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Pro-Palestinian protesters in Washington, D.C. were informed by the United States Capitol Police that they were not allowed to keep "tents up all night" after an encampment was established on the lawn of the Ellipse.
The post U.S. Park Police Inform Pro-Palestinian Protesters They Are βNot Keepingβ Tents βUp All Nightβ After Encampment Established appeared first on Breitbart.
The organizers of an international conservative conference stand defiant after a court ordered one of its featured speakersβa former senior adviser to President Donald Trumpβto begin serving prison time shortly before the conference starts in July.Β
A federal judge ruled on Thursday that Steve Bannon must begin serving his sentence for contempt of Congress charges on July 1. Bannonβs conviction came in 2022 after a jury found him guilty of ignoring a subpoena from the Houseβs Democrat-led Jan. 6 committee.Β
Bannonβs four-month stint behind bars is scheduled to begin just days before his appearance at the National Conservatism Conference, which starts on July 8 in Washington, D.C. The Edmund Burke Foundation, which manages the three-day event, called Bannonβs prosecution βlawfare,β a term that means legal warfare.Β
βSteve Bannon has been one of the worldβs leading nationalists for decades,β Saurabh Sharma, the foundationβs executive director, told The Daily Signal. βThe global Left knows this and thinks it can silence him with endless lawfare. It is wrong.Β
βHis public witness has changed the course of nations, and we look forward to having him be an integral part of National Conservatism Conferences for years to come.βΒ Β
The foundation declined to comment on whether it plans to deliver Bannonβs speech on his behalf at the conference.Β
The βWar Roomβ podcast host is appealing his conviction.
The high-profile conference, also known as NatCon, βwill feature over 100 of the most cutting-edge thinkers the national conservative movement has to offer,β according to Sharma. The lineup includes politicians from the U.S. and abroad, policy experts, religious leaders, commentators, and journalists such as The Daily Signalβs Mary Margaret Olohan.Β
NatCon organizers say they are no strangers to government pushback against their movement. European authorities tried to shut down the conference in Brussels in April, sending police to block people from attending and stating publicly that βthe far Right is not welcome.β A Belgian court order allowed the gathering to continue, however.Β
βThe crackdown demonstrated just what the βrule of lawβ really meansβor whom it serves,β Edmund Burke Foundation Chairman Yoram Hazony told The Daily Signal. βIt was a preview of how law enforcement, which is intended to keep the public safe, can instead be deployed to shut down political opposition.βΒ
Hazony said, βIf anyone still believes that conservatives were paranoid or indulging in conspiracy theories in terms of cancel culture targeting the political Right, the attempted shutdown of NatCon in Europeβs capital removed all doubt.βΒ
Sharma emphasized, however, βWe will continue undeterredβthe fate of independent nations hangs in the balance, and we will not be cowed by petty bureaucrats in Brussels or anywhere else.β
βThe global Left knows that national conservatism is the greatest threat to [its] misrule,β he told The Daily Signal. βIt is right.β
The post National Conservatism Conference Condemns Sentencing of Guest Speaker Steve Bannon appeared first on The Daily Signal.
Breitbart Editor-in-Chief and bestselling author Alex Marlow joins host Mike Slater to discuss the news of the week, including the leftβs increasing use of lawfare tactics against opponents.
The post Breitbart News Daily Podcast Ep. 552: Breitbart Editor-in-Chief Alex Marlow on the Leftβs Lawfare Tactics appeared first on Breitbart.
Dr. Sebastian Gorka joins host Mike Slater to commemorate the 80thΒ anniversary of the D-Day invasion that commenced the liberation of Nazi-occupied Europe.
The post Breitbart News Daily Podcast Ep. 551: Sebastian Gorka on the 80th Anniversary of D-Day appeared first on Breitbart.
In our modern political dumpster fire, there has never been an art so refined and illustrious as pointless pearl-clutching.Β
In this, the ninth year of 2016, most everyone is fairly desensitized to the political drama emanating from the Leftβs ardent claims that any conservative policy or protest is an appeal to fascism as their own organizations and protesters set fire to cities (and sometimes themselves).
Republicans pass a bill banning sexually explicit content in public schools from kindergarten to third grade? Florida Democrats and media labeled it fascism.
A U.S. Supreme Court justiceβs wife flies a Revolutionary War flag commissioned by George Washington? Salonβs senior writer described Justice Samuel Alito and his wife as βextremely invested in the semiotics of American fascism.β
The New Republic, The Guardian, taxpayer-funded PBSβany time a Republican so much as upholds parliamentary procedure, defends former President Donald Trump, or questions the surge of gang and cartel members amid waves of illegal immigrantsβthese outlets are ready in the wings to call any to the right of Chairman Mao a fascist.
The latest banner of fascism to be shouted down in a βTwo Minutes Hateβ session out of George Orwellβs β1984β: flying the flag of the United States upside down. The horror!
As ridiculous as it might soundβthe group that has spent the past eight years defending those who burn, shred, and desecrate the U.S. flag is suddenly outraged over many in the nation who have flown the U.S. flag upside down in a symbol of distress over Trumpβs political prosecution and conviction.
Many on the Left and precious few on the Right have taken to social media to lambast those who would fly the U.S. flag upside down as βdisrespectful,β βtreasonous,β and βidol-worshipers.β
Is this the case? Are those who reacted to Trumpβs felony convictions in New York City simply bowing at his feet in a brutal backstabbing of the United States? Is this heinous, unspeakable act the very hallmark of fascism and the alleged βcult of personalityβ that the Left has predicted for almost a century?
Of course not, and you know that.
We neednβt walk down the halls of easily accessible history to discern how this wrist-shattering pearl clutch is both hypocritical and ignorant. But weβll do so, not out of necessity but because heaping good data en masse against poorly constructed arguments is entertaining.
First and foremost: Flying the flag of the United States upside down is not disrespectful, illegal, treasonous, or even unprecedented.
Although 4 U.S. Code Β§ 8, commonly referred to as the βFlag Code,β isnβt legally enforceable (because U.S. citizens retain First Amendment rights to do with their own flags whatever they wish), flying the flag upside down under appropriate circumstances wouldnβt violate the law.
The law clearly states: βThe flag should never be displayed with the union down, except as a signal of dire distress in instances of extreme danger to life or property.β (The βunionβ refers to the patch of blue with 50 stars.)
Thousands in the U.S. have flown our flag upside down to express their βdire distressβ in such instances over the past century.
Leftists consistently flew the U.S. flag upside down throughout Trumpβs presidency to signal their deep disquiet and fear, from Washington state to Louisiana. Democrats in New Jersey resolutely flew the flag upside down in protest of Trumpβs inauguration in January 2017. Some Republicans flew their flags upside down when Barack Obama was reelected in 2012.
The American flag has been flown upside down as βa tribute to veteransβ sacrifice,β and was one of the many symbols of protest against the Vietnam War used by leftist demonstrators in the 1960s.
The Flag Code doesnβt specify what βextreme danger to life or propertyβ entails, nor does it restrict such interpretation to a physical danger or a political one. Might there be a situation today in which many Americans feel in deep distress over a perceived danger to the life and property of their republic?
Never before in American history has a former president, much less one running for office again, been charged and convicted in such a kangaroo-court fashion that even his political adversaries note the insanity of the circumstances.
In an extremely heated presidential election campaign, indicting one of the two frontrunners would be considered enough of an anathemaβbut the case of New York v. Trump was more than precarious, it was a circus.Β
Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, a Democrat, ran on the promise of doing anything he could to find something to indict Trump with. Outside his jurisdiction, Bragg used a federal election statuteβwhich the Federal Election Commission already had stated Trump didnβt violateβas a convoluted lever to turn 34 counts of βfalsifying business records,β misdemeanors that by this point were outside New Yorkβs statute of limitations, into felonies.
As if that werenβt enough, Judge Juan Merchan refused to allow a former chairman of the Federal Election Commission to testify, refused to allow the defense to speak to the jury before deliberation, and informed jurors that to convict they didnβt have to reach a unanimous decision on what crime was committed.
Such actions by Merchan set a nation on fire even as trust in institutions already was wavering.
Elie Honig, a former federal and state prosecutor, wrote for New York magazine, an extremely liberal publication: βProsecutors got Trumpβbut they contorted the law.β Honig pointed out that never before in U.S. history has there been a state prosecution using federal election law.
Youβll notice that I havenβt mentioned Trumpβs sex life, his character, or his business decisionsβin fact, many of those expressing extreme distress at this forded Rubicon arenβt being protective of Trump like he was some kind of nonsensical religious idol.Β
Sens. Mitch McConnell, R-Ky, and Mitt Romney, R-Utah, who have spent the past few years as Trumpβs chief opposition within the GOP, both called this case and conviction despicable.Β
When a reporter asks President Joe Biden whether he used this case to politically persecute Trump and he casts a wicked grin in her direction, how is the nation supposed to respond?
Reporter: "President Trump refers to himself as a political prisoner and blames you directly. What's your response to that, sir?"
β Michael Knowles (@michaeljknowles) May 31, 2024
Biden: *smiles*pic.twitter.com/CZY8JUMvKO
Why is the left side of the aisle afforded the right to ride through towns and cities shouting about the impending doom of the republic like some bastardized caricature of Paul Revere, and the right side isnβt allowed to call out the very sham John Adams unpopularly fought in court to prevent?
Spare me your clutched pearls, neoconservatives. Your faux dignity and condescension at the concerns of Americans whose carcass of a justice system is paraded openly donβt move me.Β
I donβt have to defend Trumpβs personal life and sign onto a βcult of personalityβ to recognize that each of us has a right to be free from political persecution and election interference.Β
Commentator Alyssa Farahβs silly claims that flying the flag upside down signals βselling outβ are as pathetic and hypocritical as the rest of the cast of βThe Viewβ with whom she clucks and quacks about abortion rights, gun confiscation, and anti-Catholicism.
Whistling past the graveyard and sending a βstrongly worded letterβ have only mired us further in the muck of Third World antics.
I reserve the right to fly my flag upside down to signal my extreme distress at this danger to the life and property of the republic I love, and Iβll do so whenever I find it appropriate.
The post To the Condescending Cranks Faking Outrage Over Upside-Down Flags appeared first on The Daily Signal.
On Wednesday, the Biden White House posted the demonstrably false claim that "guns are the number one killer of children."
The post Biden White House Still Falsely Claiming Guns βNumber One Killer of Childrenβ appeared first on Breitbart.
The Canadian Radio, Television, and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) on Tuesday announced that online streaming services such as Netflix, Hulu, and Amazon Prime will be required to βcontributeβ five percent of their Canadian revenue to funds for local broadcasting.
The post Canada Imposes 5% βContributionβ on Netflix, Other Online Streamers to Pay for Local Broadcasting appeared first on Breitbart.
Host Mike Slater discusses President Joe Bidenβs latest executive order about the southern border.
The post Breitbart News Daily Podcast Ep. 550: Bidenβs Desperate Border Executive Order appeared first on Breitbart.
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Breitbartβs Second Amendment Correspondent AWR Hawkins joins host Mike Slater to discuss Hunter Bidenβs trial in Delaware on gun-related charges.
The post Breitbart News Daily Podcast Ep. 549: Breitbart 2nd Amendment Correspondent AWR Hawkins on Hunter Bidenβs Gun Charges Trial appeared first on Breitbart.
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A final pro-life activist was sentenced on Friday to years in prison for protesting at an abortion clinic infamous for late-term abortions in Washington, DC.
The post Another Elderly Pro-Life Activist Sentenced for 2020 D.C. Abortion Clinic Protest appeared first on Breitbart.
The Biden campaign is repeating a lie that former President Donald Trump tear-gassed peaceful protesters gathered outside of the White House in Lafayette Square for a photo-op.
The post Fact Check: Biden Campaign Repeats Lie That Trump Tear-Gassed Protesters to Clear Park for Bible Photo-Op appeared first on Breitbart.
Health officials in Washington are warning the public of a case of measles that was confirmed in a traveler returning from Europe.
The post Measles Case Confirmed in Traveler After Returning from Europe, Washington Health Officials Say appeared first on Breitbart.
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Breitbart Editor-in-Chief Alex Marlow discusses the fallout from yesterdayβs Trump trial verdict.
The post Breitbart News Daily Podcast Ep. 547: Breitbart Editor-in-Chief Alex Marlow on the Trump Verdict appeared first on Breitbart.
Dr. Sebastian Gorka, a former strategist to President Donald Trump and host of βAmerica First,β joins host Mike Slater to discuss his day at Trumpβs New York trial.
The post Breitbart News Daily Podcast Ep. 546: Dr. Sebastian Gorka on His Day in Court with Trump appeared first on Breitbart.
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Todayβs podcast is a Trump trial double feature with Trump campaign spokesperson Karoline Leavitt and Trump lawyer Jesse Binnall.
The post Breitbart News Daily Podcast Ep. 545: Karoline Leavitt and Jesse Binnall on Trump Trial Closing Arguments appeared first on Breitbart.
Chris Rufo wrote βAmericaβs Cultural Revolutionβ last year as a warning to conservatives about the radical Leftβs takeover of institutionsβfrom business and government to education and entertainment. In addition to being an exposΓ©, it also served as a call to action.
Now, a year later, Rufo is optimistic that Americans, including some to left of center politically, are βwaking up.β He attributes the change to the gruesome and deadly Oct. 7, 2023, attack by Hamas and the Leftβs unflinching (and often antisemitic) criticism of Israel that followed.
βAfter 10/7, when those same people who were marching for [Black Lives Matter], who were pushing trans in schools, who were ramping up DEI, when theyβre out there celebrating the terrorists who butchered, raped, and murdered innocent people, I think it caused this moment of horror, but also this moment of clarity,β Rufo told The Daily Signal.
The popular writer, filmmaker, and activistβwhose work is available at ChristopherRufo.comβwas in Washington, D.C., last week to accept The Heritage Foundationβs prestigious Salvatori Prize.
Listen to the interview on βThe Daily Signal Podcastβ or read an edited and abridged transcript below.
Rob Bluey: Itβs almost a year since you published βAmericaβs Cultural Revolution.β It was a call to action for Americans to wake up to whatβs going on in the Marxist ideology thatβs infused so many of the institutions in this country. Do you feel that people are heeding that call today?
Chris Rufo: I think so. You always want a greater number of people to heed the call.
The story that I told in the book was certainly revealed to be true at the time, but it took on a new dimension following the Hamas terror attack on Oct. 7 of last year. That has just accelerated this waking up that is happening in the United States, and in particular on the center-left. A lot of people who would say, βOh, woke is so overblown, itβs not so bad. DEI [diversity, equity, and inclusion] is good. Maybe itβs not perfect, but maybe we can improve it.β But those were rationalizations.
Today is the day. My book "America's Cultural Revolution" goes into publication as the #1 bestseller on Amazon. I put my whole heart into writing this book, hoping to reshape the national narrative and create a path for a conservative counter-revolution.https://t.co/u0eGLgCaRL
β Christopher F. Rufo ?? (@realchrisrufo) July 18, 2023
And after 10/7, when those same people who were marching for BLM, who were pushing trans in schools, who were ramping up DEI, when theyβre out there celebrating the terrorists who butchered, raped, and murdered innocent people, I think it caused this moment of horror, but also this moment of clarity, βOh, all of that leads to this.β
Iβve never seen anything like it. Youβre seeing a lot of shift right now, not just in public opinion, but in political alliances. Youβre seeing a shift in financing people pulling back from giving money to universities, including the Ivy League universities.
Bluey: Kevin Roberts, president of The Heritage Foundation, says that heβs very optimistic that the American people will take back their country from the elites that have set us down this path.
Rufo: Thatβs the right attitude. Thatβs what I love about Kevin. Maybe itβs a Texas thing, a little Alamo spirit, but I share the same conviction.
And look, a lot of people on our side are down in the dumps. Theyβre demoralized, theyβre feeling pessimistic. We all feel that at times, of course, but we have to also have some greater historical perspective and read the history of the founding, read the history of the Civil War, read the history of the Second World War, read the history of the β60s and β70s. Weβve been through much more difficult challenges in the past.
The question is, can we meet the standard of the past? Thatβs the real question. Itβs a question of our own culture, our own spirit, our own character.
I certainly feel doubts about that sometimes. Even in the pre-revolutionary period, the Patriots of the American Revolution doubted themselves the whole time. Even in January of 1776, all of the smart opinion in the Colonies was that most Americans did not want revolution. Most Americans did not want to separate from Britain. Most Americans would refuse to participate.
History is full of surprises, and I hope that weβre fortunate again, as weβve been so many times in our past.
Bluey: You recently hosted a conversation with some individuals who go by pseudonyms who have been doxxed by what you call the left-wing smear machine that is quite coordinated in some of its activities. But you also sounded somewhat hopeful that maybe things were changing in that regard.
Rufo: Absolutely, yes. Thereβs a whole range of reputational destruction mechanisms and some of them are formalized, like the SPLC [Southern Poverty Law Center], for example, which is kind of a sham organization that would try to put you on a list and refer you to law enforcement for protesting a school career. Theyβve run out of actual true hate groups. So, they have now labeled everything a hate group. Itβs absurd.
But then down to the doxxing. A lot of people online want to maintain pseudonyms. Again, America has a long tradition of pseudonyms. The Founders wrote under pseudonyms for many of their works. Thomas Paine wrote anonymously βCommon Sense,β which is the kind of literary work that helps spark the revolution. And then, as now, unmasking people as a way to put them toward reputational destruction. There are even more personal tactics to intimidate you, harass you, whatever.
Counterrevolution #3: The Left-Wing Smear Machine by Christopher F. Rufo
Pseudonymity, doxing, and the dissident Right.
Read on SubstackTwo things are happening, though. Those tactics have lost their steam. Those tactics have lost their effectiveness. Conservatives are getting much tougher and much smarter and much more courageous and much more sophisticated and adept at responding to those reputational attacks. Our audience, our supporters, our people automatically discount them: βOh, OK, another person on the so-and-so list.β βOh, OK, another person gets a smear piece and the X, Y, and Z, The Guardian, whatever publication.β
It was so overused for a period that it lost its rhetorical force, and conservatives have successfully adapted.
It can still be damaging to people who are in a vulnerable positionβif youβre an employee at a big corporation, yeah, maintaining your anonymity is probably smart. But if youβre in politics or in the political world, we now have the tools, and we have now the support where some of these reputational attacks can be successfully countered.
Bluey: What keeps you going? You are sometimes outgunned 100 to 1, 500 to 1, maybe more, and yet it doesnβt seem to deter you.
Rufo: I love it. I enjoy it. I love the challenge. I enjoy the fight. I savor victories when they come and then I try to learn from defeats, which are inevitable. But I love the process and I enjoy the drama. I enjoy the conflict. All the things that youβre supposed to not like about politics.
The longer that Iβve been studying it and then participating in it, I realized that, actually, that is kind of the core of political life. And for whatever reason, Iβm suited to it. And I find it to be an intellectual challenge, emotionally challenging, professionally challenging. Itβs challenging from a business perspective. Of course, I run my own little shop as well as partnerships with these great institutions. And so, every day is an immense challenge, and the odds are often stacked against you. And that, for me, is an ideal environment.
Itβs an environment that I love and I hope that it also inspires others. And I know that it has inspired many others to kind of follow suit and to try to really get in the fray.
The other thing that has been helpful is understanding that politics hasnβt really changed in a long time. And so, Iβm realizing over the last few years, itβs like, all right, I have many flaws and many limitations, but I maybe have one gift. And itβs in the art of rhetoric, broadly speaking.
And so, Iβve been reading a lot of the old works from Greece and Rome about rhetoric, and it could have been written yesterday. Itβs amazing. Youβre reading Aristotleβs Treatise on Rhetoric and you say, βThis is incredible.β Itβs like nothing has changed. These guys were going down and they were duking it out intellectually in the Agora or in Rome, in the senate.
And, of course, they have grandeur that we donβt have. We live in a different era, but you get a sense in participating in something greater, youβre participating in a tradition that weβve had in the West. For me, that is also a source of joy, a source of sustenance.
Bluey: With that being said, is there a particular goal that you have for 2024 or something that youβre working on, an objective that our audience may be able to support what youβre doing?
Rufo: Iβm still finishing up this campaign to abolish DEI, which we launched last year. Thatβll take me through the summer. The 18-month campaign cycle is probably the max, where after that, you start to lose effectiveness.
My goal is always to launch campaigns, entrepreneurial, from scratch, and then hand them off to others once theyβre well developed. Launching critical race theory, launching trans ideology in schools, launching abolish DEI, launching this campaign against Harvard. Now others have taken up the mantle on many of those campaigns.
I feel like almost like a venture capital investor, startup operator. The startup phase is exciting. I like it. And then I hand it over when these campaigns are mature.
Iβll tell you, though, I donβt know whatβs next. I know that weβre going to wind down abolish DEI. I do know that Iβll be hiring some additional staff in the coming months, but coming up with a campaign is not a work of mathematics. Itβs a work of art. And so, part of the artistic process is the mystery of inspiration. I know that is maybe contrary to some other organizations that are a bit more logical, a bit more rational.
I tell my funders and supporters, like, βAlright, supporters want to support the work.β And I say, βWell, whatβs the next thing?β Itβs like, I donβt know, weβll figure it out. But something will happen. And part of the success in political activism is sensing opportunity. Some of the best campaigns kind of emerged spontaneously or emerged by accident. Like a novelist or writer, sometimes youβre just waiting for that moment of inspiration.
Thereβs no end point to politics. I know that as long as Iβm alive, there will be something to think about, something to fight about, something to work on. Itβs just a matter of time before the next thing comes up.
Bluey: What are some of the ways that you would encourage people to follow your work or financially support you?
Rufo: Follow @realChrisRufo on X. Follow christopherrufo.com. On Substack, small supporters can become paid subscribers, $8 a month or $80 a year. We have a huge and growing audience there. And philanthropic donors can reach out to me. Thereβs a contact form on my site.
On the support side, itβs been really unreal. We have incredible people in our country that want to see success. And I actually donβt do any outbound fundraising. I donβt do any solicitation. I donβt do any calls. But people have just come out of the woodwork saying, βHey, I love what youβre doing. I want to support it.β Thatβs a very encouraging sign because what it shows is that there are people around the country that have the sophistication, the means, the inspiration, the capacity. They want to see something better.
P.S. If you want to support further investigations into plagiarism at America's Ivy League universities, become a paid subscriber to my Substack. I have already committed $10,000 to this project, with the potential for more: https://t.co/etKtrVPEmL
β Christopher F. Rufo ?? (@realchrisrufo) February 22, 2024
The voting public, if you measure public opinion, has the right idea on many, many issues, if not most issues. The limitation is not the public. The limitation is not the funders or the philanthropists.
Iβm sure anyone in this world can grumble about specifics, but actually, limitation is us as political leaders, as intellectual leaders, as movement leaders. Iβm more and more convinced that the raw materials are there. Itβs really up to us to shape them, to direct them, to point them in the right place, and to mobilize people in the most effective way possible. And so that, to me, is the big limitation right now. And a limitation is just another word for a challenge.
Thereβs a rich vein of opportunity there. It really is truly a rich vein. How do we get these? I mean, Hillsdale College is incredible, the Manhattan Institute, The Heritage Foundation, a whole range of other groups. We have brilliant people, we have great supporters, and now itβs time for action. And thatβs really what Iβm hoping that weβre driving toward.
Bluey: Whatβs holding us back then? Do you think that thereβs an impediment, or is there a challenge that you want to leave us with and our audience?
Rufo: Yes, there are many challenges. Conservative institutions have to radically modernize the way they approach politics. They have to have an understanding of how media works in the 21st century. They have to have an understanding of how politics works.
We have to reconnect with the essence of political life, and we have to understand politics for what it is. We have to really refine our rhetorical sensibilities. β¦ And then, of course, translate into administrative success. Weβre actually fairly well there. But the rhetorical part is really the missing element on the Right.
If you actually look at the great political leaders in historyβfrom the Greeks and Romans to the American Founders, to [Abraham] Lincoln, to, I mean, even in a less classical way, but of course, [Ronald] Reaganβthey were very serious about rhetoric.
I actually think that that is the missing link. And rhetoric in a postmodern environment means media activism, mass persuasion, elite influence, digital communications, all of those five areas are how modern rhetoric plays out. If we can really radically modernize on those five practices, everything that we do could be much more successful.
The post Defeating the Radical Left: Chris Rufo Talks Strategy and Resilience appeared first on The Daily Signal.
Fentanyl has "largely fueled" a staggering increase in youth overdose deaths since the start of the coronavirus pandemic, according to recent Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) data.
The post Report: Youth Fentanyl Overdose Deaths βMore than Doubledβ Since Pandemic appeared first on Breitbart.
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An eighth pro-life activist was sentenced on Wednesday under the Freedom of Access the Clinic Entrances (FACE) Act and "conspiracy against rights" for an abortion clinic protest in Washington, DC, in October 2020.
The post Pro-Life Grandmother Sentenced to 24 Months in Prison for 2020 D.C. Abortion Clinic Protest appeared first on Breitbart.
Host Mike Slater opens todayβs podcast with his reflections on the true meaning of Memorial Day.
The post Breitbart News Daily Podcast Ep. 543: Mike Slater on the Meaning of Memorial Day; Trump in the Bronx appeared first on Breitbart.
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New polling from Scott Rasmussen reveals that Americaβs elite 1%βthose with high incomes, urban residences, and postgraduate degreesβare significantly out of step with the rest of the country on a range of issues.
Itβs a troubling trend for America, and it doesnβt bode well for our future considering the elite 1% occupy many of the leadership roles in our cultural, educational, and government institutions.
Thereβs perhaps no statistic more shocking than the 69% of politically obsessed elites who think it would be better if only people with college degrees could vote. By comparison, just 15% of all voters hold that view. (Rasmussen defines βpolitically obsessedβ as elites who talk about politics every day.)
Rasmussenβs latest survey, conducted by RMG Research, asked other questions ranging from government censorship to gun ownership. On nearly every issue, thereβs a wide gulf between the ruling class and everyday Americans.
You can learn more about work on the elite 1% by tuning into βThe Scott Rasmussen Show,β which airs Sunday at 10 a.m. ET on Merit Street Media.
In the meantime, listen to our full interview on βThe Daily Signal Podcastβ or read an edited transcript below.
Rob Bluey: What are the headlines coming out of your latest research?
Scott Rasmussen: As a reminder, the last time we talked about how the politically obsessed elites think the American people have too much individual freedom and people in this elite world really trust the federal government.
What we did this time is began to ask some of these same groups, the elite 1 % and the politically obsessed, what do they think America looks like?
Perhaps the funniest finding of all is we ask the question, βDo most Americans agree with you on most important issues?β Now, if we ask voters, about half say, βYeah, I think most people agree with me.β Among the politically obsessed elites, 82% of that group thinks that most Americans agree with them on most issues. Itβs not even close to true, but theyβre looking in a mirror. They see what they want to see.
Whatβs scary about that, if you think about it in context of the administrative state, if these people believe that their views are representative of America, it justifies them cheating a little bit or bending the rules because they can say, βWeβre fighting for the American people.β In fact, theyβre fighting against the American people.
Bluey: Are there particular policy issues where you see that playing out more so than others? For instance, one that comes to mind is climate change.
Rasmussen: Itβs actually harder to find places where the American people are with the elite. You mentioned climate change. About 2 out of 3 of this politically obsessed elite think that most voters are willing to pay $250 a year or more to fight climate change.
When we do polling to ask people how much theyβre willing to payβin terms of taxes or higher pricesβabout half say theyβre not willing to pay anything, and 72% say nothing more than $100.
If you think about that in a policy sense, these influencers believe the American people are willing to pay something theyβre not, and thatβs why they can support some different policy ideas.
But look, itβs starts with a very basic thing: 71% of the politically obsessed elites think most Americans trust the federal government most of the time. That has not been true for 50 years. Itβs been a half century since people tended to trust the government that much. Today, only 22% of voters voiced that much trust in government.
That is one of the core distinctions. If you trust the federal government, you trust the regulatory apparatus a lot more. You trust other rules and regulations, and voters just arenβt there.
Bluey: Another area that you polled had to do with social media. What did you find when you surveyed the elite 1% on that particular topic?
Rasmussen: Everybody, whether youβre in the elite or not, has some concern about disinformation and fake news. Where the difference comes is what to do about it.
Among most voters, they say that having the government decide what is misinformation and fake news is a bigger threat than the fake news itself. Among the elites, they say just the opposite.
Should the federal government be allowed to censor social media posts? Among all voters, 16% say yes. Among the politically obsessed elites, just over 50 % say, βOf course, we should have the right to censor social media.β Fundamentally different views.
The views of the elite 1% amount to a rejection of Americaβs founding ideals. Even on something as simple as, βDoes the federal government listen too much or not enough to the American people?β Overwhelmingly, voters say the government is not listening to us and the elites are saying itβs listening too much.
Bluey: There seems to be a wide discrepancy of views when it comes to who should vote and who should have a say in our countryβs future. That number to me was one that stood out and was quite alarming.
Rasmussen: Absolutely alarming.
We asked a question that seemed to me to be absurd, Would it be better if only people with a college degree were allowed to vote?β
Appropriately, most Americans just soundly reject that idea. But among the elites, they heavily believe this country would be better off if all those deplorables who didnβt go to college werenβt allowed to vote.
Bluey: And one issue where thereβs also quite a big disparity is gun ownership. How do the elite view guns?
Rasmussen: Consistently for decades, voters say they want to live in a community where guns are allowed. Sometimes itβs in the low 60s, sometimes after a horrific shooting event, it moves down to the low 50s, but consistently a majority of Americans can support that.
Among the elite 1 % that politically obsessed portion of it, about 70% of them say, βNo, we want to live where guns are outlawed.β And 76% of them want to ban the private ownership of guns.
If you are in that politically obsessed elite and you believe strongly that we should ban guns, and if you believe that most American people want to live in a community where guns are outlawed, then you take an almost religious fervor to the fight to ban guns because you can convince yourself that youβre fighting on behalf of the public. And once again, youβre actually fighting against what the American people are looking for.
Bluey: Do you feel that the elite 1 % are more out of touch in 2024 than maybe they were in past generations?
Rasmussen: First, I donβt have data from past generations, so I canβt make a clear assessment on that. But I think itβs probably a little bit different.
There have always been elites. Thomas Jefferson and George Washington were clearly elites of their era, but they also had a commitment to something larger than themselves. Thomas Jefferson, in writing the Declaration of Independence, said he was just articulating what the American people were feeling. At the same time, Alexander Hamilton said, βWe need to establish a monarchy.β If you actually read his plan, itβs horrific.
So there have always been some people and elites who kind of rejected the founding ideals, who rejected the concepts of the Declaration of Independence.
>>> βMost Terrifying Poll Result Iβve Ever Seenβ: Scott Rasmussen Surveys Americaβs Elite 1%
Whatβs changed in the last couple of generations are two things.
No. 1, weβre a little bit more sorted geographically. Members of the elite arenβt encountering non-elites on a regular basis. Itβs not just that we live in gated communities or separate areas. Public transportation has been replaced by Uber. Thereβs not a lot of contact with people who arenβt like you.
The second part is there has been the rise of what a lot of people view as the global elite, where people begin to see others from other countries as more like them than they do their own countrymen.
Bluey: The use of pronouns has become quite pronounced in a lot of corporate settings, even in our federal government. There are some departments and agencies that now include them in email signatures and things of that nature. Is there a difference of how elites view pronouns vs. the rest of America?
Rasmussen: Letβs start with the fact that most Americans donβt even know what youβre talking about when youβre expressing your preferred pronouns. Only about 1 out of 10 voters has ever introduced themselves in that manner.
When they hear talk of it, it seems very foreign. But among the politically obsessed elite, about 60%, have introduced themselves expressing their preferred pronouns. And itβs hard to overstate the cultural difference at that point.
If youβre in this elite worldβif youβre in the elite schools or many agencies of the federal governmentβit is absolutely normal and an everyday occurrence that you meet somebody and they tell you not only their name and their position, but their preferred pronouns. In the rest of America, that just doesnβt happen.
When you get into discussions about misgendering somebody, there are regulations being pushed right now that would require employers to punish somebody for misgenderingβfor not using somebodyβs preferred pronouns. Only 9% of voters think thatβs a fireable offense, but even more than that, they donβt even know what the discussion is about.
This is where that glaring gap between the elites and most Americans is quite visible. It is the cultural world theyβre in, whether weβre talking about guns, or climate change policies, or preferred pronouns, or even the topic of should biological males be allowed to play in womenβs sports.
Among the politically obsessed elite, 41% say they should. Now, thatβs not a majority, but essentially, the politically obsessed elite is evenly divided on this question, whereas to most Americans, itβs ridiculous. Of course, biological males have a physical advantage. Of course, it is dangerous to let biological males into the womenβs locker room. But the elite is having a discussion about it. That is out of step with the country. It is dangerous.
Itβs fine to have different views. We all live on our own bubbles. Your bubble is a little different than mine, but probably has some overlap. But you have to be able to look outside your bubble and see what the rest of the country is doing.
If youβre in this elite world, you have enormous influence and you think your views are reflecting the public at large, thatβs a really dangerous combination.
Bluey: One of the most notable examples of the last decade is when Donald Trump was elected president. It seemed that the elites were in shock. What might happen if Trump is victorious in November and how might they react?
Rasmussen: On Election Day 2016, most of the conversation was Hillary Clinton is up by three in the polls, but thereβs a margin of error, sheβll probably win by six. There was a shock. They couldnβt believe it. They couldnβt imagine what was happening. And because in their mind, Hillary Clinton was the ideally prepared person.
Looking ahead to this year, first thing I will tell you is if the election is at all close, the way the last nine elections have been in, whichever team loses, theyβll believe the election was stolen. If Donald Trump wins, we will hear an awful lot about how he stole the election from these elites.
But something else is happening thatβs playing a part in the election. Itβs a distorted view of the public.
When we see the campus protests about the Palestinian situation, 62% of the elites have a favorable opinion. They think itβs great what these protesters are doing. Most voters donβt. Only 24% of voters support the protesters.
That leaves the pundits to misread the way a situation has played out. In fact, since the campus protest started, support for Israel has gone upβnot what some of the protesters might have hoped for.
A lot of the elites are misreading the dynamics going on right now. About 80 % of the elite 1% approve of the way Joe Biden is doing his job.
The post 69% of Elites Want to Restrict Voting to College Graduates Only appeared first on The Daily Signal.
The majority of House Democrats voted to allow foreign nationals, including illegal aliens, to vote in municipal elections in the District of Columbia.
The post Most House Democrats Vote to Allow Illegal Aliens to Vote in D.C. Elections appeared first on Breitbart.
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