REPOSTED BY REQUEST – CTH often describes the background DC motives with the phrase: “There are Trillions at Stake.” Here we take a look at what that really means, and how DC politics is not quite based on the ideas that frame many reference points.

With people taking notice of DC politics for the first time; and with people not as familiar with the purpose of DC politics; we end up within two different references. Perhaps it is valuable to reset the larger frames of reference and provide clarity.

Most people think when they vote for a federal politician -a House or Senate representative- they are voting for a person who will go to Washington DC and write or enact legislation. This is the old-fashioned “schoolhouse rock” perspective based on decades past. There is not a single person in congress writing legislation or laws.

In modern politics not a single member of the House of Representatives or Senator writes a law, or puts pen to paper to write out a legislative construct. This simply doesn’t happen.

Over the past several decades a system of constructing legislation has taken over Washington DC that more resembles a business operation than a legislative body. Understand this dynamic and you understand how politicians become multi-millionaires on much lesser salaries; and why ‘We The People’ are insignificant and annoying gnats to their business model.  Here’s how it works right now.

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I wrote about this in 2014/2015, followed the dynamic and refreshed it again in 2017. However, with increased sunlight on the agenda of Fox News, perhaps a review of this history is needed again. Back when the 2014 “Comprehensive Immigration Reform” agenda was swirling in the senate; you might remember the “gang of eight” immigration bill; specific media entities inside and outside FOX media were involved in private discussions to promote the agenda.  {GO DEEP}

Two of those outside FOX voices were Laura Ingraham and Tucker Carlson; so it was not a surprise to see FOX News Rupert Murdoch hire them later as prime-time hosts. This is all about following the money and the FOX agenda; ie. inside baseball stuff:

During the 2015 Fox Business News GOP Primary debate several political junkies noted a rather curious and brutally obvious omission: Senator Marco Rubio was never questioned about the 2013 Senate Gang-of-Eight bill and his stance on Comprehensive Immigration Reform. In fact, if you were to review the 2015 debate substance you’d note candidate Rubio wasn’t directly questioned about his immigration positions at all.

It is not disconnected that during the 2013/2014 Gang-of-Eight immigration constructs we later discovered Fox News was an active participant in the promotion of the immigration reform proposals.

In order to facilitate the congressional immigration intent Fox launched a previously unknown pro-amnesty propaganda blitz to support senate immigration bill.

What follows below is an evidenced expose’ of their agenda.

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With 30-days left before the election perhaps it’s worthwhile remembering what all of this opposition is about…. Something 99% of American voters do not quite understand.

Congress doesn’t actually write legislation. The last item of legislation written by congress was sometime around the mid 1990’s. Modern legislation is sub-contracted to a segment of DC operations known as K-Street. That’s where the lobbyists reside.

Lobbyists write the laws; congress sells the laws; lobbyists then pay congress lucrative commissions for passing their laws. That’s the modern legislative business in DC.

When we talk about paying-off politicians in third-world countries we call it bribery. However, when we undertake the same process in the U.S. we call it “lobbying”.

CTH often describes the system with the phrase: “There are Trillions at Stake.” The process of creating legislation is behind that phrase. DC politics is not quite based on the ideas that frame most voter’s reference points.

With people taking notice of DC politics for the first time; and with people not as familiar with the purpose of DC politics; perhaps it is valuable to provide clarity.

Most people think when they vote for a federal politician -a House or Senate representative- they are voting for a person who will go to Washington DC and write or enact legislation. This is the old-fashioned “schoolhouse rock” perspective based on decades past. There is not a single person in congress writing legislation or laws.

In modern politics not a single member of the House of Representatives or Senator writes a law, or puts pen to paper to write out a legislative construct. This simply doesn’t happen.

Over the past several decades a system of constructing legislation has taken over Washington DC that more resembles a business operation than a legislative body. Here’s how it works right now.

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In November 2019 activist Federal District Court Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson ruled former White House counsel Don McGahn must appear before Congress; however, she also ruled McGahn retained the ability to “invoke executive privilege where appropriate” during his appearance. The central issue is separation of power.

The White House appealed the ruling to the DC appellate court on constitutional grounds, and on February 28, 2020, a three judge panel from the DC circuit agreed with the White House position.  The House of representatives could have appealed the decision; however, instead, the main lawfare activist, House counsel Doug Letter, took a different approach and sought to argue the case based around their right to enforce a subpoena.

Today a politically divided DC appeals court panel ruled the House can’t go to the judicial branch to enforce legislative subpoenas because there is no statute giving the legislative chamber the authority to force the executive branch to enforce an action against its own constitutional interests.

DC Via Politico – […] “The decision is likely to spark a renewed debate over the House’s power of “inherent contempt” — its long-dormant ability to fine or jail witnesses who refuse to comply with its oversight requests.

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ODNI John Ratcliffe made an interesting, frightening & stunningly open direct statement yesterday when he described intelligence evidence that China is putting on a full-court press against governors and local officials to retain their influence campaign in 2020.

Essentially what DNI Ratcliffe described boils down to Beijing threatening economic blackmail against U.S. officials who were comfortable being reliant on local Chinese investment and purchases of U.S. companies, assents and interests.

With that stark statement in mind; and keeping the full national security ramifications in the forefront; it is worth remembering a foreboding speech given by Secretary of State Mike Pompeo in February.

This is specifically important now against the backdrop of how some U.S. politicians appear to be reacting to the COVID-19 challenges, perhaps even weaponizing the virus to achieve political objectives; and with a perspective toward the way media outlets, some businesses and many politicians appear to be influenced by China. The background context for this speech takes on an entirely new dimension.

Pompeo’s remarks were made to the National Governors Association (NGA) Feb 8, 2020; and there’s an interesting segment where Pompeo reveals his awareness of a list of U.S. governors compiled by China’s communist party; and their alignment with China’s interests. A transcript of the key excerpt from his speech is provided. WATCH:

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Alaska Senator Lisa Murkowski proclaims today that she may not be able to support the reelection of President Donald Trump.  President Trump fires back:

Long term CTH readers will well remember how Tea Party candidate Joe Miller was backed by Sarah Palin when he stunningly defeated Lisa Murkowski during the republican primary in 2010.  However, Murkowski would not accept the primary defeat and the entitlement-minded incumbent ran as a write-in candidate, and enlisted the assistance of democrats in Alaska to retain her seat in the general election.

The Tea Party was furious at the level of elitist refusal to accept the primary defeat in 2010, and Senator Murkowski has been a thorn in the side of conservatives ever since.

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Former Florida congressman Allen West led a Texas Freedom Rally at the Capitol building in Austin, Texas Saturday morning.   Returning from the rally Mr. West was involved in a motorcycle accident and airlifted to the hospital.  Prayers for his recovery.

DALLAS NEWS – Allen West, the former Florida congressman and recent candidate to chair the Texas Republican Party, was injured in a motorcycle accident just outside Waco on Saturday, according to numerous posts on social media.

“Please pray for Allen West,” Dr. Angela Graham-West, his wife, posted on Facebook early Saturday evening. She wrote that he was in the emergency room after his motorcycle was hit outside Waco. “On my way to hospital now.”

About 7:50 p.m. Saturday, an update on West’s Twitter page stated that authorities said a car had cut West off, causing him to collide with another motorcycle. He was airlifted to a hospital, where he was in stable condition and being assessed, the post stated. (more)

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National Economic Council Director Larry Kudlow appears on Fox Business to discuss more details about reopening the U.S. economy.  As Kudlow shares if we advance Main Street policies to generate economic expansion there will likely be much less need for any financial recovery package.  We cannot spend our way out of the problem.

Providing tax relief and incentives for manufacturing and business investment in the U.S. is one way to generate faster growth and recover jobs without direct spending.

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Representative Doug Collins asked today: “How do you celebrate Patriots Day”?

Which, perhaps, should spur me to share my own thoughts on this day of consequence.

Many are familiar with the poem Paul Revere’s ride; however, far fewer know that Paul Revere actually memorialized the events of the April 18 and 19, 1775, in an eight page letter written several years later.  Each Patriots Day I remind myself to read his letter from a copy handed down; and I think about how Paul Revere was really just a common man of otherwise undue significance…. yet capable to the task at hand.

To me everything about the heart of Revere, which you can identify within his own writing, is what defines an American ‘patriot’.  There is no grand prose, just a recollection of his involvement. Unsure if anyone else would enjoy I have tracked-down an on-line source for sharing; and provide a transcript below (all misspelling is with the original).

Paul Revere personally recounts his famous ride. – In this undated letter Paul Revere summarizes the activities surrounding his famous ride on 18 April 1775. He recounts how Dr. Joseph Warren urged him to ride to Lexington to warn John Hancock and Samuel Adams of British troop movements. He arranged to signal the direction of the troops with lanterns from Old North Church and then had friends row him across the Charles River, borrowing a horse for his ride.

Revere wrote this letter at the request of Jeremy Belknap, corresponding secretary of the Massachusetts Historical Society. Revere signed his name to the letter but then wrote above it “A Son of Liberty of the year 1775” and beside it “do not print my name.” Nonetheless, the MHS included Revere’s name when it printed the letter in 1798.

EXPLORE THE DOCUMENT – Or Read Transcript below: (more…)

We might not align on all issues, but whooo doggies…. Rep. Elise Stefanik swings big timber and fights when needed during this impeachment fiasco.  If I had a $10 budget for lunch, I’d send it to her reelection campaign and wait to eat til dinner…. she’s worth it.
Most of the interview with Trump’s legislative defense team is in this video, but don’t miss the moments at 20:05 when Stefanik takes the mic.