Here’s How Donald Trump Responded to a Person Saying Obama Is Muslim [+video]

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Donald TrumpBy Maya Rhodan. Republican Presidential candidate Donald Trump took questions at a town hall meeting in New Hampshire on Thursday, and the first one came from an audience member who expressed anti-Muslim sentiment.

“We have a problem in this country, it’s called Muslims. Our current President is one. We know he’s not even an American,” the audience member said. “We have training camps growing where they want to kill us. That’s my question, when can we get rid of them?”

In response to that question, which as Trump noted was the first question of the Town Hall, the presidential contender said, “we’re going to be looking at a lot of different things.”

“A lot of people are saying that and a lot of people are saying that bad things are happening out there. We’re going to be looking at that and a lot of different things.” (Read more from “Here’s How Donald Trump Responded to a Person Saying Obama Is Muslim” HERE)

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Trump Doesn’t Challenge Man’s Anti-Muslim, Obama Claims in New Hampshire

By Kailani Koenig. Usually, it’s what Donald Trump says that sparks controversy. But Thursday night in New Hampshire, it’s what he didn’t say that is raising eyebrows.

In a sweaty gym in front of about 3,000 fans, Trump declined to correct the first questioner of the night who said President Obama was a Muslim and not a U.S. citizen.

“We have a problem in this country. It’s called Muslims. We know our current president is one. You know he’s not even an American,” the man in the audience said. “We have training camps growing when they want to kill us. My question: When can we get rid of them?” . . .

Trump told the man, “We are going to be looking at a lot of different things. And a lot of people are saying that and a lot of people are saying that bad things are happening out there. We are going to be looking at that and plenty of other things.” (Read more from “Trump Doesn’t Challenge Man’s Anti-Muslim, Obama Claims in New Hampshire” HERE)

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SMASHING the GOP ESTABLISHMENT: Trump, Bush, Cruz and Me

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t1larg.donald-trump.t1largContext: as has been expertly documented by The Last Refuge, the Republican establishment long ago designed and began implementing a convoluted strategy to nominate Jeb Bush and defeat Ted Cruz.

The GOP establishment (which the Refuge dubs “GOPe”) devised a wide-ranging set of tactics to achieve that goal:

1. Hidden within the massive CRomnibus bill to fund the government were obscure federal election law changes that allowed unlimited SuperPAC (large political action committees unaffiliated with specific candidates) contributions.

2. They funded SuperPACs in order to incentivize the desired candidate behavior

3. They changed the nomination rules of the 2016 primary (e.g., “winner take all delegates”) to allow an unpopular candidate like Jeb to secure the nomination with only 20% (one-fifth!) of the delegates

4. They altered the calendar dates of primaries to advantage a weak, establishment candidate (Bush) that had little, if any, grassroots support

All of these tactics were designed to support what the Refuge calls the “Splitter Strategy”: a plan to dilute the GOP field with as many candidates as possible in order to erode the support of a popular, grassroots candidate.

For instance, Cruz vs. Bush was projected to be an utter rout in Florida, with internal polling showing that Cruz would crush Bush. But what would happen if the GOPe added Carly Fiorina, John Kasich, Chris Christie, Rand Paul, Scott Walker, and Marco Rubio to the mix?

With “splitters” fracturing the support of his biggest challenger, Bush might actually secure a bit more than a fifth of the vote. And — amazingly — that would be enough to dilute support for Ted Cruz sufficiently to win the state’s delegates.

It’s worth noting that Bush didn’t win by gaining support, but by employing “splitters” to fragment Ted Cruz’s support.

Note: the “Splitter Strategy” is not conjecture; the entire GOPe strategy has been copiously documented and exposed by The Last Refuge.

So who is funding the GOPe? While some point to Wall Street, I believe other forces are primarily responsible. Wall Street funds both Democrats and Republicans. They don’t care which party wins. After the 2008 financial crisis, for instance, did a single bankster see a courtroom? No, Barack Obama and Eric Holder were as beholden to Goldman Sachs as any Republican.

My belief is that the central banker for the GOPe is the Chamber of Commerce. While it threatens Republicans and sporadically funds Democrats, the Chamber knows that Democrats have moved sufficiently left that they are indistinguishable from European Socialists. And even they know that socialism is not good for business.

But the Chamber does need cheap labor. Which is where open borders and amnesty enter the equation.

The American people have embraced Donald Trump, in part, because the naked abuse of American sovereignty through open borders, chain migration, and administration endorsement of illegal immigration has resulted in a tidal wave of crime that is now too large to be ignored.

Willingness to Secure the Border as a Proxy for Dependence on the GOP Establishment

Given the GOPE and Chamber’s fervor for open borders, I suggest that we all do a gut-level candidate check: how likely is it that each of the GOP candidates would actually secure the border?

My ratings are as follows:

1. 100% Trump: his entire reputation has been staked on this tenet; failure to follow through would be an utter disaster for his reputation

2. 100% Cruz: unlike the rest of the field, Cruz has been unwavering in his opposition to amnesty and illegal immigration

3. 20% Huckabee: while his track record as governor is not encouraging, Huckabee has been a consistent and vocal opponent of illegal immigration

4. 5% Carson: while I don’t think Ben Carson is necessarily beholden to the GOPe, his positions on immigration are quite inconsistent and confusing.

5. 0% Bush: the third Bush is a lost soul when it comes to illegal immigration; he’s a Chamber man, plain and simple

6. 0% Fiorina: a two-time failure as a CEO (her stints at Lucent and HP were utter and complete disasters); she was also a massive loser as a Senate candidate in Cali. Fiorina is an establishment candidate who openly supports Amnesty for illegals

7. 0% Walker: his record as governor is outstanding; his secret dealings on amnesty make it obvious that he is a tool of the GOPe

8. 0% Rubio: his wavering positions on amnesty notwithstanding, as recently as last month Rubio asserted support for amnesty prior to a border closure initiative

9. 0% Christie: in-state tuition for illegals says it all; Christie has a long track record of tacitly endorsing illegal immigration

10. 0% Paul: a supporter of Mitch McConnell in 2014, Paul has transformed himself from a libertarian rebel to an establishment toadie. His record on amnesty is emblematic of his apparent ties to the Chamber

11. 0% Kasich: John Kasich is a vocal supporter of amnesty and open borders

12. 0% Graham: Lindsey Graham? Who?

To reiterate: my proxy for conservatism is now as simple as a candidate’s willingness to seal the border.

I encourage you to do the same thought experiment I engaged in. If you had to bet $1,000 on one candidate who would actually seal the border, on which person would you place your wager? (For more from the author of “SMASHING the GOP ESTABLISHMENT: Trump, Bush, Cruz and Me” please click HERE)

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GOP Debate Leaves Party No Closer to Knowing Its Likely Nominee

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150806220400-01-gop-debate-fox-gallery-0806-super-169For many of the Republican presidential candidates who expected to be at or near the top of the polls now, finding a solid base of support has proven to be a daunting challenge.

From candidates such as former Florida governor Jeb Bush to Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker, New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie and Ohio Gov. John Kasich — all members of the governing establishment in the GOP and each twice elected statewide — the summertime success of Donald Trump has created unexpected obstacles.

Instead of moving forward, some of them have been going backward. That has left the GOP no closer to knowing who its 2016 nominee will be than it was when campaigning started many months ago. Instead the party is beset with questions.

Trump, who did not have a strong performance at the second Republican debate Wednesday in Simi Valley, has an obvious vulnerability. He must convince more voters that someone who is such a flamboyant entertainer and enamored with himself can serve effectively as president.

The candidates he has overshadowed remain hopeful that he will never pass that test with enough voters to make him the GOP nominee. But who among them is capable of winning enough hearts and minds to emerge as the eventual winner? (Read more from “GOP Debate Leaves Party No Closer to Knowing Its Likely Nominee” HERE)

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Draft Biden Official: ‘I Am 100 Percent That Joe Is in’

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biden_double_guns_APWhen Josh Alcorn joined the Draft Biden super PAC, MSNBC headlined its story on the move “Draft Biden just got real.” Alcorn had been finance director and senior adviser to the late Beau Biden, the vice president’s son, and had worked as finance director for Harry Reid as well. Judging from phone conversations Alcorn had on an Amtrak train from New York to Wilmington yesterday, the Biden campaign is about to get still more real.

Another passenger said that Alcorn was being loud enough in the café car to make it hard to work. He said that Alcorn had said on one call, “I am 100 percent that Joe is in.” He was less certain of when Biden would announce, but guessed it would be in mid-October. Alcorn’s own plans to travel to California in early October would have to be canceled if Biden announced earlier.

The other passenger said that Alcorn said that test ads were doing well in converting Hillary Clinton supporters to Biden supporters, and that money had been lined up to come in right before the announcement. He had just had breakfast with Jim Torrey, an Obama bundler, whom he described as wanting to be “the Penny Pritzker” of the Biden campaign. Pritzker was the national finance chair of Obama’s 2008 campaign and is now the Secretary of Commerce. (Read more from “Draft Biden Official: ‘I Am 100 Percent That Joe Is in'” HERE)

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Watchdog Finds Widespread Fraud at U.S. Census Bureau

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baniDozens of government employees at the U.S. Census Bureau have been billing taxpayers for time they never actually worked, wasting more than $1 million.

The 40 officials were supposed to be performing background checks on the census personnel who walk door-to-door throughout the country to collect information about Americans. Instead, they “engaged in pervasive misconduct over several years,” according to an investigation by the Commerce Department’s inspector general.

The watchdog found at least one employee in the Census Bureau’s employment office who “used his official position as a personal hiring vehicle for friends and their families.”

That employee, who was not identified, “was involved in a sexual relationship” with a contractor he personally interviewed, hired and supervised . . .

The inspector general found that dozens of employees claimed to have worked at least 19,162 hours during which they actually did not work at all between 2010-14. The “time and attendance abuse” drained nearly $1.1 million. (Read more from “Watchdog Finds Widespread Fraud at U.S. Census Bureau” HERE)

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Here’s the Recorded Breaking Number of People Who Watched CNN GOP Debate

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Republican presidential candidates pose before the start of a Fox-sponsored forum for lower polling candidates held before the first official Republican presidential candidates debate of the 2016 U.S. presidential campaign in ClevelandWednesday’s prime time GOP debate averaged 23.1 million viewers, making it the most-watched program in CNN’s history . . .

These are NFL-level ratings — affirming that the Donald Trump fueled Republican debate slate is one of the most popular television shows of the year.

For comparison’s sake, CNN’s most-watched presidential primary debate before Wednesday was a Democratic debate on January 31, 2008. It had an average of 8.3 million viewers.

CNN’s most-watched program overall was a special “Larry King Live” episode in 1993. The episode featured Al Gore and Ross Perot debating NAFTA and averaged 16.8 million viewers.

Wednesday’s matchup easily surpassed that total. (Read more from “Here’s the Recorded Breaking Number of People Who Watched CNN GOP Debate” HERE)

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No Hike: Fed Keeps Benchmark Rate Near Zero

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635780239793728506-AP-YellenCiting global economic weakness and financial market turmoil, the Federal Reserve agreed Thursday to keep its benchmark interest rate near zero despite the rapidly improving U.S. labor market.

But Fed policymakers’ forecast indicates they still expect to bump up the federal funds rate this year for the first time in nearly a decade, with meetings scheduled for October and December. Their projections, however, show they expect to raise it even more gradually over the long-term than they previously signaled . . .

The decision capped the most dramatic run-up to a Fed meeting in recent memory, with economists split on whether the central bank would raise its key rate, which has been near zero since the 2008 financial crisis and affects borrowing costs for consumers and businesses across the economy.

“An argument can be made for a rise in interest rates at this time,” Fed Chair Janet Yellen said at a news conference.But she added, “We want to take more time to evaluate the likely impact on the United States” from the overseas slowdown and market gyrations . . .

In a statement after a two-day meeting, the Fed said, “Recent global economic and financial developments may restrain economic activity somewhat and are likely to put further downward pressure on inflation in the near-term.” (Read more from “No Hike: Fed Keeps Benchmark Rate Near Zero” HERE)

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Valerie Jarrett Meets With Black Lives Matter Leaders at the White House

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130117_valerie_jarrett_ap_605President Obama’s senior adviser Valerie Jarrett met with Black Lives Matter activists yesterday at the White House, the latest sign that the Obama administration is involved with the controversial protest group.

Jarrett met with three organizers for Campaign Zero. DeRay Mckesson, Brittany Packnett, and Johnetta Elzie as well as Phil Agnew of the Dream Defenders and Jamye Wooten, an organizer for Baltimore United for Change were there, according to a senior White House official who confirmed the visit to Buzzfeed . . .

“Great meeting, Brittany. Truly appreciate your leadership!!” Jarrett [said] on Twitter. Packnett has six recorded entries of visiting the complex long before the protests in Ferguson. She also was among the select group of Ferguson activists that met with Obama in December 2014. “I could tell he is taking this very personally,” Packnett explained after the 45 minute meeting with the president in the Oval Office. “He wants to see some clear, thoughtful action come from this.”

She also revealed that Obama sympathized with the movement, thanks to his background as a community organizer in Chicago.

“He offered us a lot of encouragement with his background as a community organizer, and told us that even incremental changes were progress,” she told reporters after the meeting. “He didn’t want us to get discouraged. He said, ‘Keep speaking truth to power.’” (Read more from “Valerie Jarrett Meets With Black Lives Matter Leaders at the White House” HERE)

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Trump Was Right — in Book, Jeb Credits His Wife for His Immigration Views

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President Bush Is Sworn In For A Second TermIn the first two sentences of Jeb Bush’s book, “Immigration Wars,” the former Florida governor credits his wife Columba with shaping his views on immigration.

That might come as a surprise to some voters, after Bush demanded that Donald Trump apologize Wednesday night for making the same point.

Bush was asked during CNN’s Republican primary debate what he thought about Trump’s statement to CNN in July: “If my wife were from Mexico, I think I would have a soft spot for people from Mexico.”

Bush, whose wife was born and raised in Mexico, demanded an apology from the real estate mogul.

Despite Bush’s apparent irritation, in the opening lines of his 2013 book, “Immigration Wars,” he admitted that his wife Columba had in fact shaped his views on immigration. (Read more from “Trump Was Right — in Book, Jeb Credits His Wife for His Immigration Views” HERE)

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Ann Coulter Sparks Outrage Over ‘Anti-Semitic’ Tweet, Rant About Jews

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Ann CoulterAnn Coulter is being blasted as a bigoted “idiot” after she shocked social media users late Wednesday with a tweet that many are calling anti-Semitic.

The rightwing pundit went on a Twitter tirade during the Republican presidential candidate debate, accusing participants of kowtowing to special interests when she wrote: “How many f—ing Jews do these people think there are in the United States?”

The tweet, which was shared nearly 2,000 times, prompted criticism from hundreds of people, including actor and comedian Seth Rogen . . .

The sharp-tongued commentator told her nearly 660,000 followers on Twitter that she was instead calling out the GOP “panderers” for repeatedly reiterating their support for Israel during the debate.

“I like the Jews, I like fetuses, I like Reagan. Didn’t need to hear applause lines about them all night,” she tweeted. “Cruz, Huckabee Rubio all mentioned ISRAEL in their response to: ‘What will AMERICA look like after you are president.'” (Read more from “Ann Coulter Sparks Outrage Over ‘Anti-Semitic’ Tweet, Rant About Jews” HERE)

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