Presumptuous Politics

Monday, September 7, 2020

Los Angeles’ Garcetti mocked over tweet urging residents to conserve energy

Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti

Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti, the city’s Democrat widely seen too have national ambitions, was roundly mocked on Twitter late Sunday after he urged residents to turn off major appliances to conserve energy during a historic heatwave.

“It’s almost 3 p.m.,” Garcetti’s tweet read. “Time to turn off major appliances, set the thermostat to 78 degrees (or use a fan instead), turn off excess lights and unplug any appliances you’re not using. We need every Californian to help conserve energy. Please do your part.”

Fox 11 reported that thousands of residents across Los Angeles County were without power and a California Independent System Operator declared a Stage 2 Emergency, which means the city is “taking all the steps to protect the grid, manage transmission loss and avoid outages.”

Garcetti’s tweet got the attention of Eric Trump, one of President Trump’s sons,  who tweeted, “Hard to believe this tweet is real from the Mayor of LA. This is what the democrats will do to this country... #Blackouts.”

Another commenter posted,  “What do our extremely high taxes pay for? Police have been defunded. Public schools are not in session. Where’s the money and resources going?”

Garcetti’s office did not immediately respond to an email seeking comment from Fox News.

Eric Schmitt, vice president of operations for the California Independent System Operator, which the Los Angeles Times said runs the power grid for much of the state, told the paper there could be power cuts to up to 3 million customers in the state.

“I think it’s fair to say that without really significant conservation and help from customers today that we’ll have to have some rolling outages,” he told the paper. “So this is really an appeal for people to help us out to get through what will prove to be a very, very difficult day.”

Downtown Los Angeles reached 111 degrees and a record-shattering high of 121 degrees was recorded in the nearby Woodland Hills neighborhood of the San Fernando Valley.

It was the highest temperature ever recorded in Los Angeles County, according to the National Weather Service. The mark rivaled the high in California's Death Valley, typically the hottest place in the country.

About 7 p.m., the California Independent System Operator declared an emergency and said power outages were imminent because a transmission line carrying power from Oregon to California and another in-state power plant went offline unexpectedly. The cause of the outages is unknown at this time, the agency said. But about 8:30 p.m., the agency issued a tweet calling off the emergency "thanks to conservation of Californians!"

It said no power outages were ordered by operators of the grid.

The Associated Press contributed to this report

 

Sunday, September 6, 2020

Hidin’ Biden Cartoons









 

Nation's largest police union explains 'overwhelmingly' unanimous Trump endorsement

 


Police President Patrick Yoes

 

The head of the nation's largest police union said Saturday that members endorsed President Trump for reelection because of his strong call for law and order.

"Overwhelmingly it was unanimous to support President Trump," Fraternal Order of Police Presdient Patrick Yoes said on "Cavuto Live."

"We’ve worked very closely with President Trump over the last four years on many initiatives," Yoes said. "One of them was the First Step Act, which is the largest police reform act that’s happened in recent time. And we were very proud to be the only labor organization that stood and recognized that we want to find ways to improve and better the criminal justice system."

Yoes said his 350,000-member organization has also worked with Trump on his executive orders amid a stalemate in Congress. The endorsement was announced Friday.

"Unlike other organizations, we have a process where our members are actually part of the decision in making our endorsement," Yoes said. "It’s what happened yesterday. We completed our process with polling our members across the country and each one of the states where we exist and got unanimous support to endorse President Trump for a second term."

He said on a local level that some members may support Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden, but they voted on a national scale to reelect Trump.

"I can tell you, as an organization, we have reached out to the president on a number of occasions to talk about a number of issues on the stability of law enforcement, and not once have we walked away without having very meaningful dialogue and results," the union leader said.

Yoes slammed efforts to defund police in some cities as a response to the racial justice movement.

"If you look at every community," he said, "those who are least likely to be able to help themselves are the ones that are going to be hurt the most" by cuts in police funding.

In August, the New York City Police Benevolent Association endorsed Trump.

In past presidential races, the FOP endorsed George H.W. Bush in 1992, Bill Clinton in 1996, George W. Bush in 2000 and 2004, John McCain in 2008 and Trump in 2016. The FOP did not endorse any candidate in 2012.


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Hidin’ Biden forced to emerge for minimal campaigning, gets only softball media questions


 

Like Punxsutawney Phil emerging from underground on Groundhog Day, Hidin’ Joe Biden has finally emerged from his basement bunker and actually taken a few questions from reporters.

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But the questions have been softballs from adoring journalists, as if they were teed-up from a loving parent trying to make sure a child won’t miss.

In sharp contrast, President Trump is the most accessible president in history, regular facing off against hostile reporters who don’t even bother to pretend they’re neutral as they attack him and try to hit him as hard as they can. The president gives back as good as he gets as he sets the record straight on all he is doing for the American people.

Trump — who is truly the people’s president — answers the media’s questions exactly how you’d expect a political outsider to answer. He says what’s on is mind. What he says is not poll-tested and doesn’t come from the talking points of professional staff. That’s a refreshing change that the American people appreciate.

For months, Democratic presidential nominee Biden’s team has employed a basement strategy, using the COVID-19 pandemic that originated in China as a cover story for keeping their candidate away from questions and cameras and off the campaign trail.

For a time, survey data — for what it’s worth — showed Biden leading President Trump in some polls. That gave the Biden brain trust the false impression that the American people would sweep their candidate into the White House without ever leaving his home in Delaware.

But as Election Day drew closer and the American people started to focus on the candidates and their policy positions, more and more voters began noticing that something was missing from the equation: former Vice President Biden.

placeholderThis was so blatantly obvious that even Biden and his team noticed it. The American people don’t just hand the presidency to anyone. You have to earn it. So the Hidin’ Biden strategy had to come to a forced end.

When Biden announced Sen. Kamala Harris, D-Calif., as his running mate Aug. 11, many expected that moment to mark the beginning of some semblance of real — but safe — campaigning.

Instead, the Biden-Harris ticket went back into hiding. Then the Democratic National Convention came and went and still the Biden team stayed in their “prevent defense” strategy.

Recently, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., floated a trial balloon questioning whether Biden should even face off against President Trump in televised debates. Refusing to debate would be such a stunning retreat — and an admission of fear and incompetence — that Biden was forced to say he would go ahead with three scheduled debates with the president.

But Biden hasn’t gone far enough. President Trump wants more debates, and rightly so. Due to the lack of traditional campaigning because of coronavirus restrictions, the American people should get to see more rather than less safe interaction between the candidates.

At the very least, the four debates (three presidential and one vice presidential) that are currently on the books should all be moved up on the calendar to take increased early voting into account.

As it now stands, early voting begins in 16 states before the first presidential debate Sept. 29. It’s incumbent on the candidates, political parties, and the presidential debate commission to give the American people the opportunity to make the most informed decision possible. What’s the use in debating after millions of people have already voted?

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This is an awkward moment for Joe Biden and Kamala Harris. The American people are being told this is the most important election of their lifetimes, but only one ticket — President Trump and Vice President Mike Pence — is working hard to earn their votes.

Biden’s recent condemnation of rioting, looting and other violence in U.S. cities after months of silence rings hollow and is completely disingenuous.

While Biden has emerged from his basement, it seems clear that he’s going to limit his campaigning to carefully controlled settings and get out as infrequently as possible — just enough so he can’t be accused of refusing to campaign or take questions from reporters altogether.

American citizens are right to be suspicious. It looks like the Biden-Harris team’s central message is “just trust us.” This disastrous approach will never cut the mustard with voters. Only a party controlled by out-of-touch D.C. swamp creatures would try to pull this dishonest caper off, COVID-19 crisis or not.

With chaos, destruction, and violence in our streets — and a pandemic impacting the lives of every American family — people want real solutions and real leadership. The Biden-Harris “take our word for it” campaign slogan is an insult to tens of millions of Americans struggling to make ends meet.

President Trump and Vice President Pence are more than happy to make their case for reelection around the country and rightly so. They have an impressive record of promises made and promises kept. President Trump created the most vibrant economy in American history and knows that his pro-growth policies will do it again.

Biden, on the other hand, wants to enact massive tax increases and impose an endless stream of job-killing regulations.

President Trump supports our police and law and order in our communities “100 percent.”  Biden has shown contempt for our police and a troubling indifference to lawlessness.

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Biden’s recent condemnation of rioting, looting and other violence in U.S. cities after months of silence rings hollow and is completely disingenuous. It’s too little and too late, and comes only after polls showed Biden’s weak stand on law and order was costing him support.

President Trump has risen to the occasion in combating the coronavirus crisis by leading a massive mobilization of people and resources not seen since World War II. He created Operation Warp Speed to develop a COVID-19 vaccine in record time, and the effort is well on its way to a successful outcome.

It’s been over six months since the China virus arrived in America and Biden’s only ideas are a big-government national mask mandate and shutting down our economy again if he deems it so. Thanks a lot, Joe.

We are heading into a monumental election with enormous consequences. The future of America is literally at stake. President Trump is describing exactly what’s on the line for us “in bold colors, no pale pastels,” as President Ronald Reagan once said.

The American people are finding out the real reason that Joe Biden and Kamala Harris want to get out as little as possible. Their platform is a disaster for the American people and the more they talk about it, the less popular it becomes.

placeholderIf the Democrats think otherwise, the Biden-Harris team should hit the campaign trail full-time, agree to more debates, and agree to interviews with reporters who will ask hard-hitting questions like the ones President Trump faces almost every day.


Trump jabs at Pelosi again over salon ‘setup’ -- takes shot at Biden too


 

President Trump weighed in on the Nancy Pelosi hair salon flap on Saturday – raising doubts about the House speaker’s ability to negotiate with foreign adversaries if she had trouble with a small business owner.

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The president also took a swipe at Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden in the same message.

“Nancy Pelosi said she got ‘set up’ by the owner (a very good one) of a beauty parlor,” the president wrote.

“If so, how will she do in negotiations against President Xi of China, President Putin of Russia, or Kim Jong Un of North Korea. Not so well I suspect, but far better than Joe Hiden’ would do!”

Pelosi, a San Francisco Democrat, has been the target of nearly a week of criticism and wisecracks since being caught on video, maskless amid the coronavirus pandemic, at ESalonSF – despite limits on hairstyling businesses imposed because of the outbreak.

On Wednesday, Pelosi asserted she had been “set up” by the salon – and claimed she deserved an apology for the backlash and ridicule she endured after the video went viral.

placeholderSalon owner Erica Kious, meanwhile, criticized Pelosi, accusing the speaker of feeling entitled to privileges not available to the general public, which has been dealing with shutdowns of various businesses and services for the better part of six months.

“It was a slap in the face that she went in, you know, that she feels that she can just go and get her stuff done while no one else can go in, and I can’t work,” Kious told Fox News, adding that she “can’t believe” the speaker didn’t have a mask on. (From the footage, it appears Pelosi had some kind of covering around her neck.)

“We’re supposed to look up to this woman, right?” Kious said. “It is just disturbing.”

In a previous tweet Thursday, President Trump suggested that perhaps Kious should try to replace “Crazy Nancy” in Congress, where the 80-year-old Democrat has served since 1987.

On Friday, San Francisco Mayor London Breed told local station KGO-TV that the salon matter had perhaps run its course and it was time to "move on."

Fox News' Brooke Singman contributed to this story.

Portland's Antifa-supporting gunman appeared to target victim, police say



The avowed Antifa supporter who was a suspect in the killing of a Patriot Prayer member during a clash of opposing groups in Portland, Ore., last Saturday appeared to be targeting the victim prior to the shooting, according to court documents unsealed Friday.

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Michael Forest Reinoehl, 48, allegedly hid in a parking garage, waiting for Aaron “Jay” Danielson, 39, and another Patriot Prayer member, the documents say, according to OregonLive.com.

Reinoehl, who claimed online to be a "100% ANTIFA" anti-fascist and said he worked security for Black Lives Matter protests, then allegedly shot at Danielson twice, hitting him once in the chest and killing him.

Reinoehl later told Vice in an interview he was not a member of Antifa but supported its efforts.

Security footage shows Reinoehl in an alcove of the parking garage while Danielson and a friend walk by, police said. 

Security footage shows Reinoehl in an alcove of the parking garage while Danielson and a friend walk by, police said.  (Portland Police)

Then on Thursday, Reinoehl himself was fatally shot by a federal fugitive task force who tracked the suspect to Lacey, Wash., about 120 miles north of Portland, when he tried to elude arrest on second-degree murder charges, authorities have said. Reinoehl “produced a handgun” during the arrest but it was unclear if he fired at officers, police said.

District Attorney Mike Schmidt in Multnomah County, Ore., which includes Portland, said Friday that authorities “still do not have a full understanding” of the circumstances of Reinoehl's death, according to the Seattle Times.

“The apprehension of a fugitive, in particular one under investigation for murder, is especially dangerous for law enforcement," he said, adding he was, “thankful that no one else was injured or killed.”

placeholderThe affidavit also said Reinoehl texted his son on Aug. 7.

“Sell me the gun for a quarter pound of weed and $100 I’m getting tired of this s--- I need a piece now,” the message said, according to OregonLive.com.

Michael Reinoehl is seen in Portland, Ore., in the area where Aaron Danielson was fatally shot, Aug. 29, 2020. (Portland Police)

Michael Reinoehl is seen in Portland, Ore., in the area where Aaron Danielson was fatally shot, Aug. 29, 2020. (Portland Police)

The court documents are backed up by a sworn officer statement that says security footage from the parking garage shows Reinohel targeting Danielson.

The security footage allegedly shows Reinoehl go into the garage after spotting Danielson and the other man. After Danielson passes by, Reinoehl comes out and follows the pair.

Reinoehl “conceals himself, waits and watches” Detective Rico Beniga writes in the probable cause affidavit.

“The shooting occurs shortly thereafter and is not captured on the surveillance video,” Beniga writes, according to the Times. Danielson was pronounced dead at the scene.

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After reviewing footage shot by a live streamer, Beniga said it appears Reinoehl shot a can of bear spray that Danielson was carrying, sending the substance spraying. The second shot killed him.

While searching Reinoehl’s home, investigators found ammunition that matched the caliber of the bullet that killed Danielson and the clothes he wore that night but no gun, according to OregonLive.com.

In a Thursday interview posted on the Vice website, Reinoehl had claimed he killed Danielson in self-defense.

“I had no choice,” he said, adding he and a friend were about to be stabbed by Danielson and the other Patriot Prayer member. “I mean, I, I had a choice. I could have sat there and watched them kill a friend of mine of color. But I wasn't going to do that.”

The footage allegedly shows Reinoehl raise his right arm toward Danielson, then he’s seen running away.

 

Saturday, September 5, 2020

White Privilege Cartoons









 

Portland protests reach 100 consecutive days this weekend ( Highlighting Stacy Kendra Williams )

 

Stacy Kendra Williams


Stacy Kendra Williams she he want to be.

                                             
                            Another rich spoiled white rioter that never grew up.

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — Law enforcement declared an unlawful assembly Friday night after protesters marched through the streets of Portland on to a police building, where officers stood waiting outside.

A few hundred demonstrators had met at Kenton Park before making their way to the Portland Police Association building, where police warned protesters to stay off the streets and private property. Those who refused could be subject to citation, arrest, the use of tear gas, crowd-control agents or impact munitions, police said.

Around midnight, police ran down the street, pushing protesters out of the area, knocking people down and arresting those who they say were not following orders — as some people were being detained, they were pinned to the ground and blood could be seen marking the street pavement.

Demonstrations in Portland, which started in late May after the police killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis, are reaching 100 straight nights of protests that have been marked by vandalism and violence.

The slaying of a right-wing Trump supporter, Aaron “Jay” Danielson, shot and killed after he came downtown last weekend with a pro-Trump caravan of pickup trucks further roiled things in the liberal city. The prime suspect in the shooting, self-described anti-fascist Michael Forest Reinoehl, was killed Thursday night by law enforcement.

Since Floyd’s killing, nights of unrest that increasingly targeted a federal courthouse prompted President Donald Trump to dispatch U.S. agents to guard the building in July.

The presence of the agents from U.S .Customs and Border Protection, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and the U.S. Marshals Service was intended to tamp down on the demonstrations but instead reinvigorated the Black Lives Matter movement.

The U.S. agents began drawing down July 31 under an agreement between the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and Democratic Gov. Kate Brown. But as the unrest has continued and picked up, federal authorities have again said they may increase their presence in the city.

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Cline reported from Salem, Oregon.

President Trump: Vaccines will be announced ‘very soon’

 President Donald Trump speaks during a signing ceremony with Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic and Kosovar Prime Minister Avdullah Hoti, in the Oval Office of the White House, Friday, Sept. 4, 2020, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

OAN Newsroom
UPDATED 2:35 PM PT – Friday, September 4, 2020

President Trump has said he believes companies will be announcing coronavirus vaccines “very soon.”

On Friday, the president expressed there will be exciting news to come in the near future, as the U.S. is “rounding the curve” on vaccine development.

He suggested there’s been a lot of progress made by companies Pfizer, Johnson and Johnson, and Moderna. According to him, there’s also been advancement developing COVID therapeutics.

“We have tremendous talent, tremendous scientists, and they are really right there. I think you’re going to hear some very good news. Also to me, maybe even better I think when it comes to therapeutics, you’re going to have some incredible news coming out very soon.” – Donald Trump, 45th President of the United States

The president also announced he is expecting “tremendous” economic growth “in the very near future” as companies come closer to announcing a vaccine.

White House helps broker peace deal between Serbia, Kosovo


President Donald Trump participates in a signing ceremony with Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic, left, and Kosovar Prime Minister Avdullah Hoti, in the Oval Office of the White House, Friday, Sept. 4, 2020, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

OAN Newsroom
UPDATED 5:00 PM PT – Friday, September 4, 2020

The Trump administration has successfully brokered another historic peace deal. On Friday, Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić and Kosovar Prime Minister Avdullah Hoti signed an agreement at the White House, which will establish their new economic relations.

President Trump also signed the document as a witness. Staff members like Robert O’Brien, Jared Kushner and former acting Director of National Intelligence Richard Grenell stood present.

“Another day everyone thought would be impossible! Congratulations to Aleksandar Vučić of Serbia and Prime Minister Avdullah Hoti of Kosovo on committing to economic normalization. This is a major step forward to bringing prosperity and peace to the Balkans and the world. I am proud to have assisted these leaders.” – Donald Trump, 45th President of the United States

Grenell, who has served as the special envoy for Serbia and Kosovo, has said this deal will put an end to decades of fighting. He has called the conflict a nightmare.

Serbia and Kosovo have been in an ongoing conflict since the breakup of Yugoslavia in 1989. The conflict even prompted Operation Allied Forces in 1999. The U.S. and NATO launched a bombing campaign on strategic positions in Serbia to end their president’s ethnic cleansing in Kosovo.


Adviser to the President on Serbia-Kosovo Richard Grenell speaks as National security adviser Robert C. O’Brien listens during a news conference at the White House, Friday, Sept. 4, 2020, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

During a press briefing following the signing, Grenell discussed how President Trump has challenged the idea of using political dialogue in negotiating. He instead suggested negotiations begin with the discussion of economics.

“If we would have done the typical political thing, listened to all the really smart people at NGO’s and think tanks here in Washington, D.C., we would not have this agreement,” he added.

Kosovo, a near 96% Muslim state, also announced it will establish relations with the Jewish state of Israel. Officials are planning to begin this process by placing an embassy in Jerusalem.

Serbia, which has a majority Serbian orthodox Christian population, will also move its embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.

This announcement came just weeks after the White House announced the normalization of relations between Israel and the United Arab Emirates. These recent peace deals are part of the U.S. push to improve the relationships between Israel and Muslim states around the world.

 

CartoonDems