The Patriot Post® · A Good Night

By Gary Bauer ·
https://patriotpost.us/opinion/57575-a-good-night-2018-08-09

It was a good night for conservatism, populism and candidates endorsed by President Trump.

In Kansas, conservative Secretary of State Kris Kobach received a late endorsement from Trump, and now clings to a narrow lead in the primary for governor.

In Michigan, Iraq War veteran John James handily won the U.S. Senate primary against a wealthy, self-funded establishment candidate. James, who was endorsed and financially supported by CWF, also got a boost from President Trump.

James faces a tough race in November against incumbent Democrat Debbie Stabenow. But I know this conservative black veteran will give her a serious challenge, and I am proud to stand with him!

In Missouri, Attorney General Josh Hawley easily won the Republican nomination to challenge incumbent Democrat Claire McCaskill. This is a “must win” race for the GOP in November as Donald Trump carried Missouri by 19 points.

In Ohio’s special election for the 12th Congressional District, Republican Troy Balderson is leading, but there are thousands of provisional ballots still to be counted that could change the outcome.

Democrats were giddy about the prospect of picking off this GOP seat. In fact, one CNN analyst predicted that a Democrat victory here could “put impeachment on the table.”

Previous presidents would have shied away from getting involved, fearing a loss of “political capital.” But I have no doubt that President Trump’s decision to campaign for Balderson in the district last weekend paid off. It is the kind of bold political leadership we have come to expect from the president.

In stark contrast, it was a bad night for the Democratic Socialists. Four out of five candidates endorsed by Bernie Sanders and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez lost last night.

I hope you find these results as encouraging as I do. But we must not take anything for granted.

There are still many warning signs that suggest the November general elections could be a huge setback, and that is something we simply cannot afford.

The Smears Begin

The Human Rights Campaign (HRC), the nation’s largest homosexual rights group, just launched a massive smear campaign against Judge Brett Kavanaugh, President Trump’s nominee for the Supreme Court.

HRC labeled Kavanaugh “a direct threat to the constitutional rights of everyday Americans.” It blasted his “far-right pedigree,” as well as his vetting by pro-family and pro-life organizations.

HRC was particularly bothered by Kavanaugh’s record on religious liberty, fearing he would “significantly and unnecessarily reshape constitutional doctrine.”

Well, if you are like most Americans who think the courts have veered too far to the left, it’s about time we “significantly reshape constitutional doctrine,” especially when it comes to protecting our First Amendment right of religious freedom.

I would call it restoring balance and common sense to the high court!

If you haven’t already done so, please click here to send a message to your senators supporting Judge Kavanaugh’s confirmation.

Not Funny

Over the years, I’ve served as under secretary of Education in the Reagan Administration and worked closely with Focus on the Family founder Dr. James Dobson. Defending the values of faith, family and freedom have been the cornerstone of my 40 years of work in Washington, D.C.

Parents often ask me what their children should read and watch. I typically advise that their children read more American history to help offset the anti-American history they’re getting in our public schools and from the popular culture.

But today I want to tell you something to avoid, especially if you have teenage daughters. You may think Teen Vogue is just a magazine about fashion and dating. But it’s filled with obscene material. And it has a bizarre obsession with promoting abortion.

The latest example is an article about what Teen Vogue finds amusing. It’s not Stephen Colbert or Saturday Night Live. No, they think, “abortion can be funny.”

The article argues that what’s been missing from the abortion debate is the “joy, pleasure, and relief” of abortion. Is this what you want your 13 year-old daughter reading?

I suspect joy and laughter were not part of any abortion experienced by a teenage girl.

How dare this magazine tell our daughters that destroying an innocent human life is funny, akin to getting a manicure or getting their ears pierced.

Abortion is a tragedy. It’s a life-altering event that produces a dead baby and can result in decades of anguish for the mother. Sadly, any girl reading Teen Vogue may not discover this reality until it’s too late.

Clinton & Collusion

You’ve probably noticed that Donald Trump, Jr.‘s meeting with a Russian attorney at Trump Tower is getting renewed attention in the media. The left says this meeting is evidence of Russian collusion because the attorney supposedly had “dirt” on Hillary Clinton.

The president repeated in recent days that he didn’t know about the meeting, but it was no big deal because opposition research happens all the time in high-stakes campaigns.

In fact, we know opposition research was going on in 2016 because Hillary Clinton hired Fusion GPS to find dirt on Donald Trump. Fusion GPS hired former British spy Christopher Steele, who then contacted Russians hoping to find dirt on Trump.

Steele’s “Russian dirt” became the infamous unverified Trump dossier, which the Obama Justice Department used to spy on the Trump campaign.

Here’s the real question: How does a brief meeting in which no opposition research was provided by a Russian become the focus of such intense media scrutiny and a special counsel investigation, while the Clinton campaign’s use of a foreign spy who relied on Russian nationals is non-existent in the narrative of Russian collusion?

If Robert Mueller’s charge is to investigate Russia’s meddling in the campaign, it seems to me that he is obligated to investigate the Russian origins of the Clinton/Steele dossier.