Sen. Orrin Hatch pushes back on Sen. Sherrod Brown

From Freedom’s Lighthouse (about 2 minutes, from last Thursday):

YouTube: "Hatch Rejects Class-Warfare Talking Points on Tax Bill"

Here is GOP Sen. Orrin Hatch doing what more Republicans should do when Democrats spout their Class-Warfare nonsense they have been using for 50 years. Hatch absolutely schools Leftist Democrat Sherrod Brown last night after Brown used the Democrats’ usual talking points to attack the GOP Tax Cut Plan for all Americans. Hatch called it “crap,” and told Brown he should “stop it.” This was one of Orrin Hatch’s finest moments!

Keep it up!

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Mark the date: Dec. 4 gubernatorial debate (D)

From Seth A. Richardson at cleveland.com:

The City Club of Cleveland will host a free Democratic gubernatorial debate in early December, the first in the Cleveland area.

The debate is scheduled for 7 to 8 p.m. on Dec. 4 at the Westfield Insurance Studio Theatre in the Idea Center at Playhouse Square. Doors open at 6:30 p.m. The debate also will be live-streamed on the City Club's website, ideastream and WKYC Channel 3.

Four of the five declared candidates are scheduled to be on stage. Former state Rep. Connie Pillich, state Sen. Joe Schiavoni, former U.S. Rep. Betty Sutton and Dayton Mayor Nan Whaley are all confirmed participants.

Not included in the lineup are Ohio Supreme Court Justice Bill O'Neill and outgoing Consumer Financial Protection Bureau Director Richard Cordray. Cordray has not yet announced whether he will run and O'Neill has yet to go through the vetting process - and has told the party he will drop out if Cordray enters.

Possible candidate Justice O’Neill made headlines today when he responded to the Al Franken scandal by disclosing his own conquests (via Washington Examiner).

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Cordray, the CFPB, and Ohio Governor Ohio race

Bob Gorrell cartoon credit: ww: ff.org

If this report is confirmed, it’s a start. From Kemberlee Kaye at Legal Insurrection:

Richard Cordray, an Obama appointee and head of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) announced to staff in an email Wednesday his plans to resign. While he’s yet to confirm his plans, there’s speculation Cordray will return home to run for Ohio’s governorship.

The CFPB functions as, “a regulator set up in response to the 2008 financial crisis to police mortgages, credit cards and other financial products,” and was the brainchild of Massachusetts Democrat Senator Elizabeth Warren.

Unlike other agencies, due to the unique circumstanced through which the CFPB was created (was part of Dodd-Frank in 2010), Cordray answered to no one. As the bureau’s director, Cordray controlled the budget (other federal entities are subject to Congressional budget allocation), and was subject to no term limits.

“We are long overdue for new leadership at the CFPB, a [rogue] agency that has done more [to] hurt consumers than help them. The extreme overregulation it imposes on our economy leads to higher costs and less access to financial products and services, particularly for Americans with lower incomes,” said House Financial Services Chairman Jeb Hensarling, a Republican from Texas.

“Overdue for new leadership at the CFPB” at the CFPB? Sen. Hensarling, wouldn’t it be better to eliminate the “rogue agency” altogether?

Full report is here.

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Primal Screams and Mass Hysteria

art credit: MaliaLitman.com

We all had a good laugh over the anti-Trump “Screaming Helplessly at The Sky” temper tantrums last week, but in a sense, the Scream Fests are not funny. There is something on the order of mass hysteria going on here. It's a year after the election, and adults are still stamping their feet and wearing stupid pink hats and screaming in genuine outrage.

I’ve come across a few think pieces on the phenomenon. Victor Davis Hanson examines the various “hysterias and frenzies” we have been witnessing:

Human nature is prone to a herd mentality and the politics of excess. Groupthink offers a sense of belonging and reinforcement to most people. Democracies in particular in their radical egalitarian culture and exalted sense of self-righteousness are particularly prone to shared frenzies. 

Richard Fernandez, Mr. Belmont Club, summed up his take on the Primal Scream-a-thon:

What they were mourning was not some conservative's sublunar fallibility, but their own. Whatever happens now, the progressives have lost decades of "gains," not to the alt-right, which is nothing special, but to the realization of their own human frailty. 

  

Last summer, Dilbert / Scott Adams wrote about the “mass hysteria bubble” and how he defines it:

if you are not experiencing mass hysteria, you might be totally confused by the actions of the people who are. They appear to be irrational, but in ways that are hard to define. You can’t tell if they are stupid, unscrupulous, ignorant, mentally ill, emotionally unstable or what. It just looks frickin’ crazy.

I thought I would post these links, since we live in crazy times, and maybe we are not the crazy ones. All three articles are worth the read.

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Veteran’s Day 2017

Saturday (tomorrow) is Veteran's Day.  Several weeks ago, CTP reader John Macky sent us links to his website, so I am pleased to include them here. From one of his posting at Veteran’s Day Guide:

Veterans Day is observed to honor all such war veterans who have put their lives at stake for the safety and freedom of their people. Celebrated on 11^th of November 2017, the Veterans Day is marked to celebrate war veterans who are alive; unlike Memorial Day which is observed to honor the members of the US Armed forces who have sacrificed their lives while fighting for their nation. . . .

  

Cleveland’s Veteran’s Day parade is scheduled to begin downtown at 12:30 midday on Saturday, Nov. 11 in front of City Hall, 601 Lakeside Ave. Details are here.

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More Media Fail: Trump in China

photo via @JonLemire

Remember when President Obama arrived in Beijing and the formal staircase failed to show up on the tarmac alongside Air Force One, and he was obliged to deplane through the service door at the back?  A not so subtle snub.  When President Trump and Melania arrived in Beijing the other day, not only was the rolling staircase there (see above), Sundance reports:

President Xi Jinping rolled out the red carpet complete with marching band and joyful children for the arrival of President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump.

The pageantry was the highest level China presents in public display honoring any visiting head of state; and U.S. Media never carried it. 

From DC Whispers: 

Chinese officials have shown the current POTUS every courtesy, including opening up the Forbidden City to him. This act itself is of great historic importance as it makes Mr. Trump the first American president to be allowed to dine in the Forbidden City since the creation of modern China.

To get a sense of the scope of the ceremonial details and show of great respect to President Trump, go to the Conservative Treehouse blogs – for example, here - for photos and videos that most of the media are not running (e.g. USA Media Ignores Historic Prime Time Broadcast of Official Beijing Welcome For President Trump…).

photo via conservative treehouse

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Scream Helplessly At The Sky Day Reports

Suppose they hosted a Scream-a-thon and nobody showed up. Well, hardly anyone. 

Yesterday was the anti-Trump “Scream Helplessly At The Sky Day” and reports have been slow to come in. PJ Media has some "entertaining" videos and photos here. The short video from Salt Lake City is posted by @ Liberal Logic, who wrote: "This whole "scream helplessly at the sky in anniversary of the election" thing is one of the funniest things I've seen #TrumpDerangementSyndrome." Reminded me of Baby Herman in Roger Rabbit:

@ www.tenor.co

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One Year Ago Today

Two and a half minutes of fun from the 2016 Election, via YouTube:

And earlier today, our President tweeted:

Congratulations to all of the ”DEPLORABLES” and the millions of people who gave us a MASSIVE (304-227) Electoral College landslide victory!

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Scream Helplessly At The Sky Day

 Slightly updated Edvard Munch’s “The Scream” at patriotretort.com

  

It’s today! Scream Helplessly At The Sky Day!

Background on this latest anti-Trump protest temper tantrum is at Newsbusters here.

Be sure to watch the short video (30 seconds is plenty!) at the above link for “some really helpless sky screaming from Inauguration Day which all the November 8 [today’s] event participants must measure their helpless sky screams against.”

The Boston Primal Scream Fest is scheduled for 6pm. There’s another one scheduled in Philadelphia. According to Debra Heine at PJ Media, “People who are unable to attend the screamfest in Philly are encouraged to ‘scream in solidarity’ in their own backyards.”

Hope to have a few photos and short videos later on.

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Election Day : VOTE

 image credit: prairiestatereport.us

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Yesterday was Refuse Fascism Day

Art credit: allergysigns.blogspot.com

   

Yes, there WAS a Refuse Fascism protest yesterday at Public Square. Here’s some of Cleveland 19's Digital Team News report (h/t Ralph King’s FB page):

An Anti-Trump protest was held at Public Square in Downtown Cleveland on Saturday.  

Around 50 people attended the protest.

Protesters spoke for about 40 minutes before the group marched through Downtown Cleveland.

For the Cleveland 19 News video, click here.

UPDATE: ZeroHedge has a round-up (""It's A Dud" - Nationwide Soros-Funded, Antifa 'Uprising' To Remove Trump From Office Fails") of protests nationwide, with quite a few photos. Click here. 

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Today was Refuse Fascism Day

 photo credit: popglitz.com

Cleveland was one of the 20 cities or so hosting a national protest against Donald Trump. It was announced on several websites for today at Pubic Square at 1pm. I could not find anything at cleveland.com or tv sites. I did find a Twitchy thread here, with photos from a few locations. And the LA Daily News reported on the LA event: 

LOS ANGELES >> A protest against President Donald Trump drew a group of counter-demonstrators in downtown Los Angeles on Saturday, Nov. 4, with the two groups kept apart by police.

The group Refuse Fascism started the demonstration at Pershing Square at 1 p.m. as part of an organized across the United States.

One anti-Trump protester was arrested by the Los Angeles Police Department for repeated attempts to broach the makeshift barricades set up to keep the groups separated.

The event got off to a slow start. Dee Cole, 46, of Lancaster said she was disappointed with what she saw as a low turnout. “Not a lot of people must be watching the news,” she said.

Randy Dixon, 57, watched the protesters setting up on 5th Street near Hill and pronounced it a waste of time. As he saw it, the rally, with about 150-200 people gathered by 1 p.m., would not have an impact.

“I think it’s crazy. It’s useless. It’s not going to get Trump out of office,” Dixon said. “He’s here for the duration unless they find something illegal about him.”

. . .

The group Refuse Fascism planned the demonstration as part of an organized effort in various cities around the U.S.

. . .

But wait, there’s more to come. A “Scream at the Sky” protest (literally titled "Scream helplessly at the sky on the anniversary of the election," according to Newsweek) is scheduled for next Wednesday, Nov. 8.  

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Cheering for Houston!

A good news cartoon by Steve Breen cartoon via Townhall :

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Steve Salvi on the jihad attack in New York City

photo credit: via Jihad Watch

Steve Salvi is the Founder of the Ohio Jobs & Justice PAC (OJJPAC). He posted the following on his FB page after the ISIS attack in New York City yesterday:

Why is it surprising to people that we have terrorists in the US killing people? We have hundreds of cities run by Socialist Democrat Progressives who have instituted "sanctuary policies" for illegal aliens"and refuse to turn in criminal illegal aliens until they kill our citizens nor prosecute those legal immigrants or citizens who aid and abet their legal presence and plots.

We have inept visa programs, including the visa lottery program, which allow terrorists to legally enter the US to attack us, and tens of thousands of unvetted Muslim refugees (selected by people at the UN who include anti-American nationals) and allowed to enter the US during the Obama administration.

When Pres. Trump attempts to keep terrorists from traveling to the US, what do Clinton and or Obama appointed judges do? They block Trump's orders by supporting lawsuits filed by their partisan Democratic State Atty. Generals and or its political coalition group allies.

In another post, he mentions that the jihad suspect once lived in Cuyahoga Falls. Steve’s website is here.  

Robert Spencer has several posts on his website Jihad Watch. Here's one of several posted there today; the photo at the top is from the linked report.

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Happy Halloween

photo credit via Conservative Treehouse

Happy Halloween 

from Cleveland Tea Party

Watch some of the 27 minute video ("President Trump and The First Lady Participate in Halloween at the White House") on YouTube here. Good fun.

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The Manafort indictment

art credit: thecontrarianmedia.com

What’s the deal with the Manafort and Gates indictments? Is this the beginning of the end of Trump’s Presidency? Has Mueller found all those colluding Russians, Russians, Russians?

Here’s the conclusion offered by former federal prosecutor Andrew C. McCarthy:

Even from Paul Manafort’s perspective, there may be less to this indictment than meets the eye — it’s not so much a serious allegation of “conspiracy against the United States” as a dubious case of disclosure violations and money movement that would never have been brought had he not drawn attention to himself by temporarily joining the Trump campaign.

From President Trump’s perspective, the indictment is a boon from which he can claim that the special counsel has no actionable collusion case. It appears to reaffirm former FBI director James Comey’s multiple assurances that Trump is not a suspect. And, to the extent it looks like an attempt to play prosecutorial hardball with Manafort, the president can continue to portray himself as the victim of a witch hunt.

McCarthy’s article at National Review is here.

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Gov. Kasich: do you mean legal or illegal immigration?

art credit: beforeitsnews.com

Breitbart reports on Gov. Kasich’s appearance on Fox News Sunday (warning: GOPe Weasel Words Alert):

. . . Gov. John Kasich (R-OH) said the “bulk” of the Republican party was pro-immigration and not moving towards nationalism.

Kasich said, “I think the bulk of the Republican Party — and I’ve been in the party since I was a college student — it’s one that believes in the fact that America has a place in the world, Reagan talked about it, it advances humanity. I agree. I think the bulk of the Republican Party does believe that immigration provides energy to our country.”

He continued, “I think the bulk of the Republican party believes that America is special and has a place in the world to advance freedom and free enterprise and all those things. I think that this move towards nationalism where we are looking inward, has a lot of loud voices but I don’t think it’s the bulk.”

Speak for yourself, Gov. Kasich. You are not speaking for Americans who support LEGAL immigration, not ILLEGAL immigration or amnesty.

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IRS “apologizes” for targeting Tea Party and liberty groups

cartoon credit: Christopher Weyant [The Hill] via Pinterest

  

The media is reporting that the lawsuits filed against the IRS by various Tea Party and liberty organizations have been settled. This extract is from the report in The Washington Post: 

The Justice Department has reached settlement agreements with groups that alleged their constitutional rights were violated when their applications for tax-exempt status received extra scrutiny because their names contained words such as “tea party” or “patriots,” court filings show.

In one agreement, which still must be approved by a judge, the Internal Revenue Service admitted that its treatment of the organizations was “wrong” and expressed a “sincere apology” for what happened.

. . .

The targeting of tea party organizations that applied for tax-exempt status was a major controversy of the Obama administration, as hundreds of conservative-leaning groups received scrutiny. In some cases, it delayed the processing of applications for years.

Many felt the conduct was an example of the president punishing his political enemies.

. . .

The Justice Department, too, conducted a criminal investigation but ultimately decided not to bring charges, including against Lois Lerner, the IRS official who oversaw tax-exempt groups.

“Our investigation uncovered substantial evidence of mismanagement, poor judgment and institutional inertia, leading to the belief by many tax-exempt applicants that the IRS targeted them based on their political viewpoints,” Assistant Attorney General for Legislative Affairs Peter J. Kadzik wrote in 2015.

“But poor management is not a crime,” Kadzik wrote. “We found no evidence that any IRS official acted on political, discriminatory, corrupt, or other inappropriate motives that would support a criminal prosecution.”

"Poor management"? Weaponizing the IRS is “poor management”? And of course, nobody is going to jail, losing their job, or losing their pension. Read the rest of the WaPo story here. There’s also a report at cleveland.com.

UPDATE at 6:21pm from Rick Moran at American Thinker blog:

The settlement, as unsatisfactory to many as it is, at least closes the book on this sordid chapter in the history of the IRS.  Will it curtail the IRS from using politics to enforce tax law again?  Since no one was punished after this blatant example of political use of the tax agency, I doubt it.

Full blog post is here.

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Double rainbow over Cleveland

Taken late this afternoon during the shower

Photo credit: Pat Dooley Photography

Is Pastor Darrell Scott running for Congress?

L to R: Steve Loomis, Cleveland Police Patrolman’s Assoc.; Pastor Darrell Scott, New Spirit Revival Center; and Ralph King, Cleveland Tea Party / Main Street Patriot.

Photo taken at The Spirit of America Rally in Cleveland last March by CTP's roving photographer, Pat J Dooley.

Headline from cleveland.com:

Pro-Trump pastor Darrell Scott may challenge

U.S. Rep. Dave Joyce in 2018 Republican primary

Cleveland.com's report is here.

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Football fans disguised as empty seats

Another Sunday with plenty of empty seats at NFL games. Here's a photo from today's Browns game (I hear they lost again):

photo credit: Gateway Pundit

Frank Jackson vs Zack Reed

Earlier today, Mayoral candidates Frank Jackson and Zack Reed debated each other at the Cleveland City Club. Here is the video:

Too long? Click here for the report on Cleveland.com. One excerpt:

Reed and Jackson presented very different views of where Cleveland stands today.

Jackson said he sees a bright future for the city. He credited his administration for working hard the last 12 years to steer the city through a predatory lending crisis, the foreclosure crisis and the recession, and positioning Cleveland to advance.

"We've worked hard every day to position ourselves where we could have a bright future," Jackson said.

He acknowledged that some parts of the city have fared better than others. His fourth term, he said, would focus on ensuring that all residents benefit from a better quality of life and greater prosperity.

Reed described a different Cleveland - one in which he argued Jackson has failed as a leader and people are suffering as a result.

While acknowledging some neighborhoods have prospered, others have been left behind, he said.

Crime rates, poverty rates and jobless rates continue to be among the worst in the nation, he said.

"When you elect me mayor of Cleveland you'll have a safer city," Reed said.

A contentious exchange.

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Ohio Pharmacists Association opposes Issue 2

Photo credit: El Dorado County Sheriff's Office

After putting together a blog last month on Issue 2 – the Ohio Drug Price Relief Act – it may still be confusing. Here is the very brief summary from the Ohio Pharmacists Assoc. with a link to the full article – which is accessible to any voter. It also contains a video message.

The Ohio Pharmacists Association (OPA) has joined a growing coalition of stakeholders, experts, and patients in opposition to Issue 2 the so-called “Ohio Drug Price Relief Act” - a proposal (referred to as an initiated statute) that will be on the November 2017 ballot in Ohio.

As part of the Ohioans Against the Deceptive Rx Ballot Issue coalition, OPA will be working hard to defeat a measure that could have serious negative consequences for pharmacies, payers, employers, veterans, and patients.

The "Ohio Drug Price Relief Act" is being pushed by controversial California activist Michael Weinstein, and would prohibit Ohio’s state government from paying any more for prescription drugs than the lowest price paid by the United States Department of Veterans Affairs. 

Their web page is here.

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NFL = No Fans Left

 photo credit: IJR

   

The Independent Journal Review published photographs of several football stadiums, like the one above, of NFL games yesterday; they are half-full at kick-off! From the photo-article:

As more and more football players have protested during the national anthem and President Donald Trump has spoken out against them, fans have fired back at the National Football League for not taking action by boycotting, which has resulted in ticket sales plummeting.

Pictures of empty stadiums are the best way to see just how powerful the boycott truly is.

Click here to see more half-empty stadiums.

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Faithful Execution of Obamacare

 image credit: True Democracy Party

Andrew McCarthy is no fan of President Trump, but his clear analysis of Trump’s dismantling of Obamacare is in stark contrast with all the media hysteria:

The law is unraveling on its own terms.

. . . What Trump has actually done is end the illegal payoffs without which insurance companies have no rational choice but to jack up premiums or flee the Obamacare exchanges. The culprits here are the charlatans who gave us Obamacare. To portray Trump as the bad guy is not merely fake news. It’s an out-and-out lie.

Which is to say: It’s about as honest as the Democrats’ labeling of Obamacare as the Affordable Care Act.

The subsidy payments to insurance companies may be “critical” to sustaining the ACA, but they are not provided for in the ACA. The Obamacare law did not appropriate them. No legislation appropriates them. They are and have always been illegal. In essence, we are back to the question we asked a couple of weeks ago in connection with Trump’s then-anticipated decertification of Obama’s Iran Nuclear Deal: It is not whether the president should take this action; it is why he failed to take it before now. 

Under the Constitution, no funds may be paid out of the treasury unless they have been appropriated by Congress. It is not enough for lawmakers to authorize a government program or action. The House and Senate must follow through with a statute that directs payment for the program or action. Standing alone, authorization is just aspiration; it does not imply appropriation. Congress authorizes a lot of things, but only the things for which Congress approves the disbursal of public money are permitted to happen.

. . .

Read the rest here. 

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