Democracy dies in.....well, you know

CNN's Brian Stelter, who hosts a program called Reliable Sources (which once unironically hosted Dan "Fake but Accurate" Rather as a guest), called out Fox News a few months ago over that network not covering what he deemed was a huuuuuuuge story.

Well if that's the standard Stetler wants to uphold, he might wanna take it up with the CNN brass as to why they didn't cover a key Senate vote taken on Monday.

.....CNN doesn’t feature a single story on their website regarding the Democratic Party blocking of Sasse’s Born-Alive Abortion Survivors Protection Act, which would have saved newborn babies who survive abortion attempts from negligent homicide.

CNN didn’t even bother producing one of those predictably prejudiced pieces, like the ones we saw in Politico or the Washington Post yesterday, mischaracterizing Sasse’s bill as “anti-abortion.” They didn’t bother with the “conservatives pounce!” stories, like the Daily Beast or Vox did. They didn’t bother, like so many others, to distract from the number of viable babies being aborted by stressing only 1.5 percent of the procedures are post-20 weeks’ gestation, rather than pointing out there are somewhere around 15,000 to 18,000 aborted every year. They just ignored it.

CNN features a long string of stories about Donald Trump’s former lawyer Michael Cohen on the site—surely, legitimate news—but not one about a highly unpopular policy position that is supported by every Democratic Party presidential hopeful in the Senate. This issue that dominated the political discussions of around half the country yesterday was not worth a single piece from this unbiased, undeterred, truth seeking, information-gathering operation. I wonder why that is?

Obviously that's a rhetorical question. CNN President Jeff Zucker pretty much conceded that a lack of wall-to-wall hysteria over President Trump doesn't do a lot for their ratings. So with Trump actually having the moral high ground when calling out Dems over their ghoulish behavior, that flies in the face of CNN's perpetual Trump bashing.

....This will be remembered as one of the most shocking votes in the history of Congress. If there is one thing we should all agree on, it’s protecting the lives of innocent babies.

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) February 26, 2019

So when Mr. Stelter says that ignoring a problem is "another form of denialism," he unwittingly came up with the most apt description of his own network.

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Ghoulish

With President Donald Trump being a vulnerable incumbent going into 2020, all Democrats basically had to do was not come off as unhinged and soulless. If they could pull that off, their chances of unseating Trump increase dramatically.

Ah, but I guess it's true what they say: a tiger can't change its stripes.

Republicans’ effort to outlaw infanticide of babies born after botched abortions collapsed Monday, falling victim to a Democrat-led filibuster in what could be Congress’s only chance to vote on the hot-button issue this year.

The GOP-led Senate only mustered 53 votes — seven shy of the 60 needed to overcome the Democratic filibuster. Three Democrats crossed the aisle to back the bill, while three Republicans missed the vote.

Backers said they were driven to act by recent state laws and bills they said would allow abortions up to the point of birth — and, in at least the case of one failed piece of legislation in Virginia, would have allowed a child born despite an attempted abortion to be left to die.

“It isn’t about new restrictions on abortion. It isn’t about changing the options available to women. It’s just about recognizing that a newborn baby is a newborn baby. Period,” said Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, Kentucky Republican. He said it made him “uneasy” that such legislation was even considered controversial.

There are six Democrat U.S. Senators who have declared they are running for President in 2020. All six blocked this bill from receiving an up or down vote.

The popular Dem chanting point upon this legislation failing was something along the lines of government should not have any say in women's health care decisions. I'm not sure if these people are stupid, ignorant or engaging in gaslighting. The fact of the matter is the bill which was debated did nothing to alter the abortion laws currently on the books. It specifically addresses what happens after a woman attempts to terminate her pregnancy (i.e. the "health care" that was administered to her). This is about an actual human being who is born and thus making it a law to....y'know.....engage in life saving techniques of said human.

While leftists themselves attempt to spin this debate as conservatives looking to infringe upon women's rights, they also have willing accomplices in the media.

This was the headline (on a Politico story): “Senate defeats anti-abortion bill, as GOP tries to jam Dems.”

Yes, really.

The smaller problem with the headline was that this bill would do nothing to stop a single abortion. It only applies to babies completely outside the mother’s body, after an attempted abortion has failed. (Also note: Politico puts quotation marks around “attempted abortion,” as if even that is a politically loaded term. Yet if a doctor attempts an abortion, but the baby is born alive, what other words could possible describe it?). This isn’t some run-of-the-mill anti-abortion bill; it’s about saving babies who by every single definition ever known to mankind are no longer fetuses, but living, breathing humans in the light of day.

The bigger problem, an unforgivable one journalistically, is that the headline sets the theme of the whole article that this bill is not an act of conscience, but a cynical ploy to “jam” Democrats. That’s the media’s rule: Every single story must paint Republicans as nasty manipulators, devoid of sincerity, ravenous for Democrats’ political blood.

For all the caterwauling the left does over their allegations of Republican politicians being bought and paid for by the National Rifle Association, they conveniently leave out how prominent pro-abortion groups like EMILYs List, Planned Parenthood and NARAL contribute to Dems multiple times more money. Apparently the vast majority of Democrats are so terrified of being left off that proverbial gravy train that they're willing to allow literal deaths to keep it coming in.

One last thing. Remember the outrage leftists conveyed over Trump carrying on an Obama era policy of alien children being separated from their parents when these families attempted to illegally enter America via the Mexican-U.S. border? Seems to ring rather hollow now, doesn't it?

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Quick Hits: CLXXXIV

- Given the constant verbal assault and threats of violence activist gun groups receive from gun grabbers (especially after a mass shooting), I don't take the grabbers' outrage too seriously here.

Gov. Tim Walz released a statement Sunday condemning comments made by Rep. Cal Bahr, R-East Bethel, during a Minnesota Gun Owners Caucus rally at the Capitol on Saturday. Walz said Bahr’s comments risked inciting violence.

“There’s a lot of us in this room that have had enough, and it’s time to start riding herd on the rest of these people that want to take your rights away from you,” Bahr said, according to a video posted on the gun caucus’ Facebook page.

“They will not go quietly into the good night. They need to be kicked to the curb and stomped on and run over a few times,” he said.

Look, I'm not going to say I approve of Rep. Bahr's rhetoric. Given how pro gun activists have every single solitary word/action overly scrutinized, it's best to forgo such imagery even if it's obvious hyperbole. But given how many DFL elected officials (Walz included) support legislation which literally allows law enforcement to deprive a law abiding citizen of his/her legally owned firearm without due process, they really don't have any moral authority to criticize Bahr here.


- Speaking of faux outrage:

On Tuesday, Iowa radio sports broadcaster Gary Dolphin made what some are calling an inappropriate remark following a basketball game between the Maryland Terrapins and the Iowa Hawkeyes.

Commenting on Terrapins player Bruno Fernando, Dolphin said: "That’s some pretty good long-range shooting, and then Fernando was King Kong at the end of the game."

Fernando, as Hawk Central notes, is an astonishing 6'10" and 275 lbs. Fictional gorilla Kong first appeared in the 1933 Merian C. Cooper and Ernest B. Schoedsack-directed film "King Kong."

For this remark, Dolphin was suspended for the rest of the season. However, according to Hawkeye Nation, the press release from Hawkeye Sports Properties indicates that the suspension might be "indefinite."

When one thinks of the movie King Kong, one obviously recalls the big ape that is the title character. But when talking about a player being in the motif of "King Kong at the end of the game", it seems pretty obvious to anyone paying attention to said game that it was in reference to Fernando wreaking havoc.......much like the character in the King Kong movie.

I believe it says a lot more about the people who automatically assume a "King Kong" reference is used solely in a racial context than it does about Mr. Dolphin himself.


- There was no lefty elected official of whom I have been more critical than former U.S. Senator Harry Reid. However, Reid seems to be no different than a lot of leftists who suddenly have strange new respect for George W. Bush in the era of a President Donald Trump.

"(Bush) and I had our differences, but no one ever questioned his patriotism. Our battles were strictly political battles," Reid said.

Sorry Dingy Harry, but the internet is forever.

Here is what Reid said of Bush while the latter was still in office:

“The man’s father is a wonderful human being. I think this guy is a loser.”

“President Bush is a liar. He betrayed Nevada and he betrayed the country.”(but no one ever questioned his patriotism, huh Dingy? - ed.)

CNN reports Reid previously called Bush the worst president of America ever.

Reid even insulted Bush’s dog, calling the pet “fat.”

The New York Times reported in 2007 that Reid referred to Bush as “this guy,” as in, “I am mystified, dumbfounded about how difficult it is to work with this guy.”

I've said it before and I'll say it again: it's a darn good thing Will Rogers never met Harry Reid.

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Yeah, the other day I got invited to a party but I stayed home instead....

Tune in to today's edition of The Closer from 1:00 until 3:00 PM Central Time as we celebrate the snowiest February in Minnesota history! Well, maybe not "celebrate." Commiserate?

Anyhow, I will definitely weigh in on the latest in the Jussie Smollett saga and the national media's lack of self-awareness in how they covered the sequence of events. I will also discuss prominent lesbian Martina Navratilova being shunned by the LGBT community for expressing an unpopular (albeit correct) opinion.

On the local scene, Gov. Tim Walz announces his bloated budget proposal, Sen. Amy Klobuchar hit with another "horrible boss" allegation and I will recap my day yesterday at the 2nd Amendment rally in St. Paul.


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.....

---------------------------------------

Progs eating their own

In the 1980s, Martina Navratilova was arguably the most accomplished women's tennis player in the world. And in an era where coming out as a homosexual was not only taboo but also potentially career suicide, Navratilova was unapologetic about her personal life. But as I've said countless times in my writings as well as on the radio airwaves, far left "progressives" these days will be the most staunch advocates for LGBT folks living open and freely provided they don't stray even an inch away from the leftist worldview.

As such, Navratilova has been ostracized from a prominent LGBT group for using SCIENCE! (remember how progs declared themselves the party of science?) when decrying unfair competitive advantages.

Navratilova -- an 18-time Grand Slam winner -- argued it was "cheating" to allow transgender women to compete in female competition because they would benefit from unfair physical advantages.

Her column written in the Sunday Times newspaper has led Athlete Ally to immediately remove her from their Advisory Board and drop her as an ambassador for the organisation.

In the column Navratilova suggested she would not be happy to compete against a transgender woman and argued a man could reverse their decision after transitioning.

"A man can decide to be female, take hormones if required by whatever sporting organisation is concerned, win everything in sight and perhaps earn a small fortune, and then reverse his decision and go back to making babies if he so desires," Navratilova wrote.

"It's insane and it's cheating. I am happy to address a transgender woman in whatever form she prefers, but I would not be happy to compete against her. It would not be fair."

I've never understood the outcry over acknowledging a very simple, obvious and basic scientific fact: physically, men are naturally stronger beings than women. That's not being degrading to women to say such a thing. Yet in today's society, acknowledging even the most basic biology can have one tarred as a "transphobic" or a hateful bigot. Sheesh, talk about your science deniers.

I've often wondered how long people can carry the water for this "trans" bit before even some of the most staunch LGBT allies (i.e. Navratilova) start pointing out some....ahem....inconvenient truths. Given this latest saga, it appears the gaslighting won't end any time soon.

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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.

-----------------------------------

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?

-------------------------------------------------------

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.

----------------------------------------------------

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.....

---------------------------------------

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.

--------------------------------------------

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.

---------------------------------------------

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.

----------------------------------------

Learn it. Know it. Live it.

The next time you're fed some pap about how American women have less rights than American men, just refer to this coherent monologue.




Yeah, I know it's just a TV show. But the dialogue is downright irrefutable.


-------------------------------------------------

Oh my, Omar

In two consecutive Sundays in January, I chronicled on my radio show the previous bad week endured by Rep. Ilhan Omar, the new Congresswoman out of Minnesota's deep blue CD5.

One week she was clearly taken aback by having to field tough questions regarding her allegations that Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) was being blackmailed by President Trump over Grahams alleged closet homosexuality. She also was pressed over a 2012 tweet where she said Israel had "hypnotized the world."

The following week, Rep. Omar piled on the Covington Catholic boys by totally misrepresenting their role in the standoff with Nathan Phillips. So much so that she deleted the tweet after the boys' legal counsel threatened a lawsuit.

Man, she sure has made waves in just over a month into her first term. Certainly things couldn't get much worse, could they?

Well.......

Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., claims that on Sunday when she sent out multiple tweets decrying the nefarious influence of Jewish money in American politics that she had no idea she was spreading anti-Semitism until she subsequently learned about the implications of her statements. That might have been a more compelling excuse if it weren't for the fact that she used the exact same one last month, when explaining an earlier anti-Semitic tweet.

On Sunday night, the freshman Democrat, who was given a slot on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, reacted to a story about a plan from the desk of House Minority Leader Rep. Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., to "take action" against the anti-Semitism being exhibited on a regular basis by Omar and her " sister" freshman Rep. Rashida Tlaib, D-Mich., by tweeting out "It's all about the Benjamins baby." She then followed it up by saying she meant AIPAC, and then promoted several other supportive tweets furthering the same argument about Jewish donor influence.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., demanded that Omar apologize, and then Omar tweeted out a tortured statement in response.

"Anti-Semitism is real and I am grateful for Jewish allies and colleagues who are educating me on the painful history of anti-Semitic tropes," Omar wrote. "My intention is never to offend my constituents or Jewish Americans as a whole. We have to always be willing to step back and think through criticism, just as I expect people to hear me when others attack me for my identity. This is why I unequivocally apologize."

Of course I have to wonder if she's apologizing for her insensitivity or for allowing the proverbial mask to slip. Either way, this is a horrible look, one which won't help the Dems' perceived anti-semitism problem.

Let's not kid ourselves here. Omar represents a D+26 district, which means a wind-up set of chattering teeth could run as a Dem and garner 60+% of the vote. As such, she's in no real danger of losing at the ballot box. A tweet from Northern Alliance Radio Network alum  (and CD5 resident) Chad "The Elder" Doughty really put it in perspective.

If you had "We miss the kinder, gentler days of Congressman Ellison" in your betting pool for CD5 GOP quotes, collect your winnings!

-----------------------------------------------

From the day that I was born, I've waved the flag.....

It's the first Sunday in five months without NFL football, so I'm hoping for a spike in folks listening live. Today's 2-hour edition of The Closer gets started at 1:00 PM Central Time.

In the first hour I'll weigh in on the latest regarding the scandals surrounding the top three Democrat officials in Virginia's executive branch. I will also look at the disturbing trend of Dems in the U.S. Senate showing hostility toward the religious beliefs of judicial nominees.

On the local scene, Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) will be making an announcement in Minneapolis at 1:30 regarding her political future. We'll keep tabs on that and discuss once the official statement is made.

At 2:00, I will be joined by Jason Rarick (R-Pine City), who prevailed in this past Tuesday's special election in MN Senate District 11. Then at 2:30, cyber security expert and author D. Greg Scott will stop by to promote his latest novel entitled Virus Bomb.


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.....

---------------------------------------

Quick Hits: Volume CLXXXII

- Within the past year or so, prominent U.S. Senate Democrats (oh hai Sens. Sanders, Feinstein, Harris and Hirono) have shown hostility to federal judiciary/cabinet nominees during confirmation hearings. Most inquiries have to do with the nominees' faith/religious affiliation and the implication that aspiring judges would be unable to issue legal rulings independent of their worldview.

The latest interrogation comes courtesy of a certain senator from New Jersey who recently declared his candidacy for President of the United States.

Sen. Cory Booker (D–N.J.) squared off with D.C. Circuit nominee Neomi Rao at her confirmation hearing on Tuesday, asking the potential judge if she has ever employed any LGBT law clerks. While the question raised eyebrows for multiple reasons, the most glaring is that she's never been a judge, so she's never had any law clerks (ed. - You would think an attorney would know this)—LGBT or otherwise.

But the question itself is suspect: It implies that sexuality should be part of the test for determining an applicant's suitability for hire. "Um, to be honest I don't know the sexual orientation of my staff," Rao said, when pressed by Booker. "I take people as they come, irrespective of their race, ethnicity, sexual orientation."

Regardless, it would appear Booker is almost encouraging some sort of quotas here or perhaps even advocating  that a potential employer discriminate against a certain segment of the population (i.e. non-LGBT individuals). Either way, it was an all around embarrassing performance for a sitting U.S. senator as well as presidential candidate.


- We've had some pretty treacherous weather here in Minnesota over the past two weeks. As such, a lot of my fellow Minnesotans (and western Wisconsinites) in my Facebook feed are on cue with the ol' "ZOMG, WHY DO WE LIVE HERE?!?!?!" lament. And interestingly enough a fair amount of those folks have a cabin on a Minnesota or Wisconsin lake where they retreat for weekends in the summer. So I would say to them please make that exact same inquiry when basking in a Friday night sunset on a lake in July.


- Sen. Amy Klobuchar is scheduled to make a major announcement this Sunday afternoon at Minneapolis's Boom Island Park. The speculation is she will declare her bid for President in 2020.

As the possibility grew of Klobee's candidacy, the Huffington Post came out with a piece on how she's having difficulty assembling a presidential campaign staff due to her reputation of being a horrible boss.

(S)ome former Klobuchar staffers, all of whom spoke to HuffPost on condition of anonymity, describe Klobuchar as habitually demeaning and prone to bursts of cruelty that make it difficult to work in her office for long.

It is common for staff to wake up to multiple emails from Klobuchar characterizing one’s work as “the worst” briefing or press release she’d seen in her decades of public service, according to two former aides and emails seen by HuffPost.

Although some staffers grew inured to her constant put-downs (“It’s always ‘the worst,’” one said sarcastically, “‘It was ‘the worst’ one two weeks ago”), others found it grinding and demoralizing. Adding to the humiliation, Klobuchar often cc’d large groups of staffers who weren’t working on the topic at hand, giving the emails the effect of a public flogging.

For those of us who run in political social circles in the Twin Cities, this HuffPo story is more a confirmation than a revelation. However, it's interesting that it took a national media outlet to determine the veracity of these rumors. Seems to me these current and former staffers would have been accessible to local media.

Regardless, life as Amy Klobuchar knows it is now over. I for one look forward to the rearing up of Klobuchar's sour demeanor which we know is there but has been carefully concealed for 12+ years.

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It's up to 11 to increase MNGOP majority

As of early January, a scant one vote Republican majority in the Minnesota Senate was literally the only hope in thwarting the DFL House majority and Dem governor Tim Walz from enacting a liberal utopia of "gun control," gas tax increases, a double digit percentage increase in the biennium budget, etc. As such, there was literally no margin for error. All 34 GOP senators would have to not only be present for when critical votes are taken but also be unified in their votes. No easy feat.

Thankfully after Tuesday evening the GOP now has slight wiggle room.

Minnesota Senate Republicans doubled their one-seat majority Tuesday as voters cast ballots in a special election in east-central Minnesota.

With all precincts reporting, Republican state Rep. Jason Rarick of Pine City defeated Democrat Stu Lourey by 52 percent to 46 percent.

Republicans had just a one-seat majority in the Senate before newly elected Gov. Tim Walz appointed Democrat Tony Lourey to his Cabinet. The Senate is their only lever of power at the Capitol, and flipping the District 11 seat added to their margin, now 35-32.

Lourey’s son Stu, who has worked as a legislative aide to Sen. Tina Smith, was running for his father’s seat.

This is one of those rural districts which has evolved over the past few election cycles. When President Barack Obama was reelected in 2012, he won SD11 by 12 points over Republican Mitt Romney. However, it was nearly the exact opposite in 2016 as GOP presidential candidate Donald Trump bested Democrat Hillary Clinton by 13%.

Of all the priorities Dems had coming into this legislative session, the biggest emphasis was put on "gun safety measures." But given that Rarick was enthusiastically endorsed by the MN Gun Owners Caucus (combined with Senate Minority Leader Tom Bakk giving a chilly reception to his own party's initial gun grabber proposals), Tuesday evening was definitely a great night for law abiding gun owners.

With the full Senate up again in 2020, these next two years will be critical in convincing MN voters to keep the Republicans in control of the Senate. At this time it seems a long shot for the GOP to regain a House majority (DFL holds a 75-59 advantage) given Trump's popularity cratering in this state, so the Senate looks to be the safety valve for the foreseeable future.

If you're a center-right politico in Minnesota, the vigilance is indeed eternal.

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Unequal application

For the past several years, the Federal government has been running approximately $1 trillion annual deficits. If you break that down to the time it takes government to spend money in excess of revenues it collects, you're talking close to $2 million per minute.

Not to be outdone, The Washington Post spent more than 2.5 times that amount for its 60-second ad during Sunday's Super Bowl.





Turns out the WaPo's virtue signaling was rather ill-timed.

Justin Fairfax, the Democrat lieutenant governor of Virginia, deserves the presumption of innocence after being accused of sexual assault, even if that same presumption was not given to Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh.

But we must continue to point out the clear bias employed by media outlets when it comes to the allegations against these two individuals. Yesterday, The Daily Wire reported on Fairfax’s denial of the allegations against him and his statement about how The Washington Post decided not to run the accusation. Fairfax said:

The Post carefully investigated the claim for several months. After being presented with facts consistent with the Lt. Governor's denial of the allegation, the absence of evidence corroborating the allegation, and significant red flags and inconsistencies within the allegation, the Post made the considered decision not to publish the story.

Notice that all of these issues existed with the allegations against Kavanaugh, yet the Post and other media outlets plastered those allegations everywhere as if they were true, all while chanting “Believe Women!”

Matt Walsh of The Daily Wire lays out a compelling case as to why the allegations against Fairfax are more damning than what was levied against Kavanaugh (read it here). Regardless, due process should be allowed to run its course in the Fairfax saga even though some folks believed Kavanaugh shouldn't have been extended that same courtesy.

It's still just a he said-she said type of thing. Just because an accuser can name a date and place doesn't mean her accusation is true. Just because Fairfax admits to sexual contact with the accuser doesn't mean he assaulted her. But an accusation that includes these details is certainly more credible than an accusation lacking them.

It's sagas such as this which continue to undermine legitimate victims of assault, especially those victimized by individuals in power positions. If real victims are going to be little more than political pawns upon sharing their stories, they'll likely choose to remain in silence while perhaps never having their emotional scars heal. And that is the real tragedy.

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The Joy of Six

Yep, I fell for it. I predicted that the New England Patriots dynasty would end with a defeat in Super Bowl LIII. Though to be fair, there were some who said five years ago that Tom Brady & Co. wouldn't even get to another Super Bowl (they've been to 4 in the past 5 years, winning three), so at least I wasn't one of those guys.

Brady's performance on Sunday was OK at best, yet the Patriots prevailed 13-3. How? I was reminded once again who is the true leader of the Pats: coach Bill Belichick. The job Belichick and his coaching staff did in devising a defensive game plan to shut down the high powered Rams offense was remarkable. It was on par with what assistant coach Belichick put together 28 years ago when his N.Y. Giants squad slowed the high octane Buffalo Bills attack in a 20-19 Super Bowl XXV win.

With this victory, the Patriots are now tied with the Pittsburgh Steelers for most Super Bowl titles (six). And with those six championships, Brady now stands alone as the top winner. Brady had said this past week there is zero chance he retires, win or lose. He insists on wanting to play until age 45 (he's 41 now), so do we dare doubt him? I'm still skeptical he can do it but I would absolutely not be shocked if he somehow pulls it off.

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Super Bowl LIII: The Q & A

Hard to believe that this is the 14th installment of this annual bit with my pal Super Bowl Inquisitor. While we call it a "Q&A," it sometimes delves into a weird conversation.

Regardless, here goes nothin'.


Super Bowl Inquisitor: The New England Patriots are in the Super Bowl for the third consecutive season and four of the past five years. Are you personally suffering from Patriots fatigue?
Brad Carlson: Nah. How can anyone grow tired of gratuitous camera panning to Gisele Bündchen (aka Mrs Tom Brady)?

SBI: The Los Angeles Rams were the beneficiaries of a horrible non-call in the NFC Championship Game, a big reason they're in the Super Bowl. Do you think they feel any guilt over that? 
BC: Probably in the same way Jethro Tull felt remorse over besting Metallica for Best Heavy Metal recording in the late '80s. Ah, but notice they never relinquished the award.

SBI: Legendary singer Gladys Knight to sing the National Anthem. Your thoughts?
BC: She should have no trouble arriving to the venue on time provided she takes the Midnight train to Georgia.

Sorry.

SBI: You should be.

The headliner of the halftime entertainment will be Maroon 5. What say you?
BC: I have no idea what songs they'll choose but it makes me wonder if lead singer Adam Levine will have moves like Jagger.

SBI: For the love of.....Ugh. Never mind.

What's your reaction to Pink Floyd band member Roger Waters encouraging members of the halftime entertainment to take a knee in order to show solidarity with Colin Kaepernick? 
BC: I'd much prefer they show solidarity with Peyton Manning by writing lame commercial jingle lyrics for Nationwide.

SBI: The ex-Vikings factor: The Patriots have Cordarrelle Patterson while John Sullivan is a member of the Rams. Any preference as to who gets the ring?
BC: No preference. However, if the Rams win, I'd love for Sullivan (who was a member of the Vikings when they lost that heart breaker in New Orleans nine years ago) to taunt Who Dat nation by saying "THIS IS FOR FAVRE, B**CHES!!!!"

SBI: What's on your Super Bowl menu?
BC: I have a motto: If it's green it's trouble; if it's fried, make it double.

SBI: Are you a connoisseur of the commercials?
BC: Eh. Not really. Though given what it costs to run a 30-60 second ad during the Super Bowl, it appears we've found a venue which spends money at a faster rate than the Federal government.

SBI: And finally, the Patriots are a 2-1/2 point favorite over the Rams. Who ya got?
BC: It was 17 years ago this weekend that a young, upstart Patriots team effectively ended the Rams' mini-dynasty with an upset win in Super Bowl XXXVI. New England has been a perennial contender since. But with Pats QB Tom Brady at 40+ years of age combined with a dearth of superstars, the end is near for this nearly two decade run. I say it comes full circle with the Rams ending what started at the expense of their franchise 17 years ago. I'm going 35-31 Rams.

With that, enjoy the game!


My 2018 Postseason Record:
Against the Spread: 1-8-1
Straight Up: 5-5

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If NARN were easy as fishin' you could be a musician...

On Saturday from 1:00 until 3:00 PM Central Time, I will join my friend and Northern Alliance Radio Network colleague Mitch Berg at Medicine Lake in Plymouth. We will conduct a live broadcast at the Holes for Heroes ice fishing tournament which is put on by the indomitable crew with Fishing For Life.

Proceeds from this event go to benefit the immediate family members of those in active duty military.

As I write this, there are no scheduled guests but you can be sure that we'll joined by proud military vets, tournament organizers, volunteers, 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 Mitch's 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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