Sunday, March 26, 2017

The Trump Agenda: Moving Forward For America


 
A Message From The Tump-Pence Team

On November 8th, the American People voted for historic change and serious action.

By delivering the House, the Senate, and the White House, the American people gave Washington clear instructions: It’s time to get busy, get to work, and to get the job done.

President Trump is keeping his promises and continues to Make America Great Again!

Read about the President’s week below.


THIS WEEK
 
The Movement Continues In Kentucky

President Trump held a rally in Louisville, KY on Monday. He made it clear that standing together as Americans, we are going to deliver amazing things for the citizens of Kentucky and the United States. We are going to take power back from the political class in Washington, and return that power to the American people. It’s happening, and it all started on November 8th.  


 
No One Knows America Like Truckers

No one knows America like truckers know America. All across America every day, they see every hill, valley, and pothole in our roads that have to be redone in every town and forest from border to border and ocean to ocean.

America depends on truck drivers. They work very hard for every citizen of our country. That’s why President Trump held a meeting with truckers this week to address the many issues facing their industry.  



Bipartisan Support For Supreme Court Nominee Judge Grosuch

Judge Neil Gorsuch began confirmation hearings at the United States Senate this week. President Trump has nominated the most qualified, principled, and strongest defender of the Constitution possible as his choice for Supreme Court Justice. It comes as no surprise that Judge Gorsuch is being lauded as a brilliant judge who rules based on the Constitution rather than his own opinions. 
You can support Judge Gorsuch by clicking here and signing the petition.  

 
Paying Back Our Veterans

President Trump held a listening session with Veteran Affairs Secretary David Shulkin and veterans. As Commander-in-Chief, President Trump will not accept sub-standard service for our great Veterans. Every member of our government must do their utmost to ensure our Veterans have the care that they earned. That's the way they’re going to be treated.  



Imagining A Better Future In Space

For almost six decades, NASA’s work has inspired millions of Americans to imagine distant worlds and a better future right here on Earth. President Trump signed Senate Bill 442 to reaffirm our Nation's commitment to NASA's core mission: human space exploration, space science, and technology. With this legislation, we support NASA’s scientists, engineers, astronauts and their pursuit of discovery.

We are one people. Whether we are black, brown or white, we all salute the same great American flag.

As long we remember these truths, we will not fail. No one can beat us. We are Americans, and the future belongs to us.

This is your moment. This is your time. And this, the United States of America, is your country again.

We're in this together and we can't thank you enough for your continued support.

Team Trump-Pence

P.S. ACT NOW: Pre-order our new Limited Edition Make America Great Hats by clicking here.
 
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In Gorsuch Hearings, Democrats Blow It on Originalism

 
As the hearing for Judge Neil Gorsuch wrapped up on Thursday, one theme stood out strongest: Gorsuch is not even the main actor.  Rather, the starring role was shared by those in the Democratic Party, who, put simply, do not understand originalism – nor, quite possibly, even the Constitution.
It is not likely that the Democrats were looking to showcase their woeful ignorance of a judicial philosophy.  Then again, this is a party in deep trouble, though you wouldn't know that by asking its members.  There is perhaps no one who better illustrates this than Edward-Isaac Dovere in "Democrats in the Wilderness," written for Politico.
With all their failings, the Democrats are looking to play the political game – that is, they want to make Gorsuch, who was confirmed to the 10th Circuit Court of Appeals by a unanimous voice vote, look bad at all costs.  This involved reminding him that he's not Judge Merrick Garland, as if Gorsuch didn't already know that and could do anything about it.  To his credit, Gorsuch thinks "the world of Merrick Garland" and he is "an outstanding judge."
Almost just as petty, Democrats jumped at the opportunity to ask Gorsuch about his views, as if being an originalist meant he would be against the LGBT community.  The clear winner with this technique was Senator Al Franken (D-Minn.) – and fittingly so, considering his role as an entertainer.
Not only did Gorsuch not take the bait, including and especially from Senator Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), but he showed off the fitting nominee he is: one who has a healthy grasp on how it is not so much his personal beliefs that matter, but his judicial philosophy that guides his decisions.  What Democrats did do well is demonstrate that they can't fathom having to separate the two.
On the first day, ranking member Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) lambasted the originalist view, admitting that her beef was "personal."  She finds such a "judicial philosophy" "really troubling."  She described how "it means in essence that judges and courts should evaluate our constitutional rights and privileges as they were understood in 1789."  To prove her point, Feinstein referenced enslaved African-Americans and women.
She claimed that this view would "ignore the intent of the Framers, that the Constitution would be a framework on which to build," and that "it severely limits the genius of what our Constitution upholds."
Feinstein's examples would prove the flaws of originalism if only she had not left out a glaring omission: the constitutional amendment process.  One could find perhaps no better originalist than the late, great Justice Antonin Scalia, as President Donald Trump likes to call him.
Scalia was a promoter of the constitutional amendment process, which has acknowledged and enshrined the rights of women and black Americans.
What is Feinstein's alternative?  "I firmly believe that the American Constitution is a living document, intended to evolve as our country evolves," she said.  One can only surmise that it is up to judges to decide not merely what the law says, but, if they don't like it, what the law ought to say.
Senator Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) could also not help showing off her gross misunderstanding.
Gorsuch not only sailed through such questioning, but cleared up for Klobuchar that he is "not looking to take us back to quill pens and horse and buggies."  She had asked:
So when the Constitution refers 30-some times to 'his' or 'he' when describing the president of the United States, you would see that as, 'Well back then they actually thought a woman could be president even through women couldn't vote?'
A Supreme Court nominee should not have to defend how he believes that women can be president.  In the end, it worked to Gorsuch's advantage, as it showcased his likability.  "Of course women can be president of the United States," he said.  That wasn't even the best part. "I'm a father of two daughters, and I hope one of them turns out to be president of the United States."
Being an originalist does not require an insistence that the Constitution is not open to change, but rather an insistence that changes be done through the proper process.
What it does mean is that judges do just that: they judge.  What they don't do is use their own political beliefs to change the law to fit their view of what the law should be.
It is not exaggeration to warn that doing so threatens the very framework of the separation of powers, as unelected judges insert themselves into roles designed exclusively for the legislative branch.
It is telling for Democrats to have exposed themselves in such a way.  It could spell doom for the Democratic Party and its future, at least with their influence on the judiciary.  There is another worse option, however, for generations to come, if decisions are made by activist judges who will interpret and evolve the Constitution for their own political and personal gains.  In other words, a Democrat's dream.
Rebecca Downs has had her writing published at several outlets, mostly pro-life. You can find her on Facebook.
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WHAT THEY ARE SAYING ABOUT JUDGE GORSUCH’S CONFIRMATION HEARING 

Praise For Judge Gorsuch’s Performance At His Confirmation Hearing
 
MSNBC’s Joe Scarborough: “Senate Democrats Have Scores Of Legitimate Political Fights In Front Of Them. Judge Gorsuch Is Not One. He Should Be Confirmed.” (Joe Scarborough, Twitter Feed, 3/21/17)

The Washington Post: “Gorsuch Presented Himself As The Picture Of A Cool, Calm, Self-Assured Justice.” “Gorsuch presented himself as the picture of a cool, calm, self-assured justice.” (Amber Phillips, “4 Takeaways From Neil Gorsuch’s Highly Politicized Confirmation Hearing,” The Washington Post, 3/21/17)

The Washington Examiner Headline: “Gorsuch Crushes Durbin’s Weak Line Of Questioning On Student Letter.” (Emily Jashinsky, “Gorsuch Crushes Durbin's Weak Line Of Questioning On Student Letter,” The Washington Examiner, 3/21/17)
CNBC’s John Harwood: “There Is No Chance Under The Sun That Democrats Defeat Gorsuch Nomination. He Makes Extremely Strong Case For Himself.”(John Harwood, Twitter Feed, 3/21/17)
CNN’s Gloria Berger: “Judge Gorsuch Is Qualified And Everybody Knows It.” (CNN’s “Newsroom,” 3/21/17)
Fox Business’ Janie Nitze:Gorsuch’s “Personality, His Kindness, His Wittiness, His Humor” Are All “Shining Through.” “And one thing I’ve been actually pleased about in watching the hearing is that the warrant of his personality, his kindness, his wittiness, his humor, all of it is shining through, and I think he has built a great persona on all sides of the aisle here.” (Fox Business Network’s “Closing Bell,” 3/21/17)
Fox News’ Laura Ingraham: “I Think He Comes Across As A Man Who's Very Poised, Very Learned.”(Fox News’ “Special Report With Bret Baier,” 3/21/17)
MSNBC's Chris Jansing: Gorsuch Delivered An “Impressively Disciplined Performance.” (MSNBC’s “Andrea Mitchell Reports,” 3/21/17)
Law Professor Randy Barnett: “Gorsuch Made Effective Response To Dem Cherry-Picking His Record With Lots Of Other Cases That Went Other Way.”(Randy Barnett, Twitter Feed, 3/21/17)