Sept. 24, 2020
Permission to republish original opeds and cartoons granted.
No reason for Senate GOP to wait until after election to confirm Trump’s Ginsburg replacement to Supreme Court
Senate Majority
Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) is under enormous pressure from his Democratic
colleagues not to confirm whoever President Donald Trump may nominate to
replace the late Ruth Bader Ginsburg before the election. But in truth, there
is no reason, neither constitutional nor political, for Trump and McConnell to
wait at all. The Constitution simply states, in Article II, Section 2, “The
President… shall nominate, and by and with the advice and consent of the
Senate, shall appoint … judges of the Supreme Court…” Meaning, under the law,
when there is a vacancy, President Trump can make his nomination whenever he
wants, and the Senate, led by McConnell, can confirm that nominee as soon as
possible. Given the gravity of the vote — where it will cement a 6 to 3
Republican-appointed majority on the Supreme Court — it is probably safer for
Republicans politically to push for the vote prior to the election. After all, a lot can change after the
election. If the Supreme Court seat is on the ballot in November and the fate
of the Ginsburg seat is uncertain, former Vice President Joe Biden and
Democrats can use that to drive turnout not only in the presidential race
against President Trump, but also House and Senate elections.
Video: Lunchbox Joe is living large after cashing in
Joe Biden made
millions after leaving government service by cashing in. At the start of
Biden’s term a vice president, he had a net worth of less than $30,000. Three
years after leaving office, his net worth rocketed to $9 million. Biden is the
poster boy for crony capitalism.
Conservative groups rally to save Pebble Mine
Americans for
Limited Government, along with 65 other conservative groups, sent a letter to
President Trump this week urging him not to allow political meddling in the
permitting process for the Pebble Mine in Alaska. Insiders believe White House
meddling, has resulted in further regulatory delays aimed at killing the mine
project which would be the largest gold and copper mine in North America.
Pebble Mine also has a large deposit of rhenium used in military aircraft and
is a key component in aircraft engines. The letter, spearheaded by the
Conservative Action Project, says these delay tactics harken back to “the bad
old days when the Obama administration misused its Clean Water Act authority
and used bogus science to veto the project before an Environmental Impact
Statement (EIS) had even been submitted.”
Video: Freedom loving Marine kicks off five city tour to save our country!
In the spring of
2020, Dr. Cordie felt his constitutional rights were being violated by the
state of California. So, he did what any veteran, father, and business owner
would do – he took action. Dr. Cordie picked up a megaphone and began speaking
up at protests all across California.
Video: As Biden mails it in, GOP absentee ballots could hold the key to Trump's reelection in November
To win, Trump and
the GOP don’t merely need more early voting, Election Day voting and lawyers.
Those will all be needed, too, but the real key to victory could be more
Republican-submitted absentee ballots. What if Republicans were to also offset
the Democrats’ mail-in voting with an extensive mail-in voter identification
and delivery operation of their own?
Biden Ukraine Sleaze: Like father, like son
Americans for
Limited Government President Rick Manning: "The report released this morning
contains the least surprising, shocking revelations in history. Anyone paying
attention to the Joe and Hunter Biden's activities in Ukraine knows that Hunter
Biden made a fortune representing a corrupt company, Burisma, and that then-Vice
President Biden used his influence to get a Ukrainian prosecutor fired who was
investigating Burisma for corruption. It is also not surprising that Joe Biden
abused his position as Vice President when he brought his son, Hunter, to a
meeting with Chinese officials after which the young Biden got a $1 billion
investment deal with no qualifications except his daddy's office. Now more than
six months after Pelosi's political impeachment was dismissed as nothing more
than garbage, the truth is being fully exposed about the corrupt dealings which
the impeachment was intended to obscure. If Joe Biden committed a crime selling
the office of Vice President, it would be insane for the public to ever entrust
him with the Oval Office."
Washington Times: The man, the myth: Biden still spinning ‘fables’ despite 1988 election disaster
Americans for Limited
Government President Rick Manning: “This has been a career-long problem that [Biden]’s
had. I think a lot of people look at the things he’s doing now, and say, oh,
he’s getting older, and that may be true, but the fact is, this is his
historical record. This is not a recent phenomenon. This is who he is.”
No reason for Senate GOP to wait until after election to confirm Trump’s Ginsburg replacement to Supreme Court
By Robert Romano
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) is under enormous pressure from his Democratic colleagues not to confirm whoever President Donald Trump may nominate to replace the late Ruth Bader Ginsburg on the Supreme Court before the election.
But in truth, there is simply no reason, neither constitutional nor political, for Trump and McConnell to wait at all.
The Constitution simply states, in Article II, Section 2, “The President… shall nominate, and by and with the advice and consent of the Senate, shall appoint … judges of the Supreme Court…”
Meaning, under the law, when there is a vacancy on the nation’s high court, President Trump can make his nomination whenever he wants, and the Senate, led by McConnell, can confirm that nominee as soon as possible.
In 2018, Justice Brett Kavanaugh was confirmed just a month before the midterm elections. And in 2016, former President Barack Obama attempted to get Merrick Garland confirmed to the late Antonin Scalia’s Supreme Court seat even though it was an election year, but failed.
Democrats lost the Senate in 2014, and at that point lost the right to dictate what goes on the floor. Elections have consequences. Parties always play for all the marbles. Meaning, McConnell was able to block Garland but pave the way for Justices Neil Gorsuch and Brett Kavanaugh and whoever replaces Ginsburg. That’s the high stakes game and in every game there are winners and losers. The only principle at stake is power. The rest is just window dressing.
In both the cases of Kavanaugh and Garland, the nominations were made, but depending on who had the Senate majority, the outcome was entirely different. Since, 2014 Republicans have had the Senate majority, and so unsurprisingly, Kavanaugh was confirmed, and Garland was rejected.
The constitutional hurdle is set in stone: The President can make a nomination, and the Senate can either say yes or no.
And so will it be with whoever President Trump nominates to replace Ginsburg. The only other hurdle for Trump and Republicans is merely political, but so far, it looks like McConnell should have the votes, making this process much easier than the Kavanaugh confirmation, which had little to no margin for error.
With Kavanaugh, Republicans had a narrow 51 to 49 majority, but after 2018, they picked up a net two seats, where now it’s 53 to 47. This should be easy pickings for McConnell.
Senate Republicans can afford to lose, say, Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) and/or Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska), and still have more than enough votes to easily confirm the nomination right now.
So, if Trump and McConnell have the votes, then the only question is that of timing. Should the confirmation be before the election, or afterward?
Given the gravity of the vote — where it will cement a 6 to 3 Republican-appointed majority on the Supreme Court — it is probably safer for Republicans politically to push for the vote prior to the election.
After all, a lot can change after the election.
If the Supreme Court seat is on the ballot in November and the fate of the Ginsburg seat is uncertain, former Vice President Joe Biden and Democrats can use that to drive turnout not only in the presidential race against President Trump, but also House and Senate elections.
In 2016, Republicans successfully used the vacant Scalia seat to drive turnout and win to keep that seat. In 2020, it could work in reverse for Democrats, who are now playing defense — unless the seat is already filled.
So, why wait?
If Trump and McConnell can successfully replace Ginsburg before the election, that could very well take the wind out of the sails of Democrats. The smart play is to vote on the nominee now and demoralize the opposition so that they feel like they have nothing left to fight for. Stay tuned.
Robert Romano is the Vice President of Public Policy at Americans for Limited Government.
To view online: http://dailytorch.com/2020/09/no-reason-for-senate-gop-to-wait-until-after-election-to-confirm-trumps-ginsburg-replacement-to-supreme-court/
Video: Lunchbox Joe is living large after cashing in
To view online: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BRIhLrjOuJY
Conservative groups rally to save Pebble Mine
By Catherine Mortensen
Americans for Limited Government, along with 65 other conservative groups, sent a letter to President Trump this week urging him not to allow political meddling in the permitting process for the Pebble Mine in Alaska.
Just hours after sending the letter of support for the embattled project, Tom Collier, CEO for the Pebble Limited Partnership, which is owned by Canada-based Northern Dynasty, resigned following the release of recorded comments in which it says he “embellished” relationships with elected and regulatory officials.
A Pebble spokesman says Collier will be replaced on an interim basis by the company’s former CEO John Shively.
“John Shively is the exact kind of steady hand that Pebble Mine needs to steer it to completion,” said Rick Manning, President of Americans for Limited Government, a long-time supporter of the project. “His reputation as a lowkey executive who gets things done will serve the company and our nation well as this mine is developed and we take a giant step towards rare earth mineral independence.”
The upheaval comes amidst concerns of high-level political interference in the mine. Insiders believe White House meddling has resulted in further regulatory delays aimed at killing the project which would be the largest gold and copper mine in North America. Pebble Mine also has a large deposit of rhenium used in military aircraft and is a key component in aircraft engines.
The letter, spearheaded by the Conservative Action Project, said these delay tactics harken back to “the bad old days when the Obama administration misused its Clean Water Act authority and used bogus science to veto the project before an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) had even been submitted.”
In July, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers released its final environmental impact statement (E.I.S.) for the Pebble Mine project by concluding that the project would not lead to “long-term changes in the health of the commercial fisheries in Bristol Bay,” under normal conditions.
The E.I.S. noted that the mine would provide significant tax revenue to Alaska, create well-paying jobs in an increasingly poverty-stricken region, and “provide a domestic resource of raw materials lowering the United States reliance on foreign sources.”
However, before the Corps made its final record of decision, old claims were again raised that the mine would threaten the salmon and destroy hunting and fishing opportunities for wealthy sportsmen. All of these claims were fully considered by the Army Corps in the E.I.S. process and dismissed on the basis of overwhelming scientific evidence.
As a result of this meddling, in August, the Army Corps of Engineers wrote that Pebble Mine would “cause unavoidable adverse impacts to aquatic resources” in the area and is requiring the mine “in-kind compensatory mitigation within the Koktuli River Watershed … [to] compensate for all direct and indirect impacts caused by discharges into aquatic resources at the mine site.”
In short, the Corps reversed itself by throwing up a roadblock in the mine’s progress, just one month after issuing a favorable environmental impact report.
“As conservatives, we applaud the progress President Trump has made toward achieving energy independence for the first time in 60 years,” noted Rick Manning, President of Americans for Limited Government. “We support his administration’s broad regulatory reform agenda and his continuing push to remove obstacles to environmental permitting of natural resource and infrastructure projects. But this regulatory delay appears to be a clear case of political interference. It was inappropriate when President Obama did it and it’s still inappropriate today.”
So, while the Pebble Mine prepares to submit its mitigation plan, Americans for Limited Government is hopeful the regulatory process will move forward in strict accordance with the law and without further delays based on groundless claims.
Were political meddling to kill the mine, it would undermine one of President Trump’s campaign promises, to create jobs by rolling back burdensome and onerous federal regulations. It would also discourage the mining industry, which is at a low ebb in the United States as the result of decades of regulatory suffocation, from making other multi-billion-dollar investments to take advantage of America’s vast mineral potential.
Pebble Mine is vital to the economic future for the people living in the Bristol Bay watershed (an area the size of Ohio) and for the State of Alaska. It is located in a remote area where there are few jobs for native villagers and where endemic poverty has fostered serious social dislocations. The recent collapse in oil prices is a painful reminder that Alaska’s economy is overly dependent on oil production and must diversify if it is to flourish in the future.
The mine’s economic benefits go far beyond the jobs in Alaska. The Pebble ore body contains colossal quantities of copper, gold, and molybdenum, as well other strategic minerals like rhenium used in aircraft engines. The mine will provide minerals that are critical to high-tech industries in America and the world and create tens of billions of dollars of economic activity across the country.
Catherine Mortensen is the Vice President of Communications at Americans for Limited Government.
To view online: http://dailytorch.com/2020/09/conservative-groups-rally-to-save-pebble-mine/
Video: Freedom loving Marine kicks off five city tour to save our country!
To view online: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OJtheK_zB_4
Video: As Biden mails it in, GOP absentee ballots could hold the key to Trump's reelection in November
To view online: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JVXgfPx-a_s
Biden Ukraine Sleaze: Like father, like son
Sept. 23, 2020, Fairfax, Va.—Americans for Limited Government President Rick Manning today issued the following statement responding to a new report by the Senate on “Hunter Biden, Burisma, and Corruption: The Impact on U.S. Government Policy and Related Concerns” by the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs and Senate Committee on Finance:
"The report released this morning contains the least surprising, shocking revelations in history. Anyone paying attention to the Joe and Hunter Biden's activities in Ukraine knows that Hunter Biden made a fortune representing a corrupt company, Burisma, and that then-Vice President Biden used his influence to get a Ukrainian prosecutor fired who was investigating Burisma for corruption.
"It is also not surprising that Joe Biden abused his position as Vice President when he brought his son, Hunter, to a meeting with Chinese officials after which the young Biden got a $1 billion investment deal with no qualifications except his daddy's office. Now more than six months after Pelosi's political impeachment was dismissed as nothing more than garbage, the truth is being fully exposed about the corrupt dealings which the impeachment was intended to obscure. If Joe Biden committed a crime selling the office of Vice President, it would be insane for the public to ever entrust him with the Oval Office."
To view online: https://getliberty.org/2020/09/biden-sleaze-like-father-like-son/
ALG Editor’s Note: In the following featured report from the Washington Times, former Vice President Joe Biden has a long history of telling tall tales:
The man, the myth: Biden still spinning ‘fables’ despite 1988 election disaster
By Valerie Richardson
Joseph R. Biden blew up his 1988 presidential bid with a plagiarized fictitious account of his hardscrabble roots, but the experience failed to cure him of his tendency to exaggerate, conflate and even invent stories about his upbringing and political history.
Since the start of the 2020 campaign, Mr. Biden has been caught on numerous occasions spinning false and even ludicrous yarns, a tendency that has prompted head-scratching from his supporters and exasperation from conservatives stunned that his tall tales have yet to torpedo his salt-of-the-earth image.
“This has been a career-long problem that he’s had,” said Rick Manning, president of the free-market Americans for Limited Government. “I think a lot of people look at the things he’s doing now, and say, oh, he’s getting older, and that may be true, but the fact is, this is his historical record. This is not a recent phenomenon. This is who he is.”
To view online: https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2020/sep/23/joe-biden-1988-election-disaster-doesnt-stop-tall-/
