Democratic Convention Headed Towards Mayhem

Posted on February 11, 2020 by LifeZette

By David Kamioner | February 11, 2020

Have you seen the television series “Veep”? I haven’t.

But my college sophomore eldest daughter has seen it. She, who I programmed…er…um…cough…helped to raise well, tells me one of the last episodes is a hilarious rendition of a brokered convention.

If it actually happens in July in Milwaukee, it won’t be so funny for the Democrats.

For those of you unfamiliar with the concept of a brokered convention, it means no candidate gets to the convention with enough delegates to win on the first ballot. Then, the back stabbing begins.

MORE NEWS: What if Biden drops out?

Since it’s up close and personal retail politics, it gets vicious and easily melodramatic.

In other words, everybody from candidates, to the press, to staffers, start acting like telenovela villains. The resultant grudges are not exactly conducive to a united party going into the fall.

At a brokered melee it’s not “listen to my ideas.” The time for that is well past. It’s pushing a state party chairman into a corner and saying, “This can go one of two ways. Either you get a bridge named after you or I make sure your spouse learns about the male stripper on your staff. You know, the one you share hotel rooms with to ‘economize.’ Your call.”

Anybody from the front runners to the also rans, to the unknown compromise candidates, can walk away with the nomination. The 1924 Democratic convention in NYC went for 103 ballots over 16 days. The compromise candidate won.

The 1940 GOP convention in Philadelphia went 6 ballots and the dark horse guy won after the galleries went bonkers for him. The 1976 GOP convention in Kansas City almost went to a second ballot, but Ford edged out Reagan in the first. Not even close to a brokered convention since then.

Why is this year different?

The Democrats are so abnormally diffused by ideology and faction, even for them, that one candidate may not be able to unite everyone under their tent by July. The party establishment is behind Pete, Joe, and maybe Amy. The hard left wants Bernie or Liz. Then there’s Mike. And if Hillary gets in?

MORE NEWS: Biden stuns New Hampshire voter by calling her a ‘lying, dog-faced pony soldier’

Their attitude towards each other is best typified by paraphrasing Tom Wolfe in “Back to Blood.” When a character is explaining the collective attitudes of South Florida Latins towards each other he says, “One thing you gotta remember. Here, everybody hates everybody.”

That also may be the reigning ethos in Milwaukee in July. At least, we hope it is.

This piece originally appeared in LifeZette and is used by permission.

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Biden Stuns New Hampshire Voter By Calling Her A ‘Lying, Dog-Faced Pony Soldier’

Posted on February 10, 2020 by LifeZette

By PoliZette Staff | February 10, 2020

Former Vice President Joe Biden appeared to come unglued during a campaign event in New Hampshire yesterday, calling one voter a “lying, dog-faced pony soldier.”

A 21 year-old woman named Madison Moore, who is a student at Mercer University in Georgia, got up during the event to ask Biden how he plans to stay competitive in the 2020 presidential race.

“It’s a good question,” Biden replied, according to Fox News. “Number one: Iowa’s a democratic caucus. You ever been to a caucus? No you haven’t. You’re a lying, dog-faced pony soldier. You said you were; but now you got to be honest. I’m gonna be honest with you. It was a little bit confusing in Iowa.”

After a New Hampshire voter asks @JoeBiden why they should trust he can turn his campaign around, he asks if she’s ever been to a caucus before; when she says yes, Biden snaps: “No you haven’t. You’re a lying dog-faced pony soldier.” pic.twitter.com/3uxOAu0Ues

— Tom Elliott (@tomselliott) February 9, 2020

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Biden had used the odd phrase last month as well to respond to a question about Barack Obama’s broken promises that Americans would be guaranteed the option to keep their doctors under the Affordable Care Act. He seemed to explain the origins of the phrase at a campaign event in 2018.

“As my brother who loves to use lines from movies, from John Wayne movies, there’s a line in a movie, a John Wayne movie where an Indian chief turns to John Wayne and says, ‘This is a lying, dog-faced pony soldier,'” Biden said at the time.

Moore said after the event that Biden was right in surmising that she hadn’t been to a caucus.

“I felt he did give some good answers,” Moore said. “It was a little awkward being put on the spot. But he was right. I haven’t been to a caucus. I kind of caved in the moment. So he’s right. He’s right there. But he’s right about the black vote, too. I mean, it’s very important. And the results have shown that people think he doesn’t have that support. So I’m still very skeptical, but I thought he did a good job answering.”

However, Biden has been widely criticized for the uncomfortable moment.

“If he can’t handle a simple question from one of his own supporters, how can Joe Biden possibly take on Donald Trump one on one for six months?” tweeted Donald Trump Jr.

This serves as a reminder that Biden is unfit for office, and really has no business even being in this race. He has made so many gaffes in the months since he began running that it’s impossible to deny that he would embarrass our country often as president. It’s time for Biden to save himself further humiliation by dropping out of the race once and for all.

This piece originally appeared in LifeZette and is used by permission.

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Biden encourages debate crowd to stand for Col. Vindman

Posted on February 8, 2020 by Associated Press

President Donald Trump ousted Col. Alexander Vindman in retribution for his testimony during House impeachment proceedings.

GOP Senators Ask For Records On Hunter Biden From Secret Service

Posted on February 6, 2020 by LifeZette

By PoliZette Staff | February 6, 2020

Senators Chuck Grassley, (R-IA.), and Ron Johnson (R-WI.), sent a formal letter to Secret Service Director James Murray on Wednesday asking his agency to release details on Hunter Biden’s use of government security and travel accommodations during the time his father Joe Biden was the Vice President of Barack Obama.

Grassley is chairman of the Finance Committee, while Johnson leads the Committee on Homeland Security and Government Affairs, according to The Blaze. Both of these committees are “reviewing potential conflicts of interest posed” by Biden’s business dealings in Ukraine and China, and they would like to know whether taxpayer dollars were a factor in fostering these relationships.

In their letter, the senators requested that the Secret Service:

1. Please provide the protective detail that Hunter Biden received while his father was Vice President.

2. Please provide a list of all dates and locations of travel, international and domestic, for Hunter Biden while he received a protective detail. In your response, please note whether his travel was on Air Force One or Two, or other government aircraft, as applicable and whether additional family members were present for each trip.

Grassley and Johnson sent their letter to the Secret Service right after Donald Trump was acquitted by the Senate on Wednesday, and they have asked that their committees be provided with the records by February 19.

“In addition to several letters that the committees have sent to other agencies as part of that inquiry, the Committee on Finance also has written to the Department of Treasury regarding potential conflicts of interest in the Obama-era CFIUS approved transaction which gave control of Henniges, an American maker of anti-vibration technologies with military applications, to a Chinese government-owned aviation company and China-based investment firm with established ties to the Chinese government,” the letter stated, according to Daily Wire. “That transaction included Rosemont Seneca Partners, a company formed in 2009 by Hunter Biden, Christopher Heinz, and others.”

The letter went on to explain that the senators were asking for specific information “about whether Hunter Biden used government-sponsored travel to help conduct private business, to include his work for Rosemont Seneca and related entities in China and Ukraine.”

“In addition to business dealings in China, Hunter Biden also served as a board member for Burisma Holdings, a Ukrainian energy company,” the letter said. “In April 2014, around the time Hunter Biden joined Burisma, Vice President Biden reportedly became the ‘public face of the administration’s handling of Ukraine.’ It is unclear whether Hunter Biden received government sponsored travel or a protective detail for these endeavors.”

It has become increasingly clear that the Biden family is as crooked as they come. At the very least, these records need to be released to the Secret Service so that the public can learn just how far their corruption has gone.

This piece originally appeared in LifeZette and is used by permission.

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New Hampshire primary critical to the survival of several Democrat candidates

Posted on February 6, 2020 by LifeZette

By David Kamioner | February 6, 2020

Like in any proper election analysis, the calls are the political equivalent of an NFL pregame show. You look at the teams, the players, the point spread, and the injured lists. Then you make your prediction.

So, here we go. Welcome to the New Hampshire playoffs.

In a straight primary where raw votes matter more than anything else Sanders has got to be the favorite. His kiddie brigade will help him there, as will his status as a fellow New Englander.

He beat the tar out of Hillary Clinton in the state in 2016 and went on to other big victories in the primary season. But now as then it doesn’t matter, as he gets the big nod no way no how as long as the Hillary types still run the party.

Pete Buttigieg will do well. New Hampshire loves a new outsider, like it took a shine to Sanders last time around. His perceived moderation will play well with the approximately 30% of New Hampshire Democrats who see themselves in the middle and his boyish mien will excite the old lady set.

He is riding a wave from Iowa and that should energize his donor base and his ground game.

Elizabeth Warren has a shot at coming in second. She is also from New England, appeals to the worst sort of females (and the Democrats sport those in hordes), and has been on the ground in the state for awhile. But the feeling in DC is she peaked too early and is now playing for a veep slot.

Joe Biden must take first or second place here or be at serious risk of losing the whole thing. With his pedigree and establishment support anything less than number two here is poison.

If he were to drop out that could set up a Hillary scenario and a Hillary-Bernie rematch. The GOP imagination and political palate salivate just thinking about it.

Also rans like Yang, Klobuchar, and Steyer have to finish in the top three or they will be out of the race soon. Well, granted, Steyer has the cash to stay in for a bit.

And speaking of cash, now gaining a higher profile due to massive ad buys and waiting for them all on Super Tuesday is Mike Bloomberg.

The plot thickens…

This piece originally appeared in LifeZette and is used by permission.

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Biden Takes Major Hit in Iowa

Posted on February 6, 2020 by LifeZette

By David Kamioner | February 6, 2020

It wasn’t too long ago that some seasoned political analysts, including this one, thought Joe Biden had a good shot to win the Iowa Democratic caucuses.

Boy, were we wrong.

He not only lost but got relegated to fourth place behind Buttigieg, Sanders, and Warren.

This is a man who has been in the Senate since 1972, who has run for president before, and who was number two in the regime of a president wildly popular with Democrats. He was soundly beaten and made to look foolish by a kid mayor, a newish senator, and a virtual communist.

Why? Several reasons.

No oomph- His people in Iowa showed a remarkable lack of passion. The television shots showed them standing idly by while others were fighting for every single vote and delegate.
No youth appeal- In the college towns, and they are big Democratic centers in Iowa, he was almost shut out. The guy is verging on 80. The Democrats seems to love young anti-semites and socialists these days. Ergo…(anti-semitic socialists? Gee, what historically recent political movement combined those two traits?) an old labor-loving moderate is just not what they are looking for.
Where is Obama? – A lot of Biden’s problems would go away if his former boss endorsed him. But that’s not going to happen because the Obamas are keeping their powder dry for a future Michelle run and don’t want to get into any fights that would tick off other Democrats before they pull the trigger.
The guy is just weird- It’s the gaffes, the fabrications, the nuzzling, the obvious combover/hair work, and the odd intolerance for any other point of view in the Democratic Party.Combine this with an expectation he’d be butchered by Trump in the fall debates and it doesn’t make him attractive to Democrats.
They are looking for someone viable against a popular president who is riding a wave of exoneration and triumph. No one sees Biden as strong enough to fit that bill.

Finally, he’s yesterday’s news- Joe Biden harkens back to a relatively gentler time, if you could call the Clarence Thomas hearings gentle, when you fought like hell then went out for cocktails afterwards.His heyday was twenty years ago and earlier and modern socialist PC Democrats have little to nothing in common with him. That showed in Iowa. If it also does next Tuesday in New Hampshire he is in big trouble.

This piece originally appeared in LifeZette and is used by permission.

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Jill Biden Says Donald Trump’s Attacks on My Kid Are ‘Disgraceful’

Posted on February 4, 2020 by Guest Author

During MSNBC’s coverage of the Iowa caucus on Monday, former second lady Jill Biden said that President Donald Trump’s remarks about her stepson Hunter Biden were “disgraceful.”

‘Disgraceful’

MSNBC host Nicolle Wallace said to Mrs. Biden, “You’ve been in the center of the beginnings of the primaries, but also of the national story in Washington, the impeachment trial of Donald J. Trump. How have those two things collided for your family on the campaign trail?”

Jill Biden: "Donald Trump is afraid of going up against Joe Biden … That's the bottom line." https://t.co/BBHMWOcVlh

— MSNBC (@MSNBC) February 3, 2020

Biden replied, “Well, you know, it’s been a little difficult. I’m a mother. I know you’re a mother. It’s hard when you see your kids attacked. But I think that voters realized this is about Donald Trump. It’s not about my son Hunter or my husband, and I think it’s disgraceful what Donald Trump has done. And we know this is all a distraction.”

She also said that Trump’s comments could be a rallying cry for supporters of her husband.

It’s All About Beating Trump

“The bottom line I think for most Iowans is they want to beat Donald Trump. That’s the bottom line,” she added. “And so if Donald Trump is doing this because he is afraid of my husband, then that turns out to be a good thing for Joe because they’re getting behind him, and they’re supporting him.”

Dr. Jill Biden: “I think that voters realize that this is about Donald Trump, it’s not about my son Hunter, or my husband. I think it’s disgraceful what Donald Trump has done.” https://t.co/WjsDJwYWGu

— MSNBC (@MSNBC) February 4, 2020

Give Us a Break, Jill

Jill Biden seriously wants us to believe that her 50-year-old stepson, Hunter Biden, is somehow beyond reproach? Despite the fact that he earned a significant amount of money through the Ukraine Burisma energy firm without knowing anything about that business? And how this kind of seeming nepotism might look in the midst of a ridiculous impeachment witch hunt against President Trump that centers on U.S. dealings with Ukraine?

Give us a break.

What’s “disgraceful” is Democrats continuing to hound this President over nothing while still insisting Joe and Hunter Biden’s Ukraine activity doesn’t deserve to be scrutinized.

You can’t blame Jill Biden for standing up for family. But that doesn’t mean certain members of her family aren’t covered in sleazy political grime.

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Next Three Days Vital for President Trump

Posted on February 3, 2020 by LifeZette

By David Kamioner | February 3, 2020

Monday marks the beginning of three of the most important days in the history of modern America.

On Monday the resumption of the Senate impeachment trial will likely bring the process only two days away from a finish. Senators will get to make speeches on the Senate floor for or against impeachment. From those speeches a good count on the final votes on the charges before the Senate should be able to be discerned. Our call remains 55-45 for the president, thus handing him an impressive victory and complete vindication.

This is the de facto and de jure result no matter what the Democratic strategy may be to ignore the trial outcome and possibly embark on another impeachment investigation and vote. That would be timed for the GOP convention or the fall, when the Democrats still have control of the House. If they do that they will lose the House. So pray that they at least try.

The Iowa Democratic caucus on Monday looks like a close battle between Sanders and Biden. We think Biden will pull it off because many Sanders supporters are young and those under 30 do not usually vote or caucus in large numbers. Trump is probably pulling for Sanders, as are we, for the obvious reason of his non-electability in November. But the Democratic establishment will probably not allow his nomination, just as they cheated him out of it in 2016.

Tuesday brings more trial speeches and the State of the Union address by the president. Expect the Democrats to try a stunt to disrupt the president’s speech. Shouting from the audience, a walkout or boycott, even turning their back on the president are all in their playbook. One or more may take place.

Wednesday should close the chapter, for now, on one of the most divisive and unnecessary dramas in American history, as the Senate will likely vote to acquit President Trump on one count of abuse of power and another of obstruction of Congress. Current smart money has Democrats Manchin and Sinema possibly voting with the president on one or both counts. Jones could also jump to Trump on the votes.

Republicans Romney and Collins could vote to remove the president on one or both counts, with Romney the more likely guilty vote on both charges.

Stay with LifeZette for the latest fast breaking coverage on all these events.

This piece originally appeared in LifeZette and is used by permission.

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Democrats Lurch Towards Iowa Caucuses

Posted on February 1, 2020 by LifeZette

By David Kamioner | February 1, 2020

With the president’s acquittal imminent, Democrats on the campaign trail in Iowa have turned their bile from him to their fellow prospective November losers.

This is very entertaining for the rest of us. Here are some reports from the ground in Iowa and elsewhere.

Sanders has a small lead over Biden in Iowa. But a lot of Sanders’ support is from the under 30 crowd and they may blab to pollsters but they turn out to vote/caucus in relatively small numbers. We’ll see but don’t count Biden out. The caucuses are Monday.

Hillary Clinton is clashing with every other Democrat these days. Sanders still loathes her from cheating him out of the nomination in 2016 and trashing him recently.Tlaib and assorted socialists booed her at an Iowa rally on Friday and Tulsi Gabbard is suing her for $50 million. Wow, for poor Hills it seems like an authoritarian psychopath can’t get a break these days.
Mike Bloomberg’s campaign put out a campaign video, no lie, that showcased the candidate asking the odd question, “Where is my ice cream?”He gets handed a pint of the dessert, which he then strangely seems to stab with a spoon. After that he, get this, takes a small gopher-like nibble at the ice cream and says, “Big Gay Ice Cream is the best.” I did not make that up…Paging Dr. Freud!
After the GOP win on witnesses on Friday, Ted Cruz mocked Nancy Pelosi by doing her little weird clap right back at the Democrats on the Senate floor. Wolverine is just totally cool these days.
I know, I know, I’m not supposed to like Kamala Harris. And sure, her politics are odious. But she is telegenic and had to be told, like a high school cheerleader, to stop laughing at a Senate Democrat press conference on impeachment. Gotta at least give her that.

AOC took in over $1 million in January, money she has pledged to use to take out electable moderate Democrats and Democrat incumbents and replace them with hard left socialist primary challengers.That’s how she got in the House in 2018. Another telegenic Democrat lass that is inadvertently amusing us.
And finally, CNN legal analyst Jeffrey Toobin told unhappy fellow CNN pundits, after the GOP Friday victory, that the final verdict of history on the whole impeachment saga would boil down to two words, “Trump Won.” Well, what’s that about a blind squirrel?

This piece originally appeared in LifeZette and is used by permission.

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David Brooks and Ruth Marcus on Senate’s witness vote, Sanders’ surge

Posted on January 31, 2020 by PBS NewsHour - Politics

New York Times columnist David Brooks and Washington Post columnist Ruth Marcus join Judy Woodruff to discuss the week's political news, including the Senate's decision not to call witnesses in President Trump's impeachment trial, Republicans' varying defenses of Trump's conduct around Ukraine and what recent polling trends among 2020 Democrats suggest about Monday's Iowa caucuses.