The Senate’s phase of the impeachment proceedings began in earnest yesterday. That said, most of the day was consumed with procedural debates over the rules that will govern that course of the trial.   There were several hours of debate over competing resolutions offered by Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer. McConnell’s proposal, which broadly mirrors Bill Clinton’s impeachment trial, provides:

• 24 hours for the House impeachment managers to present their case.

• 24 hours for the president’s defense team to present its case.

• 16 hours of senators’ questions.

• After 64 hours of debate and questions, the Senate could then consider whether it needs to hear from additional witnesses.

Republicans would like to see the impeachment trial wrapped up before the president’s State of the Union Address, which is scheduled for February 4th — two weeks from today. But Schumer is demanding the right to call additional witnesses now, essentially continuing the House’s impeachment investigation in the Senate, which could drag on for weeks. 

That’s an enormous problem for McConnell and the Trump/Pence agenda since Senate rules dictate that the impeachment trial takes precedence over virtually everything else. Most Senate business, including the confirmation of judges, grinds to a halt until the impeachment trial concludes.

In related news, the White House announced Monday that the following members of Congress will assist the president’s legal team during the impeachment trial:

• Rep. Doug Collins (R-GA)

• Rep. Mike Johnson (R-LA)

• Rep. Jim Jordan (R-OH)

• Rep. Debbie Lesko (R-AZ)

• Rep. Mark Meadows (R-NC)

• Rep. John Ratcliffe (R-TX)

• Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-NY)

• Rep. Lee Zeldin (R-NY).

Donald Dominates Davos

President Donald Trump addressed the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, yesterday. He proudly declared, “The American dream is back, bigger, better, and stronger than ever before.” I will paraphrase the rest of the president’s remarks, which you can watch here. 

Trump talked about the greatness of Europe over the centuries. He noted that many European cities have great landmarks built many hundreds of years ago, often constructed with new techniques that defied conventional construction practices of the time. He predicted continued technological breakthroughs that are impossible to imagine today.

His point was simply this: Human engineering and innovation have overcome tremendous challenges, and we should reject the naysayers and pessimists. It was a quintessentially optimistic American message and stood in stark contrast to Greta Thunberg’s message of environmental gloom and doom.

It wasn’t that long ago when the “experts” said we were all going to starve to death, that energy would be scarce, that we would all freeze to death. They were all wrong. 

The president took on the globalist, open-borders crowd by urging every country to put its citizens, workers, and families first. He forcefully rejected socialism and called on world leaders to support a “pro-worker, pro-citizen, pro-family agenda” to make all nations thrive. 

In short, President Trump defended everything the left is attacking. He proudly declared that country matters, that workers matter, and that family is the core of society. 

So while Nancy Pelosi, Chuck Schumer, and Adam Schiff are being as small as they can possibly be by pushing this sham impeachment, which risks shrinking America in the process, the president is boldly commanding the world stage. What a contrast!

Richmond Riots?

For the first time in a generation, the left has complete control of Virginia. It immediately set out to expand the right to abortion while limiting the right of individuals to protect their families. 

For many years people of all economic backgrounds and races have attended what’s known as “Lobby Day” at the state capitol in Richmond to rally in support of the Second Amendment. While the left often criticized the rally, this year was different. 

For days leading up to the event, the media described it as a gathering of white nationalists and extreme militia members. Apparently these proud Americans didn’t get the memo.

CNN and MSNBC led the media smear machine, while Gov. Ralph Northam and progressive Democrats fueled the controversy with a pointless state of emergency that suspended gun rights. (Kudos to the brilliant writers at The Babylon Bee for satirically exposing the media’s twisted hysteria.)

More than 20,000 people showed up Monday, and there was not one incident of violence. There was only one arrest — a 21-year-old woman refused to remove her bandana from her face.

How can that be? Where were the riots? Well, these were law-abiding gun owners exercising their rights. Sadly, the left despises them and is trying to turn them into criminals. 

But it fits a disturbing pattern. The left is trying to marginalize and redefine as “hate” every position central to the conservative worldview. 

If you believe in the Second Amendment, the left says you’re a militia member who hates government.

If you believe in the sanctity of life, the left insists you hate women. 

If you believe in borders, the left insists you hate foreigners and Hispanics. 

If you believe marriage is between a man and woman, the left says you’re homophobic.

If you believe that men and women really are different, that boys shouldn’t be in girls locker rooms, the left says you’re transphobic. 

If you are concerned about radicalism in the Islamic world, the left says you’re Islamophobic.

If you believe in America, the left says you’re a nativist bigot.

As I have said before, the left isn’t just trying to impeach Donald Trump. It’s trying to impeach YOU. It wants to throw YOU out of the public square.

My friends, we are in the middle of an epic battle for the heart and soul of America.