Republicans are poised to maintain their majority in the U.S. Senate as of Wednesday morning, November 4.

The GOP began election day with a 53 to 47 margin over the Democrats (and two Independents who caucus with the Democrats) in the Senate.

As of 11:45 a.m. eastern time, the Democrats have picked up two Senate seats. One pickup is in Colorado, where Democrat John Hickenlooper has defeated incumbent Sen. Cory Gardner (R-CO) 53.9 percent to 44 percent, with 85 percent of precincts reporting. The other is in Arizona, where Democrat challenger Mark Kelly, the former astronaut, defeated incumbent Sen. Martha McSally by a 52.6 percent to 47.4 percent margin with 87 percent of precincts reporting.

Republicans have countered with a pickup of their own in Alabama, where Republican Tommy Tuberville, the former head football coach at Auburn University, has defeated incumbent Sen. Doug Jones (D-AL) by a 60.4 percent to 39.6 percent margin with 98 percent of precincts reporting.

Republicans have held strong in several states that were thought to be contested. (Read more from “GOP Poised to Maintain Majority in U.S. Senate” HERE)

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Forget about wearing a mask; what we really need to wear in this new version of America is a bulletproof vest or body armor.

As our country burns and life, liberty, and property are gravely threatened in America’s cities, Republican Sen. Tim Scott is focusing on renaming our military bases. Republican Sens. James Lankford and Ron Johnson are focusing on abolishing Columbus Day. Rather than deter and punish the violent anarchist mobs, they are taking their marching orders straight from the mobs. Who said violence is not the answer? Who ever said crime doesn’t pay?

I’ve been tracking the dangerous trend of motorists and truck drivers being attacked by mobs blocking the roads and even highways. One would think they could just avoid the worst neighborhoods of Minneapolis, Chicago, and New York and confidently drive unmolested by the mob. Nope. These people are everywhere, including in small towns in red states, yet they remain just as undeterred as they are in blue states.

On Monday night, a motorist was surrounded on the streets of Provo, Utah, when he was trying to make a right turn. The mob started throwing things at the car, and as he gingerly pushed forward, one of the rioters shot into the car and injured the driver. His wounds are not life-threatening, but others haven’t been as fortunate.

Thankfully, police arrested 33-year-old Jesse Taggart on attempted murder charges. Taggart is believed to have attacked another driver by breaking his window with his gun. What about all the other rioters? Are the roads clear? Were they punished? Why is there no deterrent even in a county where Hillary Clinton won just 14% of the vote?

I’ll tell you why there is no deterrent: Even in states Republicans control, they refuse to punish the rioters unless they shoot someone, they refuse to clear the roads, they refuse to protect the police from unjust lawfare, and they refuse to empower the citizenry to fight back and defend themselves. When they do, they are the ones who get prosecuted, and those sheriffs who call for their defense get fired.

Earlier this week, Sioux Rapids, Iowa, officials suspended police chief Tim Porter for two weeks without pay for commenting on a Facebook post about one of the attacks on motorists: “hit the gas and hang on over the road bumps.”

So even in red states and counties, people surrounding and attacking motorists are now protected classes? These are not people merely trying to hand out funky literature; many of them are coming for blood. Trump carried this county in Iowa by 25 points. If we can’t elect leaders in these areas who think that motorists don’t have to submit to beatings or deaths, we are done as a nation.

Yesterday, rioters blocked I-94 in Minnesota to protest a shooting … in Ethiopia. Blocking highways is not freedom of speech; it’s insurrection.

Last week, Bill Torpy wrote a column in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution relating how he and a former reporter for that same newspaper were held up near the Wendy’s where Rayshard Brooks was shot. Armed black men were manning checkpoints and stopping white people from driving into the area. He relates how there are now shootings in the area and it has become a no-go zone for cops. In general, 170 cops called out sick after officers were charged by the DA for the Brooks shooting. Local news are reporting about lawlessness in the streets of Atlanta with cars performing stunts and blocking the roads.

How does any of this happen in a state with full GOP control? Why is it that all Republicans care about is legislating on behalf of the mob instead of against the mob?

Republicans are missing a golden opportunity to force a fight over self-defense, crime, law and order, and safe streets. Gun sales for June have hit yet another record high, 70% higher than in June 2019. People are scared, they want order and safety, and they want the ability to protect themselves, knowing that the perpetrators will be the ones prosecuted, not them. Is it too hard for Republicans to stand for those people, these citizens of all races and creeds?

Clay County Florida Sheriff Darryl Daniels had the right spirit when he threatened to deputize law-abiding gun owners to help keep the peace if rioters start messing with his county. “If we can’t handle you, you know what I’ll do? I will exercise the power and authority as the sheriff, and I will make special deputies of every lawful gun owner in this county,” he said in a viral YouTube video. “And I’ll deputize them for this one purpose: to stand in the gap between lawlessness and civility. That’s what we’re sworn to do, and that’s what we’re going to do.”

Speaking with the moral clarity we hear from almost no Republican, Sheriff Daniels declared, “Lawlessness — that’s unacceptable in this country. Lawlessness — that’s unacceptable in Clay County. And if you threaten to come to Clay County and think that for one second that we’ll bend our backs for you, you’re sadly mistaken.”

That is the spirit we need from everyone in office, including the president, Republican governors, and county executives. Self-defense is the bulwark against anarchy.

1992 might have been the election of, “It’s the economy, stupid.” Well, this election better be, “It’s the anarchy, stupid.” And that begins with Republicans demonstrating their commitment to the rule of law in places where they already are in power. (For more from the author of “Republicans Won’t Even Fight for Self-Defense” please click HERE)

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It’s become an annual December ritual. Republicans act like Santa Claus and delivers the Christmas goods for the Left, while leaving their most dedicated voters with nothing but a lump of coal. It’s a ritual that Trump was supposed to change, but it shows no signs of changing.

President George H.W. Bush was an American hero, icon, and statesman to whom we owe the highest national honor. But his funeral and memorial services should not change the fact that Republicans and Trump owe us a budget this week in the House that will deal with the border loopholes and sanctuary cities and build the wall. Then Trump should demand that McConnell force one vote after another on the House budget until the opposition is compelled to hold the floor in an authentic talking filibuster. Forcing Democrats to defend the invasion at our border in front of the cameras for a sustained period of time is the only way to break this stalemate.

Sadly, President Bush’s passing provided Republicans with the perfect subterfuge with which to sell us out, even though they were already looking for an avenue to cave. They are planning to pass a two-week continuing resolution that will expire right before Christmas on December 21, knowing full well there will be no appetite for a border fight right before everyone leaves town for the holiday.

There is no reason we can’t deal with the ultimate government shutdown – the suspension of law and order at our border – while we hold a funeral for President Bush. Republicans know this as well as we do, but they never had any intention of fighting.

First they caved on Obamacare, now they are at peace with permanent funding of Planned Parenthood, and tomorrow they will formally drive a stake through border security.

With over 200 people being apprehended every day in just one border sector, there are thousands of aliens crossing every day, on pace to reach one million this year, factoring in the likely number of individuals who are not caught. The damage to this country in terms of crime, drugs, public charge, and even diseases is immeasurable. It is the ultimate job of the federal government to defend against this invasion and this is why we have a federal budget. Republicans think they are “avoiding a shutdown,” but they are in fact perpetuating the shutdown of a sovereign nation-state.

Illegals are being told they have the right to break into our country and steal our identity, and nothing is done about it.

They are counted in the Census and continue to vote in elections, and nothing is done about it.

They drain our resources, strain our schools, and create dead weight on the health care system, and nothing is done about it.

We have the worst gang and drug crisis in our history from this very Central American migration, yet courts are now empowered to block deportations of even the worst elements.

I’d call that a government shutdown, all right.

Yet when Mitch McConnell is asked about the budget question, he sounds like an apathetic and detached commentator rather than a leader of a right-of-center party speaking to the outrage of the public over stolen sovereignty. When asked about the prospect of a government shutdown, McConnell merely said, “I don’t think we’ll get to that point.” He went on to say the president needs to negotiate with Democrat leadership. Well, what about threatening to force a talking filibuster and making a list of demands on Democrats? What about showing some emotion for the terrible costs of this invasion? We need a leader, not a floor scheduler.

And where is the president himself? Why did the White House and all outside conservative groups spend the final weeks of full control promoting Soros’ jailbreak instead of fighting for national sovereignty, the most basic purpose of the federal government’s existence? Amazingly, many of these so-called social conservatives who didn’t utter a peep about defunding Planned Parenthood and the judicially mandated transgender agenda in the military spent their political capital trying to convince us that letting gangbangers out of prison is pro-family. To McConnell’s credit, he isn’t excited to take up the so-called ‘prison reform’ bill, but he’s not excited to act on anything – good or bad.

And speaking of priorities, while our immigration priorities are not in the bill, the priorities of cheap labor will eventually be in the omnibus. Congress plans to double the number of H-2B non-agricultural, unskilled seasonal workers that will continue to be a public charge on America. Also, even before legislators pass the omnibus prior to Christmas, they are slipping in extensions of the flood insurance programs and the Violence Against Woman Act (VAWA) even in the two-week stopgap bill.

Evidently, we can afford to go without border security but we can’t have any lapse in this broken flood insurance program or a special-interest program that uses an important issue to subvert due process.

There’s one other point many in the media are missing. The perfidy and betrayal of the past several months on the budget actually make it easier for Republicans to fight this week on the remainder of the budget. Republicans have already caved to Democrats on spending levels and enacted five of the annual appropriations bills for the entire fiscal year 2019, composing three-quarters of this year’s discretionary spending. That includes Energy-Water, Military Construction-VA, Legislative Branch, Defense, and Labor-HHS-Education. They already capitulated on astronomical spending levels for HHS and Education. But either way, the military, Social Security, and health care programs are already funded for the remainder of the fiscal year. It’s only seven departments that remain subject to the stopgap funding bill or an omnibus. So there is literally minimal risk over a shutdown, even in the minds of timid Republicans. Why not use the budget to focus national attention on our border and all its vices for a week or two? Why not have Trump give a series of prime-time speeches making his case?

Sadly, it appears that the House will pass a new stopgap bill on Thursday without a recorded vote, so the public won’t even be treated to a debate. What a sad way to end an eight-year run of GOP House control. (For more from the author of “Republicans Have Already Surrendered the Border/Budget Fight” please click HERE)

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