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J.D. Vance Appeals to the ‘Cast Aside and Forgotten’ In RNC Speech


BY: M.D. KITTLE | JULY 18, 2024

Read more at https://thefederalist.com/2024/07/18/j-d-vance-appeals-to-the-cast-aside-and-forgotten-in-rnc-speech/

GOP vice presidential nominee JD Vance speaks at Republican Party Convention.

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MILWAUKEE — The man who would be vice president formally introduced himself to a jubilant Republican National Convention on Wednesday evening in Wisconsin — and to voters nationwide. And he had a very compelling story to tell. 

Sen. James David “J.D.” Vance, R-Ohio, former President Donald Trump’s freshly minted running mate, accepted the nomination and addressed his fellow Republicans, his fellow Americans. What many heard was a guy who, despite being a millennial millionaire, shares an all-too-common upbringing in impoverished rural America. Vance, the author of the best-selling Hillbilly Elegy, literally wrote the book on it.

At 39, Vance is one of the youngest vice presidential candidates in American history, nearly 40 years Trump’s junior. The significant age spread is by design in an election year where, once again, two elderly men — at least at the moment — are the major party standard bearers on the ballot. 

From Humble Beginnings

By many measures, Vance is the epitome of the American Dream. He grew up in poverty, a “family tradition” in rust-belt Middletown, Ohio, and in the Appalachian region of eastern Kentucky. The son of a drug-addicted mother and a father who left him, Vance, as they say, rose above his circumstances. He went to college on the G.I. Bill after serving in the Marines and the Iraq War. He earned his law degree from Yale and made a very comfortable living in venture capital. Vance’s bleak memoir was made into a movie in 2020, a couple of years before his successful Senate run. 

“Never in my wildest imagination could I have believed that I would be standing here tonight,” Vance told the thousands of conventiongoers assembled at Milwaukee’s Fiserv Forum and the millions more watching across the country. 

God and Mamaw

While his parents were absent from much of his childhood, Vance said he had God. 

And Mamaw. 

The senator’s “guardian angel” grandmother raised him. She was tough as nails, Vance said, a Christian woman who loved the Lord nearly as much as she loved the “F word.” Mamaw once told her grandson that if she ever caught him again hanging out with a kid who was a notorious drug dealer in town, she’d run the boy over with her car. 

“And she said, J.D., no one would ever find out about it,” Vance recalled. The convention hall erupted in laughter, then echoed with a chant of “Mamaw.” The GOPers love them some Mamaw. They seemed pretty taken by her successful grandson too. 

The Republican vice-presidential candidate said he made it out of the generational poverty that has trapped so many of his family and friends. He escaped through hard work, with the help of his guardian angel, and by the grace of God, Vance said. Every now and then, he said, he’ll get a call from a relative back home asking if he remembered this person or that. As a face in time fills his mind, Vance said he’s often told that the old neighbor or schoolmate has died of a drug overdose. 

‘Failed and Failed’

“As usual, America’s ruling class wrote the check. Communities like mine paid the price,” he said. He then took aim at the members of said ruling class — Democrats and Republicans — who have over the last generation-plus enriched themselves while average Americans have suffered. The people on the list of D.C. elites include Republican President George W. Bush and Democrat Presidents Barack Obama and Joe Biden. None more, Vance stressed, than career politician Biden, hungry for another term in a rematch with Trump. 

“For decades, that divide between the few — with their power and comfort in Washington — and the rest of us only widened. From Iraq to Afghanistan, from the financial crisis to the Great Recession, from open borders to stagnating wages, the people who governed this country have failed and failed again,” he said. 

There is, of course, according to Vance, one exception to the governing class rule: businessman Donald Trump, who in 2016 ran on nothing short of a revolution to “drain the swamp.” Vance wasn’t on board the Trump train then, blasting Trump as “reprehensible” during his first run. Vance has had a change of heart since those early days, becoming one of the more ardent defenders of Trump’s vision of “making America Great Again.” Biden’s curious victory in 2020 put the MAGA agenda on hold. Trump’s new running mate sounds like he is champing at the bit to help the former president bring it back and make the case, particularly in the critical swing states, for a return to Trumpenomics and homeland sanity. 

“It’s about the auto worker in Michigan, wondering why out-of-touch politicians are destroying your jobs,” Vance said. “It’s about the factory worker in Wisconsin, who makes things with their hands and is proud of American craftsmanship.”  

“It’s about the energy worker in Pennsylvania and Ohio who doesn’t understand why Joe Biden is willing to buy energy from tinpot dictators across the world when he could buy it from his own citizens right here in our own country,” Vance hammered. 

Trump’s running mate wasn’t simply speaking to the party; he was attempting to connect with what he called the “cast aside and forgotten.” In the tradition of Trump. 

The Federalist’s Mark Hemingway, also covering the convention with wife and Federalist Editor-in-Chief Mollie Hemingway, told me in a “Federalist Radio Hour” podcast that the GOP establishment types aren’t happy with the Vance VP pick, a good sign Trump made the right call.

Meanwhile, Democrats and their corporate media public-relations firms have spent the past couple of days trying to diminish Trump’s lieutenant, as the corporate media are wont to do. The Atlantic’s Stuart Stevens lamented Ohio transforming from a swing state to a dependable red. He decried the Buckeye State’s abandonment of weak-kneed RINOs for Trumpicans like Vance. 

“But don’t make the mistake of thinking this transformation was the result of a hostile takeover; that implies there was a fight. The truth is that the old guard surrendered to forces contrary to what it had espoused as lifelong values,” Stevens whined. 

The old guard, Vance tried to convey to voters, is part of why this republic is in so much trouble. 

‘The American Story’ 

David Arredondo, former chairman of the Lorain County Republican Party, part of the Cleveland metropolitan area, told me Vance brings pluses and minuses to the ticket, but a lot more positives than negatives. 

“He checks all the boxes,” Arredondo said. Vance is young and a veteran. And Vance’s experience with poverty and family drug addiction, Arredondo said, makes him relatable to voters billionaire Trump needs to win the election. 

“It’s the American story of the person who started from nothing and became great,” he said. 

David Arredondo, former chairman of the Lorain County Republican Party

As the former county GOP chairman noted, Vance won a lot of Ohio hearts and minds following the devastating train derailment in East Palestine in early 2023. He was there. So was Trump, handing out bottled water and standing with a broken community as Biden and his competence-challenged transportation secretary, Pete Buttigieg, were slow to show up to the conservative-leaning community near the border of Pennsylvania. Biden waited a year. He was not well received.

“Vance’s quick response to the train derailment and advocacy for local residents landed him in the spotlight and earned him a front row seat in the news for months. Trump joined Vance and other Ohio lawmakers on Feb. 22, 2023, to shake the hands of local residents and distribute water, food and other supplies to those desperately in need of necessities,” Fox News reported shortly after Trump announced Vance as his second-in-command. 

Vance closed with a vow to the “cast aside and forgotten.” 

“To the people of Middletown, Ohio, and all the forgotten communities in Michigan, Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, and Ohio, and every corner of our nation, I promise you this: I will be a vice president who never forgets where he came from,” he said. 

Matt Kittle is a senior elections correspondent for The Federalist. An award-winning investigative reporter and 30-year veteran of print, broadcast, and online journalism, Kittle previously served as the executive director of Empower Wisconsin.

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NAACP Branch Targets Republican Councilwoman With 7 Kids At 6 a.m. Outside Her Home


BY: JOY PULLMANN | MAY 04, 2023

Read more at https://thefederalist.com/2023/05/04/naacp-branch-targets-republican-councilwoman-with-7-kids-at-6-a-m-outside-her-home/

NAACP Amy Drake protest
Republican official Amy Drake cited the FBI’s definition of domestic terrorism: ‘Appearing to be intended to influence the policy of government by intimidation or coercion.’

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A South Bend, Indiana, branch of the NAACP held a press conference Thursday at 6:30 a.m. outside the house of Republican County Councilwoman Amy Drake to protest her criticism of Indiana’s public health bureaucracy. A May 1 press release and social media posts proclaimed the group’s intent to protest outside Drake’s home, where she lives with her husband and seven children.

South Bend NAACP Chairwoman Trina Robinson told The Federalist Wednesday that after internal pushback she decided to switch the “peaceful demonstration” to a press conference, still outside the Drakes’ home at 6:30 a.m. Drake, who has written opinion articles for The Federalist, told The Federalist that holding any demonstrations outside her home is a form of “domestic terrorism” intended to influence her votes by harassing and threatening her family.

Drake cited the FBI’s definition of domestic terrorism: “Appearing to be intended to influence the policy of government by intimidation or coercion.” She and her husband spent three days before the event calling police, fielding calls from constituents and friends, and making plans to ensure their children’s safety.

“There is no such thing as a peaceful protest in front of a person’s home. Protests in front of homes are designed to intimidate and frighten,” Drake said in a press release.

Robinson told The Federalist the goal of visiting Drake’s home was indeed to put pressure on her and express displeasure at Drake’s public record, since their public comments at city council meetings did not move Drake to vote as the group wants. “The NAACP are not here to make people uncomfortable,” she said this morning on the sidewalk across from the Drakes’ home while a school bus picked up children in the background.

Drake ran for office in 2022, motivated by Republican Gov. Eric Holcomb’s extensive lockdowns and their associated public health fiascos. She has been an integral part of increasing the fundraising and effectiveness of the local Republican Party, bringing in conservative energy, volunteers, and ideas. That has made her a top target of local Democrats and the public health bureaucracy.

South Bend is where Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg was mayor from 2012 to 2020. Buttigieg’s parents were professors at Notre Dame University.

The demonstration fits a pattern of confrontational political actions against conservatives and Republicans, including mob action in the state capitols of Tennessee, Texas, Montana, Kentucky, Kansas, Florida, Oklahoma, and Missouri. U.S. Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito told The Wall Street Journal this week that the five constitutional justices remain under constant threat of assassination.

Robinson says she considers showing up at a public official’s home a form of “free speech” and said local police told her the group could show up at Drake’s home so long as they stayed on the sidewalk. Drake says she asked for police presence to ensure everyone’s safety and was told they might send an unmarked car. On Thursday morning, Drake said she couldn’t see any police outside as the press conference commenced.

The Saint Joseph County Police Department’s communications officer did not respond to two voicemails requesting comment Wednesday. Sheriff William Redman’s official bio says he is a “Westside Democratic Club Lifetime Member.”

According to a live-streamed video on Facebook, about 10 people showed up to support the South Bend demonstration. Two were black, including Robinson, and eight were white. One appeared to be local Democrat Party Vice Chairman Don Westerhausen, according to on-site sources. The demonstrators held signs stating: “Amy Drake voted no $$$ for -behavioral crisis center -Motels4Now -Portage Manor,” “Lead Testing Protects Children,” and “We Support Opioid Crisis Relief Funding.”

Jonah Bryson, associate press secretary for the national NAACP organization, took The Federalist’s comment request at 3 p.m. ET Wednesday but failed to return comment on whether NAACP as an organization supports demonstrations outside politicians’ homes.

With her toddler grandson’s coos in the background, Robinson explained to The Federalist on Wednesday her thinking behind demonstrating outside Drake’s home.

“When you take on responsibilities to be a leader of a community, sometimes people are not going to agree with you. That pretty much comes with the territory,” Robinson said. “We’re not wanting to disrupt her children or anything, we would never disrupt her family.”

When asked whether Robinson was aware that Drake and her husband were alarmed for their children’s safety and they’d said so publicly on Facebook, Robinson said she was not: “I am not friends with her on Facebook.” Robinson also emphatically denied any desire to provoke violence, saying she was concerned the Drakes might respond to the demonstration outside their home with violence.

“Just because people disagree with you doesn’t necessarily mean they come to do bodily harm,” Robinson said.

Drake told The Federalist she and her husband decided against any kind of counter-demonstration to avoid “escalating.” They also adamantly opposed violence of any kind. But they considered the local activists’ decision to personalize politics by showing up at their home at the time their children go to school to be an act of hostility.

The Federalist asked Robinson about that several times. She said protesting on a public sidewalk is an American right, and that people in South Bend have protested at local representatives’ homes before.

“This isn’t Germany, this isn’t Russia,” she said. “We’re Americans, we can speak out. That’s a right we have.”

Robinson then directed her focus to the desperation she and others feel at many South Bend residents’ tragic conditions. Like many other American cities, South Bend has highly visible homeless, generational poverty, and drug problems. For years, visitors and residents have seen shocking scenes on the many emaciated streets of South Bend, common to cities across the United States. Trillions of taxpayer and private dollars poured into these problems since the 1950s have not improved conditions in most cities. In many cities, things are worse: dirtier, filled with even more homeless people and addicts, more violent, and uglier. Robinson equated Drake’s opposition to expanding ineffective government bureaucracy with leaving desperate citizens without the resources to make better lives.

“You can’t say you oppose a mental health crisis unit when here in South Bend a man in a mental health crisis was gunned down in front of his mom. And we don’t need a mental health crisis unit?” Robinson said. “We have homeless in this town. If you don’t have another solution for them, why are you opposing them being where they are? At least they’re not on the street downtown in tents.”

When asked if she had ever talked with Drake about these concerns one on one, Robinson replied: “No, we haven’t had a conversation. I spoke at the council meetings. She has never come up to me. I haven’t approached her either, so that goes both ways. So, we’re both to blame for that. I’ll take responsibility for that.”

Robinson said she would be willing to go out to lunch or coffee with Drake. She invited Drake to call her and said if Drake didn’t want to do that, she’d call Drake.

When The Federalist asked Drake her response, she discussed it with her husband and sent back this via text: “[Robinson] needs to admit domestic terrorism is wrong. She needs to apologize for creating fear in my family and causing us to interrupt our lives to put protective measures in place. After a month cooling off period, we can have a civil discussion.”

Joy Pullmann is executive editor of The Federalist, a happy wife, and the mother of six children. Her just-published ebook is “101 Strategies For Living Well Amid Inflation.” Her bestselling ebook is “Classic Books for Young Children.” Mrs. Pullmann identifies as native American and gender natural. Her many books include “The Education Invasion: How Common Core Fights Parents for Control of American Kids,” from Encounter Books. Joy is also a grateful graduate of the Hillsdale College honors and journalism programs.

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Buttigieg Finally Visited East Palestine. It Didn’t Go Well.


By: Katie Pavlich | February 23, 2023 12:45 PM

Read more at  https://townhall.com/tipsheet/katiepavlich/2023/02/23/buttigieg-finally-visited-east-palestine-it-didnt-go-well-n2619896

Nearly three weeks after a Norfolk Southern train carrying toxic chemicals derailed in East Palestine, Ohio, former failed mayor and current Biden Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg finally visited the town today and took a tour of potentially contaminated areas. It didn’t go well. 

https://twitter.com/i/status/1628765226492469248

During a press conference on scene, Buttigieg was repeatedly asked why it took so long for him to show up and about his rhetoric downplaying the situation. 

Buttigieg, in typical fashion, attempted to blame shift with a false narrative about deregulation under President Donald Trump.

    

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Buttigieg’s Message To East Palestine Residents in Ohio: ‘I’m Taking Some Personal Time’


BY: JORDAN BOYD | FEBRUARY 22, 2023

Read more at https://thefederalist.com/2023/02/22/buttigiegs-message-to-east-palestine-residents-in-ohio-im-taking-some-personal-time/

Pete Buttigieg on “60 Minutes”

Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg is too busy taking walks to address the unfurling environmental and health crises caused by a train derailment and subsequent hazardous chemical burn in Ohio earlier this month. At least, that’s what he told the Daily Caller’s Jennie Taer when asked if he had anything to say to the people in East Palestine, Ohio, who are “suffering right now” after a train carrying toxic chemicals veered off the tracks. The train cars were later deliberately set ablaze, which disseminated a noxious plume of black smoke that was spotted from miles away.

“Well, I would refer you to about a dozen interviews I’ve given today. And if you’d like to arrange a conversation, make sure to reach out to our press office. I’m not going to have that conversation just walking down the street here,” Buttigieg said.

After Taer once again pressed Buttigieg to offer a message to Ohioans, the former mayor of South Bend, Indiana, made it clear he was not interested in addressing crises that fall under his jurisdiction while off the clock.

“I’m going to refer you to the comments that I made to the press because right now I’m taking some personal time and I’m walking down the street,” Buttigieg insisted.

What Buttigieg didn’t mention in the brief sidewalk conversation, however, is that he didn’t speak up about the calamity until nearly three weeks after the initial derailment. By then, residents all over Ohio had complained of contaminated air and water sparking sickness that rapidly spread through their families, friends, and pets, and killed the surrounding wildlife.

In his first public comments since the Feb. 3 disaster, Buttigieg admitted on Monday that he “could have spoken out sooner.” Yet he still failed to share specific plans on how he will help the locals affected by the derailment or when he will visit the site of the transportation calamity.

“I am very interested in getting to know the residents of East Palestine, hearing from them about how they’ve been impacted and communicating with them about the steps that we’re taking,” Buttigieg said on a conference call with the press. “When the time is right, I do plan to visit East Palestine. I don’t have a date for you right now.”

Despite repeated calls from Ohioans and the mayor of East Palenstine for the transportation secretary to visit the afflicted site and address residents’ ongoing concerns, Buttigieg once again confirmed on Tuesday that he has not set a date for a trip.

“Are you going down there at all?” Taer asked during their exchange.

“Yep, I am,” Buttigieg replied.

“When are you going?” Taer pressed.

“I’ll share that when I’m ready,” Buttigieg said.

Train derailments in Ohio and other states are just one of the many scandals plaguing the cabinet member, who seemingly got the job under Biden’s affirmative-action hiring model based on his sexual preferences, not his transportation experience.

During the peak of the nation’s supply-chain woes in the fall of 2021 and negotiations over a trillion-dollar infrastructure package, Buttigieg was nowhere to be found. Instead of taking any responsibility to respond to the crises that fall under his job title, Buttigeg ducked important calls and meetings, using his eight-week-long paternity leave as an excuse. When the taxpayers who fund his salary complained about his prolonged absence, Buttigieg and his husband Chasten called it “old news” and characterized the criticism as unfair.

Jordan Boyd is a staff writer at The Federalist and co-producer of The Federalist Radio Hour. Her work has also been featured in The Daily Wire, Fox News, and RealClearPolitics. Jordan graduated from Baylor University where she majored in political science and minored in journalism. Follow her on Twitter @jordanboydtx.

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Report: Norfolk Southern has greased politicians’ hands to the tune of nearly $100 million since 1990


By: JOSEPH MACKINNON | February 21, 2023

Read more at https://www.conservativereview.com/report-norfolk-southern-has-greased-politicians-hands-to-the-tune-of-nearly-100-million-since-1990-2659449475.html/

Photo by Nick Hagen/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images

Norfolk Southern Railway, the company responsible for over half of the hazmat rail incidents in 2022 and the catastrophic Feb. 3 derailment in East Palestine, Ohio, has spent a great deal of money over the past 30 years to win favor amongst America’s political elites. Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine (R), Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro (D), the Environmental Protection Agency, and others have suggested that Norfolk Southern will be held accountable for the cleanup in East Palestine, Ohio; now home an ecological disaster that has killed wildlife, turned the sky black, and threatened the residents’ ways of life.

Biden’s Transportation Secretary, Pete Buttigieg, accountable the nation’s system of railroads and the regulation of its railways, repeated the claim that those responsible or possibly malfeasant will be held accountable, suggesting also that he would turn to Congress for help in tackling violators amongst the rail companies, reported Fortune.

A new report from the New Republic suggested that some of those expected to help hold Norfolk Southern responsible are the same that have gladly taken its money in the past. The rail industry has spent nearly $800 million to lobby the government that is supposed to oversee them since 1998. According to Open Secrets, Norfolk Southern spent $1.8 million lobbying last year and $1.6 million the year before. Since 1998, it has spent over $79 million on lobbying efforts and $16,948,996 on political contributions. That money has made its way to both sides of the aisle.

The company favored Democratic congressional candidates 55.27% to 44.72%, but doled out hundreds of thousands of dollars to persons of all political persuasions who may one day be called to hold it accountable. Senatorial and congressional campaign committees for both parties received money from the railway last year — as did 71 Democrats and 62 Republicans in Congress.

For instance, Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) received $10,000 from Norfolk Southern last year, as did leftist Democratic Sen. Tammy Duckworth (Ill.), Rep. James Clyburn (D-S.C.) and Rep. Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.). Republican Sen. Mitch McConnell received $5,000 as did Sen. John Boozman (R-Ark.). Almost half of the crowded House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure pocketed money from Norfolk Southern.

The relationship that the government — which the residents of East Palestine have been told will ensure justice is meted out — has with the company is incestuous for reasons beyond money. 75% of the company’s lobbyists last year previously held government positions.

TheBlaze previously reported that Norfolk Southern Railroad just celebrated “double-digit percentage growth in revenue and … record revenue and operating income,” noting in its end-of-year financial report that it had raked in $12.7 billion in 2022, up 14% over the previous year. The railway managed this despite reportedly accounting for over half the hazmat damages involving rail transportation in the U.S. last year.

The New York Times reported that the rate of accidents on the company’s railway has increased in each of the last four years.

Albers, Illinois, for instance, was swept by 20,000 gallons of methyl methacrylate monomer, a combustible liquid, on Sept. 19, 2022, after a Norfolk Southern derailment. Sandusky, Ohio, similarly was streaked with spillage, this time 20,000 gallons of paraffin wax in October 2022.

Bank of America analyst Ken Hoexter indicated last week that in the case of the Feb. 3 Norfolk Southern disaster in Ohio, the railway may have to pay $40 million to $50 million in a “casualty charge,” reported FreightWaves. However, on the top end, this would equal roughly 1.7% of its 2022 profits and amount to a drop in the bucket.

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Today’s Politically INCORRECT Cartoon by A.F. Branco


A.F. Branco Cartoon – Mad Science

A.F. BRANCO | on August 6, 2022 | https://comicallyincorrect.com/a-f-branco-cartoon-mad-science-2/

Pete Buttigieg’s answer to saving the planet is to buy expensive Electric Vehicles charged by Coal Plants.

Pete Buttigieg Electric Vehicles
Political cartoon by A.F. Branco ©2022

DONATE to A.F.Branco Cartoons – Tips accepted and appreciated – $1.00 – $5.00 – $25.00 – $50.00 – $100 – it all helps to fund this website and keep the cartoons coming. Also Venmo @AFBranco – THANK YOU!

A.F. Branco has taken his two greatest passions, (art and politics) and translated them into cartoons that have been popular all over the country, in various news outlets including “Fox News”, MSNBC, CBS, ABC, and “The Washington Post.” He has been recognized by such personalities as Dinesh D’Souza, James Woods, Sarah Palin, Larry Elder, Lars Larson, Rush Limbaugh, and President Donald Trump.

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‘That’s Not How You’re Going to Solve Inflation’: CNBC Host Calls Out Pete Buttigieg to His Face


REPORTED BY NICOLE SILVERIO, MEDIA REPORTER | May 16, 2022

Read more at https://dailycaller.com/2022/05/16/biden-inflation-cnbc-squawk-box-andrew-ross-sorkin-pete-buttigieg/

CNBC's Andrew Ross Sorkin and Transportation Sec Pete Buttigieg
[Screenshot/Rumble/CNBC]

CNBC host Andrew Ross Sorkin confronted Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg on the administration’s plans to tackle inflation during Monday’s “Squawk Box.” Sorkin brought up the issue of the administration’s plans to raise corporate taxes in light of President Joe Biden’s tweet Friday urging that “the wealthiest corporations pay their fair share” in order to bring down inflation. The host then pressed Buttigieg, arguing that corporate taxes and inflation are two separate issues for the most part.

“Yes, in the immediate term, maybe it will have some impact on inflation,” Sorkin began. “But corporate taxes is a long-term issue, you either do it because you think it’s the right thing to do or the wrong thing to do, not because you’re trying to deal with inflation right this second.”

“A lot of it is what you’re going to do with the revenue and again, we have an agenda to use tax revenue on things that are going to ease inflationary pressures,” Buttigieg replied. “But also, we have a very clear contrast right now. You have Senate Republican proposals that are about raising taxes on the poor and middle class, and you have the president’s worldview, which is shared by the majority of Americans, that if anybody needs to be carrying more of the load right now, it is the wealthiest corporations that have become extremely profitable—”

“That’s not how you’re going to solve inflation,” Sorkin interjected. 

“Hold on, this is really important. Corporations that have invoked inflation as an excuse to keep prices high in ways that are not just reflected by the supply picture and are pocketing the difference,” the secretary continued.

Multibillionaire Jeff Bezos debunked Biden’s calls to raise corporate taxes, calling the “mushing” of tax rates and inflation “misdirection.”

“The newly created Disinformation Board should review this tweet, or maybe they need to form a new Non Sequitur Board instead,” Bezos said. “Raising corp taxes is fine to discuss. Taming inflation is critical to discuss. Mushing them together is just misdirection.”

The newly created Disinformation Board should review this tweet, or maybe they need to form a new Non Sequitur Board instead. Raising corp taxes is fine to discuss. Taming inflation is critical to discuss. Mushing them together is just misdirection. https://t.co/ye4XiNNc2v

— Jeff Bezos (@JeffBezos) May 14, 2022

Inflation reached its quickest uptick since December 1981 after soaring 8.5% in March. The price of fuel reached a new all-time record of $4.37 per gallon Tuesday.

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Buttigieg Says Americans Should Buy Electric Cars So They ‘Never Have To Worry About Gas Prices Again’


Reported by THOMAS CATENACCI | ENERGY & ENVIRONMENT REPORTER | November 29, 2021

Read more at https://dailycaller.com/2021/11/29/pete-buttigieg-electric-vehicles-cost-gasoline-prices-americans/

Screenshot/MSNBC/The Sunday Show
Screenshot/MSNBC/The Sunday Show

Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg suggested that Americans worried about increasing gasoline prices should purchase electric vehicles to save money. Families that own an electric vehicle won’t ever have to worry about gasoline prices, Buttigieg told MSNBC in an interview Sunday. Americans who live in rural and urban areas would benefit most from buying an electric car since they currently spend so much at the pump, he said.

“Most of the physical infrastructure work was contemplated in the bill that was just signed, but there is more envisioned in the Build Back Better law,” the transportation secretary said during the interview. “It contains incentives to make it more affordable to buy an electric vehicle.”

“Up to a $12,500 discount, in effect, for families thinking about getting an EV,” he continued. “Families that once they own that EV will never have to worry about gas prices again.” 

The $12,500 “discount” would be a tax credit under the Build Back Better Act, Democrats’ budget reconciliation package making its way through Congress. The credit would only be available for purchases of cars made by domestic union labor.

Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg looks on as President Joe Biden speaks during a cabinet meeting on Nov. 12. (Drew Angerer/Getty Images)

Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg looks on as President Joe Biden speaks during a cabinet meeting on Nov. 12. (Drew Angerer/Getty Images)

However, Democratic West Virginia Sen. Joe Manchin has opposed the provision, arguing that not all electric vehicles should be eligible for the credit, according to Automotive News. Elon Musk, chief executive of Tesla, which isn’t unionized, in addition to foreign car manufacturers have also opposed the provision.

Gasoline prices, which are tied to the price of crude oil, have surged over the last several months, hitting multi-year highs, Energy Information Administration (EIA) data showed. Average nationwide gas prices were down slightly to $3.39 per gallon on Monday, according to AAA.

But the average cost of a new electric vehicle was $55,600 in 2019, nearly $20,000 more than the average price of all new cars, Quartz reported. Charging an electric car with a range of 200 miles costs about $9 and typically takes around eight hours.

Moreover, 60% of electricity generated in the U.S. originates from fossil fuel power plants, according to the EIA. Wind and solar account for 10% of the electricity produced nationwide.

President Joe Biden has stated that his administration will work to make the electric grid completely carbon-free by 2035.

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Chris Wallace Fact-Checks Pete Buttigieg Over Infrastructure During Live Interview — Twice


Reported by VIRGINIA KRUTA, ASSOCIATE EDITOR | April 11, 2021

Read more at https://dailycaller.com/2021/04/11/chris-wallace-fact-checks-pete-buttigieg-over-infrastructure/

Chris Wallace and Pete Buttigieg appear on "Fox News Sunday." Screenshot/Fox

“Fox News Sunday” anchor Chris Wallace challenged Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg directly over his claims about President Joe Biden’s infrastructure plan. Wallace asked Buttigieg about claims that the United States ranked 13th in infrastructure as well as claims that the proposed infrastructure plan would create some 19 million jobs. 

“I want to start with a fact-check of how the Biden administration is selling this plan,” Wallace began, noting that several administration officials and Biden himself had claimed that the United States ranked 13th in the world in infrastructure. Wallace went on to point out that many of the countries ranked higher — such as Singapore, Hong Kong and the United Arab Emirates — were too small to truly be comparable.

“Of the 10 largest countries … the U.S. actually ranks first,” Wallace continued. “So secretary, not to say that everything is fine, but why not be straight about the actual conditions here in the U.S. to the American people?”

“Well, the American people already know that our infrastructure needs a lot of work,” Buttigieg replied, arguing that everyone who’s driven on America’s roads and bridges understands the need for a comprehensive plan to fix them.

“We don’t have a lot of work to do to persuade the American people that U.S. infrastructure needs major improvement. The American people already know it and that’s one of the reasons why there is such extraordinary Republican and independent and Democratic support for this package among the American people,” Buttigieg added.

“Not necessarily in Congress, however,” Wallace replied before pivoting to offer up a second fact-check.

“I want to give you another fact-check. All of you in the Biden administration have been selling this plan as a huge jobs creator,” Wallace said, sharing a video of Buttigieg from a week earlier touting the plan and claiming that it would create 19 million jobs. “But it turns out the study you are citing from Moody’s Analytics says the economy will add 16.3 million jobs without the infrastructure bill and 2.7 million more with it. So it doesn’t, as you said last Sunday, create 19 million jobs. Again, Secretary Buttigieg, why mislead folks?”

“You’re right, I should have been more precise,” Buttigieg agreed, saying that the real takeaway was that there would be more jobs created with the plan than without it.

“Two million, not 19 million,” Wallace pushed back.

“According to that Moody’s analysis, 2.7 million additional jobs if we pass this package — just further proof that it’s good for the economy and taken as a whole it’s going to add jobs compared to doing nothing,” Buttigieg repeated his point, prompting Wallace to ask whether it was fair to say that he and others within the administration had “exaggerated the jobs impact.”

“Look, there are a lot of different analyses about just how many million jobs this is going to create,” Buttigieg pushed back, but Wallace interrupted. 

“Secretary, you’re the one who cited Moody’s Analytics as 19 million and it’s actually 2.7 million, which is a bunch, but it’s not what you said,” he said.

“It’s part of a scenario that Moody’s says will create 19 million jobs,” Buttigieg insisted, once again repeating that the real message was that passing the plan would ultimately create more jobs than not passing it. “Why wouldn’t we want America to create 2.7 million more jobs?”

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Pete Buttigieg Called Out By His Own Brother-in-Law on Tucker: “Anti-God”


Posted By   | February 20, 2020

Pete Buttigieg’s own brother-in-law, Pastor Rhyan Glezman, slammed the Democrat’s presidential campaign during an appearance on Tucker Carlson Tonight on Wednesday. Glezman, the brother of Buttigieg’s husband, Chasten Buttigieg(It’s probably safe to say Glezman doesn’t agree with Buttigieg’s lifestyle), takes offense at Mayor Pete’s use of Christian language and invocation of biblical teachings in his campaign.

Glezman slammed Buttigieg’s support of unrestricted abortion. Watch the segment here:

“I’m just in a state of lament when you hear that we have someone running for commander in chief who can’t make a moral decision on whether to keep a child after it’s already been born or to have it killed. What kind of moral suggestions is he going to be given if he can’t come to an understanding of that? It’s just, it’s alarming.”

Buttigieg has made frequent Christianity-based attacks on conservatives throughout his campaign.

Pastor Glezman wasn’t willing to give even the slightest free pass to his moralizing brother-in-law, flat out calling out Buttigieg as an anti-Christian candidate in his conversation with Tucker.

“Just everything that Pete is pushing is, it’s anti-God. I’m just going to be honest with you. Nothing lines up with Scripture for him to make cases like to say that you cannot be a Christian and vote for Trump. He’s the one that is openly contradicting God’s word over and over.”

After a strong performance in the Iowa Caucuses, the elite Democrat has somewhat fallen off the map, the wind in his sails stolen by megabillionaire centrist Michael Bloomberg.

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Today’s FOUR Politically INCORRECT Cartoons by A.F. Branco


A.F. Branco Cartoon – Little Big Man

A.F. Branco | on
Mike Bloomberg needs a booster stool to level the Democrat primary playing field or maybe rise above the rest.
Bloomberg Booster StoolPolitical cartoon by A.F. Branco ©2020.

A.F. Branco Cartoon – Decorated

A.F. Branco | on
Vindman fired from the White House for good reason. President Trump can’t trust him.
VindmanPolitical cartoon by A.F. Branco

A.F. Branco Cartoon – U.N. Human Rights Sham

A.F. Branco

on

U.N. Human Rights CouncilThe U.N. Human Rights Council is made up of human rights violating thugs who are against Israel. Political cartoon by A.F. Branco ©2020.

A.F. Branco Cartoon – Prayer Request

A.F. Branco | on
Rush Limbaugh has been diagnosed with lung cancer, so we pray for his speedy recovery. Our nation needs him now more than ever.
Prayers For Rush LimbaughPolitical cartoon by A.F. Branco ©2020.
More A.F. Branco Cartoons at The Daily Torch.

Donations/Tips accepted and appreciated –  $1.00 – $5.00 – $10 – $100 –  it all helps to fund this website and keep the cartoons coming. – THANK YOU!

A.F. Branco has taken his two greatest passions, (art and politics) and translated them into the cartoons that have been popular all over the country, in various news outlets including “Fox News”, MSNBC, CBS, ABC and “The Washington Post.” He has been recognized by such personalities as Dinesh D’Souza, James Woods, Sarah Palin, Larry Elder, Lars Larson, the great El Rushbo, and has had his toons tweeted by President Trump.

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Is Booty Judge Toast? The Left Just Tossed Buttigieg Under Their Psycho Bus


Written by K. Walker on June 24, 2019

URL of the original posting site: https://clashdaily.com/2019/06/is-booty-judge-toast-the-left-just-tossed-buttigieg-under-their-psycho-bus/

Stick a fork in his campaign, it seems that the Media(D) have decided that “Mayor Pete” is done.

Well, duh. We could have told you that. The Media(D) — always late to the party.

The Mayor of South Bend, Indiana started off pretty strong, with his intersectional street cred as a married gay man, but then… he jumped the shark. He started morally preening that his brand of Christianity was so much better than President Trump or Vice President Mike Pence, with whom, until recently he had a cordial relationship with.

But, strangely, Buttigieg’s brand of Christianity is apparently totes kewl with women killing their babies in the third trimester. 

None of that made Mayor Pete unpalatable to the Left. Nor was it his weird comment to Axios that “statistically” there has already been a gay president.

The Media(D) lapped that stuff up and speculated on the possible homosexuality of Presidents James Buchanan and Abraham Lincoln. They even cited historians. How precious.

So, what was it that turned the Media(D) off of the guy that replaced Robert Francis O’Rourke as the Progressive heartthrob du jour?

Simple — race relations. Buttigieg didn’t throw the police under the bus after a black man, who was allegedly brandishing a large knife, was shot and killed by a white police officer in South Bend on Father’s Day. The officer’s body camera was off, but there was a video that went viral, and locals are outraged. Due to the camera being off, it is unclear what exactly happened, and the officer didn’t turn on the camera even after the man, Eric Logan, was shot.

The Indy Star reports, “On June 16, 54-year-old Eric Jack Logan, who is black, was fatally wounded by white South Bend Police Sgt. Ryan O’Neill during the investigation of a series of vehicle thefts.” The article summarizes what happened:

According to the St. Joseph County Prosecutor’s office, the investigation began shortly before 3:30 a.m. on Sunday, June 16. Police were called to the 100 block of North William Street after dispatch received a report of a suspicious person going through cars.

O’Neill responded to the scene and confronted a man, later identified as Logan, who police said was partially in a vehicle in the Central High School Apartments parking lot.

Officials said Logan stepped out of the vehicle with a knife in his hand and approached O’Neill with the weapon raised. O’Neill stepped back and ordered Logan to drop the weapon, police say.

Police said when Logan did not comply, O’Neill fired his service weapon and struck Logan.

Source: Indy Star

On Friday, Mayor Pete said that there wasn’t evidence of racist behavior in front of about 150 Black Lives Matter protesters, and well, it didn’t go over so well… The 2020 hopeful was struggling to maintain control of the small group.

“I’m mad because my brother died,” a protester, who claimed to be the brother of the man who was shot, is heard shouting at Buttigieg on the video. “People are getting tired of you letting your officers do whatever they want to do.”

“I have been here all my life, and you have not done a damn thing about me or my son or none of these people out here,” a woman claiming to be the deceased’s mother added. “It’s time for you to do something.”

That’s when it got really awkward.

Source: Daily Wire

Watch:

The townhall event that Mayor Pete held instead of campaigning was just horrendous and raises questions about his ability to handle an angry crowd.

Watch the NBC News report:

Buttigieg, as a Progressive, is in a real pickle. The identity politics crowd wants him to quickly condemn the officer as racist, but it’s unclear if that is the case. Also, Eric Logan, the man that was shot, was wielding a large knife. Presumably, the officer thought that he was at risk. However, without the body camera footage, we’re all led to speculate on what exactly happened.

The Media(D) are now wondering if Mayor Pete can handle the Big League. Chuck Todd and the NBC panel on Meet the Press just raked him over the coals on Sunday. Check it out.

The Media(D) is now saying that Mayor Pete will no longer be judged by the way he presents himself but on his actual record. According to them, his record is “problematic” because the police force has become “whiter” under his leadership. How very regressive, eh?

The Indy Star also reports that Mayor Pete’s relationship with the black community in South Bend has been a rocky one.

Buttigieg has faced criticism for his handling of other shootings involving police officers and for a lack of diversity in the police department. In a city where roughly 40% of residents are black or Hispanic, the department is almost 90% white.

His relationship with African Americans in South Bend has often been rocky. He faced criticism his first year in office after demoting the city’s popular, first African American police chief, Darryl Boykins, over his handling of an illegal police phone-tapping incident that drew the attention of federal authorities. Boykins, who has denied wrongdoing, eventually sued and settled with the city out of court, with neither side admitting fault.

Buttigieg also started a program to demolish 1,000 vacant homes in 1,000 days. Community advocates in poorer, often African-American or Hispanic neighborhoods soon began to complain that the city was being too aggressive in issuing fines to property owners, sometimes tens of thousands of dollars, and demolishing buildings over code enforcement issues.

Source: Indy Star

The Media(D) talking heads are more fickle than a gaggle of Junior High girls. They’ve scratched off the names of Buttigieg, Beto, and Biden from their binders and they’re looking for a new crush. Seems to me the “B” names aren’t so hot these days. Look out, Spartacus “Jazz Hands” Booker,  you just might be the next one to get dumped!

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