{"id":101393,"date":"2022-04-21T19:11:32","date_gmt":"2022-04-21T23:11:32","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/?p=101393"},"modified":"2022-04-21T19:11:50","modified_gmt":"2022-04-21T23:11:50","slug":"the-daily-gouge-archive-wednesday-april-20th-2022","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/?p=101393","title":{"rendered":"The Daily Gouge Archive, Wednesday, April 20th, 2022"},"content":{"rendered":"

It’s Wednesday, April 20th, 2022…and here’s The Gouge<\/em>!<\/strong><\/p>\n

First up, writing at\u00a0Townhall.com<\/em>, Marc Little pleads with America…<\/strong><\/p>\n

Do Not Lose Your Soul<\/span><\/span><\/a><\/h1>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

“…Darkness either overcomes you<\/span><\/em> or it compels you to shine your light<\/span><\/em> to repel it. \u00a0Americans face this choice<\/em><\/span> as we are bombarded with social issues that require us to examine the core of the nation\u2019s soul.<\/span> Whether you believe the United States is a Christian nation founded on Judeo-Christian principles or not, the universally accepted norms of right and wrong remain until they are upended<\/span><\/em>. The far left in our nation is actively attempting to eradicate core beliefs<\/span><\/em> by confusing children of their gender and God-given sex, by emasculating men, by making race an idol, and<\/span><\/em> by worshipping at the altar of abortion.<\/span> The movement to eradicate foundational biblical principles is influenced by the demonic<\/em><\/span> (darkness) and Maryland and California now lead the way<\/span><\/em>.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

As if the horrors created by abortion-on-demand causing the slaughter of 60+ million babies since Roe v. Wade in 1973 were not enough<\/span><\/em>, Maryland and California legislators drafted bills moving through their legislatures that go a step further<\/span><\/em> \u2013 they attempt to create laws that avoid civil and criminal liability for the murder of children<\/span><\/em>.<\/span> In these bills, they attempt to shield from prosecution a mother and any third parties who assist her in murdering her child from 7 to 28 days after birth<\/span><\/em> (\u201cperinatal period\u201d). \u00a0This is called infanticide<\/span><\/em> and getting away with murder<\/span><\/em>.<\/span> These bills are indecent and should not even be considered in a moral society<\/span><\/em>. And there\u2019s the rub<\/span><\/em>.<\/span><\/i><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

What must also be highlighted is the history of infanticide around the ancient and contemporary world. \u00a0From the ancient Romans, ancient Greeks, China, Queensland Australia, Australian Aboriginals, Nazi Germany, Victorian Britain, Nigeria, and Japan, newborns have been disposable throughout history.<\/span> \u00a0Child sacrifice likewise has it place in the history books.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

I submit that the guiding principles that exalted the Great Experiment, known as the United States of America, are rooted in our recognizing the intrinsic value of the individual from the time of conception in the womb<\/span><\/em>.<\/span> We stand on the Declaration of Independence that states, \u201cWe hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life<\/span><\/em>, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness.\u201d Notwithstanding the stains of slavery, discrimination against ethnic groups and women (Sorry, but that’s just so much “Blah, blah, blah”!<\/em>)<\/span>, and legalized abortion, the United States has risen above its imperfections and consequently is the hope of the world. \u00a0<\/span>Many believe the United States Supreme Court is on the verge of overturning its ruling in Roe v. Wade (in the\u00a0Dobbs case<\/a><\/span><\/em><\/span>). \u00a0But California and Maryland now threaten to plunge us all into an abyss of depravity heretofore reserved for uncivilized cultures<\/span><\/em>. (Not “uncivilized”, but rather pagan<\/span>!<\/em>)<\/span><\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

What is unspoken and most diabolical is that the proposed laws in these states will have a disproportionate impact on black babies. (No, not “most” diabolical, just “equally” diabolical; Infanticide knows no color!<\/em>)<\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

In the United States,\u00a044%<\/a>\u00a0of abortions are performed on black babies<\/span><\/em><\/span>.<\/span> \u00a0Consequently, it stands to reason that the infanticide bills proposed in Maryland and California will disproportionately<\/span><\/em> murder black babies after they are born. \u00a0The far left is quick to denounce anyone who opposes indoctrinating children with critical race theory in schools as racists, but they are eerily quiet when it comes to the wholesale slaughter of black babies in and out of the womb, as proposed.<\/span> \u00a0The objective reality is that\u00a0California Assembly Bill 2223<\/a><\/span><\/em><\/span>\u00a0and\u00a0Maryland Senate Bill 669<\/a><\/span><\/em><\/span>\u00a0are the kind of discriminatory bills that should be deemed unconstitutional under the Fourteenth Amendment (Equal Protection Clause) of the U.S. Constitution<\/strong><\/span>…”<\/p>\n

You’ll forgive our thoughts in green above, but such loathsome legislation transcends anything<\/span><\/em> in America’s imperfect past, including instances of racism.\u00a0 We frankly fail to grasp the unthinkable level of evil which would lead lawmakers to conceive of such an abomination, let alone what could cause voters to reelect them to office.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Is it any wonder our close female relative said, “Don’t even go there!”; She couldn’t defend the indefensible.\u00a0 For those still requiring proof Satan is alive and well on planet Earth, this<\/em><\/span> is it<\/em><\/span>!<\/strong><\/p>\n

Speaking of the indefensible, courtesy of\u00a0NRO<\/em>, Neal Freeman details…<\/strong><\/p>\n

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Divorce, Florida-Style<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/h1>\n<\/div>\n<\/header>\n
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Trouble ahead for Trump and DeSantis<\/span><\/span><\/a><\/h3>\n<\/section>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

“Eavesdrop on any pair of political obsessives here \u2014 media types, campaign consultants, lobbyists, the rent-seekers of all parties \u2014\u00a0and you will hear them veer quickly toward the most reliable conversation-starter in this politically obsessed town. The Split.<\/span> The political marriage of\u00a0Donald Trump\u00a0and\u00a0Ron DeSantis, never passionate but for a time mutually convenient, is all but over. The only questions that remain are when<\/span><\/em> it will end and how ugly<\/span><\/em> it will get.<\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Trump likes to say, and he does so with Trumpian repetition, that in 2018 DeSantis was at 3 percent in the polls (not quite) and that without a Trump endorsement DeSantis would have lost the gubernatorial election (probably so). That spring, after trailing for months in statewide polls, DeSantis gave up running as DeSantis and began to run as Trump-Lite.<\/span> His lead TV spot featured DeSantis sprawled on the living-room rug, teaching his toddling children how to build a wall with tiny blocks. That fall, DeSantis was elected by less than 1 percent of the vote over one of the worst Democratic candidates in state history: Andrew Gillum, a (formerly) closeted bisexual man, married to a woman, with a large drug problem and a wafer-thin resume.<\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

In 2022, Trump says that DeSantis owes him, and invites DeSantis, with Trumpian repetition, to support Trump for 2024. DeSantis has declined the invitation and Trump, in turn, has declined to support DeSantis for election this year, after endorsing, among other notables, Dr. Oz, Mo Brooks, and Herschel Walker.<\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Can this marriage be saved? The consensus seems to be: no, and it is more likely to end with a bang than a whimper.<\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

I count four scenarios advanced with more or less conviction by the obsessed.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

1. Health Troubles.<\/em>\u00a0Trump is 75. He is under constant stress, much of it self-generated. He has been categorized by an attending physician as \u201cobese.\u201d He routinely orders fries with the cheeseburger. And he takes regular exercise by driving around his course in an electric golf cart. In\u00a0a recent\u00a0Washington Post\u00a0interview<\/a><\/em><\/span>, Trump himself admitted that his health could be a factor in keeping from running. \u201cYou look like you\u2019re in good health, but tomorrow, you get a letter from a doctor saying come see me again. That\u2019s not good when they use the word again,\u201d Trump said.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Probability: 15\u201320 percent.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

2. Trump graciously steps aside.\u00a0<\/em>With DeSantis surging toward reelection in November, and his own crowds thinning, Trump makes the decent and apposite gesture and withdraws in favor of his promising young prot\u00e9g\u00e9.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Probability: 1\u20135 percent. Trump rarely does gracious.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

3. DeSantis defers gratefully to his mentor.\u00a0<\/em>Acknowledging his enormous debt to the older man, DeSantis announces that, should Trump run himself, DeSantis will not run and, further, pledges that his formidable organization will deliver Florida for Trump in 2024.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Probability: 1\u20135 percent. DeSantis rarely does grateful.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

4. Trump and DeSantis are involved in a high-speed collision on I-95.\u00a0<\/em>Failing to reach amicable settlement, Trump and DeSantis resolve their issues James Dean\u2013style, with a game of highway chicken.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Probability: 70\u201380 percent.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

The passage of time does not work in Trump\u2019s favor.<\/span> DeSantis is running as DeSantis this time around and, in building a solid first-term record as governor of a premier state, he has built one of the better brands in the national GOP. He has presided over a booming economy, become the TV face of Fauci resistance, supported the uniforms, limited abortion, and become the GOP\u2019s most visible and scrappy culture warrior.<\/span> (In blocking race and gender theorizing from the classroom, and then somehow managing to get to the pro-family side of the Walt Disney Company, DeSantis has become for Florida parents a kind of Youngkin Squared.)<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

No political ointment comes without a single fly \u2014\u00a0the Democratic candidate will probably be the eminently likeable if chameleonic Charlie Crist rather than the obscure if memorably whiney Nikki Fried \u2014\u00a0but DeSantis is at this point the clear favorite for November.<\/span> If he wins, and wins big, he becomes his own man. Conceivably, he becomes as big as Trump \u2014\u00a0and he\u2019ll still be 32 years younger.<\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Those of us who are obsessed with politics always have one final question for promising and ambitious newcomers to the national scene. Does he or she have fire in the belly?<\/span> Is he or she willing to do the necessary when to do so is unpleasant, or costly, or awkward, or even painful? I have known Ron DeSantis since before he entered electoral politics, and my sense is that, with him<\/span><\/em>, the fire in the belly<\/span><\/em> is more in the nature of an active volcano<\/span><\/em>.<\/span><\/strong><\/span>“<\/p>\n

As evidenced by the results of our current poll at the right near the top of the page, the vast majority of our readers prefer the active volcano over the uncontrolled Trump.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Still, for the diehard Trumpeteers out there, yes, should The Donald somehow secure the Republican nomination in 2024, we will<\/em><\/span> cast our ballot for him, however reluctantly<\/em><\/span>.\u00a0 We simply hold DeSantis, as of today, to be an infinitely preferable candidate.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Since we’re on the subject of those lacking any sense of self-awareness,\u00a0NRO<\/em>‘s Charlie Cooke correctly concludes, like every other decision he’s ever made…<\/strong><\/p>\n

Joe Biden Blew It on Masks<\/span><\/a><\/h1>\n

For months, it has been obvious to everyone except the president and his inner circle what people really think about Covid restrictions<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/span><\/h3>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

“…<\/span>you\u2019d assume that any president who was facing a tidal wave of bad news would be looking to rack up as many little wins as possible. Inexplicably<\/span><\/em>, with President Biden, that assumption seems to be wrong<\/span><\/em>.<\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

I have read the<\/span>\u00a0judicial decision<\/a><\/span><\/em><\/span>\u00a0that ended the CDC\u2019s transportation-based mask mandate, and I find myself ambivalent about its reasoning.<\/span><\/span> There is nothing wrong<\/span><\/em> with the judge who issued it being 35 years old, or<\/span><\/em> with her having been appointed by President Trump, or<\/span><\/em> with her having failed to satisfy the American Bar Association, and nor<\/span><\/em> is there is anything inherently wrong with judges deciding whether the government has broken the law. On the merits, however, I could have gone either way.<\/span><\/span> Interpretively and semantically, this was a tricky one<\/span><\/em><\/span>.<\/span> Had Biden\u2019s order been upheld, it would have been legitimate. That it was struck down<\/span><\/em> is legitimate, too<\/span><\/em>.<\/span> Sometimes<\/em><\/span>, judging can be tough<\/span><\/em>.<\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

The\u00a0policy<\/span><\/em>, by contrast,<\/span> was not<\/span><\/em> a tricky one. The policy<\/span><\/em> was\u00a0remarkably stupid<\/span><\/em>, and that President Biden decided to renew it not once<\/span><\/em>, but\u00a0twice<\/em><\/span>, after it had clearly run its course<\/span><\/em>, was a testament to his near total lack of political guile<\/span><\/em>. <\/span>Back in November, I\u00a0asked<\/a><\/span><\/em><\/span>, \u201cIf, tomorrow, you told a plane full of Americans that they no longer needed to wear their masks, how many do you think would still have them on by the time you\u2019d hung the intercom back on its hook? Twenty?<\/span> Ten?\u00a0Three<\/em><\/span>?\u201d<\/span> Last night, we got an answer to this question. So thrilled<\/em><\/span> by the judge\u2019s decision were America\u2019s beleaguered airlines that most of them chose to broadcast the news\u00a0mid-flight<\/em><\/span>, where it was met by a supermajority of passengers with the sort of glee that has usually been reserved for the end of a war. <\/span>Had he been smart<\/span><\/em>, Joe Biden could have owned<\/span><\/em> that glee. Instead, it came in spite of him, courtesy of a Republican-appointed judge, from \u2014 of all places \u2014 Florida.<\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Why<\/em><\/span>? What<\/em><\/span> did Biden get<\/em><\/span> for his recalcitrance?<\/span> An extra two or three weeks of a policy that everyone has known for a while was absurd<\/span><\/em>? For months, it has been obvious that there is a big gap between what people are willing to tell pollsters about their attitude toward Covid and what people will actually\u00a0do<\/span><\/em>\u00a0when given a free choice. <\/span>Normal people<\/em><\/span> have been able to sense this<\/em><\/span>. Joe Biden has not<\/span><\/em> \u2014 even as his approval ratings have dropped inexorably into the mire. <\/span>He didn\u2019t notice<\/span> it<\/span><\/em> when the Senate\u00a0voted 57 to 40<\/a><\/span><\/em><\/span>\u00a0to end the transit mandate. He\u00a0didn\u2019t notice it<\/span><\/em>\u00a0when vulnerable Democrats in the House began to tell journalists<\/span><\/em><\/a><\/span> that they were in favor of \u201cwhatever gets rid of mask mandates as quickly as possible.\u201d<\/span> He didn\u2019t notice it<\/span><\/em> when SNL \u2014 yes,\u00a0even\u00a0SNL<\/span> \u2014 started\u00a0making fun of Progressive hysteria over masks<\/a><\/span><\/em><\/span>. Now, it is too late.<\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

The headwinds against this administration are real. Indeed, they have now grown so strong that the Democrats will probably end up\u00a0regretting that they won<\/a><\/span><\/em><\/span>\u00a0the last presidential election. <\/span>And yet, irrespective of the challenges that were thrown before him, one simply cannot imagine, say, Bill Clinton making Joe Biden\u2019s mistakes. This president\u2019s most famous campaign promise was that he was going to \u201cshut down the virus, not the country.\u201d<\/span> Translation: \u201cI\u2019ll make things normal again.\u201d Instead<\/span><\/em>, he has been on autopilot in the other direction<\/span><\/em>. <\/span>Fifteen months into his presidency, Biden has agreed to relinquish his emergency powers only when he has been forced to do so<\/span><\/em> (as with the transportation mask mandate, the large-employer vaccine mandate, and the eviction moratorium) or when it was in the progressive movement\u2019s interest<\/span><\/em> (as with Title 42). For this, there can be no excuse.<\/span> It is bad policy<\/span><\/em>, and it is political malpractice to boot<\/span><\/em>. Strong leadership does not mean following the public in its every whim.<\/span> But it does not mean ignoring it completely<\/em><\/span>, either.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Joe Biden did not begin his presidency with many advantages. <\/span>He is a mediocre thinker and a sub-par politician, and the circumstances in which he took over were grim. But<\/em><\/span>, by repeatedly<\/em><\/span> allowing himself to be co-opted by the silliest people in the country, he has guaranteed<\/em><\/span> that there will be no escape<\/em><\/span> from his predicament.<\/span> As a candidate<\/em><\/span>, Biden understood<\/em><\/span> that Twitter is not<\/em><\/span> real life and that the average voter doesn\u2019t like<\/span> the progressive movement very much. As president<\/em><\/span>, Biden has forgotten both<\/em><\/span> of these things. <\/span>In response, the country has moved on without him. It won\u2019t<\/span><\/em> be coming back<\/span>.<\/strong><\/span>“<\/p>\n

Given the opportunity to confront 46*, Rah would undoubtedly inform Brandon he’s the Chris Taylor of American politics:<\/strong><\/p>\n