hotair--2020-12-14--Red House Autonomous Zone dismantled after Mayor Wheeler apologizes

Last week I wrote about the creation of a new autonomous zone in Portland .
Antifa pushed police out and then set up spike strips and stockpiled weapons to prevent them from returning to enforce an eviction .
The Red House was sold in an auction back in 2018 .
An eviction was authorized earlier this year but was delayed because of the coronavirus pandemic .
Initially , Mayor Ted Wheeler issued a series of tweets saying he was “ authorizing the Portland Police to use all lawful means to end the illegal occupation.
” It was tough talk but @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , you already know it wasn ’ t going to last .
Sure enough , instead of pushing the occupiers and anti-police agitators out , the mayor apologized to them for his mean tweets : In the letter , Wheeler and Lovell said the family had been subjected to escalating threats after the posts , and that police had assigned a detective to investigate those threats .
“ We apologize and understand that following our tweets earlier this week that your family received threats , ” the letter said .
“ We did @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in threats of harm and violence to your family or that escalated tensions in our community .
Nobody should be subjected to this kind of stress and harm , and we apologize for the role our tweets played in this.
” Meanwhile , the mayor ’ s office also worked behind the scenes to try to broker a deal between the home ’ s current owner , who says he is afraid for the safety of his family , and the Kinney family who ’ ve been living there illegally for the past @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , bought the house on North Mississippi Avenue through a foreclosure sale in 2018 for $ 260,000 and has offered to sell it back to the Kinney family , which had owned the house since the 1950s… Wheeler has said that he hopes to negotiate a settlement to end the demonstrations at the site , which protesters have occupied since the summer in an attempt to block efforts to remove the family .
Ozeruga said he fears for his family ’ s well-being .
“ I myself am a father of little kids @ @ @ @ @ @ @ don ’ t have a publicity team or even a lawyer for this .
I ’ m concerned for safety to be honest.
” The Kinney family stopped paying their mortgage for 18 months and have apparently revealed they are sovereign citizens , a fringe belief that in this case means they don ’ t have to pay rent to keep living in the house they mortgaged .
A GoFundMe campaign set up to benefit the family has now raised over $ 300,000 so they should be able to buy the house back @ @ @ @ @ @ @ so thus far .
I won ’ t be surprised if they try to work out a better deal given the leverage they have .
Oregon Public Broadcasting reported Friday that the Kinney family , who were initially portrayed as destined to wind up in the street if they were evicted , already own another house about 2 miles away : The second home — located in Northeast Portland less than 2 miles from the house where protesters are camping — has been owned by the family since 1966 , according to property @ @ @ @ @ @ @ morning and confirmed the family is currently living there .
The Kinneys ’ son , Michael , answered the door at the second home and confirmed the family owned it , but he declined to answer questions , saying OPB would need to schedule an interview .
Despite the fact that they own this other home , forcing the legal owner of the Red House to sell it back to them out of fear for his family ’ s safety was considered a big win by Antifa .
It was also a win @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to agree to take down the blockade so long as he promised not to send in the police : But even Mayor Wheeler , who generally seems immune to shame , seemed upset by the fact that Antifa was celebrating this win .
Wheeler was so upset he made another idle threat promising things might turn out different…next time .
During his press conference , the mayor bristled at reports of some demonstrators publicly claiming the multi-day occupation led to a decisive victory for them as well as the Kinney family .
“ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ when I hear people describe this as quote ‘ a win ’ unquote , ” he said .
“ We ’ re talking about people ’ s lives .
And we are talking about safety .
And if you think that negotiating at the head of a gun is a win , you need to reevaluate.
” … “ I hope it is not an ongoing phenomenon , ” the mayor said .
“ Our objective is to protect lives and end the occupation .
And nobody should take this as an invitation @ @ @ @ @ @ @ end result could turn out very differently.
” Antifa ran Wheeler out of his own home .
Now they ’ ve run the police out of the area for performing a legal foreclosure .
If Wheeler really thinks they are going to back down after this string of wins , he ’ s dumber than he looks .
Antifa will rightly assume that if they push hard enough the mayor will backtrack and apologize on whatever tough talk he initially offers in their next conflict .
That ’ s what he does .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ talking about the Kinney family ’ s sovereign citizen beliefs on Tucker :

Last week I wrote about the creation of a new autonomous zone in Portland. Antifa pushed police out and then set up spike strips and stockpiled weapons to prevent them from returning to enforce an eviction. The Red House was sold in an auction back in 2018. An eviction was authorized earlier this year but was delayed because of the coronavirus pandemic.
Initially, Mayor Ted Wheeler issued a series of tweets saying he was “authorizing the Portland Police to use all lawful means to end the illegal occupation.” It was tough talk but if you know anything about Ted Wheeler, you already know it wasn’t going to last. Sure enough, instead of pushing the occupiers and anti-police agitators out, the mayor apologized to them for his mean tweets:
In the letter, Wheeler and Lovell said the family had been subjected to escalating threats after the posts, and that police had assigned a detective to investigate those threats. “We apologize and understand that following our tweets earlier this week that your family received threats,” the letter said. “We did not intend to attract attention that results in threats of harm and violence to your family or that escalated tensions in our community. Nobody should be subjected to this kind of stress and harm, and we apologize for the role our tweets played in this.”
Meanwhile, the mayor’s office also worked behind the scenes to try to broker a deal between the home’s current owner, who says he is afraid for the safety of his family, and the Kinney family who’ve been living there illegally for the past 2 years.
Roman Ozeruga, 33, bought the house on North Mississippi Avenue through a foreclosure sale in 2018 for $260,000 and has offered to sell it back to the Kinney family, which had owned the house since the 1950s… Wheeler has said that he hopes to negotiate a settlement to end the demonstrations at the site, which protesters have occupied since the summer in an attempt to block efforts to remove the family. Ozeruga said he fears for his family’s well-being. “I myself am a father of little kids,” he said. “I don’t have a publicity team or even a lawyer for this. I’m concerned for safety to be honest.”
The Kinney family stopped paying their mortgage for 18 months and have apparently revealed they are sovereign citizens, a fringe belief that in this case means they don’t have to pay rent to keep living in the house they mortgaged. A GoFundMe campaign set up to benefit the family has now raised over $300,000 so they should be able to buy the house back but haven’t agreed to do so thus far. I won’t be surprised if they try to work out a better deal given the leverage they have.
Oregon Public Broadcasting reported Friday that the Kinney family, who were initially portrayed as destined to wind up in the street if they were evicted, already own another house about 2 miles away:
The second home — located in Northeast Portland less than 2 miles from the house where protesters are camping — has been owned by the family since 1966, according to property records. OPB visited the home Friday morning and confirmed the family is currently living there. The Kinneys’ son, Michael, answered the door at the second home and confirmed the family owned it, but he declined to answer questions, saying OPB would need to schedule an interview.
Despite the fact that they own this other home, forcing the legal owner of the Red House to sell it back to them out of fear for his family’s safety was considered a big win by Antifa.
This is a victory! Fucking celebrate it!
And let's make sure we keep that victory, and don't let the City and developer back out of any negations or agreement they make. 🖤 https://t.co/sSXt4r3Z10 — PNW Youth Liberation Front (@PNWYLF) December 13, 2020
It was also a win for Mayor Wheeler who got the occupiers to agree to take down the blockade so long as he promised not to send in the police:
Nearly all barricades blocking a stretch of North Mississippi Avenue were dismantled Sunday after a Black and Indigenous family struck a tentative deal with city officials related to their drive to buy back the house they lost to foreclosure. Portland police had agreed not to force the family to leave the “Red House on Mississippi” while negotiations were ongoing — as long as the street was cleared by Monday night.
But even Mayor Wheeler, who generally seems immune to shame, seemed upset by the fact that Antifa was celebrating this win. Wheeler was so upset he made another idle threat promising things might turn out different…next time.
During his press conference, the mayor bristled at reports of some demonstrators publicly claiming the multi-day occupation led to a decisive victory for them as well as the Kinney family. “It is really, frankly, disgusting when I hear people describe this as quote ‘a win’ unquote,” he said. “We’re talking about people’s lives. And we are talking about safety. And if you think that negotiating at the head of a gun is a win, you need to reevaluate.”… “I hope it is not an ongoing phenomenon,” the mayor said. “Our objective is to protect lives and end the occupation. And nobody should take this as an invitation to do it anywhere else. The end result could turn out very differently.”
Antifa ran Wheeler out of his own home. Now they’ve run the police out of the area for performing a legal foreclosure. If Wheeler really thinks they are going to back down after this string of wins, he’s dumber than he looks. Antifa will rightly assume that if they push hard enough the mayor will backtrack and apologize on whatever tough talk he initially offers in their next conflict. That’s what he does.
Finally, here’s Jason Rantz talking about the Kinney family’s sovereign citizen beliefs on Tucker:


hotair--2020-12-14--Breaking: Barr resigns. Or was he fired?

It was one week ago that the Times reported Barr was thinking of quitting before January 20 .
Today , at almost precisely the moment that California ’ s electors voted to put Biden over the top in the electoral college , Trump confirmed that the Times was right .
The timing can ’ t have been coincidental , can it ?
A president who craves the spotlight at all times would naturally seethe at the thought of Biden having a big moment this evening as his presidential victory becomes official .
Barr ’ s resignation is a way to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , this is a guy reportedly planning a campaign event on January 20 to counterprogram Biden ’ s inauguration .
If he can ’ t bear to let Sleepy Joe have that moment in the sun alone , why would he allow him one today ?
I don ’ t know , maybe it ’ s a coincidence .
Click the image in the second tweet for a full-sized version of the letter .
One obvious flaw in my theory : If Barr ’ s resignation had been demanded today by Trump rather @ @ @ @ @ @ @ it wouldn ’ t have been so obsequious , right ?
It would have been grudging .
So maybe this really did happen on Barr ’ s initiative .
Or , per the letter ’ s reference to a meeting in which they discussed voter fraud , maybe Barr came armed with a resignation letter because he knew the meeting wouldn ’ t go well .
That is , Trump might have told him “ come see me , and if you don ’ t have good news about voter fraud that ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ make sure you have a resignation letter with you.
” So Barr did what he was told .
It ’ s interesting to me that he went out of his way to note that he and Trump met today to discuss election fraud .
The president didn ’ t mention that in his tweets .
Why was Barr so eager for the public to know ?
Was he being a good soldier to the very end , signaling to Trump fans that the DOJ is still pursuing fraud leads ?
Or was he @ @ @ @ @ @ @ no evidence of fraud is the reason his resignation was necessary ?
In fact , as Henry Olsen notes , although Barr ’ s letter *reads* like a resignation letter , at no point in it does he actually , you know , resign .
All he says is that , “ as discussed , ” he ’ ll depart on December 23 .
Did Trump fire him but agree to let Barr save a little face by drafting this letter , leaving the method of his exit deliberately vague ?
Trump canning @ @ @ @ @ @ @ He reportedly discussed firing Barr with aides on Friday , after telling reporters on December 3 that they should ask him in a few weeks whether he still had confidence in Barr .
A few days later the Times reported that Barr was thinking of jumping ship before Trump could push him out .
Over the last few days stories have been published alleging that Barr has known for years that Hunter Biden was under investigation and that the DOJ deliberately kept that information under wraps during the campaign for fear of setting @ @ @ @ @ @ @ springs a last-second surprise on one of the two major candidates .
Trump was allegedly irate , not understanding why the department would behave ethically instead of helping him win .
And now here we are .
“ Barr can not be intimidated by Trump .
This is the real story .
None of this matters — it ’ s the deposed king ranting .
Irrelevant to the course of justice and to Trump ’ s election loss , ” said a mysterious source familiar with the two men ’ s relationship to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s news could be as simple as Barr having seen the reports that Trump discussed firing him , thought “ to hell with this , ” and quit before Trump could follow through .
If you missed this post on Saturday , read it now , as it might explain Trump ’ s motive for wanting Barr out early .
The president reportedly wants a special counsel appointed to investigate Hunter Biden .
Barr has been resisting that idea for reasons that are unclear .
The president shouldn ’ t be leaning on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ especially a political enemy , but what presidents are supposed to do and what Trump wants to do are two different things .
Maybe he told Barr to appoint a special counsel , Barr said no , and Trump said , “ Fine , then you ’ re out and the deputy AG , Jeffrey Rosen , is in .
Maybe he ’ ll listen to me.
” There ’ s always this theory too , of course : It ’ s hard to imagine what would cross Bill Barr ’ s red @ @ @ @ @ @ @ many of Trump ’ s pardons have already been .
But maybe a Giuliani pardon would do it .
Even Barr ’ s loyalty has its limits .
Update : My memory was just jogged .
Remember this story from August ?
There ’ s been a lot of chatter online over the past week about Trump potentially pardoning Snowden and Julian Assange .
Maybe the president told him today that it was happening and finally failed Bill Barr ’ s puke test .

It was one week ago that the Times reported Barr was thinking of quitting before January 20. Today, at almost precisely the moment that California’s electors voted to put Biden over the top in the electoral college, Trump confirmed that the Times was right.
The timing can’t have been coincidental, can it?
A president who craves the spotlight at all times would naturally seethe at the thought of Biden having a big moment this evening as his presidential victory becomes official. Barr’s resignation is a way to muscle in on that coverage. Remember, this is a guy reportedly planning a campaign event on January 20 to counterprogram Biden’s inauguration. If he can’t bear to let Sleepy Joe have that moment in the sun alone, why would he allow him one today?
I don’t know, maybe it’s a coincidence. Click the image in the second tweet for a full-sized version of the letter.
https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/1338614514493878273
One obvious flaw in my theory: If Barr’s resignation had been demanded today by Trump rather than offered voluntarily by the AG, it wouldn’t have been so obsequious, right? It would have been grudging. So maybe this really did happen on Barr’s initiative.
Or, per the letter’s reference to a meeting in which they discussed voter fraud, maybe Barr came armed with a resignation letter because he knew the meeting wouldn’t go well. That is, Trump might have told him “come see me, and if you don’t have good news about voter fraud that’ll stop this electoral college process then make sure you have a resignation letter with you.” So Barr did what he was told. It’s interesting to me that he went out of his way to note that he and Trump met today to discuss election fraud. The president didn’t mention that in his tweets. Why was Barr so eager for the public to know?
Was he being a good soldier to the very end, signaling to Trump fans that the DOJ is still pursuing fraud leads? Or was he hinting that the fact that he has no evidence of fraud is the reason his resignation was necessary?
In fact, as Henry Olsen notes, although Barr’s letter *reads* like a resignation letter, at no point in it does he actually, you know, resign. All he says is that, “as discussed,” he’ll depart on December 23. Did Trump fire him but agree to let Barr save a little face by drafting this letter, leaving the method of his exit deliberately vague?
Trump canning him wouldn’t be surprising. He reportedly discussed firing Barr with aides on Friday, after telling reporters on December 3 that they should ask him in a few weeks whether he still had confidence in Barr. A few days later the Times reported that Barr was thinking of jumping ship before Trump could push him out. Over the last few days stories have been published alleging that Barr has known for years that Hunter Biden was under investigation and that the DOJ deliberately kept that information under wraps during the campaign for fear of setting another Comey-esque precedent in which the FBI springs a last-second surprise on one of the two major candidates. Trump was allegedly irate, not understanding why the department would behave ethically instead of helping him win.
And now here we are. “Barr cannot be intimidated by Trump. This is the real story. None of this matters — it’s the deposed king ranting. Irrelevant to the course of justice and to Trump’s election loss,” said a mysterious source familiar with the two men’s relationship to CNN over the weekend. Today’s news could be as simple as Barr having seen the reports that Trump discussed firing him, thought “to hell with this,” and quit before Trump could follow through.
If you missed this post on Saturday, read it now, as it might explain Trump’s motive for wanting Barr out early. The president reportedly wants a special counsel appointed to investigate Hunter Biden. Barr has been resisting that idea for reasons that are unclear. The president shouldn’t be leaning on the Attorney General to investigate anyone, especially a political enemy, but what presidents are supposed to do and what Trump wants to do are two different things. Maybe he told Barr to appoint a special counsel, Barr said no, and Trump said, “Fine, then you’re out and the deputy AG, Jeffrey Rosen, is in. Maybe he’ll listen to me.”
There’s always this theory too, of course:
My suspicion, which I just shared with a friend a moment ago, is that this is really about some proposed pardons that we don't know about yet. https://t.co/1eSWS33ZCY — Patrick Chovanec (@prchovanec) December 14, 2020
It’s hard to imagine what would cross Bill Barr’s red line on pardons given how shady so many of Trump’s pardons have already been. But maybe a Giuliani pardon would do it. Even Barr’s loyalty has its limits.
Update: My memory was just jogged. Remember this story from August?
Attorney General William Barr said he would be “vehemently opposed” to any attempt to pardon former National Security Agency contractor Edward Snowden, after the president suggested he might consider it… “He was a traitor and the information he provided our adversaries greatly hurt the safety of the American people,” Barr said. “He was peddling it around like a commercial merchant. We can’t tolerate that.”
There’s been a lot of chatter online over the past week about Trump potentially pardoning Snowden and Julian Assange. Maybe the president told him today that it was happening and finally failed Bill Barr’s puke test.


hotair--2020-12-14--What is the Democrats' message supposed to be after the Bad Orange Man is gone?

As I write this , the members of the Electoral College are slowly but surely counting their way through the list of names for both President Trump and Joe Biden .
We ’ re not expecting any surprises here , so no matter where you stand on questions regarding the integrity of the election , it would appear that the Democrats are preparing to take back the Oval Office in January while keeping a significantly slimmer hold on the House of Representatives .
How much impact they will have still depends on whether or not they can win both of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ crossed that they can ’ t , but it ’ s going to be close . )
Whether they hold one chamber or both , however , Nancy Pelosi , Chuck Schumer and Joe Biden have an important question to answer .
It ’ s one that cropped up in a collection of editorial pieces assembled by the editors of the New York Post today .
What exactly should be their message as they seek to exert power and enact change ?
The Post chose to turn to a quote from Matt Taibbi @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a name you won ’ t see quoted under my byline very often , but in this case , he ’ s making what should at least pass for an important point in Democratic circles .
Let ’ s take a look .
From the left : Democrats Need a New Message Now that “ Trump , the democratic Saddam , has lost , and his metaphorical statue will soon be dragged out of the White House , ” Democrats need to turn their attention to creating an “ ambitious ” new party @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Stone .
For the last decade , “ the brilliantly marketable Obama and the monster-pig shipwreck act that was Trump ” let Democrats ignore the fact that “ something was not quite working with the party ’ s overall message.
” Having elected Joe Biden , “ another ex-senator with a pro-Iraq [ War ] , pro-NAFTA ” record , they ’ ll need to acknowledge “ how much failing to deliver real change cost them before.
” Otherwise , “ they will find themselves right back where they were four years ago @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” Taibbi ’ s hatred of President Trump has never been something he ’ s sought to hide and it doesn ’ t sound as if he ’ s really embraced any form of recovery from Trump Derangement Syndrome yet , but he ’ s highlighting some very real concerns that his party must be wrestling with right now .
The problem is , the Democrats ran such a lackluster , nearly invisible campaign this fall that their own voters probably don ’ t know what they should be expecting .
To listen @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Squad , you would think that they won the election for the Democrats singlehandedly .
And they and their followers are expecting to be paid back for their efforts in the form of even more sweeping progressive , socialist “ progress.
” That ’ s a message being echoed by Taibbi when he warns Biden about how the party “ failed to deliver real change ” when they were last in power .
This is presumably why they feel Hillary Clinton lost , which might make sense in some sort of alternate universe @ @ @ @ @ @ @ problem is that it ’ s precisely the positions endorsed by many Democrats pandering to the socialists that came close to costing them control of the House .
As Biden himself said during a recently leaked call , the Republicans “ beat the hell out of us ” on talk of defunding the police and the rest of the socialist claptrap they were pushing .
With an even slimmer margin in the House and possibly not holding a majority in the Senate , they ’ ll be hard-pressed indeed to push through an @ @ @ @ @ @ @ do manage it , they may have the hell beaten out of them even more badly in two years and/or four .
The other problem they ’ re facing is the aforementioned lack of a coherent message .
You could find both Biden and Harris coming down on both sides of any number of issues at various points during the campaign , but for the most part , their only message was that Donald Trump must not be allowed to win a second term .
Orange Man Bad .
That was about it @ @ @ @ @ @ @ gone , you won ’ t be able to blame things on him anymore , though I ’ m confident they will still try mightily to do so .
Revisiting an old theme that ’ s been making the rounds again lately , the Democrats are about to become the dog who finally caught the car only to realize that none of them know how to drive a stick shift .
Every direction Biden and Harris look contains at least some pitfalls .
If Uncle Joe immediately starts ruling “ by the phone @ @ @ @ @ @ @ executive orders , he ’ ll be doing exactly what he criticized Trump for .
If they pass legislation that ’ s too moderate , AOC and her friends will threaten to jump ship .
If they push too far to the left , nervous members in red-leaning purple districts will likely bail out and they don ’ t have much of a margin to spare .
In short , “ Orange Man Bad ” may have ( barely ) gotten Joe Biden into the White House .
But it ’ s not @ @ @ @ @ @ @ there .

As I write this, the members of the Electoral College are slowly but surely counting their way through the list of names for both President Trump and Joe Biden. We’re not expecting any surprises here, so no matter where you stand on questions regarding the integrity of the election, it would appear that the Democrats are preparing to take back the Oval Office in January while keeping a significantly slimmer hold on the House of Representatives. How much impact they will have still depends on whether or not they can win both of the Georgia runoff elections. (Fingers crossed that they can’t, but it’s going to be close.)
Whether they hold one chamber or both, however, Nancy Pelosi, Chuck Schumer and Joe Biden have an important question to answer. It’s one that cropped up in a collection of editorial pieces assembled by the editors of the New York Post today. What exactly should be their message as they seek to exert power and enact change? The Post chose to turn to a quote from Matt Taibbi from Rolling Stone. That’s a name you won’t see quoted under my byline very often, but in this case, he’s making what should at least pass for an important point in Democratic circles. Let’s take a look.
From the left: Democrats Need a New Message Now that “Trump, the democratic Saddam, has lost, and his metaphorical statue will soon be dragged out of the White House,” Democrats need to turn their attention to creating an “ambitious” new party identity, advises Matt Taibbi at Rolling Stone. For the last decade, “the brilliantly marketable Obama and the monster-pig shipwreck act that was Trump” let Democrats ignore the fact that “something was not quite working with the party’s overall message.” Having elected Joe Biden, “another ex-senator with a pro-Iraq [War], pro-NAFTA” record, they’ll need to acknowledge “how much failing to deliver real change cost them before.” Otherwise, “they will find themselves right back where they were four years ago — vulnerable to revolts on both sides.”
Taibbi’s hatred of President Trump has never been something he’s sought to hide and it doesn’t sound as if he’s really embraced any form of recovery from Trump Derangement Syndrome yet, but he’s highlighting some very real concerns that his party must be wrestling with right now. The problem is, the Democrats ran such a lackluster, nearly invisible campaign this fall that their own voters probably don’t know what they should be expecting.
To listen to AOC and the rest of The Squad, you would think that they won the election for the Democrats singlehandedly. And they and their followers are expecting to be paid back for their efforts in the form of even more sweeping progressive, socialist “progress.” That’s a message being echoed by Taibbi when he warns Biden about how the party “failed to deliver real change” when they were last in power. This is presumably why they feel Hillary Clinton lost, which might make sense in some sort of alternate universe moderated by ayahuasca therapy advocates.
Their problem is that it’s precisely the positions endorsed by many Democrats pandering to the socialists that came close to costing them control of the House. As Biden himself said during a recently leaked call, the Republicans “beat the hell out of us” on talk of defunding the police and the rest of the socialist claptrap they were pushing. With an even slimmer margin in the House and possibly not holding a majority in the Senate, they’ll be hard-pressed indeed to push through an agenda like that. And if they do manage it, they may have the hell beaten out of them even more badly in two years and/or four.
The other problem they’re facing is the aforementioned lack of a coherent message. You could find both Biden and Harris coming down on both sides of any number of issues at various points during the campaign, but for the most part, their only message was that Donald Trump must not be allowed to win a second term. Orange Man Bad. That was about it. But once the Orange Man is gone, you won’t be able to blame things on him anymore, though I’m confident they will still try mightily to do so. Revisiting an old theme that’s been making the rounds again lately, the Democrats are about to become the dog who finally caught the car only to realize that none of them know how to drive a stick shift.
Every direction Biden and Harris look contains at least some pitfalls. If Uncle Joe immediately starts ruling “by the phone and the pen,” issuing endless executive orders, he’ll be doing exactly what he criticized Trump for. If they pass legislation that’s too moderate, AOC and her friends will threaten to jump ship. If they push too far to the left, nervous members in red-leaning purple districts will likely bail out and they don’t have much of a margin to spare.
In short, “Orange Man Bad” may have (barely) gotten Joe Biden into the White House. But it’s not going to be able to keep him there.


hotair--2020-12-14--Rep. Paul Mitchell: "I've had enough" and I'm leaving the GOP

First Justin Amash , now Mitchell .
What ’ s in the water in Michigan that ’ s making Republican pols there take their civic duties a bit more seriously than in the rest of the country ?
Mitchell ’ s doubly insulated from Trumpist blowback , though .
For one thing , he ’ s filthy rich .
If he doesn ’ t work another day in his life , he ’ ll be just fine .
For another , he ’ s retiring from Congress .
He got elected in 2016 , quickly soured on the institution as @ @ @ @ @ @ @ last year that he wouldn ’ t run again .
It ’ s noteworthy , if not at all surprising , that the members of Congress who have been most outspoken about accepting the election results over the past month are all en route to the exit .
Pat Toomey has already announced that he won ’ t run for election in 2022 and Lamar Alexander will end his long political career in a few weeks .
“ It looks very much like the electors will vote for Joe Biden , ” said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” “ And when they do , I hope that he puts the country first — mean , the president — that he takes pride in his considerable accomplishments , that he congratulates the president-elect and he helps him get off to a good start , especially in the middle of this pandemic.
” That ’ s … unlikely , but the thought is nice .
Mitchell hasn ’ t hidden his displeasure about the “ stop the steal ” saga on Twitter , making today ’ s official break with the party @ @ @ @ @ @ @ he sent a letter to RNC chief Ronna McDaniel declaring himself an ex-Republican .
The straw that broke the camel ’ s back , it seems , was the Texas lawsuit that aimed to disenfranchise millions of swing-state voters .
More than a hundred of Mitchell ’ s Republican House colleagues disgracefully endorsed that effort .
It is unacceptable for political candidates to treat our election system as though we are a third-world nation and incite distrust of something so basic as the sanctity of our vote .
Further , it is unacceptable @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Court of the United States because its judges , both liberal and conservative , did not rule with his side or that “ the Court failed him.
” It was our Founding Fathers ’ objective to insulate the Supreme Court from such blatant political motivations .
If Republican leaders collectively sit back and tolerate unfounded conspiracy theories and “ stop the steal ” rallies without speaking out for our electoral process , which the Department of Homeland Security said was “ the most secure in American history , ” our nation will be @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and forcefully in opposition to these messages .
However , with the leadership of the Republican Party and our Republican Conference in the House actively participating in at least some of those efforts , I fear long-term harm to our democracy .
“ Long-term harm ” ?
The American experiment is already over , my man .
All that ’ s at stake now is the timeline of the great unwinding .
If the Court had sided with Texas , that would already be under way .
As is it , we have @ @ @ @ @ @ @ watch Mitchell speak to Jake Tapper today on CNN , watch one of the more interesting figures in the GOP comment yesterday on the “ absurdity ” of the Trump legal effort to overturn the election .
What ’ s gotten into this guy lately ?
Christie is , or was , still close enough to Trump to have helped him with debate prep this fall but his criticism lately has been forthright , if polite .
Did his bout with COVID lead him to reprioritize some things after he recovered ?
I @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is otherwise .
Not that there ’ s a big political future for him in New Jersey , but alienating Trump fans is a weird play for a guy known as a former prominent Republican official .
I don ’ t think he has an angle .
I think he just feels a duty to call this out .
Same with Mitchell , who ’ s now an independent .
His criticism of Trump didn ’ t start recently , though .
From a WaPo story published in July 2019 : Moments after @ @ @ @ @ @ @ four U.S. congresswomen of color to “ go back ” to their countries of origin , [ Mitchell ] phoned a fellow House GOP leader and asked him to get Trump to stop .
“ It ’ s the wrong thing for a leader to say , ” he told the leader , whom he declined to name .
“ It ’ s politically damaging to the party , to the country.
” Three days later , Mitchell was awaiting a prime-time CNN appearance when he saw footage of Trump rallygoers chanting “ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ one of the congresswomen , Rep. Ilhan Omar ( D-Minn. ) .
Stunned , Mitchell said he scribbled question marks on a notepad to silently ask an aide : “ How do I even respond to this on TV ?
” But one of the final straws was the unwillingness of people in Trump ’ s orbit to listen .
Mitchell implored Vice President Pence , his chief of staff , Marc Short , and “ any human being that has any influence in the White House ” to arrange a one-on-one conversation @ @ @ @ @ @ @ could express his concerns .
It was just 10 days later that he announced his retirement .
The easy and likely correct explanation for today ’ s announcement is that he ’ s on the level , a conciliator trapped in an era of bitter , sometimes delusional culture war .
He found himself part of two failing , increasingly embarrassing institutions — Congress and the Republican Party — and decided to parachute out .
Seems logical enough .

First Justin Amash, now Mitchell. What’s in the water in Michigan that’s making Republican pols there take their civic duties a bit more seriously than in the rest of the country?
Even Mitt Romney’s a Michigan native, for cripes sake.
Mitchell’s doubly insulated from Trumpist blowback, though. For one thing, he’s filthy rich. If he doesn’t work another day in his life, he’ll be just fine. For another, he’s retiring from Congress. He got elected in 2016, quickly soured on the institution as any right-thinking person would, and declared last year that he wouldn’t run again. It’s noteworthy, if not at all surprising, that the members of Congress who have been most outspoken about accepting the election results over the past month are all en route to the exit. Pat Toomey has already announced that he won’t run for election in 2022 and Lamar Alexander will end his long political career in a few weeks. “It looks very much like the electors will vote for Joe Biden,” said Alexander yesterday on “Meet the Press.” “And when they do, I hope that he puts the country first — mean, the president — that he takes pride in his considerable accomplishments, that he congratulates the president-elect and he helps him get off to a good start, especially in the middle of this pandemic.” That’s … unlikely, but the thought is nice.
Mitchell hasn’t hidden his displeasure about the “stop the steal” saga on Twitter, making today’s official break with the party something of a fait accompli:
Oh my God. .@realDonaldTrump Please for the sake of our Nation please drop these arguments without evidence or factual basis. #stopthestupid https://t.co/IMMImXrckV — Paul Mitchell (@RepPaulMitchell) November 30, 2020
Courts have heard the “evidence” provided of “fraud” and found it unsubstantiated numerous times. Continuing this circus is just …so damaging … so unproductive … so narcissistic…what about our country? https://t.co/QsA1hLJ2iq — Paul Mitchell (@RepPaulMitchell) December 13, 2020
Today he sent a letter to RNC chief Ronna McDaniel declaring himself an ex-Republican. The straw that broke the camel’s back, it seems, was the Texas lawsuit that aimed to disenfranchise millions of swing-state voters. More than a hundred of Mitchell’s Republican House colleagues disgracefully endorsed that effort.
It is unacceptable for political candidates to treat our election system as though we are a third-world nation and incite distrust of something so basic as the sanctity of our vote. Further, it is unacceptable for the president to attack the Supreme Court of the United States because its judges, both liberal and conservative, did not rule with his side or that “the Court failed him.” It was our Founding Fathers’ objective to insulate the Supreme Court from such blatant political motivations. If Republican leaders collectively sit back and tolerate unfounded conspiracy theories and “stop the steal” rallies without speaking out for our electoral process, which the Department of Homeland Security said was “the most secure in American history,” our nation will be damaged. I have spoken out clearly and forcefully in opposition to these messages. However, with the leadership of the Republican Party and our Republican Conference in the House actively participating in at least some of those efforts, I fear long-term harm to our democracy.
“Long-term harm”? The American experiment is already over, my man. All that’s at stake now is the timeline of the great unwinding. If the Court had sided with Texas, that would already be under way. As is it, we have a few more years.
Before you watch Mitchell speak to Jake Tapper today on CNN, watch one of the more interesting figures in the GOP comment yesterday on the “absurdity” of the Trump legal effort to overturn the election. What’s gotten into this guy lately?
Chris Christie says the Trump legal team's “legal theory" is "an absurdity." "The reason the Supreme Court is not taking this is not because of a lack of courage. It’s for the same reason that every court has thrown this out — it’s a lack of evidence.” https://t.co/pUvrfxqSMo pic.twitter.com/IGwp4mxJuo — ABC News (@ABC) December 13, 2020
Christie is, or was, still close enough to Trump to have helped him with debate prep this fall but his criticism lately has been forthright, if polite. Did his bout with COVID lead him to reprioritize some things after he recovered? I don’t know what his angle is otherwise. Not that there’s a big political future for him in New Jersey, but alienating Trump fans is a weird play for a guy known as a former prominent Republican official.
I don’t think he has an angle. I think he just feels a duty to call this out.
Same with Mitchell, who’s now an independent. His criticism of Trump didn’t start recently, though. From a WaPo story published in July 2019:
Moments after Trump’s July 14 missive telling four U.S. congresswomen of color to “go back” to their countries of origin, [Mitchell] phoned a fellow House GOP leader and asked him to get Trump to stop. “It’s the wrong thing for a leader to say,” he told the leader, whom he declined to name. “It’s politically damaging to the party, to the country.” Three days later, Mitchell was awaiting a prime-time CNN appearance when he saw footage of Trump rallygoers chanting “send her back,” aimed at one of the congresswomen, Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.). Stunned, Mitchell said he scribbled question marks on a notepad to silently ask an aide: “How do I even respond to this on TV?” But one of the final straws was the unwillingness of people in Trump’s orbit to listen. Mitchell implored Vice President Pence, his chief of staff, Marc Short, and “any human being that has any influence in the White House” to arrange a one-on-one conversation between him and the president so he could express his concerns.
It was just 10 days later that he announced his retirement. The easy and likely correct explanation for today’s announcement is that he’s on the level, a conciliator trapped in an era of bitter, sometimes delusional culture war. He found himself part of two failing, increasingly embarrassing institutions — Congress and the Republican Party — and decided to parachute out. Seems logical enough.


hotair--2020-12-14--NY-22 race could be decided by Christmas

The last uncertified House race in the country , NY-22 , is scheduled for a full week of attempts to recount contested votes .
Justice Scott DelConte has various counties working on the new counts through Friday , at which point there will likely be hundreds of disputed ballots that he will personally decide whether or not to count .
If we ’ re lucky the winner might be known before Christmas .
State Supreme Court Justice Scott J. DelConte ordered all eight counties in the district to correct counting errors and take another look at more than 2,000 disputed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ election… He asked election officials to write in ink on each ballot the reasons for the objections .
Those disputed ballots will likely be reviewed in his court next week .
DelConte was critical of election officials in Oswego , Oneida , and Madison counties for losing track of the reasons why the candidates disputed absentee ballots , and why election officials rejected hundreds of affidavit ballots submitted at polling sites… DelConte has asked lawyers for both campaigns to meet with him at 1 p.m. Friday to determine the next steps in the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ asked to rule on the validity of hundreds of ballots that could determine the winner of the election .
State law required election officials to write objections on the ballots in ink .
That law wasn ’ t followed so a bunch of the objections were stuck to ballots on sticky notes , some of which fell off in transit to the Judge ’ s office .
That ’ s how we got “ Stickygate.
” As a result of the general incompetence of these counties , Democratic incumbent Anthony Brindisi is basically @ @ @ @ @ @ @ have Justice DelConte make all the decisions about disputed ballots rather than local election officials .
His camp preferred that to the alternative which was to have the vote certified with Republican Claudia Tenney winning by 12 votes .
In addition to representatives from both campaigns , a delegation from the House will be on hand to observe the process .
Tenney told Fox News yesterday she was concerned this delegation was getting aggressive : “ If the judge follows the legal process I think we should prevail , ” Tenney said on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ happening now , it ’ s so close that Nancy Pelosi , the current House speaker , has sent lawyers who are supposed to be from the House administration and they ’ re supposed to be in an observing role , not anything more than that , but it looks like they ’ re getting very aggressive.
” “ They had asked the court to have cameras and electronic equipment so that they could really work on these ballots in a way that we don ’ t think it is fair and that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ these new ballots , ” she continued .
The delegation from the House is reportedly bipartisan but Tenney seems concerned her race is going to wind up like Iowa-2 where Republican Marianette Miller-Meeks won by 6 votes but Democrat Rita Hart is challenging the results by appealing directly to the House .
My guess is that ’ s exactly what happens if Brindisi doesn ’ t come out ahead after this reshuffle .

The last uncertified House race in the country, NY-22, is scheduled for a full week of attempts to recount contested votes. Justice Scott DelConte has various counties working on the new counts through Friday, at which point there will likely be hundreds of disputed ballots that he will personally decide whether or not to count. If we’re lucky the winner might be known before Christmas.
State Supreme Court Justice Scott J. DelConte ordered all eight counties in the district to correct counting errors and take another look at more than 2,000 disputed absentee and affidavit ballots cast in the election… He asked election officials to write in ink on each ballot the reasons for the objections. Those disputed ballots will likely be reviewed in his court next week. DelConte was critical of election officials in Oswego, Oneida, and Madison counties for losing track of the reasons why the candidates disputed absentee ballots, and why election officials rejected hundreds of affidavit ballots submitted at polling sites… DelConte has asked lawyers for both campaigns to meet with him at 1 p.m. Friday to determine the next steps in the case. The judge will likely be asked to rule on the validity of hundreds of ballots that could determine the winner of the election.
State law required election officials to write objections on the ballots in ink. That law wasn’t followed so a bunch of the objections were stuck to ballots on sticky notes, some of which fell off in transit to the Judge’s office. That’s how we got “Stickygate.”
As a result of the general incompetence of these counties, Democratic incumbent Anthony Brindisi is basically getting a do-over, a chance to have Justice DelConte make all the decisions about disputed ballots rather than local election officials. His camp preferred that to the alternative which was to have the vote certified with Republican Claudia Tenney winning by 12 votes.
In addition to representatives from both campaigns, a delegation from the House will be on hand to observe the process. Tenney told Fox News yesterday she was concerned this delegation was getting aggressive:
“If the judge follows the legal process I think we should prevail,” Tenney said on Sunday. “But what’s happening now, it’s so close that Nancy Pelosi, the current House speaker, has sent lawyers who are supposed to be from the House administration and they’re supposed to be in an observing role, not anything more than that, but it looks like they’re getting very aggressive.” “They had asked the court to have cameras and electronic equipment so that they could really work on these ballots in a way that we don’t think it is fair and that we think could prejudice the opening of these new ballots,” she continued.
The delegation from the House is reportedly bipartisan but Tenney seems concerned her race is going to wind up like Iowa-2 where Republican Marianette Miller-Meeks won by 6 votes but Democrat Rita Hart is challenging the results by appealing directly to the House. My guess is that’s exactly what happens if Brindisi doesn’t come out ahead after this reshuffle.


hotair--2020-12-14--Cops bar pro-Trump Michigan electors from entering state house as electoral college meets

Via Brendan Gutenschwager , this is a little bit funny and a little bit sad in the same way that it would be if a team that lost a major sports championship showed up at the White House on the day Trump was set to host the winners and demanded to have some McDonald ’ s too .
What did these people expect would have happened if they ’ d gotten inside the building and made it to the senate chamber ?
Did they think their votes for Trump would have been accepted or recorded ?
Or were they hoping @ @ @ @ @ @ @ were forcibly removed by security , a little MAGA passion play to show resistance as the electoral college votes ?
It ’ s a perfect example of what I mean when I say this “ alternate electors ” thing today is a scam .
It ’ s a show , nothing more .
By no means is this the saddest show of “ alternate ” electoral college activity lately .
In Arizona a pro-Trump group called “ AZ Protect the Vote ” went to the trouble of creating a facsimile of the state @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” — signed and notarized — and sent it to the National Archives in Washington in the hope , I guess , that it might be treated as an “ alternate ” slate of pro-Trump electors for Congress to consider .
In their defense , I can ’ t think of a reason why their certificate isn ’ t just as valid as the “ alternate ” electors voting in person in various states today .
It ’ s all fantasy .
Whether the fantasy plays out in the form of a pretend @ @ @ @ @ @ @ detail .
And at least it ’ s a peaceful form of fantasizing .
Elsewhere in Michigan today : Michigan Republican legislative leaders pulled a GOP lawmaker from his committee assignments Monday after the lawmaker hinted he was part of a group that sought to disrupt or otherwise undermine the Electoral College vote slated to happen at the Capitol this afternoon… Paul Miller , the radio host who interviewed [ state Rep. Gary ] Eisen , asked the lawmaker to elaborate on his comments several times .
Miller said what the lawmaker described @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Eisen could ensure people would not get hurt , Eisen said no .
“ No .
I don ’ t know .
Because what we ’ re doing today is uncharted .
It hasn ’ t been done .
And it ’ s not me who ’ s doing it…it ’ s the Michigan Republican Party , ” Eisen said .
Meanwhile , next door in Wisconsin , the state supreme court dismissed what was at the time reportedly Trump ’ s last pending electoral lawsuit .
( In the hours since , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ … New Mexico , which Biden won by 11 points . )
The opinion ’ s here , but I ’ ll save you the click and tell you that the case boiled down to a now familiar concept , laches .
Whether or not Team Trump had a valid complaint about the state ’ s electoral procedures , said the court , the time for filing that suit was before the election , not after millions of Wisconsinites had relied on those procedures to cast their ballots .
Erick Erickson made that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ legal challenges in Georgia too : The Trump campaign had no problem with any state ’ s voting protocols .
They had a problem with the results and cynically grasped for reasons to challenge those protocols after the fact in hopes of overturning the results .
Too late .
In fact , as Andy McCarthy pointed out today , in some cases where a court has invited the campaign to produce evidence of actual fraud rather than just complain about the supposed unfairness of electoral procedures , the campaign has declined to do @ @ @ @ @ @ @ effort to challenge how states run their election , those suits would have been brought before Election Day .
If it were a good-faith effort to prove fraud , those suits would be brought now .
Why weren ’ t/aren ’ t they ?
Here was the outcome this afternoon among Michigan ’ s actual official electors .
I haven ’ t seen any statements yet from congressional Republicans acknowledging Biden ’ s apparent victory yet but maybe they ’ re waiting until this evening , when all 50 states will have cast @ @ @

Via Brendan Gutenschwager, this is a little bit funny and a little bit sad in the same way that it would be if a team that lost a major sports championship showed up at the White House on the day Trump was set to host the winners and demanded to have some McDonald’s too.
What did these people expect would have happened if they’d gotten inside the building and made it to the senate chamber? Did they think their votes for Trump would have been accepted or recorded? Or were they hoping to simply make a scene until they were forcibly removed by security, a little MAGA passion play to show resistance as the electoral college votes?
It’s a perfect example of what I mean when I say this “alternate electors” thing today is a scam. It’s a show, nothing more.
“The Electors are already here, they’ve been checked in.” Michigan State Police are blocking access to the Capitol, preventing the GOP Electors from getting inside #Michigan #ElectoralCollege #ElectoralCollegeVote pic.twitter.com/GzTK5gGCJ1 — Brendan Gutenschwager (@BGOnTheScene) December 14, 2020
“If you have a problem, you can contact the Governor’s office.” State Police block access to the Capitol for the Trump electors, giving no reason for why the building is locked down & redirecting inquiries to Governor Whitmer’s office #Michigan #ElectoralCollege #Lansing pic.twitter.com/wqdPfpMC7H — Brendan Gutenschwager (@BGOnTheScene) December 14, 2020
By no means is this the saddest show of “alternate” electoral college activity lately. In Arizona a pro-Trump group called “AZ Protect the Vote” went to the trouble of creating a facsimile of the state’s official “certificate of ascertainment” — signed and notarized — and sent it to the National Archives in Washington in the hope, I guess, that it might be treated as an “alternate” slate of pro-Trump electors for Congress to consider. In their defense, I can’t think of a reason why their certificate isn’t just as valid as the “alternate” electors voting in person in various states today. It’s all fantasy. Whether the fantasy plays out in the form of a pretend vote or a pretend certificate is a detail.
And at least it’s a peaceful form of fantasizing. Elsewhere in Michigan today:
Michigan Republican legislative leaders pulled a GOP lawmaker from his committee assignments Monday after the lawmaker hinted he was part of a group that sought to disrupt or otherwise undermine the Electoral College vote slated to happen at the Capitol this afternoon… Paul Miller, the radio host who interviewed [state Rep. Gary] Eisen, asked the lawmaker to elaborate on his comments several times. Miller said what the lawmaker described sounded dangerous. When Miller asked whether Eisen could ensure people would not get hurt, Eisen said no. “No. I don’t know. Because what we’re doing today is uncharted. It hasn’t been done. And it’s not me who’s doing it…it’s the Michigan Republican Party,” Eisen said.
Meanwhile, next door in Wisconsin, the state supreme court dismissed what was at the time reportedly Trump’s last pending electoral lawsuit. (In the hours since, a new suit has been filed in … New Mexico, which Biden won by 11 points.) The opinion’s here, but I’ll save you the click and tell you that the case boiled down to a now familiar concept, laches. Whether or not Team Trump had a valid complaint about the state’s electoral procedures, said the court, the time for filing that suit was before the election, not after millions of Wisconsinites had relied on those procedures to cast their ballots. Erick Erickson made that point last week about Trump’s legal challenges in Georgia too:
https://twitter.com/EWErickson/status/1336306884987539458
The Trump campaign had no problem with any state’s voting protocols. They had a problem with the results and cynically grasped for reasons to challenge those protocols after the fact in hopes of overturning the results. Too late. In fact, as Andy McCarthy pointed out today, in some cases where a court has invited the campaign to produce evidence of actual fraud rather than just complain about the supposed unfairness of electoral procedures, the campaign has declined to do so. If this were a good-faith effort to challenge how states run their election, those suits would have been brought before Election Day. If it were a good-faith effort to prove fraud, those suits would be brought now. Why weren’t/aren’t they?
Here was the outcome this afternoon among Michigan’s actual official electors. I haven’t seen any statements yet from congressional Republicans acknowledging Biden’s apparent victory yet but maybe they’re waiting until this evening, when all 50 states will have cast their votes.


hotair--2020-12-14--For Pete's sake, how many CCP spies are we stuck with?

By this point , most of you are likely familiar with Chinese Communist Party spy Cristine Fang , a.k.a .
“ Fang Fang ” and her lengthy relationship with California Democratic Congressman Eric Swalwell .
The fact that someone on the Intelligence Committee had a spy in their midst for that long is disturbing enough .
But some commentary this week from Miranda Devine at the New York Post paints an even more dreary picture .
A recently leaked database containing the identities of nearly two million registered members of the CCP has turned up many names that work for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and educational institutions .
Granted , it ’ s not a given that any or all of them are technically full-time spies working covertly , but given the nature of the CCP and the requirements for membership , there ’ s plenty of cause for alarm .
Boeing , Qualcomm and Pfizer are just three US companies that have employed dozens of CCP members in their Chinese facilities , the database reveals .
As well , three female employees of the US consulate in Shanghai have been identified in the list of 1.95 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ an international group of legislators , the Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on China , which includes Sens .
Marco Rubio ( R-Fla. ) and Bob Menendez ( D-NJ ) … Sen. Josh Hawley ( R-Mo . )
, a member of the Homeland Security Committee , said yesterday : “ CCP agents have no place in US government facilities , and this report should serve as a much-needed wake-up call to Washington , DC , and corporate executives , who continue to welcome the Chinese government with open arms .
As Devine points out , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ CCP has to swear an oath which includes promises to “ fight for communism throughout my life , be ready at all times to sacrifice my all for the party and the people , and never betray the party [ and ] guard party secrets , be loyal to the party.
” And yet , executives from some of the companies employing these CCP members seem pretty passive about their employees .
Most , but not all of the people identified from the database work at overseas locations of these companies .
How @ @ @ @ @ @ @ technological secrets out the door at the end of the day ?
This news reaches us only shortly after a video emerged of a Chinese professor bragging about how his country has people “ in the core , inner circle of power and influence ” in the United States .
The more we learn of these matters , the less likely it appears that the professor was just idly boasting .
Those aren ’ t the only speeches from Chinese leaders you can find online if you do some searching .
Chinese Generals @ @ @ @ @ @ @ boasted that their nation has a long-range plan to dominate the entire world , economically and militarily , by 2050 if not sooner .
And they ’ ve been making all of these plans even as most of the west meekly turned over control of huge portions of the global supply chain to them .
The CCP people buried in our educational system may be even more of an alarming aspect of all this .
You ’ ll notice the number of scientists and educators who are caught up in China ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a long-running project in China called the Thousand Talents Program .
This is another part of their master plan to recruit some of the best scientific minds in the world and fund their research .
But as we ’ ve already seen too many times , that research winds up immediately being shipped off to Beijing .
China doesn ’ t have anyone ’ s best interests in mind other than China itself .
And anyone who is a registered member of the CCP should be looked at with the utmost skepticism .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ at this game that they could embed a spy in the orbit of a member of the House Intelligence Committee for such a long period of time with nobody being the wiser , we ’ re in a lot more trouble than even the most paranoid may have imagined .
We need to be cleaning house and that effort needed to start yesterday .

By this point, most of you are likely familiar with Chinese Communist Party spy Cristine Fang, a.k.a. “Fang Fang” and her lengthy relationship with California Democratic Congressman Eric Swalwell. The fact that someone on the Intelligence Committee had a spy in their midst for that long is disturbing enough. But some commentary this week from Miranda Devine at the New York Post paints an even more dreary picture. A recently leaked database containing the identities of nearly two million registered members of the CCP has turned up many names that work for or are closely affiliated with American corporations and educational institutions. Granted, it’s not a given that any or all of them are technically full-time spies working covertly, but given the nature of the CCP and the requirements for membership, there’s plenty of cause for alarm.
Boeing, Qualcomm and Pfizer are just three US companies that have employed dozens of CCP members in their Chinese facilities, the database reveals. As well, three female employees of the US consulate in Shanghai have been identified in the list of 1.95 million party members that was leaked to an international group of legislators, the Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on China, which includes Sens. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) and Bob Menendez (D-NJ)… Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.), a member of the Homeland Security Committee, said yesterday: “CCP agents have no place in US government facilities, and this report should serve as a much-needed wake-up call to Washington, DC, and corporate executives, who continue to welcome the Chinese government with open arms.
As Devine points out, everyone who becomes a member of the CCP has to swear an oath which includes promises to “fight for communism throughout my life, be ready at all times to sacrifice my all for the party and the people, and never betray the party [and] guard party secrets, be loyal to the party.” And yet, executives from some of the companies employing these CCP members seem pretty passive about their employees. Most, but not all of the people identified from the database work at overseas locations of these companies. How hard would it be to take American technological secrets out the door at the end of the day?
This news reaches us only shortly after a video emerged of a Chinese professor bragging about how his country has people “in the core, inner circle of power and influence” in the United States. The more we learn of these matters, the less likely it appears that the professor was just idly boasting.
Those aren’t the only speeches from Chinese leaders you can find online if you do some searching. Chinese Generals have, in the past, proudly boasted that their nation has a long-range plan to dominate the entire world, economically and militarily, by 2050 if not sooner. And they’ve been making all of these plans even as most of the west meekly turned over control of huge portions of the global supply chain to them.
The CCP people buried in our educational system may be even more of an alarming aspect of all this. You’ll notice the number of scientists and educators who are caught up in China’s web. This is all part of a long-running project in China called the Thousand Talents Program. This is another part of their master plan to recruit some of the best scientific minds in the world and fund their research. But as we’ve already seen too many times, that research winds up immediately being shipped off to Beijing.
China doesn’t have anyone’s best interests in mind other than China itself. And anyone who is a registered member of the CCP should be looked at with the utmost skepticism. If the Chinese have gotten so good at this game that they could embed a spy in the orbit of a member of the House Intelligence Committee for such a long period of time with nobody being the wiser, we’re in a lot more trouble than even the most paranoid may have imagined. We need to be cleaning house and that effort needed to start yesterday.


hotair--2020-12-14--NY Times: Expect a surge of migrants at the border looking for lenient treatment by the Biden admini

NY Times: Expect a surge of migrants at the border looking for lenient treatment by the Biden administration

As Karen pointed out Friday , the latest caravan from Honduras is already on its way to the U.S. border .
They represent the first wave of desperate people hoping that President Trump ’ s crackdown on illegal immigration is about to give way to something more like benign neglect which will once again make it easy for economic migrants to enter the country .
But if the caravan was the first warning sign , the second is this piece published Sunday by the NY Times .
The subhead of the story really communicates the awkward situation the Biden administration @ @ @ @ @ @ @ promised a more humane border policy .
But devastated economies and natural disasters in Latin America have fueled a spike in migration that could make pledges hard to keep.
” Actually , it ’ s very easy for Biden to keep his pledge .
What the Times is hinting at is that keeping it could be a disaster [ emphasis added ] .
After a steep decline in border crossings through much of this year , interceptions of unauthorized migrants along the Arizona-Mexico border are climbing again : Detentions in October were up @ @ @ @ @ @ @ figure in coming months is expected be even higher , despite the biting cold in the Sonoran desert… And they are likely the leading edge of a much more substantial surge toward the border , immigration analysts say , as a worsening economy in Central America , the disaster wrought by Hurricanes Eta and Iota and expectations of a more lenient U.S. border policy drive ever-larger numbers toward the United States… “ The pressures that have caused flows in the past have not abated and , in fact , have gotten worse because @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a perception of more-humane policies , you are likely to see an increase of arrivals at the border , ” said T. Alexander Aleinikoff , director of the Zolberg Institute on Migration and Mobility at the New School in New York… …swiftly reversing Trump administration policies could be construed as opening the floodgates , risking a rush to the border that could quickly devolve into a humanitarian crisis .
So there ’ s obviously a danger here , one that even the NY Times can see coming .
Democrats spent years demagoguing this @ @ @ @ @ @ @ detention centers “ concentration camps.
” So they ’ ve got no choice but to undo a lot of what Trump did at the border .
But doing so is like ringing a bell that is going to be heard in every small town in Central America .
The networks of smugglers will make sure the word gets out that the border is once again open to migrants .
How many hundreds of thousands of people will decide now is the time to make a new life in America ?
It ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Under the Trump administration that disaster has been lessened for two reasons .
First because fewer caravans make it across Mexico ’ s southern border .
It ’ s unclear what arrangement Biden will make with Mexico .
Second , under Trump ’ s remain in Mexico policy , even those who make it to the border to claim asylum find themselves quickly back in Mexico waiting their turn for a hearing .
Again , this discourages potential migrants who would rather be at home than in a camp full of migrants in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ undo that policy and will likely allow migrants to be released into the country once again while they await their court dates .
Once word gets out that making it to the border gets you in , the number of migrants headed this way will skyrocket .
Trump ’ s administration put a damper on illegal immigration but if you think of that as pent up demand , you can guess what ’ s coming next .
In 2021 we ’ re probably going to see a surge at the border that makes @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and last .
Immigration could be a huge problem for Biden from the moment he takes office .
If he relaxes enforcement too much he gets a potentially huge refugee crisis .
If he doesn ’ t relax it enough , he has the far left comparing him to Trump .
It ’ s a no-win situation politically and , frankly , he and his party deserve it .

As Karen pointed out Friday, the latest caravan from Honduras is already on its way to the U.S. border. They represent the first wave of desperate people hoping that President Trump’s crackdown on illegal immigration is about to give way to something more like benign neglect which will once again make it easy for economic migrants to enter the country.
But if the caravan was the first warning sign, the second is this piece published Sunday by the NY Times. The subhead of the story really communicates the awkward situation the Biden administration is in: “The president-elect has promised a more humane border policy. But devastated economies and natural disasters in Latin America have fueled a spike in migration that could make pledges hard to keep.” Actually, it’s very easy for Biden to keep his pledge. What the Times is hinting at is that keeping it could be a disaster [emphasis added].
After a steep decline in border crossings through much of this year, interceptions of unauthorized migrants along the Arizona-Mexico border are climbing again: Detentions in October were up 30 percent over September, and the figure in coming months is expected be even higher, despite the biting cold in the Sonoran desert… And they are likely the leading edge of a much more substantial surge toward the border, immigration analysts say, as a worsening economy in Central America, the disaster wrought by Hurricanes Eta and Iota and expectations of a more lenient U.S. border policy drive ever-larger numbers toward the United States… “The pressures that have caused flows in the past have not abated and, in fact, have gotten worse because of the pandemic. If there is a perception of more-humane policies, you are likely to see an increase of arrivals at the border,” said T. Alexander Aleinikoff, director of the Zolberg Institute on Migration and Mobility at the New School in New York… …swiftly reversing Trump administration policies could be construed as opening the floodgates, risking a rush to the border that could quickly devolve into a humanitarian crisis.
So there’s obviously a danger here, one that even the NY Times can see coming. Democrats spent years demagoguing this issue, with some even labeling the detention centers “concentration camps.” So they’ve got no choice but to undo a lot of what Trump did at the border.
But doing so is like ringing a bell that is going to be heard in every small town in Central America. The networks of smugglers will make sure the word gets out that the border is once again open to migrants. How many hundreds of thousands of people will decide now is the time to make a new life in America? It’s a humanitarian disaster waiting to happen.
Under the Trump administration that disaster has been lessened for two reasons. First because fewer caravans make it across Mexico’s southern border. It’s unclear what arrangement Biden will make with Mexico. Second, under Trump’s remain in Mexico policy, even those who make it to the border to claim asylum find themselves quickly back in Mexico waiting their turn for a hearing. Again, this discourages potential migrants who would rather be at home than in a camp full of migrants in Mexico.
But Biden will almost certainly undo that policy and will likely allow migrants to be released into the country once again while they await their court dates. Once word gets out that making it to the border gets you in, the number of migrants headed this way will skyrocket. Trump’s administration put a damper on illegal immigration but if you think of that as pent up demand, you can guess what’s coming next.
In 2021 we’re probably going to see a surge at the border that makes up for the reduced flow this year and last. Immigration could be a huge problem for Biden from the moment he takes office. If he relaxes enforcement too much he gets a potentially huge refugee crisis. If he doesn’t relax it enough, he has the far left comparing him to Trump. It’s a no-win situation politically and, frankly, he and his party deserve it.


hotair--2020-12-14--Republicans in Georgia, Wisconsin, other swing states choose "alternate" pro-Trump electors

A good example of how the president ’ s obsession with “ loyalty ” leads him and his party to embarrassing episodes .
Having Trump ’ s losing slate of electors cast their ballots for him today , when Arizona , Georgia , and the Rust Belt states are making Joe Biden ’ s victory official , won ’ t do a thing to stop Biden from becoming president .
But it did make for a laugh on political Twitter this afternoon .
Imagine being so petulant about having lost an election that you felt obliged to hold your own @ @ @ @ @ @ @ protest .
It ’ d be pathetic if grade-schoolers did it after an election for student body president .
These are grown adults acting with respect to the highest office in the land .
This is like Texas ’ s doomed Supreme Court lawsuit in one important sense : Fundamentally , it ’ s a scam .
No one involved with it believes it ’ ll succeed .
It ’ s a cheap gesture to signal loyalty to MAGA , which would be fine if not for the fact that millions of Trump @ @ @ @ @ @ @ has a chance and will find a new round of false hope in this latest stunt .
Just you wait , Sidney Powell ’ s Kraken lawsuit is going to turn this election around !
Okay , never mind — just you wait , Texas ’ s lawsuit is going to turn this election around !
Okay , forget that — just you wait , this alternate slate of electors is going to turn this election around once it gets to Congress !
Stephen Miller gave the same explanation to Fox this morning @ @ @ @ @ @ @ keep the campaign ’ s legal options open .
The idea , I guess , is that the “ alternate ” electors might have standing to press election claims in court whereas other citizens might not .
Or , at the very least , that their votes today for Trump can and will be eventually counted if a court somewhere goes on to rule in Trump ’ s favor in an election suit .
I regret to inform everyone that no court will be overturning the results of an election after the electoral @ @ @ @ @ @ @ or not the plaintiffs can clear the standing hurdle .
There ’ s another reason why Trump might want a vote of pro-Trump electors on the books somewhere .
Remember that Congress meets on January 6 to formally record the votes of the electoral college ; at that meeting , lawmakers can be forced to vote on whether to accept a state ’ s electors if one member of the House and one member of the Senate object .
There were ominous scenarios floating around before the election in which , if the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ enough , that process in Congress could have wreaked total havoc with the final result .
Barton Gellman wrote in September about a nightmarish prospect in which the election came down to one state where the governor is a Democrat and the state legislature is controlled by Republicans .
What would happen if the governor certified Biden ’ s election-night victory but the legislature appointed a set of pro-Trump electors instead ?
Republicans control both legislative chambers in the six most closely contested battleground states .
Of those , Arizona and Florida have @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , North Carolina , Pennsylvania , and Wisconsin , the governors are Democrats .
Foley , the Ohio State election scholar , has mapped the ripple effects if Republican legislators were to appoint Trump electors in defiance of the vote in states like Pennsylvania and Michigan .
The Democratic governors would respond by certifying the official count , a routine exercise of their authority , and they would argue that legislators could not lawfully choose different electors after the vote had taken place .
Their “ certificates of ascertainment , ” dispatched to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ their states had appointed electors committed to Biden .
Each competing set of electors would have the imprimatur of one branch of state government .
The wrinkle in today ’ s stunt is that the pro-Trump electors haven ’ t been formally appointed by their state legislatures or recognized in any official way .
The speaker of the Michigan house issued a letter , in fact , stressing that while he ’ s disappointed that Biden won , there ’ s no chance the legislature will meet and appoint its own pro-Trump electors @ @ @ @ @ @ @ electors ” don ’ t have the “ imprimatur of one branch of state government , ” in other words .
As election law prof Rick Hasen notes , they have no legal authority whatsoever .
They ’ re just a bunch of people pretending to cast votes that matter .
You can do the same thing in your living room right now if you like , pretending to cast a vote for Trump or Biden .
Why Congress or any court would recognize them as “ official ” for purposes of some @ @ @ @ @ @ @ I mean about how this is a scam ?
It ’ s meant to show MAGA fans that Republicans are “ fighting !
” but it ’ s nothing more than a pitiful simulacrum .
And to make it more pitiful , even if state legislatures did recognize these pro-Trump electors as official , the outcome in Congress on January 6 is foreordained .
In all likelihood , if the House and Senate are forced to vote on whether to accept a state ’ s official slate of pro-Biden electors , both chambers @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Republicans like Romney and Collins will cross the aisle to vote with Dems .
But even if the two chambers were to deadlock , the tiebreaker goes to whichever candidate ’ s electors were formally certified by the governor .
That ’ s Biden , who ’ s been certified the winner in Georgia , Arizona , and the Rust Belt states .
There ’ s no way around the outcome of this election , neither today nor on January 6 nor in court .
Any suggestions to the contrary are part of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Rove warning yesterday that Trump is “ on the edge ” of coming off like a sore loser .
On the edge ?
How long does this need to go on before he ’ s over the edge ?

A good example of how the president’s obsession with “loyalty” leads him and his party to embarrassing episodes. Having Trump’s losing slate of electors cast their ballots for him today, when Arizona, Georgia, and the Rust Belt states are making Joe Biden’s victory official, won’t do a thing to stop Biden from becoming president.
But it did make for a laugh on political Twitter this afternoon. Imagine being so petulant about having lost an election that you felt obliged to hold your own pretend electoral college vote as a symbolic protest. It’d be pathetic if grade-schoolers did it after an election for student body president. These are grown adults acting with respect to the highest office in the land.
This is like Texas’s doomed Supreme Court lawsuit in one important sense: Fundamentally, it’s a scam. No one involved with it believes it’ll succeed. It’s a cheap gesture to signal loyalty to MAGA, which would be fine if not for the fact that millions of Trump fans are desperate to believe he still has a chance and will find a new round of false hope in this latest stunt. Just you wait, Sidney Powell’s Kraken lawsuit is going to turn this election around! Okay, never mind — just you wait, Texas’s lawsuit is going to turn this election around! Okay, forget that — just you wait, this alternate slate of electors is going to turn this election around once it gets to Congress!
It won’t. It’s a scam.
#Breaking Georgia Republicans are meeting at the Cap to select their own slate of Trump electors to send to Washington even as Georgia Democrats are meeting to send the official slate of Biden electors to Congress. pic.twitter.com/TJZGjcJS57 — Richard Elliot (@RElliotWSB) December 14, 2020
This move comes an hour after the state Supreme Court upheld Biden’s win. — Patrick Marley (@patrickdmarley) December 14, 2020
Republicans are doing this to preserve their options — to continue to raise issues in court or to bring challenges before Congress. This is despite a slew of losses, including today. — Patrick Marley (@patrickdmarley) December 14, 2020
Stephen Miller gave the same explanation to Fox this morning, that this is being done to keep the campaign’s legal options open. The idea, I guess, is that the “alternate” electors might have standing to press election claims in court whereas other citizens might not. Or, at the very least, that their votes today for Trump can and will be eventually counted if a court somewhere goes on to rule in Trump’s favor in an election suit.
Stephen Miller on Fox & Friends says "an alternative" group of electors is also voting today: "As we speak, an alternate slate of electors in the contested states is going to vote and we are going to send those results to Congress."pic.twitter.com/5kIkfsbOFw — Travis Akers (@travisakers) December 14, 2020
I regret to inform everyone that no court will be overturning the results of an election after the electoral college has met and voted, whether or not the plaintiffs can clear the standing hurdle.
There’s another reason why Trump might want a vote of pro-Trump electors on the books somewhere. Remember that Congress meets on January 6 to formally record the votes of the electoral college; at that meeting, lawmakers can be forced to vote on whether to accept a state’s electors if one member of the House and one member of the Senate object. There were ominous scenarios floating around before the election in which, if the race between Biden and Trump were close enough, that process in Congress could have wreaked total havoc with the final result. Barton Gellman wrote in September about a nightmarish prospect in which the election came down to one state where the governor is a Democrat and the state legislature is controlled by Republicans. What would happen if the governor certified Biden’s election-night victory but the legislature appointed a set of pro-Trump electors instead?
Republicans control both legislative chambers in the six most closely contested battleground states. Of those, Arizona and Florida have Republican governors, too. In Michigan, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin, the governors are Democrats. Foley, the Ohio State election scholar, has mapped the ripple effects if Republican legislators were to appoint Trump electors in defiance of the vote in states like Pennsylvania and Michigan. The Democratic governors would respond by certifying the official count, a routine exercise of their authority, and they would argue that legislators could not lawfully choose different electors after the vote had taken place. Their “certificates of ascertainment,” dispatched to the National Archives, would say that their states had appointed electors committed to Biden. Each competing set of electors would have the imprimatur of one branch of state government.
The wrinkle in today’s stunt is that the pro-Trump electors haven’t been formally appointed by their state legislatures or recognized in any official way. The speaker of the Michigan house issued a letter, in fact, stressing that while he’s disappointed that Biden won, there’s no chance the legislature will meet and appoint its own pro-Trump electors.
Today’s Republican “alternate electors” don’t have the “imprimatur of one branch of state government,” in other words. As election law prof Rick Hasen notes, they have no legal authority whatsoever. They’re just a bunch of people pretending to cast votes that matter. You can do the same thing in your living room right now if you like, pretending to cast a vote for Trump or Biden. Why Congress or any court would recognize them as “official” for purposes of some election challenge escapes me.
See what I mean about how this is a scam? It’s meant to show MAGA fans that Republicans are “fighting!” but it’s nothing more than a pitiful simulacrum.
And to make it more pitiful, even if state legislatures did recognize these pro-Trump electors as official, the outcome in Congress on January 6 is foreordained. In all likelihood, if the House and Senate are forced to vote on whether to accept a state’s official slate of pro-Biden electors, both chambers will vote yes since a few Senate Republicans like Romney and Collins will cross the aisle to vote with Dems. But even if the two chambers were to deadlock, the tiebreaker goes to whichever candidate’s electors were formally certified by the governor. That’s Biden, who’s been certified the winner in Georgia, Arizona, and the Rust Belt states.
There’s no way around the outcome of this election, neither today nor on January 6 nor in court. Any suggestions to the contrary are part of the scam.
Here’s Karl Rove warning yesterday that Trump is “on the edge” of coming off like a sore loser. On the edge? How long does this need to go on before he’s over the edge?


hotair--2020-12-14--Wait... now Trump isn't going to run in 2024?

Last week we looked at the results of a poll showing that a significant majority of American voters believe that Donald Trump will run for president again in four years .
While I have my own doubts about that for a variety of reasons , the only person who can know for sure is the President himself .
As of last night , we may have gotten our answer… or maybe not .
Politico is reporting that they ’ ve spoken to a large number of ( unnamed ) allies of the President who claim he has been reaching out @ @ @ @ @ @ @ proceed .
But in the end , they can ’ t say much more than Trump might run… or he might not .
That ’ s super helpful , guys .
Donald Trump doesn ’ t need to run for president again .
He just needs everyone to think he is .
The president ’ s recent discussions with those around him reveal that he sees his White House comeback deliberations as a way to earn the commodity he needs most after leaving office : attention .
The president has spent days calling @ @ @ @ @ @ @ what they think he needs to do over the next two years to “ stay part of the conversation , ” according to two people , including one who spoke to the president .
And while Trump has told allies he plans to run for president again , he has also indicated he could back out in two years if he determines he ’ ll have a tough time winning , said three people familiar with the discussions .
This piece , under Ana Kumar ’ s byline , is pretty insulting to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ She bases her entire premise on the belief that the only reason Donald Trump would run again is that he craves the attention .
In fact , I went back and counted the number of times the author invoked the word “ attention ” either editorially , or by quoting unnamed sources who agreed with her .
It shows up a full one dozen times in the course of a single column .
Not for nothing , but Donald Trump has not historically been a person who has been short of attention from @ @ @ @ @ @ @ far earlier than his initial announcement of his candidacy for the 2016 race .
His book deals , television shows , and endless interviews always generated attention from the public , along with providing plenty of fodder for his opponents .
He has the resources to go right back to those habits after leaving the White House if he so chooses .
Does Donald Trump enjoy being in the limelight ?
I ’ m sure he does or he wouldn ’ t have taken the career path that he did .
But if @ @ @ @ @ @ @ attention , he could easily get it without running again .
Politico claims that one of Trump ’ s possible plans for the future is a lengthy trip to the Middle East .
Doing that could allow him to keep his hand in the game in a region where he ’ s generally been quite well received and draw some of the focus away from whatever Joe Biden is planning to do over there .
I suppose anything is possible .
Given Donald Trump ’ s approval rating among Republicans , it would @ @ @ @ @ @ @ as a potential 2024 GOP primary contender .
But would he really want to go through all of this again ?
I can ’ t escape that feeling that President Trump feels somewhat let down by the voters at this point for not solidly delivering him another victory in November .
If it can happen once , it can happen twice .
Why expend all of that energy if there ’ s a serious risk of coming up short a second time ?
While I certainly wouldn ’ t put it past him @ @ @ @ @ @ @ far from a given that the President will come back and immediately launch into another four years of endless campaigning .
The man clearly has the juice of an Energizer Bunny , but everyone needs a break now and again .

Last week we looked at the results of a poll showing that a significant majority of American voters believe that Donald Trump will run for president again in four years. While I have my own doubts about that for a variety of reasons, the only person who can know for sure is the President himself. As of last night, we may have gotten our answer… or maybe not. Politico is reporting that they’ve spoken to a large number of (unnamed) allies of the President who claim he has been reaching out to them for advice on how to proceed. But in the end, they can’t say much more than Trump might run… or he might not. That’s super helpful, guys.
Donald Trump doesn’t need to run for president again. He just needs everyone to think he is. The president’s recent discussions with those around him reveal that he sees his White House comeback deliberations as a way to earn the commodity he needs most after leaving office: attention. The president has spent days calling a dozen or more allies to ask what they think he needs to do over the next two years to “stay part of the conversation,” according to two people, including one who spoke to the president. And while Trump has told allies he plans to run for president again, he has also indicated he could back out in two years if he determines he’ll have a tough time winning, said three people familiar with the discussions.
This piece, under Ana Kumar’s byline, is pretty insulting to the President from beginning to end. She bases her entire premise on the belief that the only reason Donald Trump would run again is that he craves the attention. In fact, I went back and counted the number of times the author invoked the word “attention” either editorially, or by quoting unnamed sources who agreed with her. It shows up a full one dozen times in the course of a single column.
Not for nothing, but Donald Trump has not historically been a person who has been short of attention from the public and that pattern dates back far earlier than his initial announcement of his candidacy for the 2016 race. His book deals, television shows, and endless interviews always generated attention from the public, along with providing plenty of fodder for his opponents. He has the resources to go right back to those habits after leaving the White House if he so chooses. Does Donald Trump enjoy being in the limelight? I’m sure he does or he wouldn’t have taken the career path that he did. But if what he’s looking for is attention, he could easily get it without running again.
Politico claims that one of Trump’s possible plans for the future is a lengthy trip to the Middle East. Doing that could allow him to keep his hand in the game in a region where he’s generally been quite well received and draw some of the focus away from whatever Joe Biden is planning to do over there. I suppose anything is possible. Given Donald Trump’s approval rating among Republicans, it would be foolish to simply write him off as a potential 2024 GOP primary contender.
But would he really want to go through all of this again? I can’t escape that feeling that President Trump feels somewhat let down by the voters at this point for not solidly delivering him another victory in November. If it can happen once, it can happen twice. Why expend all of that energy if there’s a serious risk of coming up short a second time? While I certainly wouldn’t put it past him, I still think it’s far from a given that the President will come back and immediately launch into another four years of endless campaigning. The man clearly has the juice of an Energizer Bunny, but everyone needs a break now and again.