BERNIE SANDERS-NISTA: Vintage footage showing him praising breadlines in communist nations.

Sure, breadlines are proof that the people aren't starving....

NASA CONCERNED that an iceberg twice the size of New York City is aboout to break off from Antartica.

Maybe NYC could break off from North America and float out into the Atlantic to melt it with all that pent up global warming....

DEMOCRATS ARE AFRAID OF THE TRUTH because the truth will set us free (of their control).

VICTOR DAVIS HANSON: Changing reality with words.

Newspeak is alive and well in the progressive movement....

HEH: My left shoe won't reboot!

JENNIFER RUBIN: Trump's rhetoric is giving people all the impetus they might need to commit violence.

Is Ms. Rubin aware that most of the violence is coming from the Left? So it's Trump's fault the Left is infested with violent bigots?

I'M RUNNING A LITTLE LATE THIS WEEK: Here is PowerLine's Week in Pictures from Saturday. My favorite:

Bonus: a cat anecdote: One of our cats was sitting patiently at the door to be let outside. As I opened the door, I asked the cat "Why don't you use your cat door?" (We have two leading outside). My wife jumped in with this comment: "Why should he? He has humans."

The cats aren't dumb. Why should they open a door themselves when they can have a human do it for them?

SEEING IS BELIEVING ...



Except when it's not....

REP. ERIC SWALWELL [D(UMB)-CA] braved the elements last Wednesday to bypass a café inside the Trump Tower and opted to find another coffee spot in New York City.

And this clown thinks he could be President? He should change his name to 'Smallwell'; it fits better.

LEFTISTS ARE CRAZY - and violent. More violence here, here, and here.

The world they live in isn't even loosely connected to the one we live in. Example: MAGA hats will someday be viewed the same way as KKK hoods. Does this bozo even know the Ku Klux Klan belonged to the Democrats?

Why do we let these evil beings even in our schools, much less run them?

FIRST WE 'POUNCED' ON THEIR IDIOCY, then we seized it, and now we're exploiting it.

Perhaps if the Democrats quit being idiots, we wouldn't have to pounce, seize, exploit (or whatever's next) their idiocy.

OCASIO-CORTEZ HAS A NEW FIRST:

She cracked the glass floor.

ELIZABETH WARREN'S WEALTH TAX likely can't survive a court challenge.

But if it were to become law, you can bet it would kick in at one dollar more than her then-current wealth. It's not her wealth she wants taxed....

RANDOM THOUGHT: Democrats, Socialists, and the Far Left more generally exist for the sole purpose of spending other people's money.

And control. Never forget control.

NICK SANDMANN sues the Washington Post. $250M isn't enough but it might discourage the Post in the future.

MORE: Others to come? Sandmann's attorneys sent preservation letters to more than 50 media organizations, celebrities and politicians – including the New York Times, CNN, Sen. Elizabeth Warren [D(umb)-MA], and the Hollyweird (Bill Maher, Alyssa Milano, Jim Carrey, Debra Messing, and Kathy Griffin) among others.

With decent juries, Sandmann deserves to emerge a billionaire....

NOT EVERYONE IS ENAMORED OF RAINBOWS AND UNICORNS: The risk of progressives talking.

What does it mean to say you're trying to protect a group when its members say they don't require your protection?

It means you're a bubble-bound overeducated bigot.

THOSE GREEN NEW DEAL solar panels don't work too well under 12 feet of snow: Reporting from the polar vortex.

When did Al Gore move to Minnesota?

TRY LOOKING UNDER A ROCK: Where in the world does Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez live?

SURPRISED? Virginia's green new deal exposes what Democrats really care about and it's not the environment.

HEY LIBERALS, YOU SUCK! Pack up your dogma and leave.

Peacefully, preferably. And remember which side believes in the Second Amendment.

RECOVERY:

Have you looked at Trump's economy lately?

INEPTOCRACY:

Originally posted in 2012 ... but Obama won anyway.

VICTOR DAVIS HANSON: Autopsy of a dead coup.

Only like the Phoenix, it'll return unless a stake is driven through its heart, the corpse cremated, the ashes buried deeply, and the ground above salted.

Even then I'd be forever wary.

FROM THE COMMENTS following this PowerLine post: What is Socialism?

In sum, socialism depends upon egotistical know-nothings, whose vanity and egos exceed their intelligence, to tell those people who have actually accomplished substantive achievements, how things should allegedly be run, according to their fatuous and messianic totalitarian Leftist vision.

Related from Sarah Hoyt at PJ Media: the progressives' wealth distribution is in reality poverty distribution.

"I'VE NEVER SEEN ANYTHING LIKE THIS": Even some Democrats are askance at progressive opposition to Amazon being forced from New York city.

"We've only just begun", to quote a favorite song from the Carpenters. The Democrat crack-up, that is....

INSTEAD OF INVESTIGATING PRESIDENT TRUMP, Rep. Adam Schiff [D-CA] should answer questions about his own conduct.

A POLITICAL CIVIL WAR: Left v. Lefter.

Somewhat related: The first paragraph of the above post caught my eye, because it highlights a favorite gripe of mine.

I like to say that half of the problems with the world today are linguistic, specifically, softheaded thinking follows soft language. Back when we referred to “the jungle,” it was something we wanted to cut down, but now it is the rain forest, and we can’t touch it. No one much cared about trash when we took it to “the dump,” but now it is called the landfill, so we have to sort our trash like we sort our whites and clothing of color for the washing machine.

I don't agree that the problems are linguistic; they're a result of Victor Davis Hanson's progressive hubris. When I was (much) younger and it was called a 'dump', the poor were allowed to scavenge freely to find discards that were still useful at some level, or could be taken apart, rebuilt, or resold for scrap - in other words, made economically useful. Now it's a landfill, and the poor must be kept out, lest they disprove the progressives' bigoted assumption of their inferiority.

IN A COMMENT to this post, it was argued that the blue-to-red state diaspora lowers the average IQ in the red states. I'd quibble with that; I think it lowers the average IQ in both states.

NO, THEY'RE CANCERS: Socialists are nothing more than parasites. Organisms can live with parasites; not cancers.

FIRST WE HAVE A NARRATIVE, then we gather the data, then we adjust the data to support the narrative.

THE ONLY TWO THINGS protecting the American people from domestic threats are the Constitution and President Trump.

They stay. Come hell or high water. They stay.

OCASIO-CORTEZ DECLARES VICTORY over the modern-day equivalent of slavery.

SOME REALLY STUPID PEOPLE: Our catastrophically clueless Congress.

I'm embarrassed to admit that some of his questions I couldn't answer myself. But I do have an excuse - age-related dementia.

THIEVES STEAL inoperable firearms from the Shooting, Hunting and Outdoor Trade (SHOT) show in Las Vegas.

Weapons without firing pins are usually called 'hammers'. Or 'clubs'.

ALEXANDRIA OCASIO-CORTEZ'S ECONOMICS PROFESSORS should be fired. It's not just them, it's the whole damned 'higher' education system that should be fired.

Except possibly the STEM departments, and even there a very thorough inspection for progressive rot should be mandatory.

WARPLANES: The B-1B retires; the B-52 lumbers on.

WAIT A MINUTE: According to the Left, isn't Putin Trump's best buddy? Putin vows to aim powerful hypersonic missiles at US if Pentagon provokes.

JUSSIE SMOLLETT OFFERED JOB AT CNN after fabricating news story out of thin air.

Yes, it's the Babylon Bee. But don't tell CNN; they might take it as a recommendation.

THE DEMOCRAT PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATES have a competitor. Still, my money is on Bernie Sanders since Ocasio-Cortez can't run....

AN ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT KILLED MY DAUGHTER. Trump's right — we must complete the border wall.

UNFORTUNATELY I'M NOT REALLY SURPRISED: Orangutans are smarter than congresscritters.

[F]indings suggest orangutans are capable to suppressing short-term impulses for long-term gains.

The reason there are no orangutans in Congress is that they're smart enough not to run....

ON BREASTS, BOOBS, and the law. You figure out who the boobs are.

Surely the courts have more important cases to adjudicate....

REMARKABLE DIVERSITY

The 116th Congress was sworn in, and all day long, the media was salivating and fawning over the “remarkable diversity” of the new Democrat members. It was a day of “firsts,” we were told incessantly. It was indeed a day of many firsts. While the new Democrat majority offers many members of note, we wanted to highlight a few “firsts” who are examples of the “diversity” that was sworn in today. Here are ourtop most “diverse” House freshmen.

Ilhan Omar: the first person who married her brother to commit immigration fraud ever to be elected to Congress. Omar is also the first open supporter of female genital mutilation to ever be elected to Congress. Such amazing diversity!

Rashida Tlaib: One of the first Muslim Brotherhood-linked and anti-Semitic candidates to be elected to Congress. She also claims to be a “Palestinian.” Wonders never cease. Also has potty mouth using the term mother f***er for the president.

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez: Where do we even begin? Let’s just say she is the first person elected to Congress who lied about being from the Bronx, and thus, made up her life story. She’s also an overt Marxist, in case you forgot.

Abigail Spanberger: The first substitute teacher from an Islamist school (nicknamed ‘terror high’) ever to be elected to Congress.

Donna Shalala: Rep. Shalala was HHS Secretary from 1993 to 2001 under Bill Clinton and worked from 2015 to 2017 at the Clinton Foundation, and in 2016 she admitted in an interview that some significant Clinton Foundation donors received “courtesy appointments” in the Clinton State Department. To top it off, apparently she can’t let go of politics: at 78, she’s the oldest female House freshman in history.

These are just a few examples of the “firsts” that the media has been celebrating. If you are looking for corrupt politicians who show an open disdain and animosity for American principles and values, you can always count on the Democrat Party.

If this is what the Left means by 'diversity', then I want no part of it.

From my email.

POLICE OFFICER shoots man with knife. He survived (pity) and was charged with making terroristic threats.

OF VENEZUELA? Bernie Sanders is running for President. (If he did - and won- it would be win-win for both countries.)

On the other hand, PowerLine posted this comment: "I never thought I would see the day when Bernie Sanders is the voice of sanity in the Democratic Party!"

SO IS MY YOUNGEST GRANDDAUGHTER: I’m old enough to remember when Democrats loved unilateral executive actions on immigration.

LET ME COUNT THE WAYS: How dumb is Ocasio-Cortez?

Could be difficult; the counting numbers only go to infinity....

TROLL LEVEL: Master.

DEMOCRATS FILL THE BORDER COMPROMISE WITH LANDMINES; the GOPe either doesn't notice or doesn't care.

I still waiting for President Trump's response. He's an outstanding Twitter troll and master of 3-D chess, so I'm hoping for a few claymores to be directed at the progressives over the next few days, weeks, and months....

A FEW GOOD CONGRESSCRITTERS aren't happy. Mine isn't either.

Added: Tennessee District 2 has a good congresscritter.

IT'S FUNNY FRIDAY on 'Nox & Friends. Here's my favorite of the cartoons:

insert

There are many others, including snowfall in Canada. Go see them.

DEMOCRATS CAMPAIGN like 2020 is a high school election.

Personally, I think a 'high school election' is a bit too high a bar for the Democrats.

JUST ANOTHER HATE CRIME that wasn't.

Another 15 minutes of 'flame' to the ash heap.

AMMO GRRRLL: Make America Great Again has come to Chicago.

Whenever a progressive accuses someone of something bad, you can be sure of two things: (1) the someone isn't guilty; and (2) the progressive is.

THE VIEW: Do these clowns live on Planet Earth?

ARE YOU SURE IT'S SATIRE? New Toyota Prius Will Remind You To Check Your Privilege Every 3,000 Miles.

IN 'SOCIAL JUSTICE' TERMS, the Green New Deal is more of a Red Old Steal.

PROGRESSIVISM IN A NUTSHELL: "Once you’ve convinced yourself that your job is to protect the proles from themselves, any foul action you take becomes excusable, or even noble."

So our job as 'deplorables' is to teach them that it's not your job even if it means taking the low road, stomping on a few toes and punching a few noses....

AHA! THE GREEN NEW DEAL runs on gaslighting.

Gaslighting costs nothing and can be produced in massive quantities merely by handwaving.

CARTOONIST WILEY MILLER [NON SEQUITUR] loses his marbles. I've generally enjoyed Non Sequitur over the years, which is why it's on my blogroll. But with this public 4-letter insult (in a children's cartoon, no less) I've lost all respect for him.

I'm keeping Non Sequitur on the blog's cartoon list for now, but don't be surprised if it suddenly disappears.

JONAH GOLDBERG to Ocasio-Cortez:

[Y]ou committed one of the greatest Kinsley Gaffes in decades: Your office obviously released what you actually think. And now you’re scrambling to pretend something else happened. It’s dishonest and speaks to the immaturity of you, your staff and your ideas.

Goldberg hit the 'immaturity' nail on the head; he he should have hammered the 'ignorance' and 'arrogance' nails as well.

YES. NEXT QUESTION. Are the Democrats hell bent on suicide?

The Green New Deal, say its authors, has as a goal "stopping current, preventing future, and repairing historic oppression of indigenous peoples, communities of color, migrant communities, deindustrialized communities, depopulated rural communities, the poor, low-income workers, the elderly, the unhoused, peoples with disabilities, and youth."

Wish them luck.

KAMALA HARRIS gets 4 Pinocchios for her Trump tax 'hike' spin.

From the Washington Post no less. What happened? Harris is (half) black, (supposedly) female, and a progressive Democrat - did the Post lose their 'Democracy Dies in Darkness' Democrat spin book?

IN 2016 [NOW FORMER] DEMOCRAT CALIFORNIA GOVERNOR JERRY BROWN mocked Donald Trump: “If Trump were ever elected, we’d have to build a wall around California to defend ourselves from the rest of this country.”

Now it's 2019 and we can build that wall to protect ourselves from California. It's that double-edged sword thingy....

BUT THEY DO STOP DEMOCRATS FROM VOTING TWICE (OR MORE): Voter ID laws don't stop people from voting.

ILHAN OMAR: Face of the modern evil Democrat party.

More evil lunacy from Omar.

SOLITARY: We should be so lucky....

TOO DUMB TO COME OUT OF THE SNOW: Portrait of a Democrat presidential candidate.

To be fair, though, Amy Klobuchar did come across well in her interview with Bret Baier on Special Report.

HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY: Oregon wildlife center Valentine's Day promotion lets you name a salmon after your ex before it's fed to bears.

WRECK OF THE WWII AIRCRAFT CARRIER USS HORNET discovered in the south Pacific Ocean.

Over 3 miles below the surface. The images are spectacular.

THINK ABOUT HOW MANY POSTS HE COULD WRITE WAITING FOR HIS 'MEDICARE FOR ALL' APPOINTMENT: Man takes advantage of 3-hour DMV wait to pen blog post arguing for government-run healthcare.

Yes, it's the Babylon Bee, but given the state of the current Democrat party, it could plausibly have been written by Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.

A COMMENT FROM A TRUMP VOTER:

Although I voted for him and by no means regret it, I was one of those who was ambivalent at best about Trump in the general, didn't favor him at all in the primary (Cruz was my choice by far), and still have my "issues" with him, some of which I consider significant. That being said, this - this, here - pretty much encapsulates why I voted for him, support him, and likely will vote for him again if I get the chance. And that is, "he fights." He comes right out and says what needs to be said, plain and simple, so often, whether it be about our political opponents, the country, the Dems, the media, or a reprobate like this Omar character. It's so unusual, so refreshing to see, in a Republican, in someone who is "on our side," someone who actually fights. I just wonder who, after Trump, will take up that mantle.

Found in this PowerLine post about Ilhan Omar.

ABE LINCOLN ON THE MODERN DEMOCRAT PARTY:

Taken from PowerLine's Lincoln's birthday in pictures post.

GLENN REYNOLDS [INSTAPUNDIT]: Understand class warfare to understand the news.

REPUBLICANS POUNCE: Media-speak for 'they caught Democrats being stupid'. Again.

CALIFORNIA DEMOCRATS use the ‘Laffer Curve’ to justify a cannabis tax cut.



Heh. Conservative economics even works for liberals....

THE GREEN NEW DEAL: Democrats unveil surefire plan to reelect Trump in 2020.

GOVERNOR ANDREW CUOMO: New Yorkers are fleeing my state, and it's Florida's fault.

"A SENATE VOTE [on the Green New Deal] would shed some light on the Democratic field. We don’t want our democracy to die in darkness."

Heh.

THERE'S NO MONEY IN IT, but tom-tom beating liar and stolen valor cretin Nathan Phillips will be sued.

We know it as 'punching back twice as hard'.

JUST CALLING BALLS AND STRIKES unless the game is going the wrong way. Groucho Marx once said, "Those are my principles, and if you don't like them ... well, I have others." I think Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts has found his 'others'.

THE VIRGINIA CLOWN SHOW CONTINUES: It's not our fault; it's never our fault.

When the news first broke, I thought Gov. Northam should have said something to the effect that "Yes, 30 years ago I was young and stupid. Now I'm neither. Get over it" and gone back to being governor.

But instead he's taken the full SJW approach that "I'm going to take the rest of my administration to teach Virginia about how bad you all are." No, you're not.

I've changed my mind - throw the bastards out (all three of them) and start over.

LET'S VOTE ON YOUR GREEN NEW DEAL: Hey, we weren't actually serious about it.

ALTHOUGH IT MIGHT BE TOUGH FOR PROGRESSIVES TO UNDERSTAND, many Americans still prefer Israel over Hamas, the PLO, and Iran for reasons other than money....

OF COURSE NOT. Is global warming theory scientific?

AL GORE ON VACATION? Hawaii sees snow from winter storm for first time in Maui.

BYE, BYE, NEW GREEN DEAL: There weren't enough trees to print the money needed to pay for California's bullet train.

Heh.

NBC NEWS EXPLAINS why Democrats want to eat the rich.

Taxing (or punishing) the successful is a fundamental hallmark of socialism. If you haven’t managed to be wealthy or successful, there’s no reason anyone else should either.

If we can't have it, you can't either.

SO DEMOCRATS ARE VAMPIRES? "Democracy dies in darkness, but Democrats die in sunlight."

BEN RHODES WAS RIGHT ABOUT THE POLITICAL REPORTERS IN DC: they don’t know anything.

BECAUSE DEMOCRAT 'RIDICULOSITY' ISN'T NEWSWORTHY: Why doesn’t the MSM spend more time exposing how ridiculous the “New Green Deal is?

OUCH, that hurt.

TRUE LIES: Progressives bearing gifts.

Trump in 2020 might have controversially slurred his future Democratic rival as a socialist, radical late-term abortion advocate, open borders chauvinist, a Medicare destroyer who wished to make it free for everyone, or wacko environmentalist intent on banning gas and diesel engines.

Now he won’t have to.

The Democrats have already done it to themselves.

FROM TODAY'S DATE, BACK IN 2014: The Late, Great Manly Man. My takeaway then is more appropriate today than even I anticipated:

[I]n today’s world it pays to be a loser. After all, you get subsidies. You get sympathy. You can play the victim card.

Was I right? Or was I right?

ELECTION 2020: Don’t sleep on 'Spartacus'; "Booker is a world-class bullsh*tter."

THE VICTORY GIRLS ARE RIGHT: Democrats have proven that Trump is the adult in the room.

"IF YOU WANT TO AVOID GENOCIDE, you should probably avoid Democratic presidents by ... voting for Trump. Just sayin’ ...."

If you want to be a Democrat, as opposed to a Dimocrat, you might want to stay awake during history class.

MASSACHUSETTS SENATOR ELIZABETH WARREN’S RUN FOR THE PRESIDENCY is going to be focused on restructuring the socio-economic system of the United States into one chock full of rules in hopes of hindering those with the most money from having more influence.

She's wrong; here's why.

AS BUGS BUNNY MIGHT SAY, THE MAROONS ARE ALIVE AND WELL IN THE DIMOCRAT* PARTY.

Al Green (D[umb]-TX): Ralph Northam blackface scandal symptom of ‘Trump’s bigotry’.

Adam Schiff(D[umber]-CA): Trump seeking a tower in Moscow was a ‘form of collusion’.

I like Bugs' 'maroon' for 'moron' because it signifies something more than merely dumb.

*And no, that's not a misspelling.

ITALY honors President Trump:

"If Trump is worth half the money he claims, he’s already signing the paperwork to buy this and will have it installed in the Rose Garden before the week is out."

BEN STEIN: The proponents of socialism don’t care about helping people, they just envy people who are better off.

HEH. NANCY PELOSI exploits Judeo-Christian values to score political points. Nikki Haley makes her pay.

THE MAINSTREAM MEDIA strikes out (again).

DEMOCRATIC SOCIALISTS: Modern-day Jacobins trying to remodel America.

SAD, BUT TO BE EXPECTED IN A DEMOCRAT SANCTUARY: San Francisco has more drug users than high school students.

THE POST IS ACTUALLY ABOUT Jeff Bezos' Trump Derangement Syndrome, but it's the comments I found interesting:

I have, in the past, speculated that Trump was doing a rope-a-dope. His enemies have thrown anything and everything that they can find or manufacture at him. They are now disheartened, disorganized, and out of ammunition. They have started to eat their own. When the Meuller report fizzles it will mark the end of battlefield preparation.

Trump has swum with the sharks for a half century. He has friends in low places. Bezos is just the opening salvo.

and

Yep. People forget (or just don't realize) that he worked in one of the most corrupt cities in the world. Between city hall, the statehouse, all the various mobs and unions (I may be repeating myself there), lawyers, and so forth, he's been in a swamp his entire business life.

He knows what sharks look like.

Trump 'has friends in low places' translates to 'he knows how to fight like a Democrat'. That's not something the Democrats expect of a Republican.

I'd suggest that the Democrat sharks swimming in the D.C. swamp be wary of the great white shark....

WHY THE ELECTORAL COLLEGE? Federalism, for one, but more importantly, to protect the rights of the minority.

I'LL DRINK TO THAT: The Democrat party needs to be destroyed before it destroys the country.

VICTORY GIRLS peek into 2020:

More dirt than a pig pen: The Democratic frontrunners each have to contend with their own mud puddle. Kamala has her purported affair with a married Wille Brown, and the implied professional favoritism from their relationship. Kirsten Gillibrand has a convoluted taint of Clinton from her cozy relationship with Hillary and Bill (and a possible Hillary 2020 showdown). Elizabeth Warren is still struggling with her decades long battle as a “Native American.” Cory Booker has a tendency to play Wile E. Coyote and get stuck in his own traps. It won’t take too much for his “What’s Aleppo?” moment to crush him faster than a precariously balanced rock. Hope he’s wearing his Spartacus helmet.

Go read the whole thing.

YOUR FATHER'S DEAD, MEGHAN. LET HIM GO: Meghan McCain trashes Jared and Ivanka for accepting invitation to her father’s funeral.

A WORTHY READ: Dr. Judith Curry testifies on climate change and the need to act before the House Committee on Natural Resources.

It's a long statement (12 pages), and the good news is that you'll have plenty of time to read it - the world isn't going to die off in Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez's 12 years. I do wish the link included the Q&A that followed her statement.

The link is from this PowerLine post.

THE GREEN NEW DEAL: That was then; this is now.

Liars lie.

JUST IN TIME FOR THE GREEN NEW DEAL'S CAR-FREE SOCIETY: Austin technology firm may have solved drive-thru ordering mishaps.

What's next in the Green New Deal? A resurgence in (solar powered) buggy whip technology?

YOU WERE EXPECTING SOMETHING DIFFERENT? Soaring rates of mental illness among college students. They're being taught to be weak, dependent, and depressed - what would you expect to happen?

I will add in passing that the same is true with medicine - the current 'wellness' crapola is teaching the same thing about your health - that you're expected to be sick.

It's about control - don't you know you can only be happy and healthy if you let us progressives dictate every aspect of your lives? And unhappy and unhealthy if you don't?

It's always about control....

THE VICTORY GIRLS' MARTA HERNANDEZ writes on the Democrats' Green New deal, pink unicorns, leprechauns, and pipe dreams:

[T]his is Occasional-Cortex’s Christmas list – the list she gives Santa when she sits on his lap and jumps up and down in wide-eyed excitement and demands a purple pony under her tree. It’s not serious, and it’s certainly not viable. It’s the delusional rambling of an immature, self-important, impudent child who thinks she’s entitled to be taken seriously because she managed to hoodwink a bunch of frothing proglodytes into voting for her with a cute Twitter presence.

Read it all.

WHO SAID GLOBAL WARMING IS BAD? Climate change may clean the streets of San Francisco.

ALEXANDRIA OCASIO-CORTEZ GOES TO WASHINGTON:

A plane is on its way to Washington, DC, when a Democrat, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, who is seated in Economy Class, gets up and moves to the First Class section and sits down.

The flight attendant watches her do this and asks to see her ticket. She then tells the future congresswoman that she paid for Economy Class and that she will have to sit in the back.

Cortez replies, “I’m a Democrat, I’m beautiful, I’m socialist, I’m going to DC and I’m staying right here.”

The flight attendant goes into the cockpit and tells the pilot and the co-pilot that there is a Democrat bimbo sitting in First Class, she belongs in Economy and she won’t move back to her seat.

The co-pilot goes back to Ocasio-Cortez and tries to explain that because she only paid for Economy she will have to leave and return to Economy. Ocasio-Cortez replies, “I’m a Democrat, I’m beautiful, I’m socialist, I’m going to DC and I’m staying right here.”

The co-pilot returns to the cockpit and tells the pilot that he probably should have the police waiting when they land to arrest the future congresswoman who won’t listen to reason.

The pilot says, “You say she is a Democrat Socialist? I’ll handle this, I’m married to a liberal. I speak socialist.”

He goes back to the Democrat and whispers in her ear, and she says, “Oh, I’m sorry.” She then gets up and goes back to her seat in Economy.

The flight attendant and co-pilot are amazed and ask him what he said to make her move without any fuss.”I told her, ‘First Class isn’t going to DC.’"

Taken from Hardnox and Friends' Funny Friday web page.

SHE THOUGHT HER '15 MINUTES OF FAME' WOULD INSULATE HER FROM BEING MOCKED. Ocasio-Cortez gaslights ‘Green New Deal’.

ELECTRIC VEHICLES? Don’t let ‘em get cold!

Hey, not to worry - that's why Al Gore et al. created Global Warming.

A QUESTION FOR ALEXANDRIA OCASIO-CORTEZ: Which came first, the solar panel factory or the solar panel?

A BRIEF SUMMARY of the Virginia Democratic Party dumpster fire.

Heh.

ANALYSIS, TRUE: "The Green New Deal is not meant to be serious legislation ... but to burnish the Democrats’ reputation as caring...."

Well, it's certainly burnished their reputation for stupidity.

SPAM CALLS have stopped people from answering their phones. Uh, huh. If we don't recognize the number, we don't answer. The call goes automatically to the answering machine, which tells the caller if a message isn't left, the calling number will be blocked. No message, no recognized caller ... blocked.

TECHNOLOGICAL PROGRESS AND THE GLOBAL SEX RECESSION: "[T]here’s a good argument that the same society that’s giving us better machines is giving us worse people." I wouldn't call it persuasive - yet - but it's a thought worth pursuing.

DEMOCRATS should read Tocqueville.

A FROG-SIZED BRAIN would be an improvement.

IT'S OPEN SEASON ON 'THE RICH' - and the rich are increasingly anyone with an extra dollar in his/her/its (for the LGBTQ(xyz)crowd) pocket.

C'MON DEMOCRATS, put up or shut up. Vote on the 'Green New Deal'.

'FAR EASTERN KENTUCKY' clown show update over at Instapundit.

POWERLINE'S WEEK IN PICTURES is up for viewing. They're all good, but none can beat this one:

'Far Eastern Kentucky' has had a bad week....

WALLS ARE IMMORAL: Unless they're our walls.

ONLY TEN? The 10 most insane requirements of the Green New Deal.

The Green New Deal isn't just un-American, it's also completely bonkers.

Uh, huh.

NO, HE'S LAYING THE GROUNDWORK FOR ALEXANDRIA OCASIO-CORTEZ'S GREEN NEW DEAL: The guy suing his parents for giving birth to him is playing a prank, right?

THE GREEN NEW RAW DEAL: We march proudly forward to the new Dark Ages.

AMMO GRRRLL writes on yearbook forensics.

HERE'S HOW Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez plans to pay for her Green New Deal:

More here, with a warning for social justice warriors: math involved.

JOHN STOSSEL: Slum by the Bay.

There is a constitutional process for bringing a state into the Union; sometimes I wonder why there isn't a process for kicking one out.

WOULDN'T IT BE BETTER TO REMOVE THE RATS? L.A. City Hall, overrun with rats, might remove all carpets amid typhus fears.

GREEN WEENIE FUTURES CONTRACTS are looking pretty good.

VICTORY GIRLS on the State of the Union: Trump chose greatness while Stacy Abrams chose ... platitudes.

I noticed that myself. Trump was the happy warrior, optimistic and uplifting. Abrams was the fire-and-brimstone preacher, pessimistic and coercive.

WHAT? Economics can't be legislated?

NOW YOU UNDERSTAND WHY DEMOCRATS WANT THE CONSTITUTION TO 'EVOLVE': Elizabeth Warren’s ‘wealth tax’ faces constitutional questions.

GO FIGURE: ‘Believe All Women’ Democrats not so eager to discuss allegation against Virginia Lt. Gov. Fairfax.

I'M WAITING for the PhotoShop of a 747 with cows under the wings replacing the engines. Maybe a Unicorn or two to assist in takeoffs....

INCREDIBLY STUPID Social Justice Warriors strike again.

Why anyone has/keeps a Facebook account is beyond me....

It does keep popcorn sales up, though.

I DON'T KNOW THAT I'VE EVER AGREED WITH NANCY PELOSI ON ANYTHING, but she was right to mock Alexandria Ocasio Cortez's 'Green New Deal'.

Mother Hen is going to have trouble with her new "chick-lets".

THE GREEN NEW DEAL IS INSPIRING ... laughter. Rolling on the floor with tears in your eyes laughter.

By the end of the Green New Deal resolution (and accompanying fact sheet) I was laughing so hard I nearly cried. If a bunch of GOPers plotted to forge a fake Democratic bill showing how bonkers the party is, they could not have done a better job.

The tweet by Kim Strassel is the first of 6 or 7; check out the rest here.

Their fact fantasy sheet is here in the tulip garden, surrounded by a herd of unicorns.

And then there's the cost. For the sake of argument, let's assume that the Green New Deal is possible within the proposed time frame (Stop laughing!). Further, assume that money is just ink on paper (Dammit, I said stop laughing!). I seriously doubt there are enough trees in the U.S. to make the paper to print the money needed.

But other than that....

HEH: "[W]hat are the odds there’s a yearbook somewhere with a picture of Liz [Warren] in blackface?" I don't know about blackface, but warpaint?

THERE'S THAT HISTORY THING AGAIN: the return of ancient prejudices.

IF YOU ARE A SOCIAL JUSTICE WARRIOR, go pound sand.

SO WHEN IS SHE GOING TO BE KICKED OFF 'THE VIEW'? Photo of Joy Behar in blackface resurfaces.

UPDATE: Joy Behar faces the Victory Girls.

INSTAPUNDIT'S GLENN REYNOLDS bashes the Washington Post editorial staff for their Northam hypocrisy.

Hey, WaPo editorial board — remember how you pushed Northam as some sort of racial healer, while gleefully spreading the bullshit claims that longtime milquetoast GOP pol Ed Gillespie was some sort of Stormfront stalking horse? Maybe you should resign, too, hacks. Don’t try to pretend this is just about the rottenness of Virginia’s Democratic Party. You’re part of the rot yourselves.

PowerLine links to the Post editorial itself; I can't won't because I refuse to open my adblocker to them for tracking (though perhaps I should; they might learn something by following my links...).

SOCIAL JUSTICE IS NEITHER.

It's time again for that double-edged sword thingy; I'm old enough to remember when "The Moral Majority is Neither" was the catch phrase the Liberals used to diss conservatives, particularly Christian conservatives, back in my day.

Keep in mind, Millennials, that history can will be used against you if you persist in ignoring it.

THE RISE OF PEOPLE who actually say (and do) things. Unfortunately these folks are mostly on the Right side of the political spectrum. Now if only those on the Left would catch on, something* might actually get accomplished.

*I was going to write 'something useful' but that's probably a pipe dream....

POWERLINE CATCHES Nancy Pelosi 'coaching' her millennial twits. She would better serve America by throwing them under Hillary's bus....

PAVLOV'S CAT(S): We have six....

From my email.

Update: I don't wear bunny slippers. Or suspenders. Otherwise the cartoon is accurate.

A LOOK BACK: Five years ago today.

SOME THOUGHTS ON THE OVERBLOWN VIRGINIA GOVERNOR 'CRISIS'.

The blackface/racist 'incidents': All occurred 30+ years ago, when the men were young and stupid. I don't care; what I do care about is what they're doing (for/to) me today in their professional capacity. Enough said.

The sexual assault allegation: Why now? Forgive my 'insensitivity', but this strikes me as about one of three things: money; ego; or a political hit job. Being a professional cynic, I'll vote for ego, but again, I really don't care. Shut up and go away.

Mark Herring: his preemptive apology for being young and stupid (see above) is an ego busily virtue signaling. That pegs my 'I find you offensive' meter. Fire the jerk.

A CRISIS IN THEIR OWN MINDS: with Trump as President, the ruling class does not rule.

Those damned deplorables just won't obey....

THANK YOU, BUT NO. It's more profitable to mow lawns.

RANDOM THOUGHT following the State of the Union. The difference between the Obama presidency and the Trump presidency is a single letter in the alphabet: the Obama presidency was the 'me' presidency; the Trump presidency is the 'we' presidency.

The thought occurred while reading this post.

BELIEVE THE WOMAN: unless the accused male is a Democrat.

THE LEFT'S growing record of insanity.

I would amend the statement just slightly from 'insanity' to 'public insanity'. The Left has been barking mad for years; President Trump just forced them to go public.

WHY THE FROWNY FACE, BERNIE? "America will never be a socialist country."

LEARN TO CODE? Please don't; we have higher standards.

ANSWER THESE: Some real questions for the future Democrat Presidential candidates.

Questions that the mainstream media can't won't ask.

HEH. HEH, HEH: Cuomo admits failure of ‘tax the rich’ policies as millionaires flee New York.

He expected them to stay and be fleeced into poverty?

BULLY POWER in full view.

SPARE US THE TROUBLE, fire 'em all and appoint Mary Katharine Ham governor of Virginia. Let her pick the rest.

THE BIPARTISAN COMMITTEE ON HOMELAND SECURITY has until Feb. 17th to come up with a funding bill for the Department of Homeland Security. They need to be reminded to do the job we want done. Here's my contribution.

WALLS WORK. That is not opinion, it is an objective, verifiable, testable, and repeatable fact. Call them what you want - walls, fences, barriers, big piles of steel, concrete, and rock, large flat vertical surfaces on which to place valuable works of art - physical barriers impede movement. If you're too dumb to understand that simple concept, then resign now - you shouldn't be a member of Congress.

That said, I want a physical barrier along our southern border. It needn't be continuous, and no physical barrier can possibly be impenetrable - that's an impossibility. But a physical barrier is sufficient to channel illegal migration to border areas that can be effectively managed.

No technology, no matter how sophisticated, can do that.

So provide funds in the Homeland Security budget to build one. Listen to the Border Patrol agents and provide the funds to build what they need, where they need it. Whether it's $1 billion or $10 billion, provide it. The cost is insignificant compared to the (every year) cost of maintaining an illegal population in the United States.

And if you can't come to a consensus on providing funding on a border barrier, I have a trio of threats: First, I will urge President Trump to veto whatever you propose, shut the government down again, and keep it shut down for however long it takes. Second, I will urge him to use his Presidential authority and build the wall over Congressional objection. And finally, I will remember your stance and support your opponents financially during your next election cycle.

Keep firmly in mind - you work for me, not conversely.

Here are the 17 members of the bipartisan committee to fund Homeland Security.

Rep. Pete Aguilar (D-CA)
https://aguilar.house.gov/
(202) 225-3201

Sen. Roy Blunt (R-MO)
https://www.blunt.senate.gov/
(202) 224-5721

Sen. Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV)
https://www.capito.senate.gov/
(202) 224-6472

Rep. Henry Cuellar (D-TX)
https://cuellar.house.gov/
(202) 225-1640

Sen. Richard Durbin (D-IL)
https://www.durbin.senate.gov/
(202) 224-2152

Rep. Charles Fleischmann (R-TN)
https://fleischmann.house.gov/
(202) 225-3271

Rep. Tom Graves (R-GA)
https://tomgraves.house.gov/
(202) 225-5211

Rep. Kay Granger (R-TX)
https://kaygranger.house.gov/
(202) 225-5071

Sen. John Hoeven (R-ND)
https://www.hoeven.senate.gov/
(202) 224-2551

Sen. Pat Leahy (D-VT)
https://www.leahy.senate.gov/
(202) 224-4242

Rep. Barbara Lee (D-CA)
https://lee.house.gov/
(202) 225-2661

Rep. Nita Lowey (D-NY)
https://lowey.house.gov/
(202) 225-6506

Rep. Steven Palazzo (R-MS)
https://palazzo.house.gov/
(202) 225-5772

Rep. David Price (D-NC)
https://price.house.gov/
(202) 225-1784

Rep. Lucille Roybal-Allard (D-CA)
https://roybal-allard.house.gov/
(202) 225-1766

Sen. Richard Shelby (R-AL)
https://www.shelby.senate.gov/
(202) 224-5744

Sen. Jon Tester (D-MT)
https://www.tester.senate.gov/
(202) 224-2644

Do what I've done - write them, call them, urge - no, demand - they 'build the wall'.

UPDATE & BUMP: Senators seem to be willing to accept email input from anyone; Congresscritters, not so much. So you may have to content yourself with calling them directly. Or do what I did - send an email to your own Congresscritter requesting that he/she/it forward it on to the committee members listed above. Along with a (somewhat snide) suggestion that Congressccritters only be allowed to work on legislative items restricted solely to their own districts.

THE KAVAUGH STANDARD bites back.

There's that double-edged sword thingy again....

I FEEL SORRY FOR THE BEAR; IT HAD TO BE EUTHANIZED: Man eaten by bear in national park had overdosed on methamphetamine.

IF THESE BONEHEADS GET THEIR WAY, Venezuela will look like Heaven on Earth.

WHAT CONGRESS MEANS by 'sworn testimony'.

Example: James Comey.

BECAUSE HE'S A DEMOCRATIC SOCIALIST? Why does Bernie Sanders hate women of color?

I AM NOT A RACIST: I support killing babies of all colors.

Satire? You make the call.

WHO WINS? Race card or rape card? The Democrats crack apart when 'intersectionality' competes with itself.

Maybe this will help you decide....

CHEERLEADING INFANTICIDE might just be the tipping point for Democrats.

Well, post-Trump they've certainly let their insanity hang out for all to see....

IMPRIMIS: Marijuana, mental illness, and violence.

Read the whole thing, and then consider the following:

Liberals have essentially criminalized smoking (and made billions as well - tobacco settlement, anyone?) because smoking probably causes cancer. On the other hand, liberals have essentially legalized marijuana use because it enables them to feel good.

But smoking predominately kills only the smoker; marijuana predominately allows the user to kill/maim/hurt innocent others.

Hypocrisy, anyone?

WHY DEMOCRATS will oust Gov. Northam. I don't think he has the balls to do so, but I sure wish he'd give them the "I'm staying ... because shut up" argument they use so well.

I didn't vote for the man, but he won and what happened 34 years ago is irrelevant. (And staying may make it more difficult for the Democrats to use the race card in the future.)

DEMOCRATS HAVE MADE A SHARP LEFT TURN. Here's what's behind it.

I agree with much of Bennett's analysis, but I disagree with the cause; it was much farther back in the past. Unfortunately the quote "We bought it, we own it, and we're going to take it back" has succumbed to link rot, but I still remember the quote well.

DEREK HUNTER: my State of the Union address.

President Trump should take his cue from Hunter.

MY SUPER BOWL HIGHLIGHTS

Gladys Knight's singing of the National Anthem:



The NFL's 100th anniversary advertisement:



The game wasn't bad, either, though I'd have preferred the Saints versus the Chiefs.

MICHELLE'S MIRROR: Alinsky works for us now.

THE SAME PEOPLE WHO TOOK THE NEWS OUT: Who put the 'me' in media?

Looking at you, Jim.

POWERLINE'S Week in Pictures:

Trump: "You're going to get tired of winning."

Not yet.

EVERYONE despises John Kasich.

I wonder why....

MAYBE BECAUSE OF THE [PARTIAL] GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN? Smashing estimates, America created 304,000 jobs in January.

We should test this hypothesis by having a complete government shutdown in February....

CNN LIES

and they know they'll get away with it.

JEB!  LOST: Florida scraps Common Core.

YOU'RE ASSUMING THEY HAD SOMETHING TO LOSE: The Democrats Lose Their Minds.

Never mind.

THAT'S ONE WAY TO GET UNIVERSAL MEDICAL 'CARE': lower the bar until everyone is, at a minimum, 'pre-ill'.

If you can find it on your used bookstore bookshelf, read Caduceus Wild by Ward Moore to see the future.

FEBRUARY 3, 2015: Has anything changed?

One of our cats has passed (Diamond). The couch is no longer. Other than that, nothing....

FRANKLY I DON'T THINK HE DESERVES THEM, but the hits keep coming.

Reminder: stupidity isn't illegal. Maybe it should be, but it isn't.

RANDOM THOUGHT: Abortion is why Democrats can't have a border wall. Where else will they get new voters?

ALEXANDRIA OCASIO-CORTEZ: Even her own party is planning to run against her. And she's only been in office for a month....

From "It" girl to "Out" girl in only a month ... fast, she is.

'FULL OF SCHIFF': Top House Democrat has his Trump-Russia lead blow up in his face. Nothing is more enjoyable than watching the Schiff hit the fan....

CORY BOOKER: Spartacus declaration “one of my proudest moments”. Because he knew he couldn't get in trouble; the 'classified' information he was about to divulge had already been cleared for public release - and he knew it.

T-Bone would be proud.

UPDATE: PowerLine takes note.

I'VE FORGOTTEN: When did affirmative action become affirmative discrimination?

AMMO GRRRLL provides a short course in geezer forensics.

HEH. HEH. HEH. Gov. Ralph Northam updates here, here, here, and here. And that's just at Instapundit.

My take, for what it's worth: grow up, social justice warriors. Take a deep breath. Exhale slowly. That was 30-plus years ago, when Northam was as young and stupid as you are today.

TO THE BOOK PROGRESSIVE COMMUNITY: Go fuck yourself.

This transcends politics. It doesn’t matter who is screaming at you, an abusive bully is an abusive bully. Don’t let abusive bullies run your life. That’s not just true for writing, but life in general.

Well said.

MOCKERY WORKS: Elizabeth Warren packs up her wigwam.

Saul Alinsky was right - and it works both ways....

IT DOESN'T MATTER, WE'RE DEMOCRATS: Ralph Northam’s medical school yearbook page shows men dressed in blackface, KKK robe.

SENATE MAJORITY LEADER MITCH MCCONNELL: Nancy Pelosi's "signature election-reform package" should be named the “Democratic Politician Protection Act.”

Anything to stay in power.

GREEN ENERGY AND LITIGATION are bankrupting PG&E in California.

In the short term, that's fine with me; the sooner Californians start freezing in the dark, the better.

MONEY IS JUST SOMETHING YOU PRINT: Progressives' wealth taxes won't even come close to funding their pet projects. The point of wealth taxes isn't to fund progressive programs, it's to impoverish the rich.

ONE MORE TIME: 'green' energy is futile.

TRUMP WON'T GET CREDIT, BUT much has changed for the better since he took office.

And in the short run, I don't really think he cares if he gets the credit.

JOBS, JOBS, JOBS: U.S. Navy signs a contract for two new aircraft carriers.

Blue collar jobs. Thanks, Mr. President.

BERNIE SANDERS' NEW ESTATE TAX PLAN is inherently immoral.

[L]ike all good socialists, he believes he knows best how to spend the wealth that others created, better than those who knew how to earn it.

To paraphrase another wise saying, "Those who can, do; those who can't, tax those who can."

HOWARD SCHULTZ PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDACY signals Democrats to nominate a centrist. But they won't listen. They can't listen.

SUPREME COURT POLITICS: Diane Feinstein and Kamala Harris outfoxed again.

The cynicism of Feinstein and Harris leaves a bad taste in my mouth, and I would have loved it if Trump had stiffed Feinstein and Harris completely. But this may be a case of all’s well that ends well.

And Trump is holding 'affirmative action' in reserve.

TRUMP HATERS flipping their lids over MAGA hats.

I wonder if it bans 'Che' shirts as well.

Virtue signaling is a guaranteed way to ensure I won't spend a damn dime on your products or in your stores....

UPDATED: That virtue signaling didn't work out so well.

UNICORNS ARE tiptoeing through the tulips: Fantasy politics requires fantasy politicians like Ocasio-Cortez.

BERNIE SANDERS: Porn industry presidential candidate for 2020.

Not exactly my choice, but the porn industry does feed a fantasy world.

THIS IS CNN: Start here and follow along; this could get interesting.

IT'S CALLED A 'WEALTH TAX': Elizabeth Warren wants to empower the federal government to confiscate your savings.

YES, BUT SEALS ARE COMPETENT: More FBI agents arrested Roger Stone than SEALs sent to kill Osama bin Laden.

MAYBE ALEXANDRIA OCASIO-CORTEZ should rethink 'work your way up'.

Or try it....

THERE'S SOMETHING TO BE SAID FOR FREEZING IN THE DARK: Power outage in subzero cold changes one's perspective.

BYRON YORK: Fencing works.