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How Trump Can Turn His SOTU Smackdown of Sanctuary Cities Into Action

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The State of the Union was certainly very uplifting, unifying, and even quite moderately non-ideological on policy. That is, until the president began discussing sanctuary cities. That’s when he took the gloves off and served some red meat with the veggies.

Facts in hand, the president exposed for the nation the dastardly deeds of sanctuary cities in hard numbers. “Last year, our brave ICE officers arrested more than 120,000 criminal aliens charged with nearly 10,000 burglaries, 5,000 sexual assaults, 45,000 violent assaults, and 2,000 murders,” revealed Trump. “Tragically, there are many cities in America where radical politicians have chosen to provide sanctuary for these criminal illegal aliens. In Sanctuary Cities, local officials order police to release dangerous criminal aliens to prey upon the public, instead of handing them over to ICE to be safely removed.”

I watched Nancy Pelosi shake her head behind the president as he was uttering these words. What exactly what she shaking her head at? Which point does she contest? That these cities and states, like her home state of California, release dangerous illegal aliens arrested for murder and rape? Just this week, Orange County Sheriff Don Barnes announced that 1,500 illegal aliens with detainers were released last year. Of those inmates, 238 were re-arrested in for committing new preventable crimes, including assault and battery, rape, and robbery.

In other words, the president got them around the neck. I’ve always said, Democrats cannot withstand a sustained national focus on their policy against federal immigration law, because it’s truly indefensible. These are exclusively illegal aliens who have committed additional crimes that land them in local jails. No sane voter wants this.

Speaking on behalf of the thousands of unnoticed victims of illegal aliens, the president highlighted an angel family sitting in the gallery. For months, Democrats kept focusing like a laser beam on the needs, wants, and desires of illegal aliens at the border. What about the American victims? The president gave them their recognition.

The president brought up the case of Junior “Gustavo” Garcia-Ruiz, an illegal alien repeat offender, who was charged with the murder of Rocky Jones in Tulare County, California, last year. He was in jail just days before allegedly going on a killing spree and committing at least 11 crimes in a 24-hour period. Yet despite six prior arrests, the ICE detainer was ignored.

One of the victims of his bloody rampage was a 51-year-old American named Rocky Jones. Rocky was at a gas station when this vile criminal fired eight bullets at him from close range, murdering him in cold blood. Rocky left behind a devoted family, including his brothers who loved him more than anything. One of his grieving brothers is here with us tonight. Jody, would you please stand? Jody, our hearts weep for your loss — and we will not rest until you have justice.

The president then called on Congress to pass legislation giving victims of sanctuary cities the right to sue government officials who violate federal immigration laws.

“The United States of America should be a sanctuary for law-abiding Americans — not criminal aliens!” thundered Trump to rousing applause.

Now it’s time for the president to make this a reality and allow the eloquence of his speech to lead to successful action. Sanctuaries might be evil and unpopular, but at present, they are winning. Their numbers have doubled over the past three years, and they’re driving ICE’s removal numbers into the ground.

What was evident last night is that Trump has the greatest bully pulpit ever. If he delivered a major address with angel families right before a budget vote and demanded the defunding of sanctuary cities, it would place the Democrats in a very tough position. He’d be wise to make this issue his priority headed into the election and do the following:

Direct the U.S. attorneys to bring up charges against sanctuary politicians in their respective jurisdictions for violating federal immigration law by harboring illegal aliens and restricting information from ICE.

The president should cut off all grant programs to sanctuaries and refuse to sign any budget bill that doesn’t back
up his action.

The president called on Congress last night to pass the Justice for Victims of Sanctuary Cities Act (S.2059), which allows victims of sanctuaries to sue malfeasant politicians in federal court. He needs to twist arms to get this done, but also must first fix one provision in the bill that actually weakens current law.

The president should direct the Social Security Administration and the IRS to work with the DHS to end identity theft by illegal aliens. They have the power to do this without new legislation. This would essentially end the ability of sanctuaries to harbor them.

The president should enforce the Vienna Convention on Consular Relations (VCCR) that requires police to ascertain the country of citizenship in order to notify consular officials that a national of their country has been detained. This way we will know every illegal alien who is detained by police for an infraction.

The president needs to give a speech revealing that there are three million known illegal aliens with criminal records in this country and that we only have 5,000 deportation officers to deal with them. The failure to secure more funding for ICE amid a record spending spree for liberal functions of government has been one of the greatest failures of the first term.

Every day the president should tweet out more cases of needless deaths from sanctuaries harboring repeat violent criminals who are here illegally.

The president should do all of this in the lead-up to the September budget deadline. Rather than running away from a budget fight over criminal aliens right before an election, he should embrace that opportunity to win the election based on this issue. He has the ability to use the bully pulpit to its fullest extent. According to a Harvard-Harris poll, 72 percent of overall voters and 76 percent of suburban voters oppose issuing driver’s licenses to illegal aliens. Imagine how many more oppose harboring dangerous criminal aliens. There is no greater issue over which to force a budget fight.

Overall, there were good policy suggestions in the speech, and there were liberal ones inspired by his more liberal advisers. They already got their stuff enacted in the budget bills and defense bill: an amnesty for Liberian illegal aliens, a “second step” act for criminals, paid federal leave for already overpaid federal workers, more low-skilled worker visas, and 4,000 more visas for unvetted Afghans. Jared Kushner and Ivanka Trump have gotten their fair share of priorities. Now is the time to put effective action behind the conservative elements of the president’s eloquent speech.

The lesson of last night, headed into a second term, is that the eloquent speeches are needed most at the times when the policy outcomes are fully in play. (For more from the author of “How Trump Can Turn His Sotu Smackdown of Sanctuary Cities Into Action” please click HERE)

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Obama’s Unserious Foreign Policy And America’s Permanent War Footing

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Photo Credit: The federalist

Photo Credit: The federalist

Obama’s address on the State Of The Union showed the lack of seriousness about international affairs by which his Administration has been making the world ever more dangerous for Americans. The passages on war and peace, like the rest of the speech, consisted of patent untruths loosely related to Administration programs – the former meant to justify the latter.

Whatever one might think of Obama’s domestic agenda, these couplets reflected a serious intent to advance it. Thus, because ”climate change” is the cause of Western drought and Eastern floods, Obama will impose new restrictions on the use of fossil fuels; and because “reform” of unemployment insurance will get people back to work, Congress must extend the term of current insurance for 1.6 million people. People with an interest in such things know to disregard the nonsense and to take the agenda as seriously as it is meant.

But Obama’s discussion of war and peace verged on abstraction from reality, was not heartfelt, and is certain to call forth disdain. For Obama, the world’s major events might as well be happening on the planet Pluto. Russia is re establishing itself in its “near abroad,” and working with Iran to project a neo-Soviet agenda from Southwest Asia to the Mediterranean. China is inexorably asserting sovereignty over the Western Pacific. As Islam’s Sunni and Shia factions tear at each other’s vitals, they seem to agree only on contempt for America. Obama mentioned none of this.

Rather, as with regard to domestic matters he claimed credit in advance for events that he hopes will take place, and asked for the people’s support on the basis of that claim. He ended the war in Iraq, and is ending the war in Afghanistan. In Syria, he is supporting the good guys. He has put al Qaeda “on the path to defeat, and is doing the same to all similar folk. He is ridding Syria of Chemical weapons, while American diplomacy is at work settling the Arab-Israeli war – the key to a larger peace. He asked Americans to believe that Obama is moving the country “off a permanent war footing.” How, he gave no hint. It is difficult to imagine foreign nations, friend and foe alike, taking any of this seriously. Or Americans for that matter.

Read more from this story HERE.

State of the Union 2014: Obama Calls For ‘Year of Action’ (+video)

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Photo Credit: AP

Photo Credit: AP

By JENNIFER EPSTEIN.

President Barack Obama outlined plans Tuesday to make 2014 his year of action — using his executive authorities wherever possible while encouraging Congress to go even further.

Obama took on a more pragmatic tone than in previous State of the Union addresses, acknowledging that getting his agenda past House Republicans was unlikely and therefore he would use his power to do what he can on his own.

While most of the language was not partisan, the implication was clear — the president is tired of engaging in futile battles with the GOP. Striking a contrast to congressional inaction, Obama highlighted a dozen executive actions, including an executive order announced earlier Tuesday to raise the minimum wage to $10.10 for federal contract workers and plans to speed up ConnectEd, which aims to bring high-speed Internet access to 99 percent of schools within five years.

Obama didn’t entirely ignore Congress — the White House believes immigration reform is a real possibility this year and the president reached out to the GOP on that front. He discussed immigration reform in broad terms, in hopes of leaving space for House Republicans to continue their work on legislation, while still calling for action.

Read more from this story HERE.

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State of the Union 2014: Obama embraces Obamacare

By DAVID NATHER.

President Barack Obama left no doubt Tuesday night what his Obamacare sales technique will be: loud voice, lots of confidence and no apologies.

Don’t dwell on the scratches on the hood. Just tell the customer how good it will feel to rev the engine and drive the car off the lot.

Obamacare didn’t show up in the State of the Union address until over halfway through, and it encompassed all of nine paragraphs in an hour-plus stemwinder. But this was very much a hard sell by the president for Americans to sign up for his signature health care law, the biggest sales pitch Obama has made in a State of the Union address since the law passed. His pitch was a lengthy tour of all the success stories he could find: the Arizona woman with a health condition who got health coverage just in time, the Kentucky governor who built one of the best working enrollment websites in the country and the millions of Americans who have already signed up for coverage.

His message to Obamacare’s supporters and critics: Enough with the repeal votes. Time to sign up — especially the young adults.

“That’s why, tonight, I ask every American who knows someone without health insurance to help them get covered by March 31st,” Obama said. “Moms, get on your kids to sign up. Kids, call your mom and walk her through the application. It will give her some peace of mind — plus, she’ll appreciate hearing from you.”

Read more from this story HERE.

Whatever Happened to All Those Promises Obama Made During the State of the Union?

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All that applause. All that adoration. The president’s state of the union address was considered brilliant by much of the press.

So what happened to all the promises?

The president’s laundry list of goals for his second term have either been defeated or not even brought out for a vote by either House. The sole exception is immigration reform and most of that “comprehensive” measure is going nowhere in the House.

The Hill:

The White House’s problem is perhaps best epitomized by the battle over gun control. The crescendo of February’s speech was the president’s emotional call for a vote on new regulations, noting the presence of former Rep. Gabrielle Giffords (D-Ariz.) — who was shot by a would-be assassin — in the audience.

But the president’s push for new gun controls flamed out in the Senate, where Democrats were unable to corral enough votes even for a background check expansion favored by two-thirds of all Americans…

Rich Baehr thinks that the public is finally starting to tune out Obama. I don’t see how you can come to any other conclusion when you realize just how impotent Obama has become.

Read more from this story HERE.

Obama Skirting Congress In Globalist Plan?

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Photo Credit: WNDThe Obama administration appears determined to ram through Congress a key part of a grandiose trade plan that transcends the vision for a “North American Union,” encompassing both Europe and Pacific Rim nations.

As WND reported, President Obama declared in his State of the Union address his intent to complete negotiations for a Trans-Pacific Partnership and announced the launch of talks “on a comprehensive Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership with the European Union.”

It was the first time a decision by the U.S. Trade Representative within the White House to expand negotiations to create a free trade zone with Pacific Rim countries was made public, along with a similar initiative with EU countries.

To implement the newly contemplated Trans-Pacific Partnership free-trade agreement, or FTA, the administration apparently plans to restrict congressional prerogatives to an up-or-down vote.

The issue centers on “fast-track authority,” a provision under the Trade Promotion Authority that requires Congress to review an FTA under limited debate, in an accelerated time frame subject to a yes-or-no vote.

Read more from this story HERE.

Who Killed The Middle Class?

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Photo Credit: DonkeyHotey “It is our generation’s task, then, to reignite the true engine of America’s economic growth – a rising, thriving middle class.” So said Barack Obama in his State of the Union address.

And for one of his ideas to reignite that engine, Republicans applauded. “And tonight, I am announcing that we will launch talks on a comprehensive Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership with the European Union – because trade that is free and fair across the Atlantic supports millions of good-paying American jobs.”

One wonders if any of those in the hall who rose robotically at the phrase “free and fair” were aware of the trade results just in from 2012. What were the 2012 figures for the European Union?

U.S. exports to Europe fell, imports from Europe rose, and our trade deficit with the EU shot up 16 percent to $116 billion. We ran a trade deficit with Italy of $20 billion, with Ireland of $25 billion, with Germany of $60 billion. The Europeans are eating our lunch.

What about South Korea, the country with whom we signed a free-trade deal in 2012? U.S. exports to Korea fell last year, and due to a surge in imports our trade deficit in goods with South Korea soared 25 percent to $16.6 billion.

Read more from this story HERE.

Mark Steyn: Acheive Ye This Goal – the Monarchical Urge Persists

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I’m also issuing a new goal for America,” declared President Obama at his State of the Union on Tuesday. We’ll come to the particular “goal” he “issued” momentarily, but before we do, consider that formulation: Did you know the president of the United States is now in the business of “issuing goals” for his subjects to live up to?

Strange how the monarchical urge persists even in a republic two-and-a-third centuries old. Many commentators have pointed out that the modern State of the Union is in fairly obvious mimicry of the Speech from the Throne that precedes a new legislative session in British Commonwealth countries and continental monarchies, but this is to miss the key difference. When the Queen or her viceroy reads a Throne Speech in Westminster, Ottawa, or Canberra, it’s usually the work of a government with a Parliamentary majority: In other words, the stuff she’s announcing is actually going to happen. That’s why, lest any enthusiasm for this or that legislative proposal be detected, the apolitical monarch overcompensates by reading everything in as flat and unexpressive a monotone as possible. Underneath the ancient rituals — the Gentleman Usher of the Black Rod getting the door of the House of Commons slammed in his face three times — it’s actually a very workmanlike affair.

The State of the Union is the opposite. The president gives a performance, extremely animatedly, head swiveling from left-side prompter to right-side prompter, continually urging action now: “Let’s start right away. We can get this done. . . . We can fix this. . . . Now is the time to do it. Now is the time to get it done.” And at the end of the speech, nothing gets done, and nothing gets fixed, and, after a few days’ shadowboxing between admirers and detractors willing to pretend it’s some sort of serious legislative agenda, every single word of it is forgotten until the next one.

In that sense, like Beyoncé lip-synching the National Anthem at the inauguration, the State of the Union embodies the decay of America’s political institutions into a simulacrum of responsible government rather than the real thing, and a simulacrum ever more divorced from the real issues facing the country. “Over the last few years, both parties have worked together to reduce the deficit by more than $2.5 trillion,” said the president. Really? Who knew? “Now we need to finish the job.” Just one more push is all it’ll take.

What’s he on about? The annual “deficit” has been over a trillion for every year of Obama’s presidency. The cumulative deficits have, in fact (to use a quaint expression), increased the national debt by $6 trillion. Yet Obama claims Washington has “reduced the deficit” by $2.5 trillion and all we need to do is “finish the job.” Presumably this is a reference to allegedly agreed deficit reductions over the next decade, or quarter-century, or whatever. In other words, Obama has saved $2.5 trillion of Magical Fairyland money, which happily frees him up to talk about the really critical issues like high-speed rail and green-energy solutions. These concepts, too, exist mainly in Magical Fairyland: If you think Obama-approved taxpayer-funded “high-speed rail” means you’ll be able to board a train that goes at French or Japanese speeds, I’ve a high-speed rail bridge to Brooklyn to sell you.

Read more from this story HERE.

Palin On ‘True’ State Of The Union: ‘Venal Politicians’ Bankrupting Nation

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Photo Credit: Breitbart“What is the true state of our union? Though this may sound harsh, I’ll speak the truth here,” Palin wrote. “We are a country going bankrupt to fund a bloated, distant, and often corrupt federal government led by venal politicians more concerned with paying off their campaign cronies and consolidating their own power than in preserving the constitutional republic that so many have fought and died for (including our brave men and women in uniform who were barely mentioned last night).”

Palin has assailed the “permanent political class” since her landmark speech in Indianola, Iowa in 2011 that introduced that language into the political bloodstream. Director Stephen K. Bannon and Peter Schweizer’s Government Accountability Institute have assailed D.C. as a “boomtown” that produces nothing but continues to get wealthier by expanding the size and scope of government.

During the State of the Union address on Tuesday, Palin live-tweeted with the “#SOTUGottaBKiddingMe” hashtag, assailing Obama and Washington, D.C.’s permanent political class for their cronyism. After the speech, Palin called out Obama for not honoring slain ex-Navy Seal Chris Kyle or U.S. Ambassador to Libya Chris Stevens during the address. After attending Kyle’s funeral on Monday, Palin said Obama needed to “pay his respects” to the fallen American hero.

“If you missed President Obama’s State of the Union address last night, you didn’t miss much – especially if you watched any of his past four State of the Union addresses,” Palin wrote. “We heard the same recycled rhetoric, and we heard his Orwellian declaration that the cornucopia of new federal programs he proposed, as well as his intention to eradicate world poverty, wouldn’t ‘increase our deficit by a single dime.'”

Palin also referenced Paul Krugman, “one of President Obama’s economic cheerleaders at the New York Times,” who last week was “remarkably candid” when he said “death panels and taxes is how we do this.”

Read more from this story HERE.

Major Networks Refuse To Cover Rand Paul’s Tea Party Response

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Photo Credit: Daily CallerKentucky Republican Sen. Rand Paul delivered the tea party response to President Barack Obama’s State of the Union Address on Tuesday night — but even if you were watching any of the major television networks, you wouldn’t have been able to see it.

Unlike President Barack Obama’s State of the Union address and the official Republican response from Florida Sen. Marco Rubio, Paul’s speech was watchable only through online streaming.

“I speak to you tonight from Washington, D.C.,” Paul said at the beginning of the address. “The state of our economy is tenuous, but our people remain the greatest example of freedom and prosperity the world has ever known.”

The tea party senator then contrasted former President Ronald Reagan’s skeptical view of government with Obama’s worldview. “President Obama believes government is the solution: More government, more taxes, more debt,” Paul said. “What the president fails to grasp is that the American system that rewards hard work is what made America so prosperous.”

Paul pointed to the ideas of limited government espoused by Scottish philosopher Adam Smith in “The Wealth of Nations.”

Read more from this story HERE.