Flotsam and Jetsam - Weekend Catch Up

Let me be the first to admit I did a crappy job of collecting links yesterday. In my defense, I was busy all day, and too tired when I got home.

Sundance hosts Sunday Talks: Secretary Scott Bessent Discusses Inflation and “Affordability.” Dave Foster at the Chicago Boyz takes on “Affordability.” "But what IS affordability, exactly?" From Forbes The Invisible Job Crisis: America's Third-Largest Employer Is Hemorrhaging Talent "Nonprofit organizations and the social sector at-large is America’s third-largest employer at 10% of the workforce, comprising 5.2% of GDP and contributing $1.4 trillion to the economy. Nearly a year into federal budget cuts eliminating social safety net programs, closure of USAID and the downstream impact of philanthropy quietly pulling back funding – the sector faces a gathering storm." The View From North Central Idaho is that we are Rolling the Economic Dice. "Furthermore, I posit that no one will ever be able to accurately model the economy. I make this claim because the existence of an accurate model will itself be the addition of still another variable that the model must take into account. This addition of another variable disrupts the model." A pretty good restatement of Fritz's Economic Uncertainty Principle. Betsey McCaughey at Hat Hair explains How to End Obamacare and Improve Coverage. Amy Curtis at TownHall thinks a Damning Watchdog Report Reveals 'Large-Scale Systemic Failures' Leading to Obamacare Subsidy Fraud. It wasn't a bug, it was a feature.

Scott McLallen at TownHall notices Democratic Lawmakers Big Mad That Trump Admin Is Fighting Narco-Terrorists. Eddie Scarry at Da Fed, Democrats Side With Venezuelan Narco-Terrorists Over Americans. It's a miracle how Trump does this. NYPO opines President Trump is a champion in the fight for ‘Venezuelan freedom.’ Don Surber sees Trump Winning a Venezuelan war without a fight "Paying off Maduro could save lives, save money and solve the Ukraine problem." Trump much prefers to use economic power before military power.

Sundance sees that Following Three Days of Talks with U.S, Team Zelenskyy Heads to London for Meeting With “Coalition of the Willing.” Willing to do what? "Zelenskyy Inc, Macron, Starmer and Merz do not want to end the proxy fight against Russia. Together with the EU leadership of NATO, the coalition of the willing want to retain the conflict. However, the problem for the four leaders is that without strong USA support, the citizens of their EU countries will rise up against them." Cernovich @Cernovich, "Why are they telling the truth now? That’s the obvious question." Quote Glenn Greenwald @ggreenwald, "In the least surprising revelation ever, the NYT -- which has vocally and vehemently championed Zelensky and US financing of the war in Ukraine -- documents how Zelensky and his top aides facilitated the stealing of billions in "aid":" Mike Lee @BasedMikeLee, "Europe needs to decide whether it’s America’s friend or America’s foe Europe can’t have it both ways This man speaks truth" Quote Christopher Landau @DeputySecState, "My recent trip to Brussels for the @NATO Ministerial meeting left me with one overriding impression: the US has long failed to address the glaring inconsistency between its relations with NATO and the EU. These are almost all the same countries in both organizations. When these countries wear their NATO hats, they insist that Transatlantic cooperation is the cornerstone of our mutual security. But when these countries wear their EU hats, they pursue all sorts of agendas that are often utterly adverse to US interests and security. . . . " From Althouse, "It amounts to an updated Monroe Doctrine, the 1823 declaration telling Europe to look after itself and leave the US to manage the Americas." "From "Europe facing ‘civilisational erasure’, warns Trump/A new US security plan warns European allies may falter in Nato, urging nationalist renewal as Washington positions itself between the continent and Moscow" (London Times)." At TCW, My TCW week in review: Thank God for Donald Trump.

TownHall's Derek Hunter thinks President Trump Is Right About Tim Walz. I don't think he's actually retarded, he just has stupid ideas deeply embedded in his mind. Nick Arama at RedState sees Bessent Brings the Fire on the MN Fraud Scandal, Omar Gives Bad Answers to Good Questions. Rapid Response 47 @RapidResponse47, "@SecScottBessent on the massive Somali fraud scandal in Minnesota: "When you come to this country, you gotta learn which side of the road to drive on, you gotta learn to stop at the stop signs, and you gotta learn not to defraud the American people." NYPo hears lhan Omar compare Stephen Miller, who is Jewish, to Nazis in Germany as she lashes out against Somali immigrant crackdown. WaEx realizes Not all immigrants are equal. Pascal-Emmanuel Gobry @pegobry_en, "I still cannot wrap my head around the fact that a bunch of Swedes transported themselves to a different continent 150 years ago, chose to move to the coldest bit, and then, independently of their cousins across the pond and in perfect synchronicity - Built a high-trust high-quality of life but culturally barren socialist utopia - Then suddenly decided to commit collective suicide via the mass importation of third world foreigners, *specifically Somalian*" Christian Heiens @ChristianHeiens, "I love how the Third World caucus of the Democratic Party are Gay Race Communists here in the US, but they’re blood and soil nationalists in their home country." Quote jim Njue @jimNjue_ "“Ethiopia and Kenya stole our Land. We Must work together to liberate our occupied territories. Somalia is for Somalis Only” -Ilhan Omar" At NYPo, Michael Goodwin is quite upset by How NY followed Biden’s, Dems’ charge in harboring illegal immigrant criminals. Amy Curtis again want you to Guess How Many Democrats Voted Against Protecting Our Schools From Chinese Influence. Rep. Keith Self @RepKeithSelf, "The House just passed the PROTECT Our Kids Act—legislation that combats foreign interference by prohibiting federal education funds from being given to any school that receives CCP funding. 164 House Democrats voted against it. Apparently, they want CCP money in our schools. Disturbing." From the Free Bacon, 'No US Citizens': Meet the IT Firms Discriminating Against Americans.

Shooting News Week calls it a Course Correction: The DOJ Has Come a Long Way Since President Tapioca Left Office. Sundance host Megyn Kelly, Director Kash Patel Explains How the FBI Caught the J6 Pipe Bomb Suspect. Shipwreckedcrew thinks DOJ Should Begin A Criminal Investigation Of The Democrat Members Of Congress Appearing on Video To Undermine The Military Chain-Of-Command. "18 U.S.C. Sec. 2387 makes it illegal to advise, counsel or in any manner cause insubordination or refusal of duty by any member of the military." TownHall's Kurt Schlichter says Threatening to Prosecute Your Opponents When They Give Up Power Is a Bad Idea. Democrats are essentially threating the military for following Trump's orders. PJM's Stephen Kruiser is not surprised a New Member of Congress Shocked to Find She Has to Obey the Law. SFK @stephenkruiser, "Brand new member of Congress thinks she's above the law. Useless commie, just like her dad was. Also, this is probably the most walking she's done in one day since the 3rd grade." Quote Rep. Adelita Grijalva @Rep_Grijalva, "If federal agents are brazen enough to fire pellets directly at a Member of Congress, imagine how they behave when encountering defenseless members of our community. It’s time for Congress to rein in this rogue agency NOW." "Yes, I snuck in a fat dig there. This was a pathetic publicity stunt, of course."

At Althouse, "As a young staff member in the Reagan administration, John G. Roberts Jr. was part of a group of lawyers who pushed for more White House control over independent government agencies." "The 'time may be ripe to reconsider the existence of such entities, and take action to bring them back within the executive branch,' the future chief justice of the United States advised the White House counsel in a 1983 memo. Independent agencies, he wrote, were a 'Constitutional anomaly.' Once he ascended to the Supreme Court, Chief Justice Roberts joined other conservatives on the bench in a series of rulings that have chipped away at Congress’s power to constrain the president’s authority to fire independent regulators...." From "Conservative Project at Supreme Court Meets Trump’s Push to Oust Officials/President Trump has repeatedly ousted leaders of independent agencies despite federal laws meant to shield those regulators from politics" (NYT). The case — to be argued tomorrow — is Trump v. Slaughter." At WUWT, Supreme Court should not let climate lawfare set US energy policy. Leslie Eastman at LI notes that After Media Hyped ‘Global Warming’ for Years, NYT Admits Defeat in ‘Information War’ "We won the “Information War” because we offered real scientific analysis based on data…not political narratives marketed as “science.”"

From Quotulatiousness Censorship and “cancel culture” are symptoms of a cultural sickness. Euro Con is against Against Muzzling the Right. Althouse, "The famous party slogan in 'Nineteen Eighty-Four' was 'Who controls the past controls the future; who controls the present controls the past.'" "Writes Steven Pinker, in "1984 revisited: George Orwell would be relieved at how we’ve done/It’s common to suggest the great dystopian novel was full of warnings that have largely come true. But the evidence shows otherwise" (London Times)." 

The Wombat has FMJRA 2.0: The Hits Just Keep On Coming online and garnering clicks at The Other McCain.

Flotsam and Jetsam - More of the SOS

I fail to see a signature issue in yesterday's detritus. Rasmussen reports Trump retain popularity despite the media's best efforts, The Rasmussen Reports daily Presidential Tracking Poll for Tuesday shows that 51% of Likely U.S. Voters approve of President Trump’s job performance. Forty-seven percent (47%) disapprove. Mike Lee @BasedMikeLee, "We need to move as if we have two years, not four, and as much of that as possible needs to happen between now and December." Quote Jesse Kelly @JesseKellyDC "We have less than four years to try and fix what the communists have destroyed. It’s gonna take speed and focus all four years."

Tyler O'Neil at Da Signal, FOLLOW THE MONEY: Is This the Real Reason the Left Is Freaking Out About the Department of Education? "Sure, the Left may not trust President Trump to reassign all the department’s functions to other parts of the federal government, but this sort of restructuring hardly represents the death knell of public education. It does, however, represent a serious threat to the big national teachers unions, and those teachers unions are part of the Left’s funding apparatus." Michael Goodwin at NYPo says Cash is king at America’s lefty universities — and Trump is hitting them where it hurts/ Campus Reform reports 40% of $1.8 trillion student loans are late on payments as Trump seeks to abolish Dept. of Ed. Better than I would have thought.

Sundance at CTH grins as President Trump Announces Secondary Tariff Regime Against Nations Who Purchase Venezuelan Oil. Drew Berquist,  Trump Slaps 25% ‘Secondary Tariff’ on Countries Fueling Venezuelan Regime.  Possibly related, Ward Clark at RedState observes Venezuela Opens the Skies, Will Resume Accepting Repatriation Flights From United States. Duane Patterson at Hat Hair says Sure, No One Likes The Tariffs, But... "Have you taken a look around today at what's going on? Things are going rather well, economically-speaking. Sure, the stock market didn't like the uncertainty of the impact of tariffs at all, tanking for the better part of a month. But if one just ganders at the economic development and investment committed to begin in the United States due to the threat of tariffs, it's staggering when you start looking at all the zeros after the crooked numbers. There are going to be trillions of dollars flowing into America...trillions that would have remained working against American workers and taxpayers had the election gone a different direction last November." At Breitbart, Rolls-Royce Planning to Shift Production to United States to Avoid Trump Tariffs: Report. Am Mil News sees Canada frantically funding military amid Trump threats: Report. 

John Sexton at Hat Hair wonders Why Was the Atlantic's Jeffrey Goldberg Added to a Signal Chat About Bombing Yemen? I suspect a mole. Jen O'Connell at RedState, BREAKING: Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth Addresses Atlantic Story DOD Rapid Response @DODResponse, "@SecDef response to the @TheAtlantic article…. “You’re talking about a deceitful and highly discredited “so-called journalist”"

At TAG, Trump Administration Backs Away From Guns As ‘Public Health Crisis’ "In a move that should delight American gun owners, the Trump Administration’s Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) has removed former Surgeon General Vivek Murthy’s 40-page advisory declaring so-called gun violence as a “public health crisis.”"

WUWT on the Left torching Teslas. "That’s right, the same folks who scolded that the world will “burn” unless the government forces every one of us to buy an EV or stop driving, are now torching the world’s best EVs with Molotov cocktails." pipermcq @pipermcq, "It’s the last play left in their playbook: 1. Lose. Bigly. 2. Complain. A lot. 3. Launch their law drones for counter-loss lawfare. 4. Lose said lawfare suits. Bigly. 5. Send goons. Blow shit up. Riot. Cause chaos. 6. Campaign on “stopping the chaos” in the midterms." Nick Sortor @nicksortor, "Just MINUTES before I joined @willcain on Fox News today, I received another call from the FBI about the swatting incident involving my family KASH AND BONGINO ARE NOT MESSING AROUND Instead of wasting resources hunting down J6 grandmas, this FBI is after REAL criminals THANK YOU Directors Patel and Bongino! This means a lot to our families." Tom Bevan @TomBevanRCP, "Steve Scalise nearly killed. Two assassination attempts on Donald Trump's life. Teslas getting firebombed as we speak. But Mark Barabak wants to make sure you know it's Trump's fault that Eric Swalwell has to have a security guard." Cynical Publius @CynicalPublius, "Imagine for a second that an organization existed that carefully and deliberately planned and executed the firebombing and destruction of a certain brand of automobiles and its dealerships, and the support infrastructure for that brand, with the purpose of such attacks being to extort others into silence and submission. Back in the day we would have considered that a criminal conspiracy (in all likelihood under RICO laws), and we would have arrested and prosecuted the leaders of that rogue, terrorist organization. Guess what? You don't have to imagine. That organization exists today and it's called the "Democrat Party."" Shadow of Ezra @ShadowofEzra, "President Trump drops a major hint that he may already know who's funding the left-wing terrorists attacking Tesla nationwide. He suggests these backers could be familiar figures—people he personally knows and the media glorifies—implying they are high-profile individuals who will face serious consequences. Attorney General Pam Bondi also announced that the DOJ will pursue the d*ath penalty for violent criminals. Everything seems to be connected." 

General Mike Flynn@GenFlynn, "This is precisely what is happening. #WeThePeople want @elon to move even faster. We want @DOGE to keep exposing and keep shutting down as much as you can and return the power back to the people and to a lesser degree, the states. The federal government has accumulated way too much power at the top and it is all done to benefit those political and corporate elites at the top of the pyramid." Quote Wall Street Apes @WallStreetApes, "Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent says the quiet part out loud. The resistance to Elon Musk’s DOGE in DC is because lobbyists want our tax money “to keep flowing into their pockets” “I am completely aligned with what Elon's doing”" @instapundit @instapundit "Several dozen people protested @elonmusk in front of the Pru in Boston today. Chant: “Elon, Elon your stock’s in trouble, we’re gonna burst your Tesla bubble “ apparently unaware of Tesla’s actual stock movement. Also lots of Ukraine flags and masks for some reason." Ace, Fire-Alarm-Pulling Ex-Congressman Jamaal Bowman Calls Elon Musk a "Thief" and "Nazi;" Musk Vows to Sue. "Sue them and discover the coordinated and paid nature of the Soros-controlled Color Revolution."

Stephen Kruiser at PJM, The Bureaucrats Don't Understand the Trump-Musk Relationship, nor are they willing to try. "Enter Elon Musk, one of the few people President Trump knows who is a LOT wealthier than he is (another bonding point) and — most importantly — a man free of Swamp taint. The very idea of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) was never going to work with a politician and/or bureaucrat in charge." PJM's Mat Margolis wonders Is This the Next Government Agency To Get the Axe? BATF. Good. ET reports the US Postal Service Cuts 50 Million Work Hours, Closes Facilities to Save Billions of Dollars. "The agency has been facing considerable losses over the past years, and is currently working with DOGE to improve efficiency." VodkaPundit at PJM, DOGE: IRS Still Can't Hit This 1996 Deadline, but at Least the Consultants Got Rich. Elon Musk@elonmusk, "Accurate statement" Quote Austen Allred @Austen, "The crazy thing about government spending is they’ll have 10x the number of employees that is necessary then also outsource everything for 100x what something should cost." From WUWT, EPA Internal Watchdog Peeks Under The Hood Of $7 Billion Biden Solar Program. "Some of the states that received massive checks from the Solar for All program happen to be among the least-sunny states in the U.S." Dave Strom at Hat Hair wonders about Australian Universities in Crisis Mode After US Budget Cuts? Libs of TikTok@libsoftiktok, "HOLY CRAP Obama pretended to send USAID money to aid foreign countries but was actually funneling it to Cayman Islands to be used for “Rent-a-Riots”" So, business as usual? Maine Wire reports a Somali-American Received Millions in U.S. Taxpayer Dollars, MaineCare Funding While Claiming to Bankroll Jubaland Militia. Insty, THERE’S A LESSON HERE: "The Dumbest Investment in the World Was Better Than Owning Safe Treasurys: Argentina’s century bond defaulted but ended up a winner, an important lesson for investors. Investors who bought Argentina’s 100-year dollar bond were laughed at in 2017 for their naiveté in buying such a long bond from a serial defaulter. Sure enough, the country failed to pay after just three years. But investors who stuck with the country are having the last laugh. The bonds they were given in the default, plus the fat coupons on the original century bond, are now worth more than the original investment. Not just that: They are worth far more than if the dollars had been invested in “safe” U.S. Treasurys. The turnaround in the Argentina bonds was due to President Javier Milei taking a chain saw to the bloated Argentine state, while managing to maintain his popularity." 

From Fox, Court of Appeals to hear oral arguments in high-profile deportation suit involving Venezuelan nationals "Last week, Boasberg issued an order to immediately halt any planned deportations of Venezuelan nationals to El Salvador." The hearing was held, and the outcome looks dicey. Ultimately it will end up at the Supreme Court. Western Lensman @WesternLensman "DISGUSTING” — Tom Homan responds to judge saying “n*zis were given better treatment” than deported gang members: "That's ridiculous. Just another example of a radical judge saying something that's just disgusting. To compare anything to the N*zis. The Holocaust…We’re following the law...To compare that any way with N*zis is disgusting at every level." Matt Margolis, Anti-Trump Judge Makes Another Outrageous Ruling and New Dirt on Judge Boasberg Raises More Questions. Bill Melugin @BillMelugin_ "BREAKING: Judge James Boasberg has denied the Trump administration's request to lift his order blocking the deportations of Venezuelan illegal aliens via the Alien Enemies Act. He writes that there is a "strong public interest in preventing the mistaken deportation of people based on categories they have no right to challenge." Per colleague @davidspunt, the Circuit Court may be persuaded to overturn judge Boasberg later today, and would have the right to do so." NewsMax, Judge Keeps Block on Some Venezuela Deportations. John Solomon and Jerry Dunleavy at JTN report the Judge who blocked Trump deportations took junket to event with anti-Trump speakers, sponsor, "For better or worse, judges are often themselves judged by the company they keep." Ace, Judge Who Blocked Trump's Deportations Took Junket With Anti-Trump Sponsor and Anti-Trump Speakers, "But of course he refuses to recuse himself." Elon Musk@elonmusk, "He has a villainous look to him" Quote Mario Nawfal @MarioNawfal, "ACTIVIST JUDGE BOASBERG CLAIMED J6 DEFENDANTS DESERVED HARSHER CHARGES — CALLED FOR "NEW LAWS" TO PUNISH THEM. In a shocking 2023 speech to law students, Judge James Boasberg — who ruled over many January 6th cases — openly admitted the law wasn’t harsh enough to punish x.com/MarioNawfal/st…Show more" Margot Cleveland @ProfMJCleveland "BREAKING: Trump Administration tells Judge in Alien Enemies Act case it will provide him no more information re the flights etc. and is exercising the State's Secret doctrine. 1/  2/ Key to Trump's argument is this point: Given Trump hasn't contested they landed and were deplaned after order issued there is no need for court to know any other details." At TownHall, Kurt Schlichter is pretty unsympathetic to The Agony of John Roberts "Pity poor John Roberts. No, he’s not corrupt or compromised. He is simply a man who has found himself at a pivotal time and place in a position of great responsibility for which he is utterly unsuited. He’s not a dumb man. He is, in fact, a very smart man – Hugh Hewitt knew him personally in the Reagan administration and testifies to that. I have no doubt it’s true. I know many smart people who have similar flaws. As objectively intelligent as John Roberts is, he is unwise, and he is endangering the institution he wants to preserve because he does not understand human nature or the times he finds himself in." 

The Researcher @listen_2learn "Norm Eisen accidentally told the truth that Judge Juan Merchan was part of his Bragg lawfare team. It didn’t take him long to figure out that he messed up. I previously posted that Norm appeared to say that he was writing documents for the judge. If true, that means Norm created the Bragg case, he worked with the witness Michael Cohen, and he worked with the judge. Seems illegal to me."

Shadow of Ezra@ShadowofEzra, "New Jersey U.S. Attorney Alina Habba delivers a major update on the Jeffrey Epstein criminal case, revealing that investigators are meticulously reviewing flight logs to determine who was on the island—without making assumptions. To those demanding immediate arrests, Habba urges patience, explaining that the process requires thorough evidence review to ensure accountability is achieved properly. She vows they will handle it the right way." LifeZett reports Epstein Files Incoming: ‘FBI Working Around the Clock’ After Patel, Bongino Push. 

Insty, YEAH, THIS IS PRETTY ASYMMETRIC: Robert Barnes @barnes_law, "No BigLaw Trump firms exist." Quote PoIiMath @politicalmath, "The next time a Democrat is President, will they strip the security clearance from all the Big Law Republican firms who sue the administration x.com/hugolowell/sta…" But they might in 4 years. 

At Politico, We Dug Into the Polls. Democrats in Congress Should Be Very Afraid. "Democratic voters are even angrier than you think." Ace, "They Hate Us:" The Democrat Base is Revolting. I Mean, They've Always Been Revolting. Now They're Rebelling. "Politico: Poor Democrats!" VodkaPundit, Dems Admit They're in 'Deepest Hole in Nearly 50 Years,' and Is It Too Early for Champagne? Way too early. Dave Strom at Hat Hair asserts Democrats Have Lost the Youth Vote. Jeff Charles at TownHall, New Poll Shows Democratic Voters Still Haven't Learned Their Lesson. Kamala leads their polls. Bob Spencer at PJM, Good News! The New York Times Has Found Its Candidate for 2028! AOC! Beege Welborn at Hat Hair says Gird Yer Loins: Progs Schedule April 5 as Nationwide 'Day of Stompy Feet and Waah'. 

Stacy McCain is impressed that Chuck Schumer Tells the Truth? "Ed Morrissey is having a gloat about Chuck Schumer’s appearance Sunday (Best News Ever From Schumer: I'm Not Quitting) on Meet the Press, where Kristen Welker challenged him: “Leader Schumer, are you feeling pressure to step down?” To which Schumer replied. “Look, I’m not stepping down.” And this is gloat-worthy, because Schumer has become toxic with the Democratic Party’s “progressive” grassroots since he punted on his previous threat of a government shutdown. However — wow, how did this ever happen? — I feel a need to say a few words in defense of Schumer. . . " At Da Fetched, Stephen Miller Annihilates Adam Schiff on Live TV: “Everything He Stands for Is a Lie” 

Decoding Fox News @DecodingFoxNews, "Sean Hannity wanted Alan Dershowitz and Gregg Jarrett to bolster Trump's plans to try to negate Biden's pardons. They both confirmed that the use of an autopen is perfectly legal and acceptable. According to Dershowitz a presidential pardon doesn't even have to be in writing." Again, it matters who authorized the autopen. 

Breitbart has the  Video: Rosie O’Donnell Goes Full Election Denier, Claims Musk Stole 2024 for Trump. Nicole Silvero at Da Caller notes Far-Left ‘Morning Joe’ Panelist Wants Dems To ‘Eliminate’ All Voter Registration Laws To Help Party Win Elections, Elie Mystal. Pretty much the party platform. 

Nate Hochman @njhochman "The left-wing NGOs are a great fifth column in the West today. They're behind every crisis that has plagued our civilization in recent memory: Mass migration. Censorship. Riots. Urban crime. Pull back the curtain, and you'll find the same names and groups, time and time again." Quote Eric Schmitt @Eric_Schmitt "Across the West, our civilization is threatened by a radical network of NGOs. These groups lie behind almost every crisis of our time—from mass censorship to mass migration." John Kass explains How the New York Times is Killing America. Ace, CBS Ran a Fact-Check on the Claim that Boston Is Setting Illegal Alien Child R*pists Free on $500 Bail. Their Conclusion? It's All True (But We're Going to Pretend It's False.) "Bill Melugin with some of the lowlights of Boston's Pedophile Protection Racket." Oilfield Rando @Oilfield_Rando, "“Omg they can’t just ban Pharma commercials, what about free speech?!” Bitch, when’s the last time you saw a cigarette commercial?"

Ace, As Predicted, Snow Woke Is Another Costly, Shareholder-Value-Destroying Flop for Propaganda Corporation Disney. "I know you are as sick of this movie as we were sick as Biden. I think this is one of the last posts I'll be doing about it. It "won the weekend," though a weekend without a single major-film competitor." Brad Slager at RedState, As Disney's 'Snow White' Performed Even Worse Than Predicted, Some Curious Data Is Found in the Details. 

Deadline tried to place blame for this implosion on conservative audiences, the implication being that the movie was unfairly targeted. They looked into how the movie performed in politically red counties across the country versus blue counties, expecting to see a stark divide and lay the blame on an anti-woke sentiment; instead, an eye-opening detail emerged.Looking at past averages in those conservative-versus-liberal locations it was found that “Snow White” actually performed slightly better than historical levels in those red areas against those traditional percentages.

Family and animated movies’ ticket sales come from 63% Blue counties and 37% Red counties while their attendance stems from 60% Blue counties and 40% Red counties. That means that Snow White with 40% ticket sales and 43.5% admissions from Red county-based cinemas overindexed in such locations.

What this revealing detail means is that the studio has lost its ability to spin this as a social backlash. Disney cannot dismiss this as an intolerant reaction when its film performed below expectations with its dependable blue locations. Coupled with the diminished interest in international territories, this is a sign that the product quality was the issue. Anti-woke backlash is no longer an excuse when the avoidance by audiences was across the spectrum.

Joanne Jacob reports  DEI double take. "In The DEI Catch-22, Atlantic writer Rose Horowitch confirms what I suspected: During the Biden administration, researchers were under pressure to add language on "diversity" and "equity" to grant applications. Now, under the Trump administration, they fear DEI verbiage will doom their research funding."

At the College Fix, Some San Diego parents balk as tampon machines installed in 3rd-5th grade boys’ bathrooms "“It’s absolutely ludicrous,” said Marci Strange, chairwoman of the North San Diego County-based Taxpayers Oversight for Parents and Students, or TOPS."

The Wombat has Rule 5 Sunday: Sunday Night Loungewear and FMJRA 2.0: A Short Week up and at 'em at The Other McCain.

Election 2020: Not Yet Over

But it does seem to be running a little thin today. Not a lot this morning by the usual standards. First up, according to David Marcus at Da Fed, the Senate Hearing On The Capitol Riot Exonerated Trump, although I'm sure Democrats won't see it that way.

The key testimony came from former House Sergeant at Arms Paul Irving, who described in some detail what the authorities expected from the rally and march on Jan. 6. “The intelligence was not that there would be a coordinated assault on the Capitol, nor was that contemplated in any of the inter-agency discussions that I attended in the days before the attack,” Irving said.

This runs completely counter to the Democratic House Impeachment Managers claims that Trump should have somehow known the attack was coming and is therefore guilty of inciting it. In fact, nobody saw it coming. Former Capitol Police Chief Steven Sund testified that he and other officials anticipated that Jan. 6 would resemble the MAGA rallies in November and December. That is to say, they thought scuffling between extreme groups on both sides could occur, but they did not anticipate anything remotely like the riot that took place.

From LI, Mother of Capitol Police Officer Brian Sicknick Believes He Died From Stroke, but She Still Can’t Get Answers. And we're still not sure who killed Ashli Babbit. And from Breitbart, WATCH: Democrat Uses ‘Fine People Hoax’ in Hearing, Gets Fact-checked on the Spot

Rick Moran, PJ Media, 9/11 Commission Members Warn Pelosi About 'Partisan' 1/6 Commission. And when Chris Coons is the voice of reason, Capt. Ed at Hot Air reports Coons Rebukes Pelosi? “Important” To Have A 50/50 Split On January 6 Commission

Mary Rose Corkery at Da Caller, Trump Will ‘Spend The Rest Of His Years In Civil And Criminal Courts,’ Eric Swalwell Says. Be careful of the weaponization of the law, representative who slept with Chinese spy.

From the Wombat's In The Mailbox: 02.25.21 at Am Great, GA Secretary Of State Refuses To Support Bills Targeting Voter Fraud

In a tweet on Wednesday, Raffensperger announced that “once we see something that prioritizes the security and accessibility of elections, we’ll throw in support.” He falsely accused some of the bills of being “reactionary to a three month disinformation campaign that could have been prevented,” without explaining what exactly constituted such “disinformation.”

Several of the bills have already passed through at least one chamber of the Georgia legislature. One such bill that has passed in the state senate would require all voters to present either a driver’s license number, a state identification card number, or a photocopy of some other approved form of identification in order to be allowed to cast an absentee ballot. Another bill, which has been approved by a state senate subcommittee, would force voters to provide a legitimate reason for voting by absentee ballot rather than in-person.

But, Georgia State Senate Passes Bill Requiring Photo ID for Absentee Voting anyway (Breitbart). Also via the Wombat, Da Tech Guy “For The People Act” Will Make Stealing Elections The New Normal For Democrats. Human Events, New Hampshire Senate Votes Unanimously to Perform Audit of Windham Nov. 3 Elections

The Windham Board of Selectmen have unanimously requested an investigation into what happened on November 3, as have several of the Republicans and Democrats involved in the races under question. There was an official vote recount held already that, while not changing the declared winners (all Republicans), did find the four Republican candidates had votes materially undercounted by just over six-percent. This appears to be the largest recount-to-actual difference in the history of New Hampshire elections.
. . .
While the voting machines used in Windham are machines comprised of both Dominion-owned hardware and software, Eyring says that unlike in other cases, his group of concerned citizens is not making any claims of fraud or election tampering. “I am a data person. When the data shows such a discrepancy as we have here, you need to test and determine what the actual cause might be. We are not accusing Dominion of anything.” According to Gateway Pundit, these types of machines are used to tally approximately 85% of New Hampshire votes.

Rabbi Aryeh Spero at AmThink, Kavanaugh and Barrett: John Roberts Retreads? Julie Kelly at Am Great, Kavanaugh and Barrett’s Share of the Shame.  Ken Masugi at Am Great, The Pennsylvania Case Is Not Only About Trump

Contrary to the Democrats’ demagoguery, Justice Thomas argued to hear the case based on Pennsylvania’s denial of the Constitution’s requirement that state legislatures have authority “to determine the ‘Manner’ of federal elections. . . . Yet both before and after the 2020 election, nonlegislative officials in various States took it upon themselves to set the rules instead.” The case is not about federalism but constitutionalism.

Against “an unambiguous deadline for receiving mail-in ballots: 8 p.m. on election day,” the Pennsylvania Supreme Court extended that deadline by three days and without evidence that the ballots were mailed by election day. Thomas allows that the rule may not have affected enough ballots to change the outcome of the 2020 presidential election but “that may not be the case in the future. These cases provide us with an ideal opportunity to address just what authority nonlegislative officials have to set election rules, and to do so well before the next election cycle. The refusal to do so is inexplicable.”
. . .

One wonders what this Court waits for. We failed to settle this dispute before the election, and thus provide clear rules. Now we again fail to provide clear rules for future elections. The decision to leave election law hidden beneath a shroud of doubt is baffling. By doing nothing, we invite further confusion and erosion of voter confidence. Our fellow citizens deserve better and expect more of us.

Dan Payne at JTN reports Mitch McConnell sees favorability drop after break with Trump, trails far behind Schumer, McCarthy. I don't think he cares. Sundance at CTH, DeceptiCon On Display – Mitch McConnell Says He Would “absolutely” Support President Trump Again If He Secured The Republican Nomination in 2024. 

Linked at Pirate's Cove in the weekly Sorta Blogless Sunday Pinup.

Election 2020: Shampeachment 2.0 Day 2

Yesterday, Mitch McConnell and Chuck Schumer apparently argued over the size and shape of tables... Sundance at CTH, Schumer and McConnell Agree to Senate Impeachment Trial Rules. Rules, they need rules for this absolutely Kafkaesque affair? WaPoo, Trump’s trial promises historic firsts, For both sides, constitutional issues at heart of atypical case. Bullshit; there are no constitutional issues at the heart of the Democrat case, it's "Orangeman bad" all the way down. And, to emulate the Red Queen, of course, they're already counting votes despite having presented no evidence. Whip count: Where Democratic and Republican senators stand on convicting Trump

At AmThink, Jonathon Mosely tells us What to Expect from Trump's Upcoming Impeachment Trial while William Levin explains: Why Chief Justice Roberts is Not Presiding over Trump’s Impeachment Trial,because it's debasing the Constitution

At Fox, Sen. Tim Scott: Trump is 'simply not guilty' on impeachment and at Newsweek, Congressmam Chip Roy opines that Trump Should Not Be Convicted. And Cruz and Hawley Are Not Seditionists. Sundance features Ric Grenell, who says “They Want to Cancel Trump” Atop da Hill Doug Kmiec claims Donald Trump should be convicted unanimously by secret ballot, because nothing say Republican style of  government like representatives voting by in secret. Of course, the idea is that half the Republican Senators hate Trump and would vote to convict if they weren't being held accountable by their voters. According to 538 (if you believe them) Barring Trump From Office Is More Popular Than Convicting Him.  From PM, Sen. Rand Paul calls for the impeachment of Sen. Chuck Schumer ""I think if we're going to criminalize speech, and somehow impeach everybody who says 'oh go fight to get your voices heard,' I mean really we ought to impeach Chuck Schumer then." And at Breitbart, Paul: If We Are Going to Criminalize Speech — Schumer, Maxine Waters, Ilhan Omar Should Be Held Accountable and Maxine Waters: I Have Never Glorified or Encouraged Violence Against Republicans  (yep, you did) and a Flashback from Matt Margolis at PJ Media, Kamala Harris Joked About Killing Trump, Pence, and Jeff Sessions. Fox, AOC won't apologize for tweet accusing Ted Cruz of nearly having her killed. Stupid bint. 

Which brings us to the Capitol Incursion. Althouse, Page 7 of Trump's Trial Memorandum concedes the very fact upon which I've said his guilt hinges.

Here's a PDF of the document. From page 7:

Law Enforcement Had Reports Of A Potential Attack On The Capitol Several Days Before President Trump's Speech.

Despite going to great lengths to include information regarding Mr. Trump's comments dating back to August 2020 and various postings on social media, the House Managers are silent on one very chilling fact. The Federal Bureau of Investigation has confirmed that the breach at the Capitol was planned several days in advance of the rally, and therefore had nothing to do with the President's speech on January 6th at the Ellipse. According to investigative reports all released after January 6, 2021, "The Capitol Police, the NYPD and the FBI all had prior warning that there was going to be an attack on the Capitol."

Obviously, Trump's lawyers think it's exculpatory that there was an advance plan. But I have been saying the opposite. Here's my January 10th post:

Look at the picture on wall

At TNP, ‘Inconsistent, Conflicting’ And Ignored Threat Assessments Ahead Of Jan 6 Capitol Attack. and from across the Pond at the Independent, Man charged in US Capitol riot worked for FBI and held top-secret security clearance, lawyer says "'He has been vetted and found numerous times as a person worthy of the trust,' attorney says" How many FBI agent provocateurs participated, I wonder. And an amusing finding at AmThink by Thomas Lifson, FBI criminal complaint on Capitol incursion used Photoshopped 4chan hoax picture as evidence Clearly using doctored evidence, albeit unwittingly.

At Ace's Morning Rant, Oregon Muse reminds us

Hey, remember the riots that erupted in Washington DC back in January 2017 when Trump was first inaugurated? When the rioters marched, threw stuff at cops, vandalized buildings, set cars on fire, that sort of thing? Remember that?

Then they arrested what, 100, 200 violent protesters. And you remember what happened next, don't you? Sure you do.

All of the charges against everyone who was arrested were dropped.

 Dan Greeenfield at Front Page calls it The Reichstag Fire of the Democrats "A pretext for political terror." CNS News, Rep. Jackie Speier: 'Time to Call Republicans the Terrorist Right?’ Fox, Price tag surges to keep National Guard in DC, now estimated at $483 million. Because nothing says a free and fair election like needing to close down the Capital to protect the "winner." Insty, WHAT ARE THE DEMOCRATS SO AFRAID OF? GOP congressman: ‘We still don’t have answers’ to why National Guard remaining around Capitol.

How can the impeachment trial be fair if the Capitol is ringed with troops controlled by the man who beat Trump in the disputed election? That’s the sort of question we’d be hearing everywhere if the parties were reversed. Intimidation!

A fair trial? What a quaint idea! CNN proudly informs us, Less than 10% of Americans like QAnon, but then, almost nobody knows what QAnon is, except from CNN et al, who hate it. QAnon = Immanuel Goldstein. 

John Solomon at JTN,  Momentum building in Nebraska to censure anti-Trump U.S. Sen. Ben Sasse. From Da Wire, Cheney Says She Won’t Step Down After State Party Censures Her, Calls For Resignation and at PJ Media, Stephen Kruiser says Liz Cheney Is a Cancer That Could Kill GOP's 2022 Hopes, but regarding Liz Sundance warns PAY ATTENTION – Those Still Advocating Against a Third Party Need to Move to Acceptance Phase, GOP is NOT Recoverable. Never-Trumper Charley Sykes, The Prodigal Republicans. Politico thinks they know Where Democrats and Republicans agree on Trump "Both parties want to be rid of him. They just differ on the means."

NYPo, Trump ‘happier’ now that he’s off social media: former aide. Wouldn't we all? and White House says Biden doesn’t have final word on refusing Trump intelligence briefings. Does he have to get Kamala's permission? 

And speaking of intelligence, and lack thereof, in Jaw-Dropping Audacity, James Clapper Says President Trump Used Classified Information “To Target Political Enemies” (Sundance). My irony meter is long broken, however. 

In spite of what you hear bandied about on the MSM news, In Two-Thirds of Election Lawsuits Where Merits Considered Decisions Are Favorable to Trump (ET)

Of the 22 cases that have been heard by the courts and decided on their merits, Trump and Republicans have prevailed in 15, according to citizen journalist John Droz Jr., a physicist and environmental advocate in Morehead City, N.C.

This means Trump has won two-thirds of the cases fully adjudicated by the courts.

Three of the 15 cases whose rulings were favorable to Trump were filed on or after election day, Nov. 3.

Aww, Brindisi Concedes! The NY-22 Race Is Really Over Insurrectionist:

It has been the honor of a lifetime serving my hometown, the place I grew up and am raising my family. Unfortunately, this election and counting process was riddled with errors, inconsistencies and systematic violations of state and federal election laws. My one disappointment is that the court did not see fit to grant us a recount. Sadly, we may never know how many legal voters were turned away at the polls or ballots not counted due to the ineptitude of the boards of election, especially in Oneida County. My hope is some authority steps in and investigates the massive disenfranchisement of voters that took place during this election…

And find plenty more at the Wombat's In The Mailbox: 02.08.21, JJ Sefton's The Morning Report - 2/9/21 at Ace's and Larwyn’s Linx: Six attorneys general send a stern warning to Biden over his radical policies

Election 2020: Impeachment 2.0 Slip Sliding Away

As promised, Nancy Pelosi and her band of merry pranksters delivered the second bill of impeachment to the Senate yesterday. NYPo, Trump article of impeachment over Capitol riot sent to Senate, Sundance at CTH, House Delivers Article of Impeachment, Trump Warns GOP of Primary Consequences. Mess with him, and you'll get a primary challenge. Seems fair to me. AllahPundit at Hot Air crows Pelosi, House Dems Deliver Article Of Impeachment To Senate

And in an interesting wrinkle that makes it even less likely to be a fair trial, Sen. Leahy, not Justice Roberts, to preside over impeachment trial (Da Hill). It's not entirely clear if Roberts said no because Trump was not longer President (and the constitution requires the CJ to preside over the impeachment trial of a sitting President), or if Schumer figured that out on his own. At NR Britanny Berstein writes, Sen. Leahy Expected to Preside over Senate Impeachment Trial, Not Chief Justice Roberts  Allah Pundit at Hot Air whines (he does a lot of whining) Roberts Bails Out Of Impeachment Trial, Leaving Dem Sen. Pat Leahy To Preside Instead; Update: Unprecedented, Says Cornyn. Will he vote in the jury (Senate) too. Will he also be a prosecutor? Althouse wonders Did Chief Justice John Roberts decline to preside over the Senate trial of the Trump impeachment? "I'm trying to understand "John Roberts ducks the spotlight by skipping the second Trump impeachment trial" by Joan Biskupic (CNN). Also "If the Chief Justice is required, then what Leahy is about to do is not a duty. Taking on a role that is not yours under the Constitution is an abuse of power."

I wrote, in my post yesterday, "Did Chief Justice John Roberts decline to preside over the Senate trial of the Trump impeachment?"

In the comments, Meade wrote: "Will Leahy be costumed in his horned animal skin shaman outfit?"

I said, "Can someone do a photoshop of this? I'd like to put it on the front page."

Breitbart, Growing Number of GOP Senators Oppose Impeachment Trial. David Catron at  Am Spec predicts Trump Impeachment DOA in Senate "He will be neither convicted nor barred from holding public office. RCP, Democrat Prospects of Convicting Trump in Senate Fade Away. Which inspires this musical intermission: 

Nice! Anyway, Byron York at WaEx writes of  The coming argument over whether Trump can be tried. From Da Hill, Rand Paul says Boycott the sham impeachment. Stacy Lennox at PJ Media (VIP), If You Thought the First Impeachment Was a Circus, Just Wait for Impeachment 2.0. Daniel Greenfield at Front Page wants to Impeach Obama for Inciting Black Lives Matter Riots. Well sure, but better, get Kamala Harris, and have her named as ineligible for the Presidency.

At the AtSlantic, The Trial Will Test Whether Senate Republicans Care Even About Themselves, and of course, the Democrats can always count on Pierre Delecto, Mitt Romney on board with post-departure impeachment trial of Trump, from Herr Professor Jacobsen at LI. Sundance announces Matt Gaetz Campaigns In Wyoming to Oust Liz Cheney From Republican Leadership over he pro-impeachment vote.

Hawley calls for ethics investigation into Dems who filed complaint against him. Fair is fair. Congratulations on his being able to ‘Bamboozle.’ his teachers at liberal teachers at Yale. Hawley mentors stunned by conduct, but early warning signs were there

On the occupation of Washington D.C. by federal troops, Chris Roach at Am Great calls it  Security Theater Redux "Far from being an exceptional response to an emergency, the sterile and militarized Washington, D.C. of Joe Biden’s inauguration was an effort at mass intimidation and a portent of things to come." At Am Think, Monica Showalter wonders Who ordered the National Guard troops stuffed into the icy underground parking garage? 

Whatever happened, it sounds like the doings of the Democrats, who used the Guard and then tried to bury them underground, out of sight, out of mind.  That sets a mighty interesting tone for the incoming Biden administration.  It might just be the first thing it's remembered for.

PM, Tulsi to Biden: 'let our troops get back home'

Ilana Mercer at Am Great, A Hardcore Libertarian Take on the Storming of the Capitol Building "Our country is not to be equated with our Capitol." Sundance reports Founder of #WalkAway Movement, Brandon Straka, Arrested For Participation in Capitol Hill Riot, and notes that as far as they know, he did not enter the Capitol itself, but encouraged others to do so. Should be an interesting trial.  

FBI Special Agent Jeremy Desor said that videos revealed that during the melee, Straka was part of a crowd pushing toward a Capitol doorway. Desor doesn’t contend that Straka went into the building, but says that as others tried to charge through the entrance, the activist shouted: “Go! Go!”

Desor said that as a Capitol police officer tried to make his way through the crowd with a riot shield over his head, Straka urged others to wrestle it from him. “Take it away from him,” Straka allegedly yelled. “Take it! Take it!” (read more)

NYT accidentally provides more evidence that Trump did not incited the rioters,  Son Tipped Off F.B.I. About His Father, Who Is Charged in Capitol Riot “I put my emotions behind me to do what I thought was right,” said Jackson Reffitt, who weeks before the siege alerted the F.B.I. that his father was planning “something big.” Disown the ungrateful wretch. But ABC holds to the narrative, ABC: U.S. Like Post-War Germany, Antifa and BLM Violence Is Morally Right (Newsbusters).

Sundance, DOJ Inspector General Announces Investigation into DOJ Effort to Influence the 2020 Election. Horowitz, who had a pretty hard time discerning bad motives in the Russiagate crowd. 

Yeah, you really cannot make this stuff up. After the DOJ, FBI, CIA and US Intelligence Apparatus writ large, went to extraordinary lengths to influence both the 2016 presidential election (Yates/Comey) against Donald Trump; and the 2018 mid-term election (Rosenstein/Mueller) against President Trump; with no accountability despite the overwhelming evidence…. Now the DOJ Office of Inspector General wants to investigate political pressure on the 2020 election.

Ex-Republican Capt. Ed at Hot Air, Here We Go: New Horowitz Probe Launched Over Allegations Justice Officials Tried To Overturn Election. Paul Mirengoff at Power Line, A DOJ coup attempt? No, an honest disagreement about the election.

At the American Mind, Setting the Record Straight on the POTUS “Ask "Vice President Pence was not asked to reject electoral votes."

Anxious reports Dominion files $1.3 billion defamation lawsuit against Rudy Giuliani, and Giuliani On Dominion Lawsuit: Yay! Now I Can Really Investigate Them! (Capt. Ed).

Ace, Remember: Abusing IRS Laws Regarding Non-Partisan Charities, Mark Zuckerberg Poured $350 Million Into Effort to Turn Out the (Extremely Democrat) Urban Vote "Strange that Mark Zuckerberg wasn't interested in promoting voting everywhere. Just in Democrat-controlled precincts." Remember, they got Al Capone on tax laws. WaT, Democrats question election results: 'We just trust the machines, and we shouldn't' "Discontent runs through a broad swath of voters from across the political spectrum." Jay Valentine at Am Think, You Know There Was Industrial-Scale Election Fraud. What Can Be Done?

Here's a story.

In December, my team was contacted by some data geeks with official election data from one of the swing states. It was a set of about 4 million records, mail-in and absentee ballots with all the supporting data. They asked if we could do anything with it.

We are not election guys, and we have day jobs doing pretty cutting-edge stuff in technology, but we do love to play with data. The bigger, the more complicated, the better.

We built a spreadsheet with about 4 million rows, one for each of the ballots. We saw a video some teenager did counting how many ballots were received before they were mailed out. That's not a typo.

The U.S. Postal Service, which still finds letters from World War II in its system and piles of mail under bridges, delivered the ballots back to the state officials before they were mailed. As tech guys, we did think this might be a new, disruptive technology, and we are still trying to recreate it.

So we ran the test on the data we were given.

Guess what! About 30,000 — more, I recall — ballots were received before they were sent. A bunch more, in the thousands, were sent and received the same day. You get the picture.

O.K., big deal. We took an analysis some kid performed, and we did it, too, but with the most cutting-edge software out there, one that could create a 4-million-row spreadsheet that responded in less than a second.

Right. Our analysis was not the eureka moment.

The eureka moment was when we created the SIMPLE BUTTON. We created a button that said "ballots received before being mailed." It is just a button on the screen!

Some of our team, who may not even vote and certainly do not care a bit about election fraud, were amazed at how much fraud they experienced — by seeing it in live data. They touched the hot stove!

So we built a couple of more queries. Ballots sent and received in 24 hours, 48 hours!

The effect was the same to everyone we let hit the SIMPLE BUTTON — everyone was blown away.

Now comes the fun part.

There are a lot of publicly available data out there, and there are many, too many for us to track down, excellent analyses of those data. It is evidence but not proof.

Josh Hawley at NYPo,  Sen. Hawley: It’s time to stand up against the muzzling of America. Yep. Jim Treacher at PJ Media, House GOP: If the FBI Is Investigating Parler for the Capitol Riot, Let's Include Facebook and Twitter. Double yep.

Ex-Republican, Capt. Ed, As Expected, And Invited: Dems Make First Steps To Federalize Elections. I think it's unconstitutional, but when has that stopped the Democrats.

Also from Capt. Ed, BREAKING: SCOTUS Tosses Emoluments Clause Lawsuits Against Trump. Took 'em long enough to dispose of obvious nuisance suits. 

Election 2020: How's That Going For Ya?

As Matt Margolis at PJ Media notes, Now the Washington Post Admits Trump Did Not Incite the Capitol Riot, but not in so many words, but they report on groups pre-planning, which means Trump couldn't have incited them. At Hot Air, AllahPundit echoes Pelosi: There’s No Question That Certain House Members Gave “Aid And Comfort” To The “Stop The Steal” Campaign. You mean they spoke their minds? At Da  Mail, Nancy Pelosi says Donald Trump could be accessory to MURDER for inciting the Capitol MAGA mob in final parting shot in final parting shot at 'stain on our country'. Well, if you want to go there, what Democrats didn't incite murder in the BLM riots this year? And what could go wrong with Acting DHS Deputy Secretary: Pelosi Wanted ‘Crew-Manned Machine Guns in Washington – That Was Rejected’ Nick Ballasy and Suzy Katz at JTN, Were Pelosi, McConnell warned of potential violence before Capitol riot? Offices remain mum. So the answer is yes? Suppressing more evidence that Trump did not incite the incursion.

Joy Pullman at Da Fed, Democrats Are Framing Americans As Domestic Terrorists So They Can Do To Us What They Did To Trump In Spygate  Michael Yon, Washington, D.C. — Now Effectively Under Martial Law. Insty fleshes out his tweet at the NYPo, Biden’s militarized inauguration showcased Democrats’ insecurity

Nothing says, “This was a perfectly normal election, and now it’s time to come together as a united nation,” like having your swearing-in behind 12-foot-high razor wire surrounded by 25,000 troops whose loyalty you doubt. That’s what we witnessed at President Biden’s inauguration on Wednesday: a grim testament to the fundamental insecurity and fragility of the re-ascendant liberal elite.

Democrats no doubt hoped that the optics of this military-heavy presidential installation would convince ordinary Americans that the republic is in peril from the populist ferment that sent Donald Trump to the White House in 2016 and garnered more votes four years later than any GOP ticket, ever. It’s a peril that can only be addressed by, in James Comey’s lovely phrase, “burning down” the Republican Party.

But the whole aura was less Lincoln and more bananas. As in banana republic.

AllahPundit again, McCarthy: On Second Thought, I Don’t Believe Trump Provoked The Attack On The Capitol and at Da Mail, Rudy Giuliani hits out at Bill Barr for blaming Trump for Capitol riots and says cause of unrest was the ex-Attorney General's 'failure to investigate voter fraud' which left mob 'angry'. From Jordain Carney on Da Hill, McConnell faces conservative backlash over Trump criticism. He's an old rich guy, and doesn't care anymore. Breitbart, Senate Republicans Warn McConnell Ahead of Impeachment Trial "suggesting that they will no longer be able to support Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) as leader if he votes to convict the former president." Former Republican, Capt. Ed at Hot Air, Senate Republicans: Votes To Convict Trump Are Few — And Dwindling. I can't really tell if he's happy or sad. And more from Breitbart, Wyoming Republican Files to Primary Liz Cheney After Impeachment Vote, lest she forget what "represent" means. 

On the impeachment itself, AllahPundit whines that the Impeachment Trial May Be As Quick As Three Days. So little to savor! Also, they don't have a very strong case, once you actually read what Trump said, instead of the what the reporters and Democrats (but I redund) claim he said. Newsmax, Biden Leaving Impeachment Mechanics to Senate. Well, it's not his job, either. CNBC, Trump hires impeachment lawyer, McConnell wants Senate trial in February for Capitol riot incitement charge, prompting Politico to write that Trump starts taking his second impeachment seriously "The president is hiring a respected legal hand with a familiarity on voting laws as a Senate trial nears."

Nick Rowan at WaEx, Why John Roberts could sit out Trump's second impeachment trial

Trump’s trial, in which the Senate for the first time will weigh the alleged crimes of an ex-president, presents a tangle of constitutional difficulties for Roberts, legal scholars told the Washington Examiner. That could be good news for the chief justice, who faced harsh scrutiny during Trump’s first trial and wants no part in the second go-around, according to multiple reports.

The strongest argument for Roberts to stay on the sidelines is the fact that the Constitution only directs the chief justice to preside over a sitting president’s trial, said Michael Dorf, a professor of constitutional law at Cornell University. Under normal impeachment conditions, he added, that arrangement saves the vice president, who usually acts as the presiding officer over the Senate, from the appearance (or the reality) of a conflict of interest.

But this is no normal impeachment by any stretch. Trump is no longer president. And if the Senate convicts him, then Vice President Kamala Harris will not become president. Moreover, since the text of the Constitution does not specifically speak to the situation, Roberts can reasonably argue that it is not his business to get involved in a partisan squabble.

Pesky thing, that Constitution.

At the Other McCain, Smitty pens ‘Resident Biden

It’s not to my taste to wish harm on anyone, but this year’s total economic crash is going to be precisely what the country has deserved. Hopefully we repent and reclaim our elections from the Commies.

Greg Price on Twitter, 

Can't believe President Trump didn't continue the great tradition of presidential transitions in which your DOJ organizes spying and entrapment of people on the opposing side

Also Sharyl Attkisson, 

I need to be clear on The New Rules: If people think the election was unfair and/or involved fraud, they're not permitted to say so in public-- is that correct? I mean obviously it was ok in 2016-2020 but I think not in 2020/2021, from what I'm gathering.

Also, Don Jr, cited at Althouse, 

"Remember in the Lion King when Scar cheated to win the title as king? And the pride land was overrun with the hyenas? And all of the lions lost everything they had built and maintained? Just asking. No reason."

And our favorite Congressional election race? Jazz Shaw at Hot Air, Do We Have A Winner In NY-22 Yet? Nope. This really is a comedy of errors, and a glowing testimony to the folly of mass mail-in voting. Read it and weep.

More links at the Wombat's In The Mailbox: 01.21.21 and JJ Sefton's The Morning Report - 1/22/21 at Ace's.

Linked at Pirate's Cove in the weekly Sorta Blogless Sunday Pinup and links.