Why the fight against Gorsuch is necessary

“Oh noes!” scream some Democrats. “You can’t threaten a filibuster against Gorsuch! They might use the nuclear option to get rid of that rule, and then they can do anything they want. Save the fight for later.”

I could not disagree more. Putting aside the argument that Gorsuch would be a terrible justice who deserves to be voted down, let’s just talk political strategy.elephant donkey

Here’s the thing — “When they go low, we go high” doesn’t seem to be working. We’re like the kid who refuses to fight back who is constantly being beaten up by the bully. Well, I’m tired of being beaten up. We need to fight the bullies and teach them that they can’t keep getting their way just because they’re willing to fight and we’re not.

Idealism doesn’t do you a lot of good when you’re fighting bad guys. “Please Mr. Hitler, don’t hurt us” didn’t get us anywhere.

The more the Democrats fight now and make Trump look like a big loser, the more they’ll make it clear that they’re not going to just give in and let him do everything he wants. They’re going to block every damn thing he tries to do.

Oh, Republicans don’t like that? Let’s see — where did that plan first originate? Oh, right, with the Republicans blocking every thing Obama tried to do, including bills that the Republicans themselves originally proposed that they later had to block simply because Obama agreed with them. I am not making this up.

Here’s how we’re going to do it differently, though: We Democrats won’t lie. We won’t say one thing while doing the other. That’s how we “go high” — not by refusing to fight, but by refusing to fight unfairly.

You don’t give in to evil. You don’t allow the minority to trample the rights of the majority. (And, let’s be clear, Trump and his people were not and still are not supported by the majority of Americans.)

As my friend Hoyce pointed out, the way some Democrats argue about picking your battles would be as if Churchill had said during WWII, “We won’t fight them on the beachhead, we can’t win that. And we’ll probably let them take about half the streets, we have to pick our battles. But once we find a spot where we can win we’ll totally fight them all out.”

Somehow, I don’t think a quote like that would have made it through history.

Editorial cartoon: Regulations Schmegulations

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Ruben Bolling

Trump’s approval rating is so tiny

The latest Gallup poll shows that only 36% of us approve of Trump’s performance as president. That is so very tiny. It’s unprecedented at how small it is, and it’s shrinking more each day. Seriously, any man would be embarrassed to have one that small.tiny-trump-2jpg

No president has ever had one that small this early in their presidency.  Usually, a president is given a “honeymoon” where the public says “Well, let’s give him a chance” and the approval rating is historically at its highest absent some unforeseen incident. Not Donald. He started small and just got smaller. He doesn’t get a honeymoon because this was an arranged marriage that most of us didn’t want.

But what did he expect? He’s done nothing except be childish. He hasn’t kept any of his promises, and even his supporters are bailing on him.

What a Big Loser.

Editorial cartoon: We, the people

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Jen Sorensen

Why Democrats should block Gorsuch

Last year, Obama nominated a highly-qualified person to the Supreme Court but the Republicans, using their “block everything” strategy that they’d held during all eight years of the Obama administration, refused to “advise and consent” as the Constitution requires and didn’t even hold a single hearing on the nominee — something completely unprecedented in American history.Courtroom-Gavel

Now they’re upset that Democrats are planning to do something similar to them.

Oh, you big babies. You can dish it out but you can’t take it.

“But this is different,” they say. “We didn’t think the President should appoint someone when there was an election near, because they people should decide this.”

Well, guess what? The people did decide. The people supported Hillary Clinton by a pretty big margin. The Electoral College may have decided differently, but that’s not what you said. The majority of the people didn’t want you or your President to pick the next Supreme Court Justice.

How’s this, then? The President shouldn’t appoint a Supreme Court Justice when he is being investigated for treason. Isn’t that much better reason to deny it? Oh, right — it’s very different when it’s your leader who is accused of crimes that could have him impeached and removed soon.

Typical Republican logic:  “Never hold us to the same standards by which we hold you!”

 

Editorial cartoon: Leaks

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John Darkow

Support your local blogger (Sherlock edition)

There are many bloggers out there vying for your attention, and most of them have a little “donate” button on the side so that they can continue to provide you with information and entertainment. Or maybe they’ll do kickstarter campaigns for people. Or have a Patreon page. Or sell ads on their blog.91vpPELXg-L

It’s not a bad idea — and it’s nice when people who create things can get compensated for their work.

I don’t do that. (The ads you see here are placed by WordPress, because I’m not paying them to host this blog.)

Still, for the blogger, it’s nice to be appreciated — to know that the people who enjoy reading the blog understand the work that goes into it.

So if you’d like to thank me for my posts and show your support for this blog, how about a donation of, oh, about $8?

You see, you can buy my latest e-book for that amount. The e-book is available from my publisher Diversion Books. If you’d prefer it on kindle or nook, you could do that, too. Or if you like having a paperback, that’s also available everywhere (please ask your local small bookstore to order it — they appreciate your support). There’s also an audio book.

What if Sherlock Holmes was born in a different body in a different time and place? In Baker Street Irregulars, New York Times Bestselling Author Jonathan Maberry and I invited others to speculate as to what that might be! Contributors include such bestselling and award-winning authors as David Gerrold, Heidi McLaughlin, Keith R.A. DeCandido, Jody Lynn Nye, Gail Z. Martin, Ryk Spoor, and others!

Buying a book is even better than just donating something. We both win! I get a few bucks in my next royalty check, and you get a great new book.

More details about this (and my other books) are here.

Thanks for your support!

Editorial cartoons: Obstruction

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David Fitzsimmons

“We must have universal healthcare”

With Democrats once more calling for a “medicare for all” plan instead of the terrible Trumpcare plan, one turns to the words of a famous politician — clearly, a socialist — who said this in one of his books:

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Man, I bet Trump must hate this person, with those liberal views. Who would dare argue that universal healthcare is necessary? Hmmm.  It seems that this is from a best-seller called “The America We Deserve” by that radical socialist Donald Trump.

The moral of this story isn’t that Trump actually feels this way. It’s that he has no positions whatsoever, says whatever gets him the most attention, and lies constantly.

Editorial cartoon: Clarifications

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Kevin Siers