The Other McCain

Category: Donald Trump, Election, Kamala Harris

BIDEN DROPS REELECTION BID; THROWS SUPPORT TO VP HARRIS

Posted on | July 21, 2024 | No Comments

The elderly dementia patient is withdrawing his candidacy for a second term, but will remain in office as president:

President Joe Biden announced Sunday that he will end his presidential re-election campaign, bringing an abrupt and humbling conclusion to his half-century-long political career and scrambling the race for the White House just four months before Election Day.
Biden, 81, could not reverse growing sentiment within his party that he was too frail to serve and destined to lose to Donald Trump in November. He backed Vice President Kamala Harris to replace him as the Democratic nominee.
“While it has been my intention to seek reelection, I believe it is in the best interest of my party and the country for me to stand down and to focus solely on fulfilling my duties as President for the remainder of my term,” Biden wrote in a letter posted on X. “I will speak to the Nation later this week in more detail about my decision.”
Biden thanked Harris for “being an extraordinary partner” in his letter and then endorsed her in a subsequent post.
“My very first decision as the party nominee in 2020 was to pick Kamala Harris as my Vice President,” Biden posted. “And it’s been the best decision I’ve made. Today I want to offer my full support and endorsement for Kamala to be the nominee of our party this year.”

A friend texted me: “81 million votes down the drain.”

UPDATE 2:55 p.m. ET: Yeah, they’re saving Our Democracy:

The Democratic Party told its voters that they could not be trusted to select a nominee when they effectively shut down their primary process. Now, they are installing a new nominee. American voters happen to like democracy. I predict some backlash.

— Olivia Nuzzi (@Olivianuzzi) July 21, 2024

UPDATE 3 p.m. ET: LOL!

The Lincoln Project.

— Richard DeCamp (@richdecamp) July 21, 2024

UPDATE 3:05 p.m. ET: Making the obvious point:

If Joe Biden ends his reelection campaign, how can he justify remaining President?

Not running for reelection would be a clear admission that President Trump was right all along about Biden not being mentally fit enough to serve as Commander-in-Chief.

There is no middle ground.

— JD Vance (@JDVance1) July 21, 2024

For the past four years, Democrats and the media (but I repeat myself) conspired to conceal from the American people the fact that Joe Biden is too feeble-minded to exercise the office of president. That charade was exposed by the June 27 debate. Yet now, forced to admit the obvious, Biden is still hanging on for the next five months?

UPDATE 3:15 p.m.: Bonchie at Red State remarks:

Biden has now officially endorsed his vice president to become the Democratic Party presidential nominee. That’s bad news for Democrat operatives who were hoping to bypass her for someone more electable by holding a “mini-primary.”
Does this mean Harris is automatically the nominee? The answer is no, but what this does is paint Democrats into a corner. With Biden having stepped aside, he’s already done them a massive favor. For there to be any movement against Harris at this point would cause a huge rift within the Democratic Party. Yes, she’s deeply unpopular and losing to Trump according to the current polling, but she’s the vice president and she checks way too many intersectional boxes to be pushed aside.
In short, this could get really ugly going forward. Either Harris is coronated and there’s some semblance of unity within the party or others step up to challenge her and you’ve got chaos. The Democratic Party is a fractured mess of different factions, and African Americans are one of the most powerful within it. To slight them would be a disaster.
Regardless, no American voter should forget who lied to them. If the nominee does end up being Kamala Harris, she knew about Biden’s condition. She was in the administration that covered it up and trashed anyone who dared question the official narrative. She is culpable, and the fact that she misled voters is a genuine scandal. This fight is just beginning.

(Hat-tip: Ms. EBL.)

UPDATE 3:25 p.m.: The Speaker of the House, Rep. Mike Johnson:

At this unprecedented juncture in American history, we must be clear about what just happened. The Democrat Party forced the Democrat nominee off the ballot, just over 100 days before the election.
Having invalidated the votes of more than 14 million Americans who selected Joe Biden to be the Democrat nominee for president, the self-proclaimed ‘party of democracy’ has proven exactly the opposite.
The party’s prospects are no better now with Vice President Kamala Harris, who co-owns the disastrous policy failures of the Biden Administration. As second in command and a completely inept border czar, Harris has been a gleeful accomplice — not only in the destruction of American sovereignty, security, and prosperity, but also in the largest political coverup in U.S. history. She has known for as long as anyone of his incapacity to serve.
Regardless of the chaos in the current White House, our adversaries around the globe should be reminded that the U.S. Congress, the U.S. military, and the American people are fully prepared and committed to defend our interests both at home and abroad.
If Joe Biden is not fit to run for President, he is not fit to serve as President. He must resign the office immediately. November 5 cannot arrive soon enough.

(Hat-tip: Legal Insurrection.)

UPDATE 3:35 p.m.: More reactions, and reactions to the reactions:

When you just helped get a guy whacked but want to appear to be taking the high road. https://t.co/m79nQ8h1Mn

— Doug Powers (@ThePowersThatBe) July 21, 2024

Pretty funny watching all the people who stabbed him in the back now try to praise Joe Biden. Dude, you kicked him in the ass and threw him out. Spare me the “He was so great” BS.

— Derek Hunter (@derekahunter) July 21, 2024

Democrats are rigging their own election. Does anyone still believe they didn’t rig the 2020 election? https://t.co/G3svXIpKmp

— Sean Davis (@seanmdav) July 21, 2024

UPDATE 3:50 p.m.: Crazy times we live in:

Biden's announcement stunned White House and campaign aides, who up until this afternoon were insisting he'd stay in the race.

"We’re all finding out by tweet,” said one Dem. “None of us understand what’s happening.” https://t.co/VHphH6HPNL

— POLITICO (@politico) July 21, 2024

Four weeks ago, pointing out Biden's condition was "misinformation."

— David Harsanyi (@davidharsanyi) July 21, 2024

UPDATE 4:05 p.m.: Less than 24 hours ago:

As Vice President, I see @JoeBiden when the cameras are on and when the cameras are off—in the Oval Office, in the Situation Room, and on the campaign trail.

Joe Biden is a leader who fights for the American people. pic.twitter.com/w2OIN6oGpU

— Kamala Harris (@KamalaHarris) July 20, 2024

UPDATE 4:10 p.m.: Saving democracy!

Uploading new puppet…. pic.twitter.com/i28JfyAWoy

— KanekoaTheGreat (@KanekoaTheGreat) July 21, 2024

(Hat-tip: Instapundit)

UPDATE 5:30 p.m.: BOOM! Trump Campaign Hits Harris Immediately: ‘Kamala Was In On It’

Category: Joe Biden, Kamala Harris

A Near-Miss in ‘Killadelphia’

Posted on | July 21, 2024 | 2 Comments

Just yesterday, I discussed “Detroit-ification,” a phrase describing the way Democrat-controlled cities become hollowed out, as everyone who can afford to live somewhere else moves away from the urban blight. And then I saw this news story from Philadelphia:

Authorities have identified the suspect who is accused of shooting a 7-month-old baby boy on Thursday night in Philadelphia.
Police have arrested Dominique Billips, 28, for allegedly shooting the young child on the 4000 block of Meridian Street in the city’s Holmesburg neighborhood.
Disturbing video obtained by Action News shows the gunman walking up and opening fire on a baby and his parents outside of a home.
According to police, the baby was shot in the leg by one of the bullets. When officers got to the scene, however, the parents were nowhere to be found.
“The mother and father who had initially gone to the hospital left the location because of fear from police because of outstanding warrants,” Rosenbaum explained.
Later, officials were able to bring the parents in for questioning and were told about an argument that took place on the 7900 block of Frankford Avenue before the shooting.
There, police said they were able to get a better visual of their suspect with business surveillance video.
According to police, it appears the argument stems from a $100 narcotics debt.
“One of the detectives from a different squad had recognized one of the females involved from another shooting where she was the victim in 2022. It happened on the 4200 block of Rhawn Street in August of 2022,” Rosenbaum explained.
Philadelphia police said they received a tip providing the name of the offender, who also matched the name of the shooting victim the detective thought it was.
Highway patrol was able to assist police in locating the vehicle also seen on surveillance video, which was known to be used by Billips.

Did you get all that? The parents of the baby apparently owed $100 for “narcotics,” a debt which Billips apparently intended to collect. Also, the parents had outstanding warrants, while Billips had been the victim of a shooting two years ago. Probably in your neighborhood, such incidents are rare, but in the Holmesburg neighborhood of Philadelphia?

You don’t want to be anywhere near that neighborhood. Did I mention that Joe Biden got 81% of the vote in Philadelphia?

Category: Crime, Pennsylvania

We Probably Can’t Rule Out ‘Arkancide’

Posted on | July 20, 2024 | 1 Comment

What do you mean, ‘Natural causes?’

Twelve more Democrats,
including two senators,
call on Biden to drop out
— Washington Post

Secluded in Rehoboth,
Biden Stews at Allies’ Pressure
to Drop Out of the Race
— New York Times

Democratic consensus solidifies
around Harris, should
Biden step aside
— CNN

It Looks Like Kamala’s Call with Democrat Donors Was a Disaster
— PJMedia

Pelosi voiced support for
an open nomination process
if Biden drops out
— Politico

Democrats have a problem, and that problem has a name: Joe Biden.

The entire Democratic Party is now echoing Henry II’s complaint about Thomas Becket: “Will no one rid us of this elderly president?”

Far be it from me to rule out the possibility that an 81-year-old man could die of natural causes in the next few weeks. I’m just saying that, if it did happen, nobody would believe it, any more so than we believe that the “mistakes” made by the Secret Service last weekend were actually mistakes. “Arkancide is a word for a reason,” as Derek Hunter has said, and we cannot rule out the possibility that, sometime in the near future, Joe Biden will die peacefully in his sleep. With a pillow over his face.

Not that I’m a conspiracy theorist, you understand. Whenever you suggest Demnocrats are up to shenanigans, they will accuse you of being a conspiracy theorist, despite the well-documented history of Democrats being up to shenanigans pretty much constantly. So when someone suggests that the assassination attempt against Trump might have been “Plan A” for preventing a Democratic defeat in November, everybody is supposed to say that this can’t possibly be true. But there is more than one way to skin a cat, and if Biden suddenly dies? Can you say “Plan B”?

Far be it from me to make any suggestion like that. I’m merely predicting what others would say in such a circumstance. And, as I said recently, “Have you considered the possibility that you’re not paranoid enough?”

Vince Foster could not be reached for comment.

Category: Conspiracy Theories, Joe Biden

The Detroit-ification Syndrome

Posted on | July 20, 2024 | No Comments

“‘No American city ever fell as far or as fast as Detroit,’ Julia Vitullo-Martin has observed, and the man who presided over Detroit’s descent into depression and decay was a former radical labor activist named Coleman Young. . . .
“Young was elected mayor of Detroit in 1973, narrowly defeatingthe city’s police chief, John Nichols. . . . The mayor’s reputation for racial hostility hastened ‘white flight’ fromthe city. When he took office in 1974, about half of Detroit’s population was white; indeed, the support of white liberals was crucial to his election. But the steady exodus of whites from the city became a deluge under Young’s mayoralty. Between 1970 and 1980, the white population decreased by 418,000, from 56 percent to 36 percent of the population. During the ’80s, the trend continued, with Detroit’s white population decreasing by anothger 199,000, down to 22 percent by 1990.”
— Donkey Cons, pp. 151-152

Having written thousands of words on this subject — there’s a whole chapter in Donkey Cons about the damage that Democrats have inflicted on urban America — perhaps I mistakenly take it for granted that other people understand this problem as well as I do. But then I look at current trends and realize that white liberals continue to vote for Democrats who pursue the same path of destruction that made Coleman Young infamous.

Permit me to state bluntly what we’re not supposed to say out loud: People who think that white racism is the explanation for every problem afflicting the black community are not merely wrong, but are in fact actively contributing to these problems. Malcolm X remarked during the early 1960s that black people had more to fear from the sympathy of white liberals than from the hostility of Southern segregationists, and white liberals have since proved that warning to be prophetic.

Did you know that there are more than 2,800 vacant properties in Columbus, Ohio? I didn’t know that until just now:

The people living on Safford Avenue in the Hilltop neighborhood are fed up with a vacant house on the block and the squatter who keeps breaking into it.
“No matter how many times they came and boarded the house up, he just wouldn’t leave,” said a neighbor named Adrianne.
Anthony Celebrezze, the deputy director of Building and Zoning, said the vacant home came onto Columbus Code Enforcement’s radar after it caught fire in 2023. Celebrezze said it’s not illegal for the home to be vacant, but it must be secured and boarded to code.
“That’s for your own protection because when you’re not around a structure like this, someone’s going to come in and remove the plumbing, the wiring and cause a general mess,” Celebrezze said.
A mess is exactly what neighbors say their experience living next to the home has been.
“We’re tired of it. There’s trash all the time. There’s trash this high inside of the home,” a neighbor said. He declined to share his name.
People have called 911 about the vacant home 29 times between November 2023 and May 2024. They’ve often reported a squatter who keeps returning to the property.
Columbus police have arrested that squatter five times for breaking into the property. 10 Investigates is not naming him because the squatter has been charged with misdemeanors connected to the home.
“We don’t need that disturbance,” a neighbor said. “The firetrucks, the cops. I bet the cops have been over here 20 times. Code Enforcement has been over here 20 times.”
The property is owned by Otis Ray and his sister who inherited it from their parents. Neighbors say they’ve called Ray multiple times for help with no luck. Columbus Code Enforcement officers have been in touch with him, but he hasn’t remedied the violations on the property.
“I have spoken with the owner before and explained to him all of the violations and what needs to be done, but we haven’t had any movement on getting those things addressed,” Columbus Code Enforcement Area 2 Supervisor Cory James said. . . .
The city can take a property owner to environmental court if they do not fix code violations. The city attorney’s office reopened a case against Ray and his sister in court and scheduled a contempt hearing for July 9. That hearing was continued and rescheduled for July 31.
10 Investigates was at the July 9 hearing and spoke with Ray in the courthouse. He declined a formal interview but blamed the squatter for the home’s condition.
“There’s no trouble keeping it up. The squatters, the people – I don’t want to talk. This stuff pisses me off,” he said.
As of Jan. 4, there were more than 2,800 vacant properties in Columbus, according to data collected by Code Enforcement. . . .

You can read the whole thing, but just think about that number for a minute — nearly 3,000 homes are sitting vacant in the capital city of Ohio. Why would there be so many vacant houses? Is it perhaps because nobody who can afford to buy a house wants to live in Columbus? Could this be related to the fact that Franklin County is a Democratic Party stronghold that in 2020 elected Democratic Rep. Joyce Beatty to Congress and went for Joe Biden by a nearly 2-to-1 margin?

Malcolm X could not be reached for comment.

Category: Ohio, Racism

FAFO Hall of Fame Nominee

Posted on | July 19, 2024 | No Comments

Say good-bye, Gavin

Let me begin this by saying I am against road-rage violence. As someone who frequently finds myself shouting obscenities about the idiocy of fellow motorists — do you people even know what “merge” means? — I understand that it is wrong to engage in retaliation. Brake-checking or cutting someone off in response to another driver’s misconduct is unnecessary, and once you start escalating such a situation, there’s no telling if it might get completely out of control. Better to brush it off, let the other person go, and mind your own business.

Having issued this disclaimer, however, I must confess that sometimes, when I hear about a road-rage incident escalating into deadly violence, I think to myself, “Maybe this isn’t really a bad thing.” Let’s admit that the victim of a fatal road-rage incident is perhaps not an entirely innocent victim. You probably have to be a very bad driver to cause a traffic situation so bad that another driver decides he needs to kill you. So, a bad driver gets killed, and another driver with serious anger-management issues gets sent to prison for murder. Isn’t it possible to see that as a win-win? The bottom line is, you’re subtracting two drivers from the morning-commute traffic jam, and that’s a net benefit to society.

Philosophical objectivity — that’s the way to look at these things, except when these idiots give you the chance to just point and laugh:

Harrowing footage captured an armed man being shot dead in Indianapolis as he yelled at a driver in a suspected road rage incident.
The footage shared on social media allegedly shows the moment Gavin Dasaur, 29, quickly approaches a white Chevy pickup truck on Tuesday evening and attempts to punch the driver while holding what appears to be a handgun.
The driver tries to smack the punch away, with Dasaur shifting the weapon to his left hand as he appears to berate the driver while pointing at them repeatedly with his right hand.
The driver then points their own gun at Dasaur, firing repeatedly as the 29-year-old falls to the ground.
The seven-second video capturing the chaos ends with the person filming the exchange taking cover in their own car.
The Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department said the shooting broke out at around 8:15 p.m. near the intersection of South Emerson Avenue and Thompson Road.
Witnesses told police that the shooting occurred over a road rage incident between the Chevy driver and Dasaur, who was driving a black Honda, local WTHR reports.
The driver of the pickup truck was initially detained but later released after investigators found that the driver may have been acting in self-defense.
Cinthya ZaMora, Dasaur’s wife, condemned the shooting as she grieved her husband’s death.
“He was a hardworking man that always went out of his way to help anyone and wanted to give the world to me and his family,” she told the local outlet.
“He did not deserve to die this way. It’s such a tragedy that my husband was murdered in cold blood,” she said, but it remained unclear if she had seen the video of the shooting.

Ma’am, I realize that this is a painful moment for you, but the police seem to disagree about what your husband deserved. However, at least he gave play-by-play announcer Steve Inman a golden opportunity.

Indianapolis:

A motorist is left dead after a road altercation involving wireless hole punchers. pic.twitter.com/TZ5LuK7HrR

— Steve Inman (@SteveInmanUIC) July 18, 2024

The streets of Indianapolis are slightly less crowded now, and I would urge all motorists to heed this valuable lesson.

UPDATE: Steve Inman’s post got deleted, which is a shame, but here’s a slightly less exciting video from the New York Post:

UPDATE II: Here’s the Steve Inman video via Rumble:

Category: Crime, Indiana

Exit Strategy? Biden Tests Positive for COVID, Retreats to Delaware

Posted on | July 18, 2024 | 1 Comment

Talk about a contrast: While Donald Trump is dodging bullets like an action-movie hero, the elderly resident of the White House contracts the virus that most of us long ago stopped worrying about:

President Joe Biden tested positive for Covid-19 on Wednesday, the White House said.
The president, who was delivering speeches in Las Vegas, “is experiencing mild symptoms,” White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said in a statement.
Biden “will be returning to Delaware where he will self-isolate and will continue to carry out all of his duties fully during that time,” Jean-Pierre said.
Biden is vaccinated and boosted, she noted.
“The White House will provide regular updates on the President’s status as he continues to carry out the full duties of the office while in isolation,” she said.
Biden boarded Air Force One in Las Vegas around 6:30 p.m. ET, the White House pool reported. The president was not wearing a mask as he boarded the plane.
“Good, I feel good,” Biden told reporters in response to shouted questions on the airport tarmac.
Biden’s doctor said that the president came down with a runny nose and a “non-productive cough” on Wednesday afternoon.
“He felt okay for his first event of the day, but given that he was not feeling better, point of care testing for COVID-19 was conducted, and the results were positive for the COVID-19 virus,” the physician said in a statement shared by the White House. . . .
The illness comes as Biden, 81, has come under mounting pressure from his fellow Democrats to withdraw from the presidential race against Republican nominee Donald Trump.
A growing number of Democratic lawmakers, along with top donors and other allies, have urged Biden to step aside after his disastrous debate performance stoked panic about his fitness to campaign.
Biden has repeatedly rejected those calls and defended his physical and mental health.
But in an interview with BET on Tuesday, Biden said that he might reconsider his decision to stay in the race if a “medical condition” emerged.

Ah, yes, and right on cue, the condition has emerged.

The best week ever continues to get even better:

Category: Joe Biden

Never Trumper Max Boot’s Ex-CIA Wife Arrested as Illegal Foreign Agent

Posted on | July 18, 2024 | 1 Comment

Sue Mi Terry (left), Max Boot (right)

Sue Mi Terry, a former CIA analyst and a senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations, is accused by federal prosecutors of acting as a secret agent for South Korea.
Terry, whose husband Max Boot regularly falsely accused former President Trump of being a Russian asset, reportedly used her position and access to U.S. officials to provide sensitive information to South Korea in exchange for luxury items and other lavish benefits, according to the indictment, New York Post reported. The allegations state that from Oct. 2013, Terry engaged in activities that compromised her role as an independent foreign policy expert.
Prosecutors claim she disclosed U.S. government secrets and influenced policy decisions to favor South Korea. In return, she allegedly received goods such as a $3,450 Louis Vuitton handbag and a $2,845 Dolce & Gabbana coat, along with dinners at Michelin-starred restaurants, New York Post stated.
One of the key incidents cited in the indictment involves Terry passing notes from a confidential meeting with U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken about North Korea to a South Korean intelligence contact immediately after the meeting. Additionally, she reportedly facilitated interactions between South Korean spies and congressional staffers under the guise of social gatherings, the outlet added.
Despite these dealings, Terry never registered as a foreign agent with the Justice Department. She was previously warned by the FBI in 2014 about the potential for foreign influence targeting. After being charged with failing to register as a foreign agent and conspiring to act as one, Terry was released on a $500,000 bond, according to the New York Post.

Let’s be clear: South Korea is an ally, not an enemy. But acting as an unregistered agent of a foreign government, while pretending to be “an independent foreign policy expert”? That’s a felony, and Max Boot’s wife has been doing it for 10 years — “allegedly,” I hasten to add.

So while self-proclaimed super-patriot Max Boot was (falsely) accusing Trump of being Putin’s stooge, Max’s ex-CIA wife was peddling influence to foreigners in exchange for Louis Vuitton bags. Perfect!