Townhall Review | Commentaries

In the midst of an impeachment battle they can’t possibly win, Democrats wallow in despair and grief, according to two articles in the New York Times. Michelle Goldberg writes about her “anxiety and anger...a demoralizing degree of fear, even depression.”

A different piece by Sarah Lyall bears the sub-headline “Trump Anxiety Colors Everything” quoting a Georgia Democrat saying: “Four years is as long as I can go but eight years – we won’t have an America left.”

Such paranoia never explains how, precisely, America will disappear. How do they expect democracy to die? Sure, the present polarization is painful, but we hardly stand at the edge of dissolution or destruction. By nearly all measures, America’s better off than at the time of Trump’s election three years ago and claims that the nation is about to collapse underestimate the robust durability of our Constitution, our economy and our institutions.

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House Democrats were “somber,” “prayerful,” and “reluctant” about impeachment—or so they say.

But, on December 6, 2017, 58 House Democrats voted for impeachment over Trump’s criticism of NFL players who knelt during the national anthem.

And, on January 19, 2018, 66 House Democrats voted for impeachment over Trump’s use of coarse language to describe underdeveloped countries.

Then, on July 17, 2019, 95 House Democrats voted for impeachment over Trump’s insulting statements about “The Squad.”

This says nothing of Rep. Al Green’s demand Trump be impeached over his “racism” … and Rep. AOC’s contention that Trump should be impeached over the citizenship question the Department of Commerce attempted to put on the 2020 census questionnaire.

Yet, we are supposed to believe the House Democratic caucus is comprised of reasonable people who take their Constitutional oath seriously.

Democrats in the House have been thirsting for impeachment since inauguration day.

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When you hear the word “carve,” what image comes to mind? Some will think of a knife, slicing to the bone.

It’s a startling but fitting image for a proposed legislative measure called “Fairness for All.” This measure is being trumpeted in Utah and beyond as a means to advance LGBT rights and protections while offering “narrowly-defined carveouts for religious citizens and institutions.”

That phrase should send a chill down the spine of all who genuinely value First Amendment liberties. Instead of grounding our freedom in the Constitution and Bill of Rights, this legislation raises a new banner--expanding sexual liberties while boxing in religious liberty. It changes the standard of American practice from our founding documents to the new progressivist handbook. This handbook may trumpet “fairness,” but it offers anything but.

Instead of “narrow carveouts,” Americans should re-embrace the freedom that has made us unique from our founding.

It’s called the First Amendment.

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You may recall that when Mary gave birth to Jesus, there was no room at the inn. Sadly, we are still fighting today over whether there is room for Christ in the public square.

Wisconsin legislators debate whether their tree is a Christmas tree or must now be a holiday tree. A student in California was told “Joy to the World” might be too religious for her piano assignment and to try “Jingle Bells” instead. A West Virginia mayor sought to rename a longstanding Christmas parade a “winter parade.”

There is no constitutional reason to cleanse the public square of Christ and Christmas. The inn should be open to all faiths, but that includes Christianity also. It is ironic that some feel the need to exclude Christmas in the name of being more inclusive.

And so, even in the public square, have yourself a Merry little Christmas.

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Paul Volcker—the legendary Federal Reserve chair—died early this month on December 8. Volcker fought to restore discipline to monetary policy after the easy money binge of the 70s and the resulting economic stagflation. Left-wing policies led to out-of-control inflation. Volcker made the tough choices—tightening money supply and killing inflation.

This came at the cost of deep economic pain, but Ronald Reagan did not pressure Volcker, focusing instead on tax cuts, persuading the nation to give the policy a chance to work.

Despite the constant economic and political pressure to turn the morphine drip back on, Volcker stayed the course—and annual inflation went from 15 percent all the way down to under 3 percent.

The lesson today is that easy money is not the answer to a flagging economy. Conservatives should take the lesson of Paul Volcker and stick with our principles.

Even when it’s tough.

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The news coming out of the election in the U.K. is huge.

The question in our country is simple: Are the Democrats paying attention?

Jeremy Corbyn, the radical leader of Britain’s Labour Party, just led his party to its greatest defeat in nearly 100 years. He ran on a platform of complete, unrestrained left-wing insanity.

British politics tends to be a few years ahead of American politics. Thatcher preceded Reagan, Blair preceded Bush and Boris Johnson preceded Trump.

So Democrats should be listening. As it turns out, completely unmitigated left-wing insanity isn’t an enticing deal for coal miners. The industrial labor class is not likely to vote for candidates promising de-industrialization and massive tax hikes to pay for free college.

If the Democratic leadership wants to win, they should hit the brakes, and cut out AOC and her Corbynista pals. The alternative is political irrelevance.

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The Democrats seem determined to impeach President Trump without a single Republican Congressman or Senator offering support for their reckless assault. This hyper-partisan, ill-conceived course of action won’t punish the president—who only seems to gain strength from the other side’s impeachment obsession—but it will punish the country at large, and damage public faith in our institutions.

The Democrats stand no chance of removing Trump from office—they’ll never get the two-thirds vote they need in the Republican-dominated Senate, so it’s hard to see what they hope to accomplish.

Most analysts suggest the Democrats mean to paralyze the nation for weeks in the vain hope they’ll diminish support for his re-election bid next year. If that’s what they’re thinking, then the Dems are guilty of precisely the same approach they impute to Trump in the first Article of Impeachment: abusing power by putting their own narrow political interests ahead of the country’s good.

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In Washington D.C., the big story last week—and continuing into this week—has been the impeachment process going on in the United States House.

The New York Times reported on how the Intelligence Committee adopted the report—and I quote—“strictly along partisan lines, hours after its release.”

Here’s what you need to know at this point. That line—“strictly along partisan lines”—indicates just how partisan this process has become, and it also points to the reason why the process is likely to get nowhere after the House of Representatives is likely to vote for the impeachment of the president—also along predictable partisan lines.

It should be considered evidence about the strength of our constitutional system that we have an impeachment process. It should also be considered as evidence of the strength of our constitutional order that no president is likely ever to be removed from office strictly along partisan lines.

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Our nation’s election is still eleven months out. We all should be watching closely as an election of enormous consequence unfolds in the United Kingdom on Thursday.

If Boris Johnson is returned to No. 10 Downing Street with a strong Conservative majority in Parliament, the United Kingdom can finally and with certainty be free of the European Union.

With such a win, the bureaucrats of Brussels will have received a lesson they will not easily forget.

Indeed, the stakes are high:

The free world requires economic growth and military preparedness. Johnson is committed to free markets and to maintaining and expanding the British military, especially its fleet of four Vanguard-class submarines that make up a crucial part of the West’s nuclear deterrent.

The U.S. needs the strength that would come from a U.K finally disentangled from the E.U.

I am rooting for Boris Johnson and the Tories, and you should be too.

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Democrats this week are holding a hearing to discuss legislation that would impose a single-payer, government-run health care system on every American.

Not only do they want to take away the health care you have and like, but they want to put government bureaucrats in charge of your medical decisions—all while putting an end to the innovation and dynamism that has made the American health care system the finest in the world.

They claim it will save money and improve service, but the only thing it will actually increase are taxes and wait times for quality care. They also claim it will make things easier for Americans, but when’s the last time you had an “easier” experience when dealing with the DMV or another government agency?

The better course is to introduce more choice, competition, and transparency into our health care system. That will lower cost and expand access to care for more Americans.

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