BloggeRhythms

Two well known individuals having keen, well-versed, insight into politics and indicative trends confirmed today, the premise made here for the past week or so. That by their present actions Democrat leaders are decimating their party’s future hopes.

First we have Michael Goodwin @nypost.com, who began his column: “Thank you, Hillary Clinton. Thank you for ­reminding America about the importance of Donald Trump’s victory and of the awful consequences if you had won.”

Referring to the taunting tweet of “3-0” she sent after the three-judge panel halted Trump’s executive order on immigrants and ­refugees, Mr. Goodwin wasn’t surprised at all whereas in the past Clinton said she was for open borders at one point. “[B]ut the gutter sniping was telling” he went on, because the “activist judges who based their ruling on their liberal politics instead of the Constitution are the same kind she would appoint to the Supreme Court and all other federal courts if she were in the Oval Office.” 

Thankful that Clinton didn't get the chance, Mr. Goodwin further believes that there are reasons why the Court of Appeals ruling could be a blessing in disguise for Trump.  

First of the two biggest benefits is that liberals “hatred for Trump and his supporters overshadows any concern for ­national security. The ruling that the government showed “no evidence” that the travel ban would prevent terrorism is preposterous and should alarm every American. 

“Any such evidence would be classified and certainly wouldn’t be produced in a hasty, one-hour hearing, which the judges conducted over the telephone. The Constitution and laws give the president wide authority to ­decide whether the entry of “any class of alien” would harm the United States.” 

As a result, by claiming authority for itself, “the court grossly oversteps and obliterates the separation of powers. It also opens itself to public fury if the ruling opens the door to terrorists.” 

Mr. Goodwin’s second point involves the lessons learned about the difficulty of the road ahead and that nothing can be taken for granted. “Every inch of progress will require intense preparation and a willingness to battle on multiple fronts.” 

Although the executive order was sensible in its goals, it was rushed before Trump’s team was in place, and vulnerable as a result. Nonetheless, what’s taken place yields long-range positive results because: “Those are rookie mistakes, driven in part by Democrats’ delaying tactics in confirming Attorney General Sessions and others. Yet that reality only underscores how deep the hostility is and how little room there is for error. The lynch mob can succeed only if the White House provides the rope.

“As a candidate and president, Trump has endured slings and ­arrows unprecedented in modern times. The onslaught is also harming America, but the madness will be bearable if he finishes the revolution he started.” 

Coming on the same day as Mr. Goodwin’s article, pollster Doug Schoen similarly concluded that if Democrats fail to find opportunities to cooperate with Trump “they will lose to a more canny Republican candidate in the general election and increase the likelihood that Trump gains a filibuster-proof Senate.”    

While believing that many Democratic disagreements with Trump’s executive orders are valid and there is a clear opportunity for opposition on the basis of faults and flaws, Schoen also opines that they’ve driven deep division within the Democratic party, pitting center-left politicians against protesting activists forming “The Resistance.” 

“However, if Democrats want to win back power they cannot do so by moving further left, resisting Trump at every move, and taking to the streets. 

“Put simply, the Democratic Party is on life support and there is a quiet, but ruthless, war being fought over its future.” 

From there Schoen goes on to employ basic statistical evidence to illustrate that the extreme postures taken by anti-Trump activists, protestors, and Senators such as Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren, are problematical because: “America itself remains a fundamentally center-right nation.” 

“A fundamental belief in national sovereignty and individual responsibility, married to cautious skepticism of government and deeply held moral convictions, continues to govern how most Americans think about politics. 

“Trump's ascendance is rooted in America’s preference for center-right policy. As the Democratic Party shifted ever leftwards under Obama, it suffered net losses of 11 Senate seats, 62 House seats, and 10 governorships since 2010, as well as nearly 1000 state legislative seats.”

Yet, despite the losses and believing their only path to victory is mobilization, leftist forces are pushing the party away from the American public, which fundamentally is center-right. And by channeling the concerns and priorities of the core Democratic coastal base, "fully one third of sitting Democratic congressional leaders now hail from New York, California, and Massachusetts."

Recent public polling clearly confirms that while Democrat leaders are far to the left, the national electorate "remains center-right on issues ranging from immigration to tax policy to abortion ."

“A January 2017 Politico-Harvard Poll found that 57% of the general public believes that unauthorized immigrants currently in the United States are a serious problem, echoing a key Trump concern. 

“Further, 50% of Americans support banning future immigration from regions with active terrorist groups, as Trump has attempted to do with his recent controversial executive order.

“The Politico-Harvard poll also found that when it comes to tax policy, 63% of Americans believe that lowering corporate taxes would be effective at bringing jobs and business back to the United States. Fully 53% believe that proposed Republican cuts on federal income taxes, which Democrats have pledged to resist, will benefit them personally. 

A January 2017 Knights of Columbus/Marist Poll clearly shows that “74% of Americans—including 77% of women—support limiting abortion to at least the first trimester. 59% of the American public, including 59% of women, believe abortion is morally wrong. Yet Planned Parenthood president Cecile Richards was a featured speaker at the 2016 Democratic National Convention.” 

“Abortion also represents a key policy area where liberal efforts to organize mass protests like the numerous “women’s marches” on January 21^st may actually do more to divide women and drive voters to the Republican Party, rather than unite people around any particular cause.”

As a result; “Looking forward, Republicans are poised to leverage the Democrats’ failure to perceive the political character of the nation, and make considerable gains in the 2018 midterm elections. 

“In fact, of the 33 senate seats up for election in 2018, Democrats must defend 23 seats, whereas Republicans only need to defend 8 seats. 

“The remaining two Senators up for re-election are Independents Bernie Sanders and Angus King, who caucus with the Democratic Party.” 

All of which leads Schoen to conclude that, as stated at the outset above: “Despite what the Democratic base wants, if these Trump-state Democrats fail to find opportunities to cooperate with Trump, or at least position themselves as centrists congruent with their constituents’ beliefs, they will lose to a more canny Republican candidate in the general election and increase the likelihood that Trump gains a filibuster-proof Senate. 

“While the Democratic Party's progressive and moderate wings clash with one another over their party’s future, Republicans are dismantling the blue wall and solidifying America’s status as a center-right nation.” 

Thus, while it’s reassuring to gain confirmation of one’s thoughts from recognized experts in their respective fields, their conclusions aren’t rocket science. In fact, they’re far closer to the most simple logic. Because what most Americans have always desired is individual freedom, minimal government interference and unbridled opportunity. Precisely the opposite of leftist philosophy and right in the middle of Trump’s wheelhouse.  

That’s it for today folks. 

Adios