Other Ballot Measures on Tuesday's Election

California, Maine, Massachusetts and Nevada voted to legalize recreational marijuana. All four Clinton states need to get high to recover from Tuesday’s election. They join three other Clinton States, Colorado, Oregon and Washington in toking up. Alaska is the only Trump state that legalizes recreational marijuana. The Evergreen Washington State rejected a “revenue neutral” carbon tax. That tax will also be going nowhere in the Trump Administration. Albany, California, Boulder, Colorado, San Francisco, and Oakland voted to fight childhood obesity by imposing soda taxes, the effect of which will be to push soda sales to neighboring stores. The taxes will be ineffective in fighting obesity. What will be next? Sugared cookies, pastries, donuts, rolls, ice cream, candy, fruit juices, flavored milk? What about Animal Crackers? How about Twinkies? Four states, Arizona, Colorado, Maine, and Washington voted to increase the minimum wage, thereby raising the Black teenage unemployment rate. Massachusetts in response to teacher union ads rejected an increase in charter schools. California voters signed on to tax, bond, and spend measures. They even agreed to pay 10 cents/plastic bag at retailers. Stater Brothers, the self-proclaimed "low-cost leader," immediately charged ten cents per bag. Let’s see if a repeal provision will be on the ballot in a year. They rejected though a ban on capital punishment, but voted instead to seed up the process, which will be ineffective against anti-capital punishment judges. Los Angeles County made large strides in diversity. Two women were elected to the 5 member County Board of Supervisors, which now has four women, including a Latina, and an African American male. Incidentally, each supervisor has an annual slush fund of $3 million and long term limits. California and Nevada approved stricter gun control measures. Strict gun control laws have been incredibly ineffective in Chicago. Los Angeles, Seattle, and the San Francisco Bay Area supported mass transit. Los Angeles voters also approved funding for homeless shelters and more low income housing. Colorado defeated a single payer healthcare proposal, but approved assisted suicide. San Diego voters overwhelmingly rejected a new stadium for the San Diego Chargers, also known as the “Bolts,” who will bolt the city, thereby joining the Clippers who left San Diego decades ago. Yorba Linda voters were incensed by a $25 water rate increase. They voted to recall the directors who approved the rate increases. The biggest surprise of Tuesday was not the election of Donald Trump as President of the United States. Instead, as blue turned red on the national map, Orange County, California, the reddest of the red for 80 years, turned blue. Orange County voted for Hillary.

Lessons From Tuesday

1)“It’s still the economy, stupid.” Governor Clinton won election in 1992 as the economy was coming out of a minor recession. Senator Obama won election in 2008 in the depths of the Great Recession. Donald Trump won election Tuesday because globalization was killing manufacturing jobs in the Rust Belt. 2) The Democrats have been waging class warfare for two decades; it bit back Tuesday 3) The white vote still matters. White voters were 70% of Tuesday voters. 58% voted for Donald Trump. White, working class Americans vote. 4) The Hispanic vote will be critical in future elections; it is already costing the GOP California, Colorado, Nevada, and New Mexico, and soon Arizona. Maricopa County (Phoenix) voters out Sheriff Joe Arpaio after 6 terms. The GOP cannot survive as a white only party. California sent three new Latinos to Congress and Nevada a Latina Senator. 5) The Republicans still lag in reaching out to the also increasing Asian American population. 6) Broad generalizations, such as Hispanic or Asian, are a broad disservice since ethnicity is often not a unitary phenomenon 7) The Democrats vaunted ground game failed. 8) Money doesn’t always buy elections Donald Trump was greatly outspent in the primaries while the Clinton Campaign outspent the Trump Campaign 2:1 in the general election. Donald Trump understood the message voters wanted to hear; Hillary Clinton did not. 9) Polling is as much a science as economics; the only poll that matters is the one on election day. Even Nate Silver lost some of his luster. 10) Political pundits are as accurate as the Delphic Oracle 11) The media is not as powerful as it once was 12) The mainstream media, which showed neither pride nor shame in shilling for Hillary Clinton this election, proved it no longer controls elections 13) The climate is changing 14) The Hollywood celebrities threatening to move to Canada or Australia have not been packing their bags. 15) The Democratic Party, which was anticipating a 1964 Goldwater Landslide, suffered its third landslide loss in 6 years (2010, 2014, 2016). The Presidency, Senate, House, 2/3 of the governors, 69 of the 99 state legislative chambers, 29 state attorney generals and 31 secretaries of state, are in Republican hands. They are in full control of 25 states compared to 4 for the Democrats. The Democratic Party is in worse shape than the GOP was in 1964 and 1974. The Democratic Party needs to engage in serious soul searching. 16) About 150,000 voters in Michigan, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin decided the Presidency, the destiny of the United States, and decades of the Supreme Court. 17) The national vote may be almost even, but America is much more center right than it is progressive left 18) President Obama did not believe in American exceptionalism and did not understand the American Spirit. He drank too deeply of the Liberation Theology of reverent Jeremiah Wright and thought America, especially white America, was an oppressor nation and people. He did what he could, which was all too much, to destroy that America. 19) Right to Work is coming to Missouri, Missouri, and New Hampshire, joining 26 existing states. Traditional Big Labor is in trouble, unless President Trump can restore the manufacturing base of the United States. 20) The Clintons are a spent force in American politics. 21) “The times, they are a’changing.”

Look at the Blue/Red Map to Understand the Trump Victory

Check the Blue/Red map to Explain Donald Trump’s Epic Victory A look at the Red/Blue map explains the Trump Victory. The country is solidly red between the Alleghenies and the Sierras except for a few large cities and some progressive college towns, such as Ann Arbor, Michigan and Madison, Wisconsin. Flyover Country, the home of Hillary’s “deplorables”and "irredeemables," the Heartland of America, the Rust Belt, rebelled against the elitism and statism of New York City, the District of Columbia, San Francisco, Silicon Valley, Hollywood, and Los Angeles. Flyover Country may enjoy Hollywood movies, but they are repelled by Hollywood values. Secretary Clinton surrounded herself with celebrities in the final days of the campaign rather than hard working Americans. The Democratic Party was reduced to the Northeast and the Pacific Coast along with Nevada, Colorado, Illinois, and Minnesota. Even in these states the rural counties are painted red. The Heartland reflects the Spirit of America and traditional values. America voted for Hope and Change eight years ago, but the change they got was not the change they wanted. They got high taxes, excessive regulation, and transfer payments. The hard workers are tired of subsidizing the non-workers as they see their jobs disappearing. They got contempt by the Obamanistas, media, and academics. The War on Coal, stalling the Keystone Pipeline and the Dakota Access Pipeline, and fighting fracking, cost Americans jobs in the Heartland. The coal miners of America did not like the Obama-Clinton “change” of being told by Secretary Clinton that she would put the coal industry out of business, but give the miners welfare benefits to survive. The blue mining counties of Ohio and Pennsylvania turned red on Tuesday. The progressive state of Wisconsin is becoming a solid blue state. The unemployed textile workers in the South do not appreciate free trade. A large factor in Tuesday’s vote was the Supreme Court. Mid-America does not like the Supreme Court legislating on social issues and traditional family values. I have been supportive of gay marriage, but cautioned against doing it through judicial legislation to which there has been an elector backlash Tuesday. The coastal elites don’t understand the Heartland. The silent majority does not demonstrate, riot, loot, or protest. They don’t burn the American Flag. The silent majority spoke at the ballot box yesterday. They seethed until Tuesday. The anti-Clinton vote was not based on racism, sexism, homophobia. It was not caused by FBI Director James Comey or WikiLeaks. It was based on ObamaCare, excessive federal regulation, feeble reactions to terrorist attacks on the police, the breakdown of law and order, the attacks on religion, especially Christianity and Judaism, the diminution of the military, the Iran deal, a failed, feckless foreign policy, corruption in the government, VA incompetence, attacks on gun ownership, a collapsing education system, Open Borders, media bias and contempt, the endless lies – all of the above as a package. The American worker was forgotten by the bi-coastal elites. The people wanted leadership. Donald Trump presented leadership throughout the election cycle. He did not back down. Secretary Clinton was a corrupt, highly flawed candidate who offered more of the same, more of the Obama failures. Americans said No More on Tuesday Their voice was loud. It was individually quiet, but collectively the people found their voice. The warning signs were ignored by the political leaders of both parties. Middle America reacted to the first two years of the Obama Administration by unleashing a blood red tsunami in the 2010 midterm elections. The Republican tidal wave swept through Pennsylvania, Ohio, Michigan, Illinois, Iowa, Wisconsin, and Minnesota. The Republicans ended up controlling most State Houses with governorships and legislative houses in the Midwest. Both parties tried to suppress the Tea Parties, the Democrats more viciously through the IRS. Donald Trump, a lapsed liberal Democrats, ran as a Republican with no ties to the GOP leadership. Senator Bernie Sanders reaped 45% of the Democratic primary vote, but had no chance of winning the nomination because of a rigged process. The Washington, D.C. Establishment did not understand the Tea Party, Trump, or Bernie. They did not listen. They could understand the gender gap but not the Enthusiasm Gap. The forgotten Americans went back to work today, quietly.

The Long and Winging Road to Tomorrow's Election Day: What Have We Learned From the Candidates?

After 12 years of running for President, Hillary is Hillary. She is the same avaricious, arrogant, duplicitous, mendacious, snarky candidate as ever. She is the epitome of the Peter Principle in action. After 1 year of running for President, The Donald remains The Donald. He remained the same thin skinned, misogynist, bloviating, hyperbole braggart, not-ready-for-prime-time candidate. The reality TV star was not quite ready for prime time. We know every sin they may have committed in their life, but little of their policies. They tell us, but the media doesn’t cover it. Thus the campaign became one of negativity between two of the most unpopular candidates in American presidential history. They offer us two candidates with strong negatives. Senator Obama 8 years ago offered America “Hope and Change,” a positive message during the Great Recession. Secretary Clinton famously said “When they go low, we go high.” The closing 5 days of her campaign has been a rabid campaign of negative ads. She could emulate President Richard Nixon in 1972 by winning a landslide election, but then flaming out. WikiLeaks is not going away. Donald Trump is right in calling her “Crooked Hillary.” Hillary Clinton could be this year’s Dilma Rouseff. She is proven corrupt. She’s always been avaricious, but became thoroughly corrupt with the Clinton Foundation and the State Department. Both candidates understand “Pay to Play.” Donald was a constant contributor to politicians, usually Democrats, who could help his developments. “Pay to Play is a form of business expense for developers like Donald Trump. Campaign contributions, within established rules, are both legal and corrupting. Hillary Clinton understands “Pay to Play’ as she and her husband benefitted from it during her tenure as Secretary of States. Donald Trump had many opportunities to gain an advantage during the election, but squandered them on unfocused personal attacks on Muslims, Mexicans, women and fellow Republicans. If Hillary Clinton wins it will because Donald Trump unified the Obama coalition of Millennials, women, African Americans, and Hispanics for his opponent. She could not have done it on her own. And yet, he’s still competitive. Or am I acting like Charley Brown with the football? Every time Charley is about to kick the football, Lucy pulls it away. Once again it looks like the Republicans have a solid chance for the White House. Will it be yanked away yet again? The Republican leadership recognized 4 years ago that the Republican Party could not succeed as a Whites only party. It had to open itself to Hispanics, Asians, and African Americans. Donald Trump is trying to prove a Republican can win the Presidency by courting under-educated Whites without a strong ground game and worsening the gender gap. That would be like pulling an inside straight. He’s in danger of becoming this year’s Sharron Angle, Christine O’Donnell and Todd Akin. They lost winnable Senate seats. He may lose a winnable Presidential election. His campaign is a case of “Rage Against the Machine,” the corrupt machine of the establishment. Donald Trump is campaigning for The Forgotten Man and Richard Nixon's Silent Majority. Her campaign is “More of the Same,” or SOS. He has allied against him the mainstream media, Hollywood, Silicon Valley, the elites, women, minorities, the FBI and Justice Department. And yet he’s still competitive. The Republicans need to change their primary rules if he loses the general election. First is to allow more superdelegates. Donald Trump could not have won the republican nomination if the republican nominating process had the same proportion of Super Delegates as the Democratic National Convention. The second is to eliminate cross voting from the Republican primaries. Only registered Republicans should be allowed to vote in republican primaries and caucuses. The non-republicans provided his early caucus and primary victories. And yet he can win. Where is Charley Brown? Two alternative outcomes Tuesday night would be a fitting climax to this election. The first would be if Hillary Clinton, like Al Gore, won a majority of the votes cast, but Donald Trump wins the electoral college. That outcome is possible because of the enormous Clinton majority vote expected in California. The second would be if neither candidate achieves 270 electoral votes, throwing the election into the House of representatives.

Everything You Need to Know About the California Ballot Measures

Everything You Wanted to Know About the California Ballot Elections, and Couldn’t Understand It's simple; they are almost all tax and spending increases. States, cities, and counties raise taxes when the economy collapses. They simply cannot cut expenditures, unlike private businesses. California is proving that states, counties and cities will also raise taxes during boom times. 17 state wide propositions are on the statewide ballot this November. An additional 427 local tax and bond measures are also on the ballot. The vast majority directly or indirectly raise taxes, especially the sales tax. The underlying cause is the uncontrolled escalation of public pension benefits, which is crowding out expenditures from the general funds. It’s the entitlement nation run amuck. Unless government can control spending, the tax increases and bonding will squeeze out the private sector, which generates economic growth. This year’s California budget is $170.9 billion, an increase of $288.4 billion in 5 years. Proponents often claim the tax increases will go to dedicated purposes, but that is often a deceitful statement. The tax increase is not even mentioned in some proposals. Let’s look at the 17 statewide ballot propositions. Prop 51 is a $9 billion bond issues for the state’s public schools – to fix existing schools and build new ones. There’s no money available in the general fund for the schools eventhough 40% of all new tax revenues goes to schools. Too much of the school funding goes to pensions and high teacher salaries. The proposition is being sold to the public as a means to fix the schools without a tax increase. No tax increase! The voters often don’t understand that the interest and principle on these bonds must be paid out of the general fund. The state already has $75 billion in general obligation bonds outstanding. This figure does not include the unsecured obligations such as the unfunded pension plans. Estimated debt payments out of this year’s general fund will be $1.6 billion. Tom Torlakson, the union supported State Superintendent of Instruction, said “The state ran out of money 2½ years ago. There is a long line of school projects.” Is that a list of "Shovel ready jobs?" Proposition 52 has overwhelming support. It preserves an existing “tax” on hospitals that are used to reap billions in Medi-Cal reimbursements from the federal government and prohibits the legislature from diverting the funds to other purposes. Proposition 53 has overwhelming opposition who never say what its about. Prop 53 would require a public vote on any revenue bonds of $2 billion or more. Prop 54 requires a 72 hour waiting period between posting of a bill and a legislative vote. Prop 55 is another deceptive measure, entitled Tax Extension to Fund Education and Health Care.”. It extends the “temporary” “Millionaire’s Tax” increase approved by voters in 2012 during the deep California budget crisis. The state income tax of 13.8%, the highest state income tax in the nation, starts at a single person’s income at $250,000. The state political and union leaders seem mesmerized by Hollywood and Silicon Valley and do not notice the flight of companies and entrepreneurs from the state. Prop 56 is being sold as an anti-tobacco tax by raising the tobacco tax to $2/pack. It also imposes a 67% increase in the tax on e-cigarettes. Only a small percent goes to anti-smoking campaigns. 56% of the estimated $1.27 million revenue increase goes to the Medi-Cal program. Substantial opposition, funded by the tobacco companies, exists on the grounds that Prop 56 diverts money to special interests, “Stop the Special Interest Tax Grab,” contra to the normal 40% of new tax revenues to public education. The high cigarette tax will boost the bootlegging of cigarettes into the state. Prop 57 is a “Get out of Jail” free card deceptively marketed as Imprisonment of violent offenders and rehabilitation for others with early release. As with the Prop 47 a few years ago, no money is allocated for rehabilitation. Instead on increasing jail capacity, Governor Jerry Brown is intent on freeing prisoners. The prisoners eligible for early release include rapists, child molesters, and human traffickers. California prosecutors and law enforcement are overwhelmingly opposed to Prop 60, byt they are being drowned out by the affirmative side. Prop 58 repeals the 1998 California referendum banning bilingual education in the public school. Prop 59 is an attempt in California to repeal the Supreme Court’s Citizens United decision. It’s a meaningless vote with no practical effect. Prop 60 will determine whether the actors in porn films must wear condoms. The $10 billion industry, based in the San Fernando valley, threatens to move to Vegas if it passes. Let them move to Vegas along with the Oakland raiders. If the actors want to risk STD’s with rampant unprotected sex, let them. Prop 61 is advertised as a means to restrain prescription drug prices. In reality, it only affects somewhere between 12-18% of prescription drug sales. The risk is that the drug companies will raise prices for everyone else. A tremendous advertising campaign has been mounted against Prop 61. Props 62 and 66 are competing capital punishment measures. Prop 62 will retroactively ban capital punishment in California. inmates currently on Death Row will have their sentences change to life imprisonment. Prop 66 will speed up the process. Take your pick! Even if Prop 66 passes and Prop 62 fails, the activist anti-capital punishment federal and state judges will sabotage it. The last execution in California was in 2006. 746 criminals currently reside in San Quentin’s Death Row. Prop 63 imposes even stricter gun control measures in California. It’s another way to boost business in Nevada. Prop 64 legalizes recreational marijuana. Californians previously approved medicinal marijuana which became a farce. Walk in “clinics” sprung up next to marijuana dispensaries. A 5 minute consult results in a prescription for marijuana. Just cut the hypocrisy, legalize marijuana. Many legislators and local officials are salivating and getting high on the 15% tax on marijuana products. and impose a tax on it is the Proposition. That leaves the plastic bag referendums of Prop 63 and 65. The state’s grocery chains reached agreement with the state legislators to impose a bag fee with the proceeds going to the retailers as consumers are ripped off. Prop 63 will divert the proceeds away from the retailers to a new environmental fund administered by the State Wildlife Conservation Fund. Prop 65 will ban the bag tax. On a local level Los Angeles, both the city and county, love tax increases. Measure A will impose a parcel tax of 1.5 cents per square foot of built space to support parks. Measure FF imposes a $15 dollar tax for fire protection and open space in a hillside district of the San Fernando Valley. Los Angeles County’s Measure M sales tax increase is being marketed as a means to relieve congestion. It involves retention and progressive increases in ½ cent gas taxes. “Relieve congestion” is the mantra for the estimated $120 billion over 4 decades. The reality is that almost all of the revenue will go into expanding rail mass transit. The Los Angeles Times said it might result in a 15% less time stuck in traffic in the year 2057. The state’s highways and roads will continue to deteriorate. Los Angeles’ Proposition HHH also seeks $1.2 billion in bonds for homeless housing and services. Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti said the bond receipts will “free up money for other services.” How much will actually relieve the homeless crisis versus creation of a new bureaucracy remains to be seen. Fountain valley in orange County proposes a 1 cent sales tax increase for “Fountain Valley 911 Response Police-Fire/Essential City Services.” It’s hard to vote against the fire and police, but the proceeds will actually go into the city’s general fund without being earmarked for police or fire. La Palma’s proposed one cent sale tax is more honest. It says it’s to “maintain existing services.” San Clemente’s 00 will raise the hotel tax from the existing 10% to 13%. The %570,000 will go into the city’s general budget. It’s easy to approve a tax increase that applies to non-residents. Santa Ana’s Measure PP promises “strict limits” on the salaries of the City Council Members, but will raise their salaries from $125/month to $1,000/month. Both Oakland and San Francisco seek to impose soda taxes, which will be good to merchants in San Mateo and Alameda Counties. San Francisco Bay Area voters will determine the fate of a $3.5 billion bond issue for BART. Almost all the proceeds will go to shoring up the pension plans of Bart workers. Police, fire, parks, recreation, schools, California, its cities, counties, and district, are running out of money. Tax increases and bonds are like sticking fingers in a leaky dam. It won’t stop the bleeding.

What Will FBI Director James Comey Do With His Clinton Email Milligan

President William Jefferson Clinton was notorious for Mulligans on the golf course. FBI Director Mulligan took a Mulligan Friday with the Clinton emails. We know he received blowback from the FBI agents and Justice Department lawyers who diligently investigated the Clinton emails before he exonerated Secretary Clinton. We know the daily drip of disclosures about the inadequacy of the FBI investigation further reinforces the view that a political fix was at work. FBI Director Comey publicly indicted secretary Clinton on July 5, all but saying she lied on several instances in her statements to the public. However, he refused to indict her, explaining there was insufficient evidence to prosecute Secretary Clinton or her staff for violations of the Espionage Act and closed the file, ignoring possible conspiracy and obstruction of justice charges. He said no evidence of intent was shown (The statute does need intent), but that she was “extremely careless” in handling confidential material. The prosecutorial determination is not in the jurisdiction of the FBI. The FBI can arrest, but not indict or prosecute. Those decisions are for the prosecutors, or the Attorney General herself, in the Department of Justice. How bad was the Clinton investigation once it went up the ladder? Attorney General Lynch met for an hour with President Bill Clinton on an airport tarmac five days before the perfunctory FBI interview with Secretary Clinton. She said they talked about golf, travel, and grandchildren – nothing about retaining her job in the Clinton Administration. The Attorney General has politicized the Department of Justice just as the earlier politicization of the IRS. The FBI interview with secretary Clinton was not under oath, was untaped Clinton aides Cheryl Mills and Heather Samuelson were granted limited immunity in exchange for turning over their laptops, with the FBI agreeing to subsequently destroy the laptops. The normal procedure would have been a grand jury investigation with a broad issuance of subpoenas. Director Comey fell on his sword for Attorney General Roberta Lynch and President Obama on July 5. He saved the partisan AG from making a blatantly political decision in the heat of the Presidential election. It would have been politically deadly if the President had to pardon Secretary Clinton prior to Election Day. He may still have to do so. The Deputy Director of the FBI, Andrew McCabe, did not recuse himself with a major conflict of interest. Terry McAuliffe’s PAC gave $452,000 to his wife’s, Dr. Jill Mcabe, unsuccessful race for a Virginia Senate seat. The Virginia Democratic Party, which he controlled, gave another $207,788 to her campaign. Hillary Clinton headlined a $500,000 fundraiser for Dr. McCabe. All that is perfectly legal. Mr. McCabe was Associate Deputy Director of the FBI at that time. He was promoted last February to Deputy Director, the number 2 in the FBI, and oversaw the Clinton Email investigation. He had a clear conflict of interest. Everyone seems to have ignored the classic maxim: “Not only must justice be done, it must appear to be done.” Director Comey could cloak himself in the credibility and image of the FBI to shield POTUS and the AG. The initial question is why? Three possible answers arise. The first is payback time. We know that Comey prostrated himself before the Obama Administration to get the FBI appointment. Remember the Godfather who asked for a favor to be returned sometime in the future? The chit was called in on the Clinton emails. The second theory is equally troublesome. It became clear early in the FBI investigation that President Obama used a pseudonym to privately communicate with Secretary Clinton through her private, unsecured server. In other words President Obama was equally complicit in the illegal activity. To indict Clinton would implicate the President. The third thesis is practical. You do not indict the President or a Presidential nominee unless you believe you can get a conviction. The odds that a jury in Washington, D.C. would convict a Clinton are exceedingly small. Take your pick Comey was feeling the heat afterwards. He would ignore the WikiLeaks disclosures. He would live with the internal and external blowback. He would let the politicized Department of Justice tamp down any investigation of the Clinton Foundation and the allegations of pay-to-play. He would ignore the inevitable leaks from disgruntled FBI agents. Then came the treasure trove of disgraced Congressman Anthony Weiner’s emails along with those of his wife. Thousands and thousands of who knows what. Huma Abedin deleted nothing from her email; no BleachBit for Huma He could not ignore those, or he wished to reacquire a veneer of integrity. He realized that he had contributed to the politicization (or corruption n Donald Trump’s favorite accusation) of corruption in the Justice department and now the FBI. Perhaps he realizes that being further sucked into the muck of the Clintongate Swamp would not be good for his future. He is now receiving the standard Democratic slime attack. Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid, in his usual manner, is claiming the FBI may be in violation of the Hatch Act. Others are calling Comey’s act of sending the letter as unprofessional. The charge is based on the presupposition that the FBI and Justice Department will not act to interfere with the outcome of the Presidential Campaign. Yet, 4 days before the end of the 1992 Bush-Clinton campaign, a Special Prosecutor who answered to the Justice Department, indicted Defense Secretary Casper Weinberger and indicated President George H. W. Bush was involved in the Iranian Arms for Hostages deal. A judge later dropped the charges. President Clinton would probably have won anyway because President Bush ran a poor campaign, but the indictment cost him votes. . The Clintonisitas continue to spin and misinform. Everything goes back to Russian hacking to rig the United States election. We don’t know who hacked whom, but we now know that John Podesta’s server was compromised because Podesta and his staff fell for a phishing attack apparently from the Ukraine. No matter what the FBI does, or the election results, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton will not be going to jail. President Obama will pardon her, if necessary. James Comey has his Mulligan. Will he find violations of the Espionage Act, perjury or obstruction of justice, and then do the right act of recommending indictments, or will he fall on his sword again, becoming a complete buffoon and further damaging the image of the FBI.

A Second Letter From Scholars and Writers for America (Trump)

(Sorry about the way the copy and paste came out - Try this link http://www.foxnews.com/opinion/2016/11/01/bill-bennett-f-h-buckley-call-for-gop-unity-and-neverhillary.html) Scholars and Writers for America Statement of Unity We are a group of scholars and writers who support Donald Trump, and who in our previous letter wrote that “given our choices in the presidential election, we believe that Donald Trump is the candidate most likely to restore the promise of America.” We continue to believe this, and today urge opponents of the progressive agenda to put aside any differences and to join with us, as a vote for Donald Trump is the only feasible method of defending the principles of freedom, justice and prosperity we hold in common against the most serious threat we have ever faced, a threat that begins to look like the final defeat of republican government, and the permanent decline of the country we love. Constitutional Governance. Under Obama we have departed from the Founders’ constitution of separation of powers towards one-man rule by the president. With Mrs. Clinton, we’d expect to see an even greater slide towards an all-powerful presidency, and the judges she would appoint could be expected to bless the attendant threat to political liberty. By contrast, Donald Trump has pledged to appoint judges in the mold of Justice Scalia, and his agenda for change is importantly a legislative one. We expect he would work with Congress, as the Founders intended. Corruption in Government. Were Mrs. Clinton elected, “Clinton Cash” would move into the White House. Crony capitalism, the silent killer of the American economy, would increasingly burden entrepreneurs with wasteful regulations that serve to transfer wealth from dispersed lower and middle-class Americans to the rich and well-connected. By contrast, Donald Trump’s proposals for regulatory reform and for ending the revolving door between Congress and K Street lobbyists would serve to promote an honest and just government and to restore economic growth. Economic Stimulus. Donald Trump’s Tax Code and energy proposals would release the engines of economic growth and put America back to work again. With Mrs. Clinton, by contrast, we’d see higher taxes, job-killing regulations and economic malaise. Religious Liberty. We would expect that attacks upon religious institutions, begun under Obama, would increase were Mrs. Clinton elected. By contrast, Donald Trump has pledged to defend our religious institutions. Education. Our K-12 public educational system is a disgrace, and Mrs. Clinton would do nothing to change this. By contrast, Donald Trump’s support for a voucher system for charter and parochial schools would be a most welcome game changer. Oct. 30, 2016 Bruce Abramson, Ph.D., J.D. London Center for Policy Research Stephen J. Allen, Ph.D., J.D. Capital Research Center William Atto University of Dallas, co-editor of “American Progressivism: A Reader” Darren J. Beattie Duke University David J. Benard, Ph.D. Writer David Beiler Writer Bill Bennett former Secretary of Education, author of “America: The Last, Best, Hope” Jay Bergman Central CT State University, author of “Meeting the Demands of Reason: The Life and Thought of Andrei Sakharov” Dennis Binder, S.J.D. Chapman University, author of “Can we Secure the Hallowed Elms of Academe?” Daniel A. Bonevac University of Texas, author of “Deduction: Introductory Symbolic Logic” Andrew Bostom author of “Sharia Versus Freedom” Jan L. Beslow Rockefeller University William M. Briggs Cornell University, author of “Uncertainty: The Soul of Modeling, Probability & Statistics” David Bradshaw University of Kentucky Thomas E. Brennan lawyer and former Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Michigan F.H. Buckley George Mason University, author of “The Way Back: Restoring the Promise of America” Chris Buskirk editor and writer, American Greatness Nicholas Capaldi Loyola University New Orleans, co-author of “Liberty and Equality in Political Economy” Jim Capua, Ph.D. writer Lionel Chetwynd Oscar and Emmy nominated producer, director, screenwriter of “Miracle on Ice” and “Hanoi Hilton” James S. Corum, Ph.D. Salford University, author of “Fighting the War on Terror” Glynn Custred CSU-Haywood Emeritus, author of “A History of Anthropology as Holistic Science” Donn Dears author of “Nothing to Fear” John C. Eastman Chapman University Fowler School of Law and the Claremont Institute, author of “Born in the U.S.A? Reassessing Birthright Citizenship in the Wake of 9/11” Edward Erler CSU San Bernardino, co-author of “The Founders of Citizenship and Immigration: Principles and Challenges in America” Edward Erler CSU San Bernardino, co-author of “The Founders on Citizenship and Immigration: Principles and Challenges in America” Clarice Feldman lawyer and writer Peter J. Ferrara Heartland Institute, author of “Power to the People: The New Road to Freedom and Prosperity for the Poor, Seniors and Those Most In Need of the World’s Best Health Care” Philip R. Fine University of Alabama at Birmingham emeritus Burton W. Folsom, Jr. Hillsdale College, co-author of “The Myth of the Robber Barons” John Fonte, Ph.D. author of “Sovereignty or Submission” William A. Frank University of Dallas, author of “Duns Scotus, Metaphysician” Neal B. Freeman writer, businessman, Peabody Award-winning television producer Bruce Frohnen Ohio Northern University, author of “Constitutional Morality and the Rise of Quasi-Law” (with George W. Carey) George Gilder author of “Wealth and Poverty” Tom Giovanetti writer Esther Goldberg lawyer and writer for The American Spectator Mary Grabar co-author of “The Crisis in American Journalism and the Conservative Response” Lino Graglia University of Texas–Austin, author of “Disaster by Decree” David P. Goldman author of “How Civilizations Die: (And Why Islam Is Dying Too)” Darren Guerra Biola University, author of “Perfecting the Constitution: The Case for the Article V Amendment Process” Leon Hadar, Ph.D. author of “Sandstorm: Policy Failure in the Middle East” Susan Hanssen University of Dallas, author of “Shall We Go to Rome?: The Last Days of Henry Adams” Bruce Heiden writer Anne Henderschott Franciscan University of Steubenville, co-author of “Renewal: How a New Generation of Faithful Priests and Bishops is Revitalizing the Catholic Church” Mytheos Holt The Federalist David Horowitz editor and author of “The Left in Power: Clinton to Obama” Deal Hudson, Ph.D. editor and author of “An American Conversion” Carol Iannone editor and writer Christina Jeffrey, Ph.D. author of “The UN/State Department Refugee Program Comes to Spartanburg” Douglas Jeffrey Hillsdale College, editor of Imprimis Marjorie Jeffrey writer Robert C. Jeffrey Wofford College Stephen M. Johnson, Ph.D. church historian Brian T. Kennedy writer, The American Strategy Group Charles Kesler Claremont McKenna College, editor of Claremont Review of Books, author of “I am the Change: Barack Obama and the Future of Liberalism” Roger Kimball editor and author of “The Fortunes of Permanence: Culture and Anarchy in an Age of Amnesia” Robert D. King University of Texas—Austin, author of “Nehru and the Language Politics of India” Michael Kochin Tel Aviv University Robert C. Koons University of Texas—Austin, co-author of “Metaphysics: The Fundamentals” Michael Ledeen, Ph.D. co-author of NY Times best-seller “Field of Fight” Seth Leibsohn radio host and co-author of “The Fight of Our Lives: Knowing the Enemy, Speaking the Truth, and Choosing to Win the War Against Radical Islam” Thomas Lifson, Ph.D. editor and writer, American Thinker Margaret Lindsay, Ph.D. writer Thomas Lindsay, Ph.D. co-author of “Investigating American Democracy” Robert Oscar Lopez Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, author of “The Colorful Conservative: American Conversations with the Ancients from Wheatley to Whitman” Herb London, Ph.D. author of “The Encyclopedia of Militant Islam” John R. Lott, Jr., Ph.D. Economist, author of “More Guns, Less Crime” Doug Mainwaring author of “Marriage Ground Zero” (forthcoming) Ted Roosevelt Malloch Oxford University, co-author of “America’s Spiritual Capital” Ken Masugi Johns Hopkins University, co-author of “The Supreme Court and American Constitutionalism” Daniel McCarthy editor and writer, contributor to “Dilemmas of American Conservatism” Thomas C. McCollum III author of “Uncle Norm” Scott McConnell author of “Ex-Neocon” Bruce D. McCullough Drexel University Charles McKinney Crisis Roger Meiners University of Texas—Arlington, author of “Gridlock in Government” Allen Mendenhall Faulkner University, author of “Literature and Liberty” Tiffany Jones Miller University of Dallas Brian Patrick Mitchell author of “Eight Ways to Run the Country” Ed Morrow writer Laurie Morrow, Ph.D. co-author of “Conversations on Philanthropy” Steve Mosher Population Research Institute Maureen Mullarkey writer, The Federalist William Murchison author of “The Cost of Liberty: The Life of John Dickinson” Deroy Murdock columnist and writer George Neumayr co-author of “No Higher Power: Obama’s War on Religious Freedom” Marita Noon author of “Energy Freedom” Michael J. O’Shea writer Svetozar Pejovich Texas A&M emeritus, author of “The Economics of Property Rights” Ronald J. Pestritto Hillsdale College, author of “Woodrow Wilson and the Roots of Modern Liberalism” James Piereson, Ph.D. author of “Shattered Consensus: The Rise and Decline of America’s Postwar Political Order” Julie Ponzi editor and writer, American Greatness Sidney Powell author of “Licensed to Lie: Exposing Corruption in the Department of Justice” Stephen B. Presser Northwestern University, author of “Law Professors: Three Centuries of Shaping American Law (forthcoming” Frank Price screenwriter and producer, former CEO Columbia Pictures, former president Universal Pictures Mark Pulliam lawyer and writer Eric Rasmusen University of Indiana, co-author of “Measuring Judicial Independence: The Political Economy of Judging in Japan” Alfred Regnery lawyer and author of “Upstream: The Ascendance of American Conservatism” D.N. Robinson Oxford University, author of “The American Founding: Its Intellectual and Moral Framework” Erik S. Root, Ph.D. Roger Bacon Academy, author of “All Honor to Jefferson?” Milton Rosenberg University of Chicago emeritus Constance Rossum University of La Verne, co-author of “Rehabilitating Rehabilitation” Ralph A. Rossum Claremont McKenna College, author of “Antonin Scalia’s Jurisprudence: Text and Tradition” Ronald Rotunda Chapman University, co-author of “Treatise on Constitutional Law” Paul Rubin Emory University Lisa Schiffren writer, former White House speechwriter Harold See Belmont University Roger L. Simon Academy Award-nominated screenwriter, co-founder PJ Media, author of “I Know Best: How Moral Narcissism is Destroying Our Republic, If It Hasn’t Already” S. Fred Singer, Ph.D. author of “Ecology in Action” Scott Soames University of Southern California, author of “The Analytic Tradition in Philosophy” Larry Schweikart University of Dayton, retired, co-author of NY Times bestseller “A Patrior’s History of the United States” Ross Terrill Dennis Teti Frank J. Tipler Tulane University James Trefil George Mason University, author of “The Encyclopedia of Science and Technology” Michael P. Tremoglie author of “A Sense of Duty” Tina Trent R. Emmett Tyrrell, Jr. editor and author of “The Death of Liberalism” Bradley C.S. Watson Saint Vincent College, author of “The Living Constitution, Dying Faith: Progressivism and the New Science of Jurisprudence” Brandon Weichert Diana West Thomas G. West author of “Vindicating the Founders” Victor Willaims Chair, Lawyers and Law Professors for Trump Scot J. Zentner CSU San Bernardino, author of “Liberalism and Executive Power: Woodrow Wilson and the American Founders” John Zmirak Timothy W. Caspar Hillsdale College E. Christian Kopff University of Colorado–Boulder Steven C. Michael University of Illinois—Urbana Callista Gingrich co-author of “Rediscovering God in America” Newt Gingrich former Speaker of the House, co-author of “A Nation Like No Other: Why American Exceptionalism Matters” Statement of Support Given our choices in the presidential election, we believe that Donald J. Trump is the candidate most likely to restore the promise of America, and we urge you to support him as we do. Jeffrey H. Anderson, Ph.D. author of “An Alternative to Obamacare” and “The Main Street Tax Plan” Hadley Arkes Amherst College emeritus, author of “Constitutional Illusions and Anchoring Truths: The Touchstone of the Natural Law” Larry P. Arnn Hillsdale College, author of “Churchill’s Trial: Winston Churchill and the Salvation of Free Government” Stephen H. Balch Texas Tech University, National Humanities Medal, co-author of “Western Civilization and the Academy” Mark Bauerlein Emory University, author of “The Digital Divide: Arguments for and Against Facebook, Google, Texting, and the Age of Social Networking” Darren J. Beattie Duke University, author of “Aufhebung: Political Ideology in the post-Cold War West (forthcoming)” Bill Bennett former Secretary of Education, author of “America: The Last, Best, Hope” Jay Bergman Central CT State University, author of “Meeting the Demands of Reason: The Life and Thought of Andrei Sakharov” Dennis Binder, S.J.D. Chapman University, author of “Can we Secure the Hallowed Elms of Academe?” Daniel A. Bonevac University of Texas, author of “Deduction: Introductory Symbolic Logic” Conrad Black author of “Franklin Delano Roosevelt: Champion of Freedom” James Bowman Ethics and Public Policy Center, author of “Honor: A History” Thomas E. Brennan lawyer and former Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Michigan F.H. Buckley George Mason University, author of “The Way Back: Restoring the Promise of America” Chris Buskirk editor and writer, American Greatness Nicholas Capaldi Loyola University New Orleans, author of “Liberty and Equality in Political Economy” James Capua, Ph.D writer Lionel Chetwynd Oscar and Emmy nominated producer, director, screenwriter of “Miracle on Ice” and “Hanoi Hilton” Lynn Chu Writers’ Representatives, LLC Mickey Craig Hillsdale College Glynn Custred CSU-Haywood emeritus, author of “A History of Anthropology as a Holistic Science” Donn Dears author of “Nothing to Fear” David Deming University of Oklahoma Marshall DeRosa Florida Atlantic University John C. Eastman Chapman University Fowler School of Law, author of “Born in the U.S.A.? Reassessing Birthright Citizenship in the Wake of 9/11” Edward Erler CSU San Bernardino, co-author of “The Founders on Citizenship and Immigration: Principles and Challenges in America” Clarice Feldman lawyer and writer Peter J. Ferrara Heartland Institute, author of “Power to the People: The New Road to Freedom and Prosperity for the Poor, Seniors and Those Most In Need of the World’s Best Health Care” Burton W. Folsom, Jr. co-author of “The Myth of the Robber Barons” John D. Fonte, Ph.D. author of “Sovereignty or Submission” William A. Frank University of Dallas, author of “Duns Scotus, Metaphysician” Neal B. Freeman writer and businessman, Peabody Award-winning television producer Bruce Frohnen Ohio Northern University, co-author of “Constitutional Morality and the Rise of Quasi-Law” George Gilder author of “Wealth and Poverty” and “The Scandal of Money: Why Wall Street Recovers But the Economy Never Does” Callista Gingrich co-author of “Rediscovering God in America” Newt Gingrich, Ph.D. former Speaker of the House, co-author of “A Nation Like No Other: Why American Exceptionalism Matters” Tom Giovanetti writer Esther Goldberg lawyer and writer for The American Spectator Mary Grabar co-author of “The Crisis in American Journalism and the Conservative Response” David P. Goldman author of “How Civilizations Die: (And Why Islam Is Dying Too)” Darren Guerra Biola University, author of “Perfecting the Constitution: The Case for the Article V Amendment Process” Susan Hanssen University of Dallas, author of “Shall We Go to Rome?: The Last Days of Henry Adams” Anne Hendershott Franciscan University of Steubenville, co-author of “Renewal: How a New Generation of Faithful Priests and Bishops Is Revitalizing the Catholic Church” Phillip Henderson Catholic University of America, author of “Managing the Presidency: The Eisenhower Legacy” David Horowitz editor and author of “The Left In Power: Clinton to Obama” Deal Hudson, Ph.D. editor and author of “An American Conversion” Carol Iannone editor and writer Christina Jeffrey, Ph.D. author of “The UN/State Department Refugee Program Comes to Spartanburg” Douglas Jeffrey Hillsdale College, editor of Imprimis Marjorie Jeffrey writer Robert C. Jeffrey Wofford College Brian T. Kennedy writer, The American Strategy Group Jack Kerwick Rowan College, author of “Misguided Guardians: The Conservative Case Against Neoconservatism” (forthcoming) Charles Kesler Claremont McKenna College, editor Claremont Review of Books, author of “I Am the Change: Barack Obama and the Future of Liberalism” Roger Kimball editor and author of “The Fortunes of Permanence: Culture and Anarchy in an Age of Amnesia” Robert D. King University of Texas—Austin, author of “Nehru and the Language of Politics in India” Michael Kochin Tel Aviv University Robert C. Koons University of Texas—Austin, co-author of “Metaphysics: The Fundamentals” E. Christian Kopff University of Colorado Boulder, author of “Virgil and the Cyclic Epics” Lawrence Kudlow co-author of “JFK and the Reagan Revolution: A Secret History of American Prosperity” Michael Ledeen, Ph.D. co-author of NY Times best-seller “Field of Fight” Seth Leibsohn radio host and co-author of “The Fight of Our Lives: Knowing the Enemy, Speaking the Truth, and Choosing to Win the War Against Radical Islam” Thomas Lifson, Ph.D. editor and writer, American Thinker Margaret Lindsay, Ph.D. writer Thomas Lindsay, Ph.D. co-author of “Investigating American Democracy” Roger Meiners University of Texas—Arlington, author of “Gridlock in Government” Herb London, Ph.D. author of “The Encyclopedia of Militant Islam” John R. Lott, Jr., Ph.D. Economist, author of “More Guns, Less Crime” Ted Roosevelt Malloch Oxford University, co-author of “America’s Spiritual Capital” Ken Masugi Johns Hopkins University, co-author of “The Supreme Court and American Constitutionalism” Daniel McCarthy editor and writer, contributor to “Dilemmas of American Conservatism” Robert Oscar Lopez Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, author of “The Colorful Conservative: American Conversations with the Ancients from Wheatley to Whitman” Allen Mendenhall Faulkner University, author of “Literature and Liberty” Tiffany Jones Miller University of Dallas Brian Patrick Mitchell Academy of Philosophy and Letters Laurie Morrow, Ph.D. co-author of “Conversations on Philanthropy” Steve Moore co-author of “Fueling Freedom: Exposing the Mad War on Energy” Steve Mosher Population Research Institute William Murchison author of “The Cost of Liberty: The Life of John Dickinson Deroy Murdock columnist and writer George Neumayr co-author of “No Higher Power: Obama’s War on Religious Freedom” Marita Noon author of “Energy Freedom” Michael J. O’Shea writer David Palm Azusa Pacific University Svetozar Pejovich Texas A & M emeritus, author of “The Economics of Property Rights” Ronald J. Pestritto Hillsdale College, author of “Woodrow Wilson and the Roots of Modern Liberalism” Fran Fawcett Peterson writer for American Thinker James Piereson, Ph.D. author of “Shattered Consensus: The Rise and Decline of America’s Postwar Political Order” Julie Ponzi editor and writer, American Greatness Stephen B. Presser Northwestern University, author of “Law Professors: Three Centuries of Shaping American Law (forthcoming) Frank Price screenwriter and producer, former CEO Columbia Pictures, former president Universal Pictures Mark Pulliam lawyer and writer Eric Rasmusen University of Indiana, co-author of “Measuring Judicial Independence: The Political Economy of Judging in Japan” Alfred Regnery lawyer and author of “Upstream: The Ascendance of American Conservatism” R.R. Reno editor and author of “In the Ruins of the Church” D.N. Robinson Oxford University, author of “The American Founding: Its Intellectual and Moral Framework Erik S. Root, Ph.D. Roger Bacon Academy, author of “All Honor to Jefferson?” Milton Rosenberg University of Chicago emeritus Constance Rossum Constance Rossum, University of La Verne, co-author of “Rehabilitating Rehabilitation” Ralph A. Rossum Claremont McKenna College, author of “Antonin Scalia’s Jurisprudence: Text and Tradition” Ronald Rotunda Chapman University, co-author of “Principles of Constitutional Law” Lisa Schiffren writer, former White House speechwriter Harold See Belmont University Roger L. Simon Academy Award-nominated screenwriter, co-founder PJ Media, author of “I Know Best: How Moral Narcissism Is Destroying Our Republic, If It Hasn’t Already” S. Fred Singer, Ph.D. University of Virginia emeritus, author of “Global Climate Change: Human and Natural Influences” Scott Soames University of Southern California, author of “The Analytic Tradition in Philosophy” Don Surber author of “Trump the Press” Larry Schweikart University of Dayton, retired, co-author of NY Times bestseller “A Patriot’s History of the United States” Carol Swain Vanderbilt University, author of “Be the People: A Call to Reclaim America’s Faith and Promise” Peter Thiel co-founder of PayPal, author of “Zero to One: Notes on Startups, or How to Build the Future” James Trefil George Mason University, author of “The Encyclopedia of Science and Technology” R. Emmett Tyrrell, Jr. editor and author of “The Death of Liberalism” Jeffrey Wallin co-author of “An Uncertain Legacy: Essays on the Pursuit of Liberty” Bradley C.S. Watson Saint Vincent College, author of “Living Constitution, Dying Faith: Progressivism and the New Science of Jurisprudence” Robert Weissberg University of Illinois emeritus, author of “Bad Students, Not Bad Schools” Thomas G. West author of “Vindicating the Founders” Victor Williams lawyer and writer S. Stanley Young North Carolina State University Scot J. Zentner CSU San Bernardino, author of “Liberalism and Executive Power: Woodrow Wilson and the American Founders” Timothy W. Caspar Hillsdale College, author of “Recovering the Ancient View of Founding: A Commentary on Cicero’s De Legibus” Arthur Herman, Ph.D. author “Douglas MacArthur: American Warrior” D. Brian Scarnecchia Ave Maria University, author of “Bioethics, Law and Human Life Issues” Roger Beckett Ashland University Michael Doran Hudson Institute, former senior director of the National Security Council Lino Gragila University of Texas — Austin, author of “Disaster by Decree” Diana West author of “The Death of the Grown-Up” Andrew Bostom Brown University, author of “Sharia versus Freedom” Dennis Teti writer Charles C. Johnson author of “Why Coolidge Matters” Bruce Heiden Ohio State University, author of “Homer’s Cosmic Fabrication” Leon Hadar, Ph.D. author of “Sandstorm: Policy Failure in the Middle-East” Ronald J. Rychlak University of Mississippi, author of “Disinformation” Doug Mainwaring author of “Marriage Ground Zero” (forthcoming) Michael P. Tremoglie writer J. Eric Wise lawyer and writer Brandon J. Weichert writer David Bradshaw University of Kentucky Samuel J. Mikolaski, D.Phil. writer Thomas C. McCollum, III novelist James S. Corum, Ph.D. co-author of “Fighting the War on Terror” Stephen D. Cooper Marshall University, author of “Watching the Watchdog: Bloggers as the Fifth Estate” Michael A. Livingston Rutgers University, author of “The Fascists and the Jews of Italy: Mussolini’s Race Laws, 1938-1943″ Tina Trent, Ph.D. co-author of “Crisis in American Journalism and the Conservative Response” Paul Driessen lawyer and author of “Eco-Imperialism” Charles Akemann University of California, Santa Barbara Paul Rubin Emory University, author of “Darwinian Politics: The Evolutionary Origin of Freedom” Bruce Abramson Senior Fellow, the London Center for Policy Research, author of “An American Vision for the Middle East” Sean K. Anderson Idaho State University, co-author of “The Historical Dictionary of Terrorism” Christine P. Ries Georgia Institute of Technology Robert Maginnis author of “Deadly Consequences” James M. Holland University of Akron Steven C. Michael University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign Ross Terrill, Ph.D. author of “The New Chinese Empire” B. D. McCullough Drexel University, co-author of “Fundamentals of Predictive Analysis” Diana Klebanow, Ph.D. co-author of “People’s Lawyers: Crusaders for Justice in American History” Ruthie Blum author of “To Hell in a Handbasket” The views expressed do not represent the opinions of the colleges, universities and institutions of those who have signed this letter. For further information, please contact Frank Buckley at fbuckley@gmu.edu.