Liberty & Prosperity Blog

It's impossible to take this NYTimes-Siena Poll seriously. After looking at the poll's findings, I checked my calendar to see if it wasn't April 1, not Oct. 31. The way that I'm treating the NYTimes' fake poll is by promising to round up as many right-thinking neighbors as possible, then heading to vote. Democrats are obviously incapable of telling the truth so it's time to punish them for their dishonesty. I'd think of this as the political equivalent of washing their mouth out with soap. But I digress. Let's talk about the poll's artificial findings, starting with Pennsylvania. The NYTimes's post-debate poll shows Lt. Gov. Fetterman with a 6-point lead. Please don't treat me like this is a re-reading of Alice in Wonderland. People didn't watch that debate, then say 'this guy isn't fit to pass a 5th-grade reading test. Let's make him a U.S. Senator.' It'd be one thing if one of these states showed a significant jump....

Yesterday. I wrote this post  about the Strib endorsing Tim Walz for Governor. In their editorial, the Strib cited Gov. Walz's "steady leadership" during difficult times. That's a fantasy. Tim Walz didn't lead during the COVID crisis. He was the portrait of an authoritarian. Gov. Walz didn't provide "steady leadership" during the George Floyd Riots, either. (It's impossible to lead when you're AWOL for the first 72 hrs.) Tim Walz isn't a leader. He's the opposite of a leader, in fact. After getting conditionally promoted to Command Sergeant Major in the National Guard, aka CSM, Walz didn't stick around to get properly promoted to CSM. That's because he 'retired' from the National Guard when he found out that he wasn't getting a cushy office job in Europe. Instead, he found out that his platoon was getting deployed to Iraq. I guess that's proof that when the going gets rugged, Tim Walz disappears. That's def...

Proving yet again that the Star Tribune Editorial Page should only be used for lining the bottom of bird cages or wrapping fish in, the Strib Editorial Page endorsed Tim Walz for re-election. The Strib didn't focus on Tim Walz's mistakes. Instead, they initially highlighted the difficult tasks he faced. The Strib wrote "A little over a year into his first term, Minnesota Democrat Tim Walz, 58, drew one of the tougher assignments among U.S. governors. A lethal pandemic with no known vaccine or treatment was marching across the globe. Months later, a Minneapolis police officer murdered George Floyd by kneeling on his neck for nine long minutes as a crowd watched helplessly." Then they continued, saying "In dealing with Floyd's death, which set off riots and protests that echoed around the world, and fighting a pandemic, Walz had a handicap few other governors faced: He was leading one of the very few states with divided government." First, saying that Wal...

Friday night, the Almanac roundtable debated Friday's noon debate between beleaguered Tim Walz and Dr. Scott Jensen. DFL analyst Abou Amara stuck to the DFL's talking points that Minnesota is fine under Gov. Tim Walz's leadership. Amara, like Gov. Walz, said that Dr. Jensen has a dark vision of Minnesota. The first flashpoint in the debate came when Gov. Walz accused Dr. Jensen of quitting the Minnesota legislature. Dr. Jensen replied that he left because his wife needed extensive medical care. Then Dr. Jensen replied that Gov. Walz quit the National Guard, a reference to the fact that Gov. Walz left the National Guard instead of deploying to Iraq. Amara insists that middle-aged women are a major part of suburban women. Further, he insists that these women will tip the election to Walz. That's possible but unknown at this point. Andy Brehm, representing the Republicans, stated that suburban voters care about crime, inflation and education, too. In fact, Brehm said that...

It seems like Republicans are teased with the possibility of winning a statewide race every 2 years. This year, it seemed more likely that the MnGOP streak might end, though few people outside the Jensen-Birk campaign thought that their campaign would be the ticket to end that streak. Apparently, the Republican Governors Association, aka RGA, thinks that the Jensen-Birk ticket has a legitimate shot at victory . According to the article, "For perspective, an estimated $22 million is expected to be spent on political ads in Minnesota from now until Election Day. But RGA’s $750,000 is likely the largest outside contribution to help Jensen this cycle. RGA plans to send in Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds for a campaign rally and fundraiser for Jensen on Monday." The article continues, saying "Jensen was also endorsed by former President Donald Trump Tuesday night. 'As this campaign takes the lead in the polls, I expect many individuals and organizations to ride the momentum and en...

Not Your Parent’s Healthcare  A Warning to Boomers and Their Children October 24, 2022 Reflections of John W. Palmer, a Baby Boomer Writing this missive was not something on my agenda a week ago. A week ago, my digestive system was in turmoil. When healthcare was sought to calm my stomach, another kind of turmoil was uncovered. My health status is not what this reflection is about. The reflection is on how the response of the so-called healthcare system attempting to serve greater St. Cloud, MN performed on three cases that occurred on three successive days last week. Boomers’ life experiences associated with their health and healthcare over the past 60 to 75 years have been positive. When they got sick or were injured prompt medical services were rendered. Waiting for hours, days or months was considered outside acceptable practice. Many things have changed over the Boomers' lives. Many of the changes were reflected in improvements health outcomes but in recent years, the changes ...

When historians write about John Fetterman's Senate campaign, they'll note that October 25, 2022 was the unofficial finish of John Fetterman's campaign. John Fetterman's performance in Tuesday night's debate was that terrible. Axios won't be mistaken as a conservative newspaper anytime soon. Their article is fair without pulling their punches. Fox News is often characterized as a conservative website. Their article  accurately quoted Fetterman's reply on fracking accurately. The moderator asked Fetterman to explain his flip-flop on fracking. That's when Fetterman's problems became obvious to everyone watching. Fetterman replied "I do support fracking, and I don’t, I don’t — I support fracking, and I stand, and I do support fracking." That stands in stark contrast with Fetterman's past statements on fracking. During his 2016 Senate run, Fetterman "supported a complete moratorium on fracking in the state, according to an April 2016 ...

It's apparent that Lt. Gov. John Fetterman, (D-PA), is attempting to lower expectations ahead of tonight's debate against Dr. Oz. According to this article , the Fetterman campaign is saying "The memo is hilarious, telling media that they want to 'be clear' that 'Dr. Oz has been a professional TV personality for the last two decades' and 'this isn't John's format.'" Who cares whether this is Fetterman's preferred format or whether he prefers having his wife speak for him? That's a trivial matter comparatively speaking. The Oz campaign is making it clear that they intend on focusing on what's important with Pennsylvania's voters. This NYPost article highlights Fetterman's inherent weakness, saying "Oz ... has managed to surge in the polls by hammering the twin issues of a slumping economy and rising crime in the state — in addition to raising concern about Fetterman’s health." This TV segment from the scene...

Forget about everything you're reading about the KSTP debate between Keith Ellison and Jim Schultz. In fact, forget everything you're hearing about Almanac's AG debate, too. If you take nothing else away from this weekend's debates, know that Keith Ellison isn't in the habit of telling the truth. Putting it differently, Keith Ellison repeatedly told a whopper about the defund the police movement. During Sunday night's debate, GOP AG candidate Jim Schultz said "He got behind dismantling Minnesota’s largest police force. That is deeply, deeply wrong." Ellison replied "The reality is, we need reform. We need reform because we need to build trust." The article continues, saying "Ellison argued that while he supported the ballot initiative, he does not support defunding the police." Consider this a campaign-convenient conversion. This isn't what Ellison really believes. Ellison got himself in hot water when he said "I don’t kn...

Friday night, a frustrated, angry Keith Ellison attempted to make up ground against GOP challenger Jim Schultz. From a substantive standpoint, Schultz exercised command of the issues while displaying that he, not Ellison, has the right vision for the Minnesota OAG (Office of Attorney General). From a body language standpoint, Ellison got wiped out. He interrupted too often. He was dismissive in a snotty way with Schultz. Ellison's worst part of the debate was when the DFL AG said he doesn't support the Defund-the-Police movement. Ellison said "We had some difficulties in Minneapolis with George Floyd’s murder, and it was important to get together and talk as a community about how that never happens again. I wanted to see the department be more inclusive, police plus gang violence prevention, plus mental health, plus housing." That's BS and Keith Ellison knows it. This article provides proof of AG Ellison's dishonesty. The article opens by saying "Minnes...

First, it's been 16 years since a Republican has won a statewide race in Minnesota. Next, Republicans have had a difficult time winning here because lots of Republicans have left Minnesota for pro-business tax states. While I'm still taking an I'll-believe-it-when-I-see-it attitude, I'm entertaining that there's a distinct possibility that Republicans will fire Tim Walz on Nov. 8. I'm entertaining that possibility because Dr. Scott Jensen just grabbed his first lead of the campaign. Granted, it isn't a big lead but it's a GOP lead nonetheless. In Mitch's post on the subject, Mitch quotes Jack Tomczak as saying "If you care about Minnesota not collapsing further, and you’re not volunteering time or money for a candidate, statewide or legislative, what the hell are you waiting for ? " I agree with Jack. If Trafalgar's methodology is right, then Minnesota is on the verge of toppling 2 major DFL kingpins. According to Trafalgar, Dr. Jens...

Ryan Lizza's latest edition of Politico Playbook is quite the indictment of the Biden administration's energy policies. The article quoted "one Democratic strategist" as saying "It’s pretty simple. People want to see the president fixing shit and fixing the things that are the most important in their lives — and gas prices is one of them. You have to demonstrate that you’re taking on the issues that matter." That's quite the indictment of the Biden administration's energy policies. The Biden administration's energy policies have been terribly mismanaged to the point that New Hampshire is worried about natural gas shortages and power outages. That certainly isn't heading in the right direction. Philip Verleger, the head of economic consulting firm PKVerleger and senior fellow at the Niskanen Center, said "Investors look at expected returns. Wall Street isn't listening to the White House. For the American Petroleum Institute and other...

There's little doubt amongst Minnesotans that Tim Walz's soft-on-crime policies have endangered people's lives. Couple that with Tim Walz's disappearing act the first 3 days of the George Floyd and you have the portrait of a leadership void. Minnesotans need leadership from their governor, especially on the issue of crime. Scott Jensen has that plan and he's sharing it with Minnesota . Tim Walz failed. It's time for a change. In 23 days, we need to fire Tim Walz. That isn't a suggestion. It's an imperative. The first point in Scott Jensen's plan is titled "Make Carjacking a Crime with Harsh Penalty." Jensen states that "Create a specific crime for carjacking. Currently, carjackers are either charged with robbery or assault. This proposal would model after the bill in the Minnesota Senate and being blocked by Democrats in the Minnesota House. Defendants would serve two, four or six year minimum sentences under this proposal." This...

Each month, Joe Biden makes a statement the morning of the monthly jobs report. It's standard for Biden to boast that his administration has created more jobs than any other administration at the start of their administration. What's intentionally missing from his speech is the fact that Bidenflation devours whatever wage gains were made that month. Inflation is intentionally omitted because inflation prevents the paychecks from paying for required goods and services. Having a job is just a means to an end. When inflation cuts into a family's ability to pay for that family's heating bill, groceries, gas, rent/mortgage and retirement or paying for the kids' college, parents worry more about how they'll pay for a middle-class lifestyle. When Biden highlights the fact that a bill cuts the price of insulin, he omits the fact that this won't go into effect until 2026. Biden omits, too, that inflation is still 8.2% this month. It's like telling a drowning man...

Going into Friday night's debate between Herschel Walker and Raphael Warnock, few political pundits gave Mr. Walker much of a chance of winning the debate or the race. Friday night's fight turned into a fist fight, thanks to Mr. Walker taking the fight to Sen. Warnock most of the night. One of the times Mr. Walker went on offense was on the subject of abortion . After Sen. Warnock said "A patient's room is too...cramped a space for a woman, her doctor, and the US government," Walker replied that "There's a baby in the room, too" before finishing by saying that Warnock wants the government to pay for the abortion, which means that the US government is in the room after all. Walker's no-backing-down attitude caught Sen. Warnock off-guard more than once. This might've been Walker's best moment of the debate: Walker: "He won't answer that about evicting the people from the church.." Warnock: "We have not evicted those tenet...

Yesterday, Democrat president Joe Biden made some ridiculous comments about inflation while visiting Los Angeles, CA. The comments he made sounded like he lives just down the street from a little blond girl named Alice. After receiving this month's CPI (Consumer Price Index) report, Biden said "Today’s reports, though, show some progress. Overall, inflation was 2% over the last three months. That’s down from 11% over the prior three months. That's progress but a lot of it has resulted from getting the cost of living at the gas pump down, now even in California, by more than $1 nationally." What Biden didn't mention is that is up 8.2% from a year ago. Biden also didn't mention that it costs a family of 4 an extra $7,200 a year to buy the goods it needs than when President Trump was in the White House. Finally, Biden hasn't admitted that his big-spending habits and his energy policies are causing this inflation. What's required at this point is a jolt o...

In a major announcement, Gen. Don Bolduc announced that he's barnstorming New Hampshire with former Democrat presidential candidate Tulsi Gabbard. This is a perfect fit. It's a potential game-changer, too. According to the article, "New Hampshire GOP Senate nominee Don Bolduc announced Wednesday the newly independent Tulsi Gabbard is going to go on a barnstorming campaign tour to stump for the conservative Senate candidate." The article continues, saying "@TulsiGabbard is a fellow change agent and independent-minded outsider willing to speak truth to power," retired Army Brig. Gen. Bolduc tweeted Wednesday morning, linking to an official press release. "I'm honored to have her support and looking forward to barnstorming NH with her! #NHSEN." Former Rep. Gabbard isn't a conservative but she's definitely a principled patriot. Saying that New Hampshire has an independent streak is understatement. Bolduc said "We don't agree on ev...

David Priess made a huge mistake by agreeing to getting interviewed by Bret Baier. Baier pressed Priess on the now-infamous intelligence analysts' statement that said the original Hunter Biden laptop story "had all the earmarks" of a Russian disinformation campaign. Baier asked Priess "You signed on to this open letter that was published by Politico. Why did you sign on to that?" After that, the fight started. The article continued, saying "Priess replied that he and the other signatories' expertise brought them to the conclusion that Hunter's laptop story had 'all the classic earmarks' of being Russian interference. He cited that the signatories did not claim it was 'disinformation' or false, but that it seemed like a machination Moscow would partake in." At that point, Baier understood that he was being fed a load of BS so he replied "It was not true" before noting that "Biden said later that October 'There...

There's no better contrast to show why debates are important than comparing the Tim Ryan-JD Vance debate to the Katie Hobbs-Kari Lake townhall meeting in Arizona. Tim Ryan has spent the campaign portraying himself as a moderate and an independent. His ads make him sound conservative. That's all BS. This became apparent Monday night when Ryan and Vance debated. Whenever Ryan accused Vance of holding a position, Vance replied with proof that Ryan was stretching the truth. That's entirely different than Katie Hobbs walking onto stage, then accusing Kari Lake of believing in things she doesn't believe. In a debate, Lake would quickly have the opportunity to refute Hobbs's accusations. When candidates have the opportunity to accuse their opponent of something dastardly-sounding, they can make anyone sound despicable. Think of it like calling a witness without the benefit of cross-examination. Anyone can sound compelling reading a prepared statement written by a professio...

When the Iowa votes are done getting counted, expect Cindy Axne to be counted as a former Iowegian member of Congress. Her sin? Being a Democrat elitist from Iowa . It's one thing to be a city slicker. It's another to be an elitist who doesn't take her job seriously. When Newt Gingrich visited Iowa, he "did an event with Zach Nunn, the Republican state senator running for U.S. Congress against Democrat Incumbent Rep. Cindy Axne." The article continues with Gingrich writing "We were discussing how Axne had voted for the so-called Inflation Reduction Act – the dishonestly named bill which actually increases inflation by spending nearly $500 billion (including $80 billion to help the Internal Revenue Service hire an estimated 87,000 additional agents)." The thing that made this event utterly repugnant isn't that she voted for this disgusting bill. It's that "Axne didn’t vote for the bill. She was in France. Somehow, Axne failed to mention that ...

The Pennsylvania Senate race is a fight between Democrat John Fetterman and Republican Dr. Mehmet Oz. It's also a fight between Brittany Yanick, Oz's communications director and Joe Calvello, who serves in the same capacity for Lt. Gov. Fetterman. Frankly, I almost feel sorry for Calvello. After suffering a stroke days before the Pennsylvania Senate Primary, Fetterman has had great difficulty communicating. Fetterman told a Philadelphia crowd late last month that "The [Philadelphia] Eagles are so much better than the Eagles!" If you think that it's difficult walking back Biden's statements, it's orders of magnitude more difficult walking back Fetterman's statements. Fetterman recently told MSNBC host Chris Hayes "I'm doing fantastic, and it's not about kicking balls in the authority or anything." Say what? What the hell does that mean? Then there's the time when Fetterman said "And make sure you take advantage of this amazin...

There's little doubt that Dr. Mehmet Oz is gaining momentum at just the right time in his campaign to replace Pat Toomey as Pennsylvania's junior senator. This afternoon, I learned that the former Deputy Mayor of Philadelphia, Tom Knox, endorsed Dr. Oz . Knox "explained in his endorsement of Oz over his Democrat opponent" by saying "I am a lifelong Democrat. I have met with John Fetterman, and I personally like him. But I am sad to say, as a resident of Philadelphia, that our city has become increasingly dangerous, and John Fetterman's policies on crime will make things much worse." "I love Philadelphia, and I am saddened by what is happening to it," Knox said before calling on his fellow PA Democrats to put public safety over their political party membership. Knox continued, saying "I am encouraging Democrats who share my concerns with Fetterman's long-standing policies to put party affiliation aside and support Dr. Oz for U.S. Senate...

Let's just be honest about something. This election cycle isn't like any other election cycle I've ever seen. I'm too young to have witnessed LBJ's sweep in 1964. I was 8 at the time. I watched Nixon annihilate Sen. McGovern in 1972 only to see Nixon resign in disgrace in 1974 over Watergate. I loved watching President Reagan win 525 electoral votes in 1984. I loved watching Republicans win the House majority in 1994 with Newt Gingrich's Contract With America. This year is different because Joe Biden has destroyed so many things. Inflation is sky-high. The Tex-Mex border is wide open. Fentanyl is indiscriminately killing people in every state. Education is a major issue in Virginia, New Jersey and Florida. Gas prices are a major worry in pretty much every state in the union but especially on the Left Coast. If you're a Republican politician, you've got options galore for what issues you want to highlight. If you're a Republican politician in Arizona,...

Tim Walz is an enthusiastic self-promoter but he's a reluctant tax-cutter. Fox9 News, aka KMSP-TV, fact-checked a new Walz ad and found it wanting. The article quotes Walz as saying "I'm fighting to put money back in pockets by sending checks up to $2,000 to help Minnesotans with rising costs." As the election gets closer, Gov. Walz's tune has changed multiple times. (Imagine that. LOL) According to the article, "In January, Walz proposed $175 checks per adult. In March, after state economists said the surplus would be larger than expected, the DFL governor increased the size of his check proposal to $500 per adult. But neither the House nor Senate passed rebate checks before the session ended in late May." Walz wasn't finished with his one-time tax rebate checks. "In June, Walz upped the ante to $1,000 per adult but never called lawmakers back for a special session because Republicans oppose rebate checks." Republicans oppose rebate ch...

Q: What do Tim Walz, Steve Simon and Keith Ellison have in common aside from being DFL political hacks? A: They apparently think they don't need to debate their opponents. Apparently, Walz, Simon and Ellison think that they aren't accountable to Minnesota voters. Apparently, Walz, Simon and Ellison aren't confident in their abilities to defend their policies. According to this article , "According to MPR and TPT Almanac host Cathy Wurzer, Simon was scheduled to participate in a debate Friday with Republican challenger Kim Crockett but canceled at the last minute, citing a scheduling conflict." Simon is a gutless wonder. He's afraid of losing, which isn't surprising. Wurzer added "We can’t remember the last time a candidate agreed to a debate then changed their mind. Our long standing tradition on TPT Almanac of having the last gubernatorial debate of the election was upended when Gov. Tim Walz wouldn’t agree to appear with Dr. Scott Jensen. Not a go...

It used to be that unions and Democrats fit together like hands and gloves. That isn't the case anymore. That's because Democrats have turned into a party of elitists. Republicans have taken over the title of being the blue-collar party. Democrats aren't a blue-collar party anymore. Thanks to the DFL's 'Defund the Police' campaign, the Minnesota Police and Peace Officers Association, aka MPPOA, has endorsed Dr. Scott Jensen for governor instead of endorsing DFL Gov. Tim Walz. DFL Gov. Tim Walz lost the MPPOA endorsement, at least in part, because Walz wouldn't defend the Third Precinct Police Building during the George Floyd Riots. It didn't help that Gov. Walz didn't dispatch the National Guard until the third night of the riots. The article opens, saying "Minnesota’s largest police association announced its endorsement of Republican gubernatorial candidate Dr. Scott Jensen Thursday morning. The announcement was made in front of the Minneapoli...

For more than a decade, I've known that MnSCU, aka Minnesota State Colleges and Universities, had poor leadership. After reading this article , it's indisputable that they've consumed too much of the PC Kool-Aid. According to the article, "Administrators at Hennepin Technical College, a member of the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities, informed staff members who teach law enforcement courses of the change in a recent email. "One of the changes is that law enforcement has to be taken out of everything,' the email reads. 'Meaning the website, business cards, sign out front, directional signs to the building and so on.' The email specifies that the Minnesota State system is requiring Hennepin Tech and other affected schools to pay for the change themselves." Forget about enrollment in MnSCU law enforcement programs. Those enrollment numbers will plummet as a result of this decision. According to the article, "These changes stem from recom...

Thanks to Joe Biden's Green New Deal energy policies, the American people will get hurt financially . This morning, OPEC+ "agreed to slash two million barrels of oil a day, delegates said, in a move likely to push up already-high global energy prices and help oil-exporting Russia pay for its war in Ukraine." This major price hike "came less than three months after President Biden visited Saudi Arabia, OPEC's de facto leader, in a bid to repair relations between the world's biggest oil consumer and its biggest crude-oil exporter during a period of rising inflation driven in part by high energy prices." Joe Biden's policies put the U.S. in this position. It didn't have to be this way. Right now, the U.S. is producing 11,800,000 BPD. Right before the pandemic, the U.S. produced 13,000,000 BPD. OPEC did this because it could. Like so many other things, Joe Biden eliminated Trump policies that were working. According to this article , "The OPEC+ ...

There's no doubt that Tim Walz hasn't handled the Feeding Our Futures scandal well. In fact, Gov. Walz's handling of the scandal fits the description of mis handling the scandal. Jim Schultz, the Republican-endorsed candidate for Attorney General, thinks that Keith Ellison has some questions to answer about the FOF scandal, too. For instance, Schultz is asking some rather pointed questions in this statement . The question that jumped out at me the most was "How did campaign contributions to Keith Ellison’s campaign, the campaign of his son, Jeremiah Ellison, and other DFL officials made by individuals connected to FOF affect the decision not to pursue the case and to continue payments?" That's a totally legitimate question. How did campaign contributions from FOF find its way into the Ellisons' campaign accounts? Another question asked by Schultz is "Why did massive payments continue to FOF despite no judicial order to do so and despite overwhelming e...

If you're a student of Milwaukee politicking, you'll know that corruption and dirty tricks are part of that city's playbook. In that context, it isn't surprising to find out that Milwaukee Democrats are up to their old tricks . The article opens by saying "We now know that Milwaukee Mayor Cavalier Johnson and his staff are coordinating with Democratic Party operatives in a sweeping get-out-the-vote campaign. Why? Because they tell us in private text messages." Deeper into the article, it reports of text messages being sent. It continues, saying "While city officials, under the direction of Chheda, have said Milwaukee is not receiving any private funding for the effort, two things are clear. The mayor’s office is taking orders from Democratic Party operatives, and the city of Milwaukee is coordinating with left-wing groups in what looks like an expensive effort to influence the outcome of November’s election." The Republican Party of Wisconsin isn...