wnd--2020-12-19--Joe Biden's picks earn title of 'Fedora Cabinet'

[ Editor 's note : This story originally was published by Real Clear Politics . ]
Andrew Jackson assembled a Kitchen Cabinet to run the government .
Franklin D. Roosevelt turned to his fabled Brain Trust and JFK famously recruited the Best and the Brightest .
Now comes Joe Biden , whose high-level nominees suggest something that should be called the Fedora Cabinet .
Given their astonishing lack of relevant experience , it appears that Biden put the names of all the people he liked in a hat and then randomly drew them out .
How else to explain his @ @ @ @ @ @ @ not an economist , to run the Office of Management and Budget ?
TRENDING : Andrew Cuomo is unfit to be attorney general Or Pete Buttigieg , whose biggest job was mayor of the small city of South Bend , Ind.
, to be secretary of transportation ?
Or California Attorney General Xavier Beccera to run the Department of Health and Human Services ?
Jennifer Granholm did serve two terms as Michigan ’ s governor , but it ’ s hard to see how that qualifies her to oversee America ’ s vast @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Maybe the biggest head-scratcher is his selection of Susan Rice , whose entire career has been devoted to foreign affairs , to lead the White House Domestic Policy Council .
Perhaps her run as President Obama ’ s national security adviser was so disastrous that Biden figured she must be better at something else .
To test the Fedora theory , rearrange those names anyway you like .
Put Mayor Pete at Energy , Granholm at HHS and Becerra at Transportation – does that make a whit of difference ?
If Biden @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to run the OMB and installed Tanden at the Domestic Policy Council would anybody have said , “ Wait , he got that backwards ” ?
Biden ’ s picks suggest a new chapter in the rise of identity politics .
In the olden days , one ’ s training and accomplishments were the measuring stick for employment .
Future leaders toiled long and hard in their chosen fields in the hope that one day they might run the show .
Today , it ’ s not what you know but who you @ @ @ @ @ @ @ have a government that looks like America – or at least that tiny sliver that attended Ivy League schools – matters most .
This anybody-for-anything approach is not without precedent .
It recalls the earlier days of the patronage system where loyalty was more important than knowledge .
FDR didn ’ t tap his campaign manager James Farley as postmaster general because Farley knew anything about the U.S. mail .
He wanted a trusted adviser close at hand .
Biden is also making most every position seem like the ambassadorship to France – @ @ @ @ @ @ @ thanks for the greenbacks , enjoy Paree ! )
rather than an acknowledgment of ability .
His selections do have one thing in common : Where Abraham Lincoln created a Team of Rivals , Biden is creating a Team of Partisans .
If Tanden , Granholm , Becerra and Rice have distinguished themselves through the years , it is as sharp-elbowed combatants ; Buttigieg , blessedly , has been more restrained .
Tanden reportedly deleted more than 1,000 tweets that attacked government officials and pushed anti-Trump conspiracy theories in advance of her Senate @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of his time as California ’ s AG suing the Trump administration , bringing more than 100 lawsuits against the federal government .
Since leaving office in 2011 , Granholm has become a fixture on cable TV where she has castigated Republicans and advanced the debunked claim that Trump was in cahoots with Vladimir Putin .
Rice has a long record of partisan service – from taking to the airwaves in 2012 to falsely claim that the deadly attacks on the U.S. compound in Benghazi was inspired by a video to her unflagging @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in America .
Biden says he wants to unify the nation , but his Fedora Cabinet suggests that brass knuckles and party loyalty are the prime qualifications to serve in his administration .
The only mystery is why he didn ’ t name his wife to run Health and Human Services .
At least she ’ s a doctor .

[Editor's note: This story originally was published by Real Clear Politics.]
By J. Peder Zane
Real Clear Politics
Andrew Jackson assembled a Kitchen Cabinet to run the government. Franklin D. Roosevelt turned to his fabled Brain Trust and JFK famously recruited the Best and the Brightest. Now comes Joe Biden, whose high-level nominees suggest something that should be called the Fedora Cabinet.
Given their astonishing lack of relevant experience, it appears that Biden put the names of all the people he liked in a hat and then randomly drew them out. How else to explain his selection of Neera Tanden, who is not an economist, to run the Office of Management and Budget?
TRENDING: Is this the 'Final Battle'?
Or Pete Buttigieg, whose biggest job was mayor of the small city of South Bend, Ind., to be secretary of transportation? Or California Attorney General Xavier Beccera to run the Department of Health and Human Services?
Jennifer Granholm did serve two terms as Michigan’s governor, but it’s hard to see how that qualifies her to oversee America’s vast nuclear arsenal as the secretary of energy.
Maybe the biggest head-scratcher is his selection of Susan Rice, whose entire career has been devoted to foreign affairs, to lead the White House Domestic Policy Council. Perhaps her run as President Obama’s national security adviser was so disastrous that Biden figured she must be better at something else.
To test the Fedora theory, rearrange those names anyway you like. Put Mayor Pete at Energy, Granholm at HHS and Becerra at Transportation – does that make a whit of difference? If Biden had switched things up and tapped Rice to run the OMB and installed Tanden at the Domestic Policy Council would anybody have said, “Wait, he got that backwards”?
Do Biden's cabinet picks lack relevant experience? Yes No Completing this poll entitles you to WND news updates free of charge. You may opt out at anytime. You also agree to our Privacy Policy and Terms of Use You're logged in to Facebook. Click here to log out. 95% (303 Votes) 5% (15 Votes)
Biden’s picks suggest a new chapter in the rise of identity politics. In the olden days, one’s training and accomplishments were the measuring stick for employment. Future leaders toiled long and hard in their chosen fields in the hope that one day they might run the show.
Today, it’s not what you know but who you are that counts. The need to have a government that looks like America – or at least that tiny sliver that attended Ivy League schools – matters most.
This anybody-for-anything approach is not without precedent. It recalls the earlier days of the patronage system where loyalty was more important than knowledge. FDR didn’t tap his campaign manager James Farley as postmaster general because Farley knew anything about the U.S. mail. He wanted a trusted adviser close at hand. Biden is also making most every position seem like the ambassadorship to France – a reward for loyalty and support (thanks for the greenbacks, enjoy Paree!) rather than an acknowledgment of ability.
His selections do have one thing in common: Where Abraham Lincoln created a Team of Rivals, Biden is creating a Team of Partisans. If Tanden, Granholm, Becerra and Rice have distinguished themselves through the years, it is as sharp-elbowed combatants; Buttigieg, blessedly, has been more restrained.
Tanden reportedly deleted more than 1,000 tweets that attacked government officials and pushed anti-Trump conspiracy theories in advance of her Senate confirmation hearing. Becerra has spent much of his time as California’s AG suing the Trump administration, bringing more than 100 lawsuits against the federal government. Since leaving office in 2011, Granholm has become a fixture on cable TV where she has castigated Republicans and advanced the debunked claim that Trump was in cahoots with Vladimir Putin.
Rice has a long record of partisan service – from taking to the airwaves in 2012 to falsely claim that the deadly attacks on the U.S. compound in Benghazi was inspired by a video to her unflagging efforts pushing phony theories about Russian influence in America.
Biden says he wants to unify the nation, but his Fedora Cabinet suggests that brass knuckles and party loyalty are the prime qualifications to serve in his administration. The only mystery is why he didn’t name his wife to run Health and Human Services. At least she’s a doctor.


wnd--2020-12-19--Biden's U.S. attorney appointment decisions get 'tricky'

President-elect Joe Biden has vowed to restore integrity to the Justice Department and allow it to run independently , free of White House meddling .
But if the experience of his predecessors is any guide , that lofty pledge is easier said than done – even if a president ’ s own son were not the subject of a federal investigation .
Although naming a new attorney general is the most pressing judicial personnel matter Biden faces , it ’ s not the only one .
A potentially fraught decision is whether to replace David Weiss , the federal prosecutor @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and business dealings in China and Ukraine .
In his dual role as a supportive father and the president-elect in a deeply divided nation , Joe Biden issued a terse response to his son ’ s disclosure last week that he was under investigation .
Biden said , as he has in the past , that he ’ s proud of a son who has “ fought through difficult challenges , ” including “ the vicious personal attacks of recent months , only to emerge stronger.
” TRENDING : Andrew Cuomo is unfit @ @ @ @ @ @ @ reporter asked if he ’ s confident that Hunter did nothing wrong .
Nonetheless , news of the Hunter Biden investigation has added an unwelcome complication to the incoming president ’ s choice of the nation ’ s top law enforcement officer – one who will inherit the Hunter Biden mess .
Joe Biden plans to announce his attorney general nominee by next week , sources familiar with transition deliberations told RealClearPolitics .
Top candidates include New York Gov .
Andrew Cuomo , outgoing Sen. Doug Jones of Alabama , U.S .
Circuit @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Attorney General Sally Yates .
All of this is taking place against the chaotic backdrop of the current administration ’ s waning days and the sudden resignation this week of Attorney General William Barr .
Trump ’ s once-trusted legal chieftain ’ s abrupt decision not to finish out the administration ’ s term came after President Trump openly railed against some of his actions ( or lack thereof ) .
The president denounced Barr ’ s statement that he hadn ’ t seen enough evidence of election fraud thus far to overturn @ @ @ @ @ @ @ displeasure with Barr ’ s decision to keep the Hunter Biden investigation , which began in 2018 , under wraps throughout the 2020 campaign .
With nearly five decades of public life in Washington that includes time serving as chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee , Joe Biden has a special vantage point in sizing up how previous presidents have handled their relationships with their hand-picked attorneys general .
Biden has also taken public positions on whether former presidents properly fired slates of U.S. attorneys chosen by predecessors and who were involved in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of those statements will be used as a way to evaluate whether his actions impacting the Justice Department are consistent with his previous stances .
For starters , Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris have harshly criticized the way Trump has treated his attorneys general .
Trump publicly excoriated his first , Jeff Sessions , for recusing himself from the Russia probe , and Barr for failing to investigate or prosecute his political opponents .
“ We will not tell the Justice Department how to do its job , ” Harris said in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to CNN in early December .
She added that “ any decision coming out of the Justice Department … should be based on facts , should be based on the law , should not be influenced by politics .
Period.
” Biden underscored the pledge : “ I guarantee you that that ’ s how it will be run.
” As a senator , Biden was particularly critical of another Republican president , George W. Bush , and what he regarded as the politicization of the attorney general position .
In 2007 , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to resign in part over the decision to fire eight U.S. attorneys amid allegations of Republican meddling in some of their investigations .
Several GOP senators said they also had lost faith in Gonzales , and he eventually stepped down .
That criticism prompted some scrutiny at the time .
In an interview on Fox News in April 2007 , Chris Wallace pressed Biden on whether he had criticized Republican presidents and their Justice Department decisions while giving President Clinton a pass , especially when it comes to the firings of U.S. attorneys @ @ @ @ @ @ @ office or at other points in their presidency , dismiss the U.S. attorneys chosen by the predecessors .
But firing them en masse prompts allegations of partisanship from the opposing party .
Presidents Trump , Bush and Clinton all did so at the beginning of their time in office , and Eric Holder , President Obama ’ s attorney general in May of 2009 , announced plans to dismiss a “ batch ” before backing off and gradually replacing them over time .
In his interview with Wallace , Biden defended his call @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that the U.S. attorney firings were politically motivated .
Biden added that he believed Gonzales had become a “ creature of the president , not the attorney for the people as well as representing the president.
” And he went so far as to say the Bush White House even exceeded the Nixon administration in installing loyalists in the U.S. attorney jobs .
“ And as recently as today , there ’ s an article in one of the major newspapers out that this administration , more than any other , and that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ others , went out and put U.S. attorneys in spots who were the cronies – wrong word , that ’ s not fair – who were the employees of the White House and the Justice Department who were loyal directly to Gonzales and to the political people in the White House , ” Biden argued .
“ That is highly , highly unusual.
” Wallace wasn ’ t satisfied with that answer .
He pointed out that Biden declined to hold hearings when he was Judiciary committee chairman back in 1993 into the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of 93 of 94 U.S. attorneys , including “ several who were involved in politically sensitive investigations.
” At the time , Senate Republican leader Bob Dole pressed Biden to hold hearings into the firings because he regarded the dismissals as “ a severe blow to the administration of justice.
” The U.S. attorneys being fired included one who was investigating Democratic Rep. Dan Rostenkowski , the powerful chairman of the Ways and Means Committee , for corruption .
In Clinton ’ s case , Biden said there was no political meddling in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ convicted and served time in jail , a prosecution carried on by the dismissed U.S. attorney ’ s replacement .
Several former Justice Department officials who spoke to RealClearPolitics said they fully expect Biden to fire some or all of the U.S. attorneys appointed by Trump , including the one investigating his son .
Guy Lewis , a former U.S. attorney in Florida who also served as a director of the Executive Office for U.S .
Attorneys during the Bush administration , said most dismissals of holdover federal prosecutors create a blowup politically @ @ @ @ @ @ @ routine presidential prerogative .
“ Almost without exception , say , in the past four or five [ presidential transitions ] , U.S. attorneys have been relieved of their positions , ” Lewis told RCP .
The dilemma Biden faces with his son under investigation is truly “ extraordinary , ” Lewis added , predicting that Biden will leave the decision on whether to dismiss the U.S. attorneys to his AG .
“ In order to demonstrate the independence and arms-length promises – everything he ’ s been preaching -- I think he @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , you make the call .
It ’ s your call , ’ ” Lewis said .
“ Isn ’ t that the safest play ?
” That decision-making role fell previously to Stuart Gerson , who served as acting attorney general during the early months of the Clinton administration after his role as assistant attorney general for the civil division during President George H.W .
Bush ’ s time in office .
It was Gerson who had the job of firing a slate of U.S. attorneys at the beginning of the new @ @ @ @ @ @ @ was in the midst of a controversial trial .
“ You have certain people who were partisan political people who were seeking the office but somehow viewed themselves as having a right to stay on in the new administration , and they don ’ t , ” Gerson told RCP .
The key to ensuring that justice continues to be carried out after the firings , Gerson said , is having ready replacements , either new U.S. attorneys already vetted and poised to start work , or court-appointed acting U.S. attorneys or interim @ @ @ @ @ @ @ or prosecutions already underway .
Determining whether the U.S. attorney who launched the Hunter Biden investigation will remain in his job is far more politically and personally fraught than any other presidents ’ decision on retaining or dismissing U.S. attorneys , Gerson acknowledged .
“ I think there ’ s a high political risk for President-elect Biden when he becomes president to interfere in that case , having criticized Trump for interfering in cases involving people close to him , ” Gerson said .
One possible turn of events , he said , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , Jeffrey Rosen , to name Weiss as a special counsel charged with carrying out the Hunter Biden investigation .
Trump is reportedly considering pushing to have a special counsel named and is consulting with top advisers on whether do so .
Naming Weiss to that role would mirror Barr ’ s decision to elevate John Durham , who was investigating the origins of the Justice Department ’ s Trump-Russia collusion probe as a U.S. attorney , into a special counsel role , a move that presumably will ensure the integrity of his @ @ @ @ @ @ @ When Durham was declared to be a special counsel , it got a lot of publicity as being a major event , ” Gerson said .
“ But I don ’ t believe it ’ s a major event .
Durham is a person of good reputation , who had always been known to take his time before doing anything , and that ’ s clearly the case now.
” Although Weiss was appointed by Trump , he is not known for his partisan leanings .
A decade ago , however , he @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a scheme to use political donations to gain favor with an influential senator .
The identity of that senator ?
Joe Biden of Delaware .

By Susan Crabtree
Real Clear Politics
President-elect Joe Biden has vowed to restore integrity to the Justice Department and allow it to run independently, free of White House meddling. But if the experience of his predecessors is any guide, that lofty pledge is easier said than done – even if a president’s own son were not the subject of a federal investigation.
Although naming a new attorney general is the most pressing judicial personnel matter Biden faces, it’s not the only one. A potentially fraught decision is whether to replace David Weiss, the federal prosecutor investigating Hunter Biden’s tax returns and business dealings in China and Ukraine.
In his dual role as a supportive father and the president-elect in a deeply divided nation, Joe Biden issued a terse response to his son’s disclosure last week that he was under investigation. Biden said, as he has in the past, that he’s proud of a son who has “fought through difficult challenges,” including “the vicious personal attacks of recent months, only to emerge stronger.”
TRENDING: Is this the 'Final Battle'?
On Wednesday a reporter asked if he’s confident that Hunter did nothing wrong.
“I’m confident,” Biden replied.
Nonetheless, news of the Hunter Biden investigation has added an unwelcome complication to the incoming president’s choice of the nation’s top law enforcement officer – one who will inherit the Hunter Biden mess. Joe Biden plans to announce his attorney general nominee by next week, sources familiar with transition deliberations told RealClearPolitics. Top candidates include New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, outgoing Sen. Doug Jones of Alabama, U.S. Circuit Judge Merrick Garland, and former Deputy Attorney General Sally Yates.
All of this is taking place against the chaotic backdrop of the current administration’s waning days and the sudden resignation this week of Attorney General William Barr. Trump’s once-trusted legal chieftain’s abrupt decision not to finish out the administration’s term came after President Trump openly railed against some of his actions (or lack thereof). The president denounced Barr’s statement that he hadn’t seen enough evidence of election fraud thus far to overturn the presidential outcome. Trump also expressed displeasure with Barr’s decision to keep the Hunter Biden investigation, which began in 2018, under wraps throughout the 2020 campaign.
Can Joe Biden restore integrity to the Justice Department when his son is under investigation? Yes No Completing this poll entitles you to WND news updates free of charge. You may opt out at anytime. You also agree to our Privacy Policy and Terms of Use You're logged in to Facebook. Click here to log out. 0% (0 Votes) 100% (49 Votes)
With nearly five decades of public life in Washington that includes time serving as chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, Joe Biden has a special vantage point in sizing up how previous presidents have handled their relationships with their hand-picked attorneys general. Biden has also taken public positions on whether former presidents properly fired slates of U.S. attorneys chosen by predecessors and who were involved in politically charged investigations and prosecutions.
All of those statements will be used as a way to evaluate whether his actions impacting the Justice Department are consistent with his previous stances. For starters, Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris have harshly criticized the way Trump has treated his attorneys general. Trump publicly excoriated his first, Jeff Sessions, for recusing himself from the Russia probe, and Barr for failing to investigate or prosecute his political opponents.
“We will not tell the Justice Department how to do its job,” Harris said in a joint interview she and Biden gave to CNN in early December. She added that “any decision coming out of the Justice Department … should be based on facts, should be based on the law, should not be influenced by politics. Period.”
Biden underscored the pledge: “I guarantee you that that’s how it will be run.”
As a senator, Biden was particularly critical of another Republican president, George W. Bush, and what he regarded as the politicization of the attorney general position. In 2007, Biden publicly called for then-AG Alberto Gonzales to resign in part over the decision to fire eight U.S. attorneys amid allegations of Republican meddling in some of their investigations. Several GOP senators said they also had lost faith in Gonzales, and he eventually stepped down.
That criticism prompted some scrutiny at the time. In an interview on Fox News in April 2007, Chris Wallace pressed Biden on whether he had criticized Republican presidents and their Justice Department decisions while giving President Clinton a pass, especially when it comes to the firings of U.S. attorneys.
Most presidents, either when assuming office or at other points in their presidency, dismiss the U.S. attorneys chosen by the predecessors. But firing them en masse prompts allegations of partisanship from the opposing party. Presidents Trump, Bush and Clinton all did so at the beginning of their time in office, and Eric Holder, President Obama’s attorney general in May of 2009, announced plans to dismiss a “batch” before backing off and gradually replacing them over time.
In his interview with Wallace, Biden defended his call for Gonzales to step down, arguing that the U.S. attorney firings were politically motivated.
Biden added that he believed Gonzales had become a “creature of the president, not the attorney for the people as well as representing the president.” And he went so far as to say the Bush White House even exceeded the Nixon administration in installing loyalists in the U.S. attorney jobs.
“And as recently as today, there’s an article in one of the major newspapers out that this administration, more than any other, and that covers a lot, including Nixon and others, went out and put U.S. attorneys in spots who were the cronies – wrong word, that’s not fair – who were the employees of the White House and the Justice Department who were loyal directly to Gonzales and to the political people in the White House,” Biden argued. “That is highly, highly unusual.”
Wallace wasn’t satisfied with that answer. He pointed out that Biden declined to hold hearings when he was Judiciary committee chairman back in 1993 into the propriety of President Clinton’s firing of 93 of 94 U.S. attorneys, including “several who were involved in politically sensitive investigations.”
At the time, Senate Republican leader Bob Dole pressed Biden to hold hearings into the firings because he regarded the dismissals as “a severe blow to the administration of justice.”
The U.S. attorneys being fired included one who was investigating Democratic Rep. Dan Rostenkowski, the powerful chairman of the Ways and Means Committee, for corruption.
In Clinton’s case, Biden said there was no political meddling in the investigations, noting that Rostenkowski was convicted and served time in jail, a prosecution carried on by the dismissed U.S. attorney’s replacement.
Several former Justice Department officials who spoke to RealClearPolitics said they fully expect Biden to fire some or all of the U.S. attorneys appointed by Trump, including the one investigating his son. Guy Lewis, a former U.S. attorney in Florida who also served as a director of the Executive Office for U.S. Attorneys during the Bush administration, said most dismissals of holdover federal prosecutors create a blowup politically but should be considered a matter of routine presidential prerogative.
“Almost without exception, say, in the past four or five [presidential transitions], U.S. attorneys have been relieved of their positions,” Lewis told RCP. The dilemma Biden faces with his son under investigation is truly “extraordinary,” Lewis added, predicting that Biden will leave the decision on whether to dismiss the U.S. attorneys to his AG.
“In order to demonstrate the independence and arms-length promises – everything he’s been preaching -- I think he’ll say, ‘Attorney General, you make the call. It’s your call,’” Lewis said. “Isn’t that the safest play?”
That decision-making role fell previously to Stuart Gerson, who served as acting attorney general during the early months of the Clinton administration after his role as assistant attorney general for the civil division during President George H.W. Bush’s time in office. It was Gerson who had the job of firing a slate of U.S. attorneys at the beginning of the new administration, including one in Tennessee who was in the midst of a controversial trial.
“You have certain people who were partisan political people who were seeking the office but somehow viewed themselves as having a right to stay on in the new administration, and they don’t,” Gerson told RCP.
The key to ensuring that justice continues to be carried out after the firings, Gerson said, is having ready replacements, either new U.S. attorneys already vetted and poised to start work, or court-appointed acting U.S. attorneys or interim U.S. attorneys who can continue the investigations or prosecutions already underway.
Determining whether the U.S. attorney who launched the Hunter Biden investigation will remain in his job is far more politically and personally fraught than any other presidents’ decision on retaining or dismissing U.S. attorneys, Gerson acknowledged.
“I think there’s a high political risk for President-elect Biden when he becomes president to interfere in that case, having criticized Trump for interfering in cases involving people close to him,” Gerson said.
One possible turn of events, he said, would be for the acting attorney general, Jeffrey Rosen, to name Weiss as a special counsel charged with carrying out the Hunter Biden investigation. Trump is reportedly considering pushing to have a special counsel named and is consulting with top advisers on whether do so. Naming Weiss to that role would mirror Barr’s decision to elevate John Durham, who was investigating the origins of the Justice Department’s Trump-Russia collusion probe as a U.S. attorney, into a special counsel role, a move that presumably will ensure the integrity of his work in a Biden administration.
“When Durham was declared to be a special counsel, it got a lot of publicity as being a major event,” Gerson said. “But I don’t believe it’s a major event. Durham is a person of good reputation, who had always been known to take his time before doing anything, and that’s clearly the case now.”
Although Weiss was appointed by Trump, he is not known for his partisan leanings. A decade ago, however, he did prosecute a fundraiser who engaged in a scheme to use political donations to gain favor with an influential senator. The identity of that senator? Joe Biden of Delaware.


wnd--2020-12-19--So many Californians fleeing, state may lose House seat, electoral vote

( WASHINGTON EXAMINER ) – An exodus sparked by high taxes , coronavirus lockdowns , and regulations has driven California @ @ @ @ @ to a record low , which is projected to cost the state a seat in @ @ @ @ @ .
“ This is a real sea change in California , which used to be @ @ @ @ @ population growth , ” said Hans Johnson , a demographer at the Public Policy Institute @ @ @ @ @ net migration loss , which has now occurred three years in a row .
“ @ @ @ @ @ for some time now .
But it ’ s now gotten to the point where @ @ @ @ @ growing population-wise at all.
” According to a population estimate this week , 135,600 more @ @ @ @ @ than moved there , which marks only the 12th time since 1900 that the state @ @ @ @ @ .
It is the third-largest drop recorded .

(WASHINGTON EXAMINER) – An exodus sparked by high taxes, coronavirus lockdowns, and regulations has driven California’s population growth rate to a record low, which is projected to cost the state a seat in Congress and an electoral vote.
“This is a real sea change in California, which used to be this state of pretty robust population growth,” said Hans Johnson, a demographer at the Public Policy Institute of California, regarding the net migration loss, which has now occurred three years in a row. “It hasn’t been for some time now. But it’s now gotten to the point where the state is essentially not growing population-wise at all.”
According to a population estimate this week, 135,600 more people fled the Golden State than moved there, which marks only the 12th time since 1900 that the state saw a net migration loss. It is the third-largest drop recorded.
Read the full story ›


wnd--2020-12-19--The establishment strikes back: AOC has her wings clipped

Deliberations over the next several days will be extremely important for progressives in the House , as they angle to lock down seats on these powerful committees for their members .
To that end , Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez ( D-NY ) was expected to secure a prized position on the Energy and Commerce Committee , a seat vacated by outgoing New Yorker Eliot Engel .
Among other issues , the committee has jurisdiction over health care and climate change issues , a natural for a congresswoman who has championed Medicare for All and the Green New Deal .
Ocasio-Cortez was @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
She was the first to raise her hand for the seat , and she won the backing of dean of the New York delegation Rep. Jerry Nadler .
But last week , as Politico reported , Long Islander Kathleen Rice made an out-of-nowhere , last-second bid for the seat , interrupting the process .
Rep. Rice is a backbencher from the party ’ s right flank who , in 2018 , refused to support Nancy Pelosi for Speaker .
Without the support of Nadler , and with the famous opposition of Steering @ @ @ @ @ @ @ attempt didn ’ t seem to be serious .

(PROSPECT.ORG) – Committee assignments are one of the least eye-catching parts of politics, but they’re also one of the most important ways in which actual political power is wielded. Certain committees in the House, like Energy and Commerce, Ways and Means, and Appropriations, have outsized influence and money power. (They are often called the “money” committees, not just because they’re where the action is but because members can earn lots of money in campaign contributions from industries with business before them.)
Deliberations over the next several days will be extremely important for progressives in the House, as they angle to lock down seats on these powerful committees for their members. To that end, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) was expected to secure a prized position on the Energy and Commerce Committee, a seat vacated by outgoing New Yorker Eliot Engel. Among other issues, the committee has jurisdiction over health care and climate change issues, a natural for a congresswoman who has championed Medicare for All and the Green New Deal.
Ocasio-Cortez was expected to cruise comfortably to the position. She was the first to raise her hand for the seat, and she won the backing of dean of the New York delegation Rep. Jerry Nadler. But last week, as Politico reported, Long Islander Kathleen Rice made an out-of-nowhere, last-second bid for the seat, interrupting the process. Rep. Rice is a backbencher from the party’s right flank who, in 2018, refused to support Nancy Pelosi for Speaker. Without the support of Nadler, and with the famous opposition of Steering Committee leader Pelosi, Rice’s attempt didn’t seem to be serious.
Read the full story ›


wnd--2020-12-21--'Guardians of the Galaxy' director: 'Can we sue this dork' Mike Pence?

( BREITBART ) -- Guardians of the Galaxy director James Gunn asked on Friday if he could sue the “ @ @ @ @ @ Pence following the announcement that uniformed members of the U.S. Space Force will be called @ @ @ @ @ we sue this dork ?
” the Hollywood director asked his 783,000 Twitter followers on @ @ @ @ @ ’ s announcement , which drew viral reactions .
James Gunn , director of both @ @ @ @ @ Guardians of the Galaxy Vol .
2. has constantly attacked the president and his supporters @ @ @ @ @ and later reinstated — over social media posts about pedophilia and jokes about the Holocaust @ @ @

(BREITBART) -- Guardians of the Galaxy director James Gunn asked on Friday if he could sue the “dork” Vice President Mike Pence following the announcement that uniformed members of the U.S. Space Force will be called “Guardians.”
“Can we sue this dork?” the Hollywood director asked his 783,000 Twitter followers on Friday following the vice president’s announcement, which drew viral reactions.
James Gunn, director of both Guardians of the Galaxy and Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2. has constantly attacked the president and his supporters. Disney fired Gunn — and later reinstated — over social media posts about pedophilia and jokes about the Holocaust and Mexicans.
Read the full story ›


wnd--2020-12-21--Joe Biden's niece Caroline receives zero jail time after pleading guilty to DUI

Usually , three brushes with the law can invoke serious punishment .
Not for Caroline Biden , 33 , who is the niece of presumptive President-elect Joe Biden .
On Dec. 3 , she pleaded to a charge of driving under the influence and driving without a license after she slammed her car into a tree in Pennsylvania in August 2019 .
According to the New York Post , the official record of her case says she faced “ confinement ” that could range from 20 days to six months .
But Biden , 33 , won ’ t actually @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
She instead faces five-plus months of probation , according to the Post ; 20 days of rehab in January counted toward her sentence .
“ She will be on probation … Should she then violate or break the law at any time , then she will be on the hook for the rest of the sentence , ” Kate Delano , a spokeswoman for the Montgomery County district attorney 's office , told the Post .
Caroline Biden has to pay $ 1,990 in fines and court costs and “ participate in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for 12 hours , ” according to the Post .
Her driver 's license has been suspended for a year .
She must also take part in a drug and alcohol awareness program , Delano told the newspaper .
Caroline Biden is the daughter of James Biden , Joe Biden 's brother .
The New York Post noted in July that jail time is a rarity when a Biden runs afoul of the law , particularly Caroline Biden , who had two previous bouts with the law in New York state .
In @ @ @ @ @ @ @ allegedly hitting an NYPD officer after an argument with a roommate .
Caroline Biden agreed to anger management treatment , and the charges went away , the Post reported .
In 2017 , a felony conviction loomed after she was charged with using a stolen credit card to spend more than $ 110,000 .
She later pleaded guilty to a charge of petty larceny and never served a day of jail time , according to the Post .
The Post noted that there have been at least nine cases involving Biden family members @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , Joe Biden 's son , Hunter , and his daughter , Ashley , in which no jail time was ever served .
“ Eric Garner or George Floyd on the day each died could have benefited from the Biden touch , ” criminal defense attorney Robert Barnes told the Post for that article .
He said the treatment to Biden family members was “ very unusual treatment when looking at the … treatment over time , geography , and kind of crime involved.
” This article appeared originally on The Western Journal @

Usually, three brushes with the law can invoke serious punishment.
Not for Caroline Biden, 33, who is the niece of presumptive President-elect Joe Biden.
On Dec. 3, she pleaded to a charge of driving under the influence and driving without a license after she slammed her car into a tree in Pennsylvania in August 2019.
According to the New York Post, the official record of her case says she faced “confinement” that could range from 20 days to six months.
But Biden, 33, won’t actually be locked up, the Post reported.
TRENDING: Is this the 'Final Battle'?
She instead faces five-plus months of probation, according to the Post; 20 days of rehab in January counted toward her sentence.
“She will be on probation … Should she then violate or break the law at any time, then she will be on the hook for the rest of the sentence,” Kate Delano, a spokeswoman for the Montgomery County district attorney's office, told the Post.
Caroline Biden has to pay $1,990 in fines and court costs and “participate in a public or nonprofit community service program for 12 hours,” according to the Post.
Her driver's license has been suspended for a year. She must also take part in a drug and alcohol awareness program, Delano told the newspaper.
Caroline Biden is the daughter of James Biden, Joe Biden's brother.
The New York Post noted in July that jail time is a rarity when a Biden runs afoul of the law, particularly Caroline Biden, who had two previous bouts with the law in New York state.
In September 2013, she was charged with allegedly hitting an NYPD officer after an argument with a roommate. Caroline Biden agreed to anger management treatment, and the charges went away, the Post reported.
In 2017, a felony conviction loomed after she was charged with using a stolen credit card to spend more than $110,000. She later pleaded guilty to a charge of petty larceny and never served a day of jail time, according to the Post.
The Post noted that there have been at least nine cases involving Biden family members, including Joe Biden's brother Frank, Joe Biden's son, Hunter, and his daughter, Ashley, in which no jail time was ever served.
“Eric Garner or George Floyd on the day each died could have benefited from the Biden touch,” criminal defense attorney Robert Barnes told the Post for that article.
He said the treatment to Biden family members was “very unusual treatment when looking at the … treatment over time, geography, and kind of crime involved.”
This article appeared originally on The Western Journal.


wnd--2020-12-21--Congress agrees on coronavirus relief package after months of negotiations

Congress agreed on a $ 900 billion coronavirus relief package Sunday , overcoming several last-minute stalemates over the Federal Reserve ’ s lending powers and direct cash payments , Senate leaders announced .
“ At long last , we have the bipartisan breakthrough the country has needed , ” Senate Majority Leader McConnell said Sunday on the Senate floor .
“ I hope we can do this as promptly as possible.
” A compromise was reached late Saturday between Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and Pennsylvania Sen. Pat Toomey , who had sought to end the Fed ’ s emergency @ @ @ @ @ @ @ CARES Act ’ s passage in March .
Though congressional leaders touted the agreement , it came to be after months of partisan gridlock stemming from disagreements over the bill ’ s size and scope .
Though an agreement was reached , the bill ’ s text has yet to be released .
House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer said on a House conference call that they should expect a Monday vote , and the Senate should vote on the bill shortly after , though McConnell declined to provide a timeline when asked by @ @ @ @ @ @ @ includes $ 600 relief checks for most Americans , Politico reported , providing at least some financial relief as coronavirus cases and deaths climb and weekly unemployment numbers rise again .
Congress also hopes to tie a $ 1.4 trillion bill that funds the government through September 2021 to the relief package after passing two stopgap bills in the past nine days .
The House is expected to pass a one-day stopgap bill to fund the government through Monday and then consider a week-long stopgap to give the Senate more time to pass @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the holidays .
Following the compromise , senators expressed a sense of relief that a deal was reached before the holidays and a possible government shutdown .
“ The great news is that Congress is not going to be the Grinch , ” said Virginia Democratic Sen. Mark Warner on ABC ’ s “ This Week ” Sunday .
“ We ’ re going to get this package done.
” His comments were echoed by Utah Sen. Mitt Romney , who said on CNN ’ s “ State of the Union ” that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and that the bill “ is going to get done , ” adding that he played a central role in dissolving the dispute between Toomey and Senate Democrats .
“ It should have happened a long time ago… but it ’ s going to get done before Christmas , ” he said .
In addition to the $ 600 relief checks , the bill includes weekly $ 300 unemployment checks , over $ 300 billion in relief for small businesses and substantial sums of money for schools , hospitals , and vaccine distribution @ @ @ @ @ @ @ were ultimately omitted from the bill were liability shields for larger businesses and aid for state and local governments .
Democrats objected over liability shields while Republicans said that state and local aid amounted to a “ Blue State bailout , ” leading both to be left out of the final bill .
Several senators supported a bipartisan effort led by Missouri Republican Sen. Josh Hawley and Vermont Democratic Sen. Bernie Sanders that called for $ 1,200 relief checks instead of the $ 600 proposed .
Both earlier floated objecting to any funding @ @ @ @ @ @ @ relief .
Their push gained the support of President Donald Trump , who early Sunday called on lawmakers to increase the amount of money Americans receive .
Their push was ultimately blocked two separate times Friday by Wisconsin Sen. Ron Johnson , who said that he was concerned about the relief bill ’ s size and the impact that it could have on the national debt .
This story originally was published by the Daily Caller News Foundation .
Content created by The Daily Caller News Foundation is available without charge to any @ @ @ @ @ @ @ large audience .
For licensing opportunities of our original content , please contact [ email protected ]

By Andrew Trunsky
Daily Caller News Foundation
Congress agreed on a $900 billion coronavirus relief package Sunday, overcoming several last-minute stalemates over the Federal Reserve’s lending powers and direct cash payments, Senate leaders announced.
“At long last, we have the bipartisan breakthrough the country has needed,” Senate Majority Leader McConnell said Sunday on the Senate floor. “I hope we can do this as promptly as possible.”
A compromise was reached late Saturday between Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and Pennsylvania Sen. Pat Toomey, who had sought to end the Fed’s emergency lending programs that were created via the CARES Act’s passage in March. Though congressional leaders touted the agreement, it came to be after months of partisan gridlock stemming from disagreements over the bill’s size and scope.
TRENDING: Is this the 'Final Battle'?
Though an agreement was reached, the bill’s text has yet to be released. House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer said on a House conference call that they should expect a Monday vote, and the Senate should vote on the bill shortly after, though McConnell declined to provide a timeline when asked by reporters, Politico reported.
The bill includes $600 relief checks for most Americans, Politico reported, providing at least some financial relief as coronavirus cases and deaths climb and weekly unemployment numbers rise again.
Congress also hopes to tie a $1.4 trillion bill that funds the government through September 2021 to the relief package after passing two stopgap bills in the past nine days. The House is expected to pass a one-day stopgap bill to fund the government through Monday and then consider a week-long stopgap to give the Senate more time to pass the relief package before they depart for the holidays.
Following the compromise, senators expressed a sense of relief that a deal was reached before the holidays and a possible government shutdown.
“The great news is that Congress is not going to be the Grinch,” said Virginia Democratic Sen. Mark Warner on ABC’s “This Week” Sunday. “We’re going to get this package done.”
His comments were echoed by Utah Sen. Mitt Romney, who said on CNN’s “State of the Union” that Congress resolved its biggest dispute Saturday night and that the bill “is going to get done,” adding that he played a central role in dissolving the dispute between Toomey and Senate Democrats.
“It should have happened a long time ago… but it’s going to get done before Christmas,” he said.
In addition to the $600 relief checks, the bill includes weekly $300 unemployment checks, over $300 billion in relief for small businesses and substantial sums of money for schools, hospitals, and vaccine distribution networks.
Two major sticking points that were ultimately omitted from the bill were liability shields for larger businesses and aid for state and local governments. Democrats objected over liability shields while Republicans said that state and local aid amounted to a “Blue State bailout,” leading both to be left out of the final bill.
Several senators supported a bipartisan effort led by Missouri Republican Sen. Josh Hawley and Vermont Democratic Sen. Bernie Sanders that called for $1,200 relief checks instead of the $600 proposed. Both earlier floated objecting to any funding bill that did not include substantial direct relief. Their push gained the support of President Donald Trump, who early Sunday called on lawmakers to increase the amount of money Americans receive.
Their push was ultimately blocked two separate times Friday by Wisconsin Sen. Ron Johnson, who said that he was concerned about the relief bill’s size and the impact that it could have on the national debt.
This story originally was published by the Daily Caller News Foundation.
Content created by The Daily Caller News Foundation is available without charge to any eligible news publisher that can provide a large audience. For licensing opportunities of our original content, please contact [email protected].


wnd--2020-12-21--Trump campaign takes fight over Pennsyvania's ballot laws to U.S. Supreme Court

President Donald Trump 's campaign on Sunday filed an appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court asking the high court to hear its bid to reverse Pennsylvania state Supreme Court rulings that have upheld what the campaign argues was unconstitutional conduct by Pennsylvania officials .
Trump has waged an unprecedented effort to fight back against the results of the Nov. 3 election .
Although the Electoral College has declared Democratic nominee Joe Biden the winner of the Nov. 3 presidential election , the Trump campaign has insisted that there has been voter fraud in states that include Arizona , Nevada , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ well as Pennsylvania .
Despite multiple claims of voting irregularities , proof has yet to surface that there was a widespread effort to distort the voting process in such as way that would have altered the final results of the presidential election .
Numerous affidavits testifying to various types of election fraud have been filed in courts in several swing states .
These affidavits indicate that those who witnessed conduct believe that fraud took place , but the allegations have yet to be proven through either the courts or law enforcement .
As @ @ @ @ @ @ @ seeking to have the court hear the case claims Pennsylvania officials broke their own laws during the election .
`` In October 2019 , the Legislature of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania allowed for no-excuse mail voting for every eligible voter in the state , but it kept in place long-standing validation and observer requirements to protect against fraud in the casting and canvassing of mail ballots , '' the petition stated .
Pennsylvania officials , `` altered or dispensed with those significant 'meaningful safeguards ' in the recent General Election , '' the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ these illegal and unconstitutional changes to state election law affected enough ballots to alter the results of the election , '' the petition states .
The petition said that state officials opened the gates for fraud through their actions .
`` Statutory requirements were eliminated regarding signature verification , the right of campaigns to challenge invalid mail ballots , mandates that mail voters fill in , date , and sign mail ballot declarations , and even the right of campaigns to observe the mail ballot canvassing process in a meaningful way , '' @ @ @ @ @ @ @ '' Collectively , these three decisions resulted in counting approximately 2.6 million mail ballots in violation of the law as enacted by the Pennsylvania Legislature .
According to public reports , without these protections , the resulting disqualification rate of invalid ballots was anemic — meaning over 110,000 invalid ballots were illegally counted —more than enough to have affected the outcome of the election , where the margin between the two principal candidates for President currently stands at 80,558 , '' the petition states .
`` Our constitutional republic has endured for nearly @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the consent of the governed .
That consent is grounded in the confidence of our people in the legitimacy of our institutions of government .
But that legitimacy can only be sustained if the elections through which the sovereign people determine the direction of their government are free and fair , '' the petition read .
`` Fortunately , the Framers of our Constitution built a remedy for such concerns into the system , namely , an independent federal judiciary , free of the passions of politics , which can review dispassionately even @ @ @ @ @ @ @ this election .
It is therefore the most solemn duty of this Court to objectively review the facts and legal issues presented by the Petitioner in this historic case , render judgment upon the unconstitutional actions that occurred in Pennsylvania , and restore the confidence of all Americans that the rule of law will be upheld today and that our elections in the future will be secure , '' the petition said .
A motion filed by the campaign seeks a speedy review , noting `` time is plainly of the essence because @ @ @ @ @ @ @ will be impossible to repair election results tainted by illegally and belatedly cast or absentee and mail ballots . ''
The motion further states that `` if this matter is not timely resolved , not only Petitioner , but the Nation as а whole may suffer injury from the resulting confusion .
Indeed , the intense national and worldwide attention on the 2020 Presidential election only foreshadows the disruption that may well follow if the uncertainty and unfairness shrouding this election are allowed to persist . ''
In a statement posted on the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Giuliani said Pennsylvania violated the Constitution .
“ Donald J. Trump for President , Inc. , President Trump ’ s campaign committee , today filed a petition for writ of certiorari to the US .
Supreme Court to reverse a trio of Pennsylvania Supreme Court cases which illegally changed Pennsylvania ’ s mail balloting law immediately before and after the 2020 presidential election in violation of Article II of the United States Constitution and Bush v. Gore .
This represents the Campaign ’ s first independent U.S. Supreme Court filing and seeks relief @ @ @ @ @ @ @ raised in Bush v. Gore , '' the statement declares .
“ This petition follows a related Pennsylvania case where Justice [ Samuel ] Alito and two other justices observed ‘ the constitutionality of the [ Pennsylvania ] Supreme Court ’ s decision [ extending the statutory deadline for receipt of mail ballots from 8 pm on election day to 5 pm three days later ] … has national importance , and there is a strong likelihood that the State Supreme Court decision violates the Federal Constitution .
“ The Campaign ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ eviscerated the Pennsylvania Legislature ’ s protections against mail ballot fraud , including ( a ) prohibiting election officials checking whether signatures on mail ballots are genuine during canvassing on Election Day , ( b ) eliminating the right of campaigns to challenge mail ballots during canvassing for forged signatures and other irregularities , ( c ) holding that the rights of campaigns to observe the canvassing of mail ballots only meant that they only were allowed to be ‘ in the room ’ - in this case , the Philadelphia Convention Center @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , and ( d ) eliminating the statutory requirements that voters properly sign , address , and date mail ballots , '' the statement said .
“ The petition seeks all appropriate remedies , including vacating the appointment of electors committed to Joseph Biden and allowing the Pennsylvania General Assembly to select their replacements .
The Campaign also moved for expedited consideration , asking the Supreme Court to order responses by December 23 and a reply by December 24 to allow the U.S. Supreme Court to rule before Congress meets on January 6 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ college . ''
This article appeared originally on The Western Journal .

President Donald Trump's campaign on Sunday filed an appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court asking the high court to hear its bid to reverse Pennsylvania state Supreme Court rulings that have upheld what the campaign argues was unconstitutional conduct by Pennsylvania officials.
Trump has waged an unprecedented effort to fight back against the results of the Nov. 3 election.
Although the Electoral College has declared Democratic nominee Joe Biden the winner of the Nov. 3 presidential election, the Trump campaign has insisted that there has been voter fraud in states that include Arizona, Nevada, Georgia, Michigan and Wisconsin, as well as Pennsylvania.
Despite multiple claims of voting irregularities, proof has yet to surface that there was a widespread effort to distort the voting process in such as way that would have altered the final results of the presidential election. Numerous affidavits testifying to various types of election fraud have been filed in courts in several swing states. These affidavits indicate that those who witnessed conduct believe that fraud took place, but the allegations have yet to be proven through either the courts or law enforcement.
As Fox News reported, Sunday's petition seeking to have the court hear the case claims Pennsylvania officials broke their own laws during the election.
TRENDING: Is this the 'Final Battle'?
"In October 2019, the Legislature of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania allowed for no-excuse mail voting for every eligible voter in the state, but it kept in place long-standing validation and observer requirements to protect against fraud in the casting and canvassing of mail ballots," the petition stated.
Pennsylvania officials, "altered or dispensed with those significant 'meaningful safeguards' in the recent General Election," the petition said.
"The effect of these illegal and unconstitutional changes to state election law affected enough ballots to alter the results of the election," the petition states.
The petition said that state officials opened the gates for fraud through their actions.
"Statutory requirements were eliminated regarding signature verification, the right of campaigns to challenge invalid mail ballots, mandates that mail voters fill in, date, and sign mail ballot declarations, and even the right of campaigns to observe the mail ballot canvassing process in a meaningful way," the petition to the court reads,
"Collectively, these three decisions resulted in counting approximately 2.6 million mail ballots in violation of the law as enacted by the Pennsylvania Legislature. According to public reports, without these protections, the resulting disqualification rate of invalid ballots was anemic — meaning over 110,000 invalid ballots were illegally counted —more than enough to have affected the outcome of the election, where the margin between the two principal candidates for President currently stands at 80,558," the petition states.
"Our constitutional republic has endured for nearly two and a half centuries based on the consent of the governed. That consent is grounded in the confidence of our people in the legitimacy of our institutions of government. But that legitimacy can only be sustained if the elections through which the sovereign people determine the direction of their government are free and fair," the petition read.
"Fortunately, the Framers of our Constitution built a remedy for such concerns into the system, namely, an independent federal judiciary, free of the passions of politics, which can review dispassionately even intense controversies such as those swirling around this election. It is therefore the most solemn duty of this Court to objectively review the facts and legal issues presented by the Petitioner in this historic case, render judgment upon the unconstitutional actions that occurred in Pennsylvania, and restore the confidence of all Americans that the rule of law will be upheld today and that our elections in the future will be secure," the petition said.
A motion filed by the campaign seeks a speedy review, noting "time is plainly of the essence because once candidates have taken office, it will be impossible to repair election results tainted by illegally and belatedly cast or absentee and mail ballots."
The motion further states that "if this matter is not timely resolved, not only Petitioner, but the Nation as а whole may suffer injury from the resulting confusion. Indeed, the intense national and worldwide attention on the 2020 Presidential election only foreshadows the disruption that may well follow if the uncertainty and unfairness shrouding this election are allowed to persist."
In a statement posted on the Trump campaign website, Trump attorney Rudy Giuliani said Pennsylvania violated the Constitution.
“Donald J. Trump for President, Inc., President Trump’s campaign committee, today filed a petition for writ of certiorari to the US. Supreme Court to reverse a trio of Pennsylvania Supreme Court cases which illegally changed Pennsylvania’s mail balloting law immediately before and after the 2020 presidential election in violation of Article II of the United States Constitution and Bush v. Gore. This represents the Campaign’s first independent U.S. Supreme Court filing and seeks relief based on the same Constitutional arguments successfully raised in Bush v. Gore," the statement declares.
“This petition follows a related Pennsylvania case where Justice [Samuel] Alito and two other justices observed ‘the constitutionality of the [Pennsylvania] Supreme Court’s decision [extending the statutory deadline for receipt of mail ballots from 8 pm on election day to 5 pm three days later] … has national importance, and there is a strong likelihood that the State Supreme Court decision violates the Federal Constitution.
“The Campaign’s petition seeks to reverse three decisions which eviscerated the Pennsylvania Legislature’s protections against mail ballot fraud, including (a) prohibiting election officials checking whether signatures on mail ballots are genuine during canvassing on Election Day, (b) eliminating the right of campaigns to challenge mail ballots during canvassing for forged signatures and other irregularities, (c) holding that the rights of campaigns to observe the canvassing of mail ballots only meant that they only were allowed to be ‘in the room’ - in this case, the Philadelphia Convention Center – the size of several football fields, and (d) eliminating the statutory requirements that voters properly sign, address, and date mail ballots," the statement said.
“The petition seeks all appropriate remedies, including vacating the appointment of electors committed to Joseph Biden and allowing the Pennsylvania General Assembly to select their replacements. The Campaign also moved for expedited consideration, asking the Supreme Court to order responses by December 23 and a reply by December 24 to allow the U.S. Supreme Court to rule before Congress meets on January 6 to consider the votes of the electoral college."
This article appeared originally on The Western Journal.


wnd--2020-12-21--U.K. heads into lockdown as 'out of control' new COVID variant rips across country

A new strain of COVID-19 is rampaging through Britain , causing officials to impose a tough new lockdown in the days before Christmas .
The eruption in London and southeastern England is `` out of control , '' Health Secretary Matt Hancock said on Sunday , according to CNN .
The outbreak has triggered what is known as `` Tier 4 '' restrictions that shut businesses and most stores .
The strain is called `` VUI – 202012/01 , '' and is 70 percent more infectious than other strains , Prime Minister Boris Johnson said , according to the U.K. @ @ @ @ @ @ @ strain makes up 60 percent of London 's new cases .
Hancock told CNN the new strain is caught `` more easily from a smaller amount of the virus being present . ''
And even though it is not inherently more dangerous than other strains , the ease with which it spreads means tougher actions need to be taken to control it , Hancock said .
`` The only way you can do that is by restricting social contacts and essentially , especially in Tier 4 areas , everybody needs to behave as @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and that is the way that we can get it under control and keep people safe , '' he said .
`` Given how much faster this new variant spreads , it 's going to be very difficult to keep it under control until we have the vaccine rolled out . ''
`` We do n't want to do any of this but it is necessary .
This has been an awful end to what has been an incredibly difficult year and on Friday when we were presented with that new scientific evidence @ @ @ @ @ @ @ our duty to act , '' Hancock told Sky News , according to the Daily Mail .
`` I just think everybody watching will feel this sense that we both feel of disappointment and that it is just so difficult ahead of Christmas , which everybody was really looking forward to after all the sacrifices that have been made , '' he said .
`` But unfortunately this virus , the new strain , was out of control .
We have got to get it under control and the way that we can @ @ @ @ @ @ @ can do that , is by restricting social contact and essentially , especially in Tier 4 areas , everybody needs to behave as if they might well have the virus and that is the way that we can get it under control and keep people safe . ''
As officials told Britons to stay away from each other , they herded into trains to flee London .
However , they could not easily flee their island home .
The Netherlands banned travel from Britain as other countries also acted with either temporary or @ @ @ @ @ @ @ their countries .
The U.S. is watching British developments , according to Reuters .
“ We don ’ t know yet .
We are , of course ... looking very carefully into this , ” Dr. Moncef Slaoui , head of the Operation Warp Speed COVID-19 vaccination program , told CNN 's `` State of the Union '' on Sunday , according to Reuters .
Slaoui said the mutation that is ravaging Britain was “ very unlikely ” to be resistant to existing vaccines , but added , “ We can ’ t @ @ @ @ @ @ @ not there now.
” This article appeared originally on The Western Journal .

A new strain of COVID-19 is rampaging through Britain, causing officials to impose a tough new lockdown in the days before Christmas.
The eruption in London and southeastern England is "out of control," Health Secretary Matt Hancock said on Sunday, according to CNN.
The outbreak has triggered what is known as "Tier 4" restrictions that shut businesses and most stores.
The strain is called "VUI – 202012/01," and is 70 percent more infectious than other strains, Prime Minister Boris Johnson said, according to the U.K. Daily Mail.
Johnson said the new strain makes up 60 percent of London's new cases.
TRENDING: Is this the 'Final Battle'?
On Sunday, 35,928 news coronavirus cases were reported.
Hancock told CNN the new strain is caught "more easily from a smaller amount of the virus being present."
And even though it is not inherently more dangerous than other strains, the ease with which it spreads means tougher actions need to be taken to control it, Hancock said.
"The only way you can do that is by restricting social contacts and essentially, especially in Tier 4 areas, everybody needs to behave as if they may well have the virus and that is the way that we can get it under control and keep people safe," he said.
"Given how much faster this new variant spreads, it's going to be very difficult to keep it under control until we have the vaccine rolled out."
Health Secretary Matt Hancock says the new strain of the virus is “out of control” and everyone in Tier 4 areas should behave as if they have Covid.#ridge — Paul Brand (@PaulBrandITV) December 20, 2020
"We don't want to do any of this but it is necessary. This has been an awful end to what has been an incredibly difficult year and on Friday when we were presented with that new scientific evidence about the new variant, it was our duty to act," Hancock told Sky News, according to the Daily Mail.
"I just think everybody watching will feel this sense that we both feel of disappointment and that it is just so difficult ahead of Christmas, which everybody was really looking forward to after all the sacrifices that have been made," he said.
"But unfortunately this virus, the new strain, was out of control. We have got to get it under control and the way that we can do that, the only way you can do that, is by restricting social contact and essentially, especially in Tier 4 areas, everybody needs to behave as if they might well have the virus and that is the way that we can get it under control and keep people safe."
As officials told Britons to stay away from each other, they herded into trains to flee London.
However, they could not easily flee their island home. The Netherlands banned travel from Britain as other countries also acted with either temporary or longer-term bans on British citizens coming into their countries.
London and much of south east England, as well as all of Wales have entered a new Tier Four set of restrictions. Movement into and out of these areas has been restricted and foreign travel for all but work reasons is effectively banned. https://t.co/kaTQDuVqEH — RTÉ News (@rtenews) December 20, 2020
But Great Britain is an island, and at this point we should be thinking about keeping this new strain from reaching the rest of the world. That is in everyone's interest, including Brits. #COVID_V2https://t.co/KKUNk5WmHh — Bret Weinstein (@BretWeinstein) December 20, 2020
The U.S. is watching British developments, according to Reuters.
“We don’t know yet. We are, of course ... looking very carefully into this,” Dr. Moncef Slaoui, head of the Operation Warp Speed COVID-19 vaccination program, told CNN's "State of the Union" on Sunday, according to Reuters.
Slaoui said the mutation that is ravaging Britain was “very unlikely” to be resistant to existing vaccines, but added, “We can’t exclude it, but it’s not there now.”
This article appeared originally on The Western Journal.


wnd--2020-12-20--'Nutty and loopy': Mitt Romney goes scorched earth on Trump

As President Donald Trump continues to maintain there was massive voter fraud that illegally tilted the 2020 presidential election to Joe Biden , the commander in chief was hammered Sunday by Republican U.S. Sen. Mitt Romney who used the phrase `` nutty and loopy '' to describe Trump 's actions of late .
Appearing on CNN 's `` State of the Union '' with Jake Tapper , Romney said , `` I understand the president is casting about , trying to find some way to have a different result than the one that was delivered by the American people .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ a lot of respects and embarrassing because the president could , right now , be writing the last chapter of this administration with a victory lap with regards to the vaccine . ''
`` He 's leaving Washington with a whole series of conspiracy theories and things that are so nutty and loopy that people are shaking their head wondering , 'What in the world has gotten into this man ? '
`` And I think that 's unfortunate , because he has more accomplishments than this last chapter suggests he 's going @ @ @ @ @ @ @ also lamented the state of today 's Republican Party which has essentially become the party of Trump .
`` The party has taken a different course than obviously the one that I knew as a younger person , '' Romney explained .
`` The party that I knew is one that was very concerned about Russia and [ Vladimir ] Putin and Kim Jong Un and North Korea , and we pushed back aggressively against them .
We were a party concerned about balancing the budget .
`` We believed in trade with @ @ @ @ @ @ @ play a leadership role on the world stage because we felt that made us safer and more prosperous , and we believed that character was essential in the leaders that we chose . ''
`` We 've strayed from that .
I do n't see us returning to that for a long time .
As I look at the 2024 [ Republican presidential ] contenders , most of them are trying to become as much like Donald Trump as they can be , although that I must admit that his style and schtick @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to duplicate .
He 's an extraordinarily talented person from that standpoint .
But I represent a very small slice of the Republican Party today . ''
When asked by Tapper if he planned to leave the Republican Party , Romney indicated he would stay and fight for change from within .
`` I think I 'm more effective in the Republican Party continuing to battle for the things I believe in , and I think , ultimately , the Republican Party will return to the roots that have been formed over -- @ @ @ @ @ @ @ said .
`` So , we 'll get back at some point and , hopefully , people will recognize we need to take a different course than the one we are on right now . ''
Learn astonishing Bible truth on a higher level than ever before with the Holy Spirit-filled books by Joe Kovacs

As President Donald Trump continues to maintain there was massive voter fraud that illegally tilted the 2020 presidential election to Joe Biden, the commander in chief was hammered Sunday by Republican U.S. Sen. Mitt Romney who used the phrase "nutty and loopy" to describe Trump's actions of late.
Appearing on CNN's "State of the Union" with Jake Tapper, Romney said, "I understand the president is casting about, trying to find some way to have a different result than the one that was delivered by the American people."
"It's really sad in a lot of respects and embarrassing because the president could, right now, be writing the last chapter of this administration with a victory lap with regards to the vaccine."
"He's leaving Washington with a whole series of conspiracy theories and things that are so nutty and loopy that people are shaking their head wondering, 'What in the world has gotten into this man?'
TRENDING: Is this the 'Final Battle'?
"And I think that's unfortunate, because he has more accomplishments than this last chapter suggests he's going to be known for."
Romney also lamented the state of today's Republican Party which has essentially become the party of Trump.
"The party has taken a different course than obviously the one that I knew as a younger person," Romney explained.
"The party that I knew is one that was very concerned about Russia and [Vladimir] Putin and Kim Jong Un and North Korea, and we pushed back aggressively against them. We were a party concerned about balancing the budget.
Is Mitt Romney a snake in the Republican Party? Yes No Completing this poll entitles you to WND news updates free of charge. You may opt out at anytime. You also agree to our Privacy Policy and Terms of Use You're logged in to Facebook. Click here to log out. 99% (843 Votes) 1% (7 Votes)
"We believed in trade with other nations, we were happy to play a leadership role on the world stage because we felt that made us safer and more prosperous, and we believed that character was essential in the leaders that we chose."
"We've strayed from that. I don't see us returning to that for a long time. As I look at the 2024 [Republican presidential] contenders, most of them are trying to become as much like Donald Trump as they can be, although that I must admit that his style and schtick, if you will, is difficult to duplicate. He's an extraordinarily talented person from that standpoint. But I represent a very small slice of the Republican Party today."
When asked by Tapper if he planned to leave the Republican Party, Romney indicated he would stay and fight for change from within.
"I think I'm more effective in the Republican Party continuing to battle for the things I believe in, and I think, ultimately, the Republican Party will return to the roots that have been formed over -- well, the century," he said.
"So, we'll get back at some point and, hopefully, people will recognize we need to take a different course than the one we are on right now."
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wnd--2020-12-20--Rand Paul: Mask mandates are 'all about submission'

Mandates that claim to be fighting the coronavirus are exercises in making individuals submit to the power of government , according to Republican Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky .
Paul , who has long urged Americans to `` push back '' against coronavirus mandates , was interviewed Saturday by Breitbart .
Paul , a physician himself , noted that his core objection is that Americans are being expected to -- without question -- voluntarily abandon their liberty and their freedom of shaping an individual destiny on the altar of unproven , if not faulty , science .
'It ’ d @ @ @ @ @ @ @ you have to give up your liberty , you have to give up your freedom , we ’ re going to save your life .
But what if you have to give up all your freedoms and they ’ re wrong on the science ? ''
he told Breitbart .
Masks , he said , are `` all about submission.
” Paul told Breitbart an objective analysis will shows that as mandates piled higher , so did coronavirus cases .
`` Every one of the mandates — and you look in country after @ @ @ @ @ @ @ look at when the mask mandates went in — the incidents went up exponentially after the mandates .
Restaurants , nobody can eat in a restaurant , there ’ s no science behind any of that , '' he said .
He noted that passenger airplane restrictions are so minimal as to be foolish .
`` Middle seat missing on the airplane , you really think you ’ re like 12 inches from the other guy instead of six inches , it really makes a difference ?
None of it really makes any @ @ @ @ @ @ @ epidemiological evidence .
You know , it ’ s like , ‘ Wash your hands , stand six feet apart , ' '' he told Breitbart .
If masks slowed the spread of the virus , Paul told the website , data would prove it .
Instead , he said , the evidence does not .
'The trajectory of the virus hasn ’ t been altered at all by any of these things , '' Paul told Breitbart .
Paul noted that cloth face coverings are not effective barriers to the virus .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ too .
The N95 mask actually does work to a certain extent , if worn properly and used [ with ] sterile technique , '' he told Breitbart .
`` But there ’ s no value to the cloth mask , at all .
It ’ s like wearing your underwear .
You might as well cut your underwear up and wear your underwear as protection .
It doesn ’ t work . ''
Paul told Breitbart that the loss being experienced by Americans is significant , citing the audience at Turning Point @ @ @ @ @ @ @ West Palm Beach , Florida , where he was among the speakers .
`` What are they asked to give up ?
They ’ re being asked to give up their graduation from high school , their graduation from college , their wedding , and if we ’ re not careful , it ’ s gon na be their five-year wedding anniversary or their 10-year anniversary .
`` We ’ re still gon na be wearing masks , '' he said .
This article appeared originally on The Western Journal .

Mandates that claim to be fighting the coronavirus are exercises in making individuals submit to the power of government, according to Republican Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky.
Paul, who has long urged Americans to "push back" against coronavirus mandates, was interviewed Saturday by Breitbart.
Paul, a physician himself, noted that his core objection is that Americans are being expected to -- without question -- voluntarily abandon their liberty and their freedom of shaping an individual destiny on the altar of unproven, if not faulty, science.
'It’d be one thing if we were told you have to give up your liberty, you have to give up your freedom, we’re going to save your life. But what if you have to give up all your freedoms and they’re wrong on the science?" he told Breitbart.
Masks, he said, are "all about submission.”
TRENDING: Is this the 'Final Battle'?
Paul told Breitbart an objective analysis will shows that as mandates piled higher, so did coronavirus cases.
"Every one of the mandates — and you look in country after country, state after state — you look at when the mask mandates went in — the incidents went up exponentially after the mandates. Restaurants, nobody can eat in a restaurant, there’s no science behind any of that," he said.
He noted that passenger airplane restrictions are so minimal as to be foolish.
"Middle seat missing on the airplane, you really think you’re like 12 inches from the other guy instead of six inches, it really makes a difference? None of it really makes any sense, and there’s no epidemiological evidence. You know, it’s like, ‘Wash your hands, stand six feet apart,''' he told Breitbart.
If masks slowed the spread of the virus, Paul told the website, data would prove it. Instead, he said, the evidence does not.
'The trajectory of the virus hasn’t been altered at all by any of these things," Paul told Breitbart.
Paul noted that cloth face coverings are not effective barriers to the virus.
"And the masks are different, too. The N95 mask actually does work to a certain extent, if worn properly and used [with] sterile technique," he told Breitbart.
"But there’s no value to the cloth mask, at all. It’s like wearing your underwear. You might as well cut your underwear up and wear your underwear as protection. It doesn’t work."
Paul told Breitbart that the loss being experienced by Americans is significant, citing the audience at Turning Point USA’s Student Action Summit in West Palm Beach, Florida, where he was among the speakers.
"What are they asked to give up? They’re being asked to give up their graduation from high school, their graduation from college, their wedding, and if we’re not careful, it’s gonna be their five-year wedding anniversary or their 10-year anniversary.
"We’re still gonna be wearing masks," he said.
This article appeared originally on The Western Journal.


wnd--2020-12-20--Trump denies speculation he'll declare martial law to hold another election

On Sunday , President Donald Trump put the rumors to rest that he would declare martial law .
Trump has waged an unprecedented effort to fight back against the results of the Nov. 3 election .
Although the Electoral College has declared presumptive President-elect Joe Biden the winner of the Nov. 3 presidential election , the Trump campaign has insisted that there has been voter fraud in states that include Arizona , Nevada , Georgia , Michigan and Wisconsin , as well as Pennsylvania .
Despite multiple anecdotal claims of voting irregularities , proof has yet to surface that there @ @ @ @ @ @ @ voting process in such a way that would have impacted the final results of the presidential election .
Numerous affidavits testifying to various types of election fraud have been filed in courts in several swing states .
These affidavits indicate that those who witnessed conduct believe that fraud took place but those allegations have yet to be proven through either the courts or law enforcement .
In the emotional frenzy of the times , the extreme of martial law has been discussed .
For example , on Thursday , retired Gen. Michael Flynn @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a new election and encouraged Trump to consider martial law .
The New York Times reported that `` Trump asked about that idea '' during a meeting at the White House Flynn attended on Friday .
Media figures continued to spin conspiracy theories about the Friday gathering .
The website Axios added fuel to the fire in a report that cited `` senior Trump administration officials '' and claimed their `` fears include Trump 's interest in former national security adviser Michael Flynn 's wild talk of martial law . ''
And on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of martial law in a since-deleted tweet , according to Newsweek .
`` Look @ dougducey you made the list and your crooked buddy @ BrianKempGA !
@ realDonaldTrump please impose martial law in these 7 states and get the machines/ballots ! ''
Lindell tweeted .
The post was later deleted .
Judicial Watch leader Tom Fitton noted that the talk of martial law appealed to the left at one time .
Trump has been coy about any plans he has made for the future .
He recently called for a massive protest @ @ @ @ @ @ @ meets to certify the results of the vote in the Electoral College .
Some reports have claimed Trump might kick off his 2024 presidential campaign on Jan. 20 , which is Inauguration Day , but Trump has not commented on those rumors .
This article appeared originally on The Western Journal .

On Sunday, President Donald Trump put the rumors to rest that he would declare martial law.
"Martial law = Fake News. Just more knowingly bad reporting!"
Martial law = Fake News. Just more knowingly bad reporting! — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 20, 2020
Trump has waged an unprecedented effort to fight back against the results of the Nov. 3 election.
Although the Electoral College has declared presumptive President-elect Joe Biden the winner of the Nov. 3 presidential election, the Trump campaign has insisted that there has been voter fraud in states that include Arizona, Nevada, Georgia, Michigan and Wisconsin, as well as Pennsylvania.
TRENDING: Is this the 'Final Battle'?
Despite multiple anecdotal claims of voting irregularities, proof has yet to surface that there was a widespread effort to distort the voting process in such a way that would have impacted the final results of the presidential election. Numerous affidavits testifying to various types of election fraud have been filed in courts in several swing states.
These affidavits indicate that those who witnessed conduct believe that fraud took place but those allegations have yet to be proven through either the courts or law enforcement.
In the emotional frenzy of the times, the extreme of martial law has been discussed.
For example, on Thursday, retired Gen. Michael Flynn spoke of using the military to oversee a new election and encouraged Trump to consider martial law.
The New York Times reported that "Trump asked about that idea" during a meeting at the White House Flynn attended on Friday.
Media figures continued to spin conspiracy theories about the Friday gathering.
I should add that Flynn said he and Powell received this mysterious foreign intelligence Friday, and that it'd be getting to Trump immediately. This suggests Flynn was at the White House to transmit that foreign intelligence during the meeting the NYT/others have now reported on. — Seth Abramson (@SethAbramson) December 20, 2020
The website Axios added fuel to the fire in a report that cited "senior Trump administration officials" and claimed their "fears include Trump's interest in former national security adviser Michael Flynn's wild talk of martial law."
And on Saturday, MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell spoke of martial law in a since-deleted tweet, according to Newsweek.
"Look @dougducey you made the list and your crooked buddy @BrianKempGA! @realDonaldTrump please impose martial law in these 7 states and get the machines/ballots!" Lindell tweeted. The post was later deleted.
Judicial Watch leader Tom Fitton noted that the talk of martial law appealed to the left at one time.
Speaking of martial law, the Left encouraged a coup to remove @realDonaldTrump... https://t.co/L1tVJM3rxQ — Tom Fitton (@TomFitton) December 20, 2020
The Left actively encouraging military coup and sedition against @realDonaldTrump. https://t.co/ukPZ2EVhi8 — Tom Fitton (@TomFitton) August 29, 2020
Trump has been coy about any plans he has made for the future. He recently called for a massive protest on Jan. 6, the day Congress meets to certify the results of the vote in the Electoral College.
Some reports have claimed Trump might kick off his 2024 presidential campaign on Jan. 20, which is Inauguration Day, but Trump has not commented on those rumors.
This article appeared originally on The Western Journal.


wnd--2020-12-20--Biden's 'best bet' identified as '1 term'

[ Editor 's note : This story originally was published by Real Clear Politics . ]
As both parties set markers for a new administration , one reality has yet to sink in –– the possibility that Joe Biden will voluntarily serve only one term as president .
Waves of implications will flow from Biden ’ s decision on whether he seeks another term .
Can he be as effective the first four years if a second term is ruled out ?
Can he get his program passed and judges confirmed ?
Can he hold the Democratic coalition together ?
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ his policies ?
If Biden imposes a one-term limit on himself , it would be the first since 1876 .
And , if he does , it would have as much to do with age as politics .
Biden will be 82 at the end of his first term .
If he seeks reelection , wins and serves a full eight years , he ’ d leave the White House at 86 .
Ronald Reagan , the oldest president , left office at 77 –– younger than Biden as he enters .
It @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that anyone in their 80s can or can ’ t do the job .
But an octogenarian –– even with Biden ’ s deep love of politics and public service –– may not feel a need to stay in office beyond a single term .
Biden ’ s agenda to bring the country together may not require a second term and would likely do better without the disruption of a reelection fight .
Three presidents made and kept one-term promises –– James K. Polk , James Buchanan and Rutherford B. Hayes .
Ten @ @ @ @ @ @ @ beginning with the nation ’ s second president , John Adams , extending to the most recent , Donald Trump .
Other presidents haven ’ t sought reelection when they could have run .
Before the two-term limit went into effect in 1951 , only one president , Franklin Roosevelt , won third and fourth terms .
Since limits have applied , presidents who serve less than two years of a predecessor ’ s unexpired term can seek two additional terms .
For example , Lyndon Johnson was eligible to run again in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ current president , the three previous ones ( Bill Clinton , George W. Bush and Barack Obama ) were all two-termers , bookended by two who lost second term bids ( George H.W .
Bush and Trump ) .
If Biden takes himself out of 2024 contention , the question is when does he do it ?
To avoid the lame duck stigma , Beltway voices will urge him to wait as late as possible .
But , timing is not always that simple in politics ; countless considerations are at play .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ midterm elections , a no-run announcement soon afterward may signal party weakness .
On the other hand , if Biden wants Vice President Kamala Harris to succeed him , a late announcement could help clear the path for her nomination .
However , if he waits too long , it could make it appear that he ’ s unfairly stacking the deck in favor of a hand-picked heir .
One option for Biden is to announce soon .
He could do it in his inaugural address or first speech to a joint session @ @ @ @ @ @ @ he has four full years ahead of him as president –– too much time to be considered much of a lame duck .
Taking re-election off the table early would make his entire presidency seem less partisan , which is something he ’ s already made clear he wants to do .
Biden should use a no-run announcement for governing advantage by pairing it with a strong declaration about putting the nation ’ s agenda above the distractions of electoral politics .
That would bolster his public standing and likely strengthen his hand @ @ @ @ @ @ @ term deserves another ” is an old reelection slogan .
But for Joe Biden , one good term may be his best bet .

[Editor's note: This story originally was published by Real Clear Politics.]
By Ron Faucheux
Real Clear Politics
As both parties set markers for a new administration, one reality has yet to sink in –– the possibility that Joe Biden will voluntarily serve only one term as president.
Waves of implications will flow from Biden’s decision on whether he seeks another term. Can he be as effective the first four years if a second term is ruled out? Can he get his program passed and judges confirmed? Can he hold the Democratic coalition together? Will foreign leaders trust the longevity of his policies?
TRENDING: Is this the 'Final Battle'?
If Biden imposes a one-term limit on himself, it would be the first since 1876. And, if he does, it would have as much to do with age as politics.
Biden will be 82 at the end of his first term. If he seeks reelection, wins and serves a full eight years, he’d leave the White House at 86. Ronald Reagan, the oldest president, left office at 77 –– younger than Biden as he enters.
It’s not for us to say that anyone in their 80s can or can’t do the job. But an octogenarian –– even with Biden’s deep love of politics and public service –– may not feel a need to stay in office beyond a single term. Biden’s agenda to bring the country together may not require a second term and would likely do better without the disruption of a reelection fight.
Three presidents made and kept one-term promises –– James K. Polk, James Buchanan and Rutherford B. Hayes. Ten more were defeated for second terms, beginning with the nation’s second president, John Adams, extending to the most recent, Donald Trump.
Other presidents haven’t sought reelection when they could have run. Before the two-term limit went into effect in 1951, only one president, Franklin Roosevelt, won third and fourth terms. Since limits have applied, presidents who serve less than two years of a predecessor’s unexpired term can seek two additional terms. For example, Lyndon Johnson was eligible to run again in 1968, but declined.
Before the current president, the three previous ones (Bill Clinton, George W. Bush and Barack Obama) were all two-termers, bookended by two who lost second term bids (George H.W. Bush and Trump).
If Biden takes himself out of 2024 contention, the question is when does he do it? To avoid the lame duck stigma, Beltway voices will urge him to wait as late as possible. But, timing is not always that simple in politics; countless considerations are at play.
If Democrats do poorly in the 2022 midterm elections, a no-run announcement soon afterward may signal party weakness. On the other hand, if Biden wants Vice President Kamala Harris to succeed him, a late announcement could help clear the path for her nomination. However, if he waits too long, it could make it appear that he’s unfairly stacking the deck in favor of a hand-picked heir.
One option for Biden is to announce soon. He could do it in his inaugural address or first speech to a joint session of Congress. At this point, he has four full years ahead of him as president –– too much time to be considered much of a lame duck. Taking re-election off the table early would make his entire presidency seem less partisan, which is something he’s already made clear he wants to do.
Biden should use a no-run announcement for governing advantage by pairing it with a strong declaration about putting the nation’s agenda above the distractions of electoral politics. That would bolster his public standing and likely strengthen his hand dealing with Congress.
“One good term deserves another” is an old reelection slogan. But for Joe Biden, one good term may be his best bet.