Did you watch Episode #1 of the “The Made-for-TV J6 Show Trial”?

 

A.F. Branco cartoon via TownHall

No, I did not watch the prime time telecast of the first January 6 Insurrection “hearing.”  Neither did Legal Insurrection’s William A. Jacobson.  Here’s part of his rationale:

Inflation Soars to 41-Year High, While Democrats and Mainstream Media Focus On J6 Primetime Show Trial

I stayed true to my promise, "I’m Not Watching The Made-for-TV J6 Show Trial Narrated By Hoaxers, Liars, and Leakers," which as I wrote is just a political distraction from the intentional gutting of the country:

The southern border is effectively open, we have lost our sovereignty as a nation. Food prices and gas and other measures of inflation are out of control.

Sure enough, this morning brought an inflation report that shows the damage from Bidenomics. CNBC reports: 

• The consumer price index rose 8.6% in May from a year ago, the highest increase since December 1981. Core inflation excluding food and energy rose 6%. Both were higher than expected.
• Surging food, gas and energy prices all contributed to the gain, with fuel oil up 106.7% over the past year.
• Shelter costs, which comprise about one-third of the CPI, rose at the fastest 12-month pace in 31 years.
• The rise in inflation meant workers lost more ground in May, with real wages declining 0.6% from April and 3% on a 12-month basis.

. . .

There is no silver lining . . .

Ugh.  Professor Jacobson’s column is here.  On the brighter side, the ratings weren't all that great.  The Washington Free Beacon reports here; see also here.

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Vacancy: Marcia Fudge's former seat

 

Collin Anderson at Washington Free Beacon reports on the House seat left vacant by Marcia Fudge:

President Joe Biden's decision to appoint former Ohio congresswoman Marcia Fudge to his cabinet has Democrats poised to send another self-described socialist to Congress.

Liberal firebrand Nina Turner holds a sizable polling and fundraising lead in the crowded primary race to succeed Fudge. The former state senator is backed by a who's who of congressional progressives, including Sen. Bernie Sanders (I., Vt.) and Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D., N.Y.), Ilhan Omar (D., Minn.), and Rashida Tlaib (D., Mich.).

Should Turner maintain her advantage and win the August primary, she would fit right in with the so-called Squad members. The former national co-chair of Sanders's presidential campaign, Turner has pledged to pass the Green New Deal, eliminate private health insurance through a government-run Medicare for All system, cancel student debt, and "completely reimagine" law enforcement—in part by defunding police.

Turner's frontrunner status reflects the growing influence of the Democratic Party's progressive wing. Just months ago, Ocasio-Cortez and company welcomed two new Squad members after Reps. Cori Bush (D., Mo.) and Jamaal Bowman (D., N.Y.) ousted longstanding Democratic incumbents in 2020. Bush and Bowman's freshman class also includes fellow liberal representatives Mondaire Jones (D., N.Y.), Ritchie Torres (D., N.Y.), and Marie Newman (D., Ill.), all of whom replaced veteran party members in January.

Turner's campaign on Tuesday used a Tulchin Research poll to declare the progressive "the favorite to serve as OH-11's next Congressperson." According to the poll, Turner enjoys a 35-point lead over her closest competitor, with 21 percent undecided. Ohio State University political scientist Paul Beck said that while the poll's accuracy is difficult to assess, Turner is the "most visible candidate" and has "emerged as the frontrunner in the campaign."

"My bet would be right now that [Turner is] the person who is going to get the nomination—and win the contest in November," he said.

. . .

Read the full report here.

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Google's thumb is on the scale

Brent Scher at the Washington Free Beacon reports on continuing censorship on Google:

News that Chicago police charged Jussie Smollett with staging a brutal attack on himself was covered on every network and in every major newspaper, but Google is hiding searches of it from its platform due to concerns of "potentially disparaging" the liberal actor.

A review of Google's autocomplete function on searches of Smollett found no references to anything regarding the hate crime, even though the company's own data show it is the only reason his name was ever searched.

The top suggested searches for Smollett included Empire (a show he no longer has a role in), Mighty Ducks (a nearly three-decade old movie he had a small role in as a child), and his wife (who doesn't exist), the Free Beacon found.

Even with a nudge—adding the letter "H" to indicate an interest in the Smollett "hate crime" or "hoax"—the top suggestions were inquiries into his height and ties to Hawaii.

Full report including potential bias in searches re: Hillary's campaign, the Trump presidency, Harvey Weinstein, and the Covington students is here ; the report includes screen shots of the writer’s search results. H/T Don Surber.

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Progressive Dark Money

Image credit: cincinnati.com

Joe Schoffstall at The Washington Free Beacon reports:

Liberal billionaires George Soros and Scott Wallace are helping bankroll a new fund hosted by an intricate dark money organization and focused on helping Democrats make inroads with midwestern voters for the 2020 elections.

The deep-pocketed donors moved the money from the Open Society Foundations, Soros's foundation, and the Wallace Global Fund, Wallace's foundation, to the newly launched Heartland Fund, a collaborative effort focused on building "power across the divides of the American heartland" as overall Democratic efforts have veered towards the region.

. . .

Future Majority, a Washington, D.C.-based Democratic strategy center, was also founded to focus on midwestern states in an effort to help "rebrand" the party and provide support to liberal organizations. The group is a registered 501(c)4 "social welfare" nonprofit and also does not have to disclose its donors.

Future Majority is planning to spend at least $60 million during the 2020 election cycle and is receiving help from megadonors Philip Munger, son of Berkshire Hathaway Vice Chairman Charles Munger, and Dan Tierney, who was the managing director of KGB Holdings, a global financial services company, before it sold in 2017. Munger and Tierney co-chair Future Majority's board.

The headline of this report is “Soros, Wallace Help Bankroll Dark Money Fund Aimed at Midwestern Voters.” Er, Ohio is in the Midwest. Full report is here.

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Voter ID Laws Don’t Stop People Voting

image credit: texastribune.org

In favor of Voter ID laws:

No difference across race, gender, or party, analysis finds

Getty Images

Charles Fain Lehman at Washington Free Beacon (h/t Instapundit) reports:

Strict voter ID laws do not suppress turnout, a new paper finds, regardless of sex, race, Hispanic identity, or party affiliation.

Requiring photo ID to vote is a hotly contested subject in American political discourse. Proponents argue that it is necessary to insure against fraud and preserve the integrity of the American electoral system. Opponents argue that it will disenfranchise otherwise eligible voters—many of whom would be poor and of color—who are unable to easily obtain ID.

In total, 10 states, ranging from Georgia to Wisconsin [and including Ohio], require voters to show ID in order to vote. Seven of those states require a photo ID, and three do not. An additional 25 states "request" that voters display ID, but may still permit them to vote on a provision ballot if they cannot. The remaining states "use other methods to verify the identity of voters," according to the National Conference of State Legislatures.

The new research, from an economics professor at the University of Bologna and another at Harvard Business School, indicates that "strict" voting laws of the type implemented in those ten states do not have a statistically significant effect on voter turnout.

Full report is here. Ohio’s Voter ID laws are considered “strict.”  See here.  

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When the mask falls off

 image credit: alamy.com

Elizabeth Harrington at the Washington Free Beacon quoted failed gubernatorial candidate Richard Cordray:

Losing Democratic politicians say they can finally tell the truth now that they are "freed from the constraints" of needing the support of their constituents.

"It occurred to me that I am now freed from the constraints of running for or holding public office," said Richard Cordray, failed coup-leader and losing candidate in the Ohio governor's race.

Cordray says now that he does not have to be accountable to voters, he can "speak more naturally" about what he really thinks about issues.

Full report is here. More masks will be slipping as we move past the midterms.

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It's a start

image credit: rainbow law

Yesterday, Kathryn Covert at the Washington Free Beacon reported:

GOP Donors Respond to Obamacare Repeal Failure, Withhold Donations

Republican donors are protesting GOP lawmakers' failure to repeal Obamacare by withholding donations to the National Republican Senatorial Committee.

At least $2 million in contributions originally promised to the NRSC have not materialized, CNN reported Tuesday.

The failure of Republicans to fulfill a central campaign promise particularly concerns some donors because it could disillusion core voters heading into the 2018 midterms. The uncertainty could put the Republicans' majority—especially in the House of Representatives—at risk.

The Republican majority in the Senate is widely viewed to be safe in the 2018 midterms. Nonetheless, Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R, Ky.) has been privately warning his colleagues and donors that the GOP's 52-48 majority should not be taken for granted, according to CNN. A campaign donation shortfall could impact the GOP's ability to effectively campaign in states where Democratic senators are vulnerable.

. . .

Withholding contributions is a good start, but it’s just a start. Remember when Dave Brat upset Eric Cantor? We need two or three more primary challenges. 

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Judicial Watch: Lois Lerner and the IRS lied

"Tea Party and other conservative group tax exempt applications

 would not be approved before the November 2012 presidential election"

cartoon credit: ulstermanbooks.com

Ali Meyer at the Washington FreeBeacon reports (h/t American Thinker):

Staff at IRS headquarters in Washington, D.C., buried conservative groups’ tax exemption applications beginning in 2010 and lasting through President Obama’s reelection campaign in 2012, according to documents released this week by Judicial Watch, a government watchdog group.

The group released 105 pages of FBI documents, which included interviews with Cincinnati IRS employees who disclosed that applications by Tea Party groups were automatically denied approval and assigned to a special group until they heard from the IRS headquarters in Washington, D.C.

“The FBI’s 302 interviews with Cincinnati IRS employees reveal that the agency adopted a series of policies assuring that Tea Party and other conservative group tax exempt applications would not be approved before the November 2012 presidential election,” according to a statement from Judicial Watch.

The full report is here. 

Will any of the top officials be charged with anything? Perjury for starters? 

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