Systemic hackery for we, not for ye

Whenever news networks have a panel discussion regarding political headlines, their goal in assembling the talking heads is to give off a vibe of being ideologically diverse. But when the token "Republican" or "conservative" is selected for a given panel, they are often in the motif of a Rick Wilson or Ana Navarro, both of whom are fervently critical (even snarky) when discussing President Donald Trump. And that's the way "progressives" like it in that they get to virtue signal when claiming their favorite left-leaning networks are diverse while also being able to indulge in the obligatory hate-fest of the President.

With that in mind, it should come as no surprise that CNN's most recent hire has resulted in proggies flipping their collective gourds.

The Democratic National Committee has sought and received assurances from CNN that the network’s new politics editor, Sarah Isgur, will not be involved in the debates that the channel hosts and moderates for the Democratic primary.

The assurances were provided after the committee expressed reservations to CNN over Isgur’s history in Republican politics and after officials at the committee raised concerns over her alleged connections to a now-retracted Fox News story on the debunked Seth Rich conspiracy theory.

CNN announced this week that it had hired Isgur to help oversee the network’s coverage of the 2020 election. Until late last year, she had served as Jeff Sessions’ top spokesperson at the Department of Justice after previously working on campaigns for Carly Fiorina and Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX).

Her hiring set off a round of recriminations from journalists, who argued that the longtime Republican operative had no prior experience in the news industry, and from Democrats, who believe she brings a clearly established ideological agenda with her to her new post.

Combine that with the following headline which popped up on Variety.com literally hours after the news of Isgur's hire:


ABC News Renews George Stephanopoulos for Four-Year Deal


Yes, that George Stephanopoulos, the guy who was a high level staffer in the President Bill Clinton administration. Oh, and guess what? He also moderated a debate in the 2012 GOP presidential primary where his seemingly out-of-left-field question regarding contraception was the catalyst for the "War on Women" narrative hung around the Republicans' necks that cycle.

This whole leftist tirade regarding Ms. Isgur's hiring is Pauline Kael syndrome at its finest. They just can't fathom that someone would want to hear from a politico who might actually be neutral (to say nothing of expressing tacit approval) of Trump.

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Pouncing Straw Men

There's been a noticeable trend occurring among national media outlets lately that when they're forced to report negative news on their "progressive" heroes, they can't help but take a swipe at conservatives.

Perhaps the most recent (and arguably most blatant) example has to do with the "hate crime" hoax involving black gay actor Jussie Smollett. When political righties had the audacity to suggest that Smollett's account had more holes in it than Ronnie Milsap and Jose Feliciano after a game of lawn darts (h/t Dennis Miller), they were basically tarred as ignoramuses trying to normalize hate. So when it was confirmed that Smollett likely staged the whole thing, many conservatives had a right to come off as indignant after having their worldview maligned. In response, many of those same media outlets put on par with Smollett's lies the conservatives expressing giddiness or indulging in schadenfreude (i.e. conservatives pounced).

But what if there is no actual conservative "seizing" or "pouncing?" Fear not, they've got it covered.

Last month when a nearly decade old video of freshman Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez surfaced showing her dancing gleefully, the majority of righty commentators rolled their eyes wondering why it was the least bit newsworthy. Some even commented that it actually normalized her, even making her likeable. So how did leftist periodical Newsweek characterize the conservative response? "A bid to embarrass Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez has backfired." But if you click the link to the Newsweek story, they don't show one instance of any high profile righty criticizing AOC over it. Y'see, it appeared to be little more than an orchestrated attempt to paint conservatives as petty tyrants who are scared of this proggie darling's star power. That is what actually backfired.

Then most recently there was a report which came out about 20-year old Malia Obama, daughter of President Barack Obama, sipping on some wine as well as having a personal Facebook page which showed her disdain for President Trump. Again, it was only trending on Twitter because most people (including and especially conservatives) reacted with a collective "who gives a s--t?"

Ah, but this was indicative of the leftist reaction to the mythical righty outrage:

Again, no. First off, the common response to Kavanaugh's underage drinking was that it shouldn't disqualify him from the U.S. Supreme Court because something that happened 35 years earlier did not appear to be a deterrent to him becoming a respected adult member of society. And secondly, there was zero corroborating evidence that he ever raped anybody. So leftists not only build straw men but they also shamelessly look to revise history.

Secondly, leftists must also believe that we conservatives are still the uptight, stuff-shirts of the Reagan years. The truth is no one credible displayed any outrage over a young lady indulging in alcohol less than one year away from being able to legally consume such beverages. Oh, and the fact she has animosity towards a president who is a) in the opposite political party to her and b) working to undue her father's legacy as POTUS? It would only be newsworthy if Malia showed even tacit approval towards Trump.

Amazing, isn't it? Conservatives at large are often accused of being intolerant, racist, xenophoic, bullying, etc., yet all too often there are stories flat out fabricating incidents where these traits are a factor. So if indeed said traits are so pervasive, one wouldn't have to concoct stories highlighting them, would they?

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Prediction time

By now you have likely heard of the attack perpetrated on actor Jussie Smollett last month in Chicago (check out his Oscar worthy performance in conveying the tale on Good Morning America ==> **click here**).

In the nearly three weeks since the incident (which never quite passed the proverbial smell test), Smollett's account of that evening has slowly fallen apart. In fact, the two Nigerian men taken in as suspects last week were released a couple of days later and are now said to be "cooperating" with local investigators. That "cooperation" entails their allegation that Smollett hired them to enact this assault so the actor could stage it as a "hate crime." For the record, Smollett is sticking to his story.

OK, so here's my prediction: Since our culture's moral code (per proggie darling Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez) is that it's more important to be "morally right than factually correct," one (if not several) of the myriad celebrities, journos and politicians who demagogued the Smollett incident will concede they were duped, if they go on the record at all. Ah, but it won't end there. They'll convey something along the lines of "Sure, this was a hoax. But it started an important conversation, one in which we feel the need to enact legislation to combat what very well could happen."

Book it.

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So make the best of this test, and don't ask why......

Another Sunday, another edition of my radio show The Closer. The 2-hour blitz gets started at 1:00 PM Central Time.

At 1:15 I will be joined by national political wonk Matt Mackowiak. We'll discuss President's Trump's declaration of a National Emergency to build a border fence, the latest in 2020 Democrat presidential candidates, etc.

In other segments, we'll look at yet another bad week for Rep. Ilhan Omar (that's like three bad ones in the past four), Dem presidential candidates misrepresenting the ramifications of the Tax Cut and Jobs Act, etc.


So please call (651) 289-4488 if you'd like to weigh in on any of the topics we plan on addressing.

You can listen live in the Twin Cities at AM 1280 or, if you're near downtown Minneapolis/West Metro area, 107.5 FM on your radio dial. In and out of the Minneapolis-St Paul area you can listen to the program on the Internet by clicking this link, or check us out via iheart radio as well as Amazon Echo (just say "Alexa, play The Patriot Minneapolis"). If you're unable to tune in live, please check out my podcast page for the latest show post.

And if you're so inclined, follow along on Twitter at #NARNShow or "Like" our Facebook page.

Until then.....

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You might be a partisan hack....

....if you agree with one of these presidential statements but not the other.

"I am going to be working with Congress where I can to accomplish this, but I am also going to act on my own if Congress is deadlocked," he said at an education event at the White House on Thursday. "I've got a pen to take executive actions where Congress won't, and I've got a telephone to rally folks around the country on this mission."

President Barack Obama - January 2014

   

President Trump said on Friday that he "didn't need to" declare a national emergency but did it to speed up construction of the U.S.-Mexico border wall.

"I want to do it faster. I could do the wall over a longer period of time. I didn't need to do this, but I'd rather do it much faster," Trump said during a press conference at the Rose Garden in the White House.

President Trump - February 2019


To be fair, there are many more right-of-center elected officials and pundits decrying Trump's move than any leftist opposition to Obama's abuse of executive authority. This is why leftists' strange new respect for separation of powers this week should largely fall on deaf ears, especially when they're already compiling scenarios on how the next Democrat president will flippantly declare "national emergencies."

In the end I'm certain there will be a legal challenge to Trump's national emergency, likely resulting in it getting shot down by the courts. And for those of us who have a vehement belief that America is not a monarchy, such a decision should be a welcome one.

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Since it's Valentine's Day....

....,how 'bout a story regarding romance and politics?

Kassy Dillon, who founded Lone Conservative, a title inspired by her being on a proverbial island politically while in college, shared a tale of dating someone of opposite political beliefs. Spoiler alert: she conveyed that she will likely never date a Democrat again.


When I met the future Mrs. Carlson in 1998, I was about 6-7 years into my conversion to the political right. However, my political "involvement" was little more than listening to Rush Limbaugh's radio show and voting in every general election. Suffice to say I certainly wasn't engaged in the latest political news cycle to the extent I am today, so it might have been plausible for me to date a moderate Democrat. But could I ever date a Democrat today? Given I'm in a relationship with my true one and only, I don't actively contemplate dating anyone else.

But you wanna know how important political affiliation has become in the era of President Donald Trump?

The dating site OkCupid told HuffPost last month that for the first time in its 15-year history, the overall number of women who choose shared political views over "good sex" doubled from 2016 to 2018.

I'm certainly no expert, but I'm skeptical one could even have "good sex" with someone whose worldview they abhor. But the fact one's political affiliation is a prevailing sentiment shows you where we are as a society today. And to me, it's not a particularly healthy place.

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Quick Hits: Volume CLXXXIII

- Two Democrat candidates in the 2020 presidential race recently misrepresented the benefits of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act passed at the end of 2017.

Middle class families are seeing their tax refunds shrink, while big corporations and the very wealthy are still enjoying a huge tax cut.

This was just one of the many tricks of the Republican tax bill and why I didn’t vote for it. https://t.co/azYbeASRgx

— Amy Klobuchar (@amyklobuchar) February 13, 2019

The average tax refund is down about $170 compared to last year. Let’s call the President’s tax cut what it is: a middle-class tax hike to line the pockets of already wealthy corporations and the 1%.

— Kamala Harris (@KamalaHarris) February 11, 2019

 Washington Post fact checker guy Glenn Kessler reacted specifically to Harris's assertions.

This tweet combines two factoids into a highly misleading package. Yes, tax refunds are smaller, based on preliminary data. And, yes, in the long run, the Trump tax cut raises taxes on the middle class — if you make the probably unrealistic assumption that Congress will not act to rescue tax cuts for individuals.

But Harris presented these facts without nuance or qualification, making it appear as though the smaller tax refunds were evidence of a tax hike on the middle class. In reality, the size of a tax refund reflects nothing about the size of a tax cut or tax increase — and at least in 2018, the vast majority of middle-class Americans can expect to pay less in taxes as a result of the Trump tax law.

More than a few have asked how two people aspiring to be President of the United States could bungle the concept of tax policy so badly. In my view, it's not that Sens. Klobuchar and Harris are necessarily ignorant of the current tax laws as much as they believe voters may well be. That's their hope anyways.


- After 11 seasons (including one Super Bowl title) with the Baltimore Ravens, quarterback Joe Flacco was traded to the Denver Broncos on Wednesday. After Flacco led his club to a world championship in the 2012 season, a debate raged on as to whether he could be considered an "elite" QB.

Say, you know how people plow through Donald Trump's Twitter history to find his thoughts on just about anything? Well.......

.@HighSock_Sunday #asktrump pic.twitter.com/qVakUzXZAb

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 21, 2015

A. Tweet. For. Everything.


-  Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D-NY) has shown hostility to pro lifers, gun owners and the wealthy within his state. And if he's like many of his leftist ilk who believe border walls are immoral, he may now be considering such a structure to prevent NY residents from fleeing.

This week the Governor of New York blamed budget shortfalls on the state of Florida.

He said New Yorkers are fleeing to the sunshine state to save big time on taxes.

It all goes back to the tax reform passed by Congress. The changes increased the incentive to move to the sunshine state dramatically.

On Sunny Isles Beach, developer Edgardo Defortuna has a lot to smile about. His development Jade Signature, an ultra-luxury beachfront condominium building, is nearly sold out.

You mean Gov. Cuomo's "BOHICA" strategy is not resonating with the New York populace? Color me shocked.

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