Category: 2016

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Democrat anxiety hangs over Clinton

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By Alexander Bolton – 07/29/16 01:37 PM EDT

PHILADELPHIA — Democrats are worried about Hillary Clinton’s inability to separate herself fromDonald Trump in the polls, even after what they believe was a largely successful convention that represented a real step toward party unity.

Clinton is hoping for a big post-convention boost, but the reality right now is that she in behind Trump in the polls, and has been in a relatively tight race for weeks.

While the Electoral College may give her an advantage, party leaders and strategists say they remain concerned that Clinton is a tough sell when a majority of Americans think the country is on the wrong track and want to shake up Washington.

“The most important thing is there is a bias for change and there’s an NBC/Wall Street Journal poll where people express that bias even when they don’t know what the change is going to be,” said Geoff Garin, a pollster who worked for Clinton’s 2008 presidential campaign and now advises Priorities USA, a pro-Clinton super PAC.

That July survey showed a majority of voters, 56 percent, prefer someone who will bring major changes to government even if they don’t know what those changes will be. Only 46 percent wanted a candidate who would bring a steady approach to government.

It helps explain Trump’s success, and the strong challenge to Clinton in the Democratic primary from Sen. Bernie Sanders.

Away from the hoopla of the Wells Fargo, Democratic officials and strategists say it’s a major concern.

https://thehill.com/homenews/senate/289737-dem-anxiety-hangs-over-clinton

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COMMENTARY: Trump presents a realistic view of U.S.

Interviewing with Kennedy from Fox News

Bob Auth Interviewing with Kennedy from Fox News.

July 28,2016

by NJ Assemblyman Robert Auth represents the 39th District in Bergen and Passaic counties.

On my return as a delegate from the Republican National Convention, I heard a lot of commentators say the acceptance speech of the nominee, Donald J. Trump, was too dark. I did not see that at all. It was a frank and realistic assessment of the state of affairs of the nation — and very powerful.

Don’t the commentators know that 70 percent of Americans say the country is headed in the wrong direction?

We needed an honest evaluation of the nation, so people can know the truth. And so we can know how to correct the problems.

Trump said he will stand with the forgotten people to be their voice. Republicans usually speak of limited government. Trump sees it a little differently. He wants to restrain corrupt government from hurting the average American. Trump knows people are disconnected and hugely dissatisfied with their government. He will speak for them when the doors are closed and the politicians are in the back room cutting deals.

Trump will be the one to stop the Environmental Protection Agency from regulating coal jobs out of this country, to stop the Justice Department from taking our guns and to stop the IRS from over taxation while hedge funds and Wall Street get a pass. He will be the voice of the hardworking common man, the forgotten who built this great nation and want it to be great again.

People want honesty from their politicians. Political correctness has beaten the spirit of this country. Donald Trump knows this instinctively. Notice he clarified his position on Muslims? The liberal media say it is not possible to ban all Muslims, yet the American people respond with support for Trump. Americans are smart and know he won’t ban all Muslims. He just wants to stop dangerous people from coming into this county and killing innocent, freedom-loving Americans.

President Barack Obama has the administration of red lines and Hillary Clinton is the candidate of white lies. It’s clear Donald Trump will be a very forceful leader on the world stage. He will not tour the world apologizing for American exceptionalism, nor coddle enemies of America like Iran.

This is another area where Trump speaks truth. Concerning the Iran deal, the United Nations just released a report stating the Iranians are not complying with the agreement. They intend to rebuild advanced centrifuges in less than 10 years. Obama wants to allow Iranian business access to American dollars through a series of international clearinghouses, a move that is prohibited by U.S. law. This will not happen in a Trump administration.

There will be accountability and the American interest will come first. Remember when Jimmy Carter coddled the Iranians? Under Trump, the enemies of America will pay.

Clinton has lied about her email server.  Let me ask you something: If the wife of a forgotten man was being investigated by the attorney general, do you think she would meet with him? Would he get 45 minutes in her plane to talk about  grandkids? This is the same attorney general who said the only way we can defeat ISIS is with love and gun control would have stopped the Orlando nightclub shootings.

Average Americans know that what has been happening in this country under Obama and Clinton is wrong, and they feel helpless at the hands of political correctness. Trump will break this cycle of insanity and begin a new era of American greatness.

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Political Leaders Join Muslims To Discuss True Islam

Koran

Oldest annual Muslim conference draws public officials to confront extremism

July 29,2016

the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Harrisburg PA, Martin O’Malley, former Governor of Maryland and U.S. Presidential Candidate, is one of many political leaders who will be speaking at the longest running annual Muslim convention in America. Ahmadiyya Muslim Community USA, the nation’s largest and oldest Muslim organization, is hosting its 68th annual Jalsa Salana (Annual Convention) from July 29 to 31 in Harrisburg, PA. Speakers include representatives of the White House, the U.S. Commission for International Religious Freedom, country Ambassadors, as well as other political, religious, academic and interfaith leaders from around the nation.

This convention seeks to unite leaders and American Muslims in fighting against extremist ideologies and radicalization for a safer nation and world.  With the official designated theme “True Islam: A Campaign Against Extremism,” speakers will discuss how to combat the growing scourge of  violent extremism and the problem of Islamophobia in the wake of rising violence towards American Muslims.

“Extremism and Islamophobia are very real and concerning issues, not only for the Muslim community but for all Americans,” said Dr. Nasim Rehmatullah, Senior Vice President of Ahmadiyya Muslim Community USA. “If we want to achieve common peace, we must come together as leaders and American citizens to root out intolerant thinking and behaviors.”

Guest speakers include:

  • Martin O’Malley, Former Governor of Maryland and U.S. Presidential Candidate
  • Ambassador Jackie Wolcott, Commissioner, US Commission on International Religious Freedom
  • Brian Levin, Professor and Director of Center for Study of Hate and Extremism, California State University San Bernardino
  • Nick Miccarelli, Member, Pennsylvania House of Representatives
  • Zaki Barzinji, Associate Director of Public Engagement, The White House
  • Dr. Milton Boniuk, Founder, Boniuk Institute for Religious Tolerance, Rice University —  receiving the 2016 Ahmadiyya Muslim Humanitarian Award
  • Dr. Craig Considine, Lecturer, Sociology, Rice University
  • His Excellency Bockari Kortu Stevens, Ambassador of Sierra Leone to the United States
  • His Excellency Tiena Coulibaly, Ambassador of Mali to the United States
  • Sergio Celis, Member of Congress, Republic of Guatemala
  • Carlo Sanchez, Member, Maryland House of Delegates
  • Carol Bianchi, Mayor of Bernards Township, New Jersey
  • George Halcovage, Schuylkill County Commissioner, Pennsylvania
  • Rev. Mark Tonnesen, St. Andrew’s Lutheran Church, Florida
  • Rev. Harold Eugene Thompson, Miami Beach Community Church, Florida

With special messages from:

  • U.S. Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL)
  • U.S. Senator Jeanne Sheehan (D-NH)
  • U.S. Senator Pat Toomey (R-PA)
  • Tom Wolf, Governor of Pennsylvania
  • Charlie Baker, Governor of Massachusetts
  • Eric Papenfuse, Mayor of Harrisburg
  • Other federal and state lawmakers

When:  Guest session: July 30th, 2016, 4pm – 6pm

Where:  Pennsylvania Farm Show Complex & Expo Center, 2300 N Cameron St, Harrisburg, PA 17110

Media Opportunity: Interviews with above guests and with American Muslim leadership.

More Information:

https://convention.ahmadiyya.us/

www.MuslimsForPeace.org

About Ahmadiyya Muslim Community:

The Ahmadiyya Muslim Community is a dynamic, reformist and fast-growing international movement within Islam. Founded in 1889, the Community spans over 200 countries with membership exceeding tens of millions. The Ahmadiyya Muslim Community USA, established in 1920, is among the first American-Muslim organizations.

The Ahmadiyya Muslim Community is the only Islamic organization to believe that the long- awaited messiah has come in the person of Mirza Ghulam Ahmad (1835-1908) of Qadian, India. Ahmad claimed to be the metaphorical second coming of Jesus of Nazareth and the divine guide, whose advent was foretold by the Prophet of Islam, Muhammad. The Community believes that God sent Ahmad, like Jesus, to end religious wars, condemn bloodshed and reinstitute morality, justice and peace. Ahmad’s advent has brought about an unprecedented era of Islamic revival and moderation. He divested Muslims of fanatical beliefs and practices by vigorously championing Islam’s true and essential teachings.

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At convention, N.J. Democrats debate whether political correctness is a good thing

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New Jersey Democrats have gotten so “PC” this week. And some who have made the pilgrimage to the Democratic National Convention proudly asserted that political correctness is part of the DNA of the Democratic Party. Charles Stile, The RecordRead more

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Anti-Clinton Groups Take to the Streets in Philadelphia

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The uproar from supporters of Senator Bernie Sanders (D-VT) continued on Tuesdayas demonstrators took to the streets in Center City. Though the crowds had thinned after Monday’s mob outside of City Hall, the heat was still scorching and some protestors were still holding out for Sanders delegates at the Democratic National Convention to walk out in support of Green Party candidate Jill Stein rather than vote for Hillary Clinton. JT Aregood, PolitickerNJ Read more

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Julian Assange: ‘A lot more material’ coming on US elections

Hillary Clinton

By Matthew Chance, CNN

Updated 4:16 PM ET, Tue July 26, 2016

(CNN)Wikileaks founder Julian Assange said Tuesday his whistleblowing website might release “a lot more material” relevant to the US electoral campaign.

Assange was speaking in a CNN interview following the release of nearly 20,000 emails stolen from the Democratic National Committee by suspected Russian hackers.

However, Assange refused to confirm or deny a Russian origin for the mass email leak, saying Wikileaks tries to create ambiguity to protect all its sources.

“Perhaps one day the source or sources will step forward and that might be an interesting moment some people may have egg on their faces. But to exclude certain actors is to make it easier to find out who our sources are,” Assange told CNN.

The Kremlin has rejected allegations its behind the hacking, calling suggestions it ordered the release of the emails to influence US politics the “usual fun and games” of the US election campaigns.
“This is not really good for bilateral relations,” Dmitry Peskov, the Kremlin spokesman, added.

https://www.cnn.com/2016/07/26/politics/julian-assange-dnc-email-leak-hack/

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Report: Anti-Semitism, Violence Against Jews Surge on College Campuses

Star of David

Jewish students targeted ‘for harm’

BY: Adam Kredo
July 26, 2016 2:35 pm

Anti-Semitism surged on college campuses across the United States during the first part of 2016, according to a new study that found Jewish students supportive of Israel are being targeted “for harm.”

Nearly 100 more anti-Semitic incidents were recorded on U.S. college campuses during the first six months of 2016 compared with the same period in 2015, according to the report, published by the AMCHA Initiative, a group that works to combat discrimination against Jews.

In addition, “the number of incidents involving the suppression of Jewish students’ freedom of speech and assembly approximately doubled from 2015 to 2016,” according to the report, which also found that a massive uptick in anti-Israel behavior “was highly correlated with behavior that targeted Jewish students for harm.”

https://freebeacon.com/issues/report-anti-semitism-violence-jews-surges-college-campuses/

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4 brutal poll numbers that greet Hillary Clinton at the Democratic National Convention

Hillary Clinton

By Aaron Blake July 25 at 4:42 PM

It’s common for presidential candidates to get a bump from their conventions, and two new polls Mondaysuggest Donald Trump did indeed get that.

But the new polls don’t just show Trump’s stock rising (however temporarily that may be); they also have some very bad news for Hillary Clinton and her already-declining personal image. Indeed, politically, she’s doing as bad as she ever has — if not worse.

A caveat at the outset: The GOP convention was, as was to be expected, very anti-Clinton. There were chants of “lock her up” and plenty of accusations lodged against Clinton. So it’s perhaps not surprising to see Clinton’s numbers take a hit. But they have been steadily getting worse for months and are now basically worse than ever before.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-fix/wp/2016/07/25/4-brutal-poll-numbers-that-greet-hillary-clinton-at-the-democratic-national-convention/

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Why Obama’s half-brother says he’ll be voting for Donald Trump

Malik Obama

By Isabel Vincent

July 25, 2016 | 5:26am

President Obama’s Kenyan half-brother wants to make America great again — so he’s voting for Donald Trump.

“I like Donald Trump because he speaks from the heart,” Malik Obama told The Post from his home in the rural village of Kogelo. “Make America Great Again is a great slogan. I would like to meet him.”

Obama, 58, a longtime Democrat, said his “deep disappointment” in his brother Barack’s administration has led him to recently switch allegiance to “the party of Lincoln.”

https://nypost.com/2016/07/24/why-obamas-half-brother-says-hell-be-voting-for-donald-trump/

 

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Democrats in disarray on eve of convention to nominate Clinton

Democrats

By John Whitesides
July 24, 2016

By John Whitesides

PHILADELPHIA (Reuters) – The head of the Democratic Party resigned on Sunday amid a furor over embarrassing leaked emails, hoping to head off a growing rebellion by Bernie Sanders supporters on the eve of the convention to nominate Hillary Clinton for the White House.

Lingering bitterness from the heated primary campaign between Clinton and Sanders erupted after more than 19,000 Democratic National Committee emails, leaked on Friday, confirmed Sanders’ frequent charge that the party played favorites in the race.

In a statement, DNC Chairwoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz said the best way for the party to accomplish its goal of putting Clinton in the White House was for her to step aside. Sanders had demanded earlier in the day that Wasserman Schultz resign.

The furor was a blow to a party keen on projecting stability in contrast to the volatility of Republican candidate Donald Trump, who was formally nominated at a raucous convention in Cleveland last week.

It also overshadowed preparations in Philadelphia for Clinton’s coronation as the nominee to face Trump in the Nov. 8 presidential election. She will be the first woman nominated for president by a major U.S. political party.

The four-day Democratic convention will open on Monday. In some good news for Clinton, The New York Times reported that businessman and former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg will endorse her in a prime-time speech on Monday, saying she will be the best choice for moderate voters in 2016.

The cache of emails leaked on Friday by the WikiLeaks website disclosed that DNC officials explored ways to undermine Sanders’ insurgent presidential campaign, including raising questions about whether Sanders, who is Jewish, was really an atheist.

Sanders said Wasserman Schultz, a U.S. representative from Florida, had made the right decision for the future of the Democratic Party. “The party leadership must also always remain impartial in the presidential nominating process, something which did not occur in the 2016 race,” he said.

https://ca.news.yahoo.com/eve-democratic-convention-clinton-struggles-party-unity-171510915.html

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DNC chair won’t speak at Dem convention following Wikileaks fallout

(DNC) Debbie Wasserman Schultz9_n

By Theodore Schleifer, Eugene Scott and Jeff Zeleny, CNN

(CNN)The head of the Democratic National Committee will not speak at the party’s convention next week, a decision reached by party officials Saturday after emails surfaced that raised questions about the committee’s impartiality during the Democratic primary.

Debbie Wasserman Schultz, whose stewardship of the DNC has been under fire through most of the presidential primary process, will not have a major speaking role in an effort “to keep the peace” in the party, a Democrat familiar with the decision said. The revelation comes following the release of nearly 20,000 emails

One email appears to show DNC staffers asking how they can reference Bernie Sanders’ faith to weaken him in the eyes of Southern voters. Another seems to depict an attorney advising the committee on how to defend Hillary Clinton against an accusation by the Sanders campaign of not living up to a joint fundraising agreement.
Wasserman Schultz is expected to gavel the convention in and out, but not speak in the wake of the controversy surrounding the leaked emails, a top Democrat said.
“She’s been quarantined,” another top Democrat said, following a meeting Saturday night.

https://www.cnn.com/2016/07/22/politics/dnc-wikileaks-emails/index.html

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DNC : I am Women hear me roar !

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EXCLUSIVE: Democratic National Committeewoman says her party is ‘clearing a path’ for Hillary because ‘the women in charge’ want it that way

Female member of the Democratic Party’s controlling body spoke to Daily Mail Online in Las Vegas following Tuesday’s primary debate
She rattled off a list of women at the top of the party hierarchy and said two vice chairs helped craft a decision this summer to favor Clinton
The committeewoman warned her party could promote Hillary ‘because she’s a woman, and risk having her implode after she’s nominated’
The Democratic National Committee insisted that it ‘runs an impartial primary process, period’
But it has sanctioned just six debates this time around; Democratic presidential candidates had to survive 27 of them in 2007-08
DNC chair Debbie Wasserman Schultz campaigned for Hillary in 2008 when she last ran for the presidency
See our full coverage of Hillary Clinton and her presidential bid

By DAVID MARTOSKO, US POLITICAL EDITOR FOR DAILYMAIL.COM IN LAS VEGAS, NEVADA

PUBLISHED: 11:20 EST, 15 October 2015 | UPDATED: 09:57 EST, 16 October 2015

The Democratic National Committee is ‘clearing a path’ for Hillary Clinton to be its presidential nominee because its upper power echelons are populated with women, according to a female committee member who was in Las Vegas for Tuesday’s primary debate.

Speaking on the condition that she isn’t identified, she told Daily Mail Online that the party is in the tank for Clinton, and the women who run the organization decided it ‘early on.’

The committeewoman is supporting one of Hillary’s rivals for the Democratic nomination, and said she spoke freely because she believes the former Secretary of State is benefiting from unfair favoritism inside the party.

Clinton aims to be the first female to occupy the Oval Office, and ‘the party’s female leaders really want to make a woman the next president,’ the committeewoman said, rattling off a list of the women who she said are the ‘real power’ in the organization.

‘I haven’t heard anyone say we should make Hillary undergo a trial by fire,’ she added. ‘To the contrary, the women in charge seem eager, more and more, to have her skate into the general [election].’

‘I have nothing against women in politics,’ she underscored. ‘But it’s not healthy for the party if we get behind a woman because she’s a woman, and risk having her implode after she’s nominated because she isn’t tested enough now.’

Read more: https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3273404/Democratic-National-Committeewoman-says-party-clearing-path-Hillary-women-charge-want-way.html#ixzz4FKjDDmSy

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Top DNC staffer apologizes for email on Sanders’ religion

Bernie Sanders

By Kristen East

07/23/16 06:15 PM EDT

A top staffer at the Democratic National Committee has apologized after suggesting that the organization use Bernie Sanders’ religious beliefs against him in the Democratic primary.

One email among the thousands of internal DNC messages released this week by Wikileaks showed DNC CFO Brad Marshall questioning Sanders’ Jewish faith, and suggested that painting the candidate as an atheist “could make several points difference” in several late primary contests.

Story Continued Below

“It might may (sic) no difference, but for KY and WVA can we get someone to ask his belief. Does he believe in a God. He had skated on saying he has a Jewish heritage. I think I read he is an atheist. This could make several points difference with my peeps. My Southern Baptist peeps would draw a big difference between a Jew and an atheist,” Marshall wrote in a message to several DNC communications directors.

The message does not mention Sanders by name, but he was the only Jewish candidate, and the email came shortly before the Kentucky and West Virginia Democratic primaries.

Read more: https://www.politico.com/story/2016/07/top-dnc-staffer-apologizes-for-email-on-sanders-religion-226072#ixzz4FKhPDgWV

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Officers’ wives speak about impact violence against police has on their families

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photo by Boyd Loving

By Graham Deese  /   July 20, 2016

MADISON, Wisconsin — Members of Shielded Hearts, a group of wives and loved ones of police officers, spoke out Tuesday about the impact the recent shootings are having on their families.

Tina Colon, a Shielded Hearts member, said her husband, Officer Vidal Colon, was shot in 2009 while on patrol.

The Colons’ 11-year-old daughter discovered her father had been shot when she saw him being carted away on the news. Tina received the phone call telling her what had happened while in the presence of her other children. She lost control and collapsed to the ground.

Witnessing this event traumatized the children and left emotional scars that persist to this day, she said.

“I will never forget their faces. I will never forget that phone call.” Colon said.

Fortunately, Vidal Colon survived the attack.

Tina Colon praises Shielded Hearts for aiding her long, slow process to recovery.

“This organization helped me find the strength I needed,” she said.

Mike Crivello, president of the Milwaukee Police Association, spoke on the impact the increasing violence against police officers is having on families. Goodbye hugs last longer, spouses watch their loved ones leave for work each day and they are increasingly grateful for all contact they receive throughout the day, Crivello said.

Tina Colon also talked about how difficult it was for her and other wives of officers to reassure their children, friends and themselves that their loved ones were coming home each day, “when we can’t guarantee that.”

Teresa Robinson, executive director of Shielded Hearts, argued that amidst all the controversy people forget the human side of officers. “People don’t see the real person behind the badge.” she said.

Crivello echoed this sentiment: “It’s really important that the community knows that those individuals riding out in those squads, wearing those uniforms, are human beings.”

Recent events have made life harder on officers, Robinson said. They wanted to protect and serve the community but instead are hated and persecuted, she argues.

“This is not what our officers signed up for,” Robinson said.

Dana Carpenter, another Shielded Hearts member, argued it wasn’t like this 15 years ago. “They were valued, they were respected, but times have changed,” she said.

The Shielded Hearts members emphasized the need for people to show support for law enforcement officers in their community.

Colon argued that, “any little bit of support and positive gestures towards our law enforcement” can help. While acknowledging there are no simple answers, she urged community members not to underestimate the power of positivity.

“We want the community to stand up and show support.” Robinson said.