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Where Conservatives Are in the Trump Era: 15 Takeaways From Their Biggest Conference

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Five weeks into President Donald Trump’s presidency, the first time in eight years a Republican has been in the White House, where do conservatives see the country going?

Here are highlights from The Daily Signal’s coverage of the Conservative Political Action Conference, or CPAC, the largest annual gathering of conservatives:

1. Trump talks policy objectives.

In his speech, Trump emphasized a variety of issues that conservatives care about, saying, “We will build the wall and we are going to start soon,” as well as promising “a substantial upgrade for the military.” He also took aim at regulations:

We are going to put the regulation industry out of work. By the way, I want regulations. I want to protect our environment. I want regulations for safety. I want all the regulations we need, and I want them to be so strong and so tough. But we don’t need 75 percent of the repetitive, horrible regulations that hurt companies, hurt jobs, make us noncompetitive overseas with companies from other countries.

2. The filmmakers behind the “Gosnell” movie discuss the real story.

Philadelphia abortionist Kermit Gosnell, whose clinic was dubbed a “house of horrors,” hasn’t received the attention his case deserves. Phelim McAleer and Ann McElhinney talk about this “serial killer.”

3. Gov. Scott Walker urges GOP lawmakers to keep their promises.

“It’s not only conservatives and Republicans who like that, but what we found in Wisconsin is that independents and, yes, even some discerning Democrats, like it when you do the things you say you were going to do,” said the Republican governor, no stranger to Democrat protests. “Commonsense conservative reforms work, they actually work, and people respond to them.”

4. British politician Nigel Farage calls 2016 “the beginning of a global political revolution.”

Farage, who campaigned with Trump during the election, said the message of sovereignty and nationalism that drove United Kingdom voters to choose Brexit last June mirrors the populist vision that has taken power in Washington,” wrote Josh Siegel in his report.

“When in years to come, the generations that follow us study the history of this period, there is one year that will stand out,” Farage said. “That year is the year of 2016. Because in 2016 we witnessed the beginning of a global political revolution, and it’s one that is not going to stop.”

5. Gov. Sam Brownback talks about refugees.

The Kansas Republican made the case that it isn’t about the number of refugees, but whether they are vetted sufficiently before coming to America. “You can’t bring people in the United States who want to kill us,” he told The Daily Signal.

6. Kellyanne Conway predicts the conference could become “TPAC.”

Trump’s winning campaign manager and adviser suggested Trump was having an impact on the conservative movement. “This will be TPAC,” Conway said. “He has brought this infusion of energy. He made people feel from the beginning they are part of a movement. People felt so energized as they had a seat at the table. … He replaced this fiction of electability with this revelation of electricity.”

7. Katie Pavlich highlights the myths about gun suppressors.

The author and Fox News contributor talked to The Daily Signal’s Kelsey Harkness about guns—and puppies.

8. Carly Fiorina says conservatives should work on “growing support.”

“Substantial change inspires substantial resistance, and boy, is there substantial resistance out there,” Fiorina said. “If change is not accompanied by growing support, the substantial change is never sustained.”

“We have to bring people along now, so that the changes we all believe in will be sustained,” the former Republican presidential candidate added.

9. Jim DeMint says conservatives must achieve the “impossible.”

“Our job as conservatives, and as the national conservative movement, is to make possible what the establishment says is impossible,” the former South Carolina Republican senator who is president of The Heritage Foundation said. He warned:

They’re saying you can’t build a wall and control our borders. You have to give amnesty and citizenship to the people who are here illegally. They’re saying you can’t repeal Obamacare. Tax reform is just too controversial. You can’t ever balance the budget. And of course, you must reopen the big, crony, corrupt Export-Import Bank. That’s what [Republicans] are hearing behind closed doors right now.

10. John Bolton thinks it’s time to end the Iran nuclear deal.

“With respect to Iran, and its support for international terrorism and its nuclear weapons program, candidate Trump described everything that was wrong with Barack Obama’s nuclear deal with Iran,” the former United Nations ambassador said.

“He should abrogate that deal, end that deal as soon as possible,” Bolton added. “We need a clear statement of leadership by the United States that this was a strategic debacle for our country and we don’t intend to let it persist.”

11. Police chief Stephen Mills makes the case for civil asset forfeiture reform.

“President Trump, I want to thank your administration for your support of law enforcement,” Mills, whose story was told last year by The Daily Signal, said in his remarks. “I know you’re being told by other members of law enforcement and associated groups that asset forfeiture reform is a bad idea, that it’ll help the cartels and terrorists. I want you to know there are many of us out in the field who don’t agree with that sentiment.”

12. Conservatives call for Obamacare repeal.

“It’s going to happen,” said Rep. Michael Burgess, R-Texas, referring to repeal of the health care law.

“What [the 2015 repeal bill] demonstrated to me was that if you got the right president in the White House, you could send that bill back down to the other end of Pennsylvania Avenue, and you could repeal large pieces of the Affordable Care Act.”

13. Rep. Andy Biggs talks about illegal immigration.

Is this the year the wall on the border is actually going to happen? The Daily Signal’s Rob Bluey talked to the Arizona Republican about that and more.

14. Mike Pence discusses Obamacare replacement.

In his speech, the vice president talked about Obamacare repeal and replacement, saying he and Trump want all Americans to have “access to quality and affordable health care insurance, which is why we’re designing a better law that lowers the cost of health insurance without growing the size of government.”

Pence added:

We’re going to let Americans purchase health insurance across state lines, the way you buy your life insurance, the way you buy your car insurance.

We’re going to make sure that Americans with pre-existing conditions have access to health insurance and the security they need, and we’re going to give states the freedom and flexibility to take care of the least fortunate in the best way that will work in their state and in their community.

15. Ted Cruz pushes term limits.

From the report by The Daily Signal’s Rachel del Guidice:

“This election was the American people saying, ‘Enough already with the corruption in both parties, Democrats and Republicans who have been here too long,’” Cruz [R-Texas] said.

Cruz told attendees of CPAC that one significant way politicians could deliver on “draining the swamp” is by paving the way for term limits for Congress.

“President [Donald] Trump campaigned on draining the swamp,” Cruz said. “We have majorities in both houses. I think we ought to demonstrate that we have heard the voters; we bring up term limits, pass it, send it to the states for ratification.”

CPAC, the largest annual national gathering of conservative activists, ran from Wednesday to Saturday at the Gaylord National Resort and Convention Center in National Harbor, Maryland, just outside Washington. (For more from the author of “Where Conservatives Are in the Trump Era: 15 Takeaways From Their Biggest Conference” please click HERE)

Follow Joe Miller on Twitter HERE and Facebook HERE.

President Trump’s CPAC Speech Sounded Great … But Was a Total Disappointment. Sad!

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Friday morning, President Donald Trump addressed CPAC for the first time since becoming president of the United States. At a time when conservatives need leadership from the president, his speech was a disappointment.

“It’s great to be back at CPAC,” the president said to an adoring crowd. “I wouldn’t miss a chance to talk to my friends … and we’ll be doing this next year. And the year after that.”

The stakes were high for this address. Weeks of controversy have plagued the new administration and have given the appearance of a failure to launch.

How so? The president’s first major action, an executive order on immigration, was poorly executed. Despite the president’s clear statutory authority to issue the order, the administration was unable to defend its action in court. The president’s first choice for national security adviser, Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn, was forced to resign amid controversy over his communications with the Russians.

Campaign promises also remain unfulfilled. The president abandoned social conservatives by giving up on an executive order meant to undo an Obama-era directive that harms religious liberty. The president’s repeated pledge to undo President Obama’s illegal amnesty executive order seems dead now. Obamacare is still in place. Tax reform is delayed.

On top of all that several members of the president’s Cabinet are still yet to be confirmed amid Democratic obstruction in the Senate.

Perception is everything in politics, and the missteps from these first few weeks have overshadowed the administration’s successes. For the first time most Americans disapprove of the president’s job performance.

Trump’s appearance at CPAC was a time for the president to reset the agenda. Using his bully pulpit, Trump had an opportunity to assure his conservative base that the administration is moving to keep the promises President Trump made on the campaign trail.

Here was a chance to explain how he will make his vision of governance a reality; to identify how the Democratic party is obstructing the policies the American people voted to implement last November; to outline, for Congress and for the people, the way forward on achieving the repeal of Obamacare, tax reform, the border wall, and the steps necessary to deconstruct the administrative state.

Instead, the president gave a vapid campaign speech, complete with allusions to action in the future and assurances that conservatives will win again.

He began by, rightfully, criticizing the “fake news” media for publishing inaccurate stories. The liberal media certainly deserves to be criticized, but the president already did so last week.

When the president finally addressed the policies his administration will pursue, he did so using oft-repeated phrases from the campaign trail. The gist of the entire speech was presented in one passage:

We will reduce your taxes. We will cut your regulations. We will support our police. We will defend our flag. We will rebuild our military. We will take care of our great, great veterans … we will fix our broken and embarrassing trade deals … we will cut wasteful spending. We will promote our values. We will rebuild our inner cities. We will bring back our jobs and our dreams. And by the way, we will protect our second amendment.

The priority facing Republicans is keeping six years of campaign promises and fully repealing Obamacare. There are good plans for doing so introduced in Congress, but Trump didn’t mention them. “Obamacare doesn’t work … we’re changing it,” he said. “We’re gonna make it much better. We’re gonna make it less expensive.”

Those are great promises, but the American people don’t need promises. They need promises kept. This government needs leadership to ensure that they are kept. And so far the president is acting more like a cheerleader than a leader.

In this respect, the president’s speech highlights a problem with CPAC itself. Just what is the Conservative Political Action Conference conserving? What plans of action are in development to achieve conservative victory?

To be sure, there are breakout sessions where those conversations are happening. But panel attendance is slim. For every conservative looking for an opportunity to advance conservatism, there is someone else looking to make a quick buck. There are times at CPAC when one even wonders if the people speaking are there to promote a legislative agenda, or just to sell a new book or land a new job.

Conservatism has enough cheerleaders. Our movement needs leadership. When the president of the United States tells conservatives “Our victory was a win for everyone who believes in conservative values,” he has the responsibility to demonstrate how that is the case.

How can he lead? Start by pressuring this hesitant Congress to take immediate action to repeal Obamacare and endorse a replacement plan. Instruct Congress to end the liberal judiciary’s interference with executive branch’s legal authority to restrict immigration.

“The era of empty talk is over,” President Trump said. “Now is the time for action”

Those are words the conservative movement needs to apply to itself. Those are words conservatives want the president to live by. But if President Trump’s speech is an indication of things to come, you can’t always get what you want. (For more from the author of “President Trump’s CPAC Speech Sounded Great … But Was a Total Disappointment. Sad!” please click HERE)

Follow Joe Miller on Twitter HERE and Facebook HERE.

Brexit Leader Nigel Farage Cheers Trump for Contribution to ‘Global Political Revolution’

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Nigel Farage, the British politician who led the successful Brexit movement to withdraw from the European Union, cheered on an auditorium full of American conservative activists who helped inspire what he views as a similar “political revolution” in the United States with the election of President Donald Trump.

Farage, who campaigned with Trump during the election, said the message of sovereignty and nationalism that drove United Kingdom voters to choose Brexit last June mirrors the populist vision that has taken power in Washington.

“Since the election of Donald J. Trump, every time I come to America I am feeling a little more American,” Farage said during a speech at the Conservative Political Action Conference, or CPAC, outside Washington Friday afternoon.

“When in years to come, the generations that follow us study the history of this period, there is one year that will stand out. That year is the year of 2016. Because in 2016 we witnessed the beginning of a global political revolution, and it’s one that is not going to stop.”

With elections scheduled for the Netherlands, France, Germany, and possibly Italy this year, Farage predicted that populist movements in those European countries would gain ground—and potentially take power. Farage suggested the political change could lead to the breakup of the European Union.

“This [movement] will roll out across the rest of the West,” Farage said, adding:

I don’t yet know whether the results in 2017 will be as dramatic as 2016. What I do know is even if challengers don’t get over the line, what they will do is shift the center of gravity of the entire debate. People across Europe are rejecting this form of supernational government. They are rejecting the idea of being governed by unelected old men in Brussels.

During the campaign, Trump expressed skepticism of the European Union, and his top political adviser, Stephen Bannon, has called himself an “economic nationalist” and is considered an intellectual force behind the president’s views.

But in a Thursday interview with Reuters, Trump announced support for the European Union as a governing body, saying, ‘I’m totally in favor of it.”

Farage, in his CPAC speech, credited Trump for fulfilling other parts of his campaign platform, such as withdrawing from the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade agreement.

Trump has vowed to pursue bilateral trade deals, including one with Britain, once Prime Minister Theresa May’s government completes the Brexit process.

“What I am seeing is something quite remarkable,” Farage said. “An elected leader [Trump] trying to put in place a platform for which he was elected.”

“I’ve always believed we should govern our own country, that we should be free to reach out and make our own deals with our real friends in the world,” Farage added. “Our real friends in the world speak English, have common law, and stand by us in times of crisis.”

Farage, who spoke admiringly of Trump and the movement that carried him to the White House, even adopted the American president’s rhetoric as he closed his speech with a fist pump.

“We’ve got to be clear we aren’t against anyone based on religion, or ethnicity, but we are for ourselves, we are for our countries, and we are for making our people safe,” Farage said.

“That is what we are for,” Farage said. “We are for our country, we are for our people, and we are winning.”

CPAC, the largest annual national gathering of conservative activists, runs from Wednesday to Saturday at the Gaylord National Resort and Convention Center in National Harbor, Maryland, just outside Washington. (For more from the author of “Brexit Leader Nigel Farage Cheers Trump for Contribution to ‘Global Political Revolution'” please click HERE)

Follow Joe Miller on Twitter HERE and Facebook HERE.

What the Mainstream Media Won’t Tell You About Donald Trump and Crime in Sweden

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President Donald Trump’s tortured relationship with the spoken word can lead to problems. Case in point, his remarks about Sweden at a rally in Melbourne, Florida on Saturday night. While Trump seemingly made a remark about a recent terrorist attack in Sweden, what he meant was the reported uptick in crime in migrant centers in the country. His remarks have ignited a firestorm online. I try to wade through it all to present to you what is exactly “going on in Sweden.”

If President Trump is right and there is a growing Islamic migrant caused crime wave in Sweden, the first step is to define when the surge in refugees from predominately Muslim countries started to spike in the country. Migrationsverket, the Swedish Migration Agency, has published country of origin data from 1980 to 2014 (pdf). This data does not include 2015, which saw the highest level of asylum seekers in the recent history of the nation.

Resident Permits Geneva Convention

Migrationsverket breaks out nine Muslim majority countries in their data set. Those countries are Kosovo, Somalia, Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Iraq, Iran, Lebanon, and Syria. It is clear that the Syrian civil war and ISIS has created a significant uptick in refugees from Syria, beginning in 2012. Prior to that year, immigration from that country was negligible. The second largest number of migrants come from the Horn of Africa with Eritrea and Somalia combining for close to 6,900 persons. The agency has not yet compiled country of origin for the roughly 160,000 asylum seekers that entered in 2015, but there are reports that have placed the Syrian number at over 50,000.

The recent surge in refugees caused Sweden, in the middle of 2016, to toughen its rules. The New York Times reported that Sweden took steps to curb the open door policy it had in place. The country was on pace to admit 200,000 refugees in 2016, or two percent of its population, the majority of whom were from Muslim majority countries.

Does this dramatic uptick in migrants starting in 2012 have anything to do with crime in Sweden? That’s where it gets complicated. As Politfact noted, Swedish authorities do not break out crime data by immigration or refugee status. So it is impossible to determine if any crime increase can be definitively linked to migrants.

What is apparent however, despite the media cherry-picking two years 2014 and 2015, is the significant increase in the number of reported sexual assault and homicides that have coincided with the increased numbers of migrants. According to the Brå, which reports Swedish crime statistics, reported sexual assaults have increased from 17,077 cases in 2011 to 18,057 in 2015. They peaked in 2014 at 20,326, which was 19 percent higher than in 2011. Preliminary data from 2016 show a reported 20 percent increase in sexual “molestation” from 2015, according to Brå numbers. Rapes increased by 13 percent from 2015 to 2016 according to the same preliminary report.

Swedish sexual assault statistics

Similarly, according to Brå, lethal violence has shown an increase. Lethal violence is described as murder, manslaughter, or assault that results in death. In 2011 there were 81 instances of lethal violence reported; in 2015 there were 112 cases. This is an increase of 38 percent. From 2014 the increase was almost 29 percent. Lethal crimes data for 2016 will not be available until the end of March according to Brå.

swedish lethal violence

The data does show an uptick in violent crime, particularly sexual assault and lethal crimes that coincides with the increased migrant wave. That fact is undeniable and buttressed by the data from Swedish authorities. The media, who have cherry-picked the drop in reported sexual assaults from 2014 to 2015, are misleading with their reporting. But there are also two critical pieces of data missing: 2016 assault numbers, and a breakdown of crime by immigration status. Without those data points, both sides of the argument have cases to be made.

There is certainly a significant amount of anecdotal evidence to buttress the claims of increased violence by migrants in Sweden. Most significantly is the documentary by Ami Horowitz which kicked off the current news cycle. Horowitz was interviewed by Tucker Carlson the day before President Trump made his statement.

Horowitz, with on-the-ground reporting, shows a very different picture than what the MSM or Swedish authorities want you to believe.

In Norway, a bordering Scandinavian country, the authorities recently produced a guide on how migrants should treat women. This was a direct result of a rise in rapes that accompanied a similar increase in migrants.

A spring 2016 Pew poll showed that a whopping 88 percent of Swedes disapprove of the way the European Union, of which Sweden is a member, is handling the refugee crisis. That is the second highest number after Greece, which has been a first port of entry for many migrants as they make their way through Europe. The next highest is 77 percent in Italy.

No matter where the debate here in America stands on the issue, it is clear the Swedish people are concerned about migration to their country. That is why, as previously mentioned, the government took extraordinary means to limit refugee settlement after a long history of virtually open borders. This action happened shortly after the Pew poll was conducted.

The data clearly show an uptick in sexual assaults, and lethal crimes since the massive increase in refugees to Sweden from majority Muslim countries. It is careful to remember that correlation does not always equal causation. Until Sweden publishes data which includes the immigration status and country of origin in their crime statistics, on-the-ground experience will continue to drive the narrative. Politifact and other “MSM fact checkers” owe it to their readers to paint a complete picture. (For more from the author of “What the Mainstream Media Won’t Tell You About Donald Trump and Crime in Sweden” please click HERE)

Follow Joe Miller on Twitter HERE and Facebook HERE.

Trump Denounces ‘Bigotry and Hatred’ at African American Museum. The Left Didn’t Get the Memo

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On Tuesday, President Donald Trump denounced bigotry and racism in a short speech given at the National Museum of African American History and Culture. The reaction to his speech on Twitter was, ironically, full of bigotry and racism.

“Today and every day of my presidency I pledge to do everything I can to continue that promise of freedom for African-Americans and for every American,” Trump said. He called his first visit to the museum “a meaningful reminder of why we have to fight bigotry and hatred and intolerance.”

Many on Twitter were vocally intolerant of Trump’s presence at the museum.

Dr. Ben Carson, the president’s nominee to lead the Department of Housing and Urban Development, was in attendance of Trump’s visit to the museum. The reaction to Carson’s presence was also hateful.

What was it that Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. said? “Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.”

It’s a shame these folks won’t listen. (For more from the author of “Trump Denounces ‘Bigotry and Hatred’ at African American Museum. The Left Didn’t Get the Memo” please click HERE)

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Fact Check: Trump Is Right. Violence Is Rising in Sweden

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The media pounced on President Trump after he declared Saturday that large-scale immigration in Sweden is not working out. Appearing at a campaign rally in Florida, the President defended his ban on immigrants from dangerous countries.

We’ve got to keep our country safe. You look at what’s happening in Germany. You look at what’s happening last night in Sweden. Sweden! Who would believe this? Sweden! They took in large numbers, they’re having problems like they never thought possible.

Swedish authorities immediately responded with denials, and much of the media media fixated on his reference to “last night.” Trump clarified later that he was referencing an episode of Tucker Carlson Tonight, which had aired the night before.

Left-leaning news outlets like The Atlantic actually referred to Sweden as “low crime.” Trump addressed them as well in a tweet:

Rising Number of Rapes and Violence in Sweden, Largely by Muslim Immigrants

This was all an exercise in diversion from this glaring fact: Sweden’s increase in violence comes largely from the large influx of Muslim immigrants entering the country.

Rapes have increased by an alarming 250 percent since 2003, rising from 24.9 cases of reported rapes per 100,000 inhabitants to 66.5 last year. Reports of sexual molestation incidents increased by a “striking” 20 percent between 2015 and 2016, reaching 10,500 in 2016.

Örebro Police investigator Peter Springare says the crimes are mostly committed by Muslim immigrants. On February 3, he wrote on Facebook, “Mohammed, Mahmod, Ali, again and again.” Springare is now reportedly under criminal investigation for “incitement to racial hatred.“

In January, Malmö Police Chief Stefan Sinteus issued a desperate plea for help combating “the upward spiral of violence.” The city is composed of 32 percent immigrants. British UKIP leader Nigel Farage refers to Malmö as “the rape capital of Europe.”

Over the past 15 years, Sweden has taken in 650,000 immigrants seeking asylum. About 35,000 claimed to be “unaccompanied minors,” but could very well be young men disguising their age in order to improve their chances of not being deported.

Many are unemployed and jobless, straining the country’s welfare system. According to the Swedish Migration Agency, another 25,000 to 45,000 immigrants are expected this year.

Videos of the rioting and burning uploaded to YouTube reveal the extent of the violence, and contradict the media’s claims there has been no increase in violence. Rioters often outnumber the police, as they throw stones at the officers and beat them up.

What’s Really Happening

In the video below, a Swede in Rinkeby contradicts Swedish politicians and media reports. She says there isn’t a large police presence; they show up after the riots calm down. Law enforcement has set off 55 no-go zones, she reports. Law enforcement will not go into them unless in large patrols. The left-leaning media denies the existence of the no-go zones.

Videos show the radical Islamists plotting against law enforcement. They will plant a bomb in a trash can, then put it on fire. When the fire department comes to put out a fire, the bomb explodes on them. Similarly, they set traps for the police. They will report a rob and throw rocks at them.

The woman goes on to say that Trump’s remarks were accurate. In fact, the reason the violence doesn’t make the news is because it’s so prevalent. “There aren’t any headlines about this kind of stuff,” she explains, “since it’s so common.” Additionally, the Swedish politicians who deny it’s happening are “too proud … to admit they got it wrong. … They want to believe that they are so morally superior to everyone else that their multiculturalism can’t fail and that their feminism can’t fail.”

Rape as Jihad

Such violence by Muslim immigrants is not unique to Sweden. The problem is cropping in other European countries that have welcomed immigrants from Muslim countries. Writing in Algemeiner, Abigail R. Esman described the infamous New Year’s Eve attacks on women in Cologne, Germany, as “a different kind of terrorist attack.” Muslims in Europe have long exhibited misogyny, abuse and sexual exploitation of women, writes Esman, author of Radical State: How Jihad Is Winning Over Democracy in the West.

All of these trends have paved the way for sexual violence as a natural weapon for jihad in the age of ISIS. Indeed, we’ve seen it used not just in the mass gang rapes in Europe in recent years, but in the sexual enslavement of Yazidi girls in Syria and Iraq. We’ve seen it further in ISIS propaganda that even encourages its male members to rape women to bring them “closer to Allah.”

Thirty years ago, political and media elites might have been able to hide this. But they can’t prevent ordinary citizens from recording violent riots and arson with their smart phones and uploading the footage to YouTube and Facebook. The truth will get out. (For more from the author of “Fact Check: Trump Is Right. Violence Is Rising in Sweden” please click HERE)

Follow Joe Miller on Twitter HERE and Facebook HERE.

You Can’t Make America Great Again by Destroying Americans Like Barronelle Stutzman

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Donald Trump made his success in the building trade. One of the key reasons he speaks so plainly and bluntly to ordinary voters is the many years he spent jawboning with construction workers and foremen. So let’s hope he understands this metaphor: Just as you can’t put up a great building with shoddy materials and lazy workmanship, you can’t make America great again if the government you run is attacking that country’s building blocks. If the foremen and workers you’re paying are putting too much sand in the concrete, or using tin instead of structural steel, the building that you end up with is doomed to collapse.

If your appointees and agencies are hunting down and executing the “little platoons” that make ordered liberty possible, your country will fall apart. As founding father John Adams said, “Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other.”

America will not be rejuvenated but ruined if Trump doesn’t act to support the First Amendment Defense Act and protect the kind of people who made America great — people like Barronelle Stutzman, the Washington florist who faces destruction because she politely declined to take part in a same-sex wedding.

A small business owner, churchgoer, and faithful Christian, she pretty much defines the kind of citizen that keeps our country going. They give to charity at higher levels than other people. They are more likely to stay faithful to their spouses. Their kids join the military, police and fire department. They volunteer for civic-minded projects, and sign up for neighborhood watches. They believe in Christian mercy but also insist on justice — which is why so many of them voted for Donald Trump, in the hope that he would bring order to our country’s chaotic immigration process, and regain control of our borders. They love their country, their city, their neighborhood, their family, and God.

The ACLU Didn’t Build America. People of Faith Did.

These are the heirs of the Pilgrims, who sailed across an ocean and planted a colony in the howling wilderness, rather than live under a government where unaccountable bureaucrats could demand that they violate their conscience. They’re the heirs of the Abolitionists, who smuggled escaping slaves along the Underground Railroad, to flout an unjust law. They’re heirs of the suffragists, who didn’t expect five judges to pervert the Constitution, but who worked through the system and played by the rules to change the Constitution to offer women the vote.

They’re the kind of people who joined the Civil Rights movement and worked with fellow Christians from very different backgrounds, of another race, to demand that the Constitution keep its promise to every American. They’re the kind of people today who pray outside abortion clinics and run crisis pregnancy centers. Drive by some government-funded murder mill early on Saturday morning, and look at those people’s faces. Whom will you see? Dozens and dozens of people like Barronelle Stutzman.

Does President Trump really want to side with the narrow-eyed fanatics who defend partial-birth abortion, and open borders, and massive bureaucratic interference with every American’s life? Those are the kind of people who support the American Civil Liberties Union — the organization that stands to benefit from seizing Ms. Stutzman’s 401k, and auctioning off her home. They’re the people who put on those sickening hats and threw a national tantrum the day after Trump’s inauguration. They rioted in Berkeley, or cheered the rioters on as they skimmed the MSM headlines while sipping their pumpkin lattes. They regard Trump’s presidency as illegitimate, and will seize any excuse to claim that the election was hacked or stolen. They want to silence free speech on campus and impose their arrogant, secular agenda in every nook and cranny of American life.

Mr. President, You Must Pick a Side

And to do that, they must destroy all the Barronelle Stutzmans. They will use whatever power they can grab hold of, from perversions of federal law like the Obama administration’s gay hijack of the Civil Rights Act, to education bureaucrats’ perverted, transgendered reading of Title IX. They use corporate power to blackmail non-profit organizations like the Boy Scouts, and their dominance of the media to blacken the names of good, innocent people who happen to disagree with them — and get them fired.

These kind of arrogant cynics thought it would be clever to use Obamacare to bankrupt Catholic nuns, and close down Hobby Lobby. They tried to use Title IX in California to shutter Christian colleges. They will use force, fear, or fraud without compunction, because they believe that they serve the abstract demands of “justice” and “liberation,” and that the end justifies the means. It was lawyers like this who wrote the briefs that sank President Trump’s sensible executive order on immigration, and who serve on the Ninth Circuit Court that wrote that absurd decision. Reporters who think like this are spinning “fake news” about the president every single news cycle, distorting and mocking every word that comes out of his mouth.

Mr. President, you need to pick a side: The Barronelle Stutzmans of America, who voted for you and trusted you and just want to live in peace — or the arrogant, strutting elites who hate her and everyone like her, and who hate you even more. Will you stand up for your supporters, the people who made America great, and can make it great again? Or will you cave in to the bullies who oppress her, and reject you?

We are waiting for your answer. (For more from the author of “You Can’t Make America Great Again by Destroying Americans Like Barronelle Stutzman” please click HERE)

Follow Joe Miller on Twitter HERE and Facebook HERE.

Trump’s Stellar Pick for National Security Adviser

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Army Lt. Gen. H.R. McMaster is a perfect fit for the position of national security adviser, and it is no surprise that his selection by President Donald Trump has delighted many in the defense and national security community.

Trump announced Monday night that McMaster will replace Michael Flynn, the retired Army general who resigned a week ago after he admitted misleading the vice president about the content of a December phone call with the Russian ambassador.

McMaster is a scholar-warrior, much like two fellow flag officers serving in Trump’s Cabinet—retired Marine generals James Mattis and John Kelly.

McMaster is a brilliant strategist who has devoted his Army career to understanding military history and helping America’s armed forces learn from the mistakes of the past in order to fight more effectively in the future. One of us, Thomas Spoehr, can say this with confidence, having known him for many years.

Notably, McMaster wrote a 1997 book, “Dereliction of Duty,” which criticized top military leaders during the Vietnam War for failing to give their candid advice to the president and secretary of defense. As national security adviser, one of McMaster’s key roles will be to provide unvarnished advice to the president.

More recently, as commander of the 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment during the Iraq War, McMaster led U.S. forces in beating back an insurgency that was running rampant in the western Iraqi city of Tal Afar, where al-Qaeda had taken control.

In an interview with National Geographic, he described the situation his troops, and the Iraqi people, faced in Tal Afar:

All the schools were closed because of violence, all the marketplaces were closed. There was no power. There was no water. The city was lifeless. People lived in abject fear.

What McMaster did next changed the course not only of one city, but the entire U.S. military strategy in Iraq. He invested in working directly with the Iraqi people and building trust in the U.S. military’s capability to eliminate terrorists threatening their livelihoods. He moved his troops off large bases and brought them in contact with local residents.

In so doing, McMaster contributed to laying the groundwork for a new counterinsurgency strategy implemented by Army Gen. David Petraeus that ultimately would lead to the neutralization of al-Qaeda in Iraq and increased stability throughout the nation.

This strategy was not popular at the time, yet McMaster recognized its potential and was unwavering in his drive to try a new approach. Remaining willing to re-examine strategies and plans is a key attribute for the national security adviser.

McMaster is also just as much a warrior as he is a scholar and brilliant intellectual. He served in the first Persian Gulf War, receiving a Silver Star for his leadership and bravery in the 1991 Battle of 73 Easting, the largest tank-on-tank battle since World War II.

In this 23-minute battle, McMaster’s company destroyed 28 Iraqi tanks, 16 personnel transports, and more than 30 trucks.

These accomplishments speak volumes about McMaster’s professionalism, leadership, and passion for defending America. He is an extraordinary choice to be national security adviser, and Trump was wise to select him.

Going forward, Americans can rest assured knowing that H.R. McMaster will be the man providing national security advice and options to the leader of the free world. (For more from the author of “Trump’s Stellar Pick for National Security Adviser” please click HERE)

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7 Statutes That CLEARLY Support Trump’s Immigration Executive Order

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While nullifying Trump’s immigration order, the so-called “judges” were conniving in their omission of any statute. As I noted last week, every part of Trump’s order is covered by multiple statutes. This week, I found two more portions of the Immigration and Nationality Act that support his actions.

Let’s review:

1. INA 212(f) [8 U.S.C. §1182(f)]

Gives the president at-will and absolute power to shut off any immigrant and non-immigrant visa category for any period of time if he determines — subject to nobody else’s review — that it’s in the national interests.

This single statute covers every aspect of the order.

2. INA 215(a)(1)[8 U.S.C. §1185(a)(1)]

Conditions entry or exit of any alien (immigrant and nonimmigrant) to “reasonable rules, regulations, and orders, and subject to such limitations and exceptions as the President may prescribe.”

No limitations are placed on this power, and it was used by Jimmy Carter during the Iranian Hostage Crisis.

3. 8 U.S.C. §1184(a)(1)

Conditions the “admission to the United States of any alien as a nonimmigrant” to “such time and under such conditions as the Attorney General may by regulations prescribe.”

4. 8 U.S. Code §1735

Passed unanimously by Congress in 2002, requires the president to cut off visas to state sponsors of terrorism, which at the time of passage, included five of the seven countries included in Trump’s travel ban.

Trump could easily add Somalia and Yemen to the terror state list and reinstate Iraq and Libya – and it would all be covered under this statute.

5. 8 U.S.C. §1157(a)(2)

Grants the president full authority to set the cap and geographic intake of refugees. Obama used it to the detriment of the country; Trump can use it to protect our security.

After further researching the INA, I found two more applicable provisions:

6. 8 U.S. Code §1201(h)(i)

Makes it clear that the issuance of a visa does not “entitle any alien” to be “admitted [into] the United States, if, upon arrival at a port of entry in the United States, he is found to be inadmissible under this chapter, or any other provision of law.”

Thus if the president, using the other authorities and his war powers, chooses to suspend particular visas, those individuals are inadmissible under law. Furthermore, the statute continues by giving plenary power to customs officials to revoke visas at any time.

[T]he consular officer or the Secretary of State may at any time, in his discretion, revoke such visa or other documentation.
What’s more, this provision of law, which passed the Senate 96-2 in 2004, explicitly stripped the courts of any jurisdiction to adjudicate the revocation of visas for anyone seeking entry into the country (as opposed to someone living here who is being deported).

The jurisdiction-stripping provision includes even a basic habeas corpus petition. How in the world can the courts be allowed to get involved in this matter? It is unconstitutional. I’m glad to see that the state of Texas has made this argument in its amicus brief against the liberal states suing the Trump administration.

7. 8 U.S. Code §1253(d)

Requires the secretary of State to cut off both immigrant and nonimmigrant visas to foreign nationals of countries that refuse to repatriate their illegal or criminal aliens. According to the Immigration Reform Law Institute, as reported by The Washington Times, 27 countries qualify for a visa cutoff, including five of the seven countries targeted under Trump’s order (Iran, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, and Sudan).

Accordingly, not only is Trump triple and quadruple covered by statute for every aspect of his immigration order (not to mention his own foreign affairs powers), he is actually required to cut off visas pursuant to several laws. Moreover, the courts have absolutely no authority to even adjudicate a case second-guessing a president’s action with regards to foreign nationals seeking entry into this country. Politics aside, the law is the law.

Yet where is Congress? Where are GOP leaders rushing to join Steve King in condemning the courts even in a non-binding resolution for their display of civil disobedience?

Make no mistake about it. There is not one morsel of legitimacy to these court opinions. They are engaging in civil disobedience and nullification against our most foundational laws governing security and sovereignty of the entire federal union.

As Robert Bork observed during a time when the courts weren’t nearly as rogue as they are today: “To the objection that a rejection of a court’s authority would be civil disobedience, the answer is that a court that issues orders without authority engages in an equally dangerous form of civil disobedience.” (For more from the author of “7 Statutes That CLEARLY Support Trump’s Immigration Executive Order” please click HERE)

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The President Trump Should Be Looking up to (and It’s Not Reagan)

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If President Donald Trump is looking for a conservative to model his presidency after, it should be Calvin Coolidge — our 30th (and most underrated) president. Ronald Reagan receives much (deserved) attention from the conservative movement, but even “The Gipper” recognized how principled Coolidge was. So much so that Reagan brought Coolidge’s portrait back into the White House.

As we celebrate Presidents Day, it is fitting to remember Calvin Coolidge. Born on the 4th of July, Coolidge became a lawyer at his father’s urging and quickly rose through the ranks of Massachusetts politics. He served as President Warren Harding’s vice president, and upon Harding’s sudden death in 1923, Coolidge assumed the commander in chief role. The next year, he was elected president in his own right.

During his tenure as president, from 1923 to 1929, taxes were lowered, the economy boomed, and the presidency was relatively scandal-free — a welcome departure from the scandal-ridden Harding years. Coolidge was one of the most and best conservative presidents of the 20th century.

Here are three things you may not know about “Silent Cal.”

He reduced the federal debt

During World War I, U.S. federal debt increased from $1.5 billion to $24 billion in just three years, from 1916-1919. Harding started the process of reducing the debt, and Coolidge carried on after Harding’s death.

Furthermore, total federal spending was reduced by an enormous 43 percent with Coolidge as VP and president from 1921-1924, and the federal debt shrank from $22 billion in 1923 to just south of $17 billion in 1929, when Coolidge left office.

He reduced income taxes

As Conn Carroll writes at Townhall.com, the top income tax rate was lowered from 73 percent to 24 percent from 1921 to 1926 — a 49 percent reduction. In 1925, the tax rate for the lowest tax bracket was reduced to 1.5 percent for people making $4,000 to $8,000 a year, which is the equivalent of around $55,000 to $110,000 in 2016 dollars.

He was a man of his word

Coolidge retained the services of Harding’s “literary clerk” — a precursor to the modern speechwriter — only till 1925. His son, John, long insisted that his father wrote his own speeches, and Coolidge published volumes of his speeches. They include pieces about the importance of religious liberty, the Boy Scouts, civil rights, and patriotism, among many other topics. Coolidge also held the most press conferences of any other president (outside of FDR’s three-term presidency.

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What we need now, more than ever, is for a president who is a man of his word, and one who will reduce the federal debt, reduce taxes, and stand up for religious liberty. President Trump, like Reagan, should look to Calvin Coolidge as an example.

(For more from the author of “The President Trump Should Be Looking up to (and It’s Not Reagan)” please click HERE)

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