Monthly Archives: April 2017

During an exclusive "CBS This Morning" interview, Gayle King asked Ivanka Trump if she was being complicit in her fathers administration.

It was a reference to a liberal charge about Ivankas role in her fathers White House. It was also the inspiration for an "Saturday Night Live" sketch featuring actress Scarlett Johansen as Ivanka selling a womens fragrance called Complicit.

In response to Gayle Kings loaded question, Ivanka took a long pause and gave an elegant answer: If being complicit is wanting to be a force for good and to make a positive impact, then Im complicit.

During her fathers tumultuous campaign, and in the two short months of his presidency, Ivanka Trump has had a political crash course in what its like to walk in the high heel shoes of Republican women.

During her fathers tumultuous campaign, and in the two short months of his presidency, Ivanka Trump has had a political crash course in what its like to walk in the high heel shoes of Republican women.

She now knows what it feels like to have ones life accomplishments dismissed, and your integrity, and morality questioned for being complicit in a conservative agenda because for liberals, to be a Republican is to be anti-woman. And to be pro-Trump, is to be a racist.

The feminist thought police will never forgive, and will therefore malign, any woman who didnt fall for their election strategy of shaming women into voting for Hillary.

The liberal strategy for taking down the Trump family is the same one used against all Republicans: do not normalize them.

Though a registered Democrat prior to her fathers candidacy, the glamorous and unquestionably successful Ivanka has not been spared. You see, to normalize Donald Trump and his family is to normalize Republicans, and to normalize Republicans is to normalize our conservative ideas and give them a fair platform from which to be debated.

When the debate turns to ideas and results, conservatives often win. Thats why there is severe punishment in the powerful entertainment industry for anyone who even unwittingly normalizes President Trump.

Recall what happened when Jimmy Fallon asked to tousle then candidate Trumps hair on the "Tonight Show." It was a lighthearted moment that humanized Trump.

His comedic peers, including fellow "SNL" alum, Tina Faye, viciously pounced to make a public lesson out of him, ensuring others do not dare to use their powerful media and cultural platforms to normalize Donald Trump.

Being turned into social pariahs must be especially painful for Ivanka who gracefully straddled the Hollywood and New York social scenes.

No one takes fashion cues from Chelsea or Hillary Clinton yet they both graced the cover of Vogue.

Ivanka and First Lady Melania, both towering former international models, have been banished from high end fashion magazine covers and the couture fashion runway world they once inhabited.

Marc Jacobs and other designers brag that they won't dress Melania. Dolce & Gabanna are under fire for having the gall to celebrate the first lady wearing their creations.

Ivanka, a fashion mogul in her own right, endured an embarrassing and unjust boycott of her own fashion empire.

For Ivanka, a role model for socially-conscious entreprenuership, the Nordstrom boycott and the expulsion from the Susan Sandberg/Mika Brzezinski professional womens empowerment club is particularly cruel punishment.

After all, Ivanka took great pains to include the concerns of working women, especially professional working moms, in her fashion brand and corporate message.

On the campaign trail, she tirelessly took her message of female economic empowerment to minority entreprenuers and to the working class rural moms who turned out to see her in between their second shift.

In an interview with Mika Brzezinski on MSNBC, self-appointed feminist leader and founder of the Women in the World Summit, Tina Brown, said that Ivanka, despite her efforts to prioritize female entreprenuership and put her political weight behind a national child-care policy in the White House, could not be a a credible feminist role-model because her fathers administration wants to cut funding to Planned Parenthood.

That sentiment must be exponentially heightened now that she is complicit in the successful nomination of Neil Gorsuch to replace conservative, pro-life Justice Antonin Scalia.

Last week, she was actually slapped down by online feminists for tweeting her support for equal pay for women.

It was an odd, if not revealing, lashing that proves what conservative women have always known about the so-called feminist movement that its not really a womens movement. Its an abortion movement that masks as a womens movement.

Anyone who threatens abortion, or who is complicit in challenging its legality or funding will be punished as a traitor to her gender and, if shes a minority, to her race.

No matter how much good you do for women or their financial empowerment and independence, you will be shamed and exiled from the feminist club.

The question Republican women have is what will Ivanka do now that she knows what its like to walk in our shoes?

Will her ideas and politics evolve now that she is part of a Republican administration?

Will she use her powerful platform to win back the love of the elite, intolerant feminist mean girls who are hell-bent on destroying her fathers presidency? If she does, I predict that will be a fruitless endeavor.

Or will she choose to align herself more closely with the conservative red-state sisterhood that put her father in the Oval Office? These are women who truly admire Ivankas work ethic, business focus and commitment to her faith and family.

Conservative women have been quietly shaping their own brand of feminism, one that gives women more freedom to chart their course and define happiness and success on their own terms.

Its a feminism that respects the consequential role of men and the dignity of women and their children, including those still growing in their mother's womb.

Though ignored and put down by the media and cultural elites, this is a powerful constituency, one in need of a voice and a champion.

Republicans once embraced and followed a former Democrat named Ronald Reagan.

Could the smart, polished and articulate Ivanka be the leader Republican women have been waiting for?

Rachel Campos-Duffy is a Fox News contributor. An author and television personality, she comments frequently on parenting, politics and culture.

Read more:

Ivanka Trump and the liberal mean girls: Will the mainstream ever wake up? - Fox News

The most intriguing storyon Macquarie Street in recent weeks has been that of the senior government figure allegedly caught in a compromising position in one of Sydney's best known parks.

It's all very NSW politics. Salacious details have travelled like wildfire around media and political circles.

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In October, Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull draws laughter from his colleagues after claiming the Liberal Party is not governed by backroom deals. Vision courtesy ABC News 24.

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Former foreign affairs minister Gareth Evans is urging Australia to reduce its dependence on the United States alliance and accept China as a legitimate "global rule maker".

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The Women of Hizb ut-Tahrir Australia publish a controversial video to Facebook wherein the participants appear to legitimise hitting women that are 'sinful' in the context of their interpretation of Islamic tradition.

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There's dissent in the Coalition ranks over the idea for first homebuyers to access their super to get into the housing market.

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Despite two of their children being born in Australia, a Fijian family has been taken into detention and Immigration minister Peter Dutton says they'll he deported.

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The India trade deal is spiked as Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull explains why the deal promised by his predecessor isn't going ahead.

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WA Premier Mark McGowan says he is looking at options to deal with the Perth City Council, one of them being dismissing the council.

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New aerial photography reveals how far a spill of coal-laden water from the Abbot Point coal terminal has penetrated neighbouring wetlands.

In October, Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull draws laughter from his colleagues after claiming the Liberal Party is not governed by backroom deals. Vision courtesy ABC News 24.

Media organisations have made enquiries that havecome to nothing, strongly indicating it is wholly a fabrication.

Yet it persists propelled by some political operatives talking to journalistswith the attendantdamage to the reputation of the person targeted.

Thiswillingness to push such a damagingstory is being seen as symptomatic of a particular brand of poisonous factionalism in the NSW Liberal Party characterised by an win-at-all costs-attitude and little regard for how much internal damage is done.

It's a style of internal politics the party thought was long behind it.

But last weekend's byelections in the blue ribbon Liberal seats of North Shore and Manly, atwhich the government was belted with huge swings, for some provided more evidence it is back.

The candidates Felicity Wilson and James Griffin were both backed by the moderate, or left, faction.

Wilson narrowly defeated the right's Tim James in a tight preselection, while Griffin easily beat the right's choice, Walter Villatora, who was backed by former prime minister Tony Abbott.

Clearly local issues and the government's unpopular forced council mergersplayed into the results, but so did scandals.

There was also strong evidence that rival factional operativestook aim at the endorsed Liberal candidates particularly Wilson, who Fairfax Media revealed had incorrectly signed a statutory declaration about how long she has lived in the area.

The declaration in the shape of a Liberal party nomination form was distributed to about 200 preselectors and made its way to the media.

The story almost derailed Wilson's campaign, leaving senior Liberal moderates appalled at the prospect that, suicide bomber-like, some in the right faction would be willing to blow up the endorsed Liberal candidate simply because she was not their pick.

All of this should be sounding very loud alarm bells for Premier Gladys Berejiklian who, only a few months into the job, is about to confront the issue of factionalism head on.

With the civil war in the NSW Liberalsshowing no signs of abating, a major convention scheduled for late Julylooms as a critical momentforBerejiklian's2019 election campaign.

The meeting will see all party members invited to thrash out a potential solution to an issue that has caused a deep fissure in the NSW Liberals: whether to change how state and federal candidates are preselected.

The right faction of the Liberal partyhas been pushing hard for a plebiscite system giving all branch members a vote.

But the dominant left and centre right factions favour retaining the present system where preselectionsare decidedby branchrepresentativesand some party officials.

There is a lot of self-interest at play here the left and centre-right run the show under the status quo but they warna shift to plebiscites will lead to rampant branch stacking.

Berejiklian, given her closeness to the left faction, has thus far been assumed to be an opponent of plebiscites. Then-premier Mike Baird was in favour, in close alignment with his mate Abbott.

Now Berejiklian is Premier, she says she does not have a position either way and stresses she has never publicly stated one.

It's a telling response, given what is looming as a very public fight over the issue.

The non-binding convention was the agreed-upon circuit breaker advocated by then-premier Baird and Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull that emerged from last year's NSW Liberal state council at which Abbott and Villatora pushed hard for the party to adopt plebiscites.

When it rolls around, there will be good reason forBerejiklian to push hard for a broadly supported solution.

Theparty will begin preselections for state and federal seats next year otherwise known as peak season for factional warfare.

Avoiding a Felicity Wilson-style outbreak of friendly fire by keeping the factional suicide bombers at bay across key seats could provepivotalto the government's chances of winninga third term in office.

Sean Nicholls is state political editor.

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The vicious rumours at the heart of factional warfare for NSW Liberals - The Sydney Morning Herald

CANADIAN NEWS YOU SHOULD KNOW

The Liberal government will announce its plan for legalizing marijuana today, shortly after noon Eastern Time. It will not be smooth sailing over the next year, as the government will have to contend with an independent Senate and sort out implementation with the provinces, which will be responsible for how the product is sold. Doctors are warning the recreational drug isnt totally safe, of course, even when its legal. It remains to be seen, too, what effect legalization will have on organized crime.

The Liberals continue to appoint judges at a slow pace, leaving a near-record list of vacancies.

The enabling legislation for the Canada Infrastructure Bank, which was tabled this week, is raising some concerns about just how independent the bank will be from its political masters. The really big question that I dont really see [answered] in the legislation is striking the appropriate balance between the democratic oversight of the infrastructure banks spending decisions with the independence necessary to make sure that this bank is going to be critically evaluating project business cases, said Benjamin Dachis of the C.D. Howe Institute.

The Liberals are also warning the Trump administration that Buy America provisions in the building of new oil-and-gas pipelines would violate international law.

The military is going to redo how it helps soldiers transition to civilian life.

And The Globe will argue in court today to release more information from the RCMP search warrant for Vice-Admiral Mark Norman.

B.C. ELECTION BRIEFING

By James Keller (@ByJamesKeller)

Today, the New Democrats will release their full platform with details about how the party plans to pay for some of its more expensive promises including $10 per day daycare, cancelling tolls on two major bridges in the Vancouver region, freezing electricity rates, and the rent subsidy. The NDP has previously said it will raise some of that money through tax increases on the wealthy, but the Liberals argue that wont be nearly enough to cover all the New Democrats are offering. The Liberals, who released their platform in full on Monday, have not publicly disclosed Ms. Clarks itinerary for today.

Kinder Morgans proposed expansion of its Trans Mountain pipeline between Alberta and the B.C. coast was seen as a deciding factor in the 2013 B.C. election, when then-NDP leader Adrian Dix made a surprise mid-campaign announcement opposing the project. The position fed into a narrative that the New Democrats were against resource development and resource jobs and provided a clear contrast with the B.C. Liberals, who won re-election. Four years later, B.C. and Ottawa have both approved the project, though Liberal Leader Christy Clark appeared eager to sidestep the issue yesterday. Campaigning in Burnaby, where the pipeline route ends, Ms. Clark insisted the pipeline approval was a federal decision that didnt have much to do with her government. The NDP and the Greens both oppose the Trans Mountain expansion, which could turn into a liability for the Liberals in tight races in Burnaby.

Housing is already emerging as a central theme in the campaign, as the governing Liberals and the NDP offer policies designed to address a growing housing crisis that has priced many out of the market to buy a home, while squeezing renters with high rates and low vacancies. The NDP is promising to help renters with a $400-per-year subsidy to offset housing costs. The party isnt saying how much the program would cost, but with 524,000 renters recorded in the 2011 census (the most recent year available), the bill could exceed $200-million per year. The Liberals say the focus should be on helping low-income renters and building affordable housing, and criticized the plan for applying to all renters even if theyre living in a luxury condo in downtown Vancouver.

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QUOTABLE

From Wednesdays Question Period:

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau: I know there are going to be Canadians all across the country getting onto their mobile phones, accessing their Internet, turning on their TVs, to watch the Stanley Cup playoffs, which start tonight, and I know that everyone across this country will join me in rooting for the Montreal Canadiens over the Maple Leafs, over the New York Rangers --

Some hon. members: Oh, oh!

House of Commons Speaker Geoff Regan: Now we are getting into dangerous territory.

Some hon. members: Oh, oh!

The Speaker: Order. That is the kind of thing that creates disorder in the House. I know the Prime Minister should realize that.

(Note: no Canadian team did well on opening night of the NHL playoffs, unfortunately.)

SECUREDROP

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WHAT EVERYONES TALKING ABOUT

Campbell Clark (The Globe and Mail): When the Liberal government moves Thursday to table legislation to legalize cannabis, its going to talk about controlling and regulating and restricting sending a signal marijuana is bad, making sure its sold without a lot of branding hoopla to limit the dark arts of temptation, and especially emphasizing measures to stop pot from falling into the hands of minors.

John Ibbitson (The Globe and Mail): Gerald Butts, Prime Minister Justin Trudeaus principal secretary, and Katie Telford, his chief of staff, were young staffers at Queens Park in the Harris years. Mr. Butts eventually became Liberal Premier Dalton McGuintys principal secretary. Mr. McGuintys governments liked cramming all sorts of things into the annual budget-implementation bill. Mr. Butts watched Stephen Harpers majority government routinely employ omnibus bills and closure. Now, its the Liberals turn.

Andrew MacDougall (The Globe and Mail): The Liberals are now learning, just as Stephen Harpers majority government did, that a determined opposition can gum up Parliament. The oppositions moves, while within the rules, are undoubtedly frustrating for a government that wants to hit the barbecue circuit with a list of results longer than the current haiku. The temptation to strong-arm Parliament thus increases with every legislative obstacle.

Yves Boisvert (The Globe and Mail): When there are many nations in a single country, the task of constructing one national history is doomed. In any country, in fact, there are many histories. But at least you can try to be honest. Some attempts by groups of Canadian scholars have granted good results in the past. But the CBCs Story of Us did not even try.

Andrew Coyne (National Post): In the spirit of the times, let me add my own grievance to the gathering national pile. If by some oversight Confederation should somehow be discussed in its 150th anniversary year, it is a safe bet one figure in particular will be mentioned only in passing, if at all: George Brown. Father of Confederation, leader and principal architect of what was to become the Liberal party, founder of The Globe (later the Globe and Mail) newspaper, Brown is the forgotten man of Canadian history.

Written by Chris Hannay.

Follow us on Twitter: @GlobePolitics

Originally posted here:

Liberals to release plan today to legalize marijuana - The Globe and Mail

Liberal comedian Chelsea Handler has really put herself out there to support Georgia Democrat Jon Ossoff, but shes apparently not even sure when his election is.

Handler has donated a few thousand dollarsto Ossoff, who is running in a special election to represent Georgias 6thCongressional District,replacing Health and Human Services Secretary Tom Price in the House of Representatives.

But the comedian got a little bit ahead of herself earlier this week, asking her nearly 7million Twitter followers to head to the polls Tuesday when the election isnt taking place until next week, on April 18.

As it turns out, Handler, who in 2016 told NBCs Matt Lauerthat she associates racism with really like dumb people from the South, isnt the only Hollywood name backing Ossoffs campaign. In fact, 95 percent of the donations to the Democrats campaign have come from sources outside Georgia.

According to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, more than $500,000 has come from California, $400,000 has come from New York, and Massachusetts donors have pitched in around $160,000.

Ossoff has received support from big names such asGeorge Takei, Sam Waterston, Debra Messing, Rosie ODonnell, and Kristen Bell. Actors Alyssa Milano and Christopher Gorham, who were in Georgia for a film project, even offered to drive early voters to the polls tocast their ballotsfor Ossoff in late March.

Republicans have criticized Ossoff for not really being connected to the district hes running to represent, pointing out that he doesnt even live in the area and that much of his financial support is coming from out of the state.

In response, Ossoff said he would move to the district,should he win.

Read more:

Liberal comedian Chelsea Handler sends Georgia voters to the ... - TheBlaze.com

A pair of veteran members of Parliament had a spirited exchange Thursday over the integrity of the former Liberal justice minister who advised the government on marijuana legalization.

Public Safety Minister Ralph Goodale even invited his Conservative critic Tony Clement to repeat his accusations outside the House of Commons, where parliamentary privilege shields him from lawsuits.

Conservative MP Tony Clement asks a question in the House of Commons on Parliament Hill in Ottawa on April 13, 2017. (Photo: Sean Kilpatrick/The Canadian Press)

Clement rose in question period shortly before the Liberals unveiled their long-awaited bill to legalize cannabis and highlighted a report from The Globe and Mail detailing McLellans links to the marijuana industry.

The Globe wrote that McLellan, who chaired the task force that helped mold the governments approach to pot, is a senior adviser for law firm Bennett Jones LLP, "the go-to advisory firm in the marijuana sector." The report noted a dozen lawyers at the firm have stakes in a company expected to profit from legalization.

"Anne McLellan's firm promotes itself as the go-to advisers to the industry, and at least 12 of its employees stand to make millions from their ownership stake in one of the pot companies," Clement said. "She, herself, is criss-crossing the country, promoting the Liberal policy, and handing out her own business cards.

"How deep in the grass does all this Liberal cronyism go?"

Goodale: 'Good luck'

Goodale was succinct in his defence of his former colleague, with whom he served in previous Liberal cabinets.

If the honourable gentleman wants to attack the integrity of Anne McLellan, good luck, Goodale shot back, sparking laughter and applause from the Liberal benches.

The remark evidently lit a fire under Clement, who said he would do just that when McLellan and her law firm stand to capitalize on Liberal connections.

While she was designing the framework for this new system, her legal colleagues were waiting in the wings to make big pot profits. Is this new legislation merely a smokescreen for Liberal cronies to fill their pockets? Clement bellowed before tossing his question card.

Anne McLellan, leader of the federal task force on marijuana, speaks during a news conference in Ottawa on Dec. 13, 2016. (Photo: Adrian Wyld/The Canadian Press)

Goodale said the clear answer is no. He then invited Clement to step outside.

If the honourable gentleman would like to make those suggestions outside the House, I am sure Ms. McLellan will meet him in court, Goodale said.

The Liberal governments pot legislation will, if passed, allow adults over the age of 18 to buy and grow small amounts of marijuana for personal use. Selling the drug to a minor, however, could result in as much as 14 years behind bars.

With a file from The Canadian Press

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Excerpt from:

Tony Clement, Ralph Goodale Have Feisty Exchange Ahead Of Liberal Pot Bill - Huffington Post Canada