Opinion
By Dave Scott, 8-23-24
During the Democrat National Convention this week it was apparent that Democrats are like members of an isolated tribe.
They’re comparable to the ones in Afghanistan. They don’t think of themselves as belonging to a nation, but to a specific clan. For example, to Afghan tribal inhabitants, that country is not a place on a map, but just a place where they herd goats or grow poppies; it’s nothing to which they owe any allegiance.
Like Democrats they really don’t care what harm people like Biden, Harris, Walz, Newsom, Whitmer or Pritzker, etc. do to the nation or to individual states. What matters to them is that their tribe has power.
They don’t care whether millions of unidentified illegal aliens from Latin America, Africa, and Asia, etc. have the full run of the country, so long as their politicians can keep their boot on the neck of Republicans or any other opposition to what they are doing or planning on doing
It wasn’t long ago, following 9/11, that all Americans were worried about U.S. Muslims being radicalized and carrying out more terrorist plots.
It’s now all Americans who are being radicalized by the left wing media, college professors and other radical Democrats that believe in dangerous and nonsensical rubbish such as Critical Race Theory, DEI, transgenderism, the toxicity of white males, “climate justice,” open borders, a woke military, and more such bunkum. The dim, violent antisemites rioting in the streets of Chicago were visible proof of their failures. For example, Democrat policies make it easier to enter the U.S. through the southern border than it was to gain entry to the DNC convention in Chicago.
How does Kamala Harris, whose administration caused this misery, defend her record? At their convention they say she wants to fix all the problems that they caused the past three and one-half years. Why doesn’t she start now? Why didn’t she start earlier? She’s in the administration. Harris is on record saying she will ban fracking, off-shore drilling, provide single-payer health insurance run by the government, defund the police and abolish agencies that enforce immigration. Now she says she won’t do any of those things. Really?
Unlike the Democrats and Harris in Chicago. whose rhetoric splits the country into polarized tribal segments, Republicans continued to move ahead with George H.W. Bush’s vision at the Republican convention in New Orleans in 1988. He defined America then as a “nation of community, of thousands and tens of thousands of ethnic, religious, social, business, labor union, neighborhood, regional, and other organizations, all of them varied, voluntary and unique — a brilliant diversity spread like stars, like a thousand points of light in a broad and peaceful sky.”
Unlike President Bush’s thousand points of light and Donald Trump’s outreach to all segments of society, the Democrats have spawned and encouraged a variety of organized progressive and widely unpopular programs including climate justice, divestment from Israel, transgenderism, open borders, defunding the police, no-bail for criminals, campus takeovers, riots and street blockades, a weakened military, and antisemitism, among others.
Now that the Democrat Convention is over, Harris has to defend her failed record of the past three and one-half years of inflation, rising costs of food housing and fuel, wars in Europe and the Mideast, illegal immigration, rising crime, and illegal drugs pouring into the country. Isn’t this the woman the Dems were talking about dumping from the Biden ticket six months ago? It’s going to get interesting watching her go off script and attempting to answer media questions or give an impromptu talk.
Trump can point to four years of solid economic growth and wage gains for workers; his declining poverty rates; narrowing racial gaps in unemployment and earnings; U.S. companies returning overseas profits following his tax cuts; border enforcement resulting in dwindling illegal alien crossings; a peaceful Middle East and Russia and China contained. His strong military also defeated ISIS in four months.
The contrast couldn’t be more striking. Americans can chose between the Democrat’s misery and chaos or Republican prosperity and peace.
(An abridged version of the above commentary appears in Biz Pac Review at The countdown begins for a Harris meltdown (bizpacreview.com)
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Think Your Vote Doesn’t Matter? Curtis Gaus lost his bid for Nassau County School Superintendent to incumbent Kathy Burns by just 79 votes and Kristi Simpkins won the District 4 for School Board Member seat by just 74 votes.
Following the election I spoke to a number of folks who said they forgot to vote, didn’t realize it was election day, admitted they weren’t registered to vote, or pleaded indifference saying: “My vote doesn’t matter.”
Of Nassau County’s 75.4 thousand registered voters (of whom 45.4 thousand are Republicans, 13.1 thousand are Democrats, and 16.8 thousand are No party Affiliation), only 22.4 thousand (29.8%) turned out to vote last Tuesday. That’s a pathetic dismal showing.
The almost 70 percent that are registered but didn’t vote are apparently not the least bit concerned about rising property taxes, (which translates into rising rents even if you don’t own property) additional government regulations, increasing government fees, inept public officials, what’s being taught to their children in public schools, etc.
When elections are decided by just a handful of voters, it displays an abysmal apathy and ignorance on the part of those that don’t exercise this precious privilege. The lame excuses adversely impact them, their neighbors, businesses, and the community as a whole.
Nationally and locally living expenses are rising rapidly. The prices of groceries and gasoline remain far above pre-pandemic levels. The interest rate on a 30-year fixed mortgage is more than twice what it was in 2021, and the medium price of a home has risen by nearly 40 percent and rents are going up. The illegals pouring across the southern border are straining our local schools, hospitals, and other local services. Half of American families cannot balance their monthly budget. We have the highest inflation since 2022, and the average consumer now has more than $6,000 in credit card debt paying interest rates of 20 percent and higher.
People complain and grouse, yet they didn’t register to vote, say they forgot, or don’t care. They’re hurting themselves and others and should be ashamed. Or they are just plain stupid.
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Speaking of Elections: My Fort Myers nephew, Mike Greenwell (61), a former Boston Red Sox leftfielder (1985-1996), won the GOP primary for a Lee County, Florida Commission seat assuring him of a four-year term. Mike, who was appointed by Gov. Ron DeSantis to the seat following the death of Frank Mann in 2022, will face weak hitting Democrat designated hitter Kizzie Fowler in the general election Nov. 5.
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Overheard at PJD’s Beer & Wine Garden: “The Taliban opened up an army surplus store called Traitor Joe’s.”
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Sharing The Love & Other Convention Highlights: A pro-Hamas loon who made it inside the DNC Convention venue was repeatedly whacked on the head with a “We Love Joe” sign.
The protester, a woman wearing a hijab, had pulled out a “Stop arming Israel” banner during the speech by President Biden, after which an attendee can be seen smacking her on the noggin with the “Love” sign.
- My friend and American Spectator writer Larry Thornberry said Biden’s speech was probably considered a success since: “He didn’t drool, and he didn’t do a face-plant into the podium.”
- The DNC featured free abortions and vasectomies, all in the name of unity.
- Michelle and Barack Obama, Hillary and Bill Clinton, Nancy Pelosi, and other Democrats all showed up to toss dirt on Biden’s political grave.
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Insomnia? Here’s a cure: The Fernandina News Leader’s “Curious Columnist” Jennifer Silverman. If you don’t nod off two paragraphs into her weekly “Look at Me! Look at Me!” plea then you need to seek serious professional help. Her latest August 21 self-portrait headlined: “My dog rules the roost” reads like a book report by a third grader who didn’t read the book. And yes, it’s all about her dog. I imagine that any cats that resided in the Curious Columnist’s household are deceased, expiring from what the old adage says would cause their demise once they glanced over Ms. Silverman’s shoulder.
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Grumpy’s Burger Makes Fat Man Happy: After cruising through this vast cosmos looking for a burger I was getting a little grumpy. Coincidently, I landed in Wildlight at Grumpy’s Restaurant. Let me tell ya the burger here turned my frown upside down. Not only was I a happy Fat Man from Space but everyone there seemed to be happy too. From the hostess to the waitress to all the customers, everyone appeared cheerful. Now I know why. I’ve heard about this joint as a great breakfast spot but they’re open until 2 pm and serve lunch, which is why I was there.
I ordered the burger with American cheese and fries. I added lettuce, tomato, and pickle. All were fresh but the pickles they use are excellent. They were full of dill flavor and very crisp. I loved them. The burger was quite satisfying. Nice thick pub burger on what I believe was a brioche bun. This is a really good burger. You will not be grumpy when you finish. The fries… oh boy. The fries were out of this world. So, so good. Cooked and seasoned to perfection, yes perfection. The service was outstanding and fast. I was out of there in 30 minutes. As a bonus review I ordered a side of biscuit and sausage gravy. I had super high expectations. After all this joint has a great reputation for breakfast. Biscuits and gravy are my gold standard when it comes to breakfast. I was slightly disappointed. I feel the gravy may have been sitting around waiting to be served with my burger or just not a fresh batch. But the biscuit underneath was really good, so it wasn’t all that bad. It’s not T-Rays B & G that’s for sure but I’d be willing to try it again.
While eating I checked out the plates around me. One thing caught my eye, the cinnamon roll pancakes. Holy Toledo they looked great. I will definitely be going back for breakfast and lunch. The burger with fries was a reasonable $12.99 and a side order of biscuit and gravy $4.69. It’s located at 76030 William Burgess Blvd. #6 Yulee, FL. 32097.
Republished with the author’s permission. Read The Dave Scott Blog– subscribe Free
The views expressed in this commentary are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official position of Citizens Journal Florida.