Reaction to Ummbop. Apparently not a Hanson fan.

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"I love my blanket!"

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My favorite Thanksgiving dish. Nothing comes close. Tammy makes the best.

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Date night.

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What the Federalist Party needs to do to get to Washington DC

For the last three days, I’ve been traveling. The long flights between Southern California and Washington DC were worth it after a handful of very productive meetings. They gave us direction on the next steps necessary for the Federalist Party to make an impact sooner than expected.

Read the rest on the Federalist website.

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Since I didn't have time (nor desire) for sightseeing while in DC, figured I'd get my obligatory selfie from an Uber on the way to the airport.

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Had a great conversation with Congressman Meadows today. The House Freedom Caucus is in good hands. Important note: Capitol Hill Club has great popcorn.

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The best way to cover the news: NOQ Report

It’s no secret I’ve had many projects in the works lately. Between the Federalist Party, The New Americana, and expanding the family, my days have been loaded from the moment I wake up until the moment I pass out. Why start something else? It’s necessary.

Two weeks ago, we did a soft launch on NOQ Report. This has been percolating for a while between me and Steve Berman, the managing editor for both TNA and NOQ. Conservative media has become a parody of itself in many ways. Most sites are very spammy. Some of them are so loaded with advertisements it’s hard to read the news without closing popups, popunders, popsideways, all the while ignoring semi-pornographc ads plastered everywhere.

Then, there’s the identity crisis that’s been happening in conservative media. Some sites are very pro-Trump. Others are very pro-GOP. Most get confused between the two, not sure which direction to point since it seems like neither Trump nor the GOP itself are heading in a conservative direction on most issues. Throw in the rise of the alt-right and the confusing distinctions between nationalism and white nationalism and it’s easy to see the conservative media crisis that wasn’t prepared to do anything other than oppose Barack Obama. With the enemy out of the way, most conservative media sites are floundering.

NOQ Report is designed to fix that, but it’s more than just making conservative media better. We wanted to try a modern way to present the news itself. NOQ stands for News, Opinions, and Quotes. Here’s what we came up with to improve conservative media through NOQ Report:

• News: Standard operating procedure for most conservative media sites is to take news from mainstream media and regurgitate it with a conservative spin. There are very few conservative news originators; most sites pull reports and then retell the story. We aren’t in a position (yet) to have a robust origination department, though we do have some strong writers out there looking for fresh news. Instead, NOQ aims to tell the WHOLE story with four basic sections to our news stories. The first part is standard – tell the basic story. The next section, Perspectives, pulls from hundreds of various sources and curates them for our readers. Then, we get Reactions pulled from social media. Lastly, we have our Final Thoughts to wrap it all up.
• Opinions: The key to having a great opinions-section is great writers. We’ve got them. We didn’t stop there, though. Our opinions section is going to avoid the editorial narrative that’s associated with the vast majority of publications. Our writers have free reins.
• Quotes: There are plenty of sites that highlight quotes of historical figures. We’ll focus on quotes from today. What are the players saying? How does it affect everyone? This will be a very important section because it gives readers plenty to share on social media.

Things don’t always go as planned. NOQ was supposed to get started next year, but a DDoS attack on The New Americana forced us to move things up. We needed money to get it going. We still need money to keep it rolling (hint, hint). So far, it’s working out nicely.

Conservative media is in need of an upgrade. NOQ Report will deliver that. Check it out, subscribe, and spread the word. America needs it.

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John Kelly is keeping Omarosa Manigault away from Trump with White House “no-fly list”

Some have said that Chief of Staff John Kelly is in a position to save the presidency. Getting rid of “The Mooch” was a great move and he may have just made an even better one.

Fox News is reporting that Omarosa Manigault has become the most prominent name on Kelly’s so-called “no-fly list,” a designation that’s intended to limit President Trump’s exposure to people Kelly deems to be bad influences. A senior White House official adamantly denied the report, calling it “completely false.”

I hope it’s not false. Omarosa, a lifetime Democrat, has not contributed positively to the White House as far as I can tell. The biggest impact she’s made so far was when she clashed with media last month. Otherwise, her skills seem to be lacking.

Last month, Manigault, who is the director of communications for the White House Office of Public Liaison, clashed with a veteran news anchor during a panel discussion on policing in black communities held at the National Association of Black Journalists convention in New Orleans.

Her conversation with anchor Ed Gordon became testy when he attempted to question her on President Donald Trump’s policies around policing in communities of color. Trump had recently said some police officers were too courteous to suspects when arresting them.

The conversation quickly escalated into a tense exchange before Manigault left the stage. Several people in the audience, which included non-journalists, turned their backs in protest during the discussion.

“If you want to ask about the loss of my father and my brother and the issues I do, ask about my story,” she told Gordon. “I’m not going to stand here and defend every single word and statement. Ask questions about me or my father and brother.”

Here’s hoping the reports are true. The best thing for the President and the nation is if he’s kept insulated from leftist voices as much as possible.

Read more on Fox News.

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Ann Coulter is finally learning what conservative Trump critics have known all along

We were surprised at the time during the primaries when Ann Coulter turned completely around on Ted Cruz whom she supported as a Senator before he became a presidential candidate. When she was one of Donald Trump’s early supporters, it became clear why she’d turned on Cruz. When her book came out, everything became clear.

Now, the woman who literally wrote the book on trusting Trump is showing signs that her trust may have been inappropriately distributed. In a pair of Tweets, her regret is apparent and painful. The first came a few days ago when she responded to the President’s betrayal on DACA – first rescinding it then telling Congress to fix it:

Possible 2020 slogan: "I broke my promises, betrayed my friends & used my office to help my family, but, hey — at least I'm not Hillary!" https://t.co/pz3LxfVgFI

— Ann Coulter (@AnnCoulter) September 6, 2017

The second came a couple days later when her snark came out in full force, noting the border wall that was the centerpiece of Trump’s campaign was nowhere to be seen:

Today's BORDER WALL CONSTRUCTION UPDATE: Miles completed yesterday-Zero; Miles completed since Inauguration– Zero. NEXT UPDATE TOMORROW.

— Ann Coulter (@AnnCoulter) September 8, 2017

Since these Tweets, she’s been pretty tame about it all. In fact, she seems to be blaming everyone around Trump instead of the man himself.

There’s nothing wrong with giving people second chances, but the clear lack of discernment on Coulter’s part as well as those who supported him wholeheartedly throughout the campaign is telling. Some of us voted for him reluctantly (I did) but the ones who made him the nominee in the first place should be held to account.

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Trump and the Democrats want to eliminate the debt ceiling. Where’s the outrage?

Eliminating the debt ceiling is a very bad idea. Every time we approach it, the public is alerted of the size of government. Most won’t pay attention and many who do simply won’t care, but it’s something. Moreover, it can be used as leverage to push forward other pieces of legislation. While we’re not in favor of a system that works like this, having the debt ceiling as a tool is better than not until we’re able to fix the system entirely.

The funny part is this was actually inadvertently predicted by the Federalist Party. They were being sarcastic when they Tweeted this:

What's the purpose of a debt ceiling that always gets raised? If Dems/Reps refuse to reduce debt, they might as well set the "ceiling" at ∞.

— Federalist Party (@Federalists_USA) September 6, 2017

The next day, it became a thing. According to Chicago Tribune:

The U.S. government spends more money than it brings in through taxes and fees, and it covers that gap by issuing debt to borrow money. The government can only borrow money up to a certain limit, known as the debt limit or the debt ceiling. The government routinely bumps up against this ceiling, requiring Congress to raise it again and again. These votes are often politicized and can cause panic among investors.

If the debt ceiling is to be abolished, the last barrier (albeit a thin one) to perpetual government expansion and DC fiscal overreach will have been eliminated.

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If rescinding DACA is leverage for securing the border, I’m okay with that

Anyone who follows me knows I’ve been unapologetic about my stance that DACA should be rescinded and not replaced. It’s cruel that DREAMers will have their lives turned upside down which is why I was opposed to the notion from the moment President Obama signed it. Why give them false hope knowing it would be taken away by the next President or the Supreme Court, whoever got to it first?

I’m disappointed in myself for not seeing the play here with DACA. If what seems to be happening is allowed to move forward to its proper conclusion, then all of this was worth it. The play that’s materializing is a legislative replacement for DACA that allows DREAMers to stay in exchange for moves to secure the border. If that’s the play the GOP is calling, I can support it for now. There’s no way to know if its worthy or not until we see the end result, but I like the direction this is heading.

All things being equal, I’d love to see the GOP negotiate a deal that legalizes DACA in exchange for several border-securing initiatives. I’m probably asking for too much, but one can dream, right?

The reality of the situation is that DACA encourages illegal immigration. Therefore, if we’re to keep it in a legal manner, we must do so with the border properly secured. Democrats love to say getting rid of DACA will hurt 800,000 innocent people. They seem to gloss over the fact that our porous borders allowed 800,000 DACA-eligible children and their families to enter the United States illegally. That’s more than the entire population of 5 U.S. states.

We are a sovereign nation. That status can change faster than most realize if we don’t take the steps to secure our borders, fix legal immigration, and protect the freedoms that all Americans have. I’ll probably be called a white nationalist for thinking these things, which is funny because I’m actually an immigrant brought here as a child through proper legal means. The system can work if people would stop breaking it.

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Why I’m rooting AGAINST Jim Bridenstine for NASA

I’m a huge fan of Oklahoma Congressman Jim Bridenstine. He’s a staunch conservative. He’s an Okie. He’s fearless in his battles against the Establishment. For these and many other reasons, I really hope he doesn’t join the Trump administration to lead NASA.

Pulling a strong federalism-minded conservative like Jim Bridenstine out of Congress to put him in charge of NASA is like when Michael Jordan quit basketball to play baseball. Sure, he could do it pretty well, but he could have a heck of a lot more impact on the floor.

I was okay with President Trump pulling Mick Mulvaney out of Congress because he was a great fit to build (or rather, unbuild) the budget, but Bridenstine can’t do a whole lot at NASA that will actually affect most Americans. His background fits; he was executive director for the Tulsa Air and Space Museum and was endorsed by the Commercial Spaceflight Federation. Nevertheless, I want him in Congress.

All things being equal, I’ll accept it if he takes this “promotion.” It just seems like the Establishment will do whatever it takes to get small-government proponents out of Congress. Hopefully he can help defend the Constitution from Cape Canaveral.

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Rescinding DACA isn’t about harming innocents. It’s about not rewarding lawlessness.

I’m in the camp who believes most DREAMers do not deserve to be deported. The vast majority of them have done nothing worthy of deportation. A lot of them, as far as I can tell, are contributing to the nation. By most accounts, they are innocent. That’s what makes it so unfortunate that we must put a clean and complete end to DACA.

The blame is going to be placed on the Trump administration and the Republican Congress if they do not come back with a replacement plan that the media deems suitable. The reality is that 100% of the blame belongs to President Obama. He should never have made the executive order in the first place. Here are three reasons why:

1. It wasn’t his call. A constitutional argument can be made about enforcement (or lack thereof) of the law falling in the hands of the president. A different constitutional argument can be made for clear overreach by the executive branch into the realm of immigration. His decision to act recklessly and make promises he knew he had no long-term power to keep was a purely political move designed to secure Latino votes in 2012. It is well documented that turnout from the Latino community was going to be lower than in 2008, so he needed something to energize them. DACA was the cure for his election woes. It worked.
2. There is always legislation in the works or on the floor that addresses this issue. They President should have stayed the course and worked with Congress to come up with a longer-lasting solution that could garner enough appeal from both sides of the aisle to actually pass. His impatience cost “DREAMers” by giving them a temporary solution for the sake of political expediency instead of producing something that would have a sustainable impact.
3. Most importantly, it was lawless. The fact that it was their parents who are to blame for bringing them illegally into the country does not justify allowing them to live and work here. If a parent steals a Playstation and gives it to their kid, that kid doesn’t get to keep the Playstation just because they weren’t involved in the crime. For those who say their presence here is a “victimless crime,” tell that to those who were born here or entered legally who are fighting with DREAMers for jobs or benefits. Contrary to liberal beliefs, both are finite.

DACA sends the absolute wrong message to those who may want to enter the United States illegally. It tells them, “It’s okay to put your children in danger at the hands of coyotejes, drug cartels, and the elements as they take the hard journey towards America because if you can just get them across the border, America will give them jobs, healthcare, and all of the benefits of citizenship without having to go through the hassle of legal immigration.” This irresponsibility puts the unfortunate consequences of rescinding DACA squarely on President Obama’s shoulders.

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Patrick Buchanan asks: Should Japan and South Korea go nuclear?

During the campaign season last year, candidate Donald Trump floated the idea of Japan and South Korea acquiring their own nuclear weapons as a deterrent to North Korea and China as well as to relieve the burden the U.S. has to protect them. Now that he’s President, the question is being asked again.

This time, conservative firebrand Patrick Buchanan is asking.

The basic question that needs addressing:

Why do we still keep 28,000 troops in South Korea as a trip wire to bring us into a second Korean war from its first hours, a war that could bring nuclear strikes on our troops, bases, and, soon, our nation?

We cannot walk away from our Korean allies in this crisis. But we should look upon the North’s drive to marry nuclear warheads to ICBMs as a wake-up call to review a policy rooted in Cold War realities that ceased to exist when Ronald Reagan went home.

Consider: North Korea devotes 25 percent of GDP to defense. South Korea spends 2.6 percent, Japan one percent. Yet these mighty Asian allies, who run annual trade surpluses at our expense, require us to defend them from a maniacal little country right next door.

After this crisis, South Korea and Japan should begin to make the kind of defense effort the U.S. does, and create their own nuclear deterrents. This might get Beijing’s attention, as our pleas for its assistance with North Korea apparently have not.

Read more on American Conservative.

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This time last year, who would have imagined the GOP bailing out Obamacare?

For seven years, all we heard from nearly every Republican lawmaker was that they needed control of the House, Senate, and White House in order to do one thing: repeal Obamacare. In 2017, they have exactly what they asked for. What are they doing with it? Working with Democrats to bail out Obamacare.

The spin is that they need to “throw a lifeline” to Americans. What they won’t admit to is that the lifeline is necessary because they (the Democrats) shoved us overboard by pushing Obamacare onto us and their partners (the Republicans) are unwilling to do what it takes to fix this mess despite having the power and the mandate to do so.

Now, they’ll herald this as bipartisanship. According to Washington Times:

“Lasting solutions will need support from both sides of the aisle, and we applaud the bipartisan efforts that have now commenced in both the House and Senate,” they wrote to congressional leaders.

Obamacare has divided Capitol Hill for years, however, so politics could still get in the way.

Republican Sens. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, Bill Cassidy of Louisiana and Dean Heller of Nevada are pushing a bill that effectively would let states take the money they’d receive under Obamacare and spend it how they wish.

The White House has expressed interest in the bill as a way to keep repeal-and-replace alive, though lawmakers are waiting on an analysis from the Congressional Budget Office to see whether the plan can gain traction.

Read more on Washington Times.

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10 leftist groups to keep your eyes on

We love resources. Infographics, tutorials, and lists are our favorites when they offer patriotic American conservatives information to help them maneuver properly through our increasingly progressive society. World Net Daily delivers today’s list worth bookmarking.

Their post, titled Top 10 leftist groups wreaking havoc across U.S., gives you a glance of the 10 groups to watch. Here they are:

1. Workers World Party
2. Color of Change
3. Onward Together
4. Indivisible
5. MoveOn.org
6. Antifa
7. By Any Means Necessary, or BAMN
8. UltraViolet
9. Industrial Workers of the World
10. Organizing for Action

Jump to their list directly and bookmark it, share it, and most importantly stay on the lookout for their antics.

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Conservative House leader signals opposition to tying Harvey relief to debt ceiling

The plan is ugly and quite political. The House will pass a clean Harvey relief bill, then the Senate will send it back with a raise to the debt ceiling attached. That’s politics, folks, and it’s far from elegant. Thankfully, some still have their values intact and will fit politicizing this disaster.

North Carolina Congressman Mark Walker, who leads the Republican Study Committee, a group of 170-some House members, said:

“Congress is united behind this effort, but I worry about jeopardizing an agreement with such legislative games. Our obligation is to assist those impacted by this great flood, but it’s past time the swamp waters in DC begin receding as well… As we have stated for months, the debt ceiling should be paired with significant fiscal and structural reforms.”

With people suffering in Houston and the surrounding areas, it makes no sense to play political games. This type of opportunism has always been attached to the Democrats. Seeing Republicans attempting to play the same games is heartbreaking. They need to pass a clean bill, then immediately turn around and address our various fiscal problems. Trying to ram it through under the cover of hurricane Harvey is despicable.

According to Axios:

Axios broke the news on Sunday that Republican leadership plans to pass a “clean” emergency Harvey aid package through the House, and then the Senate will attach a debt ceiling raise before sending it back. Walker’s opposition signals that leadership could have big problems from conservatives when the bill returns to the House.

Read more on Axios.

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Nancy Pelosi invokes patriotism to protect DREAMers

There aren’t many things the President has done that we would consider to be “conservative” or even acceptable, but the potential that he’s about to keep his promise by ending DACA is an exception. We don’t just like it. We love it.

Needless to say, the Democrats aren’t as happy about it. In fact, their default leader Nancy Pelosi released a statement saying the President is using “pure political cowardice” in his attack on DREAMers.

.@realDonaldTrump's attack on #DREAMers is pure political cowardice. Congress *must* #ProtectDREAMers! https://t.co/ZwL1LeypdA http://pic.twitter.com/bptIMp4PA9

— Nancy Pelosi (@NancyPelosi) September 4, 2017

There’s one big problem with her statement as well as a handful of minor ones. The big problem is that nowhere in her statement does it mention the inconvenient fact that these DREAMers were brought to the United States illegally. This is an extremely important fact for the Congresswoman to ignore.

Being granted the right to live and work in the United States because their parents were the ones who brought them here illegally is wrong. If someone steals a Playstation for their kid, that kid can’t keep it just because they were the innocent recipient of stolen property. With DACA, the rights to work and live here were stolen by their parents. Just because DREAMers weren’t the ones who stole these rights doesn’t mean they should be entitled to keep them.

Pelosi says that DREAMers are patriots. That may be the case, but that doesn’t mean they should be allowed to keep what was not theirs initially. There are other potential patriots who are entering the country legally. What does it say to those who work hard to get here and contribute when all someone has to do is sneak their children into the country without going through the proper channels? Their innocence does not entitle them to keep what was stolen on their behalf.

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Discrimination isn’t as prevalent as the left would have you believe

Who do you trust? Right-wing media? Mainstream media? The indoctrinating education system? Politicians? Depending on who you ask, discrimination is either a huge problem or no big deal. Once we actually look at the facts, the picture becomes much more clear.

A recent study shows that around 1/4th of Americans have ever experienced discrimination. While this number is still much larger than we would like, it’s much smaller than what we’re told by the mainstream media (and their leftist cohorts). Moreover, it’s not like there are certain races who are hitting 50% while others (white) are in single digits. The range is 18% for Asians up to 31% for blacks.

According to Campus Reform:

The study, led by Professor Brian Boutwell, consisted of reviewing response data from a survey of more than 14,000 Americans, finding that the vast majority claim to have “never” or “rarely” been a victim of discrimination.

The results, relatively consistent across racial lines, found that only 25 percent of Americans responded “yes” to ever experiencing discrimination.

Read more on Campus Reform.

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Congress has a ton on their plate. Can they meet the deadlines?

Congress has failed to pass, well, anything of substance since they were granted a Republican president. As fall starts up, their calendar is full and deadlines for action are fast approaching. Will they be able to accomplish anything?

According to The Blaze, they have to act on Hurricane Harvey relief, the debt ceiling, a spending bill, tax reform, and now DACA. That doesn’t take into account the need for Obamacare to be repealed, Planned Parenthood to be defunded, and a slew of other things that were once part of their first 100 days roadmap but that have fallen by the wayside.

This year has, so far, seen plenty of drama and infighting among the president and congressional leaders. Even though Trump has signed 53 bills into law, his administration has not seen any significant legislative accomplishments, despite Republican control of the White House, the House of Representatives and the Senate.

That must change quickly, or there will be painful consequences felt by everyone from the president down to everyday, hard-working citizens. Here are the immediate issues Congress must make progress on as members return to work Tuesday after the August recess…

Read more on The Blaze.

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In Oregon, you can lose your guns without due process

The 2nd Amendment says a citizen’s right to bear arms shall not be infringed. In Oregon, that right is being infringed upon.

If a household or family member presents evidence before a judge that someone is an “extreme risk,” they can have their weapons and ammunition confiscated. This is done ex parte, meaning there is no due process for the individual. They have no recourse to defend themselves from the court order until it’s already executed.

I’m all for keeping people safe from violent household members, but there’s a need for due process. If someone may be an “extreme risk” they should be given the opportunity to demonstrate that they’re not. Otherwise, they’re losing a 2nd Amendment right without an opportunity to prove it’s unnecessary.

According to Truth About Guns:

Worth noting: no judge is going to be “that guy” — the judge who denied an ERPO and let a mentally ill person shoot themselves or others. The chances that a judge will deny a request for an ERPO are somewhere between slim and none (and Slim just left town).

For all intents and purposes, the accused is guilty until proven innocent.

The fact that a police officer — any police officer — can petition the court for an ERPO is equally worrying. When the state can take away your gun rights, and guns, based on the uncontested testimony of a representative of the state, we’re heading into dangerous waters.

Read more on Truth About Guns.

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4 days post-op and he's starting to act like a baby again.

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Little Jacob is back in the hospital. This isn't a bad thing as we've identified the solution that should - God willing - make him happy and healthy going forward. He can also tell the story of how he took his second helicopter ride before he turned 3 months old.

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Or hospital room's phone has 2 handsets.

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Stop cheering about business leaders leaving Trump’s councils

I’ll keep this very brief. There seems to be many who are opposed to the President’s weak remarks about the Charlottesville attack that are happy about business leaders leaving his councils as well as their subsequent dissolution. This is not a good thing. We WANT people from the private sector in his ear. This just pushes the President further away from connecting with the people he’s supposed to serve.

In case you’re unaware, several members of Trump’s various civilian advisory councils quit after he essentially blamed multiple groups, not just white nationalists, for the Charlottesville attack. This prompted a Tweet yesterday:

For every CEO that drops out of the Manufacturing Council, I have many to take their place. Grandstanders should not have gone on. JOBS!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 15, 2017

Today, more names jumped on the dump-Trump bandwagon, prompting a new Tweet:

Rather than putting pressure on the businesspeople of the Manufacturing Council & Strategy & Policy Forum, I am ending both. Thank you all!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 16, 2017

Here’s the thing. I realize most believe these councils were for show and couldn’t actually influence him, but we have to remember something very important about the President. He’s malleable. His perspectives ebb and flow based upon moon cycles, wind direction, and the voices in his ear. While I don’t think these councils could have made him a better President, I believe having voices of reason that he respected keeping him in touch with reality was a positive thing. Hey, it couldn’t hurt, right?

What I would have loved to have heard from these council members was strong opposition to Trump’s words and actions followed by a stated intention of keeping the President accountable by staying in the councils. It’s easy to say, “I disagree and I quit.” It’s much harder to say, “I disagree, but I’m willing to stick it out in order to guide a man who clearly needs guidance.”

The dissolution of these councils is not a good thing for Trump’s opponents. It’s great for the companies of the CEOs who left as they’ll get lauded by many. For America, this was counterproductive. They should have stayed the course, even if doing so meant dealing with someone they don’t respect.

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This is an unofficial Federalist site

As a co-founder of the Federalist Party, it’s apparently assumed that what I post here is an official representative of the party. It is not. The only official party posts go on the party’s website itself. What I post here as well as what I post via social media through the Soshable accounts have no direct affiliation with the party.

One might wonder why I even post here at all if that’s the case. Why allow for confusion? The answer is something that applies to many people. To explain this, I’ll start with a quick story about an old boss. For months, I had a hard time convincing him that we could have remote employees at our company. I explained to him that since we were a technology company, we could broaden our talent pool by not forcing people to live in southern California. He disagreed.

After some prodding and using myself as an example of someone who could work just fine from a home office, I learned his reasoning. He couldn’t do it himself. In fact, he found that he was much less productive at home than he ever could be in the office. I told him he was the anomaly.

I was wrong. After we finally started hiring remote employees, I found that a little over half of them were not as productive as they should be. The gap was made up by those who were very productive; those who handled working remotely were even more productive than the in-office employees, but those who could not handle it were far less productive.

The moral of that particular story, for me, was that some people can separate work from life even if both happened in the same places and some people simply cannot. There’s really no way to tell which way a person will go based upon interview questions. I’ve experienced great and terrible remote employees for the last eight years and there doesn’t seem to be a universal signal. Some can. Some cannot.

All of this brings me to my point. Whether it’s in separating work from home life, professional from personal demeanor, or “thoughtful” writing versus “heart-felt” writing, people often need barriers. For me, the barrier divides how I write for Soshable from how I write for the party. Since pretty much all of my writing is either political or religious, it makes sense to keep both sites around. Sometimes I need to post direction or thoughts pertaining directly to the party or to a Federalist philosophy. Other times, I simply need to rant or express my personal perspectives as they pertain to federalism. Both are necessary for me as it’s what I’ve been immersed in for months. However, the things I post here are from “JD the Christian Federalist and conservative.” What I post on the party’s website comes from “JD the co-founder of the Federalist Party.”

I know I’ll be judged on both, but here I can denote personal perspectives that are not necessarily part of party doctrine. Personally, I’m against California attempting to install single-payer health care. Why? Because I live in California. As a party, we have to be willing to allow states to succeed… or fail. States are the laboratories from which other states can learn. If after repealing Obamacare (if that ever happens), California decides they want single-payer, they have that right. The people can vote out those who helped bankrupt the state if that is indeed what happens or they can vote with their feet. JD the father of four living in California would hate it, but JD the co-founder of a party bent on restoring states’ rights would accept it.

We all need barriers to partition different aspects of our lives. For me, Soshable is safe haven where I can let my heart do the writing.

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Why haven't I started my diet? The baby loves the extra padding. #BadExcuseAcceptableBecauseCuteness

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Wasserman Schultz aide in Pakistan still liquidating assets in U.S.

Sanctuary city Portland released a monster deported 20 times. He then brutally raped a 65-year-old woman.

Cities have a right to ignore the federal government. There are times when this is a good thing. When ICE issues a detainer on an illegal immigrant with a criminal history who has been deported 20 times, it’s not the right time to invoke their “tolerance” and ignore the request.

Portland, which recently declared itself as a sanctuary city, decided that ignoring ICE and releasing Sergio Jose Martinez was the right thing to do. Unfortunately, he allegedly found a victim and brutally assaulted her before stealing her car.

As reported by KGW:

According to court documents filed in March 2017, Martinez has a history of illegal entry into the United States. He has been a transient in the Portland area for more than a year and has been deported 20 times.

Martinez has at least five probation violations for re-entering the United States. His most recent removal was in November 2016, according to the March court documents.

Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) lodged an immigration detainer against Martinez, asking authorities to notify them before releasing Martinez to allow ICE to take him into custody. The Department of Homeland Security said a detainer was requested for Martinez in December 2016, but he was released into the community and authorities did not notify ICE.

It’s a cities responsibility to handle law enforcement for its people. Sometimes, that means ignoring the politically charged status of being a sanctuary city and putting the safety of American citizens above the feelings of criminal illegal immigrants. Portland and many other cities across the nation refuse to learn this lesson. Thankfully, people have the ability to leave. I’d strongly encourage doing so if you live in Portland.

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If you’re near the border, you can (and should) be asked about citizenship

There’s a problem at the border. People are coming across illegally. That’s not news. What may be new to people is that law enforcement can ask people within 100 miles of the border whether or not they’re here legally.

It sound Draconian and in many ways it is. “Show us your papers!” However, it’s not nearly as bad as it’s being played by the media, nor is it unreasonable. We are a sovereign nation (for now) and as such it’s important that law enforcement has the ability to at least ask the question.

Here’s the problem. We’ve come to the crossroads with law enforcement where people on both the right and the left have complaints about how the law is enforced. There are righteous complaints about certain practices by law enforcement (don’t get me started on civil asset forfeiture) but there are even more ridiculous complaints. This is where we get to a story in San Diego.

As reported by College Fix:

According to The San Diego Tribune, the English, art, and theater teacher told a BP officer that “she believed she did not have to answer their questions,” whereupon she was informed she had to answer the query about citizenship but not others.

One agent showed Parmely a card detailing immigration law and a US Supreme Court decision noting the BP can “operate checkpoints within 100 miles of the border and […] ask questions about citizenship without warrants.”

The key phrase here is “ask questions about citizenship without warrants.” People often get up in arms about warrants. Much of the angst is self-inflicted by law enforcement as there has been tremendous overreach over the last couple of decades with warrantless… well… everything. However, when it comes to asking questions necessary to ascertain a situation, the thought that law enforcement must present a warrant before being able to ask them is ridiculous.

This particular teacher was trying to make a statement against discrimination. While it’s almost certainly true there’s discrimination near the border and around the nation when it comes to people who have the potential based upon their appearance or accent of being an immigrant, the notion that law enforcement can’t even ask the question is ludicrous. This teacher made the wrong statement at the wrong time in the wrong way.

Here’s the video:

There’s a fine line between holding law enforcement accountable and attempting to obstruct their ability to enforce the law.

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Why I defend religions… all of them

The Federalist Party is a firm believer in defending the 1st Amendment, an important portion of which is freedom of religion. How the party views religious influence is very similar to my personal beliefs. I want to keep government out of the church at all costs.

Let’s look at the 1st Amendment:

Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.

There are two parts here. The first is currently not in jeopardy, though it would be foolish to believe the government would never overreach to the point of establishing “acceptable” religions. It’s far fetched to us today, but things change. The second portion is the part that’s directly relevant because it’s under attack.

We hear about it every few days. “Discrimination” has become the most powerful political word of our time. If you can label anything discriminatory, everything else is pushed aside. That’s why colleges are accelerating their progressive indoctrination. That’s why the media is quick to attack anything related to Judeo-Christian values (while simultaneously slow on the draw when there’s a chance other religious beliefs are in play).

It’s why bakers are forced to bake cakes that go against their religious beliefs. It’s why churches are being bullied into choosing to start performing services that don’t match their doctrine. There’s discrimination that exists. I’m not naive. However, the tide has turned and many sins of the past are being repaid tenfold against conservatives and Christians, most of whom do not practice true discrimination.

This is where it gets sticky. I’m a Christian. On the surface it may seem unfaithful to defend the rights of atheists or Muslims or Buddhists or Pastafarians. In reality, the only way to defend my rights as a Christian is to stand by the Constitution word-for-word and demand that Congress not make any law prohibiting the free exercise of religion. My freedom to worship my God as I am commanded is too important to me to leave to the judgment of Congress or the Supreme Court.

When man’s judgment is at play, it will invariably be flawed in one way or another. The only solution is to take man’s judgment out of the equation, including my own. This wisdom from the founders helped them in their quest to not follow in England’s footsteps and it is just as relevant today.

In fact, it may be more so.

To do this, we must maintain a strict separation of church and state.  That’s not to say we need to suppress our beliefs when making political decisions, but we cannot allow the establishment of restrictions. Common sense restrictions for preexisting laws should be maintained; if a human sacrifice is performed in the name of some “religious” belief, it’s still murder. However, “cake laws” (any laws that demand services be rendered by private businesses or citizens that go against their beliefs) cannot be allowed to stand even when the ACLU or their cronies invoke “discrimination.” Should a Muslim baker be forced to bake unleavened bread for Passover? How about an atheist baker who doesn’t want to bake a cake proclaiming praise to God? As private business owners with their own religious beliefs, the government has no right to force or fine them. The community can apply pressure through the free market system or through their right to peaceably assemble for protest, but that’s on citizens, not the government.

While most would agree because they don’t want the church to influence the state, the concept works in both directions. We need to keep that separation as wide as possible if we have any hope of protecting our religious freedoms. As a Christian, I use my beliefs to reach people and make disciples of the nations as we are taught. As a Federalist, I realize the only way to prevent a conflict between my religion and the law is to keep government out of the church altogether.

The key to maintaining our religious freedoms is to keep government as far from the church as possible. The only way to do that is to keep government out of every church, even those who teach things against our own beliefs. Moreover, the freedom to practice religion as we’re instructed means we can change hearts and minds for our Lord. That makes this stance a win-win in my opinion.

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The only legitimate fountain of power…

James Madison is notable for many important quotes, but my personal favorite is this one:

“The people are the only legitimate fountain of power, and it is from them that the constitutional charter, under which the several branches of government hold their power, is derived.”

If ever there was a quote made for the people of today, it’s this one. So many Americans are lost in the fog of false accountability. We rely too heavily on government because we assume they have the power. In some ways, they do, but it’s a power limited by the constraints of the Constitution. This is important to remember because too often it’s just assumed that what the government says or does is to be taken as the final word.

We have the power. It’s not just with our votes. We have the ability to rise up and work together to rein in the tremendous levels of overreach we’ve seen from Washington DC our whole lives. We don’t need to rise up in arms as our founding fathers did. Today, we still have enough law and order in America to be able to rely on proper political channels. This is why the growth of the Federalist Party is so vibrant and relevant. It’s time to reassert our interest and adherence to the Constitutional governance we have at our fingertips.

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We want ideological alignment, not “moving on to” an agenda, Scaramucci

When the first round of cabinet picks and short list Supreme Court Justices were coming out, I was admittedly surprised. My worst nightmare was that the President would follow up his victory by bringing in moderates and even liberals into the White House. He did to some extent, but a good chunk of the people he picked were conservatives such as Mick Mulvaney, Scott Pruitt, and Neil Gorsuch.

Of course, he also brought in problematic people. Reince Priebus led the moderates. Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner led the liberals. Steve Bannon led the alt-righters. Then, there were those who weren’t even on my radar for their politics. Among them was Sean Spicer.

Anthony Scaramucci is leading communications now and we should all be concerned. This is an odd strategic pick, but more importantly it’s a pick that brings with it the baggage of strong liberalism tempered by an alleged “fiscal conservatism” that thus far has not been made evident. The progressive views he has shared in the past are available for all to see.

What worries me is that he’s not disavowing these views. Instead, he’s simply deleting them to remove the distraction and “moving on to” the President’s agenda.

Full transparency: I'm deleting old tweets. Past views evolved & shouldn't be a distraction. I serve @POTUS agenda & that's all that matters

— Anthony Scaramucci (@Scaramucci) July 22, 2017

Let’s set aside the fact that deleting Tweets before claiming transparency is laughable at best. What’s striking is that he’s not expressing any changes in his perspectives. This is a job and if his job is to communicate the President’s agenda, his perspectives won’t make it in, right? Wrong, and it’s an insult for them to think we’re that naive.

The Comms Director has a direct line to the President’s ear. The last thing we need is even more liberal perspectives swaying the President further to the left. I’m all for people changing their perspectives. Heck, I was in favor of the Iraq War over a decade ago. People can change their minds. The problem with Scaramucci is that he’s not claiming to change anything, whether it’s his leftist opinions on gun control, abortion, or the border wall.

Americans didn’t vote for Donald Trump because they wanted more liberals in the White House. They would have voted for Hillary Clinton if that was their goal and Scaramucci seems more ideologically aligned with the Democrats than Republicans. What does this say about an administration that has accomplished so little in its first six months and that has been embroiled in controversy after controversy?

It’s not too late for the President to put in a right-minded, ideologically aligned Communications Director on the job. Call it a mulligan. Say he was unaware of Scaramucci’s old views or that he fell for a sales pitch. Humble yourself, Mr. President, and get a conservative to handle the communications for your administration. Stop proving that my initial fears were justified.

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Stop telling me to wait on defunding Planned Parenthood

Every time I ask about when the GOP will use its majorities and control of the White House to defund Planned Parenthood, I’m met with a flurry of responses. The most common one has been that we have to wait until they’re able to repeal Obamacare because they can take care of Planned Parenthood in that particular piece of legislation. Well, it turns out they can’t. If the Senate bill passes, it will not defund Planned Parenthood.

As I’ve noted before, defunding Planned Parenthood will not prevent abortions. In fact, it would make this political organization (that claims to not be a political organization) even more powerful than it is today. The reason we must defund Planned Parenthood is because it’s a moral blight on our nation to directly fund murder. This, more than anything else, is why the organization must be forced to generate its own revenue by having people willingly contribute rather than forcing every tax-paying American to participate.

To those who have been telling me to wait, what am I waiting for now? It’s not going to be part of the health care bill. There’s not going to be a better time in the future to end the funding. What excuse do you have for me now that the pretend-pro-lifers in GOP leadership have at their disposal everything they need to make it happen?

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Maxine Waters running for President? Yes, please!

We’ve been very clear that we’re not impressed with the pseudo-conservatism practiced by President Trump or the majority of the Republican Party in DC, but we’ve also never been so naive as to believe the Democrats would be better. It’s for this reason that we really, really hope Congresswoman Maxine Waters from California acts upon her apparent willingness to run for President. That would be a slam dunk… for the GOP.

According to The Resurgent:

Since the 2016 elections, Waters has been an  unabashed critic of the Republican majority and President Trump. Concerning alleged Russian meddling, she believes Trump will either be impeached or criminally charged. Refusing to accept that American voters rejected her Party last November, Waters has even surmised that Trump’s election victory was not legitimate.

This has stoked speculation from both the Right and the Left that she may run in 2020. Just a few months ago, Salon published a piece listing five reasons why Waters should forge a run for the White House. She is a prominent member of the Congressional Black Caucus and many Civil Rights leaders have praised her work.

To add more substance to the story, HotAir points out:

Absolutely true, at least to many people outside of California’s 43rd Congressional district. Maxine Waters has been in the House for twenty-six years as one of its most extreme progressives, and has spent much of the past year agitating for Donald Trump’s impeachment. On the other hand, the 78-year-old Waters has gotten a surprising amount of buzz on the Left as a potential 2020 presidential candidate.

As a California native, I can tell you with absolute certainty that even Waters’ brand of crazy resonates here. Of course, there’s pretty much zero chance a Democrat would lose California at any point in the near future.

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$2M government training program helps people land jobs… 17 of them

There is little doubt among conservatives that government waste is rampant. It seems like the majority of programs that are intended to help people end up doing more harm than good when the whole picture is examined. Then, there are programs like the one in Kentucky launched in part by the Obama administration in 2015 that doesn’t need much examining to determine its failures. For $2M, they were able to help precisely 17 people get jobs.

17 people. $2M dollars. To put that into perspective, they could have just given 40 people $50,000 and told them to improve their own situations with the direct handout.

Daily Signal did an in-depth review of the debacle:

The job training program, budgeted for a total of $4.5 million, was supposed to last through 2019 and train up to 400 people  from an economically depressed region of Kentucky for middle- to high-skill careers in information technology.

As in nearly every circumstance outside of military and a handful of other issues, the government would do best to just stay out of the way instead of trying to get involved. History has demonstrated that private industry and the will of individuals yield far better results than the machinations of bureaucrats.

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Who saved me from getting a $300 ticket for being way too cute? This girl. Laguna Niguel police officer even gave her this traffic safety brochure in lieu of a speeding ticket.

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President Trump’s attack on Jeff Sessions is troubling

If you haven’t heard the audio, start here. Once you’re done, sit back and try to understand what just happened. A sitting President of the United States took one of his early supporters in the Senate and tossed him under the bus for purely petty reasons. What’s worse is that Jeff Sessions recused himself from the Russian investigation to protect himself AND the President.

It’s been a while since I’ve been critical of President Trump, but the time has come to call him out again. This is ridiculous. I’m not a fan of Sessions for multiple reasons, but it was the right move for himself and the administration to not participate in the Russian investigation since he did not disclose his own contact with Russians. Had he not recused himself, the investigation itself would be pronounced a sham and debacle by people on both sides of the aisle.

The fact that this is new information is what’s most troubling. We didn’t hear complaints when he recused himself. That it comes out now demonstrates this has been lingering in his mind for a while. It seems as if the President is operating at a maturity level far below what one would want in any political figure, let alone President of the United States. He’s holding fealty in the highest regard and dismissing proper presidential characteristics like honor and honesty.

The first response by most Trump supporters will be that President Obama and candidate Clinton were just as bad if not worse. That’s not a high enough bar to put forth for this or any President. There is plenty that can be said about the liberal duo who hampered our standing on the international stage for eight years, but President Trump (or any other President) should be raising the bar, not swinging for par on the integrity scale.

Every time I think the media and the Democrats are acting worse than their nemesis, he pulls stunts like these that remind just how inadequate he really is. This is the same script being played over and over again: the victim card. He just can’t help himself. Everything’s unfair. Everyone’s being mean to him. Even his own people are out to get him. It makes me anxious for better people to find their way into Washington DC. Waiting through this is the hard part.

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Toronto man proves self-governance works. Toronto proves their politicians are morons.

When a park in Toronto was in desperate need of a set of stairs, two things happened. The city jumped through the standard bureaucratic hoops and concluded they needed a city project estimated at $65,000-$150,000 cost to taxpayers. Meanwhile, a private citizen employed a homeless man to help him build the necessary stairs for $550.

You probably already know where this is going. Instead of thanking the man for saving taxpayers money, Toronto is going to tear down the stairs for not being built to their regulatory standards.

CTV News reports:

Retired mechanic Adi Astl says he took it upon himself to build the stairs after several neighbours fell down the steep path to a community garden in Tom Riley Park, in Etobicoke, Ont. Astl says his neighbours chipped in on the project, which only ended up costing $550 – a far cry from the $65,000-$150,000 price tag the city had estimated for the job.

As radio personality Vince Coakley noted, this is self governance in action being shut down by bureaucratic idiocy.

This is what self governance looks like…and the predictable pushback…. https://t.co/POelMXNB1m

— Vince Coakley (@vincecoakley) July 20, 2017

This is a microcosm of the very problems facing both America and Canada. Liberal ideologies do not react kindly to conservative principles in action, particularly when they work.

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A caretaker’s role in politics

Over the past year, I’ve worked towards helping to build a new political party. What started as a hobby and a dream has turned into a full-time endeavor; last month I sold my half of the company I’ve been building for three years in order to support my family from now until retirement. The need to make drastic changes in this country is too great for me to sit back and wait for others.

With that said, I’m very well aware of my limitations. I’m not rich. I’m not a politician nor will I ever be one. My resume wouldn’t land me the job as a campaign manager for a city council candidate. Still, there are things I bring to the table that have helped the party grow. When the time comes, I’m eager to take a backseat to those who are smarter, more experienced, and better versed on how to get things done. Until then, I’m here.

Looking back, I’ve made mistakes. I supported Newt Gingrich in 2012. Today I wouldn’t want him anywhere near public office. I once wrote an article (2, if I recall) about not believing in the electoral college. Today, I believe wholeheartedly in the electoral college. Heck, I even jumped on the “take out Saddam” bandwagon with George W. Bush. That turned out to be a huge political mistake. Thankfully, I’m not the one who’s going to be making these decisions.

I’m a caretaker. With nobody doing what it takes to build a true small-government movement, I’ve taken it on myself the last year to read the Federalist Papers (twice), learn as much as I can as a layman about Constitutional law, and follow every piece of major legislature at both national and state levels. I speak daily to patriots who are sick of what’s happening to the nation and I learn much more from them than I could ever teach. That’s the beauty of being a caretaker. My role is simply to connect the right people to the right ideology and do what I can to raise awareness.

It’s important that the party is never judged by the actions of any one individual. I supported Ted Cruz for President, but he’s demonstrated more than once in the last couple of years that he can be driven by politics just as anyone else can. We’ve seen people like Rand Paul and Mike Lee shine at times and fade at other times. Just as Thomas Sowell and Charles Krauthammer were on the opposite side of the political spectrum as they are today, so too can any person learn and (hopefully) grow through their political lives.

In a world with a “conservative” President who once supported partial birth abortion and gun bans, allowing my past support for the Iraq War or eliminating the electoral college to taint the party is nonsense. If a caretaker isn’t allowed to make mistakes, then nobody should be worthy of a vote unless they’re 100% ideologically aligned for their entire adult lives.

 

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Almost there! Out of the hospital. A couple more days in a hotel by the hospital and we'll bring him home mid next week.

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Clearly a dog person. Please pray for Jacob. If all goes well he gets to come home tomorrow.

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Mama makes a mean burrito. I helped a bit.

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Decadence.

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My not-so-hot take on the Illinois tax debacle

Government cannot spend its way out of trouble. That’s an absolute truth that has been clearly demonstrated time and again, yet we see politicians at every level from local to national continuing to push untenable budgets and asinine tax hikes on the people. The latest example is Illinois and this time it’s more than the usual suspects behind the debacle.

Republican lawmakers jumped ship and backed an override of their own party’s governor’s veto of the latest budget that calls for increased taxes. This lack of backbone has become a calling card for the modern GOP as so many today seem willing to break from the old school ideology of smaller government in order to play along with their liberal counterparts. The fear of government shutdowns, credit failures, and election day repercussions have pushed the GOP away from conservative and Federalist fundamentals.

Instead of giving into the Democratic majority’s demands for more government, these Republicans should have backed their governor’s play. He wasn’t asking for much, just term limits and a handful of other responsible actions included in the extremely liberal and oppressive budget plan. They should have forced further turmoil and continued to offer real solutions instead of backing down from fear of another budget-free fiscal year. That’s the problem with the modern Republican Party. They don’t play within their alleged ideologies. Instead, they’re constantly attempting in vain to mitigate damage both real and political.

In the vast majority of situations, the best solution is to reduce taxes, dramatically cut budgets, and put emphasis on supporting the private sector to solve problems. We the People are more capable than government entities to solve our own problems, but the Democratic-Republicans of modern day America seem bent on convincing us otherwise.

Here’s the biggest problem: it’s working. More Americans are becoming dependent on government rather than being reliant on self-governance. Fewer Americans are attempting to solve problems and are instead spending their time demanding action from politicians. This more than anything else is why the Federalist Party must rise. We’re losing the battle of independence by pushing off our responsibilities to people and entities who have no business participating in finding the right solutions. The indoctrination and propaganda machines of the left have infiltrated many politicians on the right. Today’s Republicans are looking more like mid-90s Democrats than the party that once believed in shrinking government.

Illinois, as with so many Democrat-run states, is crumbling under the weight of its own failed fiscal policies. They don’t need a bailout. They shouldn’t be raising taxes. They need to cut, cut, and cut some more. They need fewer programs, lower taxes, and an elimination of the overreach that has plagued them for decades if they hope to recover. Instead, the Democratic-Republicans are going against their fiscally responsible governor in order to push more of the same tired leftist agenda.

The only real solution is less government and Illinois is a clear example of a state that has proven this to be true by failing miserably with big government. Will they learn the lesson in time? We are actively recruiting a strong leadership team in Illinois to bring the battle to Springfield. Email us at smallgov@thefederalistparty.org if you’re interested.

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Los Angeles in general and Hollywood in particular do many, many things very badly, but one thing done exceptionally well here: Ramen.

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Little baby toes. Gets me every time.

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Happy 4th. Time to get to work.

For most Americans, Independence Day is a holiday away from work. Sure, there are those who continue their normal duties; having a child in the hospital is a reminder for me that some industries don’t have the luxury of taking a day completely off. A majority of businesses are closed. One in particular is not.

The Federalist Party, to which I am committed wholeheartedly, is not taking the 4th of July off. In fact, many of us are going to be working harder today than other days for two reasons. First, since we’re made up completely of volunteers, there are many who are taking the opportunity away from work to apply more effort to the party. Second, the spirit of the holiday itself is one that has deep ties to our own goals. Just as the Declaration of Independence was intended to let Americans and our British overlords know we were done with oppression, so too do Federalists want to break away from the two-party system that has yielded big-government-loving politicians for decades.

We expect this from the Democrats. In recent years, we’ve learned to accept it from most Republican politicians as well.

This particular Independence Day is special to me because it marks the first one for as long as I can remember when I’m not part of the GOP. Before I really understood politics, I had a fondness for the words of Ronald Reagan. Though he wasn’t the best champion for small government Federalism that he could have been, his words and intentions were definitely aligned with reining in federal overreach and returning power to both the states as well as to individual citizens. He and others convinced me at an early age that the GOP would fight to shrink government.

The reality, as I learned later in life, is that Reagan and the GOP that followed his legacy didn’t really reduce government. They simply slowed down its growth… for a while. Today’s variation of the party doesn’t even do that. They’ve become almost indistinguishable from the Democrats they allegedly oppose. We see every day as concepts get rebranded rather than eliminated. The most glaring recent example is Trumpcare versus Obamacare. While the two parties fight over the details, the reality of the situation is that both are pushing for different versions of the same big government concept. Both parties want DC to mandate health coverage. Both parties want the federal government to have way too much say about how, where, and when we get health insurance.

This isn’t the only example, but I’m not going to start off my (or your) Independence Day by talking about policies. This is about a celebration of something special and a hope that we return to the fundamentals that made this nation special. We’re not here to discuss “making America great again” because we’re not interested in slogans with no teeth. Instead, let’s talk about why we declared independence from England in the first place. The founders realized that they were being oppressed by a distant government and that the oppression was growing. They felt they had no representation yet the taxes kept growing. Prosperity was fading. Freedoms were minimal.

Today, we’re faced with a similar trend. DC doesn’t rule over us like the British did, but their overreach is clear and growing. We have more freedoms than our forefathers had, but those freedoms are under attack. There’s a potential that taxes could be reduced if the GOP is able to keep its agenda intact before being forced out of office, but the cuts they’re proposing are minuscule compared to where they should be. With all this, there’s very little talk about cutting budgets or tackling the national debt.

The battle we fight today is different from what they had to fight in the 18th century, but the parallels are striking. We aren’t fighting with guns or cannons but with words and passion. We’re not fighting for freedoms we don’t have. We’re fighting for freedoms that are being taken away. We’re not faced with an oppressive government across the sea, but we’re faced with an expanding government that in many ways is more ideologically divergent from the American people than what our forefathers had to face with England. The founders had to declare their independence. Today, we have to remind the people of the independence so many seem willing to forego.

It’s a day off for many. It’s not a day off for me. I encourage anyone who’s sick of what’s happening in America to take a close look at the Federalist Party. We need all the help we can get.

Image credit: Etsy

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Had a baby, sold a company, committed to a party: My busy two weeks

When people ask me on radio interviews, “Who is JD Rucker?” my standard reply is the honest truth. I’m nobody. I’m a Christian, husband, and father.

They ask this question because I’m heavily embedded in the formation of the Federalist Party, which means they want to know what political chops I bring to the table. It’s important for me as well as the party that I never allow delusions of grandeur to creep into my psyche. I truly am nobody, or more accurately, I’m just like hundreds of millions of Americans who are disenfranchised with the way government intrudes on our lives. I’m among those who realize small government, the type that can fit within the boundaries of the Constitution, is the only way to go. The only difference between me and so many is that I’m no longer willing to wait. I tried the GOP, then tried to help fix the GOP through the Tea Party. I’ve looked at third parties, and while some have great ideas they lack in strategy; they simply don’t know how to win.

I needed to do something about it and found that there are a ton more people like me. Every day, people are raising their hands and declaring they’re Federalists. It’s been wonderful.

The last couple of weeks have been a bit of a whirlwind. As I write this, I’m watching over my son who was born less than two weeks ago. He was born with a long list of challenges with his heart. His aorta and pulmonary artery were switched. There was a hole in the wall between his ventricles. His aortic arch was off. The poor little guy had problems. By the grace of God, we were led to a wonderful doctor and hospital and the prognosis is great. Lord willing, he’ll be in great shape and ready to go home in the next few weeks.

While all of this was happening, I sold my half of my company to my partner. He knew my situation and the fact that I’d need to dedicate a ton of time to family and politics so he made me a fair offer and released me. It happened at the exact right moment as medical bills were on the verge of breaking us.

Meanwhile, The New Americana, my other project in conjunction with the Federalist Party, has accepted new editorial leadership. Again, the timing couldn’t have been better. Steve Berman came on board and has been running the day-to-day since Jacob was born. Amazing how the timing has worked so perfectly thus far. Praise God!

Now that everything seems to be heading in the right direction, I’m working my way back into the mix with the party. Things are moving so quickly on all fronts in the political world that every moment counts. The team has been very supportive and all have filled the gap from my absence nicely. Now, it’s time to hit the ground running once again.

My requests: pray for Jacob, help support the party, and help support The New Americana. Steve’s going to be doing this full-time as soon as I’m able to pay him.

Thank you all for your patience. I can’t wait to get even more involved in everything as time goes on.

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Surgery today. We appreciate all prayers for baby Jacob.

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What does 27 hours of labor look like? Absolute beauty.

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When it comes to terrorism, yes, jump to conclusions

Whenever a vehicle/gun/bomb/knife attack hits a western nation, the left and their media cohorts are quick to drag out their broken record, better known as “the narrative.”

“Wait for the facts.”

“Don’t assume it’s terrorism.”

“Stop jumping to conclusions.”

Let’s put aside the fact that the vast majority of these incidents turn out to be terrorist attacks. Let’s also ignore (for now) the fact that the vast majority of terrorist attacks are perpetrated by radical Islamic terrorists. Even if we take away these facts, there’s still a very valid reason to jump to conclusions first and fix the record later.

It’s better to be safe than sorry.

Tonight’s attacks in London were the latest in a rash of “Ramadan incidents.” It’s not a coincidence that the Islamic State and other organizations have been calling for attacks on western targets during their holy month. It’s also not bigoted to point that out. The terrorists don’t play the politically correct game. They aren’t worried about how the world will view them if they’re associated with Islam. They’re proud that they’re representing what they believe to be the true fulfillment of their religious beliefs.

That’s not to say that Islam is to blame or Muslims are bad, but we have to address the issue with our eyes open.

The media and everyone playing the politically correct game are quick to crank up the rhetoric. They either willfully ignore the facts or are too blind to see that it’s no coincidence the vast majority of terrorist attacks are perpetrated by people claiming the mantle of Islam. If one out of every 10,000 Muslims are potential terrorists, that’s still nearly 200,000 people worldwide. This can’t be brushed away as politically inconvenient to the left’s narrative.

We need to handle every situation like this as if it’s a terrorist attack. There’s a difference between a drunk driver swerving into a group of people and what took place on London Bridge. When it appears that an attack is willful, we need to put our guard up. There’s no harm that comes from doing so if we’re wrong. On the other hand, if we “wait for the facts” before taking on a defensive posture, the results can be deadly.

The left is so worried about hate speech. Such speech should not be condoned whether there’s a terrorist attack or not. However, we cannot let fear of hate speech prevent us from being aware and diligent. The terrorists want to kill or subjugate all of us. Their greatest ally is a weakness propped up by fear. We cannot give them that.

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Daughter texted me that she had a disaster on her way to school. It's finals week so I feared the worst. I wasn't prepared. It was even worse than I imagined.

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We must defund Planned Parenthood, but let’s see the reality of the situation first

I am pro-life. There are two very clear cases that can be made. Politically, our understanding of modern science combined with the tenets of both the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence make it easy to see for anyone not indoctrinated to believe that it’s just a clump of “potential” life in the womb. Culturally, our Judeo-Christian values based upon the teachings of the Bible leave no doubt. Defunding Planned Parenthood has nothing to do with either of these arguments.

This will be hard for many to read, but it’s important to be clear about something. Defunding Planned Parenthood will most likely NOT save lives. In fact, it will strengthen the organization. To understand this, we have to look at the situation with clarity.

When we’re able to defund Planned Parenthood, they will not see a single penny less. They will see more money. Why? Because they will use their defunding to build the most powerful liberal fundraising apparatus the nation has ever seen. They will raise more liberal dollars than anyone other than the Democratic nominee for President. Defunding them will give them more money and power than they have today.

This is indisputable by anyone who knows how these things work.

If this is the case, why must we defund them? Wouldn’t it make more sense to not empower them through defunding? No. We must look at the two important elements from a moral perspective and one important element from a strategic perspective.

Morally, it is wrong for the nation to allow abortion to be funded by taxpayers. Some would argue that it is therefore wrong to fund the military for similar moral reasons; killing is killing, right? No. The national government has within its enumerated powers the necessity for national defense. It does not have the power over health care (despite what we’ve seen with Obamacare and Trumpcare). Since it’s the left’s argument that abortion is a health care issue, it doesn’t make sense for the federal government to participate at all in the matter.

The second moral reason comes down to choice. As Americans, we are forced to pay taxes. We can get into a discussion about whether or not that should be acceptable, but for today’s argument let’s assume that we all have to pay. When those tax dollars go to pay for something that could easily be paid for through choice (donations to Planned Parenthood and other abortion providers) it is wrong for tax dollars to be redirected when the private sector could fund it better. If people choose to fund it, so be it. Those of us who would choose not to fund it deserve to keep our tax dollars from going in their direction.

From a strategic perspective, any dollar given by the left to Planned Parenthood is a dollar that may have gone to fund other projects or candidates. By defunding and pushing them to fully fund themselves through donations and other means, we’re preventing those dollars from going elsewhere.

My point isn’t to bring up some moral debate or ethical quandary about whether it makes sense to continue to fund Planned Parenthood. It’s important that we recognize the stakes of the fight. In the end, the political and cultural battles against abortion have very little to do with Planned Parenthood. When we recognize this, we can discern how to focus our efforts in the real battle.

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White House staff discussing #covfefe

Anonymous sources that don’t really exist overheard this conversation last night in the White House following the President’s odd stray Tweet that seemed to cut off at the word “covfefe.”

Reince Priebus: Should we wake him?

Jared Kushner: I don’t know. I just don’t know.

Ivanka Trump: It’s pretty bad. I mean, he sounds like a bigger idiot than normal.

Kushner: People are going to think he had a stroke or something.

Priebus: We should wake him.

Ivanka: Go ahead.

Priebus: No way. You’re his daughter. He told me never to wake him unless Bannon says it’s okay.

Kushner: Well, Bannon’s not in charge anymore. Somebody’s got to make the call.

Ivanka: Go ahead.

Kushner: He’s already mad at me and Reince. It should be you.

Priebus: Agreed.

Ivanka: Forget that. The last time I tried to wake him up was awkward.

Kushner: What hap…

Ivanka: I don’t want to talk about it. Someone call Kellyanne.

Priebus: She’s not really up for this anymore.

Kushner: Try Spicer. He’s already getting canned soon. What does he have to lose?

Ivanka: Where’s Steve?

Priebus: Bannon? Haha, nope. The last thing he’d do is get involved with this crap.

Ivanka: Well, we have to do something. We can’t just leave it up on Twitter overnight. He’s going to ask why the heck we didn’t wake him up.

Kushner: And if we tell him it’s because he said never wake him up, he’s going to freak.

Ivanka: If we wake him up, he’ll freak.

Priebus: Rock and a hard place. I’ve been here before. It doesn’t end well.

Corey Lewandowski walks in: Hey guys, did you read that…

Priebus, Kushner, and Ivanka: Yes

Lewandowski: So, wake him up.

Priebus: It should be you who wakes him up, Corey.

Kushner: You’ve already felt his wrath. You’re used to it.

Lewandowski: I just worked my way back in.

Ivanka: Yes, as crisis management. Well, this is a crisis.

Lewandowski: This isn’t a crisis. It’s a cluster. I’ve never dealt with this sort of thing before. Nobody has. What the heck’s a covfefe anyway?

Steve Bannon walks in: Hey guys, did you read that…

Priebus, Kushner, Ivanka, and Lewandowski: Yes

Bannon: Let me guess. You’re all trying to convince each other that they should be the one to wake him up.

Kushner: Actually, we decided that you should be the one.

Bannon: No need. Let it be. Tell him that it has over 100K retweets and the people love it. They’re really digging it. Everybody’s saying it. Somebody even bought the URL and turned it into a covfefe store.

Kushner: Can we trademark it?

Bannon: Probably.

After some thought, the group agrees. Let’s make America covfefe again.

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Why I’m not going to write an article every time Trump Tweets something silly

The funny reason would be that I simply can’t find enough time to react to every Tweet the President makes that makes him or his staff look silly, but it’s not like that. In fact, a good chunk of what the President Tweets is acceptable and some of it’s actually pretty good.

No, the real reason I refuse to go there is because it’s counterproductive. My cause is for America and the way that I’m giving to this cause is through the Federalist Party. It may behoove us politically to point out every misstep, idiotic idea, or destructive policy the Republicans and Democrats give us, but we have to look at it through the lens of productivity.

In other words, we can’t waste our time complaining about things without consequence.

The latest example is the President’s call to change Senate rules and eliminate the legislative filibuster:

The U.S. Senate should switch to 51 votes, immediately, and get Healthcare and TAX CUTS approved, fast and easy. Dems would do it, no doubt!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 30, 2017

My first reaction was to instantly hop on the party’s website and write up a piece about how horrible this idea would be both short-term and long-term. The importance of keeping the House and Senate separate in form and function shouldn’t need to be stated. The consequences of allowing for pure single-party rule to hasten action would be disastrous. I could even point out the idiocy of a President who apparently doesn’t realize the path of budget reconciliation the GOP is currently taking with the AHCA; they can repeal and replace (well, technically, tweak and rebrand) Obamacare with a majority.

Before diving into this endeavor, I decided to see if this silly Tweet would have consequences. Then, I recalled earlier in the month when Mitch McConnell said he wouldn’t be ending the legislative filibuster. I’m not so naive as to believe much of what McConnell says, but in this particular case I believe it’s credible. Ending the filibuster would spark enough panic and give so much fodder for the Democrats that it would ensure a reversal of fortunes for the GOP in Congress as early as 2018.

In a world with Trump as the President of the United States, we can’t jump on every Tweet. It’s a waste of time and effort. Let Trump do Trump things and attempt to discern what will actually happen based upon all factors. Otherwise, most journalists will find themselves going insane before the end of his term.

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Mark Twain on patriotism

Mark Twain is known primarily for his literary works, but a close second notable talent was his ability to say so much with so few words on a wide variety of topics. He’s one of the most oft-quoted historical figures and his perspectives on politics encompass some of his best.

Here’s a great one that highlights the way many Americans feel today. It’s challenging when, on one hand, we love our country immensely but on the other hand we feel our leaders have failed us. The betrayals from the Democratic-Republicans in recent years have made the formation of the Federalist Party necessary.

“Patriotism is supporting your country all the time, and your government when it deserves it.”

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Why are so many in the GOP okay with their leader playing the victim card constantly?

There’s a reason liberals love playing the victim card in its various forms. It’s a powerful tool for radicals to have at the top of their Alinsky Tactics Toolbox. When politicians can mislead people into believing they’re being subjugated by the opposing side, their followers will do pretty much anything for their radical caretakers.

For decades, this is a tool that most in the GOP have chosen to not employ. It’s like force lightning in the Star Wars universe. Aficionados can debate whether it’s canon that only dark side force users can shoot lightening bolts from their hands, but either way it’s generally accepted that they shouldn’t just as it’s been assumed for a while that the victim card should be left to liberals.

President Trump has reversed this completely. He doesn’t just play the victim card from time to time. It’s become his go-to tactic. He plays it first and he plays it often. He’s become so adept at painting himself as the victim of “fake news” that anything printed about him will be challenged by the White House and supporters will usually just nod their heads. Let’s look at him portraying himself as the victim (and by extension allowing his minions and supporters to play the card as well) since returning from his overseas trip:

The Fake News Media works hard at disparaging & demeaning my use of social media because they don't want America to hear the real story!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 29, 2017

Does anyone notice how the Montana Congressional race was such a big deal to Dems & Fake News until the Republican won? V was poorly covered

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 28, 2017

….it is very possible that those sources don't exist but are made up by fake news writers. #FakeNews is the enemy!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 28, 2017

It is my opinion that many of the leaks coming out of the White House are fabricated lies made up by the #FakeNews media.

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 28, 2017

As regular readers are well aware, I’m sort of a mainstream media skeptic hipster; I’ve been very much opposed to the lies of the media since before it was cool. However, I also recognize that there’s a difference between improper spin or loose facts used by mainstream media and the current narrative from the White House that pretty much anything you hear on the news about Trump and his administration is fake. It’s not all fake and saying so is a contradiction.

Trump-friendly Breitbart recently reported that there are at least three White House leak sources who are about to be fired and could face legal action. This doesn’t seem to jibe with the notion that many leaks coming from the White House are “fabricated lies made up by the #FakeNews media,” but that’s the point. It doesn’t have to jibe. It only has to yield very muddy waters. If you combine the two narratives – leakers are getting caught and many leaks are fabrications by the media – the result is that Republicans are empowered to pick and choose what news should be addressed and what can be dismissed. Today, the leaning is towards the latter. This is by design.

I’m not condemning Trump for this. When there’s already so much controversy surrounding his decisions, connections, and liberal policies, the best line of defense is to muddy the waters. Give people a reason to suspend disbelief in his plan for America. It’s painful to watch, but it’s also potentially brilliant. Then again, what other move could he be making at this point?

My biggest problem isn’t that the White House is playing the victim card. It’s that the GOP is not only allowing it but embracing it. What happened to the high road? When did the conservative philosophy get traded in for this new brand of liberal-lite? This isn’t the GOP we once knew. It’s just another reason I’ve put my efforts into building the small-government Federalist Party.

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