Dan Bongino: Americans still love capitalism. Here are three reasons why they aren't flocking to socialism

In a world where we now have three so-called "democratic" socialists in office (which is an oxymoron if I've ever seen one), you'd think the American public must be increasingly moving to the left. But you would be wrong. A brand-new Fox News poll disputes that thesis. The poll, which was released on February 13 finds that “Fifty-seven percent of voters have a positive opinion of capitalism. That’s more than twice the number who feel the same about socialism (25 percent).” How about that. (And, if you ask me, the actual figure is probably even higher because most people, especially millennials, can't even define socialism.)
So what's causing this surprisingly large disdain for socialism?
I have a few ideas...
FOX NEWS POLL: CAPITALISM BURIES SOCIALISM
1. Americans enjoy eating food
Like you, I prefer three meals a day, and rotten meat for zero of them. Call me petty, but this is a major issue for me.
For as much as we hear about our nation's obesity crisis, it's a problem that our friends in breadlines would kill to experience.
While no famine has ever taken place in a democracy, they're the rule rather than the exception in socialist countries. In just the 20th century alone, six of the ten worst famines were in socialist countries, as were seven of the top fifteen. I guess they all weren't "real” socialism?
Capitalism even does a better job at producing food within socialist countries themselves. The Soviet Union (which went from being an exporter of food to an importer after going socialist) eventually had to resort to opening up some agriculture to private hands. While private agriculture never composed more than 4 percent of the land mass of all Soviet agriculture, it yielded a third of the nation's total produce.
2.  Americans don't want to be equally poor
While it's easy to find polls showing that the average American would prefer lower levels of economic inequality, the average American will also draw the line far before we're all equally poor.
Ironically, socialist countries do tend to have immediate short term decreases in poverty before collapsing. After Hugo Chavez came to power the Venezuelan poverty rate was cut in half from 54 percent to 27.5 percent from 2004-2007 to the cheers of socialists worldwide. And then Chavez ran out of other people's money -- and by 2014 the poverty rate had nearly caught up to where it was in 2004, and in 2018 the poverty rate skyrocketed to 90 percent. And only then did Venezuela become "not real socialism" to other socialists.
While capitalist countries have more inequality - they also have more wealth overall. The Frasier Institute's annual studies one economic freedom routinely finds that the poorest people in the freest economies are wealthier than the richest people in the least free economies.
3.  Freedom of speech matters
I have a podcast that you all listen to ("The Dan Bongino Show") and I must say the job would be so much more stressful if I recorded my show under the threat of potential torture every day, fearful of criticizing the wrong person. Similarly for you, the reader, in a capitalist country you have the ability to answer a poll question from Fox News about capitalism vs. socialism truthfully. Something tells me a similar poll would generate 110 percent support for socialism in a socialist country.
It's ironic that socialism and similar left-wing ideas appeal to people who fashion themselves as "anti-establishment," when you can't have socialism without political repression.
Any college student who disagrees may want to speak with one of the tens of millions of people who have wound up in a gulag.

Menendez threatens to call police on reporter asking about Green New Deal: report

Sen. Bob Menendez, left, had a testy encounter with Daily Caller reporter Henry Rodgers. (Zach Gibson/Getty Images, Fox News)

U.S. Sen. Bob Menendez, D-N.J., had a fiery exchange with a reporter on Capitol Hill on Wednesday when asked to comment on the Green New Deal.
Henry Rodgers, the Daily Caller's Capitol Hill reporter, approached the senator at a subway station and asked him if he supported Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez's legislative proposal.
Menendez avoided the question and asked where Rodgers worked. Rodgers said that when he told Menendez he worked for the Daily Caller, the Democrat responded by saying he would not answer any questions. An intern who was with Rodgers asked a follow-up question, and tensions apparently rose.
The reporter followed the tweet with an audio clip from their back-and-forth.
“I am wondering why you won’t answer questions on the Green New Deal?” Rodgers asked.
“I won’t answer questions to the Daily Caller, period! You’re trash,” Menendez responded.
“Why do you think we’re trash, sir?” the reporter followed.
“Don’t keep harassing me anymore or I’ll race to the Capitol Police,” the New Jersey Democrat threatened.
Rodgers told Fox News he had no prior interaction with Menendez and was working on a story that was to include the responses of Senate Democrats regarding the Green New Deal.
Menendez was criticized on social media for threatening to call the police on the reporter.
Numerous members of Menendez’s office, including his communications director, Tricia Enright, defended the senator and trashed what one described as “gotcha journalism.”
Sen. Menendez’s office did not respond to Fox News for comment.

Cory Booker Cartoons

Cory Booker says meat-centric ‘Standard American Diet’ not sustainable

If U.S. Sen. Cory Booker wins the White House in 2020, he’d make history as the first vegan elected U.S. president.
The New Jersey Democrat recently told VegNews that he started experimenting with a vegetarian diet around 1992 and then eliminated dairy foods as well, making his diet completely animal-free.
“I remember my last non-vegan meal was Election Day, November 2014,” Booker, a former mayor of Newark, N.J., told the news outlet.
CORY BOOKER COMPARES GREEN NEW DEAL TO GOING TO THE MOON, DEFEATING NAZIS
These days, Booker says, we may all be heading toward a vegan diet because, in his view, meat consumption is not sustainable in the future.
“You see the planet earth moving towards what is the Standard American Diet,” he told VegNews. “We’ve seen this massive increase in consumption of meat produced by the industrial animal agriculture industry.
“The tragic reality is this planet simply can’t sustain billions of people consuming industrially produced animal agriculture because of environmental impact. It’s just not possible, as China, as Africa move toward consuming meat the same way America does because we just don’t have enough land.”

"The tragic reality is this planet simply can’t sustain billions of people consuming industrially produced animal agriculture because of environmental impact. It’s just not possible."
— U.S. Sen. Cory Booker, D-N.J.

VEGAN ACTIVISTS STORM STEAKHOUSE, ARE MOCKED BY PATRONS MOOING AT THEM
Booker says there are a number of goals he hopes to accomplish through legislation that would affect what people eat.
“Legislatively, I want to continue to be a part of a movement of folk who are fighting against corporate interests that are undermining the public good and the public welfare,” he says. “So, I’m going to continue supporting bills that are about public health, whether it is pumping in all these antibiotics into animals that are literally threatening the safety of Americans. I believe that Americans do care about the cruelty to animals, and that’s why you see public movement to stop pig crating, which is harmful and violates our collective values as a country.”
But don’t count U.S. Rep. Liz Cheney, R-Wyo., among those who share Booker’s meat-free vision.
After Booker’s comments to VegNews were reported, the congresswoman – whose state is home to some 60 meat plants, according to the Wyoming Department of Agriculture – fired off a Twitter message that made it clear where she stands on the issue.
“Hey @CoryBooker,” Cheney wrote. “I support PETA – People Eating Tasty Animals.”

Cotton says media was 'Stalin-like' in Ocasio-Cortez Green Deal cover up

Arkansas Republican Sen. Tom Cotton unloaded on Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s Green New Deal and said the media were “complicit” in burying the most radical parts of the deal.
Cotton, a staunch Republican, appeared on The Hugh Hewitt Show on Tuesday and discussed the widely ridiculed Green New Deal that aims to implement sweeping changes across the nation.
UNION LEADERS WARN GREEN NEW DEAL MAY LEAD TO POVERTY: 'MEMBERS ARE WORRIED ABOUT PUTTING FOOD ON THE TABLE'
But what particularly caught Cotton’s eye was how the media became complicit in hiding the now-infamous FAQ document circulated by the Ocasio-Cortez office, which included lines such as promising a job to “all people of the United States” –  including those “unwilling to work” – and making air travel industry obsolete.
“I understand the Democrats that proposed this immediately tried to retract that white paper that went along with their resolution,” Cotton added. “And too many people in the media have been complicit in the Stalin-like or 1984 technique of disappearing it, sending it down the memory hole.”

“And too many people in the media have been complicit in the Stalin-like or 1984 technique of disappearing it, sending it down the memory hole.”
— Arkansas Republican Sen. Tom Cotton

Hewitt asked whether the Democrats who immediately jumped to endorse the radical package have actually read what’s inside it.
“Sure. I mean, Hugh, it’s pretty remarkable that when these Democrats put out the Green New Deal last week that you had many Democrats running for president leap onto a proposal that was going to confiscate every privately owned vehicle in America within a decade and ban air travel so we could all drive or ride around on high-speed light rail, supposedly powered by unicorn tears, yes,” Cotton said.
Multiple Democratic 2020 candidates such as Sens. Elizabeth Warren, Cory Booker, Kamala Harris, and Kirsten Gillibrand have endorsed the deal.

Arkansas Republican Sen. Tom Cotton unloaded on Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s Green New Deal and said the media were “complicit” in burying the most radical parts of the deal.
(Associated Press)

Cotton finished the interview the segment saying the Green New Deal, in essence, is what Democrats believe in and want for the U.S.
“But this is where their heart lies,” he said. “They believe that Americans driving around in trucks on farms, or commuting from the suburbs where they can have a decent home into the city to work are a fundamental threat to the world, and they have to have the power and the control of those Americans’ lives to implement their radical vision for humanity.”

Chelsea Clinton defends Omar, says Trump never said sorry for ‘white nationalism’ embrace

Birds of a feather flock together :-)

Chelsea Clinton on Tuesday called out Vice President Mike Pence for saying that Rep. Ilhan Omar’s apology for earlier Twitter posts called anti-Semitic was "inadequate," and blasted President Trump for peddling hate.
Clinton, who was critical of Omar's tweets, posting that "we should expect all elected officials, regardless of party, and all public figures to not traffic in anti-Semitism," but said on Tuesday that Trump is a "far more powerful person" and has never apologized "for his embrace of white nationalism & anti-Semitic & Islamophobic hate."
Omar said she had no intention of offending anyone, including Jewish Americans, when she insinuated that lobbyists were paying lawmakers to support Israel. Trump called her apology "lame" and said she should resign from Congress or at least not be allowed to serve on committees.
Pence tweeted Tuesday that Omar's comments were a disgrace. He said "those who engage in anti-Semitic tropes should not just be denounced, they should face consequences for their words."
The freshman Democratic posted tweets on Sunday that suggested that members of Congress support Israel because they are paid to do so. In a pair of tweets, Omar criticized the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, or AIPAC.
"It's all about the Benjamins baby," she wrote, invoking slang about $100 bills. Asked on Twitter who she thought was paying members of Congress to support Israel, Omar responded, “AIPAC!”
Left-wing historian and Politico Magazine contributing editor Joshua Zeitz tweeted: "I'm one of those American Jews who opposes the occupation [of the West Bank and Gaza Strip], laments Israel's anti-democratic drift, and doesn't regard the country as especially central to my Jewish identity. And I knew exactly what the congresswoman meant. She might as well call us hook-nosed."
Omar supports a movement known as BDS, for “boycott, divestment and sanctions” aimed at Israel. And it’s not the first time she’s fought accusations of anti-Semitism. She insists her rejection of the Israeli government refers to its stance toward Palestinians and is not directed at Jewish people.
Omar has expressed regret for tweeting in 2012: “Israel has hypnotized the world, may Allah awaken the people and help them see the evil doings of Israel.” She said the statement came in the context of Israel’s treatment of Palestinians in the Gaza Strip.
Fox News' Samuel Chamberlain and the Associated Press contributed to this story.

Ted Cruz wants ‘El Chapo’ and drug lords to pay for border wall

U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz thinks convicted Mexican drug cartel Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán should finance President Donald Trump’s long-promised border wall.
“America’s justice system prevailed today in convicting Joaquín Guzmán Loera, aka El Chapo, on all 10 counts,” Cruz tweeted Tuesday shortly before the Sinaloa cartel boss was convicted on drug trafficking, weapons violations and money laundering charges in a  federal courtroom in Brooklyn, N.Y. “U.S. prosecutors are seeking $14 billion in drug profits & other assets from El Chapo which should go towards funding our wall to #SecureTheBorder.”
Trump’s has said the construction of a wall would cost around $5.7 billion.
The Texas Republican then urged his colleagues to pass the Ensuring Lawful Collection of Hidden Assets to Provide Order Act – or El Chapo Act – which would divert drug proceeds from cartel bosses to fund border security.
Cruz first introduced the bill in April 2017 and reintroduced it in January. The reintroduction puts pressure on lawmakers to put in place a border security spending bill.
A bipartisan group of lawmakers on Monday tentatively agreed to provide $1.4 billion for border barriers, including 55 miles of new fencing along the Rio Grande Valley in Texas. Drug proceeds could go a long way in securing the southern border, Cruz said.
“Fourteen billion dollars will go a long way to secure our southern border, and hinder the illegal flow of drugs, weapons, and individuals,” Cruz said of his bill in a January news release. “By leveraging any criminally forfeited assets of El Chapo and other murderous drug lords, we can offset the cost of securing our border and make meaningful progress toward delivering on the promises made to the American people.”
Supporters of the wall argue it will deter criminals from entering the U.S. illegally while opponents say the wall would have a minimal impact on the flow of people and drugs into the country.

Dim Democrat Cartoons

Trump holds rally in Texas amid border wall debate

President Trump held a campaign-style rally Monday night in El Paso, Texas — just as possible 2020 contender and former U.S. Democratic Rep. Beto O'Rourke led a border wall protest roughly a half-mile away.
Trump's event, held at the El Paso County Coliseum for his first "Make America Great Again Rally" of the year, didn't identify the dueling rally nearby, in the town that sits along the U.S.-Mexico border, but the president did mention O'Rourke.
The "young man" with a "great name," "challenged us," the president said in reference to O'Rourke.
"We have, let's say, 35,000 people tonight, and [O'Rourke] has 200 people, 300 people — not too good," Trump told the crowd. It was not immediately clear how many people were at Trump and O'Rourke's events.
Trump added, "In fact, what I would do is, I would say that may be the end of his presidential bid, but he did challenge it."
The president announced his rally last week during his second State of the Union address, in which he alleged El Paso is now one of the nation's safest cities because of a "powerful barrier" that was put in place — a claim that others disputed.
He reiterated that point on Monday night. Speaking to the crowd, in front of a large red banner that read, "finish the wall," Trump said El Paso is one of the "safest cities" in America "thanks for a powerful border wall."
LAWMAKERS REACH 'AGREEMENT IN PRINCIPLE' IN BORDER SECURITY TALKS, WITH $1.3B FOR BARRIER
He claimed that El Paso, compared to Juarez, Mexico, just across the southern border, had far less murders than the nearby Mexican city, adding: "Walls work."
Moments before the president took the stage Monday, lawmakers reached "an agreement in principle" to fund the government and avoid another partial government shutdown. The deal includes around $1.3 billion for a barrier along the southern border.
Trump mentioned on stage that he didn't know details, as news of the deal broke just before his rally, but acknowledged that "progress [was] being made" for border security.
The White House last month agreed to a temporary spending bill to end a 35-day partial shutdown, although Trump said at the time that the move was not a "concession" and that he would not relent on his demands for a wall.
The talks had cratered over the weekend because of Democratic demands to limit immigrant detentions by federal authorities, but lawmakers apparently broke through that impasse Monday evening.
Trump — who touched on several topics throughout his rally — was interrupted several times throughout the event, seemingly by protesters. His supporters responded by shouting chants of "USA" and "finish the wall" over the disturbances.
The president brought up embattled Gov. Ralph Northam, D-Va., after speaking on Democrats' position on abortion. He said he liked Northam -- who is facing calls to resign after his medical school yearbook page featured one person in blackface and another in a KKK robe -- because he steers negative news coverage away from his administration.
“I like him,” Trump said. “Keeps us out of the papers. I’d like to find a few more guys like this one.”
Trump also mentioned Northam's first news conference regarding the ordeal — "He almost moonwalked!" — in which the governor recalled how he darkened his skin when he dressed as Michael Jackson once for Halloween.

Trump says Omar 'should be ashamed of' Israel comments, apology doesn't cut it

 Why in the hell did the Democrats vote this piece of trash into our government??

President Donald Trump on Monday said freshman Democratic congresswoman Ilhan Omar "should be ashamed of herself" over tweets suggesting that a powerful pro-Israel interest group paid members of Congress to support Israel.
"I think she should be ashamed of herself," Trump told reporters on Air Force One while flying to a campaign rally in El Paso, Texas, according to The Hill. "I think it was a terrible statement, and I don't think her apology was adequate."
DEM REP. OMAR APOLOGIZES FOR ISRAEL COMMENTS, CALLS OUT 'PROBLEMATIC' ROLE OF AIPAC, 'OTHER LOBBYISTS'
The Minnesota congresswoman "unequivocally" apologized earlier Monday after House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and other Democrats rebuked her.
Omar said she had no intention of offending anyone and thanked her colleagues for educating her on anti-Semitic tropes.
When asked what she should have said, Trump replied, "She knows what to say."