Jewish Leaders Slam Schumer
The fallout continues from Senate Democrat Leader Chuck Schumer’s speech last week attacking Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Schumer called Netanyahu “a major obstacle to peace” and demanded the overthrow of his coalition government through new elections in the middle of a war.
Yesterday, Schumer participated in a call with the Conference of Presidents of Major Jewish Organizations to explain his reasoning behind the timing and tone of his speech. Following that call, the Conference issued a statement. Below are a few excerpts:
“[T]he pro-Israel community and our membership continue to have deep reservations about Senator Schumer’s speech on the Senate floor last week regarding impediments to peace between Israel and the Palestinians.
“We believe that at a time when Israel is fighting an existential war, on the embers of the 1200 innocents massacred on October 7th, it is not a time for public criticisms that serve only to empower the detractors of Israel, and which foster greater divisiveness, when unity is so desperately needed. . . In actuality, what is really needed is U.S. leverage to bolster and support the Jewish state in this time of need.
“We find it most unfortunate that Senator Schumer’s stated barriers to peace included the Hamas Terror Army and the democratically elected Prime Minister of Israel in the same breath. Hamas’ unwillingness to release the hostages, lay down its arms, and surrender are the actual barriers to peace.”
In related news, President Biden and Prime Minister Netanyahu spoke over the phone earlier this week. According to reports, Netanyahu made it very clear to Biden that Israel is “determined to complete the elimination of [Hamas’s remaining] brigades in Rafah, and there is no way to do it other than entering by land.”
A recent survey finds that more than 80% of Israelis support the mission in Rafah.
Primary Results
Five states held primaries yesterday. As expected, Joe Biden and Donald Trump scored easy victories in every state, picking up hundreds of additional delegates in the process.
There was another big primary contest in Ohio for the GOP nomination to take on Sen. Sherrod Brown (D) in November. This race will likely determine control of the Senate in 2025.
Three candidates were running – two moderates and one MAGA conservative. The conservative candidate, Bernie Moreno, won big in spite of the media’s attempts to smear him just days before the election.
Moreno was born in Bogota, Colombia. His family moved to Florida when he was five, and he became a U.S. citizen at 18. He developed a passion for cars, and through years of hard work and determination, he became a successful car dealer in Cleveland, Ohio, and later a high-tech investor.
The Conventional Wisdom
President Biden was campaigning in Arizona and Nevada yesterday, attempting to shore up his support among Hispanic voters. Recent polls indicate that Hispanics are a major weakness for Biden.
One poll found Biden and Trump tied among Hispanic voters, while another poll found Trump leading Biden 46% to 40% among Hispanics. And a third poll found Trump leading Biden among self-identified independent voters by ten points.
I don’t know if those numbers will hold up in November. But it shows you how the “conventional wisdom” is wrong.
The conventional wisdom is that a candidate like Trump can’t possibly attract independent and minority voters. To do that, you need someone like Nikki Haley. That narrative was repeated by Fox News, the Wall Street Journal, National Review, and many “wise” GOP consultants. Yet, it was totally and completely wrong.
The “experts” say you can’t attract minority voters by aggressively taking on illegal immigration. Wrong!
Legal Hispanic immigrants don’t want illegal aliens coming into our country anymore than anyone else. In fact, that applies to virtually all legal immigrants. And 73% of black Americans say they are worried that record illegal immigration is leading to more crime in our communities.
Clarifying Our Commitments
The left rarely attacks Trump’s actual positions. Instead, they lie about what he has said, and then they attack that. A perfect example is Trump’s position on NATO, which has been greatly distorted. Trump clarified his position yesterday in an interview with British conservative leader Nigel Farage.
Trump said America would “100%” remain in NATO as long as our European allies were paying their fair share. That has been his position all along.
But when Trump warned NATO nations they would be on their own if they failed to fulfill their defense obligations, media hacks immediately suggested Trump would abandon NATO and our commitments abroad. Those false attacks were repeated by the war wing of the GOP.
They were lying.
Here’s a thought exercise. Let’s say you’re a member of an exclusive club. The dues to be in this club are pretty high. But some members of the club aren’t paying their dues, and you are being forced to pick up the slack.
How can the guy who is demanding that the other members pay their dues be described as being against the club? That makes no sense. The person who is really against the best interests of the club is the one who doesn’t care if members pay their dues.
So, Trump made it clear yesterday that we will stay in NATO as long as it doesn’t become a welfare program for socialist Europe.
Be Careful What You Wish For
There is no doubt that the left’s lawfare against Trump is intended to bankrupt him. His lawyers notified the New York court this week that they cannot find a bond company willing to guarantee the $454 million civil judgment that he must pay before he can appeal the decision.
Some in the media say this proves Trump is not a billionaire. They don’t understand basic finance. Trump’s wealth is in real estate, and people in real estate don’t have massive amounts of cash lying around.
It’s the same for most people who own a home. Their net worth, which includes the value of the home, is usually a lot more than the balance of their bank account.
There are some suggestions that Trump should appeal to the Supreme Court based on the Eighth Amendment, which states, “Excessive bail shall not be required, nor excessive fines imposed, nor cruel and unusual punishments inflicted.”
$450 million to appeal a case is definitely excessive, cruel, and unusual.
Here’s another problem New York’s radical leftists have created with this case.
New York City depends heavily on revenue from real estate investments. The decision itself has already struck a blow against New York City, as serious investors are refusing to do business there. (Here and here.)
Why does the Big Apple suddenly seem rotten to investors? Well, if they can do that to Donald Trump, they can do it to anyone who resists the radical left.
One can only hope that cooler heads will prevail, but it’s possible that in their attempt to destroy Trump, progressive politicians will destroy New York City.
Legal Whiplash
An extraordinary thing happened late yesterday. The Supreme Court allowed a Texas law to temporarily take effect that lets state law enforcement officers arrest and detain illegal aliens entering the country. But late last night, the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals put the law on hold again.
This is another indication of how quickly things are happening. It’s like war, where the battlefield changes by the hour. And we are in a war for America with a rapidly shifting battlefield.
Many commentators say the Texas law is unconstitutional. Some judges have agreed. The state of Texas contends it has an obligation to defend its citizens when the federal government will not.
Texas clearly has a point.
When our Founding Fathers wrote the Constitution, it had to be ratified by the states before it could take effect.
If any state thought that the Constitution prevented them from defending their citizens if they were invaded by people not legally allowed to enter and the federal government refused to do anything about it, no state would have ratified the Constitution.
That is such an outlandish idea, but that is exactly what the open borders left and the Biden administration are demanding.