Obama destroying GOP by turning one faction on another

By Lynn R. Mitchell

Today, the last men standing amidst the debris of the Republican presidential competition are Donald Trump, a political independent who is using the Republican Party like an Uber car; Ted Cruz, who used the Republican Party as a footstool; and John Kasich, a remnant of the Reagan revolution, who is being told by Republicans to quit.

That’s just one jewel of a statement in this Wall Street Journal piece by Daniel Henninger that illustrates how Republicans have become the Gingham Dog and Calico Cat while President Barack Obama and the Democrats have sat back and watch the GOP implode. Henninger writes:

WSJ editorial: ‘Deport Nikki Haley’

By Lynn R. Mitchell

Bearing Drift colleague Matt Hall has a post responding to Ann Coulter’s tweet during the State of the Union response by South Carolina’s Republican Governor Nikki Haley that said, “Trump should deport Nikki Haley.”

Interesting that the tweet has Governor Haley, 44, now being defended by many mainstream Republicans and blasted by tea partiers who helped put her in power.

The Wall Street Journal also responded with an editorial that noted, “A party that rejects Nikki Haley as a spokeswoman is one that doesn’t really want to build a governing majority.”

WSJ: Tuesday’s Republican debate most educational

Photo by Lynn R. Mitchell

By Lynn R. Mitchell

I like the way the Wall Street Journal opened its opinion piece about Tuesday’ Republican debate (see Republican fault lines):

Tuesday’s Republican presidential debate wasn’t the most entertaining, but it was the most educational. The two-hour session gave the candidates a chance to critique the Obama record, as well as tease out the GOP’s economic fault lines.

They went on to touch on issues discussed — trade, tax policies, immigration, jobs — and various candidate responses. It’s worth the read — it’s not long. There was also something else they picked up on that other media outlets did also — that Jeb Bush concentrated his attack power on Obama and Hillary, not his fellow candidates:

Jeb Bush had his best debate by focusing his aim on Hillary Clinton’s economic policies rather than on other Republicans. His specificity on regulations he’d repeal was helpful, listing the three most costly in the Obama years.

And then there was this on immigration:

Jeb Bush pushed back against Mr. Trump’s deportation plans, arguing that “to send back” 12 million illegals “is just not possible” and would have the Clinton campaign “doing high-fives” in the general election. We think he’s right about the politics, but Messrs. Trump and Cruz think they can win on an anti-immigration platform. Can they win more than Mitt Romney’s 17% share of the minority vote?

Let’s hope future Republican debates are as informative as the one Tuesday. Fox Business Network, led by Neal Cavuto as one of the three moderators, set up a format that allowed candidates to expand on their answers more so than in previous debates, and questions asked were about issues important in these unsettled times. More of that, please. Oh — and I agree with their assessment that Governor Chris Christie should be on the main stage.

What is Donald Trump’s game?

By Lynn R. Mitchell

Former Reagan speech writer Peggy Noonan nailed the Donald Trump issue with Republicans in her latest (see Donald Trump’s Appeal — and it’s limits in the Wall Street Journal):

Mr. Trump’s loquacity will be a challenge in the debates. How will anyone get a word in edgewise? Candidates will rely on the moderator. The moderator may amuse himself by stepping back and watching the fun. None of the candidates will want to take Mr. Trump head-on because he doesn’t play within the margins of traditional political comportment. He’s a squid: poke him and get ink all over you. [emphasis added]

The dilemma is how to wrestle the pig without ending up in the mud with him. Trump reminds of the unfiltered trash-talking bully on the playground, and many are weary of the spectacle and ready for his fifteen minutes of fame to be over. There is no decorum with him which is exactly his appeal with some.

Israel’s Benjamin Netanyahu: ‘What a stunning, historic mistake’

By Lynn R. Mitchell

Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called the Obama administration’s Iran deal a “stunning, historic mistake” (see Netanyahu calls Iran deal ‘historic mistake’ by Joshua Mitnick in the Wall Street Journal):

When you are willing to make an agreement at any cost, this is the result. From the initial reports we can already conclude that this agreement is an historic mistake for the world.

Far-reaching concessions have been made in all areas that were supposed to prevent Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons capability. In addition, Iran will receive hundreds of billions of dollars with which it can fuel its terror machine and its expansion and aggression throughout the Middle East and across the globe.

One cannot prevent an agreement when the negotiators are willing to make more and more concessions to those who, even during the talks, keep chanting: ‘Death to America.’

We knew very well that the desire to sign an agreement was stronger than anything, and therefore we did not commit to preventing an agreement.

We did commit to preventing Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons, and this commitment still stands.

For Israel, the Obama administration has been considered a threat to their future. Today, that threat continues.

When Henry Kissinger speaks, I listen

By Lynn R. Mitchell

When I was young and watching the political landscape, one of the adults in the room was Henry Kissinger — a foreign policy expert who served as National Security Adviser and Secretary of State for Presidents Richard Nixon and Gerald Ford. Even then I recognized this man’s importance to our country and listened when he spoke, not to mention the fact that his personal story about immigrating to America is fascinating.

Now 91 years old, Kissinger’s mind is still sharp as he continues to advise on the safety and stability of our country. In today’s Wall Street Journal, he and 94-year-old former Secretary of  State George Shultz, who served in President Ronald Reagan’s administration, have co-authored an opinion piece about the current “deal” with Iran. Don’t let their ages fool you. There are times when institutional knowledge and wisdom are badly needed in all circumstances especially in foreign policy, and these men have something to say (see The Iran Deal and Its Consequences). I’m listening.

Jeb: GOP needs to show it can lead

By Lynn R. Mitchell

Jeb Bush came out again on the side of common sense and pragmatic leadership when he addressed The Wall Street Journal CEO Council annual meeting (see Jeb Bush details political vision at The Hill). Noting that the GOP nominee should “lose the primary to win the general without violating your principles,” he expanded on that:

He said voters are looking for an “uplifting, much more positive message.”

Bush’s apparent strategy not to try to appeal to the most conservative elements of the party contrasts to some degree with Mitt Romney’s 2012 campaign, where some questioned whether he tacked too far to the right in the primary, hurting his ability to get back toward the center for the general election.

On eve of 9/11 anniversary, Americans feel less safe

By Lynn R. Mitchell

On the eve of the 13th anniversary of the 9/11 terrorism attacks, Americans feel less safe in the wake of weak leadership, according to a new NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll that revealed:

 

47 percent feel less safe
26 feel more safe
26 feel about as safe

A year ago, 28 percent said America was less safe.

WSJ: ‘Health Care and the $20,000 bruise’

By Lynn R. Mitchell

The Wall Street Journal has an interesting article today from Dr. Eric Michael David who writes a first-hand account about his young son’s emergency room visit that turned out to be nothing more serious than a bruise on his head, and his shock at receiving a $20,000 charge. Because he is a doctor (and a lawyer), he was able to navigate the medical system to negotiate the bill but his experience is a lesson to us all.

Eric Cantor returns to Washington … and Wall Street

By Lynn R. Mitchell

The libertarians-tea partiers of the 7th Congressional District of Virginia didn’t want Eric Cantor to represent them anymore. It looks as if they did him a favor because, as we all suspected, he landed on his feet.

No more home delivery update: End of Week 2 with no newspapers

By Lynn R. Mitchell

The letter showed up with the newspaper two weeks ago: no more home delivery would be available for hard copies of the Waynesboro News-Virginian and the Richmond Times-Dispatch (see No more home newspaper delivery). Friends who live just west of us received the same notice of no more home delivery of their Richmond Times-Dispatch and Wall Street Journal.

We live five minutes west of Staunton, not even in the far western reaches of Augusta County. We were offered the choice of mail delivery or online.

Swiss chocolatier on verge of acquiring American Russell Stover

By Lynn R. Mitchell

Chocolate is in the news today as two of my favorite chocolatiers are poised to merge in an acquisition that make it the third largest chocolate company in the world.

Judge denies McDonnell request for dismissal and separate trials, his lawyers prepare defense against the highly questionable charges

By Lynn R. Mitchell

From the Richmond Times-Dispatch:

Motions denied: A federal court judge today denied a motion by former Gov. Bob McDonnell to separate his trial from that of his wife, Maureen. He also refused to throw out corruption charges against the McDonnells. That means the joint trial will go on on July 28.

It’s sad to see that this witch hunt has been allow to progress so far. To help with the governor’s defense, go to The Restoration Fund to donate. You will be joining other high-profile names like former Massachusetts Governor and U.S. President candidate Mitt Romney who gave $10,000. Every little bit helps.

Also check out these articles about the federal government and its pursuit of Republican governors in Virginia and New Jersey. While ignoring the bungling of Benghazi where Americans actually died, DoJ pursues high-ranking Republicans:

WSJ: ‘Eric Cantor, Tea-Party Posturing, and the GOP’

By Lynn R. Mitchell

Dave Brat, challenging U.S. House Majority Leader Eric Cantor, has criticized the Congressman for allowing an increase in the debt ceiling and voting for a budget that didn’t defund Obamacare even though the House has repeatedly tried to repeal it.

Peter Wehner, a senior fellow at the Ethics and Public Policy Center and who served in the last three Republican administrations, responded to Brat’s criticisms of Cantor in Thursday’s Wall Street Journal with Eric Cantor, Tea-Party Posturing, and the GOP:

Eric Cantor is a conservative by any reasonable standard. But that’s not enough. Some on the right insist that conservatives also be aggressively stupid; that they embrace tactics that might make them and their cause more unpopular. In politics, there have always been people who thrive on relentless confrontations, who want to go over the cliff with all flags flying, and who seem oddly enamored with the auto-da-fe. Such people can be amusing in small doses, but in large doses they can harm a party and a movement. [emphasis added]