THE FOUNDATION
"It is a duty certainly to give our sparings to those who want; but to see also that they are faithfully distributed, and duly apportioned to the respective wants of those receivers. And why give through agents whom we know not, to persons whom we know not, and in countries from which we get no account, where we can do it at short hand, to objects under our eye, through agents we know, and to supply wants we see?" --Thomas Jefferson, letter to Michael Megear, 1823TOP 5 RIGHT HOOKS
Second Quarter GDP Grew 4%
The Commerce Department released its second quarterly report on the economy and the results are rosy -- for now. The report said the nation's GDP rose 4%. The housing market was mixed from April to June, according to The Wall Street Journal, but "[a]n upturn in inventory building and an acceleration in consumer spending led the broad gains and offset a larger drag from increased imports." This sunshine-and-flowers report comes after a first quarter when the GDP was first reported growing at a meager 1%, only to be revised downward to a 1% contraction, then revised again to a 2.9% loss. A report showing 4% growth is good -- an example of the resiliency of the American economy despite Obama's economic policies -- but we won't be surprised if the Commerce Department makes a few revisions. More...Comment | Share
ObamaCare Origination Challenge Denied
After Supreme Court Justice John Roberts' legal contortions rewrote ObamaCare's penalties as taxes in order to find it constitutional, some opponents saw the last chance to overturn the law in the fact that Congress didn't pass it in the proper way. Revenue-raising bills must originate in the House, but ObamaCare was first passed by the Senate. That hope was dashed Tuesday when the DC Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that the law isn't a revenue-raising measure because the tax is "incidental" to the law's primary purpose. The three-judge panel concluded unanimously, "Some exercises of the taxing power are not subject to the Origination Clause." This was perhaps the least persuasive case against ObamaCare -- even in spite of the fact that ObamaCare amounts to one of the largest tax increases in history -- but the wrongheaded interpretation of various judges doesn't make the law an appropriate use of constitutional power.Comment | Share
Ventura Awarded $1.8M From SEAL Sniper Kyle's Estate
The late Navy SEAL Chris Kyle, the most lethal sniper in U.S. history, wrote in his book, "American Sniper," about an altercation with former pro-wrestler and Minnesota Gov. Jesse Ventura. Kyle alleged Ventura made disparaging remarks against Kyle's fellow SEALs for which Kyle said he punched "scruff face." Ventura denied the story and sued Kyle for defamation. When Kyle was murdered by a Marine he was helping with PTSD in 2013, Ventura re-filed against Kyle's widow. On Tuesday, a jury awarded Ventura $1.8 million in damages. We hesitate to second guess the jury's verdict on the high bar of defamation, even if it wasn't unanimous, but Ventura is a Navy veteran who has frequently dubiously implied he was a SEAL, and he is a noted blame-America conspiracy theorist. To top it off, he's still demanding sympathy in this case. On the other hand, Kyle served his country with honor. To punish his widow so severely for what may have been undue braggadocio just strikes us as wrong. More...Comment | Share
Defense Intelligence Agency Head: Al-Qaida's Core Strong
Head of the Defense Intelligence Agency Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn may be retiring next month, but his assessment of terrorism today is still relevant. Thirteen years, two wars and an excess of $6 trillion spent fighting terrorism and the security threat is just as high. As for Obama's pronouncement that al-Qaida is decimated? Flynn says no person is at the center of al-Qaida because it's an idea. "I, you know, have been going against these guys for a long time," he told a reporter at the Aspen Security Forum. The most important thing "is the core belief that these individuals have -- and it's not on the run. That ideology is actually, sadly, it feels like it's exponentially growing." Unfortunately, Obama didn't strike ISIL, a bastion of al-Qaida, when they were regrouping in the desert of Iraq last year, which led to its ability to establish itself in a vast swath of the Middle East. More...Comment | Share
More Sanctions Do Little Against Russia
The U.S. and the European Union announced more trade sanctions against Russia, which are only slightly less severe than the total ban the U.S. has on Iranian banks. Most of the details will come later in the week, but The Wall Street Journal reports the U.S. is clamping down on Russian banks and its energy sector. Former United Nations ambassador John Bolton says the sanctions are a weak move from the Obama administration, which has downplayed Russia's nuclear treaty violation and may embolden Vladimir Putin. "In some respects these minimal sanctions are worse than no sanctions at all," Bolton said, "because it reinforces Putin's view he can do what he wants in Ukraine." Indeed, Pravda, the Russian news site that evolved from the Russian Communist Party's newspaper, "reported" that Russia's Foreign Ministry said, "We will survive sanctions, but it is unfortunate that the U.S. continues to push Kiev towards forced suppression of discontent of the Russian-speaking population." Ah, comrades, if the Motherland doesn't protect "her Russians" in Ukraine, who will? More...Comment | Share
For more, visit Right Hooks.
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RIGHT ANALYSIS
The Impeachment Endgame
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Furthermore, all the impeachment talk may be softening the beaches ahead of Barack Obama issuing a mass immigration legalization executive order upon his return from another lavish vacation on Martha's Vineyard. Such an action would be a constitutionally impeachable offense. Democrats seem to be baiting Republicans into a corner where they say they have no plans for impeachment, giving Obama "more flexibility."
According to the Washington Examiner's Byron York, in recent days, "first lady Michelle Obama, White House senior adviser Dan Pfeiffer, White House spokesman Josh Earnest, House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, and others have raised the specter of an Obama impeachment." Clearly, it's a talking point.
Majority Whip Steve Scalise (R-LA) observed, "This might be the first White House in history that's trying to start the narrative of impeaching their own president."
To be sure, there are a few Republicans talking about impeachment -- namely Sarah Palin, but she isn't exactly in a position to do much about it. In the House, where such proceedings would begin, Rep. Steve King (R-IA) says impeachment would be on the table if Obama were to unilaterally grant amnesty to millions of illegal aliens. "From my standpoint, if the president [enacts more executive actions], we need to bring impeachment hearings immediately before the House of Representatives," King said.
Unfortunately, King is practically writing the Democrats' fundraising emails for them. And it's working. In the last week, Democrats have raised well over $3 million with fundraising pitches fueling speculation about impeachment.
This political game is one reason why Republican leadership opted instead for the weaker option of suing the president, focusing only on his illegal delay of ObamaCare's employer mandate. House Speaker John Boehner (R-OH) calls any talk of impeachment a Democrat "scam," and he insists, "We have no plans to impeach the president."
Article II, Section 4 sets a high bar for impeachment: "The President, Vice President and all civil Officers of the United States, shall be removed from Office on Impeachment for, and Conviction of, Treason, Bribery, or other high Crimes and Misdemeanors." It's happened only twice -- Andrew Johnson in 1868 and Bill Clinton in 1998 -- and they were each acquitted by the Senate. Richard Nixon would have been impeached had he not first resigned.
Regrettably, impeachment is now little more than a political charade to motivate the bases of both parties while alienating the political middle. Democrats turned Clinton's impeachment into a three-ring circus, won his acquittal, and against all odds even picked up House seats in the 1998 midterm election. The damage went beyond that, however. Clinton not only evaded justice for his wrongdoing (which was far more serious than a fling with Monica Lewinsky), he undermined the usefulness and severity of impeachment as a check on the abuse of power.
As The Wall Street Journal's James Taranto argues, "Now that a presidential impeachment is a fairly recent memory, the prospect of impeachment is taken more seriously. But because of the defense Clinton mounted, the substance of impeachment has become trivialized."
Does Obama deserve to be impeached? Almost certainly -- especially if he grants amnesty without Congress. But that doesn't mean impeachment is an effective strategy. Even if the House voted to impeach Obama, there's no way two-thirds of Harry Reid's Senate would vote to convict, rendering the process ineffective. And it would likely inflict mortal damage to Republican hopes to retake the Senate in November.
Don't forget that if impeachment were to succeed, Joe Biden would take over. Perish the thought!
Obama has abused his power left and further left, constantly using that infamous pen in part to provoke impeachment. Numerous polls reveal the American people think he has exceeded his authority, and voters would even elect Mitt Romney in a do-over. Hindsight is 20/20. But while a majority of Republicans back impeachment, it's not an idea gaining much traction with the public.
Democrats' seeming strategy is a smart one. Republicans can't appear to be seeking impeachment, which gives Obama even greater latitude to force his will. Their end game marginalizes the GOP while advancing their agenda. For Republicans, that makes winning the Senate even more critical.
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Democrats Run Immigration Squeeze Play
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Last week House Republicans responded with a less grandiose plan for $659 million, two-thirds of which would go to border security with the other third to humanitarian aid. One notable part of the bill allows Customs and Border Patrol agents to travel on federally protected land, but Democrats claim Republicans only want to loosen environmental regulations. Is it only in America that the Border Patrol needs special permission to patrol the border?
Many conservatives fed up with Obama’s illegal executive orders are disappointed the bill won’t include any attempt to dismember his Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program, a “memorandum” (i.e., diktat) from 2012 that ostensibly gives “qualified” 15-year-old aliens a period of two years to earn employment authorization to prevent their deportation. Clearly, DACA is little more than a grant of amnesty. It also is an open invitation for alien children from everywhere to come to the America where you’ll get a free pass and free goodies. In fact, one Border Patrol agent reports that children arriving at detention centers in Texas say as a mantra, “Obama will take care of us.” To date over half a million people have been granted permits to stay under DACA. That number will explode as the invasion continues. Nevertheless, the bill is likely to pass the House.
Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-AL) called the House bill a “surrender to a lawless president," adding, “This unlawful amnesty ... is taking jobs ... from millions of struggling American citizens.”
A separate proposal defunding DACA might get a stand-alone vote. “There’s broad-based support,” Rep. Michael McCaul (R-TX) said, for items left out of the border bill, including defunding the executive action.
In the Senate, Harry Reid (D-NV) is reportedly considering tacking on the Gang of Eight's "comprehensive" reform to the House's border crisis bill, though House Speaker John Boehner (R-OH) says, "[L]et me be as clear as I can be with Senator Reid: The House of Representatives will not take up the Senate immigration reform bill or accept it back from the Senate in any fashion."
Meanwhile, CBS News reports, “White House officials are laying the groundwork for a large-scale expansion of immigrant rights that would come by executive action within weeks.”
Last month Obama whined that due to Congress’ inaction he would use executive actions to “fix as much of our immigration system as I can on my own” -- some time by the end of the summer, according to White House senior adviser Dan Pfeiffer. Part of that action seems to be dumping migrant children in various states without letting those states know in advance. Indiana Gov. Mike Pence and Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam have both complained they've learned of such drop-offs from the media, not the administration. Both governors happen to be Republican.
Clearly, Democrats want to put a squeeze play on Republicans. Obama's lawless behavior has several conservatives calling for his impeachment. An electorate angry over the continuing invasion of aliens, ObamaCare and the long-lasting recession could hand the GOP a Senate majority in November, but an impeachment before the elections would rally know-nothing Democrats whose loyalty to BO might ruin the chance of regaining the Senate. Republicans have to find a way to force lawful action on immigration while steering clear of the impeachment pitfall.
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For more, visit Right Analysis.
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TOP 5 RIGHT OPINION COLUMNS
- Joe D'Aleo: Should You Trust NOAA Claims About May & June Records?
- Jonah Goldberg: Democrats' Impeachment Fixation
- Michelle Malkin: Want a Real Anti-Poverty Plan? Stop Amnesty!
- Ken Blackwell: Jim Crow and the Donkey: A True History the Left Loves to Ignore
- Terence Jeffrey: Same-Sex Marriage vs. Motherhood
OPINION IN BRIEF
Economist Sir William Arthur Lewis (1915-1991): "Collective judgment of new ideas is so often wrong that it is arguable that progress depends on individuals being free to back their own judgment despite collective disapproval."Columnist Jonah Goldberg: "Given Obama's famously low regard for the Clinton presidency, it's ironic that he keeps stealing from its playbook. Bill Clinton benefited from a government shutdown and impeachment and from the general perception that his enemies were worse than his sins. The difference is that while Clinton was hardly immune to the charge of cynicism, he wasn't trying to shut down the government or get impeached for narrow political advantage. Now Obama is reportedly considering a unilateral amnesty of millions of immigrants here illegally, knowing full well it will spark a fierce political backlash and heighten impeachment talk. No doubt he thinks it's the right thing to do on the merits, with his famous pen and phone. What's less clear is if the merits are his top priority."
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Columnist Michelle Malkin: "While cynical politicians prattle on about protecting the American Dream, they’re working together to destroy it. If these elected officials care so much about reducing poverty, why are they working so hard to import more of it from around the world? Leaders in both political parties have thrown struggling Americans under the bus to feed the cheap illegal alien labor machine. ... The real crisis is not at the border. It’s being fomented inside our nation’s capital. The 'border crisis' is a bipartisan D.C. catastrophe of craven politicians abandoning their constitutional duties to defend our sovereignty and put American workers first."
Comedian Argus Hamilton: "The National Security Council met in the White House Monday to discuss the Palestinian and Israeli conflict raging into its third week. We may get involved at the highest level. President Obama is keen to fly to Israel and play the new two-thousand-hole golf course in Gaza."
Semper Vigilo, Fortis, Paratus et Fidelis!
Nate Jackson for The Patriot Post Editorial Team
Join us in daily prayer for our Patriots in uniform -- Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen, Marines and Coast Guardsmen -- standing in harm's way in defense of Liberty, and for their families.
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