>>18271656

Awesome effort baker. TY

Stage Being Set for a Mighty Fall for Joe Manchin

https://redstate.com/sister-toldjah/2023/01/31/stage-being-set-for-a-mighty-fall-for-joe-manchin-n696815

Though Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) has not officially announced whether or not he’ll run for reelection in 2024, an attendee from an April 2022 fundraiser that featured Republican mega-donors told CNBC that Manchin indicated he would. Manchin’s reluctance to just come out and say himself what he’ll do has not deterred contenders from throwing their hats into the ring or teasing their potential candidacies, however. For instance, he already has a formal challenger on the Republican side – Rep. Alex Mooney, who declared his candidacy in November. West Virginia Attorney General Patrick Morrissey, a Republican, is reportedly considering a run as well in what could be a rematch of his 2018 race against Manchin. Then there’s Gov. Jim Justice, who switched to the Republican party just eight months after taking office in 2017 – and while standing next to then-President Donald Trump, who won the state handily in 2016 and again 2020. Justice has been peppered with questions over the last two months about where he stands on potentially challenging Manchin, and in recent interviews has said he was “seriously” considering it. In the below clip, Justice said he was “very, very, very seriously” considering it and was “leaning” towards doing so.

Justice told CBS News Tuesday that he will “decide within 30 days whether to run for West Virginia US Senate seat in 2024. He says he’s certain he can defeat Joe Manchin.. and will be reliable GOP vote” before adding that “West Virginia loves me.” Unfortunately for Manchin, Justice is right. Polls taken within the last six months not only show Justice is in excellent standing with West Virginia voters compared to Manchin, but they also show Justice, Morrissey, and Mooney are all in a good position to beat Manchin should they go head to head in 2024.

As I wrote in December in response to Manchin once again indicating a party switch was not off the table, it would seem that he knows what’s coming, which is why he’s not only not ruling out a party switch but is also not ruling out a potential presidential bid, as he noted earlier this month. Also, keep in mind that though Manchin’s first election to the Senate in 2012 for a full term was a cakewalk, his 2018 race was much closer as the state turned even more red, with Morrisey losing by just 3.3 percent (about 19,000 votes) in a race that saw Libertarian nominee Rusty Hollen get 24,000 votes. West Virginia is also state that now has more registered Republicans than Democrats – and most of them are of the rock-ribbed conservative variety. Between that and Trump’s blowout victories in West Virginia both years he ran for president, there’s no question that the state is even redder now than it ever has been, which is very bad news for Manchin should he decide not to switch parties. Couple that with the fact that Manchin striking a bad deal with a powerful New York Democrat (Chuck Schumer) and coming away empty-handed in the process could also play a significant role in his chances for another term in the U.S. Senate. As the old saying goes, the chickens have come home to roost for Joe Manchin. He’s made his political bed, and now he’s having to wallow in it. Couldn't happen to a more deserving Democrat, in my opinion.

Here’s the Never-Ending List of Why Nikki Haley Would Suck as President

https://www.revolver.news/2020/08/never-nikki-haley/

For some reason, former South Carolina governor Nikki Haley was a speaker at the Republican convention on Monday night.

Nobody is fooled by the unified front that Haley’s appearance presents. Haley was not at the RNC to signal her support for the populist agenda that Donald Trump ran on in 2016, and should run on in 2020 as well. She was there to advance her own ambitions, through superficial association with the Trump administration. These ambitions should be checked now. Allowing Nikki Haley to become a leader in the Republican Party would be a return to Bush-era conservatism, defined by idiotic foreign adventures, empowering anti-American megacorporations, and endless capitulation to the left’s inverted moral agenda. And for good measure, we’d still be led by a sleazy politician with a dirty personal life.

Let’s just state it plainly. Haley does not actually support Trump or his agenda in the slightest. If she did, she wouldn’t have compared Trump to mass murderer Dylann Roof back in 2016:

South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley again criticized her party’s presumptive presidential nominee Donald Trump on Thursday, saying it is rhetoric like his that led Dylann Roof to gun down nine black members of Emanuel AME Church in Charleston last year.

Haley told reporters on Thursday she has been critical of Trump because “I know what that rhetoric can do. I saw it happen,” the Associated Press reports. Trump, as a major party presidential nominee, has a responsibility to use a more civil and respectful tone, she said.

1. Haley is a Bush-era neocon relic

2. Haley is tough on Tehran, but weak on tech

3. Haley has a weak character, giving in to the mob and bowing to political correctness

4. Haley’s alleged moral turpitude is legendary

We do not endorse such a cynical and Potemkin view of morality, but for argument’s sake, how does Nikki measure up on this front? Well, she has completely swept credible allegations of extramarital affairs directly under the rug:

In an affidavit released this afternoon by FITSNews’ Will Folks, the controversial blogger and one-time spokesman for Gov. Mark Sanford provides new details about his claims that he had an “inappropriate physical relationship” with GOP gubernatorial candidate Nikki Haley.

According to the affidavit, Haley and Folks “shared [their] first kiss while sitting in her parked car outside of MacDougal’s restaurant and bar” in Columbia. The kiss reportedly took place in 2007. Following the kiss, the pair allegedly drove to a “parking lot behind the neighborhood center at Emily Douglas Park, where [they] parked for approximately 45 minutes. There we slid back the seats of her Cadillac SUV so that Rep. Haley could climb on top of me.” Folks also claims that following that first encounter, he saw Haley numerous times during Spring 2007, with most of the encounters taking place at his downtown Columbia apartment. He also states that other “romantic encounters occurred in her SUV (including one in the parking lot of the S.C. Policy Council) and in her Statehouse office.”

According to the affidavit, Folks alleges that he and Rep. Haley also went out in public several times and that pair’s relationship was known by a friend.

The FITSNews blogger says that the relationship with Haley ended in June 2007. Previously released phone record from Folks show that he and Haley spoke 17 times between June 2 and Aug. 30. An Aug. 25 incoming call was received by Folks at 2:24 am and lasted 146 minutes. Most of the other calls were made after 10 pm at night. Eleven lasted longer than one hour, with an Aug. 7 call lasting 180 minutes.

[Charleston City Paper]

Folks’s allegation wasn’t the only alleged affair in Haley’s life. South Carolina lobbyist Larry Marchant says he and Haley had a one-night stand in Salt Lake City in 2008. Marchant’s allegation can’t be confirmed, but it ultimately brought him no benefit. In fact, it was enormously damaging to both his personal and professional life. Marchant’s wife filed for divorce in 2013, naming Haley as one of three “other women.” Meanwhile, Marchant was fired as the representative of BlueCross BlueShield in South Carolina, and his once-flourishing lobbying operation collapsed.

>>18271773

That master race has tits that could suffocate a gorilla

House GOP votes to oust Democrat Omar from major committee

https://apnews.com/article/ilhan-omar-house-foreign-affairs-committee-ee2ae3fd86b895c5b078d8bf576c3360?utm_source=homepage&utm_medium=TopNews&utm_campaign=position_01

The Republican-led House voted after raucous debate Thursday to oust Democratic Rep. Ilhan Omar from the chamber’s Foreign Affairs Committee, citing her anti-Israel comments, in a dramatic response after Democrats last session booted far-right GOP lawmakers over incendiary remarks.

House Speaker Kevin McCarthy was able to solidify Republican support against the Somali-born Muslim woman in the new Congress although some GOP lawmakers had expressed reservations. Removal of lawmakers from House committees was essentially unprecedented until the Democratic ousters two years ago of hard-right Republican Reps. Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia and Paul Gosar of Arizona. The 218-211 vote, along party lines, came after a heated, voices-raised debate in which Democrats accused the GOP of targeting Omar based on her race. Omar defended herself on the House floor, asking if anyone was surprised she was being targeted, “because when you push power, power pushes back.” Democratic colleagues hugged and embraced her during the vote.

“My voice will get louder and stronger, and my leadership will be celebrated around the world,” Omar said in a closing speech. Republicans focused on six statements Omar has made that “under the totality of the circumstances, disqualify her from serving on the Committee of Foreign Affairs,” said Rep. Michael Guest of Mississippi, the incoming chairman of the House Ethics Committee. “All members, both Republicans and Democrats alike who seek to serve on Foreign Affairs, should be held to the highest standard of conduct due to the international sensitivity and national security concerns under the jurisdiction of this committee,” Guest said.

The resolution proposed by Rep. Max Miller, R-Ohio, a former official in the Trump administration, declared, “Omar’s comments have brought dishonor to the House of Representatives.” Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries of New York said Omar has at times “made mistakes” and used antisemitic tropes that were condemned by House Democrats four years ago. But that’s not what Thursday’s vote was about, he said.

“It’s not about accountability, it’s about political revenge,” Jeffries said. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, went further, saying that the GOP’s action was one of the “disgusting legacies after 9/11,” a reference to he Sept. 11, 2001, attack — “the targeting and racism against Muslim-Americans throughout the United States of America. And this is an extension of that legacy.” She added, “This is about targeting women of color.”

McCarthy denied the Republican move to oust Omar was a tit-for-tat after the Greene and Gosar removals under Democrats, though he had warned in late 2021 that such a response might be expected if Republicans won back the House majority. “This is nothing like the last Congress,” he said Thursday. He noted that Omar can remain on other panels, just not Foreign Affairs after her anti-Israel comments.

Omar is one of the first two Muslim women elected to Congress. She is also the first to wear a hijab in the House chamber after floor rules were changed to allow members to wear head coverings for religious reasons.

House Oversight Committee announces investigation into John Kerry negotiations with CCP

https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/house/house-oversight-committee-investigation-john-kerry-negotiaions-ccp

House Oversight and Accountability Committee Chairman James Comer (R-KY) announced on Thursday that the panel would be opening an investigation into White House climate czar John Kerry for high-level negotiations with the Chinese Communist Party related to climate. Comer informed Kerry of the investigation in a letter sent on Thursday, seeking information from the special presidential envoy for climate in the Biden administration. The letter comes after Comer previously requested access to documents related to Kerry's negotiations with the Chinese government but did not receive any materials, according to the committee chairman. "To date, you have failed to respond to any of our requests," Comer wrote. "Yet, you continue to engage in activities that could undermine our economic health, skirt congressional authority, and threaten foreign policy under the guise of climate advocacy." "The Committee requests documents and information to understand your role and provide necessary transparency over the SPEC and its activities," he added. "As a member of the President’s cabinet, you should be representing the United States’ interests. Your statements, however, consistently show disregard for American national security and taxpayer dollars." The announcement comes after Kerry told the Associated Press in May 2022 that he was negotiating with the CCP to create a group dedicated to reducing greenhouse gas emissions, prompting concerns among several Republican leaders who say the relationship could undermine the country's economic health.

Republicans repeatedly requested Kerry to provide documents detailing his negotiations with Chinese leaders during the previous Congress, but those requests were denied, according to Comer. "Your office continues to ignore requests for information," Comer wrote. "We are left with an insufficient understanding of your office’s activities, spending, and staffing."

As part of his latest request, the House Oversight Committee is seeking access to documents detailing the special envoy's budget from the last three fiscal years, a list of all those who were present for any discussions where Kerry's budget was mentioned, a full list of people who are employed by the office of the special envoy, all communications between those from inside the office and any third party, and any communications regarding Kerry's domestic or international travel. Kerry has until Feb. 16 to submit the requested materials.

Arkansas Gov. Sarah Sanders to deliver GOP response to State of Union address

https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2023/feb/2/arkansas-gov-sarah-sanders-to-deliver-gop-response/

Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders will deliver the Republican Party’s response to President Biden’s State of the Union address on Tuesday. Mrs. Sanders said she is “grateful for this opportunity to address the nation and contrast the GOP’s optimistic vision for the future against the failures of President Biden and the Democrats.” “We are ready to begin a new chapter in the story of America – to be written by a new generation of leaders ready to defend our freedom against the radical left and expand access to quality education, jobs, and opportunity for all,” she said.

Speaker Kevin McCarthy and Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell made the announcement on Thursday, with Mr. McCarthy calling the governor “a servant-leader of true determination and conviction.”

“The youngest governor in America, Sarah is fighting on behalf of parents, small businesses and ordinary taxpayers,” Mr. McCarthy said. “She is bringing new ideas for a changing future, while also applying the wisdom of the past.” Mrs. Sanders, 40, was elected in November in her first bid for public office. She served as White House press secretary under President Trump and is the daughter of former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee and his wife, Janet. Mr. McConnell, Kentucky Republican, called her “a powerful advocate for the popular, commonsense conservative principles that will put our country back on a better course.”

China held Taiwan war council in October, general’s memo reveals

https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2023/feb/2/china-held-taiwan-war-council-october-generals-mem/

Memo predicting conflict by 2025 clashes with Biden détente push

The four-star Air Force general who predicted a likely war with China within two years also revealed in his now-famous memo that Chinese President Xi Jinping convened a “war council” of senior military leaders on Taiwan recently. Air Force Gen. Michael Minihan, commander of the service’s Air Mobility Command, said in the Feb. 1 memorandum leaked last week to wing commanders that Mr. Xi had recently secured his position as supreme leader and “set his war council in October 2022.” The outspoken general disclosed the meeting while offering his perspective on a potential imminent military clash with China over Taiwan.

The general said he hopes he is wrong, but that “my gut tells me we will fight in 2025.” Air Mobility Command and Pentagon spokesmen declined to comment on the details of the memo. While the 2025 war prediction generated headlines, the revelation of the Chinese war council in October may matter more. U.S. officials said the gathering included top members of the Central Military Commission, the Chinese Communist Party’s most powerful institution that is also headed by Mr. Xi and two People’s Liberation Army generals. Gen. Minihan said his memo is the first of eight monthly directives aimed at increasing readiness, integration and agility for the military to “deter, and if required, defeat China.” U.S. forces must be prepared to fight “inside the first island chain” — the string of islands stretching from Japan to the Philippines that China regards as its primary line of defense on its Pacific coastline, he said. It’s not the first time the general has sounded the alarm: Last fall during an industry aerospace conference in Washington, Gen. Minihan, who spent 10 years at the Indo-Pacific Command, warned about the threat posed by China in stark language and said the military currently is not ready for a conflict inside the first island chain.

“Lethality matters most,” said Gen. Minihan, a former C-17 transport pilot now in charge of moving military goods in C-17s, C-5s, C-130s and refueling tankers. “When you can kill your enemy, every part of your life is better. Your food tastes better. Your marriage is stronger.”

The Chinese war council mentioned by the general in the new memo was the basis for a string of new warnings from senior U.S. officials that month about China‘s timetable for possible military action against Taiwan. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Oct. 17 that China is accelerating plans to take over Taiwan. “There has been a change in the approach from Beijing toward Taiwan in recent years,” Mr. Blinken said at Stanford University. “And instead of sticking with the status quo that was established in a positive way, [there was] a fundamental decision that the status quo was no longer acceptable, and that Beijing was determined to pursue reunification on a much faster timeline.”

Hunter Biden’s ridiculous legal letter trying to distract from real scandal — Joe Biden

https://nypost.com/2023/02/02/hunter-bidens-legal-letter-is-trying-to-distract-from-joe-biden/

Let’s keep our eye on the ball, kids. Hunter Biden is a sideshow.

There is only one question that matters, one question that ought to be riveting our attention, and Congress’ attention, regarding what is deceptively labeled the “Hunter” Biden investigation: When President Barack Obama made his vice president, Joe Biden, the point man for US policy regarding such authoritarian, anti-American regimes as China and Russia, and such notoriously corrupt regimes as Ukraine, why did agents of those regimes believe it was in their interest to pay millions of dollars to the Biden family? The president’s troubled, unstable son is beside the point, except to the extent that his supposed business acumen was the pretext for these money flows.

What we need to know is: What did the Chinese believe they were buying?

Hunter is in the news, playing the victim, trying to make it all about him. In this, he’s got a lot in common with the Biden administration, which would have you believe that the Justice Department’s seemingly endless criminal investigation is all about Hunter, not about President Biden’s knowledge of and participation in the lucrative Biden family business of cashing in on his political influence. These are quite intentional distractions. The critical matter in the Biden probe is not the possible criminal liability of Hunter — or, for that matter, any other Biden. Potential prosecution is a second- or third-order issue, at best. The thing that matters most is the national security of the United States. The material question is whether American policy toward hostile regimes is being influenced by the millions of dollars that agents of those regimes paid the Biden's. Still more significant: The government and Republican Sens. Chuck Grassley and Ron Johnson were already investigating Hunter Biden’s shady activities before the laptop came to light. To be sure, there would be nothing wrong with prosecutors using laptop evidence to bolster their case; but they hardly need that evidence to prove tax violations (over which there were longstanding liens on Hunter’s properties), and to prove that he made a false statement on an application that gun purchasers must complete, by representing that he was not an illegal drug user. Because Hunter is just a sideshow, though, let’s cut to the chase — President Biden. Under our law, constitutional violations are personal. That is, only the person whose privacy has been violated by, say, an illegal search has the right to seek suppression of that evidence. As we’ve seen, Hunter has no credible claim in that regard because there was no illegal search by the government. Even he doesn’t claim that it was the feds who took his laptop from him and then publicized the contents.

But here’s the main point: Even if Hunter had a valid legal claim along those lines, the only person who could raise it would be Hunter, in the confines of a prosecution against him. No one else has any standing to seek suppression of the damning laptop evidence.

As to Joe Biden, his brother Jim, and other Bidens whom the laptop evidence exposes raking in big foreign bucks, the only question is whether the laptop’s contents are authentic — and, as we’ve noted, that’s not a question at all, as even Hunter concedes authenticity. The other Bidens have no basis to suppress the laptop. Prosecutors are free to use the evidence against them. More consequentially, Congress is free to consider the laptop evidence in probing the Biden family business. The Biden administration and its friends in the media-Democrat complex would like to us believe that what matters here is an investigation that involves only Hunter and only puny tax and false-statements crimes. They want us focused on that, and wringing our hands over whether the president’s troubled son is a victim — of a computer repairman, or of his own demons.

Don’t fall for it. What matters here is why corrupt and anti-American regimes thought it was in the interest of those regimes to pay the Biden's millions of dollars. Put another way, when CEFC, an elaborate Chinese intelligence operation posing as an international business conglomerate, paid the Biden's $6 million in a year’s time, and when it was planned that 10% of an even more lucrative CEFC deal would be held by Hunter for “the big guy,” what was Beijing expecting to get out of its investment?

>>18272065