We Are Living in an Age of Political Paranoia

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. . .Paranoia isn’t new to American public life. Its most violent manifestations are of course rare, but what the historian Richard Hofstadter called “the paranoid style” has always been part of American political culture, in part because America has always been complex and chaotic. Conspiracy theories bring order and solace, they make sense of the chaos and reorient the world along moral and logical lines. For this reason, the appeal of the paranoid style has always been particularly strong among Americans.

The difference now is that the paranoid style has gone mainstream. Evidence abounds in recent decades, but one need look no further than Trump’s own political career, which began with him wading into the Obama birther conspiracy in 2011. More recently, QAnon followers have been turning up at Trump rallies, from Texas to Florida to Pennsylvania, all with the same talking points: QAnon is a “community,” a “movement,” a “great awakening.” Their movement, as they will freely attest, is intimately bound to Trump’s presidency.

Although it’s unfair and irresponsible to implicate Trump in the Pittsburgh synagogue shooting, as some major media outlets were quick to do, there’s no question that Trump’s occasional allusions to conspiracy theories have given political paranoia more room to breathe, in much the same way that the rise of social media has given conspiracy theorists a platform and a powerful new way to connect to one another.

Still, to blame the mainstreaming of paranoia on Trump or social media is to misunderstand the role that political paranoia plays in our national life. In 1995, the late Michael Kelly wrote an essay for The New Yorker entitled, “The Road to Paranoia,” about a militia group that had risen to prominence in the wake of the Oklahoma City bombing. The main subject of Kelly’s article was a man named Bob Fletcher, the “investigative researcher” and spokesman for a group called Militia of Montana, or MOM. Fletcher and MOM espoused a sort of proto-QAnon conspiracy—a grand, all-encompassing conspiracy that has shaped the course of history and threatens to reduce all Americans to slavery under a New World Order.

Just as they did for the Pittsburgh shooter, “globalists” played a prominent role in the conspiracy worldview of Fletcher and his fellow militiamen of the mid-1990s—a worldview shared by the Oklahoma City bomber, Timothy McVeigh, and those who sympathized with him. (Read more from “We Are Living in an Age of Political Paranoia” HERE)

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Why Did Media and Democrats Abandon Their Investigation Into Brett Kavanaugh?

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By The Federalist. What happened to the multiple allegations of sexual misconduct levied against Brett Kavanaugh during his confirmation battle? The claims ranged from Christine Blasey Ford’s remotely plausible if unsubstantiated allegation of a violent attempted rape to Michael Avenatti’s completely outlandish and also unsubstantiated allegation of hosting serial gang rape parties.

From September 12 to October 6, the claims absolutely dominated all major media. They ran on the front pages of all major newspapers and filled the hours on cable and network news. Magazine journalists at The New Yorker ran with the claims, despite massive corroboration problems. . .

If it was important to investigate the claims because Kavanaugh was up for a lifetime appointment on the Supreme Court, it remains just as important to investigate it now that he’s been confirmed. This would be true even if impeachment were not an option if the allegations were ever substantiated. That impeachment is an option makes the October silence even weirder. Why did media outlets go from hourly updates on this story to dropping it like it’s hot?

Recent coverage is limited and devoted to political considerations of the allegations, but not the merit of them. If Kavanaugh had credible sexual assault allegations against him, as the media claimed, they should be fully investigated even after his confirmation, since he continues to work with and around women, and has children at home. Right? Why would his confirmation change anything about the tenacity with which the media covered this story? Is it less scandalous to have a “credibly accused” rapist on the Supreme Court than to have a “credibly accused” nominee to the court? . . .

If the media and other Democratic leaders wanted to have any credibility at all that the post-hearing release of multiple allegations wasn’t a pure political stunt for which they were willing to destroy a man, they’d continue to fight for justice every day, wouldn’t they? They would ask every Democratic candidate whether he believed Ford and supported impeaching Kavanaugh. (Read more from “Why Did Media and Democrats Abandon Their Investigation Into Brett Kavanaugh?” HERE)

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Kavanaugh Turns Down Nearly $600g Raised Online for His Defense: Reports

By Fox News. Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh has reportedly turned down nearly $600,000 that had been raised in his name after sexual misconduct allegations were leveled against him during his confirmation process.

A GoFundMe page through which the funds were raised had a message saying Kavanaugh would not accept the money in order to avoid judicial ethics violations, the Washington Examiner reported.

“I’ve spoken to a former clerk for Judge Kavanaugh who told me that Kavanaugh’s supporters loved the outpouring of support from this GoFundMe,” said conservative blogger John Hawkins, who launched the page Sept. 24. “Judicial ethics rules caution judges against permitting the use of the prestige of judicial office for fund-raising purposes. Justice Kavanaugh will not accept any proceeds from the campaign, nor will he direct that any proceeds from the campaign be provided to any third party.”

The page launched one day after the New Yorker published allegations from Deborah Ramirez, who claimed Kavanaugh exposed himself to her while they were in college, and a week after Christine Blasey Ford accused him of trying to force himself on her, also decades ago.

Hawkins said he received a statement from the law clerk several days ago saying Kavanaugh was not able to accept the money and said Kavanaugh requested that Hawkins discontinue the use of his name for any fund-raising purposes. (Read more from “Kavanaugh Turns Down Nearly $600g Raised Online for His Defense: Reports” HERE)

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The New York Times Just Made a Stunning Admission About Why Leftists Often Refuse to Call out Anti-Semitism

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On Wednesday, The New York Times ran a story about rising anti-Semitism in the city. That story noted some points that seem to have gone by the wayside for years. The article reveals that Jews are by far the most targeted group in New York:

Contrary to what are surely the prevailing assumptions, anti-Semitic incidents have constituted half of all hate crimes in New York this year, according to the Police Department. To put that figure in context, there have been four times as many crimes motivated by bias against Jews — 142 in all — as there have against blacks. Hate crimes against Jews have outnumbered hate crimes targeted at transgender people by a factor of 20.

The story also reveals that hate crimes against Jews in New York City aren’t coming from white supremacists, but from people driven by other motives:

During the past 22 months, not one person caught or identified as the aggressor in an anti-Semitic hate crime has been associated with a far right-wing group, Mark Molinari, commanding officer of the police department’s Hate Crimes Task Force, told me.

Those motives range from racial hatred to religious hatred. But the Times story reveals far more than that. The Times admits that the Left has routinely ignored anti-Semitism in the city thanks to its inability to formulate a narrative blaming the Right. (Read more from “The New York Times Just Made a Stunning Admission About Why Leftists Often Refuse to Call out Anti-Semitism” HERE)

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Watch: Warren First Learns of Ethics Complaint Against Her in Middle of Debate

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In a rather remarkable moment in a U.S. Senate debate in Massachusetts Tuesday, Democratic Sen. Elizabeth Warren learned for the first time that an ethics complaint has been filed against her for having fundraised off of Brett Kavanaugh’s confirmation hearings.

The presidential hopeful senator was first informed of the complaint by her Republican challenger Geoff Diehl in a moment highlighted by The Washington Free Beacon. . .

Warren, who maintained a blank look on her face when Diehl first cited the complaint, attempted to side-step the issue by asking Diehl to name a time that he criticized Trump after he made dismissive remarks about Christine Blasey Ford’s uncorroborated allegations. . .

“I would like to drill down on what Representative Diehl said,” one moderator said. “The fundraising while the vote was being taken on the Kavanaugh hearing — did you or did you not do that?”

“Actually, I don’t know,” said Warren, an admission that caused a stir in the audience. (Read more from “Watch: Warren First Learns of Ethics Complaint Against Her in Middle of Debate” HERE)

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Don Lemon Doubles Down on His Fact-Challenged ‘White Men’ Demonizing

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On Wednesday in the WTF MSM!? newsletter, I wrote about Don Lemon attacking “white men” as the “biggest terror threat in this country.” Last night, Lemon not only defended his attack but doubled down on his nonsense, saying we don’t need to worry about people 1,000 miles away; the biggest threats are home-grown. In all of this, Lemon is trying to paint President Donald Trump and others as racist for focusing on the illegal immigrant caravan set to invade the southern border. The facts are not on Lemon’s side.

Here’s Lemon’s take from last night on his CNN program.

Here are the numbers on violent domestic terrorism, as compiled by the Anti-Defamation League, for 2017. The ADL puts the number of 2017 deaths caused by adherents of extreme ideologies in the United States at 34. Included in these deaths are domestic incidents that were seemingly unrelated to the hateful ideologies of the perpetrators.

The ADL goes on to further identify 18 of these incidents as perpetrated by white supremacists and two others as perpetrated by “right-wing”-affiliated persons. The rest were by Islamic extremists or black nationalists.

In 2016 and 2015, the jihadist attacks at the Pulse Nightclub and in San Bernardino pushed the total number of extremist-related deaths higher than previous averages.

Where does the threat from 1,000 miles away compare to this number? The mainstream media has repeatedly mischaracterized the president’s remarks about MS-13 being “animals” as his opinion of all immigrants. What are the numbers on recent MS-13 crime? According to a report by Jessica Vaughn of the Center for Immigration studies, from 2012 to the release of her report in February 2018, there were 207 murder charges related to MS-13 activity in the country.

That’s an average of over 30 murders per year attributed to a Latin America-based transnational gang operating in the United States. This is higher than the number attributed to white supremacists by the ADL.

These numbers don’t include various other Latin America-based drug cartels like the Sinaloa, Tijuana, Juarez, Knights Templar, Gulf, and other cartels. In 2014 just one hit man for a cartel confessed to up to 40 murders he committed in the United States during a trial in Mexico.

White supremacy and violence by its adherents are reprehensible and should not be swept under any rug. But it’s a fact that transnational gang and cartel activity, which comes from Latin America, including through illegal immigration, is a significant domestic security issue, no matter how much Don Lemon and others in the mainstream media claim it is not. Highlighting the heinous crimes of one set of individuals does not mean you support the other. (For more from the author of “Don Lemon Doubles Down on His Fact-Challenged ‘White Men’ Demonizing” please click HERE)

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GOP Senate Candidate John James Calls on Black Americans to Leave Democratic Party With Pro-America Message

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With all the talk about race in politics, the #WalkAway movement, and Turning Point USA’s 2018 Young Black Leadership Summit trending last week, why isn’t Michigan Republican candidate for U.S. Senate John James the talk of conservative media?

James released a short but powerful ad Thursday highlighting his father’s experience in the Jim Crow south and how his perseverance taught him to stand for America.

“My dad grew up in the Jim Crow south, but he persevered. And he taught me faith, service, and love of country,” James says. “I took those lessons from West Point to the battlefield, and I believe America’s still worth fighting for. That’s why I stand for the anthem. I stand for the fallen. And I stand for the forgotten.”

“Despite America’s challenges, we shall overcome,” he closes.

James, a graduate of West Point, decorated combat veteran of Operation Iraqi Freedom, and businessman, is challenging incumbent Sen. Debbie Stabenow, D-Mich. He is running on an inspirational pro-America message that calls on black Americans to realize “the Democratic business model is reliant on keeping black folks dependent on the government,” as he says in an ad released last week.

“Countless people have died for our right to think and to vote for ourselves, yet Democratic leadership asks us to outsource our voice on a straight-ticket ballot to a godless party that neither represents our values nor our economic best interests,” James says.

“The Democratic Party leadership cares more about the black vote than the back people, and it’s time to wake up.”

James is running as a pro-life, pro-Second Amendment, and pro-business conservative. On Tuesday, he was interviewed by LevinTV host Mark Levin.

Listen:

If elected, James told Levin, he would be the first African-American Republican senator from the state of Michigan. Democratic candidates like Georgia’s Stacey Abrams or Florida’s Andrew Gillum have captured national media attention. But James, a black Republican running as a conservative in Michigan, hasn’t had nearly the media attention those progressives get for free. (For more from the author of “GOP Senate Candidate John James Calls on Black Americans to Leave Democratic Party With Pro-America Message” please click HERE)

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The Dems Have Nominated Radical, ‘Anti-American Candidates’

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LevinTV host Mark Levin began his radio show Wednesday evening discussing the out-of-control media and the urgency of voting for the forces of freedom on Election Day.

“This election, ladies and gentlemen, is up to you and me. Your family, your fellow citizens: what we want this country to look like. The reason it’s not a regular election is because the Democrats have nominated some very, very radical, even anti-American candidates. And I will say that because if you’re pushing socialism, if you’re pushing extra-constitutional policies, then that’s right, it’s unAmerican,” Levin started. “If you’re disgusted with the media, you need to turn out and vote and push them back too.”

He then discussed the legacy media using freedom of the press as a shield to push far-left policies, explaining how the Left has warped the Founders’ constitutional protection.

“Freedom of the press was about individualism. Freedom of the press was about representation and limited government. It was not a rabid progressive agenda,” he added.

Later in the segment, Levin discussed the birthright citizenship issue and its relationship to the Constitution, arguing that the president has the authority to alter the policy to protect American sovereignty.

Listen:

(For more from the author of “The Dems Have Nominated Radical, ‘Anti-American Candidates’” please click HERE)

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Trump’s Top Pick to Replace Nikki Haley

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State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert is currently at the top of President Donald Trump’s list of potential nominees to replace outgoing U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley, a source familiar with his thinking tells The Daily Caller.

Nauert has served as spokeswoman for the State Department since April 2017 and assumed the official position of under-secretary for public diplomacy after the departure of former secretary Mike Pompeo. She previously served as a journalist for Fox News and has caught the president’s attention with her public appearances.

Nauert was also seen as a top contender to replace White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders if she were to leave. The source cautioned TheDC that Trump’s mind was not fully made up yet and that he still could pick another choice, although he has said he wants to choose a woman for the position. Nauert’s leading candidacy was also reported by CNN. (Read more from “Trump’s Top Pick to Replace Nikki Haley” HERE)

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Mueller Is Breathing Down the Neck of Someone With No Direct Connection to the Trump Campaign

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The special counsel’s investigation turned its attention to Jerome Corsi, a conspiracy theorist who has ties to Roger Stone, the longtime Trump confidant who is said to be a target of the Mueller probe.

Corsi’s significance to the investigation was solidified this week after he appeared for a second round of interviews with the special counsel’s office.

Guest hosts of Corsi’s online political show said this week that Corsi informed them that he was traveling to Washington, D.C. “for another round with Mueller.”

It is unclear whether Corsi is a target in the investigation, though ABC News reported on Wednesday that the former Infowars correspondent is set to appear Friday before a grand jury being used for the special counsel’s probe. . .

Stone, who met Corsi in 2015, has also testified to Congress that he learned that Wikileaks would release information damaging to the Clinton campaign from Randy Credico, a left-wing comedian and radio host who had direct contact with Assange. Stone was also forwarded an email on July 25, 2016, in which Fox News reporter James Rosen claimed that Wikileaks was planning to release information about the Clinton Foundation in September 2016. (Read more from “Mueller Is Breathing Down the Neck of Someone With No Direct Connection to the Trump Campaign” HERE)

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911 Operator Recounts Taking Rabbi’s Call During Shooting

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The 911 operator who responded to the call from Tree of Life’s rabbi during the shooting has been hailed for saving the rabbi from the murderous rampage.

Allegheny County 911 operator Bruce Carlton gave instructions to Rabbi Jeffrey Myers as a gunman allegedly slew 11 people in Myers’s synagogue and reportedly kept the rabbi alive. Gunshots and screams could be heard in the background as Carlton tried to keep Myers away from the gunman, according to Carlton. It was the first call that left the responder physically shaken.

“It all seemed so surreal like it wasn’t happening. Time seemed to speed up, time seemed to slow down. Maybe after I disconnected with the rabbi and I was able to fully digest what I was reading because I was trying to keep the rabbi on the phone. One, for his safety and two, for officers’ safety.

“I tried to give as many updates as I could without compromising the police’s position. I tried to keep him on the phone without revealing his position. I didn’t want him to speak. I tried not to speak. I didn’t want the gunman to hear him. I didn’t want the gunman to hear me,” Carlton told CBS Pittsburgh.

(Read more from “911 Operator Recounts Taking Rabbi’s Call During Shooting” HERE)

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