for the President of the United States .
The importance of his election and the vital character of its @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and safety of the whole people can not be too strongly stated.
” This reality will likely force the Supreme Court to weigh in on Pennsylvania ’ s handling of the mail-in ballots under both the Equal Protection Clause and Article II .
Notwithstanding pundits ’ claims to the contrary , serious constitutional issues are at stake .

An exclusive interview establishes the Pennsylvania vote has major constitutional problems. Joe Kantz, the chairman of the Snyder County Commission and the chairman of the Board of Elections for more than 10 years, spoke with me yesterday about the last-minute changes the Pennsylvania secretary for elections and commissions issued. As detailed below, those changes strongly suggest that the electorally rich state the media has called for Joe Biden might have violated the Equal Protection Clause and Article II, Section 1, Clause 2 of the U.S. Constitution.
On election morning, as his team began pre-canvass activities, an out-of-state Democratic poll watcher pressured Kantz to provide him identification numbers for voters who had failed to include their ballots in the internal secrecy sleeve required by Pennsylvania law. These so-called naked ballots are invalid under Pennsylvania law.
This gentleman pushed Kantz several times for this information, referencing an email from Jonathan Marks, the deputy secretary for elections and commissions. “He showed me the email, which I had not yet seen,” Kantz told me. Kantz’s election director then checked her email and discovered the 8:38 p.m. Monday email from Marks.
Marks’ last-minute email noted that county boards of elections had asked whether they could provide representatives of candidates or political parties information about voters whose absentee and mail-in ballots had been rejected. Marks advised that the county board of elections should provide this information to party and candidate representatives during the pre-canvass.
“I consulted with our solicitor concerning the directive,” Kantz told me. He apparently spoke with attorneys for other counties before advising that he did not believe the Pennsylvania election code provided for the sharing of voter identification information with third parties.
Snyder County, which is nestled in the middle of Pennsylvania under the shadow of the Appalachian Mountain range, leans heavily Republican, with the unofficial results showing the Donald Trump-Mike Pence ticket received 13,816 votes to Biden-Harris’s 4,848. “About 60 ballots failed to include the inner sleeve as required by Pennsylvania law, rendering the votes invalid,” Kantz told me. “Approximately 25 additional voters had failed to sign the outer envelope,” another mandate of Pennsylvania law.
With more than 47,000 votes separating Biden and Trump in the statewide tallies, those 80-plus ballots in the small Snyder County won’t change the outcome in Pennsylvania. What might change the outcome, however, is the different treatment voters with invalid ballots received in larger, heavily Democratic areas, such as Philadelphia County, which recorded a whopping 575,975 votes for Biden-Harris compared to Trump’s 128,308, with more than 56 percent of Biden voters using mail-in voting.
According to a complaint filed on Monday on behalf of Trump, Philadelphia County allowed voters it had determined had submitted naked ballots to remedy the defect, and further alleged that to figure out which voters should be notified of their error, Philadelphia County inspected mail-in ballots before Election Day in plain violation of state law.
Specifically, Section 13808(g)(1.1) of the election code provides that “no earlier than seven o’clock A.M. on election day,” the county board of elections shall meet to conduct a pre-canvass of all absentee and mail-in ballots received to that meeting.” At that meeting, “the election officials shall inspect and open the envelopes of all absentee and mail-in ballots, remove such ballots from such envelopes, and count, compute and tally the votes reflected on such ballots,” 25 P.S. §3146.8(1.1).
Details of the Trump Complaint
Trump’s complaint charged that Philadelphia County officials inspected the ballots in a variety of ways to determine if they were missing an inner-secrecy envelope, for example, by feeling the envelope, holding it up to a light, or weighing it through sorting machines.
Trump’s allegations find support in an election update published by Election Protection. Election Protection, also known as 866-Our-Vote, “was founded in 2004 by a coalition of major left-leaning advocacy organizations,” and now partners with an array of leftist groups, including the National Education Association, Service Employees International Union, American Federation of Teachers, Sierra Club, Southern Poverty Law Center, Common Cause, People for the American Way, and the Al Sharpton group, National Action Network.
In the days before the 2020 election, Election Protection issued various updates, including one on Oct. 30, 2020, which noted that voters in Pennsylvania might start getting emails that their ballots were rejected because voters had failed to sign the outside envelope or that it was weighed and determined to be a naked ballot. The Election Protection update continued:
Counties have had varying ability to identify and set aside returned absentee and mail-in ballots lacking the secrecy envelope and/or a signature on the declaration envelope. Larger counties with more sophisticated equipment could automate this process, but smaller county offices would have to do this by hand. While the absence of a signature is plainly knowable, determining whether or not a ballot is properly enclosed in the secrecy envelope may not be straightforward. The Bluecrest sorting equipment used in Philadelphia and several other large [areas] is able to detect naked ballots by the thickness and/or weight of the returned ballot.
In bolded language, highlighted in yellow, Election Protection then advised that the best option for citizens under these circumstances was to visit a polling place on Election Day to re-vote, adding that the Department of State had recently clarified that such votes would be counted so long as the voter was eligible to vote.
Trump’s complaint alleged that this approach is exactly what happened in the defendant counties, which included Allegheny, Centre, Chester, Delaware, Montgomery, Northampton, and Philadelphia counties. Those counties’ boards of election, according to the complaint, allowed voters to fix their defective mail-in ballots, while other counties, such as the Republican-heavy counties of Lancaster, York, Westmoreland, and Berks counties, did not contact voters who had submitted naked ballots, nor allow them a chance to re-vote.
Discrepancies Between Red and Blue Counties
When asked whether his election workers had attempted to determine if there were naked ballots inside the mail-in ballots before election day, Kantz told me, “No. State law prohibits pre-canvassing of ballots until Election Day,” so his staff could not attempt to decipher whether the ballots inside lacked the inner security sleeve.
“We did not know if a ballot was naked until we opened the outer envelope on Election Day,” Kantz explained. As noted above, Kantz also refused to provide third-party poll watchers with identification numbers for voters whose ballots lacked a signature or an interior secrecy sleeve.
While Pennsylvania’s Department of State had provided guidance that such voter information should be shared with candidates or party representatives, that guidance conflicts with the election code provisions governing canvassing of absentee and mail-in ballots. “No person observing, attending or participating in a pre-canvass meeting may disclose the results of any portion of any pre-canvass meeting prior to the close of the polls,” 25 P.S. § 3146.8(g)(1.1) provides.
Yet the Democratic strongholds were doing just that, according to Trump’s complaint. Further, as this social media post reveals, Democrats appeared prepared for the Department of State’s last-minute announcement, seeking workers to contact voters on Election Day.
Significantly, the post noted that training would occur on Nov. 2 at 2:30 p.m. and foresaw that on Election Day, the campaign would receive “information about rejected ballots.” (The Department of State’s email to county election officials directing them to provide information concerning voters with rejected ballots to party and candidate representatives was not dispatched until after 8:00 p.m. on Nov. 2.) Workers would then be dispatched to the voters’ homes and tell them they needed to re-vote.
This solicitation directed interested applicants to contact Sisneros Strategies, which promotes itself as helping “campaigns, progressive and pro-labor candidates and organizations, ballot initiatives, state caucuses, state parties, and nonprofit organizations achieve their voter contact goals.”
A Look Back at Bush v. Gore
These facts, when read in light of the U.S. Supreme Court decision in Bush v. Gore, provide strong support for aspects of Trump’s lawsuit. As Andrew McCarthy concisely summarized:
In that famous 2000 election case, the Supreme Court called a halt to the recount process ordered by the state supreme court in Florida. The 5–4 majority found that the state court’s rulings, as they were being executed by the counties in question, had resulted in widely disparate treatment of voters during the canvassing of ballots across counties — and sometimes within the same county. The Court reasoned that disparate treatment that has the effect of canceling or diluting the votes of some voters, or that privileges some voters but not others, is unconstitutional.
Here, revisiting the Court’s reasoning in Bush v. Gore is helpful to consider how that precedent applies to the Pennsylvania situation. The majority in Bush v. Gore held that the varying standards violated the Equal Protection Clause of the Constitution, reasoning: “The right to vote is protected in more than the initial allocation of the franchise. Equal protection applies as well to the manner of its exercise. Having once granted the right to vote on equal terms, the State may not, by later arbitrary and disparate treatment, value one person’s vote over that of another.”
Yet that is exactly what happened to Pennsylvania voters in at least two ways. First, only voters in larger counties with access to “Bluecrest sorting equipment” could benefit from the pre-canvass sorting of ballots to determine which votes would be canceled because of a missing secrecy sleeve. Second, there was disparate treatment between residents in counties that inspected the ballots pre-canvass and then provided third parties the voters’ information, and those that did not. Under Bush v. Gore, this seems a clear violation of the Equal Protection Clause.
The situation in Pennsylvania brings up another constitutional concern, one raised in the three-justice concurrence authored by then-Justice William Rehnquist and joined by former Justice Antonin Scalia and current Justice Clarence Thomas. In his concurrence, Rehnquist focused not on the Equal Protection Clause but on Article II, Section 1, Clause 2, of the U.S. Constitution, which provides, “Each state shall appoint, in such manner as the Legislature thereof may direct, a number of electors, equal to the whole number of Senators and Representatives to which the State may be entitled in the Congress.”
The Bush v. Gore concurrence then explained that Article II, Section 1, Clause 2 of the Constitution “convey[s] the broadest power of determination” and “leaves it to the legislature exclusively to define the method” of appointment of electors. And “a significant departure from the legislative scheme for appointing Presidential electors presents a federal constitutional question.” The three-justice concurrence then explained how the Florida Supreme Court’s decision conflicted with the legislative mandate in violation of Article II.
In Pennsylvania, it was the Department of State, not the state courts, that significantly departed from the legislative scheme by, among other things, allowing the inspection of ballots before the day of the election and by permitting voter-information to be shared before the close of the polls on Election Day. The Trump team presents several other examples of violations of the election code, for instance, related to the curing of mail-in ballots and the failure to verify signatures.
How these arguments will play out is anyone’s guess, given the new makeup of the Supreme Court, but as the concurrence stressed: “We deal here not with an ordinary election, but with an election for the President of the United States. The importance of his election and the vital character of its relationship to and effect upon the welfare and safety of the whole people cannot be too strongly stated.”
This reality will likely force the Supreme Court to weigh in on Pennsylvania’s handling of the mail-in ballots under both the Equal Protection Clause and Article II. Notwithstanding pundits’ claims to the contrary, serious constitutional issues are at stake.
Margot Cleveland is The Federalist's senior legal correspondent. She is also a contributor to National Review Online, the Washington Examiner, Aleteia, and Townhall.com, and has been published in the Wall Street Journal and USA Today. Cleveland is a lawyer and a graduate of the Notre Dame Law School, where she earned the Hoynes Prize—the law school’s highest honor. She later served for nearly 25 years as a permanent law clerk for a federal appellate judge on the Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals. Cleveland is a former full-time university faculty member and now teaches as an adjunct from time to time. As a stay-at-home homeschooling mom of a young son with cystic fibrosis, Cleveland frequently writes on cultural issues related to parenting and special-needs children. Cleveland is on Twitter at @ProfMJCleveland. The views expressed here are those of Cleveland in her private capacity.


thetennesseestar--2020-11-14--Commentary: Why Pennsylvania Doesn’t Add Up

Driving through this rural area late Thursday morning , nine days after Election Day , it ’ s clear the extraordinary enthusiasm for Donald Trump has not waned .
“ TRUMP 2020 : NO MORE BULLS— ” remains a popular sign , as does “ DRAIN THE SWAMP , ” as does a placard protesting Gov .
Tom Wolf and Pennsylvania Democrats : “ FIRE THE LOCKDOWN LIBERALS !
” Trump flags fly alongside the American flag in front yards .
As usual , there ’ s not a Biden–Harris sign for miles .
Ask folks in these parts , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Donald Trump couldn ’ t have possibly lost Pennsylvania .
“ There ’ s no way , ” says Marty , a 55-year-old president of a manufacturing company down the road , off Rt .
79 .
He attended the massive Trump rally in Butler , which drew an estimated 58,000 .
“ I will go to my grave believing this election was stolen through mail-in ballots.
” Marty works with the huge Shell Chemical ethane cracker plant being built in nearby Beaver County — the largest construction project underway in North America @ @ @ @ @ @ @ create almost 20,000 jobs in the area .
It ’ s a symbol of how the energy sector and fracking have resurrected once-dead mill-towns like Monaca , Pennsylvania .
“ A buddy of mine there tells me that there ’ s a not a guy in that plant who didn ’ t vote for Donald Trump , ” says Marty of the 5,000-employee factory .
“ And those are just the guys at the plant .
Add in their families and the various support industries .
It ’ s doesn ’ t add @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that Donald Trump lost Pennsylvania .
It ’ s statistically impossible.
” At the least , it ’ s statistically hard to imagine .
Consider these numbers : The morning of the election , Donald Trump trailed Joe Biden in the RealClearPolitics national average by 7 percent .
The actual difference ( as I write ) is 3.4 percent .
Trump outperformed by 3.6 percent .
Everyone in Pennsylvania figured Trump would achieve at least a 5 percent overperformance in Pennsylvania polls , especially given Trump ’ s relentless campaigning here , his @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ( not to mention Kamala Harris ’ s ) suicidal statements on the energy and fracking industry .
The RCP average for Pennsylvania the morning of the election was Biden +1.2 percent , with Trump besting Biden in three of the latest polls by Susquehanna ( +1 ) , Insider Advantage ( +2 ) , and Trafalgar ( +2 ) .
Trump was surging ; the man was on fire in Pennsylvania .
And how did Trump ultimately do in Pennsylvania ?
He ’ s currently losing to Biden by 0.8 percent ( @ @ @ @ @ @ @ other words , Donald Trump vastly outperformed his numbers nationally but vastly underperformed them in Pennsylvania .
And if you believe that , then I have a thousand acres of farmland to sell you in Philadelphia .
The numbers seem even more improbable when you compare 2020 to 2016 : In 2016 , Hillary Clinton was favored to win Pennsylvania in the RealClearPolitics average by 1.9 percent .
Trump outperformed that easily , by 2.6 percent .
And somehow in 2020 , even with Biden ’ s statements on fracking , Trump is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for total vote margins , Trump beat Hillary in Pennsylvania by 44,000 votes but is losing to Biden by 55,000 votes ( and counting ) .
Does this make sense ?
To people around here , no .
Nor for a lot of pundits around the country .
It ’ s why many are suspicious .
Pollster Robert Cahaly of the Trafalgar Group said weeks ago that Donald Trump in 2020 would “ need to win Pennsylvania by four or five [ percentage points ] to overcome the voter fraud that ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s a very common sentiment among Trump supporters here .
The night of the election , I marveled to a Trump supporter in Montgomery County that the Donald was trouncing Sleepy Joe by over a half million votes , or 58 to 41 percent , a seemingly insurmountable margin for Biden .
The Trump supporter sighed , “ He may need even more than that .
To overcome the Philadelphia machine , Trump may need another 300,000.
” Not possible , I reassured him .
Joe Biden could not and would not catch @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the current vote tabulation , he did .
That tabulation includes another shocking number : Donald Trump has nearly 400,000 more votes in Pennsylvania in 2020 than he got in 2016 .
Yet somehow , that will not be enough for him to carry the state .
No-enthusiasm-Joe has 465,000 more ( and counting ) than Hillary totaled in Pennsylvania in 2020 .
“ I don ’ t believe it , ” says Marty .
“ No way .
This has to be fraud , from Erie to Philly.
” The mention of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ saw Erie County painted blue on CNN ’ s county map of Pennsylvania , I grabbed the TV controller and froze the screen and stared in disbelief .
Donald Trump beat Hillary Clinton by 2 percent in Erie in 2016 .
He received 57,168 votes .
In 2020 , he ’ s losing to Biden in Erie by 1.0 percent .
The Democrats ( Hillary ) got 54,820 votes in Erie County in 2016 .
In 2020 , the Democrats ( Biden ) got 68,336 votes in Erie .
Look at that increase @ @ @ @ @ @ @ almost 30 percent .
That ’ s staggering for a county adorned with Trump signs .
“ I was at the Trump rally in Erie , ” observes Emily , a college student .
“ There literally were not enough busses to transport everyone there.
” She asks with a bewildered look : “ Where did all of those Biden votes come from ?
” She ’ s not alone in her Biden bewilderment .
Of course , Erie right now is the subject of a major case of alleged fraud with mail-in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ attention because of a sworn affidavit by postal worker Richard Hopkins , who said that Postmaster Rob Weisenbach directed him and co-workers to hand over ballots received after Election Day , which he then back-dated .
“ Weisenbach was back-dating the postmarks on the ballots to make it appear as though the ballots had been collected on November 3 , 2020 despite them in fact being collected on November 4 and possibly later , ” said Hopkins .
Liberals this week ( including the Washington Post ) pounced on Hopkins ’ account as @ @ @ @ @ @ @ recanted ” his story .
Not at all .
Hopkins stands by his story .
“ I ’ m here to say I did not recant my statements , ” says Hopkins on video .
“ That did not happen.
” He wants the Washington Post to recant its story .
And for every big story like that of Hopkins , there are an untold ( and unreported ) number of smaller cases in counties throughout the state .
I was contacted by Julianna Heiby , the judge of elections for a precinct @ @ @ @ @ @ @ border .
She reached out to me because she witnessed activity that she believes might constitute “ fraudulent actions.
” She has reported this information to the authorities .
“ The county provided us with blank ballots for use in the voting machines , ” Julianna told me .
“ After voting , the ballots are counted in the ballot box .
The number of voters who signed our poll books matched the number of ballots cast : 1254 for our precinct.
” As judge of elections , “ one of my tasks @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to account for all the ballots .
We are told how many ballots are packaged in our equipment .
We were , supposedly , given 2250 ballots , packaged into three bundles of 750 each .
One bundle was used completely .
One bundle was still sealed at the end of the night .
Of the partially used package , 205 remained.
” Her math : “ We cast 1254 ballots on Tuesday .
1500 – 1254 = 246.
” There should have been 246 , but in fact there were only 205 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ missing .
As Julianna put it , “ 41 unaccounted-for ballots may not seem like a big issue , but if 41 ballots are missing from many precincts , we now have a discrepancy worthy of attention.
” Julianna told me that she believes in retrospect that these 41 didn ’ t disappear at the precinct but , in fact , never arrived to begin with : “ My guess is that the package of ballots arrived at our precinct incomplete .
We got them from the Washington County Board of Elections , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the county .
So , they would not have been missing or potentially taken while at my precinct but prior to arriving.
” Says Julianna : “ I don ’ t know for sure , and I can ’ t say for certain if they were stolen , but I do know that there were at least 41 missing.
” According to Julianna , “ From what I can tell they are the same type of paper ballots and scanners that are used in Philadelphia.
” She sent a link to the vendor @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and county use ( click here ) .
“ The ballots that were missing are this type , ” says Julianna .
“ One thing to investigate would be which counties also used this system.
” Julianna likewise included a link to the equipment used by counties throughout the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania ( click here ) .
Julianna believes the number of 41 missing ballots for her precinct actually might be closer to 60 , given that there were roughly 20 missing per box , and the third box she never opened ( @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ) .
And here ’ s how a seemingly small number like 41 or 60 at one precinct could add up big-time in just one county in western Pennsylvania : There are 180 precincts in Washington County , and her precinct is a typical/average-size precinct .
If 41 ballots on average were pulled from sleepy , unsuspecting precincts like hers , that could be as many as 7,380 ballots that could have ended up in Pittsburgh ( just over the county border ) or in Philadelphia or in Erie or another large city @ @ @ @ @ @ @ from Washington County , a major Trump county ( a big fracking area ) , where Donald Trump won over 60 percent of the vote .
If the number is 60 , then it could have been as many as 10,800 ballots for just one of 67 counties .
Julianna is at the least suspicious .
She is speaking up because she ’ s very troubled at what voter fraud would suggest about the voting process and democracy in our country .
“ I became a poll worker because I believe in the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ want the elections to be run correctly , ” she says .
“ I would report this discrepancy regardless of the results.
” For the record , I was contacted by Diana Irey , chairwoman of the Washington County Board of Elections , and an excellent public servant who I have known for years .
Irey ( a Republican ) wants to make clear that any tampering with the pre-sealed ballot packages would not have taken place at the level of the Washington County Board of Elections .
The county receives the ballot @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ Irey can not confirm or deny Julianna ’ s claims of missing ballots in the pre-sealed packages .
Irey wants readers to know that earlier in the year Washington County created a bipartisan Elections Review Committee to improve the process of how the county conducts elections .
“ We have already implemented 26 pages of higher standards of protocols and procedures , one of which resulted in our county having all votes counted by 11 p.m. election day , ” says Irey .
“ This committee continues to operate and will be @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
I believe it is important to note that I have reported several concerns of election activity to our District Attorney.
” How many discrepancies exist throughout the state ?
Truly no one knows , and there will be so many , with most seemingly minor , that likely no single smoking gun will emerge to convince the electorate ( and partisan Democrats ) that something fraudulent happened in Pennsylvania .
This much we do know : As the Trump campaign had warned months ago , mail-in balloting paved the way for this @ @ @ @ @ @ @ potential massive fraud .
People who do this kind of work expected this mess .
Not only do counties know the prospects for theft but so do countries .
As Paul Bedard noted back in August in the Washington Examiner , this is why even the European Union bans mail-in balloting .
“ Most developed countries , especially in Europe , ban mail-in voting to fight vast fraud and vote buying that had threatened the integrity of their elections , according to an exhaustive review of voting rules and histories in over 30 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ In the European Union , 63 % have put a ban on mailing in ballots except for citizens living overseas.
” To permit this process in the United States was idiotic , though perhaps not for those who had hoped and planned to exploit it .
And as for Pennsylvania , mail-in ballots were catastrophic to the Trump campaign .
As George Parry noted in his American Spectator piece before the vote last week , “ Stealing Pennsylvania , ” “ Given Pennsylvania ’ s recently decreed rules for receiving and counting @ @ @ @ @ @ @ percentage of honest votes large enough to overcome the voter fraud already underway in the Keystone State.
” When I voted in person on Tuesday , November 3 , I needed my ID and was required to write down my signature , as did everyone who walked in .
Such procedures act as safeguards to protect elections and prevent fraud .
For a striking indication of how ripe the process is for abuse , look at this data on mail-in ballots in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania : There have been 6.7 million Pennsylvania @ @ @ @ @ @ @ The proportion that came from mail-in ballots is eye-opening .
There were 3,130,919 mail-in ballots issued to Pennsylvania voters .
Of these , a staggering 2,643,485 were cast — in other words , nearly 90 percent were sent in .
Yes , nearly 90 percent .
This means that the opportunities to swing the election to Biden by a mere half-percent or so via mail-in balloting were legion .
To leverage a final vote margin of 50,000 out of some three million would be a cinch .
“ Prove it !
” Democrats @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Pennsylvania was stolen !
” They know that will be virtually impossible .
Those with suspicions will be framed as crazy conspiracy theorists ( and surely as racists as well ) .
Nonetheless , people here in Pennsylvania are highly suspicious , and have every right to be .
You ’ d be naïve not to be incredulous at these numbers that don ’ t seem to add up .
Paul Kengor is professor of political science at Grove City College in Grove City , Pa. , and senior academic fellow at the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Kengor is author of over a dozen books , including A Pope and a President : John Paul II , Ronald Reagan , and the Extraordinary Untold Story of the 20th Century , The Politically Incorrect Guide to Communism , and Dupes : How America ’ s Adversaries Have Manipulated Progressives for a Century .


thetennesseestar--2020-11-15--Tennessee Stands Announces New Plans to Help Conservative Candidates Across the State

Tennessee Stands , based out of Williamson County , announced new initiatives Friday , including new partnerships and a new initiative to recruit right-leaning candidates for county commission and school board seats across the state .
“ We are so excited to partner with groups in Knoxville and Johnson City to now form the Tennessee Stands – Knoxville Coalition and the Tennessee Stands – Tri-Cities Coalition , ” Humble said in the press release .
“ This is going to be awesome and there is so much great work that we can do together.
” “ [ The year ] @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
It ’ s coming fast .
We are looking to support God-fearing , Constitution-loving , liberty-loving conservative candidates across the state in our county commission boards and our school board races , ” Humble said .
“ These local elections are critical to securing the liberties that you and I enjoy every day , so we want to work with those candidates , and we want to help them financially .
We should help them with their campaigns .
We want to help them be effective in their local communities and in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ do this work.
” As The Tennessee Star reported in August , Humble , speaking for Tennessee Stands , described state Education Commissioner Penny Schwinn as a leftist and a statist who wants the government to have too great of a role developing public school students .
Specifically , Humble criticized Schwinn and the Tennessee Department of Education for proposing — last summer — that state officials go to people ’ s homes to perform wellness checks on children .
Humble said that a lot of people had a problem with that proposal @ @ @ @ @ @ @ put the program on hold .
Tennessee Stands , according to its website , calls on Gov .
Bill Lee and other government officials at the county and state levels “ to restore our constitutional republic.
” As reported in August , Humble recently wanted members of the Tennessee General Assembly to amend the law to give additional counties the right to recall school board officials .
Chris Butler is an investigative journalist at The Tennessee Star .
Follow Chris on Facebook .
Email tips to [ email protected ] Photo “ Gary @ @ @ @ @ @

A new bill to raise the minimum wage to $15 per hour is emerging in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives.
Sponsored by Representative Patty Kim (D-Harrisburg), the bill as described in a memorandum appears similar to legislation Senator Dan Laughlin (R-Erie) is spearheading in his chamber. It contrasts with a more radical measure authored by Representative Chris Rabb (D-Philadelphia) that would hike the wage floor to $16.50 in July 2025 and gradually increase it to $21 by mid-2028. The Rabb bill would also apply the state minimum wage to prisoners, vastly boosting their pay.
In her memo pushing for a $15 hourly floor, Kim (pictured above) lamented that the commonwealth last hiked its minimum wage to $7.25 in 2009. She cited data from the U.S. Department of Labor indicating that 30 states, including all of those that neighbor Pennsylvania, mandate higher wage minimums. Her $15 rate would take effect in January 2024 and would tie future minimum-wage rises to inflation.
“Too many people have worked too hard for too long to not be able to pay their bills,” Kim said at a House Majority Policy Committee hearing on the issue in late March. “We want to tag a cost-of-living adjustment on this, so we never have to wait years and years – or wait for a once-in-a-century pandemic – for this issue to have a bright light shined on it.”
While free-market advocates generally oppose minimum wage increases, some in Harrisburg expect Republicans like Laughlin who now champion a hike will insist that such a policy come as part of a broader deal that will include regulatory reform. Governor Josh Shapiro (D) has urged enactment of a new $15 floor and many Republicans have sensed an opportunity for dealmaking, particularly insofar as they control the state Senate.
Advocates of an increase often cite a Pennsylvania Minimum Wage Advisory Board report indicating that 63,800 individuals — less than two percent of the state’s workforce — earned $7.25 per hour or less in 2021. Nonetheless, wages have risen markedly over the last two years and many who continue to make so little are teenagers working one of their first jobs.
After House Democrats began clamoring for new pay mandates, the Harrisburg-based Commonwealth Foundation (CF) issued a backgrounder in March opposing the idea. CF cited calculations from the nonpartisan Independent Fiscal Office suggesting that even raising the floor to $12 per hour would kill 5,000 jobs.
And the think tank fears the proposal could disadvantage even workers who keep their jobs insofar as employers may compensate for the new mandate by cutting worker hours and benefits. An example of this was observed nationally in 2018 after Amazon set its own low-end hourly wage to $15 but nevertheless suspended workers’ monthly bonuses and stock options.
Instead of raising the minimum wage, CF suggested, the commonwealth should focus on lowering impediments to employment by reforming licensing and permitting processes as well as improving public-assistance programs so they reward those who secure employment.
– – –
Bradley Vasoli is managing editor of The Pennsylvania Daily Star. Follow Brad on Twitter at @BVasoli. Email tips to [email protected].
Photo “Patty Kim” by Rep. Patty Kim. Background Photo “Pennsylvania Capitol” by Ad Meskens. CC BY-SA 3.0.


thetennesseestar--2020-11-15--Trump Supporters from Across America Flood Washington DC at the Million MAGA March

WASHINGTON , D.C. – People from all all over the United States filled the streets of Washington D.C. on Saturday at the Million MAGA March for two reasons : to encourage President Trump , and to signal concern over the recent elections .
Instead of a formal Trump-campaign event , the rally was a grassroots-style march that attracted a broad swath of Trump supporters ranging from pro-life Catholic organizations to far-right militias .
The Trump motorcade made an appearance earlier on Saturday morning , and the crowd continued to grow until about mid-afternoon .
“ We were in that procession @ @ @ @ @ @ @ I looked to the Supreme Court and back , and it was packed , ” attendee Calandra O ’ Hanlan said .
Considering everyone on side streets and who may have left earlier in the day , she thought around 100,000 people might have been present .
White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany said in an interview more than a million people attended .
“ It ’ s overwhelming .
Honestly , I hope Trump ’ s team feels encouraged , because whether you support him or not , imagine what it ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
And he deserves the respect of an honest election .
His whole staff does , ” O ’ Hanlan said .
“ He ’ s worked so hard for this country , especially this last year , there ’ s so many positive policies and decisions he ’ s made that we ’ re going to see down the road , he ’ s going to get a little more credit than he has now.
” Richmond Republican Committee member Ginny Anderson organized a bus from Richmond to the event that filled @ @ @ @ @ @ @ said she didn ’ t want to organize the bus herself , but she stepped in to fill a need after watching a video on how to respond to the election .
“ One [ takeaway ] was to give to the Donald J. Trump organization , another was to go to rallies , protests , do what you can to get out there [ and ] just not complain , to go and do something.
” “ This was an incredible event , ” activist Maggie VandenBerghe told The Virginia Star .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ I say that there were over a hundred thousand people there .
It was filled with passionate patriots who came out to show their support for the President , to show that they still stand behind the President , and to speak out against the voter fraud which they believe has occurred.
” VandenBerghe said the takeaway is that Americans are willing to fight for free and fair elections , but she said the march was mainly meant to support Trump .
“ The people who were out there today were really there @ @ @ @ @ @ @ : That they stand behind this President , that they know for a fact that he won on the night of November 3rd , and that in the hours that followed , fraud was committed and that they still stand behind this President , ” VandenBerghe said .
Eric Burk is a reporter at The Virginia Star and the Star News Digital Network .
Email tips to [ email protected ]


Commentary: Forgotten Again

Neglected by Republicans and Democrats alike , vilified by the culture , and preyed upon by globalization , white working-class voters in 2016 cast their lot with the one candidate in a generation who remembered them , and thus became Donald Trump ’ s base—a constellation of blue , white , and pink collar laborers .
This spark ignited what was supposed to be a revolution in party politics and carried Trump into the White House .
The truth about white “ dysfunctional , downscale communities , ” Kevin Williamson informed us in a March 2016 National Review article , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” A year into Donald Trump ’ s presidency , an unrepentant Bill Kristol quipped that the “ lazy ” white working class should be replaced with immigrants .
The mask was off what had been the prevailing attitude among establishment conservatives and Republicans until Trump .
And so it was that the cultural , political , and economic depredations these Americans suffered formed the chord of grievance Trump struck to resounding success .
“ For white men without a college degree , ” Stephanie Mencimer writes , “ the average growth in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a negative number ( −0.2 percent a year ) , even as median hourly earnings for all white workers grew by 11 percent in the same period.
” Deaths from suicide , drug overdoses , and alcohol-related disease among middle-aged white men and women have soared over the last two decades .
Despite popular narratives , whites are actually the biggest victims of interracial violence and police shootings .
It seems like maybe there is something to their grievances .
But something changed not long after Trump assumed control of the White House @ @ @ @ @ @ @ runoff against Joe Biden , conservative pundits and Republicans appear relieved that Trump ’ s support among the white working class has slipped .
Trump may have lost , Ben Shapiro cheered , but at least we can declare victory over the “ quest by Democrats and the media to paint Americans into racial categories and then declare demographics destiny.
” Shapiro is jumping the gun here , and no one should believe that the wide brush of supposed “ bigotry ” with which Democrats and the media paint their enemies will require @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Rubio ( R-Fla. ) , eager to jump on the bandwagon , heralded the rise of a more diverse “ multiethnic , multiracial , working-class ” party to Sean Hannity .
Rubio and Shapiro both act as if the mere fact of diversity is , in and of itself , a political good and fail to acknowledge that whites remain the largest component of this coalition or ask why their support is slipping .
Asked why the Trump campaign conspicuously neglected its white base in Florida ( and everywhere else ) , one @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ve got to kind of recognize that old white men are dying.
” The spiteful spirit of Williamson and Kristol-style “ conservatism ” evidently also haunts many supposed champions of the new “ populism , ” and not just in Florida .
“ The decided view internally was that white working class men lacked an alternative , ” a senior White House official told American Greatness .
“ There was no need to develop policy that would improve the social or economic conditions in America ’ s industrial communities .
They voted for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ it again , ” this official said of the campaign ’ s thinking .
“ From late 2017 foward , the goal was to make the Republican Party the vehicle for blacks and Latinos .
They wanted to build off of white working class men and discard them , not build an electoral coalition around them.
” The white working-class “ is the ‘ forgotten man ’ demographic , ” A Republican close to the campaign told American Greatness .
“ The focus on left-wing identity politics has already robbed these people of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ but now also the GOP , ” the source reported , referring to the campaign ’ s pandering .
“ In the final critical week , instead of holding events focusing on mobilizing cops , miners , steel workers , the campaign focused on PRIDE events in blue-collar areas under Richard Grenell and Jared Kushner , which actually alienates many of these people.
” The contradictions between how Trump won and how he governed and campaigned suggests perhaps the campaign did actually adopt this cynical strategy .
By 2017 , the economic populism @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a tax cuts plan formulated by Gary Cohn .
He served as president and Chief Operating Officer of Goldman Sachs for a quarter-century .
Cohn ’ s gift to Trump ’ s base was a zero percent tax rate on many profits generated by corporate offshoring , which some have argued incentivized the practice .
Roughly 1,800 factories between 2016 and 2018 and 740,000 manufacturing jobs since February 2020 sailed overseas .
Naturally , Cohn was among the first to congratulate Joe Biden this past week .
The promise of law and order @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to criminal justice reform .
White House advisors Brooke Rollins , Ja ’ Ron Smith , and Jared Kushner , spurred along by lobbying efforts of Charles Koch and George Soros , pushed the First Step Act as the crown jewel of 2018 , surpassing infrastructure investment as a priority .
That bill ultimately released thousands of dangerous criminals .
When rioting erupted across the country over the summer , that same trio urged Trump to sit on his hands .
They said that stopping the riots would make him look racist in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Instead , Kushner invited rapper Ice Cube to the White House , soliciting his input for what became the “ Platinum Plan.
” The rapper , not exactly known for his love of police , asked Kushner for a $ 500 billion capital infusion exclusively for blacks .
He got his wish , with the added promise of more criminal justice reform in the “ Second Step Act.
” Trump ’ s immigration agenda was regularly undermined .
Chad Wolf , formerly a paid immigration lobbyist , became acting Secretary of Homeland @ @ @ @ @ @ @ pushed for bringing in more visa workers up to and even during the pandemic ’ s early days .
Elevating Wolf to helm DHS , after demonstrating that his mentor and boss Kirstjen Nielsen was a complete failure , is akin to firing James Mattis at the Pentagon only to promote Michelle Flournoy : it is impossible to drain the swamp when you keep pumping more of it back into the mix .
Today , Wolf reportedly defied Trump ’ s order to terminate election cybersecurity official Christopher Krebs .
Thus , talk @ @ @ @ @ @ @ amnesty proposals because the former was said to risk alienating Latinos .
Then came the “ American Dream Plan , ” the equivalent of a Platinum Plan for Latinos , the architect of which was Jenny Korn .
An alumnus of the Bush public liaison office , Korn argues contra Trump that the GOP must soften its “ harsh tone on immigration ” to attract more Latinos .
Thus an administration created by tapping into the legitimate hopes and fears of America ’ s disaffected white middle class ended up excluding them from @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Dream.
” More to the point , an infrastructure plan producing high-paying jobs for all would have eliminated the need for any group “ plans ” as it would have promoted jobs that elevated Americans of all ethnicities .
It would have been in keeping with the president ’ s admonition that “ Success will unite us.
” Gallup polling in early 2017 found two-thirds of Americans said “ it is ‘ very important ’ for President-elect Donald Trump to keep his campaign promise to enact major spending on infrastructure renewal.
” In @ @ @ @ @ @ @ save your Social Security without killing it like so many people want to do.
” When the pandemic hit , Kushner sent a proposal to the White House Council of Economic Advisers to provide Americans with stimulus in exchange for delays or cuts to their Social Security benefits—something that made older white voters , concerned about their declining retirement accounts and health , recoil .
Though the Platinum Plan and American Dream Plan promised billions to specific minority groups , the administration failed to secure a second stimulus package to benefit all struggling @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” Mencimer wrote months before the election , “ President Trump and the GOP-controlled Senate have single-mindedly pursued policies that will harm white working-class voters , through cuts in social welfare programs like food stamps and Medicaid and by allowing huge corporate mergers.
” Nevertheless , she wondered why the same sick and dying white working-class voters seemed to want nothing to do with the Democratic Party .
It appears Mencimer may have been wrong to be concerned in the end .
“ A lot of people , I don ’ t think @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ re just voting against Trump , ” said Chuck Jones , former president of United Steelworkers Local 1999 in Indianapolis , which represents workers at Carrier and Rexnord .
In an interview with a labor magazine , Jones said Trump ’ s base rallied to him in 2016 because “ he was on a roll ” with his rhetoric about the working-class , about how they had been abandoned .
“ He said , ” Jones recalls , “ ‘ vote for me ; what do you stand to lose ?
’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ govern .
Warning signs emerged in the lead up to the election .
An array of polls pointed to a troubling trend : Trump ’ s white support was slipping .
Moreover , decreased support among whites for Black Lives Matter after months of rioting did not translate into increased support for Trump , as his advisors had cynically hoped .
“ Losing a significant portion of the college-educated white vote is devastating to any Republican candidate ’ s presidential prospects , ” political consultant Ryan Girdusky told me on the eve of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and increasing turnout among white working class is more likely to give Republicans wins in the Rust Belt , the northeast , and even parts of the sunbelt than increasing the black , Hispanic , or Asian vote by 5-10 percent.
” Girdusky appears to have been on the mark .
Trump ultimately underperformed with whites relative to 2016 .
As a result , he either legitimately lost the election or put himself within striking distance of the margin of fraud because Biden cut into Trump ’ s white base in states like @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ The percentage of white working class men voting Democratic increased from 23 % in 2016 to 28 % in 2020 , while among white working class women , support for Democrats increased from 34 % to 36 % , ” Joan C. Williams wrote in the Harvard Business Review .
“ These voters played a key role in delivering victories for Biden in the Rust Belt states where Clinton lost the presidency in 2016.
” If the numbers hold up under scrutiny , two-thirds of the Michigan counties that swung toward Trump @ @ @ @ @ @ @ A comparison of the comprehensive Fox News Voter Analysis , conducted in partnership with the Associated Press , and data from CNN ’ s 2016 exit polls and the Pew Research Center sketches the national picture .
Trump scored roughly 64 percent of non-college whites in 2016 , compared to 62 percent in 2020 .
Among non-college white men , the gap is even more profound : 71 percent in 2016 versus 64 percent in 2020 .
By contrast , the same data show Trump won between 6 percent and 8 percent of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in 2020 .
After the First Step Act , the Platinum Plan , a soft touch on riots , and a Republican National Convention heavily focused on courting black voters , Trump improved his share of the black vote by just 2 to 4 percentage points .
Trump improved with Latinos by 7 percentage points , though they constituted a smaller share of the overall electorate compared to 2016 .
Put simply , while minorities supplement the coalition , this is still mainly a white working-class movement , something Shapiro , Rubio , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to downplay or dismiss .
White working-class Americans continue to constitute the largest component of America ’ s broad mass who do the work , hold the country together , and sustain the ruling class that despises them—all things Trump acknowledged on the road to the White House .
Yet no one seems to remember them now , except to celebrate the fact that Trump won fewer of them this time around—a testament to the Republican Party ’ s diverse bona fides .
Now we are the “ coalition of the ascendant , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ sigh of relief in the hope that maybe people won ’ t call us racist anymore .
“ That new coalition will be central to continued Republican success in the state , ” Matt Dixon and Gary Fineout wrote in Politico regarding Florida , where Trump ’ s success with Latinos has been an occasion for a ticker-tape parade .
White men , after all , are going extinct .
But those dying white men punched Trump ’ s ticket to the White House and , ironically , are likely the most significant @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s largest base of support was , again , with white voters , who helped him outperform his 2016 showing in 32 mostly rural , white counties across the state , ” Dixon and Fineout noted .
“ That support squeezed an additional 153,000 votes out of areas of the state that already backed Trump by wide margins.
” That Biden underperformed with Latinos sealed the deal in the Sunshine State .
As many examples as there are of Trump picking up nonwhites in the Rust Belt and Sun Belt , there @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of voters helped Biden in those critical areas .
All of this is not to say that the 2016 election was a complete failure .
It showed that it is , in fact , possible to run and win on the issues both parties eschew , that there is a broad desire for economic populism , immigration restrictionism , foreign policy restraint , for law and order , and for a president who is strong rather than effete .
Trump single-handedly brought about the beginning of a realignment capable of achieving lasting dominance @ @ @ @ @ @ @ prosecuted the mandate of that realignment .
America ’ s white working class continues to wait for a champion , someone who will not take the political capital their votes buy and squander it on progressive projects and old dogma by another name .
Trump ’ s moment could be the beginning of something far more significant than the man himself if we are willing to hammer it free of the dross so that the mandate does not become a mausoleum of hope and desire .
Pedro Gonzalez is assistant editor of American @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the Center for American Greatness .
Follow him on Twitter @ emeriticus .


thetennesseestar--2020-11-15--States Aren’t Prepared to Distribute Coronavirus Vaccine, Investigation Finds

Most states aren ’ t adequately prepared to distribute the leading coronavirus vaccine , especially to rural areas , once it is approved for public use , according to a ProPublica analysis of state plans .
Pfizer announced Monday that the coronavirus vaccine it is developing was more than 90 % effective and did not produce safety concerns during its large-scale trial .
But , as the vaccine approached Food and Drug Administration approval , a ProPublica investigation found that states aren ’ t ready to administer the delivery of the vaccine to vast swaths of their populations .
“ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ have lots of doses , I frankly do not anticipate that vaccine will be widely available in every rural community , ” Centers for Disease Control and Prevention ’ s Vaccine Task Force Chief Medical Officer Dr. Amanda Cohn said on Nov. 3 , according to ProPublica .
“ The first couple months will be not ideal , but we really want to listen to our rural partners and understand what we can do to make it better , ” she continued .
There are a variety of requirements that officials must meet @ @ @ @ @ @ @ vaccine , making it difficult for many state and local governments , according to ProPublica .
The vaccine must be stored in minus 100 degrees Fahrenheit and delivered in dry ice boxes so that it stays viable for 10 days .
The requirements present challenges to officials who attempt to transport the vaccine to populations in communities far from urban areas that will have an easier time administering it , according to ProPublica , which analyzed 47 states ’ vaccine plans .
For example , Arizona ’ s health department isn ’ t @ @ @ @ @ @ @ rural and tribal communities , and Washington doesn ’ t have a warehouse that is sufficient to store vaccines , according to ProPublica .
Georgia has deferred it plan to municipalities and Kansas has prepared for smaller shipments than it will receive .
“ There are too many variables still to be worked out at the federal level , ” a Georgia Department of Public Health spokesperson told ProPublica .
“ Much of what happens going forward will depend on the vaccine itself , when we receive it and what the protocols will @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” President Donald Trump celebrated the progress of Operation Warp Speed , the federal government ’ s multiagency effort to produce a coronavirus vaccine quickly , during a news conference Friday .
The goal of the operation has been to produce 300 million doses of “ safe and effective vaccines ” by January 2021 .
“ Operation Warp Speed is unequaled and unrivaled anywhere in the world , ” said Trump , who was joined by Vice President Mike Pence and Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar .
Azar said in October @ @ @ @ @ @ @ be available for vulnerable Americans by January , according to The Hill .
He added that more Americans will have access to the vaccine by April .
Thomas Catenacci is a reporter for the Daily Caller News Foundation .


thetennesseestar--2020-11-15--Commentary: Without Signature Verification of Voter Eligibility, Georgia Hand Recount Will be Incomp

Commentary: Without Signature Verification of Voter Eligibility, Georgia Hand Recount Will be Incomplete

Georgia is undertaking a hand recount of ballots cast in the 2020 election in an effort to ensure ballot integrity , but with absentee mail-in ballots already separated from their envelopes , it may be impossible to pull back any votes even if they were cast by ineligible voters .
Because under state law , a voter ’ s signature goes on the envelope containing the secret ballot , not the ballot itself .
As a result , even if a number of voters are found to have cast votes that were ineligible , there will not be an easy @ @ @ @ @ @ @ caused .
Making matters worse , the state of Georgia arbitrarily changed state law on signature verification of absentee ballots via a March 2020 judicial consent decree with Georgia Democrats — without ever going to the state legislature .
It changed the statutory requirement that the signature must match the signature on the voter registration card to simply matching the signature on the absentee ballot application .
State law says the signature must match either the voter registration card or the most recent updated registration card the absentee ballot application , “ The @ @ @ @ @ @ @ identifying information on the oath with the information on file in his or her office , shall compare the signature or mark on the oath with the signature or mark on the absentee elector ’ s voter registration card or the most recent update to such absentee elector ’ s voter registration card and application for absentee ballot or a facsimile of said signature or mark taken from said card or application… ” If it ’ s correct , it gets counted , if not , it gets rejected and then , “ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ clerk shall promptly notify the elector of such rejection , a copy of which notification shall be retained in the files of the board of registrars or absentee ballot clerk for at least two years .
Such elector shall have until the end of the period for verifying provisional ballots contained in subsection ( c ) of Code Section 21-2-419 to cure the problem resulting in the rejection of the ballot.
” That section provided until Nov. 6 , three days after the election , for voters to cure their ballots .
That @ @ @ @ @ @ @ resubmitting ballots days after Election Day — Republicans are challenging that as well as extending Election Day beyond that set forth by Congress under Article I , Section 4 of the Constitution and 2 U.S.C .
§7 which states “ The Tuesday next after the 1st Monday in November , in every even numbered year , is established as the day for the election , in each of the States ” But leaving that aside , and focusing on the signatures , the March 2020 consent decree removed the requirement that the signature @ @ @ @ @ @ @ card : “ County registrars and absentee ballot clerks are required , upon receipt of each mail-in absentee ballot , to compare the signature or mark of the elector on the mail-in absentee ballot envelope with the signatures or marks in eNet and on the application for the mail-in absentee ballot.
” This effectively amended state law , clearly violating Article I , Section 4 of the U.S. Constitution , which states , “ The times , places , and manner of holding elections for senators and representatives , shall be prescribed in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ but the Congress may at any time by Law make or alter such Regulations… ” Now , even if these unconstitutional actions would not change the outcome of the presidential contest of 2020 , federal courts should still hear these challenges .
They could affect down-ballot races , and will certainly impact how future elections are handled in the U.S. On the administrative and judicial amendment to the signature matching requirement , the danger of removing the voter registration card from the mix is that it becomes possible for individuals to both request @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of somebody else — potentially without their knowledge .
And now that the ballots have been separated from the envelopes , even if it a great number of voters are later determined to have been ineligible to vote after the fact — whether because they live out of state or the signatures didn ’ t match — the votes themselves will remain tabulated .
Where the Georgia recount could get really interesting is if the Trump campaign and Republican Party can find enough ineligible votes having been cast that either exceed former Vice @ @ @ @ @ @ @ lead over President Donald Trump in the state , or could potentially make Sen. David Perdue ( R-Ga. ) the clear winner of one of the Georgia Senate races currently headed for a January 2021 runoff , which would give Senate Republicans a clear majority right now .
At that point , the Georgia state legislature would have to reconcile the popular vote result in the state versus a likelihood that the result might change if only legal votes are counted .
What is still unknown is just how many ineligible votes were @ @ @ @ @ @ @ but other battleground states like Pennsylvania , Michigan , Wisconsin and Arizona .
Stay tuned .
Robert Romano is the Vice President of Public Policy at Americans for Limited Government .