Washington Post Is Still Pushing Schtick Asking Electoral College To Pick Hillary

By William Teach November 25, 2016 – 7:04 am

If the shoe was reversed, had Trump lost but received more votes, does anyone think that august organizations like the Washington Post would allow opinion pieces like this, or would they say “no, we do not need that, Clinton won”?

Why the electoral college should choose Hillary Clinton

Conventional wisdom tells us that the electoral college requires that the person who lost the popular vote this year must nonetheless become our president. That view is an insult to our framers. It is compelled by nothing in our Constitution. It should be rejected by anyone with any understanding of our democratic traditions  — most important, the electors themselves.

The framers believed, as Alexander Hamilton put it, that “the sense of the people should operate in the choice of the [president].” But no nation had ever tried that idea before. So the framers created a safety valve on the people’s choice. Like a judge reviewing a jury verdict, where the people voted, the electoral college was intended to confirm — or not — the people’s choice. Electors were to apply, in Hamilton’s words, “a judicious combination of all the reasons and inducements which were proper to govern their choice” — and then decide. The Constitution says nothing about “winner take all.” It says nothing to suggest that electors’ freedom should be constrained in any way. Instead, their wisdom — about whether to overrule “the people” or not — was to be free of political control yet guided by democratic values. They were to be citizens exercising judgment,  not cogs turning a wheel.

The Electoral College was, in part, set up to provide protection to States and their Rights within our Federal Republic. It was so no one state could dominate others, much like there are checks so that the majority cannot tyrannize the minority.

Writer Laurence Lessig, who, shockingly!, is a big proponent of many vastly left wing policies, and goes on to mention how two presidents, Benjamin Harrison and George W. Bush, lost the popular vote but won the electoral vote, even trotting out the Left’s favorite word, “selected”, bandied about by Liberals in their apoplexy and unhingedness post 2000.

In both cases, the result violated what has become one of the most important principles governing our democracy — one person, one vote. In both cases, the votes of some weighed much more heavily than the votes of others. Today, the vote of a citizen in Wyoming is four times as powerful as the vote of a citizen in Michigan. The vote of a citizen in Vermont is three times as powerful as a vote in Missouri. This denies Americans the fundamental value of a representative democracy — equal citizenship. Yet nothing in our Constitution compels this result.

First, if one person, one vote, then why do Democrats fight so hard against measures, such as voter ID, to make sure that the people voting are who they say they are?

Second, we see the real gripe, namely, that people in non-Democratic Party states are actually given power, exactly as the Framers intended. It’s the same reasoning that gives tiny Blue state Delaware the same number of Senators as mega-Blue state California. If you do not know the reasons, you’ve failed Civics 101, thanks to the uber-leftist education system.

The framers left the electors free to choose. They should exercise that choice by leaving the election as the people decided it: in Clinton’s favor.

That would, in actuality, negate the votes of all the people who voted Trump in the majority of States, giving people in certain states the Power, destroying the idea of a Federal Republic. The system worked. Democrats say they love our Constitution: this electoral college drumbeat provides further evidence that they despise it.

Now, just imagine the situation was reversed: Lessig and outlets like the Washington Post would be telling us all about the integrity of the election, that the Electoral College should uphold the votes for their states regardless of the popular vote, etc and so on. Because everything is about power with them, not principles.

Crossed at Right Wing News.

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How To Survive Thanksgiving 2016 In Poem Or Something(?)

By William Teach November 24, 2016 – 8:45 am

Alright, I said yesterday’s post on how liberals can survive Thanksgiving with their family and friends would be the last one. But, hey, this is just too irresistible, as the Washington Post, one of the nation’s top papers, allows Alexandra Petri, a long time WP columnist, to indulge herself

How to survive Thanksgiving 2016

how can you speak to your family at thanksgiving?
how can you speak to anyone ever again?

do not attempt to converse with anyone over the meal
instead whisper your retorts into a cluster of reeds
carry this cluster of reeds with you throughout the thanksgiving meal
plant them by the side of the highway where they can scream obscenities at passersby and sometimes just ask for more stuffing

before the meal make a sweep of the house
you must find a place to hide for when the purge begins
or when grandma says something you don’t agree with
which is like a purge in some ways
either way you should familiarize yourself with household decorations that can be transformed into rudimentary weapons
just in case

warn your family that if they speak the Forbidden Name three times you will shake off your skin and become a thing of rage and indignation that is too fearsome to behold
last week you accidentally turned on Fox News and bit a bat in half
you don’t know yet what you are capable of
when you recovered yourself your bank account was empty and mike pence’s office was calling and you don’t know what happened

I’m having a tough time deciding if she’s serious or utterly making fun of Safe Space Snowflakes and all the “advice” they’ve been giving their liberal brethren while using balladry. Reading the rest (hit the link) makes me lean towards the latter.

Fortunately, Excitable E.J. Dionne is more serious on The Way To Prevent Thanksgiving Armageddon.

As for his supporters, they dismiss us as snobbish left-wing elitists completely out of touch with what’s happening in the “real America.”

Interesting. Liberals call us Flyover Country, and say we live in Jesusland and Dumbfuckistan, obviously none of which are complementary. Thankfully, Salon, a hotbed of Leftist insanity, provides multiple articles, including one on how to survive the post election holidays. Why restrict yourself to just wondering how to survive Thanksgiving?

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Posted in Holidays, Special Snowflake Syndrome | 2 Comments | Trackback URL

NY Times Trots Out An “Oh Woe is Me” Strawman On Illegal Immigration

By William Teach November 24, 2016 – 7:35 am

I’m quite confidant that we will be treated to man more sob stories from illegal aliens in the pages of the Times, along with many other Leftist media outlets, over the next 6+ months. In this case, a Mr. Lundy Khoy

Mr. Trump: I Am an Immigrant With a Criminal Record

I arrived in the United States on Nov. 12, 1981, when I was 1. My parents had fled the Pol Pot genocide in Cambodia, in which over two million people were murdered. I was born in a refugee camp in Thailand before moving to California, and then Virginia.

None of these facts may seem important, but I assure you, they are. My parents and I were granted legal permanent resident status; my brother and sister, who were born here, are citizens. The three of us were typical American kids, eating Cheerios for breakfast and taking the bus to school. We went to Disneyland and religiously watched the Fourth of July fireworks from the beach. As a teenager I attended school dances in all of their crepe glory. I am not an American citizen, but there is no way I am not an American.

Donald J. Trump said that his administration will “get the people that are criminal and have criminal records, gang members, drug dealers, we have a lot of these people, probably two million, it could be even three million.” He continued, “We are getting them out of our country or we are going to incarcerate. But we’re getting them out of our country.”

I’m not a gang member. I’m not a drug dealer. But I have a criminal record, and I’m afraid.

Can you see the strawman? Remember when the NY Times said they would start doing actual reporting? Of course, we know that was a bunch of hooey, and that it would certainly never apply to the feelings, er, opinion, pages. Left out is that Trump was talking specifically about illegal aliens.

Here’s the upshot of Mr. Khoy’s issue: like many in college, he got a little wild and was busted with Ecstasy, and charged with intent to sell, as he had 7 tablets. He plead guilty, spend 3 months in the slammer, then served 4 years probation. He was supposedly a model guy afterwards. Then

Then, in 2004, I went for what I thought was a routine visit to my probation officer. I had even brought along my most recent report card to show the growth I had made. What I encountered was a multitude of officers from Immigration and Customs Enforcement, instructing me to hand over my possessions and stand spread-eagle against the wall. As my probation officer gave me an apologetic look, they escorted me out of the office, handcuffed me and eventually took me to Hampton Roads Regional Jail, in southern Virginia.

By the terms of law, anyone here on any legal status can be booted out for a variety of reasons, including drug offenses (excluding minor marijuana). But, after spending 9 months in a detention facility, he was released, and, never deported.

This spring, I received a pardon from the governor of Virginia that mentioned my “commitment to good citizenship.” But immigration law is separate from criminal law, and my record still exists. Even though the state has forgiven my crime, the federal government could still decide to deport me. I am not eligible for citizenship.

Being not eligible for citizenship is on him, not us. Being eligible to be kicked out is also on him. You make choices in life. Should he be deported? Not in my opinion. He’s paid the penalty for his crimes.

Deporting me may be within the authority of the law, but I implore Mr. Trump and his supporters to look past my mistakes. Every year I stay here is one more year I grow and acquire skills and knowledge that allow me to contribute more to this country. By giving me the tremendous opportunity to remain here, you would be allowing me to truly live how I’ve felt I’ve lived my entire life: as an American.

Again, revel in the strawman. No one is talking about people like Mr. Khoy. He’s not an illegal alien. The country welcomed those escaping Pol Pot. Khoy could have applied for citizenship much earlier. Regardless, he’s not an illegal. Trump hasn’t said anything about going after those here under permanent legal residence status.

The whole intent here is to offer up a sob story which equates legal immigrants with illegal aliens, linking the two so that people get weepy eyed over kicking the illegals out as people confuse the two statuses.

Crossed at Right Wing News.

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Happy Thanksgiving Pinup! (sticky for the day)

By William Teach November 24, 2016 – 6:55 am

I want to wish all the folks who frequent Pirate’s Cove, as well as my blog friends out there, a wonderful Thanksgiving. Y’all, regardless of political identification, make it all worthwhile.

Read: Happy Thanksgiving Pinup! (sticky for the day) »

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Thankfully, You Now Know How To Talk To Trump Supporters At Thanksgiving!

By William Teach November 23, 2016 – 3:33 pm

While I have many, many more of these screeds in the Pocket account, let’s end this week-long meme on this note (well, until liberals trot out the same stories in a month, substituting Christmas for Thanksgiving)

How to talk to Trump supporters this Thanksgiving

If you’re like me, you’re probably still coming to terms with post-election America. I’m heartbroken so many people voted for an erratic racist and misogynist with no political experience. I’m beyond frustrated to see another climate science denier in power. I fear for my neighbors, my country and the planet. To avoid drowning in my anger, I’m grasping to find some common ground with conservatives.

It’s not going to go far with that attitude.

Thanksgiving presents a great opportunity. Some San Franciscans will spend the holiday with Donald Trump supporters. While avoiding political discussions may be tempting, don’t. Let’s build bridges with friends and family and work to alleviate the growing divisiveness.

When it comes to the environment, relating to conservatives is as simple as changing the message to emphasize economic benefits and religious responsibility.

Again, it’s hilarious that Liberals actually need someone to tell them what to talk about and How To Act Like A Civil Adult. The best advice for liberals is “stop right there. Don’t. No one wants to listen to your screeds about how great it is that men pretending to be women can go into bathrooms and changing rooms with Other People’s daughters.” Better yet, stay home, because the people who need these articles are nutballs.

Conservatives do not need these articles. We know to separate the personal from the political, and to just be content with being with family and friends on a holiday.

Regardless, I wish all our liberal friends a joyous Thanksgiving. Just enjoy. Watch football. Laugh. Love. Eat.

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If All You See…

By William Teach November 23, 2016 – 1:00 pm

…is a horrible gas powered tractor causing food to stop growing from carbon pollution, you might just be a Warmist

The blog of the day is The Daley Gator, with a post on liberals burning the American flag.

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Thank Goodness, It’s OK To Talk ‘Climate Change’ At Thanksgiving

By William Teach November 23, 2016 – 10:30 am

This is obviously aimed at members of the Cult of Climastrology, who need clear guidance on, well, let’s face it, everything. Their Betters are the guides of their life

If climate change comes up at Thanksgiving, it’s OK to talk.

With Thanksgiving coming after a polarizing election campaign, Americans may have some tough choices to make about what to discuss with family and friends. But here’s a little food thought: Important topics don’t necessarily have to be unspeakable ones, if handled in the right way.

We could probably stop right there, because Warmists, who are primarily Leftists, will not bring it up in the right way, will pontificate, caterwaul, and will refuse to let anyone else speak, much less listen.

Maybe people are afraid they don’t know enough to talk, or fear others won’t agree with their views. It could also be that the issue itself seems too vague (off in the future) or too menacing (can we really do something about this?) – so that in either case avoidance can seem the path of least resistance.

Not knowing enough has never stopped them before, why should it stop them now? Even when people are telling them to go in another room and talk to themselves, as people are watching football.

But maybe you can actually do well by breaking the silence. Really.

Most likely you’ll just annoy your friends and family.

The rest is the typical claptrap, ending with a recap, which includes

Sometimes buzz phrases like “global warming” get in the way. Close-to-home issues like air pollution or increasing heat waves can be a shared concern even for people who feel opposed on climate change.

In other words, you have to lie about your beliefs to attempt to gin up support.

Fortunately, there’s also this

Feds offer Thanksgiving tips to fight climate change

and

How To Talk To Your Climate Change-Denying Relatives This Thanksgiving (Yes, You Can!)

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Posted in Global Warming, Liberal World | 1 Comment | Trackback URL

Hillary Lost In The Rust Belt Because People Thought She Cared More About Bathrooms Than Jobs

By William Teach November 23, 2016 – 7:17 am

An interesting take on the Democrat Party as a whole

(Washington Post) Back in May, the longtime chairman of the Mahoning County Democratic Party sent a private memo to leaders in Hillary Clinton’s campaign warning that she was in grave danger of losing not just Ohio but also Pennsylvania and Michigan unless she quickly re-tooled her message on trade. His advice went unheeded.

“I don’t have to make the case that blue collar voters are, to put it mildly, less than enthusiastic about HRC’s positions on trade and the economy,” David Betras wrote in his 1,300 word missive, citing her struggles in recent primaries.

The local chairman feels very strongly now that Clinton could have won Ohio, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin and Michigan if she had just kept her eye on economic issues and not gotten distracted by the culture wars.

“Look, I’m as progressive as anybody, okay? But people in the heartland thought the Democratic Party cared more about where someone else went to the restroom than whether they had a good-paying job,” he complained. “‘Stronger together’ doesn’t get anyone a job.”

While it’s certainly not the only reason, it certainly resonates. These are the things Democrats worry about, being good little Social Justice Warriors (from their high toned and fancy mansions) and thinking every Democrat voter is the same. No. They worry about jobs.

This mentality is what has motivated Democratic Rep. Tim Ryan, who represents Youngstown, to challenge Nancy Pelosi for minority leader. “No Democrat in my area feels like Nancy Pelosi represents them,” Betras said. “She’s like a distant cousin where you really don’t know her. Yeah, we’re related, but… The coastal elites don’t understand the struggle. It’s like we’re foreign to them, and as a result the people here feel like the Democratic Party is now foreign to them.”

“The messages can’t be about ‘job retraining.’ These folks have heard it a million times and, frankly, they think it’s complete and total bulls**t,” he continued. “Talk about policies that will incentivize companies to repatriate manufacturing jobs. Talk about infrastructure … The workers we’re talking about don’t want to run computers; they want to run back hoes, dig ditches (and) sling concrete block. … Somewhere along the line we forgot that not everyone wants to be white collar.”

It’s been shown time and again in poll after poll after poll that the economy and jobs, the bread and butter issues, are always tops. All the other things came way after, but, these are the ones Democrats focus on, and, even when they do focus on jobs, they do it in a pandering fashion, while also talking about retraining for people who’ve lost their jobs due to Democratic Party policies.

The question is, does the Dem Party change? They’ve become so uber-leftist that the fringe are not people like Pelosi. They’re people like Joe Manchin, who is much more moderate. This has lost them vast swaths of elections at not just the federal level, but the state, county, and local levels too boot. Their unhinged Progressive base is what drives them, though, and they care more about things like forcing people to accept the gender confused in the showers, locker rooms, and bathrooms with Other People’s daughters.

Read: Hillary Lost In The Rust Belt Because People Thought She Cared More About Bathrooms Than Jobs »

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Is Trump Walking Back His Promise To Pull Out Of The Paris Climate Agreement?

By William Teach November 23, 2016 – 7:04 am

Tuesday, Mr. Trump went to the NY Times building to talk with the DNC leadership, er, reporters and stuff, and had this to say

THOMAS L. FRIEDMAN, opinion columnist: Mr. President-elect, can I ask a question? One of the issues that you actually were very careful not to speak about during the campaign, and haven’t spoken about yet, is one very near and dear to my heart, the whole issue of climate change, the Paris agreement, how you’ll approach it. You own some of the most beautiful links golf courses in the world …

TRUMP: [laughing] I read your article. Some will be even better because actually like Doral is a little bit off … so it’ll be perfect. [inaudible] He doesn’t say that. He just says that the ones that are near the water will be gone, but Doral will be in great shape.

FRIEDMAN: But it’s really important to me, and I think to a lot of our readers, to know where you’re going to go with this. I don’t think anyone objects to, you know, doing all forms of energy. But are you going to take America out of the world’s lead of confronting climate change?

TRUMP: I’m looking at it very closely, Tom. I’ll tell you what. I have an open mind to it. We’re going to look very carefully. It’s one issue that’s interesting because there are few things where there’s more division than climate change. You don’t tend to hear this, but there are people on the other side of that issue who are, think, don’t even …

Now, Trump has specifically promised to pull out of the Paris Climate agreement many times during the campaign. But, as Allahpundit notes

It could be that he’s just being prudential. There’s no sense binding himself to a position on a major issue, campaign promise or no, before he’s been fully briefed and his cabinet’s debated it. Same goes for the Iran nuclear deal, which he’s also promised to abandon in the past buthas been coy about lately. He’s going to take his time before committing to a major unilateral move, particularly one that’ll anger American allies. Another possibility: The guy loves good press and enjoys pleasing his audience, and he knows what an audience of New York Times editors wants to hear about climate change. He couldn’t resist pandering to them. Put him back in front of an arena of 10,000 screaming fans and he’ll say something different.

The thing here is that I read that bit as being about not just rethinking the Paris agreement, but Hotcoldwetdry altogether. Is he playing coy or moderating his position? If he moderates on this, he’ll lose quite a bit of capital with the people who voted for him. He also told Michael Sheer, NY Times White House correspondent, that he would look at it, meaning the Paris agreement specifically, later in the meeting.

We also supposedly get this, but, it’s not in the transcript that I can find

Despite his talk about hoaxes from China, I have no problem with this. I’ve written tons of times that Mankind does play a small part. We’ll soon find out what Trump really meant and what he didn’t. Will he solidify my election season belief that he wasn’t to be trusted, or will he do the majority of things he promised?

Crossed at Right Wing News.

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Special California Snowflakes Are Really Attempting This Whole Secession Thing

By William Teach November 22, 2016 – 4:23 pm

Remember when it was racist and evil and anti-democracy when Texas floated this type of thing? Good time, good times (via Twitchy)

Anti-Trump secessionists filed formal paperwork Monday launching their petition drive aimed at separating California from the union by first putting the issue before voters on the 2018 ballot.

A petition submitted by the Yes California Independence Campaign calls for repealing language in the state constitution that describes California as an “inseparable part” of the nation and holding a vote on independence on March 13, 2019.

It was also mean and racist when parts of California wanted to secede from California to become their own state (there have been many plans on splitting California into two, four, and even six states). But, hey, this is a great idea!

https://twitter.com/alex_forreal/status/800816993242710017

Even more fun, how would they export all their products and import so much else? They’d need all sorts of trade deals. Oh, hey, some of Ca’s water comes from out of state. Cut off. They’d be on their own in the event of a natural disaster, and, let’s face it, the whole state is a disaster waiting to happen. Literally.

What about all the food that would need to be imported? Hey, they grow a lot of lettuce and nuts (sic), but, quite a bit more needs to be imported. So does all that fossil fuels. And other things.

Anyhow, grab the popcorn.

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