As President Donald Trump continues to dominate the GOP race for the nomination with 62% in a recent survey and is regularly leading Biden in the latest polls, the neocon wing of the Republican Party is getting desperate. These establishment Republicans hate Trump and his “Make America Great Again” agenda and want a GOP nominee who will support policies like those advocated by former President George W. Bush.

Initially, they believed that Florida Governor Ron DeSantis would be the challenger to stop Trump. Yet, his campaign has been a huge disappointment as he has struggled to connect with voters. It turns out DeSantis needs a personality transfusion, and his lack of charisma is not going to change anytime soon.

With DeSantis unable to gain traction, the “Never Trumpers” are frantically looking for another alternative. Enter former South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley, or as Vivek Ramaswamy accurately described her, “Dick Cheney in three-inch heels.”

Like Cheney, Haley aggressively advocates for a robust projection of American military power throughout the world. Unlike Trump and DeSantis, she has been a staunch supporter of U.S. funding for the war in Ukraine. She blasted the Biden administration for doing “too little” and said it is not time to “take the foot off the gas” regarding our support for Ukraine.

One reason for her staunch neocon positions could be her ties to the defense industry. According to Ramaswamy, Haley became a “multimillionaire” by joining “the board of Boening” and becoming a “military contractor.” He said that, if elected, Haley would revisit “the mistakes from the neocon establishment of the past.”

In fact, Haley is not just a clone of the former Vice President, she is also a protégé of former First Lady Hillary Clinton. Amazingly, in 2012, Haley admitted in an interview that she was inspired to enter politics because of Clinton.

DeSantis claims that Haley is “running away from her record” because she cannot “risk exposing her liberal views on issues most important to conservative voters.”

One issue that is important to many conservative voters is preserving our nation’s history. Conversely, liberals want to erase our history in the name of fighting “racism.”

As Governor of South Carolina in 2015, Haley became a national political figure when she successfully pushed for the removal of the Confederate flag from the state house grounds. This was done in response to the murders of African American churchgoers in Charleston, South Carolina by a racist killer.

Haley said she was “proud” of her actions, which catapulted her political career. While removing the Confederate flag did not make South Carolina a more racially unified state, it did inspire other politicians to pursue similar actions.

In New Orleans, former Mayor Mitch Landrieu used the same tragedy to successfully campaign for the removal of Confederate monuments. Sadly, the move did not improve the lives of African American citizens, for New Orleans remains a cesspool of crime, corruption, and poverty, minus monuments that were tourist attractions.

Like Haley, Landrieu’s political career was bolstered by these actions, as he authored a book, started a non-profit group, was hired by CNN and is now a “Senior Advisor” to President Biden.

Haley started a national movement which has continued to this day. A recent report by the far-left group, Southern Poverty Law Center, noted that 482 Confederate “symbols” have been removed since the murders in Charleston. Yet, countless other monuments of previous U.S. Presidents, including Abraham Lincoln, and Founding Fathers, have also been removed across the country.

To protect our history, President Trump signed an executive order on June 26, 2020 to prevent “American Monuments, Memorials and Statues” from being vandalized or removed. On this issue and so many others, Haley holds positions that are opposite from President Trump.

Nevertheless, at a 2021 press conference, Haley said that she had “a great working relationship” with Trump when she served in his administration as Ambassador to the United Nations. At that time, she pledged that she “would not run if President Trump ran.”

As her presidential campaign indicates, Haley is not only a fraud, but she is also untrustworthy. In addition, her political forecasting is pitiful. In a 2021 Politico interview, Haley claimed that Trump would become “further isolated” after the events of January 6, 2021 and would not “run for federal office again.”

Despite Haley’s prediction, Trump is the leading 2024 presidential candidate. Haley is far behind him even in her home state of South Carolina where she trails by a 49-19% margin according to a RealClearPolitics poll average.

Facing a huge deficit in the polls, Haley remains undaunted. She told voters at an Iowa town hall meeting, “Get used to this face; I’m not going anywhere.”

However, she will be going to Wall Street. On December 3 and 4, the Wall Street Journal reported that Haley will be meeting with corporate executives, bankers, hedge fund operators and GOP mega donors. This follows her meeting last week with Larry Fink, CEO of BlackRock, and Gary Cohn, former President of Goldman Sachs.

Haley is raising campaign funds from companies like BlackRock which promote Environmental, Social and Corporate Governance (ESG) policies which even her campaign has labeled “corporate socialism.” States such as Texas, Florida and Louisiana have pulled their investments from BlackRock, due to their commitment to support companies based on their “social and environmental” policies.

Nikki Haley is in sync with the big military and business powerbrokers and is extremely comfortable with big government. Last week, she made headlines by vowing that, if elected President, all social media users would have to be “verified by their name” for so-called “national security purposes.”

This should send a chill down the spine of every American for such a policy would severely limit free speech, lead to more censorship, and create more surveillance power for an already out of control federal government.

It would lead to “cancel culture” on steroids. Hopefully, before such insanity occurs, Republicans voters will have the good sense to cancel Nikki Haley.

Jeff Crouere is a native New Orleanian and his award-winning program, “Ringside Politics,” airs Saturdays from Noon until 1 p.m. CT nationally on Real America’s Voice TV Network & AmericasVoice.News and weekdays from 7-11 a.m. CT on WGSO 990-AM & Wgso.com. He is a political columnist, the author of America’s Last Chance and provides regular commentaries on the Jeff Crouere YouTube channel and on Crouere.net. For more information, email him at jcrouere@gmail.com

The post CROUERE: No Thanks, Nikki appeared first on The Hayride.

It is an annual tradition on our Ringside Politics TV and radio programs to award a “Turkey of the Year” during Thanksgiving week. This designation is bestowed on an especially worthy politician, bureaucrat or celebrity who deserves such dishonorable recognition.

Our previous winners have included both Republicans, such as former Wyoming Congresswoman Liz Cheney, and Democrats, such as former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo. Like those two winners, most of the “Turkeys” are so insufferable that they no longer serve in elected office, having worn out their welcome with their constituents.

This year, as usual, we asked our audience members to submit their nominations for 2023 “Turkey of the Year” consideration. To say we were bombarded with worthy candidates is an understatement. Undoubtedly, 2023 was a particularly good year for “Turkeys.”

The list of qualified nominees was extensive. The most popular nominee, the candidate with the most outstanding credentials, was 2021 “Turkey” President Joe Biden, who embodies this award in every sense. However, no repeat winners are allowed, thus he was excluded from consideration.

Like Biden and our other previous winners, our 2023 award recipient is a real “Turkey” in every respect. He is possibly the worst cabinet secretary in our nation’s history. Of course, the 2023 winner of the Ringside Politics “Turkey of the Year” Award is Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas.

In his role, Mayorkas is responsible for border security. In January 2021, the Biden administration inherited a secure border from President Donald Trump. The border wall was almost finished, the “Catch and Release” program had ended and there was a “Remain in Mexico” policy that worked well.

Unfortunately, at the start of the Biden administration all the successful Trump administration policies were terminated, along with the construction of the border wall. Thereafter, Biden rolled out the welcome mat for illegal aliens worldwide to enter the United States.

According to U.S. Senator John Cornyn (R-TX), “More than 6.2 million migrants have illegally crossed the southern border since President Biden took office.” There have also been more than 1.5 million migrants who have evaded apprehension.  U.S. Congresswoman Marjorie Taylore Greene (R-GA) believes the true number of “illegal border” crossings is even greater, approximately 10 million.

Cornyn notes that the detention facilities and immigration courts are overwhelmed with migrants. Despite such an influx of illegal aliens into the country, Cornyn claims that “deportations are at their lowest level in decades.”

This chaos is caused by the neglect of Mayorkas and his Biden administration colleagues. Instead of acknowledging the crisis and taking corrective action, Mayorkas regularly appears before Congress and claims that the southern border is “secure.”

These lies inspired Greene to introduce a U.S. House resolution to impeach Mayorkas. Greene declared that Mayorkas violated the Secure Fence Act of 2006 and was engaged in the “willful admittance” of illegal migrants. Unfortunately, her resolution failed, and the impeachment resolution was referred to the Homeland Security Committee, which oversees the actions of Mayorkas and his department.

Not surprisingly, the Chairman of the Homeland Security Committee, Congressman Mark Green (R-TN), has also been appalled by the inaction of Mayorkas in dealing with the border crisis. Green, who blasted Mayorkas for “dereliction of duty,” is completing a “multipart plan” overseeing his work and will forward his findings to the House Judiciary Committee, which manages the impeachment process.

In these investigations, it has been difficult for Congress to gather accurate information about border crossings from the Department of Homeland Security. One example is the new app that was created for migrants seeking asylum.

It has allowed 1,400 individuals per day to schedule an appointment before appearing at a U.S. port of entry. In total, Cornyn states that 266,000 migrants from “around the world” have been released into our country through this app. However, it is unknown whether these individuals are included in the total number of border crossings.

The Biden administration has also expanded programs allowing two-year work authorization for migrants from a select number of countries and for family members of “vulnerable children” to “enter or remain in the United States.” The exact number of individuals utilizing these programs, which were not authorized by Congress, is also unknown.

Cornyn believes that the Biden administration is engaged in activities to “cook the books” and conceal the true extent of illegal immigration in our nation. Mayorkas is the individual most responsible for deceiving Americans about this crisis.

One result of the “open border” is the massive influx of fentanyl into our country. This has led to the deaths of “thousands of Americans each year.” In the view of Congressman Ken Buck (R-CO), these deaths are the “direct result” of the “dereliction” of Secretary Mayorkas. Buck said it is his “fault” when Americans “die of fentanyl poisoning.”

In response, Mayorkas asserts that his approach is “working” and 280 people were arrested for trying to smuggle fentanyl into the country last year.

Sadly, these arrests represent a fraction of the overall problem. Congressman Jeff Van Drew (R-NJ) labeled the actions of Mayorkas as “criminal.” At a congressional hearing, he declared that Mayorkas “must resign.” After Mayorkas refused, Van Drew demanded that he be “impeached.”

If ever a cabinet secretary deserved to be impeached it is Mayorkas. His “dereliction of duty” is leading to needless deaths in our country.

Another factor which makes this issue so critical is the enhanced threat from Hamas and other Islamic terror groups after the horrific attack in Israel. Our border must be completely secure, otherwise, the lives of Americans are at risk.

Instead, Mayorkas continues to implement dangerous programs, refuses to secure the border, and shamelessly lies about its condition. Due to his appalling record, Mayorkas is our “Turkey of the Year” winner, surpassing other incompetent and dangerous radicals serving in this administration.

Despite his designation as the 2023 Ringside Politics “Turkey of the Year,” Mayorkas still enjoys Biden’s complete confidence. As always, Ringside Politics “Turkeys” of a feather flock together.

Jeff Crouere is a native New Orleanian and his award-winning program, “Ringside Politics,” airs Saturdays from Noon until 1 p.m. CT nationally on Real America’s Voice TV Network & AmericasVoice.News and weekdays from 7-11 a.m. CT on WGSO 990-AM & Wgso.com. He is a political columnist, the author of America’s Last Chance and provides regular commentaries on the Jeff Crouere YouTube channel and on Crouere.net. For more information, email him at jcrouere@gmail.com.

The post CROUERE: Alejandro Mayorkas Wins 2023 “Turkey Of The Year” Award appeared first on The Hayride.

Until December 12, leftists from around the world will be meeting in Dubai, United Arab Emirates for COP28, the 28^th annual meeting of the “Conference of Parties” of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change.

In the beginning, the conference attracted only 5,000 attendees; however, 70,000 people will attend this event. Ironically, many of the attendees will be flying into Dubai on their private jets. According to the Institute for Policy Studies, private jets emit ten times “more pollutants than commercial planes per passenger.”

One presenter who was not able to attend in person was Pope Francis due to “inflammation of the lungs.” His speech was given by his representative, Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin. Once again, the Pope lamented the evils of nationalism and capitalism and stressed that the road forward needed to be one of “multilateralism.” He declared that he could hear “the cry of the earth” for a “decisive acceleration of ecological transition” and “the elimination of fossil fuels.”

With all the problems in the Catholic Church, it is terribly sad that the Pope is such a leftwing ideologue, focused on a political agenda of open borders, socialism, and climate change. Instead, the Pope should be focused on saving the souls of the faithful, growing Church attendance and donations for worldwide missions, dealing with the damaging pedophilia scandal, and recruiting devout people to join the clergy and laity to insure the future survival of the Catholic Church.

Another famous leftist who gave a presentation in Dubai was the king of climate alarmism, King Charles III. He arrived at “Green Davos” in a private jet, of course. The King preached about “transformational action” and “warned…we’re seeing alarming tipping points being reached.” The King claimed that “the Earth does not belong to us, we belong to the Earth.”

It is disgusting to hear such demands from the wealthy and privileged King, who enjoys a huge staff of sycophants, a massive fleet of cars and aircraft and a personal train at his disposal. Most workers around the world are struggling during these tough economic times. To reach the King’s unrealistic “net zero” goal, which is the complete negation of greenhouse gases produced by human beings, the additional costs placed on average citizens from around the world will be significant.

The dream for King Charles and his fellow “climate change” fanatics is for meat to be removed from our diets, nitrogen fertilizer to be drastically reduced and methane emissions from cows to be significantly curtailed. Such changes to our agriculture and diet will lead to “worldwide famine,” but the “climate change” zealots believe it is necessary to combat the dangers of taking no action.

One of the theoretical pieces of evidence of “climate change” is the increase of extreme “weather emergencies.” However, a study by four Italian scientists shows that the number of cyclones and hurricanes occurring worldwide has not increased in the last fifty years.

The “climate change” devotees also claim that wildfires are occurring in greater numbers due to this supposed crisis. Yet, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change reported that wildfires are mostly occurring due to human activities such as arson and improper land management. In addition, science researcher Roger Pielke, Jr. discovered that the number of global wildfires has decreased in the last twenty years.

The “doom and gloom” reports from “climate change” alarmists are not sufficient to support the change in lifestyles that they want to enforce on humanity. Not only will economic activity be curtailed, but trillions of dollars in wealth will be transferred from the middle class to the elitists.

No wonder there is no mass popular movement for these changes. In the last annual Gallup survey of Americans, “climate change” did not make the list of the top 14 problems facing Americans. Instead of worrying about something that may or may not be man-made or impact them in the decades to come, the poll indicates Americans are more concerned about the problems we face today: dissatisfaction with government, high inflation, the poor economy and the massive increase in illegal immigration.

Regardless of the true concerns of Americans, the Biden administration is investing heavily in the “green agenda.” The U.S. Special Envoy for Climate, John Kerry, promised that the United States will “stop building new unabated coal power plants.” President Joe Biden has already committed to replacing all coal plants in the country with “wind and solar.” A study by the Institute for Energy Economics and Finance Analysis estimated that 173 coal plants would close by 2030.

While the United States moves away from coal toward more expensive sources of energy, China is massively increasing their “coal power capacity,” permitting 106 gigawatts in 2022, a 400% increase from the previous year.  Instead of attempting to rein in China, delegates at the Dubai conference were circulating a petition demanding the United States and other Western nations end the construction of new natural gas infrastructure projects. Those who signed the anti-natural gas petition must have overlooked the fact that natural gas is very efficient, producing only 117 pounds of “heat-trapping carbon dioxide per million BTUs of energy produced,” which is much less than gasoline or coal.

For the “climate change” radicals, the facts do not matter, they are obsessed with eliminating fossil fuels. Not surprisingly, the Biden administration is fully supportive of this effort. At COP28, Vice President Kamala Harris announced that the United States will contribute $3 billion to the U.N.’s Green Climate Fund, which will be used to support poor countries’ transition away from fossil fuels.

Fortunately, not all world leaders subscribe to this radical agenda. Former Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott blasted the “green cult” and said these climate goals are “ahistorical and utterly implausible.” As Abbott noted, “10,000 years or so back we had an Ice Age, that was rather dramatic climate change, but presumably that had nothing to do with mankind’s carbon dioxide emissions.” Well said Prime Minister.

Jeff Crouere is a native New Orleanian and his award-winning program, “Ringside Politics,” airs Saturdays from Noon until 1 p.m. CT nationally on Real America’s Voice TV Network & AmericasVoice.News and weekdays from 7-11 a.m. CT on WGSO 990-AM & Wgso.com. He is a political columnist, the author of America’s Last Chance and provides regular commentaries on the Jeff Crouere YouTube channel and on Crouere.net. For more information, email him at jcrouere@gmail.com.

The post CROUERE: The Cult Of Climate Change Convenes Church In Dubai appeared first on The Hayride.

It is looking bleak for President Joe Biden and the Democrats. All the latest polls show Biden losing to President Donald Trump in a rematch of the 2020 election.

For example, the new Wall Street Journal poll shows Trump leading Biden 47-43%. It is Trump’s first lead over Biden in this poll. When third party candidates, such as Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., are included, Trump’s lead increases to a six point margin. Not only is Biden losing to Trump in the poll, but he is also suffering from the worst approval rating of his presidency at only 37%.

To thwart Trump’s second term, Biden and the Democrats have tried almost everything. The incumbent has claimed his economic policies were superior, boasting of the success of Bidenomics. With stubborn inflation, high interest rates and a host of other economic problems plaguing Americans, this campaign tactic is clearly failing. In the Wall Street Journal poll, 66% of respondents rated the economy as “poor or not good” and claim the economy “has gotten worse in the past two years.”

Biden has also tried to demonize President Trump’s Make America Great Again (MAGA) agenda as being extreme. In his speeches, he is constantly targeting “MAGA Republicans” as impediments to progress. Yet, to most Americans, an agenda designed to make the country “great again” does not seem extreme.

The Biden Justice Department and Democrat prosecutors in “blue counties” in Georgia and New York have placed enormous legal roadblocks in the path of Trump’s re-election campaign. In 2022, Trump was the first President to have his home raided by the FBI.

This was followed by more history; Trump was the first President to encounter criminal charges. In total, Trump is facing four sets of criminal charges and 91 felony counts.  He is also dealing with civil lawsuits and 31 legal challenges in numerous states to his inclusion on the 2024 presidential ballot.

These absurd cases claim that Trump incited “insurrection” with his actions regarding the January 6, 2021, protest at the U.S. Capitol. His opponents cite Section 3 of the 14^th Amendment, which states that no one is eligible for public office if they “have engaged in insurrection or rebellion” against our country.

Instead of calling for an insurrection, the President repeatedly urged protesters to go home and not attack law enforcement. In his speech prior to the protest, Trump implored his supporters to “peacefully and patriotically make your voices heard,” not exactly the rantings of the leader of a rebellion.

Reality is irrelevant to deranged Trump haters, such as establishment Republican Liz Cheney. She fumes that America is “sleepwalking into a dictatorship” if Trump is elected again. Cheney believes America is facing a “dangerous moment” as there is “no question” Trump will try to remain in office longer than another term.

Laughably, she threatens to launch a third-party presidential campaign to stop Trump, labeling him “an existential threat to our republic.” How will Cheney, who was humiliated in her congressional re-election bid in Wyoming, mount a competitive third-party presidential campaign? She is not a likeable candidate, spouts unpopular positions, is obsessed with Trump and only has appeal on CNN and MSNBC.

What about Biden? At a campaign event in Massachusetts, Biden said, “If Trump wasn’t running, I’m not sure I’d be running. But we cannot let him win.” He cited the President’s use of the word “vermin” in describing his opponents, claiming that “Trump’s not even hiding the ball anymore. He’s telling us what he’s going to do.”

Of course, Biden, Cheney and the others afflicted with “Trump Derangement Syndrome” are now trying to convince voters he will be a “dictator” if elected again. This was the point of a Washington Post column by Robert Kagan, entitled, “A Trump dictatorship is increasingly inevitable. We should stop pretending.”

In a comical comparison, Kagan claimed that Trump was akin to Roman emperor Julius Caesar and would try to be “president for life.” Not to be outdone, the New York Times said that Trump is an admirer of “autocrats” and would be much “darker” in his second term. An upcoming issue of The Atlantic, a left-wing monthly magazine, will be focused on “warning” readers about a second Trump term.

All this nonsense is truly comical, considering that, in his first term, Trump was unable to end Obamacare, thanks to the “no” vote of the late U.S. Senator John McCain (R-AZ). For years, he was thwarted in his top priority of building a border wall by Congress. He was unable to remove our military personnel from Syria, despite his wishes. His goal to remove U.S. troops from Afghanistan was delayed. Even his desire to release the complete federal files on the John F. Kennedy assassination was denied by intelligence officials in his administration.

While he accomplished remarkable achievements as President, many of Trump’s goals were foiled by powerful Deep State operatives. A “dictator” would not have allowed bureaucrats or political opponents to stop him.

Of course, he wants to circumvent such institutional opponents in a second term by appointing “MAGA” Republicans to top positions. This should be Trump’s prerogative, appointing people who support his agenda. None of President Trump’s second term agenda is illegal or unconstitutional. It is ludicrous to label his legitimate and popular goals as dictatorial.

Democrats know branding him a “dictator” is outrageous but are convinced such hyperbole is their best hope of stopping Trump 2.0. They desperately want to scare voters into electing Biden again. Fortunately, more Americans are starting to understand the political playbook of the Democratic Party and their media accomplices.

As the only President to face two unfair impeachments, multiple special counsel investigations, and outright surveillance from his own Department of Justice, Trump is accustomed to dealing with abusive political opponents.

As he addressed a Republican audience in New York this weekend, Trump noted, “I’m not a threat. I will save democracy. The threat is crooked Joe Biden. That’s the threat.” Amen Mr. President.

Jeff Crouere is a native New Orleanian and his award-winning program, “Ringside Politics,” airs Saturdays from Noon until 1 p.m. CT nationally on Real America’s Voice TV Network & AmericasVoice.News and weekdays from 7-11 a.m. CT on WGSO 990-AM & Wgso.com. He is a political columnist, the author of America’s Last Chance and provides regular commentaries on the Jeff Crouere YouTube channel and on Crouere.net. For more information, email him at jcrouere@gmail.com.

The post CROUERE: Deranged Democrats Claim Trump Will Be A Dictator appeared first on The Hayride.

Americans are blessed to have constitutional rights, especially the First Amendment right of free speech. As Benjamin Franklin once wrote, whoever  “would overthrow the Liberty of a Nation, must begin by subduing the Freeness of Speech.”

Free speech is central to liberty, and this belief underpins the necessity of the First Amendment. This amendment holds the powerful to account and protects the right of Americans to express themselves freely.

Unfortunately, our free speech rights are constantly under assault. In the era of President Donald Trump, Democrats and their allies in government and the media have worked tirelessly to censor the “Make America Great Again” (MAGA) movement. Too many MAGA conservatives have been shadow banned and removed from social media platforms.

The bias was apparent in the 2020 election when social media platforms limited the reach of the critical story involving Hunter Biden’s laptop. If there had been accurate reporting on this story, it would have swayed a considerable number of voters.

According to a survey by the Polling Company, 17% of Joe Biden voters in “seven swing states” would have switched their support to President Donald Trump if they had known about the laptop story. Thus, on this one issue, the 2020 election result would have been different

Americans deserve the truth on all issues and the best way to achieve that result is full disclosure of vital information. The last thing Americans need is for government bureaucrats deciding what information is acceptable or what app can be placed on our phones.

Today, Americans are increasingly dependent on social media. One critical social media forum is TikTok. However, this app has become controversial in recent years and many politicians, both Republicans and Democrats, want to ban TikTok.

Their concern is that the app is owned by a Chinese company and that user data may be revealed to communist government officials. However, with Chinese spy balloons flying across our nation, at least 260 spy satellites in space, and an untold number of their intelligence agents operating in our country, their communist government does not need TikTok to gather information on Americans.

Despite the efforts to ban TikTok, 150 million Americans have decided to become users. The app is a way for content creators to make an income, small business owners to promote their products and for average Americans to share their views on a range of issues. Furthermore, many artists and musicians use TikTok to sell their work. This usage will only grow thanks to the constant improvements on the app.

TikTok is an especially popular platform for engaging young voters, and this is true across the political spectrum. Americans have made it clear that they oppose a TikTok ban, and it is unfortunate to see policymakers pursuing legislation that their constituents reject. The Republican electorate knows the value of TikTok for speech and assembly. This is why support for a TikTok ban is beginning to crumble among Republicans.

Fortunately, our country does not have a state-controlled media. Americans are free to choose where they receive their news and millions of Americans are turning to TikTok to stay informed. Countless reputable newsrooms across the political spectrum have embraced TikTok as a means to provide information. If the government haphazardly decides to ban TikTok, they are dictating where Americans can communicate and receive their news. Such an action sets a dangerous precedent.

As Franklin stated so eloquently, censorship efforts subdue “the Freeness of Speech” of Americans and are a significant risk to “the Liberty of a Nation.”  Thus, initiatives to ban TikTok in Indiana and Montana were quite disturbing. Fortunately, these efforts, in both states, recently suffered legal setbacks. According to Santa Clara University Professor Eric Goldman, both attempts were “ridiculous” and “designed for political theater.”

In overturning the Montana law banning TikTok, Federal Judge Donald Molloy wrote, “In shutting off TikTok, the Legislature has both harmed User Plaintiffs’ First Amendment rights and cut off a stream of income on which many rely.” In addition, Patrick Toomey of the ACLU noted that the Montana law failed to surpass the U.S. Constitution’s “extraordinarily high bar on this kind of mass censorship.”

In our era of theater-driven politics, it is frustrating how much time is wasted with political posturing around TikTok rather than drafting sensible policy on industry-wide privacy reforms. Banning apps is not practical, nor is it constitutional.

The problem of data security on social media goes way beyond TikTok. Banning one app and pretending the problem is solved is nothing short of burying our heads in the sand. A better approach would be to have all the social media platforms at the table with our legislators and regulators to determine the best path forward.

Americans need leaders from both political parties to advocate for meaningful, comprehensive solutions across social media platforms. Among Democrats, U.S. Representative Troy Carter (D-New Orleans) could serve as a leader on this issue. Hopefully, he will be joined by U.S. Senators John Kennedy and Bill Cassidy, both Louisiana Republicans.

In fact, all the members of the Louisiana congressional delegation should stand firm against unconstitutional restrictions on TikTok. While addressing security concerns are valid, the answer is not to ban TikTok, which is used by almost 50% of Americans. It is impractical, violates our fundamental rights and will not solve any of our challenges in dealing with the communist Chinese government.

Censorship is a device constantly deployed by the communist government of China. In contrast, censorship should never be adopted as a legitimate tactic by our government. It is un-American and violates our First Amendment. Let us never forget Franklin’s sage counsel, “Without freedom of thought, there can be no such thing as wisdom – and no such thing as public liberty without freedom of speech.”

More speech equals more liberty, which should be our country’s foremost goal. Ensuring our precious freedoms will allow the United States of America, despite our many problems, to remain “a shining city on a hill.”

The post CROUERE: Censorship Is Un-American; Free Speech Is The Answer appeared first on The Hayride.

On January 8, the red state of Louisiana is finally going to be led by a conservative Republican as Governor. In the October gubernatorial primary, Attorney General Jeff Landry defeated fifteen other candidates. He will be inheriting a state with massive problems, made worse by outgoing Governor John Bel Edwards, a leftwing Democrat.

In 2015, Edwards defeated a damaged Republican candidate, embroiled in a prostitution scandal. He campaigned as a conservative Democrat, with a military background and pro-second amendment and pro-life positions. Unfortunately, he has governed as a typical liberal, embracing big government solutions, eschewing needed budget and fiscal reform, and spewing typical progressive rhetoric about the dangers of climate change and COVID.

Edwards created economic misery in Louisiana, while our Southern neighbors experienced population booms. Over the last year, 1.4 million individuals moved to the South, increasing the region’s population by 1.1% to 130 million.

In contrast, the latest census report showed Louisiana lost 14,274 residents last year and, over the past three years, the state has suffered an outmigration of 84,000 people. This is the worst, per capita, population loss of any state in the nation, other than New York. The only other Southern state to experience a population loss was West Virginia, but the outmigration was much less, only 3,964 residents.

Oh, you guys want to talk about John Bel Edwards' legacy?

Well, here it is. Louisiana's population:

2023: 4,573,749
2022: 4,588,023
2020 Census: 4,657,757

The outmigration is so pronounced that we're hemorrhaging population faster than we can produce it.

There's his legacy.

— Scott McKay (@TheHayride) December 19, 2023

Why are so many people leaving Louisiana? Politics is certainly one reason as Louisiana is the only Gulf South state to be saddled with a leftwing Governor. During the pandemic, Edwards imposed draconian COVID restrictions and was terribly slow to remove them. While Louisiana was closed for business, other states, such as Florida, kept their economies rolling and their people employed.

Edwards supported President Joe Biden and the Democratic Party’s progressive agenda, such as allowing transgender surgery for children. He vetoed a bill that would have banned such procedures. Mercifully, it was overridden by the Republican controlled legislature.

Edwards also vetoed a bill that would have allowed “constitutional carry,” or the right to carry a concealed handgun without a permit. Louisiana is surrounded by states that allow “constitutional carry.” Thankfully, it is expected to be a top priority for the incoming Governor and Republican legislature.

This right is important for Louisiana citizens who need to protect themselves from rampaging criminals who roam throughout our state. Sadly, our violent crime rate is extremely high and New Orleans ranked as the murder capital of the nation in 2022.  Other cities, such as Baton Rouge and Shreveport, have exceedingly high rates of violent crime as well.

Due to the considerable violence in Louisiana, the state has an extremely high incarceration rate. This is needed because of the plethora of criminals in Louisiana. Yet, Governor Edwards believes the high incarceration rate needs to be reduced, so he has been working overtime to release violent criminals from prison.

He signed a series of “criminal justice reform” bills in 2017 that released hundreds of inmates from prison early. Since October, Edwards has pardoned 40 murderers, including a killer who fatally stabbed his victim 39 times. In the last few weeks, he has released 56 convicts and more could be announced before his term ends.

Fortunately, Governor-Elect Landry has a much different view on how to deal with violent crime in Louisiana. He campaigned on a “law and order” platform, prioritizing aggressive prosecution of violent crime.

During his gubernatorial campaign, Landry noted, “Crime in Louisiana is out of control. Baton Rouge, New Orleans, and Shreveport are three of the top ten most dangerous cities in the country. Things will not get better until we have leaders who have the courage to stand up and make it a priority.” He vowed to end the “catch and release” cycle and close the “revolving door of criminals who commit a crime, get caught, go to jail for a brief period, and re-offend.”

Of course, Landry is right, the answer to the violent crime problem is not to release hardened criminals from prison. Louisiana needs a functioning criminal justice system, adequate numbers of police officers, economic opportunities for residents to find employment, intact families with both parents involved in their children’s lives and excellent public schools to provide education for at-risk youth.

Unfortunately, in the critical area of public education, Louisiana, under the leadership of Edwards, was a total disaster. It is a contributing factor to the state’s population decline.

According to WalletHub, in measuring the overall quality of public education, Louisiana ranked 46th in the country. In this rating a variety of metrics were used, including academic performance, class size, instructor credentials and safety. In the view of demographer Greg Rigamer, “better public schools” are a major reason young families leave Louisiana for “Texas and Florida and Georgia.”

Along with a failing public education system, Edwards was unable to improve the state’s poor economy. In fact, he made the economy worse by expanding government at the expense of the private sector. While other states celebrated the opening of corporate headquarters or automobile plants, Edwards cited his biggest accomplishment to be the expansion of Medicaid.

While thousands of residents with the ability to leave Louisiana exited, poor residents were forced to stay. As Rigamer disclosed, “The average household income is about two-thirds that of the United States. Our poverty rate is about fifty percent higher than the United States.”

If Louisiana is going to attract more than just impoverished people to the state, it needs to reduce business taxes and eliminate the income tax. The huge state budget needs an overhaul, with more responsibility given to municipalities.

In other Southern states, these strategies have worked to recruit wealthy residents and businesses. Today, Louisiana is not competitive, and Rigamer cited the challenge for Governor-Elect Landry will be to “do something to maintain a competitive profile relative to economic investment and industrial investment.”

Edwards promised to leave Louisiana “better” after he left office. Undoubtedly, he completely failed. To succeed, Landry needs to study what Edwards did as Governor, and do the opposite.

Jeff Crouere is a native New Orleanian and his award-winning program, “Ringside Politics,” airs Saturdays from Noon until 1 p.m. CT nationally on Real America’s Voice TV Network & AmericasVoice.News and weekdays from 7-11 a.m. CT on WGSO 990-AM & Wgso.com. He is a political columnist, the author of America’s Last Chance and provides regular commentaries on the Jeff Crouere YouTube channel and on Crouere.net. For more information, email him at jcrouere@gmail.com.

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A Reuters report released just days ago uncovered that America’s leading drugmakers are raising prices yet again. Due to industry greed, the American people can expect to see more than 140 brands of drugs increase in cost over the next month.

Prior to the increase, on average, pharmaceutical costs are already higher in the United States than in any other country in the world. According to Bloomberg, the average American spends about $1,300 per year on pharmaceuticals. For a year’s supply of a newly launched drug, the costs have risen to $220,000 per year, an increase of more than 20% from 2021.

The most infuriating of the announced price hikes came from Pfizer. The $167 billion company routinely receives government-guaranteed business, including $2 billion from Operation Warp Speed. It has so much money that its CEO receives an average of $17.4 million in annual bonuses. Yet, it still has the audacity to raise the prices of its products.

It is one thing when the drugmakers decide to independently raise prices; however, it is quite another when they seek to use government force to help them do so. Unfortunately, that is exactly what is happening now.

In 2022, the Pharmaceutical Research Manufacturers of America (PhRMA), the trade association that represents all the major drugmakers, contributed $52 million to “political campaigns and nonprofits, patient groups, universities and other organizations.”  In the first nine months of 2023, PhRMA spent $21 million strictly on federal lobbying, ranking as the fourth highest in the nation.

The group recently hired more lobbying firepower, YC Consulting, in an effort to convince the United States Congress to pass regulations on pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs), entities that health plan sponsors hire to negotiate against drugmakers to keep the cost of prescriptions as low as possible.

Fortunately, PBMs have been successful, as Americans need savings in an economy with inflation, high interest rates, soaring grocery costs and insurance premiums that are skyrocketing. The data shows that PBMs save each consumer an average of $1,040 annually.

Because of this successful track record, Seema Verma, the Trump Administration Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services Administrator, said that she is very thankful that the federal government uses PBMs to keep prescription drug costs lower. Unfortunately, the pharmaceutical companies are not very enthused about these results. This is why they are desperately trying to neuter the effectiveness of PBMs through regulation.

As Big Pharma pushes for more regulations, they will be facing the new Speaker of the House Mike Johnson (R-LA). Throughout his career in Congress, Johnson has been opposed to such special interest power plays. When he was Chair of the Republican Study Committee, he advocated a conservative alternative to Obamacare, consistently supporting fewer healthcare regulations.

Johnson has lined up squarely against Big Pharma’s special interest legislative agenda. The reason is simple: he believes the free market should determine drug prices, not government bureaucrats that conspire with crony capitalist corporations and their affiliated trade associations. Imagine that!

PhRMA is hoping they can influence Speaker Johnson because the lobbyist they just signed used to work for him when he led the Republican Study Committee. However, this is not how the new Speaker of the House operates. As a Congressman, Johnson has been a consistent supporter of free market principles. His lifetime score with the conservative group, Heritage Action, is a solid 90%. He has remained steadfastly conservative despite pressure from powerful interest groups.

In November, Speaker Johnson hired Drew Keyes, another former staffer from the Republican Study Committee, as his top healthcare policy adviser. He made this selection because of his trust in Keyes and his confidence in his abilities.

Earlier this year, as a think tank staffer, Keyes, wrote an opinion piece titled “Congress Should Not Do the Bidding of a Dying Trade Association.” The trade association he referenced was, of course, PhRMA.

As Keyes noted, the PBM Transparency Act is a crony giveaway to drugmakers who refuse to take responsibility for the high drug costs in America. He wrote, “When three pharmaceutical company executives sat with their PBM rivals at a recent Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) committee hearing chaired by Senator Bernie Sanders, their biggest critic, they desperately pointed the finger away from themselves and toward PBMs. The next day Sanders’ committee marked up a bill to significantly increase federal regulation of PBMs.”

Keyes correctly identified the problem, writing, “Falling for Big Pharma’s blame game by targeting PBMs won’t help everyday Americans get the care they need. That’s what Congress needs to understand.”

It would have been easy for Keyes to take “donation” money from the fourth-largest lobbying entity in the country and peddle PhRMA’s misleading talking points about PBMs, but he chose to advance the truth instead. This is exactly why Speaker Johnson hired him to a key position on his staff. More members of Congress need to follow his lead and not be afraid to show lobbyists the door.

PhRMA is not accustomed to members of Congress in leadership positions rejecting its advances. With House Speaker Mike Johnson, it would behoove them to accept this new reality.

Thank goodness, House Republicans have a new Speaker who is a principled conservative. For PhRMA, it is time to put the checkbooks away and start to engage in serious policy discussions about what is the best course of action for the American people. Adding new layers of onerous federal regulations is never the answer for these types of problems in this country as it only makes our economic and healthcare challenges much worse.

Jeff Crouere is a native New Orleanian and his award-winning program, “Ringside Politics,” airs Saturdays from Noon until 1 p.m. CT nationally on Real America’s Voice TV Network & AmericasVoice.News and weekdays from 7-11 a.m. CT on WGSO 990-AM & Wgso.com. He is a political columnist, the author of America’s Last Chance and provides regular commentaries on the Jeff Crouere YouTube channel and on Crouere.net. For more information, email him at jcrouere@gmail.com.

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Leading Democrats, especially President Joe Biden, constantly claim, without evidence, that the Make America Great Again (MAGA) movement is a “threat to Democracy.” Such nonsense is intended to scare Americans into voting for another four years of Biden, the nation’s worst President.

Recent polls show that Americans are not buying the Democratic Party’s unhinged hyperbole and are turning against Biden in massive numbers. According to the latest The Washington Post/ABC News/Ipsos poll, Biden’s approval numbers have tanked to 33%, the lowest ever approval rating for Biden, while his disapproval numbers are sky high, at 58%.

These poll results show the American people desperately want a new President. Biden’s policies have failed. He inherited low inflation, low interest rates and a secure border, but has delivered economic chaos and an open border.

His economic policies, Bidenomics, have created high interest rates, which has devastated the real estate industry and prevented countless families from realizing the American dream. Also, the country is still dealing with persistent inflation and soaring grocery prices, while millions of Americans are unable to maintain their standard of living. Thus, Americans have accumulated more than $1 trillion in credit card debt, while our federal debt level recently topped $34 trillion or $264,000 per taxpayer.

Biden’s massive spending programs rapidly increased the federal debt, while boosting cumulative inflation to over 17% since his inauguration. Along with the economic problems, the Biden administration has allowed millions of undocumented migrants to enter the country, creating a series of security and economic challenges across the nation. Incredibly, there is no urgency to stop this influx and Biden has blasted any efforts to finish construction of the border wall.

When Biden entered the White House, the world was at peace. The Trump administration had successfully brokered the Abraham Accords, which normalized diplomatic relations between Israel and four Arab nations.

President Donald Trump conducted three productive summits with North Korean dictator Kim Jong-Un, turning a potentially hostile situation into one that was manageable. In addition, he placed significant economic sanctions on Iran, the world’s largest benefactor of terrorist organizations.

Regarding China, Trump was tough and imposed high tariffs on them. While openly dealing with Russian President Vladimir Putin, Trump warned him not to invade Ukraine. As a result, Russia invaded no countries during the Trump administration.

After three years of the Biden presidency, there is war in Ukraine and Gaza, while North Korea and China have made hostile moves toward their neighbors. To make matters worse, Venezuela is threatening to invade Guyana and there is a real concern the United States could be dragged into a world war with the potential of a nuclear conflagration.

With such a disaster at home and abroad, there is little wonder why the American people want a change in the White House. However, Democratic Party leaders are not concerned about what their voters want. They are intent on forcing Democrats to accept President Joe Biden as the party’s nominee without voter participation.

Democrats have a history of rigging their primary contests. In 2016, the nomination process was stacked in favor of Hillary Clinton. In 2020, Joe Biden was the party bosses’ favorite candidate. In both elections, there was a fear of socialist U.S Senator Bernie Sanders (I-VT) becoming the nominee, so party leaders used their influence to damage his chances.

In this election, Democratic Party leaders are being even more transparent in their effort to fix the nomination for Joe Biden. While there have been five Republican Party debates among candidates for the presidential nomination, the Democratic Party has held none.

While President Trump has conducted numerous town hall events on television, Joe Biden has not held any events allowing members of the public to ask questions. He rarely holds news conferences or gives interviews. His campaign team, with the support of Democratic Party leaders, is actively working to limit his public appearances to reduce his embarrassing gaffes.

Despite these best efforts, it is impossible to completely shield Biden’s incompetence from the American people. Worries about his physical and mental health, along with his advanced age and destructive policies are leading to his horrible poll numbers.

Under such circumstances, it would behoove the Democratic Party to give voters a chance to nominate a new presidential candidate in 2024. Instead, a concerted effort is being made to disallow Biden’s Democratic Party challengers from being placed on state ballots.

The challengers, including Congressman Dean Phillips (D-MN), author Marianne Williamson and progressive commentator Cenk Uygur, “have encountered roadblocks in Florida, Tennessee, North Carolina and Massachusetts.” The decision of the Florida Democratic Party to cancel their March 19 presidential primary and award all their 250 delegates to Biden was challenged in federal court by Tampa lawyer Michael Steinberg.

Steinberg argued that canceling the primary was “unconstitutional.” In fact, Congressman Phillips claimed that “This is the kind of stuff that happens in Tehran, not in Tallahassee.” Nonetheless, on Friday, Federal District Judge Allen Winsor rejected the challenge. Consequently, the deck is stacked for Biden with no voter input and no debates, not a very “democratic process” for the Democratic Party.

In a radio interview, Phillips noted, “How can Democrats say we’re fighting for democracy…yet removing me from the ballot in Florida and North Carolina?” He continued, “How can you say you are for free speech and protecting freedom and democracy and not even consent to doing one debate?”

Sadly, the Democratic Party does not believe in the democratic process. Phillips said that since he entered the race, he has been subjected to the “most vicious, atrocious, aggressive attacks you can possibly imagine.” He lamented that there were too many “sheep” in the Democratic Party and not enough with the “courage to stand up.”

Due to cowardice, Democratic Party leaders are refusing to listen to their voters. A recent poll indicated that 54% wanted to replace Biden as the party’s 2024 nominee. While they claim they are fighting for “democracy,” it is the last thing Democratic powerbrokers want.

Jeff Crouere is a native New Orleanian and his award-winning program, “Ringside Politics,” airs Saturdays from Noon until 1 p.m. CT nationally on Real America’s Voice TV Network & AmericasVoice.News and weekdays from 7-11 a.m. CT on WGSO 990-AM & Wgso.com. He is a political columnist, the author of America’s Last Chance and provides regular commentaries on the Jeff Crouere YouTube channel and on Crouere.net. For more information, email him at jcrouere@gmail.com.

The post CROUERE: The Democratic Party Hates Democracy appeared first on The Hayride.

For decades, progressives have dreamed of changing Texas from a “red” Republican state to a “blue” Democrat one. This dream is realistic because Democrats have succeeded in turning several western states “blue.”

For example, California was the state that launched the political career of President Ronald Reagan. Prior to his presidency, Reagan served two terms as Governor of California. Today, California is a progressive wasteland, rapidly losing population and businesses.

Not long ago, Republicans controlled Washington, Oregon, Arizona, New Mexico, Nevada, and Colorado. Today, Democrats either totally or partially lead those states.

One of the major reasons these states have become Democrat bastions is the influx of Hispanic immigration, both legal and illegal. In the last midterm election, a survey showed that 64% of Hispanic voters supported Democrat candidates, while only 33% supported Republican candidates.

Thus, boosting the size of the Hispanic population helps improve the political chances for Democrats. It is certainly a major reason Democrats, like President Biden, encouraged undocumented migrants to cross our border. In his first press conference as President, Biden said he was “flattered” that undocumented migrants were surging into the country.

Along with encouraging an influx of new entries into the United States, Biden stopped construction of the successful border wall that was started by President Donald Trump. He also ended the “Remain in Mexico” program, which did not allow those individuals seeking asylum in the United States to enter the country until their immigration court dates. In addition, Biden reinstituted “Catch and Release,” which allowed undocumented migrants to remain here until their hearing date, which might not be scheduled for ten years.

The open border policy has worked for the Democrats as over ten million noncitizens have entered the United States in the last three years. This is a greater number of people than the total population of 41 states.

Among the huge number of individuals apprehended at the border were 1,586 “known suspected terrorists.”  It is unknown how many suspected terrorists evaded border apprehension.

Thus, the open border is putting the American people in grave danger of a terrorist attack. Americans are also being inundated by border crossers with criminal records.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) apprehended almost 50,000 criminal noncitizens. This number does not include the tens of thousands of criminal noncitizens arrested by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents and local and state police officers.

The open border also can lead to dangerous health epidemics. As documented by journalist James Varney, “For two years running, polio has been detected in some New York water samples, and this fall, leprosy re-emerged in Florida, where cases of malaria have also been recorded.” According to Dr. Jay Bhattacharya, Stanford University physician and scientist, “The recent polio and leprosy cases are almost certainly imports to the U.S.”

If threats of crime, terrorism and dangerous disease epidemics were not enough reasons to close the border, there are also the verifiable economic costs. Research from the Federation of American Immigration Reform determined that in 2023 the economic costs of illegal immigration were approximately $150.7 billion, at the local, state and federal levels.

An increase in illegal immigration leads to a bevy of economic woes such as a major boost in government spending to provide an array of benefits. Some undocumented migrants displace American citizens in the workforce and do not pay taxes on their earnings. While others send a portion of their paycheck to their families in their home country, depriving the United States of billions of dollars in economic benefit each year.

The serious risks to the American people caused by allowing an open border are deemed to be acceptable by Democrats looking to garner more political power. As usual, Democrats are not concerned about improving the standard of living for undocumented migrants or tax paying American citizens. Their only goal is to enhance their political strength, and this can be accomplished by turning Texas into a “blue” Democrat state.

Undoubtedly, Democrats are getting closer. In the 2020 presidential election, Biden only lost the state by five percentage points. This was the best showing for a Democrat presidential candidate since 1996, even though the party’s nominee has not won in Texas since Jimmy Carter did in 1976.

Democrats are hoping to turn Texas “blue” because that would give them an electoral lock on the presidency and Congress. The only chance for Republicans to take back control of the presidency and both houses in Congress is to win in Texas.

Other than an anomaly in 1968 due to a strong third party candidate, George Wallace, who took almost 20% of the vote from GOP presidential nominee Richard Nixon, the last time the Republicans won the White House without winning the electoral votes in Texas was in 1924.

Winning elections in the “Lone Star” state is crucial to gaining and maintaining power in Washington D.C. The state sends thirty-eight representatives to the United States Congress, 8.7% of the overall total, and has forty electoral votes in the presidential race, 14.8% of the magic number of 270 that is needed to win.

In the 2024 race, Texas Democrats will be helped by George Soros, the leftwing billionaire known for his financial support of progressive causes. As uncovered by Fox News, in the last year, Soros has contributed $3 million to five progressive political organizations, including the Texas Majority PAC.

The group’s Deputy Executive Director, Katherine Fischer, vows to use the funds to mobilize voters in Texas “on a scale never seen before, year after year, in the key regions of our state.” The Texas Majority PAC is funding local Democratic Party organizations throughout the state. In Cameron County, Democratic Party Chair Jared Hockema, said that new funding was “more than we’ve ever had available to us.”

In 2024, Democrats will be targeting Texas and everything from their border policies to their political strategies should alert Republicans that they better focus on the state before it is too late.

Jeff Crouere is a native New Orleanian and his award-winning program, “Ringside Politics,” airs Saturdays from Noon until 1 p.m. CT nationally on Real America’s Voice TV Network & AmericasVoice.News and weekdays from 7-11 a.m. CT on WGSO 990-AM & Wgso.com. He is a political columnist, the author of America’s Last Chance and provides regular commentaries on the Jeff Crouere YouTube channel and on Crouere.net. For more information, email him at jcrouere@gmail.com.

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The tenure of Republican National Committee (RNC) Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel must immediately end. Sadly, the RNC is in horrible shape as it prepares for a crucial presidential election year.

Last week, the 2023 fundraising totals were released for both major political parties. The RNC only raised $87.2 million, compared to $119.9 million raised by the Democratic National Committee (DNC). Whereas the RNC had only $8 million in cash at the end of 2023, with a $1.8 million outstanding debt, the DNC touted a bank balance of $21 million with zero debt.

These results were the worst for the GOP in a decade and significantly less than the $241.1 million raised in 2019, the last financial report preceding a presidential election year. Even with the huge fundraising totals in 2019, the RNC was not prepared for the Democratic Party’s antics in the 2020 election.

With such anemic fundraising totals this year, how can the RNC possibly defend against a better funded DNC, which also has the support of the mainstream news media, Big Tech, special interest groups, the Deep State, unions, Hollywood as well as a myriad of other advantages?

To make matters worse, the Democratic Party’s congressional committees outraised their Republican counterparts by $26 million in 2023. The online fundraising battle was also won by Democrats, as their non-profit political action committee outraised the online Republican organization by a whopping $323.2 million in 2023.

These are devastating totals for Republicans, who should be poised for victory after the disastrous tenure of President Joe Biden. Instead, the GOP is in serious trouble only nine months before the 2024 election, which will determine control of both the White House and Congress.

These numbers show that Republican donors have lost confidence in the party’s establishment, especially with Chairwoman McDaniel. In an interview on Fox News yesterday, former President Donald Trump expressed his frustration, predicting that there will “probably be some changes made” at the RNC. He said that McDaniel did “OK initially,” but that today “people are not looking at the RNC. They want changes.”

While Trump noted he has “nothing to do with the RNC, I’m separate,” their actions have created challenges for his campaign. The RNC wanted all candidates to sign a loyalty pledge to support the party’s presidential nominee, which Trump refused to sign.

In addition, the RNC sponsored numerous televised presidential debates, including one hosted by a very liberal network, NBC. Of course, former President Trump, who has always enjoyed a huge lead among Republican candidates, refused to participate. Unfortunately, the RNC gave a televised platform for several of the candidates, such as former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie, to ridicule Trump, the Republican Party’s leader, and massive frontrunner.

All these actions were a distraction from defeating Biden, which should have been the only focus of the party. The RNC’s questionable decisions and the GOP’s poor election results have led some GOP leaders, such as Vivek Ramaswamy, to call for the resignation of Chairwoman McDaniel. During a GOP presidential debate, Ramaswamy called on McDaniel to “come on stage” and resign.

He claimed the GOP had become “a party of losers.” He said once McDaniel “took over as chairwoman of the RNC in 2017, we have lost 2018, 2020, 2022, no red wave, that never came.” Ramaswamy also complained that the GOP was “trounced” in the 2023 elections.

In January, Ramaswamy posted on social media that there needed to be “accountability” for the Republican Party’s losses and that “Grassroots conservatives across the nation are joining me to end the culture of surrender and losing. Resign, Ronna.”

Will McDaniel be forced to resign? After her interview with former President Trump, Fox News anchor Maria Bartiromo stated that “I think that there will be changes made in the Republican National Committee very soon.” Hopefully, this prediction will come true, for the party is in serious trouble.

At the recently concluded RNC annual meeting in Las Vegas, the party’s bleak financial situation was disclosed to members. After reviewing the troubling report, the Arizona RNC National Committeeman Tyler Bowyer disclosed toJust the Newsthat the Republican Party is in “a bad financial situation.”

He said that 2023 was “the lowest year of fundraising in 30 years for the RNC.” With higher fundraising totals in previous years, Bowyer said that the GOP “still didn’t win.” With such dreadful fundraising ahead of the 2024 election. Bowyer maintained that the “grassroots is rightfully concerned.”

Bowyer is also troubled that the party is spending too much on “overhead” and not enough on “get-out-the-vote efforts.” His viewpoint was corroborated by a recent report by Jennifer Van Laar of RedState.

She analyzed spending by the RNC and DNC in several categories. The RNC outspent their DNC competitors in these types of expenditures: flowers, limousines, office supplies, donor gifts, media consulting and management consulting. Such frivolous spending on perks and extravagancies does not win elections. In contrast, the DNC outspent the RNC in vital areas such as payroll, voter file maintenance, Get Out the Vote (GOTV) texting and transfers to state parties.

With such abysmal spending priorities and incompetent leadership, it is no surprise that a growing number of Republican donors and grassroots activists are refusing to support the RNC.

For victory in 2024, Trump and all Republican candidates need new leadership at the RNC immediately. The stakes are too high for this type of negligence to continue. Unfortunately, if no changes are made, the Democrats will have another massive advantage, coupled with their already formidable advantages, to achieve victory in another election cycle.

In 2024, the Republicans have the right candidate, the right policies, and historic enthusiasm from the grassroots level, while the Democrats are led by the worst President in American history. Nonetheless, if the party apparatus is not well funded and equipped to battle for every vote, it will be another disappointing night in November, and the consequences for the country will be too unspeakable to contemplate.

Jeff Crouere is a native New Orleanian and his award-winning program, “Ringside Politics,” airs Saturdays from Noon until 1 p.m. CT nationally on Real America’s Voice TV Network & AmericasVoice.News and weekdays from 7-11 a.m. CT on WGSO 990-AM & Wgso.com. He is a political columnist, the author of America’s Last Chance and provides regular commentaries on the Jeff Crouere YouTube channel and on Crouere.net. For more information, email him at jcrouere@gmail.com.

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Although the first special session of the Louisiana Legislature focused on redistricting, the issue of redrawing the state’s seven Supreme Court districts was not decided. In this special session, focused on criminal justice, the Supreme Court districts are back on the agenda.

Whatever is passed in this session could be the subject of additional legal battles. The congressional districts passed in the first special session are facing a legal challenge from plaintiffs in Monroe.

Like the congressional district issue, the reason for trying to redraw the Supreme Court districts is to create another Black majority district. The current legislation, HB 22, sponsored by State Representative Michael Johnson (R-Pineville), passed the House of Representatives by a 97-6 margin. Tomorrow, it will be on the agenda for the Committee on Senate and Governmental Affairs.

Like the bill creating new congressional districts, this bill is controversial. To create a second majority Black district, the bill divides twelve parishes. The new second district moves from the western part of the state to an entirely new area. It now starts in the Northeast corner of the state, East Carroll Parish, and ends at Iberville Parish. The current Associate Justice, Scott Critchton, who represents the second district criticized the new map, noting that it “obliterates” his district.

In addition, the bill splits the northwest portion of the state, including Caddo Parish, in districts three and four. Between New Orleans and Baton Rouge, two other districts, the sixth and seventh, are a jumbled mess.

One vociferous critic of the legislation, State Senator Thomas Pressly (R-Shreveport), sarcastically tweeted, “These lines TOTALLY make sense. Compactness, nah. Parishes remaining whole, overrated. Preservation of communities of interest, hard pass. Preservation of cores of prior districts, no way. Appearance of reasonableness, def. not…hard pass.”

Pressly has been fighting a lonely battle against the new Supreme Court districts. He said he is “strongly, vehemently and adamantly opposed” to the “proposed map.” He noted the makeup of the districts were like the ones proposed by several Supreme Court justices in the first special session. According to Pressly, the problem is that these maps “minimize the influence of” northwest Louisiana and split “Shreveport into different districts.”

Before passing in the entire House of Representatives, the House and Governmental Affairs Committee unanimously approved the bill. Pressly noted that there was not one member from northwest Louisiana on that committee.

Like Pressly, the Chief Justice of the Louisiana Supreme Court, John Weimer, also opposes the new map. He was critical of the original plan submitted by several of his Supreme Court colleagues, which was almost identical to the map in HB 22.

In a letter to Governor Jeff Landry, Weimer complained that “The proposed redistricting plan creates polarization, rather than balance, which serves no one. We can and should do better.”

Weimer believes the new map creates districts which are “rambling, disconnected” and “grossly and oddly shaped.” He also noted that the new map “unnecessarily creates administrative issues” and violates state law, which mandates that districts maintain “communities of interest.”

The Chief Justice believes there have not been adequate public hearings on the new map and that there is “absolutely no need to rush through the process of redistricting in a special legislative session with a host of brand-new legislators.”

The legislative action is occurring due to a 2019 lawsuit by civil rights groups challenging the current map of Supreme Court districts. The case has been progressing through the courts, but, unlike the congressional districts, the legislators are not legally required to redraw the Supreme Court districts.

Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill is encouraging lawmakers to approve the new map to save the state $10 million in legal fees fighting the lawsuit. She said the lawsuit was settled and will go into effect if legislators approve the map. She called it a “win-win for everybody.”  But the truth is, the proposed map is far worse than present law.  Any reappointment of the Supreme Court should be constitutional and not engage in racial gerrymandering. This unconstitutional map will itself be challenged and cost the state a fortune defending an unconstitutional plan.

One good proposal is to elect all seven Supreme Court justices statewide, but that will become a political impossibility if this gerrymandered plan becomes law.

While the aims of adding another Black majority district and addressing the racial imbalance on the Supreme Court are understandable, this proposed solution has plenty of drawbacks as previously outlined. Also, as noted by journalist Greg Larose in the Louisiana Illuminator, the voting population is not equally divided in the seven districts. They range from “632,579 (1st District) to 696,440 (4th District).”

Unfortunately, the author of the legislation was forced to conduct severe gerrymandering to create another Black majority district. In a quest to solve one problem, a host of other problems were created that, overall, do not serve the interests of the people of Louisiana.

The legislation, HB 22, would have to be approved by two-thirds of the State Senate.  Ironically, the proposed district maps cannot be amended, as they are locked in by the call for the special session.  Passage by a two-thirds’ vote is a tall order for a very bad piece of legislation. It should not be approved.

Jeff Crouere is a native New Orleanian and his award-winning program, “Ringside Politics,” airs Saturdays from Noon until 1 p.m. CT nationally on Real America’s Voice TV Network & AmericasVoice.News and weekdays from 7-11 a.m. CT on WGSO 990-AM & Wgso.com. He is a political columnist, the author of America’s Last Chance and provides regular commentaries on the Jeff Crouere YouTube channel and on Crouere.net. For more information, email him at jcrouere@gmail.com.

The post CROUERE: A Supreme Challenge for Legislators appeared first on The Hayride.

On Wednesday, U.S. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY), the last of the Republican Party “Mc-Failures,” announced his retirement from his leadership position. As GOP Senate leader for 17 years, McConnell can boast of the longest tenure in congressional history.

He will vacate his party position this year, allowing for a new leader to take office in January of 2025, following an election among Senate Republicans. McConnell said he intends to continue serving in the U.S. Senate through the end of his term in January of 2027.

McConnell’s decision follows the removal of U.S. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) last year and the upcoming departure of Republican National Committee (RNC) Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel this week.

The three “Mc-Failures,” a term coined by Congressman Matt Gaetz (R-FL), needed to be replaced because of their mediocre performance and their lack of responsiveness to the dominant Make America Great Again (MAGA) base of the Republican Party.

Last October, House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) replaced McCarthy. While his tenure has been rocky, filled with multiple missteps, there is little doubt he is more conservative than his predecessor. He is also keenly aware of the dominance of the MAGA wing of the Republican Party.

Fortunately, Speaker Johnson has been holding the line against immediately passing an aid package for Ukraine. In a meeting at the White House with the President, Vice President and congressional leaders, Johnson was the only one insisting that a border security bill should be the top priority.

Following McDaniel’s resignation, a new RNC Chair will be elected on Thursday in Houston. The new RNC leader should be North Carolina RNC Chair Michael Whatley, who received the endorsement of President Donald Trump.

Trump was impressed by Whatley’s focus on “election integrity” issues in North Carolina. It was the only “swing state” that delivered their electoral votes to Trump in 2020. According to Trump, Whatley is “a man who’s going to watch the cheating.”

Whatley says he will “work around the clock to file aggressive litigation where needed” and “recruit and train tens of thousands of poll watchers and poll workers.” This is exactly what the MAGA base of the GOP wants to hear in anticipation of the all-important presidential election in November.

What makes the upcoming presidential election so important? For working-class Americans, the stakes have never been higher. Our country faces an open border, a poor economy, a declining military force, multiple wars overseas and renewed worries of nuclear conflict and annihilation.

Americans are economically suffering at home and our country’s reputation is being damaged abroad. The administration of President Joe Biden is both dangerously left-wing and incompetent, a noxious combination.

Fortunately, the American people have soured on the radical and misguided policies of President Biden. If the presidential election were held today, multiple polls show that Trump would be victorious over Biden.

In the latest New York Times/Siena College poll, Trump leads Biden 48-43% overall. Amazingly, the poll also indicates Trump holds a 46-40% lead over Biden among Hispanic voters, traditionally a key Democratic Party voting bloc.

Why are Hispanics turning against Biden and the Democrats? In an interview with Fox News, Campus Reform correspondent Pedro Rodriguez said “Under Biden’s leadership, leftist policies have hurt young Americans. Financial insecurity is among the highest it’s ever been with young Hispanics.”

Rodriguez believes that “Young Hispanics are going to flock behind the candidate they can support and champion working-class families, reduce inflation and pave the way for better economic and entrepreneurial opportunities here in the United States and not desecrate the American way of life.”

Unlike Democrats and establishment Republicans, President Trump speaks directly to the economic concerns of working-class Americans. His message is resonating with voters of all races and economic classes, but especially among those who are struggling under Biden’s economic policies.

Beginning with his 2015 presidential campaign announcement, Trump started the slow transformation of the Republican Party. His MAGA message sharply contrasted with the focus of many establishment Republicans on globalism, nation building, international wars, “free trade,” open borders and putting America “last.”

Trump’s “America First” message prevailed, and he won the GOP nomination in 2016 and 2020 and he will win it again this summer. Today, Trump’s philosophy is dominant among the activists and volunteers in the Republican Party, who are the base of the GOP.

It is time that Republican Senators chose a leader who agrees with these activists and the MAGA agenda.

Unfortunately, McConnell has been at odds with the MAGA movement and Trump from the day the President announced his campaign in 2015. In the beginning of McConnell’s tenure as Senate Republican leader, in 2007, his views were closely aligned with the GOP President George W. Bush. While the Republican Party has changed since then, McConnell has not, so his departure is necessary.

When President Trump is hopefully elected in November, he will need a Senate Republican leader, who will support his agenda. As U.S. Senator J.D. Vance (R-OH), told Fox News anchor Maria Bartiromo on Sunday Morning Futures, his Republican Senate colleagues must “use this leadership election to turn the page on Republican Senate leadership. You cannot have a Senate Republican leader who is far more obsessed with securing Ukraine’s border than he is focused on the American border. You can’t have a Senate Republican leader who seems to ooze hatred and dismay for the very people who vote most of the Republican elected leaders.”

Vance believes that the “base” of the GOP is filled with “good people” and the party “should be listening to them more than we do. But you can’t have another establishment politician who seems to dislike the people who actually vote for the Republican Party.”

He said the “focus” must be on “getting a Republican leader who I think is trusted by the broad majority of Republicans. That’s the most important thing. And that’s what’s actually going to help us win elections and govern.”

Well said Senator Vance, you are exactly right.

—

Jeff Crouere is a native New Orleanian and his award-winning program, “Ringside Politics,” airs Saturdays from Noon until 1 p.m. CT nationally on Real America’s Voice TV Network & AmericasVoice.News and weekdays from 7-11 a.m. CT on WGSO 990-AM & Wgso.com. He is a political columnist, the author of America’s Last Chance and provides regular commentaries on the Jeff Crouere YouTube channel and on Crouere.net. For more information, email him at jcrouere@gmail.com

The post CROUERE: GOP Leaders, Listen to Your Base appeared first on The Hayride.

Twice a year, Americans must change their clocks to adjust to standard or daylight-saving time. It is particularly painful in March to lose a precious hour of sleep, but the benefit is more sunlight in the evening hours.

To address this craziness, on Friday, U.S. Senator Ed Markey (D-MA) and U.S. Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL) reintroduced S.582, the “Sunshine Protection Act,” to make daylight-saving time permanent. In 2022, this bill to “lock the clock” passed the Senate but was stymied in the House of Representatives.

Rubio said the legislation would “end this stupid practice of changing our clocks back and forth.” According to Sen. Markey, “The antiquated biannual ritual of toggling between times isn’t just an inconvenience – it also has very real impacts on our economy, our energy consumption, and our health.”

A companion piece of legislation was also introduced in the House by U.S. Congressman Vern Buchanan (R-FL). He called the bi-annual clock adjustment “inconvenient,” “entirely unnecessary” and an “antiquated practice.”

Since 2015, 30 states have attempted to end the aggravating practice of clock changing. In 2022, Colorado passed a law allowing permanent daylight-saving time, but only if federal legislation allowed such a change.

How did this annoying practice of changing our clocks every few months get started? During World War I, over one hundred years ago, it was created as a way for the United States to save power and fuel and enhance the economy by spurring consumer shopping in the evening.

The practice was halted after World War I but was started again during World War II. The clock changing ritual became law in 1966 after the passage of the ‘Uniform Time Act.” This legislation allowed states to opt out of daylight-saving time, but not to abandon standard time.

Since then, two states, Arizona, and Hawaii, follow year-round standard time and do not have to change their clocks twice a year. Many Americans are rightly envious of their fellow citizens in these states who do not have to suffer through the “stupid” clock changing madness.

Sadly, the bi-annual clock adjustments have become an American tradition as we switch from standard time to daylight-saving time. The country will remain in daylight-saving time until the first Sunday of November when we “fall back” to standard time.

It has survived throughout the years despite intense opposition. In 2022, a CBS News/YouGov poll found that only 21% of Americans liked the current system of switching between standard time and daylight-saving time every few months. The poll found that 46% of Americans prefer year-round daylight-saving time, while 33% opted for standard time year-round.

This opposition is understandable as few Americans want to lose an hour of sleep. Americans already do not sleep enough, and the time change makes the sleep deficit even worse. It is also difficult for people to get their “body clocks” adjusted to the change. Experts note that the adjustment may take days, weeks or even months for some people.

It is much better to “fall back” in November and gain an hour of sleep versus “spring forward” and lose an hour of sleep in March. However, any change to our “body clocks,” can result in severe health problems.

According to Phyllis Zee, M.D. PhD., Chief of Sleep Medicine, Department of Neurology, Northwestern Medicine, transitioning to daylight-saving time is “associated with adverse health consequences.” Zee noted that “Off-kilter sleep can affect people’s ability to multitask, stay alert and even maintain their balance, making them more prone to accidents.”

The negative health consequences were verified in a 2008 study conducted by the New England Journal of Medicine, which identified an increase in heart attacks in the three days following the implementation of daylight-saving time. Other health issues include a 6% increase in fatal car accidents, an 8% increase in strokes, and an 11% rise in “depressive episodes.”

In 2009, a study was done by researchers at Michigan State University for the Journal of Applied Psychology. It noted that daylight-saving time also led to added workplace injuries.

The arguments for permanent daylight-saving time include more sunlight hours in the evening, allowing for increased exercise and entertainment activities. Those who prefer year-round standard time like the daylight in the early morning hours, especially for those families with young children in school.

In addition, permanent standard time would align our schedule with the “sun’s day and night cycle.” Dr. Zee believes, “If we adopt permanent standard time, our internal clocks will more likely be in sync with the rotation of the Earth, seasonal changes and the sun clock.”

Either standard or daylight-saving time should be made permanent because interrupting our sleep schedules is both unnecessary and harmful to our health.

However, the last time the country experimented with permanent daylight-saving time, it was cut short. In 1974, Congress voted to end permanent daylight-saving time because of concerns from parents that traffic accidents would increase in the early morning hours as young drivers commuted to school in the dark.

Since then, the mood of the country has clearly changed as approximately 450 bills have been introduced in state legislatures to switch to permanent daylight-saving time if Congress passes a bill allowing such a change. This issue also has the support of President Trump. In 2019, he tweeted, “Making Daylight Saving Time permanent is O.K. with me!”

It is now incumbent on the American people to contact their member of Congress and demand support for the “Sunshine Protection Act.” Hopefully, this bill, with the strong endorsements of the American people, will pass Congress.

Thereafter, it will move to the President Joe Biden’s desk, where it will need to be signed before becoming law. Currently, Biden has not announced a position on the legislation.

It is time for common sense to prevail and for this legislation to become the law in our country. This is a rare issue that can unite an overwhelming majority of Americans, but to succeed, we need to make our voices heard on Capitol Hill.

Jeff Crouere is a native New Orleanian and his award-winning program, “Ringside Politics,” airs Saturdays from Noon until 1 p.m. CT nationally on Real America’s Voice TV Network & AmericasVoice.News and weekdays from 7-11 a.m. CT on WGSO 990-AM & Wgso.com. He is a political columnist, the author of America’s Last Chance and provides regular commentaries on the Jeff Crouere YouTube channel and on Crouere.net. For more information, email him at jcrouere@gmail.com.

The post CROUERE: Americans Are Tired Of Changing Their Clocks appeared first on The Hayride.

With a failed President and the future of the country in jeopardy, the Republican Party should be united and focused on one objective, victory in November. Unfortunately, instead of uniting behind the platform of the party and heeding the wishes of grassroots Republicans, the GOP is amid turmoil again.

After the 2022 midterm election, the Republican Party regained control of the House of Representatives for the first time in four years. While the party only enjoyed a slim 222-213 majority over the Democrats, it was enough to direct legislative agendas and the investigations of House committees.

Sadly, that House majority has been dwindling ever since the Republican Party gained power. It seems that some House Republicans are intent on losing their majority and giving complete control of Congress to the Democrats.

For example, it was utterly foolish for the Republicans to relinquish a House seat and expel Congressman George Santos (R-NY) after he was indicted for conspiracy, credit card fraud, wire fraud and other charges. Of course, Santos may be a horrible criminal and liar, but he has not been convicted. Every person deserves a chance to mount a defense, state their case and refute the charges.

Santos should have been given an opportunity to challenge the charges in court. If he was to be expelled it should have been by his voters, if that was their desire, in the next election. Instead, after he was removed, his congressional seat was filled by a Democrat who won the special election.

Regarding Democrats, they would never have expelled Santos if he was a member of their party. Thus, it is no surprise that Democrats have not expelled U.S. Senator Robert Menendez (D-NJ), who has been charged with wire fraud, extortion, and bribery among other charges. No wonder so many people refer to the GOP as “The Stupid Party.”

Along with booting Santos, five Republican members of Congress announced their retirement early in this term, but only one representative had a legitimate reason. Congressman Chris Stewart (R-UT) resigned to tend to his “wife’s health concerns.” Of course, taking care of an ill spouse always takes precedence over a political position, so Stewart had his priorities in the right order. Fortunately, his seat was filled by another Republican, Congresswoman Celeste Maloy(R-UT).

None of the other four Republicans who quit their positions early had a compelling reason. Representative Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) resigned because he was angry about losing his House Speaker position. Upon leaving, he said he wanted to “serve America in new ways;” but it was an abdication of his responsibilities to his constituents, and it resulted in the scheduling of a special election on May 21.

Representative Bill Johnson (R-OH) left his congressional seat to take a position as President of Youngstown State University. He should have declined the position or told the university that he would be unavailable until after his term ended. His departure will force another special election to be held on June 11.

Congressman Ken Buck (R-CO) announced his resignation earlier this month. It was effective on Friday. He gave no justifiable reason for leaving other than his frustration with his colleagues. Buck said the last year was “the worst” of his career. He said he planned to take another job “I want to go do.” Yet, he quit the job he already had, forcing a June 25 special election.

The latest resignation occurred last week when Congressman Mike Gallagher (R-WI) announced his intention to vacate his seat. He said he was “proud” of his work in Congress but gave no reason for his resignation.

He intends to officially resign on April 19, after the deadline for a special election. According to Wisconsin law, if the resignation would have occurred prior to 2^nd Tuesday in April (9^th), there would have been a special election scheduled.

Instead, by making his resignation effective April 19, Gallagher will prevent a special election for his district, thereby giving his constituents no representation for the remainder of the year.

His decision outraged Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA). She called it “intentional, purposeful, and puts our entire majority at risk.” Greene believes he should be “expelled” early so a special election can be held in Wisconsin.

Once Gallagher officially leaves, the House Republican majority will shrink to a tiny 217-213 margin. Currently, there are five House vacancies, but only four special elections scheduled since Gallagher’s seat will remain vacant. If Democrats win the four special elections, there will be a tie in Congress, with both parties controlling 217 seats.

While Democrats support destructive policies that are extremely harmful to the nation, their congressional members do not self-destruct like their GOP colleagues. Why are these Republican members quitting?

Some moderate members are still upset at the removal of House Speaker McCarthy. Others may want to cause problems for President Trump. In fact, 21 House Republican members have announced their intention to leave at the end of their current term. For many of them, good riddance, but at least they have committed to finishing their term.

The rumor is that several more House Republicans will announce their decision to leave Congress before the end of their term. If this happens, it will practically ensure that Democrats take control of the House of Representatives before the fall election.

There should be a requirement that every member of Congress who leaves office early, without a legitimate reason involving their health or family, be forced to pay for the costs of a special election. This will encourage representatives to finish their term. Quitting in Congress is unacceptable on a variety of levels, but, most importantly, it is a betrayal to constituents who supported the representative.

Whether it is hatred of House conservatives or President Trump, decisions to quit are unjustified and should be condemned by all Republicans. The stakes are too high for our country to allow personal grievances to give control to Democrats, who have been so destructive to America.

Jeff Crouere is a native New Orleanian and his award-winning program, “Ringside Politics,” airs Saturdays from Noon until 1 p.m. CT nationally on Real America’s Voice TV Network & AmericasVoice.News and weekdays from 7-11 a.m. CT on WGSO 990-AM & Wgso.com. He is a political columnist, the author of America’s Last Chance and provides regular commentaries on the Jeff Crouere YouTube channel and on Crouere.net. For more information, email him at jcrouere@gmail.com.

The post CROUERE: The Vanishing Of The House GOP Majority appeared first on The Hayride.

On Thursday night, President Joe Biden joined former Presidents Barack Obama and Bill Clinton at a glitzy New York City fundraiser. The event raised over $26 million from 5,000 donors, breaking campaign records. The spokesperson for President Donald Trump’s campaign, Steven Cheung, called the attendees “elitist, out-of-touch celebrity benefactors.”

At the event, Obama boasted that Biden deserves another term because he has “done an outstanding job.” While Clinton claimed that Biden has “been good for America and he deserves another term.”

Of course, no one at the event asked Obama if Biden’s “outstanding job,” included an open border, an understaffed military, record drug overdose deaths, a world with multiple wars raging, the embarrassing withdrawal of our forces from Afghanistan,  and Bidenomics inflicting immense financial pain on millions of Americans.

In addition, no one asked Clinton if persistently high inflation, elevated interest rates, falling real wages, surging gasoline prices and spiking grocery costs have been “good for America.” He was also not asked if forcing Americans to purchase electric vehicles and adopt a radical “green agenda” that is exorbitantly expensive is why he “deserves another term.”

All the Democrat Presidents blasted Trump, the GOP’s presumptive presidential nominee. Biden warned that “our democracy is at stake” and claimed that Trump denied “global warming” and wanted to eliminate abortion rights. He said, “We’re at an inflection point in history.”

On that issue, Biden is right, the 2024 election is an “inflection point” for America. Either our country continues with the destructive Biden policies or turns back toward the “Make America Great Again” (MAGA) agenda of President Trump.

When Trump left office, there was low inflation, low interest rates, peace abroad, a strong military and a secure border. Today, chaos reigns in the United States and abroad, compliments of Joe Biden.

While Biden was hobnobbing with “celebrity benefactors,” President Trump was paying his respects to the family of New York Police Officer Jonathan Diller, who was killed in the line of duty last Monday.

Trump attended Diller’s wake, met privately with his grieving widow, Stephanie, prayed with family members, signed a mass card, and even hugged the officer’s grandmother. It was Trump at his finest, showing his concern for the wellbeing of fellow Americans and his compassion for those in suffering.

Trump was accompanied by Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman, who noted that the President’s visit was “a tremendous comfort to the family.” Blakeman said that Trump engaged the Diller family in “a really good, warm conversation.” He said the discussion was focused on “Jon and what kind of person he was as a father, son, husband.”

This is the man that millions of Americans support with unabashed fervor. At the wake, dozens of Trump supporters lined the streets, with many of them proudly waving the American Flag.

After the wake, Trump addressed the media and indicated his support for law enforcement, decrying the violence against police and calling for “law and order.” Diller’s suspected murderer, Guy Rivera, had been previously arrested 21 times, according to the New York Post. Trump posted on social media that Rivera was a “thug,” who “NEVER should have been let back out on the streets.”

While Trump was paying his respects and visiting with the Diller family, Biden refused to even call the officer’s widow. When asked about contacting the Diller family, Biden’s Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre admitted that there were “no private communications” to share with the media.

This is reminiscent of the way Biden handled the tragedy of the murder of nursing student Laken Riley by an illegal immigrant. At his State of the Union address, Biden called the victim “Lincoln Riley,” and admitted she was killed by an “illegal.” In a subsequent interview, Biden apologized for using the word “illegal,” but did not apologize for calling Laken Riley the wrong name.

He showed more concern for the killer than he did for the victim. In contrast, President Trump met with Laken Riley’s family, expressed his sincere condolences, and has referred to her in numerous speeches.

The differences between Trump and Biden were also on display in the aftermath of the massive train derailment in East Palestine, Ohio. Soon thereafter, President Trump visited the region to support the victims and express concern for their health. The accident spilled hazardous chemicals and is being blamed for a variety of health problems. Area residents are also worried about the long-term effects of exposure to the dangerous chemicals.

It took Biden more than a year to visit the area. In fact, the visit was so delayed that the city’s Mayor, Trent Conaway, said it was “long awaited.” He had frequently expressed his “frustration” that it had taken so long for Biden to visit. In an interview with NPR, Conaway gave his reasons for writing a letter to Biden inviting him to come to the city.

He said, “You need to see what’s going on here…see for yourself that…you do have residents that are concerned about their future. And the leader of the free world should step up and say, hey, we’re going to help take care of you.”

Despite Biden’s visit to his city, Conaway said, “Do I support the president? No. Would I vote for the man again? No.”

The Mayor of East Palestine, the Riley family, the Diller family, and millions of Americans understand which President is concerned about their plight. President Trump has a heart for the American people, who support his MAGA agenda. In contrast, elitists, who overwhelmingly endorse Biden, are terrified of another Trump term.

Biden is more comfortable with leftist donors and harebrained celebrities than he is with average Americans. At his fundraiser, he wore sunglasses to adopt his “Dark Brandon” persona, which reflects his antipathy toward Americans who are angry about his policies.

In effect, Biden does not care, but hopefully this will change in November if enough Americans arise and vote him out of an office he does not deserve to hold.

Jeff Crouere is a native New Orleanian and his award-winning program, “Ringside Politics,” airs Saturdays from Noon until 1 p.m. CT nationally on Real America’s Voice TV Network & AmericasVoice.News and weekdays from 7-11 a.m. CT on WGSO 990-AM & Wgso.com. He is a political columnist, the author of America’s Last Chance and provides regular commentaries on the Jeff Crouere YouTube channel and on Crouere.net. For more information, email him at jcrouere@gmail.com.

The post CROUERE: Trump Pays His Respects While Biden Displays Disrespect appeared first on The Hayride.

Caitlin Clark, the Iowa basketball superstar, has broken a multitude of scoring records this year. Her success has also led to record-breaking viewership for women’s college basketball on ESPN. In fact, Iowa’s victory against the University of Connecticut in the Final Four semi-final was the highest rated basketball game of all-time on ESPN.

Because of her incredible success, Clark and her Iowa teammates have become America’s team this year. However, another reason for Iowa’s popularity is their reverence for “The Star-Spangled Banner.”

Prior to their highly anticipated rematch with the LSU Tigers last Monday night, Iowa players were on the basketball court holding hands and singing the national anthem. While Iowa’s players were honoring their country, LSU players were in the locker room, as they have been for every game this season and for last year’s national championship game.

Unfortunately, LSU Women’s Basketball Coach Kim Mulkey claimed she was unaware of when the national anthem was performed. According to Mulkey, “Honestly, I don’t even know when the anthem was played. We have a routine where the team comes off the court at the 12-minute mark and we do our pregame stuff. I’m sorry, listen, that’s nothing intentionally done.”

Her response was not well received by Louisiana’s new Republican Governor, Jeff Landry. He tweeted, “My mother coached women’s high school basketball during the height of desegregation, no one has a greater respect for the sport and for Coach Mulkey… above respect for that game is a deeper respect for those that serve to protect us and unite us under one flag!”

Landry also tweeted his proposal to solve this problem, “It is time that all college boards, including Regent, put a policy in place that student athletes be present for the national anthem or risk their athletic scholarship! This is a matter of respect that all collegiate coaches should instill.”

On Tuesday, Landry sent a letter to the state’s Board of Regents asking them to design new policies mandating that student-athletes show respect for the national anthem. If not, the Governor wants their athletic scholarships revoked.

Landry wrote, “By choosing to miss the National Anthem, the basketball team showed a lack of respect not only for the values of our country, but for the individuals who hold these values dear in our State and across the country.”

Note to athletes, displaying respect for our country is more important than any game or sport. Yet, the problem is much deeper than just the LSU Women’s basketball team. As observed by Baton Rouge sports journalist Chessa Bouche, neither the LSU football team nor the men’s basketball team have been “out” for the national anthem throughout the year. She tweeted, “This wasn’t a one-time incident.”

Fortunately, LSU football coach Brian Kelly said that he would be willing to change his pregame procedure to show respect for “The Star-Spangled Banner.” In an interview with The Advertiser, Kelly said, “If our administration wants us out there for the national anthem, we’re going to stand proudly for the national anthem.”

Coach Kelly, it is not just your “administration” that expects your team to show respect for your country, it is your fans, your alumni, the proud veterans who live in Louisiana and the 4.6 million citizens of the state.  Louisiana is a very patriotic state with citizens who love their country and proudly show their patriotism. All athletes lucky enough to represent Louisiana should show the same level of patriotism toward our country.

Kelly noted that in “33 years” as a coach, he has only been on the field for the national anthem a few times. Kelly has coached for several different universities, so the disrespecting of the national anthem is a widespread problem across college athletics.

For example, neither of the other teams in the Women’s “Elite Eight” basketball game last Monday night, the University of Connecticut, nor the University of Southern California, were on the court for the national anthem.

The disrespecting of the national anthem is nothing new; however, it intensified in 2016 when the antics of NFL Quarterback Colin Kaepernick were noticed by the media. He made headlines for sitting, then kneeling as the national anthem was performed.

Kaepernick said his actions were in protest of “police brutality” and “social injustice.” To show his ignorance, Kaepernick wore a t-shirt honoring Cuban dictator Fidel Castro, a mass murderer, and socks depicting police officers as “pigs.”

Today, Kaepernick is a full-time social justice warrior and is no longer an NFL player. General Managers have correctly analyzed Kaepernick as a quarterback with some talent, but as a divisive force who would be disruptive to any team.

Now that Kaepernick is no longer an active player, athletes at all levels, collegiate and professional, should return to paying respects to the country that has given them so much fame, fortune, and opportunity. Standing in attention for “The Star-Spangled Banner” is not a major sacrifice. It should be incorporated into the pregame preparations for every team. In fact, respecting our country’s symbols and traditions should be the most important pregame preparation for any athlete.

As Governor Landry said in a Fox News interview, college athletes should “respect the flag” and “respect” our military who “go out there and protect us.” To do otherwise is “disrespectful in and of itself.”

Landry stated that athletes who “don’t like it, well, guess what? You don’t have to play the sport.” The Governor is right, it is a privilege to represent Louisiana as an athlete, and, in return, it is expected that respect for our country be displayed.

Landry continued, “it’s unfortunate that LSU was not there at that…time. Iowa was on the field…highlighted the…problem. And what we’re going to do is work in Louisiana. Say, ‘Listen,’ college athletes need to understand that in order to be truly united, in order to truly have civics and civility, we all need to be united under one flag and respect that anthem.” Well said Governor.

Jeff Crouere is a native New Orleanian and his award-winning program, “Ringside Politics,” airs Saturdays from Noon until 1 p.m. CT nationally on Real America’s Voice TV Network & AmericasVoice.News and weekdays from 7-11 a.m. CT on WGSO 990-AM & Wgso.com. He is a political columnist, the author of America’s Last Chance and provides regular commentaries on the Jeff Crouere YouTube channel and on Crouere.net. For more information, email him at jcrouere@gmail.com.

The post CROUERE: The National Anthem Is More Important Than Any Game appeared first on The Hayride.

After 39 months of the Biden presidency, the world is in total chaos. The southern border of our country is porous and millions of individuals from around the world have descended on our country.

These “undocumented migrants” include terrorists, drug dealers and intelligence agents of countries such as our enemy, China. It should alarm every American that 22,233 Chinese nationals have illegally entered the United States since the beginning of the fiscal year in October. If this rate continues, this year’s total will easily top the 24,125 Chinese nationals who illegally entered the country last year.

There has been an astounding 6,300% increase in the number of Chinese nationals illegally entering the country in the last few years. Since China is a communist nation, these individuals are not freely traveling to the United States for a “better life.” U.S. Senator Roger Marshall (R-KS) believes the influx is due to “the direction of the CCP (Chinese Communist Party)” and it involves “espionage” as well as “stealing military and economic secrets.”

Last year, China sent a spy balloon over our country, and it was not shot down until it completed its trek across many states. In addition, Chinese investors are buying American farmland for nefarious reasons, and it was confirmed that China operated “police stations” in the United States to monitor their citizens in our country.

China is constantly threatening Taiwan and their other neighbors while building up their military forces. Their proxy state, North Korea, has started regularly testing long-range ballistic missiles that concern their neighboring countries.

Ukraine is in the third year of a bitter war with Russia. Last year, a United States report estimated that the total number of injuries and deaths in the war neared 500,000. There is no end in sight to the war as no peace talks are planned and the United States Congress is on the verge of allocating more military aid to Ukraine.

On October 7, Israel was invaded by Hamas resulting in the death of 1,200 innocent people. It was the deadliest attack on Israel since its founding in 1948. Hamas abducted over 240 hostages and 129 have not been returned home. These hostages either remain in captivity or are already deceased.

As Israel has responded to the Hamas invasion by sending military forces into Gaza, many Democrats have been critical. Sadly, innocent civilians have been killed in the conflict, but how can a nation survive with a terrorist organization operating on its border?

To further strengthen their security, on April 1, Israel bombed the Iranian embassy in Damascus, Syria. Among the seven officials killed in the airstrike were Iranian Brig. Gen. Mohammad Reza Zahedi, who helped plan the October 7 massacre in Israel.

To retaliate for this strike, Iran launched over 300 drones and missiles into Israel on Saturday. Fortunately, almost all the strikes were intercepted by Israeli forces, with help from the United States, Jordan, and other countries.

As the world waits to see if the Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will respond to this attack, the Iranians are continuing to issue threats. In an interview on their state TV network, Iranian Major General Mohammad Bagheri said, “Our response will be much larger than tonight’s military action if Israel retaliates against Iran.”

It is being widely reported by Axios, CNN and other media outlets that President Joe Biden is urging Netanyahu not to respond and, if he does, the United States will not be involved. This response is disturbing to U.S. Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL), who believes the world is witnessing the most dangerous period for the Middle East since 1973. He said, “What I don’t understand is why Joe Biden and the administration would leak to the media the contents of a conversation in which he tells Netanyahu he doesn’t think that Netanyahu should respond at all. It is the continuing part of the public game they are playing which frankly encourages Iran and Hezbollah.”

Biden has also encouraged Iran by relaxing our economic sanctions, which allowed additional oil revenue to flow into their coffers. This led to their renewed financial support for terrorist organizations like Hamas. Without Iran’s generous backing, Hamas would not have been able to launch their deadly October 7 attack against Israel.

Not content to allow Iran to prosper from oil sales, Biden also released $16 billion in funds for Iran, partially for the return of six American hostages. Terror regimes should never be rewarded for taking hostages, but this is exactly what happened by the Biden administration’s unwise decision.

As the world deals with multiple international wars and unprecedented chaos in the Middle East, it is useful to remember what was happening when Donald Trump was our President.

Trump advocated the doctrine of “peace through strength” and it certainly worked as the United States was not involved in any wars during his term. During his presidency, the southern border was secure and, unlike the crisis today, our military recruitment levels were strong.

While Trump was President, China was restrained, and North Korea was engaged in diplomatic summits with the United States, not saber rattling.

Instead of wars raging internationally, there was peace abroad. Russia did not invade Ukraine, due to their concern about Trump’s response. As President, Trump dealt harshly with the Russians, blocking the completion of the Nord Stream 2 pipeline, while arming Ukraine with Javelin missiles.

While he opened the door to diplomatic negotiations and was not opposed to meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin, Trump never appeased him.

In the Middle East, Trump placed tough sanctions on Iran and negotiated four peace deals for Israel, known as the Abraham Accords. This established diplomatic relations between Israel and four Arab nations: Bahrain, United Arab Emirates, Sudan, and Morocco. Trump should have been awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for this achievement.

With an increasing number of dangerous international calamities on the horizon, the world needs the peacemaker Donald Trump back in the White House more than ever.

Jeff Crouere is a native New Orleanian and his award-winning program, “Ringside Politics,” airs Saturdays from Noon until 1 p.m. CT nationally on Real America’s Voice TV Network & AmericasVoice.News and weekdays from 7-11 a.m. CT on WGSO 990-AM & Wgso.com. He is a political columnist, the author of America’s Last Chance and provides regular commentaries on the Jeff Crouere YouTube channel and on Crouere.net. For more information, email him at jcrouere@gmail.com.

The post CROUERE: The World Needs Peacemaker Trump Again appeared first on The Hayride.

It has happened again, a once promising Republican House Speaker has turned into a “Deep State” operative. Yes, House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA), has followed in the footsteps of former Republican House Speakers John Boehner, Paul Ryan, and Kevin McCarthy.

All these former House speakers were once labeled “conservatives,” but after assuming the top position in Congress, their policies changed, resulting in grassroots anger. Unfortunately, none of these House Speakers cared about hard working Americans, both Republicans and Democrats. Instead, they were far more concerned about doing the bidding of the “Deep State.”

Sadly, the same thing has happened to the current House Speaker. According to exiled whistleblower and former National Security Agency contractor Edward Snowden, Johnson’s change of heart is due to “a textbook case of Congressional capture.” He tweeted, “With a single briefing, the intelligence agencies routinely transform their most strident critics into the tamest of cheerleaders.”

At one time, Johnson was regarded as a staunch supporter of the “Make America Great Again” (MAGA) movement. In fact, his nickname was “MAGA Mike.” His lifetime Heritage Action voting record was 90%, but, in this session of Congress, it has plummeted to 53%.

As House Speaker, Johnson supported the horrific omnibus spending bill, which fully funded the Department of Justice and the FBI, which has been weaponized against President Donald Trump and MAGA supporters. He was the deciding vote in extending FISA powers, allowing our intelligence services to spy on Americans without a warrant.

Previously, Johnson had railed against omnibus spending bills and extending FISA surveillance powers, but, in a stunning twist, his positions changed as House Speaker.

In his latest betrayal, Johnson supported a $95 billion aid package for Taiwan, Israel, and Ukraine. The bulk of the package, $61 billion, was targeted to assist Ukraine fend off the Russian invasion, which began in February of 2022.

Previously, the United States has authorized $113 billion for Ukraine, more than the rest of the world combined. Once again, Johnson had previously opposed such funding. He also vowed to make sure that our border was secure before sending billions of dollars to secure the border of another country.

Sadly, on Saturday, with the help of Democrats and a minority of his Republican colleagues, Johnson rammed through the foreign aid package, which supported other countries, while providing zero assistance to our Border Patrol.

The spectacle disgusted Brandon Judd, President of the National Border Patrol Council. He told Bill Melugin of Fox News, “We are beyond disappointed that the House would give aid to secure the borders of foreign countries but gave nothing to allow the Border Patrol to secure the safety of the United States. There’s nothing more backwards.”

In the raucous aftermath of the vote, Democrats celebrated the passage of the foreign aid package and the exclusion of border funding by waving Ukrainian flags on the House floor. This disgusting display just reinforced the feeling of many Americans that Congress is more concerned about foreign nations than American citizens.

At least some Republicans in Congress denounced this outrageous exhibition. U.S. Senator Rand Paul (R-KY) tweeted, “Ukrainian flags fly in the chamber of the UNITED STATES House of Representatives as they vote to send more of your hard-earned money to a corrupt foreign regime. And just like that they shout “UKRAINE! UKRAINE!” while happily working to secure Ukraine’s borders, not ours.”

Congressman Thomas Massie (R-KY) also condemned the Ukrainian flag celebration, referring to it as “the U.S. House of Representatives under the direction of Speaker Mike Johnson. Democrats are celebrating his total capitulation with no victory for securing our border.”

The optics of the Ukrainian flag waving was so nauseating that Congresswoman Kat Cammack (R-FL) promised to introduce legislation to prohibit such displays in the future. Referring to the House floor, Cammack tweeted, “If there is one room in our country that should only have the American flag present, it is this room.”

There were 101 Republicans who supported Ukrainian aid while 112 Republicans opposed the expensive package. Even though the majority of House Republicans dissented, Johnson ensured its passage. Resisting the will of most of his Republican colleagues, and millions of  GOP activists nationwide, has become a hallmark of Johnson’s tenure as House Speaker.

By supporting legislation that most Republicans oppose, Johnson is walking on thin ice politically. When Congress returns from their latest recess, U.S. Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) could proceed with her “motion to vacate.”

She tweeted,  “Mike Johnson betrayed America once again. After doing nothing to secure America’s Southern border, reauthorizing FISA to spy on the American people without a warrant, fully funding Joe Biden’s DOJ that has indicted President Trump 91 times and giving Biden’s political gestapo a brand-new FBI building bigger than the Pentagon, Speaker Johnson just sent $61 billion to fund the proxy war against Russia in Ukraine. House Republicans and the American people would be stronger without his disloyalty and betrayal of his principles. Now it’s time for my colleagues to go home and hear from their constituents. We need a new Speaker of the House!”

Greene knows that Republicans will give their representatives an earful about this debacle. It could motivate more of them to support her motion. However, even if many Republicans favor her efforts to remove Johnson, the Democrats could very well save him.

For example, Congressman Gerry Connolly (D-VA) agreed with Johnson on the Ukraine aid package and condemned House Republicans who opposed the legislation. He said that “Some say…deal with our border first. The Ukrainian-Russian border is our border!” He tweeted, “we must stand shoulder to shoulder with our Ukrainian brothers and sisters.”

What about our American “brothers and sisters” who live in border states like Texas? Do we care that they are being overrun by millions of noncitizens and the invasion has spread nationwide?

Tragically, for Connolly, Johnson and other “Deep State” operatives in Congress, foreign wars take precedence over the needs of the American people.

Jeff Crouere is a native New Orleanian and his award-winning program, “Ringside Politics,” airs Saturdays from Noon until 1 p.m. CT nationally on Real America’s Voice TV Network & AmericasVoice.News and weekdays from 7-11 a.m. CT on WGSO 990-AM & Wgso.com. He is a political columnist, the author of America’s Last Chance and provides regular commentaries on the Jeff Crouere YouTube channel and on Crouere.net. For more information, email him at jcrouere@gmail.com.

The post CROUERE: Meet the New Boss, Mike Johnson, Same as the Old Boss appeared first on The Hayride.