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If theres one thing Minnesota Republican gubernatorial candidate Scott Jensen wants the voting public to know, its that he is super duper into making analogies between government efforts to mitigate an ongoing, catastrophic pandemic, and Nazi Germanys systematic eradication of European Jewry during the 1930s and 40s. With everything else going on in the world today, this is evidently what Jensen really, really wants to focus on. And folks? If nothing else, its certainly A Choice.

Heres the background: In April, Jensen a staunchly anti-choice, anti-urban, pro-COVID candidate spoke at a conservative mask off event, where he compared Minnesotas various pandemic responses to Hitlers rise to power in Germany. Specifically, he compared them to Kristallnacht, the infamous night of broken glass in which thousands of Jewish-owned stores, homes, and synagogues were destroyed by various Nazi party figures.

If you remember, go back to World War II. If you look at the 1930s and you look at it carefully, we could see some things happening. Little things that people chose to push aside. Its going to be okay, Jensen explained. And then the little things grew into something bigger. Then there was a night called Kristallnacht. The night of the breaking glass. Then there was the book burning, and it kept growing and growing, and a guy named Hitler kept growing in power, and World War II came about.

In a way, he concluded, I think thats why youre here today.

Now to be clear, this is not only a grotesquely offensive analogy that both cheapens and distorts the Nazis overt effort to eradicate a distinct ethno-religious group, but also, as far as comparisons go on a purely rhetorical level, its a pretty lousy one! There are tons of better analogies Jensen could have used here to describe governmental overreach! Theres the time Ronald Reagan shuttered federal mental hospitals, effectively dumping the residents onto the street; theres the time the Bush administration enacted a sweeping, warrantless domestic spying agenda in the name of national security; you get the idea. And yet, its Nazi Germanys industrialized extermination of Jews (to say nothing of communists, Roma communities, and queer people) that Jensen thinks is best suited to make his case. Hmm.

Shortly after Jensens comments were made public this month, a host of Jewish organizations condemned the remarks for, yknow, being incredibly offensive. The local Jewish Community Relations Counsel even offered to meet with Jensen to explain why.

All of which brings us to Tuesday afternoon, when Jensen took a good hard look at the many Jewish organizations telling him that hed offended them, and decided that, no, actually, he hadnt. Sorry, not sorry!

I want to speak to a little bit of a hubbub thats been in the media lately about whether or not I was insensitive in regards to the Holocaust, Jensen explained in a Facebook Watch video. I dont believe I was.

Jensen then solemnly recited theologian Martin Niemollers now clichd first they came for ... poem, like this was a 10th grade book report and not an official campaign statement, and reasoned that when I make a comparison that says that I saw government policies intruding on American freedoms incrementally, one piece at a time, and compare that to what happened in the 1930s, I think it's a legitimate comparison.

It may not strike your fancy, Jensen concluded. Thats fine. But this is how I think, and you dont get to be my thought-police person.

As far as statements go, this one is something of a mixed bag. On one hand, hes pulling a sort of Ricky Gervais/Dave Chappelle card by insisting that its your fault for being offended because hes just keeping it real. On the other hand, he did go with the gender-neutral thought-police person, so.

Ultimately, Jensens biggest misstep may be his obstinate insistence on being absolutely right, 100% of the time, no matter what. In the midst of the MAGAfication of the GOP, Im not sure if trivializing the Holocaust is, in and of itself, the sort of political suicide it once was. But I suspect there may be plenty of voters for whom this sort of stubborn sense of inflated self-importance is enough of a turn-off that whatever hole Jensen has chosen to dig for himself just became inescapably deep.

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Republican candidate for governor Scott Jensen is proud of his wildly offensive Holocaust analogy, actually - Mic

After most Republicans vociferously condemned the FBIs raid on Donald Trumps Florida estate, Fox News host Steve Doocy plaintively asked his guest, GOP Congressman Steve Scalise: What ever happened to the Republican Party backing the blue?

When Scalise protested that rogue elements of the FBI were responsible for the operation, Doocy shot back: Steve, who went rogue? Who went rogue? They were following a search warrant.

For the last half-century or more, Republicans have been very shrewd, and successful, at embracing the concept of law and order. Their candidates have campaigned relentlessly in front of supporters arrayed in any kind of uniform: police and firefighters, hard hats and Green Berets, EMTs and ER nurses. Meanwhile, they branded the Democrats as the party of disorder of long-haired, pot-smoking, free-loving, flag-burning counter-culture McGovernicks, as Newt Gingrich put it long ago.

Doocy, normally a Trump loyalist, poses a good question: Who, exactly, went rogue? And heres the answer: the Republican Party. The GOP has lost its moorings as a defender of conservative values and established authorities. It has replaced those honorable principles with a new one: the Rule of Trump. Whats good for The Donald is good for the party. Thats how back the blue became defund the FBI.

I thought, in the old days, the Republican Party used to stand with law enforcement, Sen. Amy Klobuchar, a Minnesota Democrat, said on NBCs Meet the Press.

There are threats all over the place, and losing faith in our federal law enforcement officers, in our justice system, is a really serious problem for the country, Marylands Republican governor, Larry Hogan, added on ABCs This Week.

Republicans are not alone in attacking law enforcement for their own political purposes. It was leftist protestors in cities like Portland, Oregon, who made defund the police perhaps the most misguided slogan in recent political history their rallying cry.

Moreover, in the weeks leading up to the Mar-a-Lago episode, it was liberals who were attacking Attorney General Merrick Garland, complaining with increasing bitterness that he was too cautious in his approach and too slow to indict Trump for his role in igniting the insurrection of Jan. 6.

No one is above the law, not even a former president. But no one is beneath the law, either. Trump has rights that Garland is trying to protect, but the left wants the legal process to accomplish what they have not been able to do politically: Disqualify Trump from holding office again.

Still, this is not a case of both-sidesism or equal culpability. Defund the police is a fringe idea among Democrats, while perverting justice for political ends is a core tenet of Trumpism. As Michael R. Bromwich, a former Justice Department inspector general, told Peter Baker of The New York Times, Trump simply doesnt understand people like Garland and the top leadership of DOJ and the FBI because their values are so alien to him.

Top Justice Department officials are appointed by the president, but the tradition is clear: They serve the law first, not the politician who picked them. Trumps treatment of his own AGs and FBI directors are the best example of Bromwichs point.

After winning, Mr. Trump saw law enforcement agencies as another institution to bend to his will, firing FBI Director James B. Comey when he declined to pledge personal loyalty to the president or publicly declare that Mr. Trump was not a target of the Russia inquiry, wrote Baker in the Times. The president later fired Attorney General Jeff Sessions for recusing himself from that investigation and therefore not protecting Mr. Trump from it.

Then there was Bill Barr, who succeeded Sessions as attorney general. Donald Trump is a man consumed with grievance against people he believes have betrayed him, writes ABCs White House correspondent, Jonathan Karl, in his book Betrayal. And after Barr called Trumps claims of election fraud bullst in an AP interview, Karl reports the following exchange between the two men:

Did you say that? asked Trump.

Yes, Barr responded.

How the f could you do this to me? Why did you say it?

Because its true.

The president, livid, responded by referring to himself in the third person: You must hate Trump. You must hate Trump.

There it is. In todays Republican Party, everything is filtered through Trump. Is it good for him, or bad? Do you love him, or hate him? And if that fealty means trashing traditions like backing the blue, so be it.

Steven Roberts teaches politics and journalism at George Washington University. His new book is Cokie: A Life Well Lived. He can be contacted by email at stevecokie@gmail.com.

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From the desk of Trashing Republican traditions - Ukiah Daily Journal

Published 1:50 pm Wednesday, August 24, 2022

Ahead of his Troy Town Hall on Thursday night, U.S. Congressman Barry Moore spoke to the Pike County Republican Women at the Troy Country Club on Aug. 24.

Moore spoke about a number of topics hes concerned about, including immigration, inflation, the IRS, woke politics, and more. He spent the bulk of his time discussing the crisis at the U.S. Southern Border.

The cartels are trafficking in young kids, we saw children 14-17 years old. Weve never seen this influx of unaccompanied minors, Moore said of his trip to the border. I asked, Why dont we send them back to the town and the country they came from? Their response to me was that they dont know where they came from.

These kids are 14-17 years old and cant tell you where theyre coming from but they have a Google address and were paying to send them there. What sense does that make? Were not even doing a background check on these people were sending them to. The FBI is doing background checks on you if youre at a school board asking questions about curriculum but not on the people were sending these children to.

Moore also pointed to the trafficking of Fentanyl over the Mexican border as a concern, especially in college towns like Troy.

Were seeing the highest death rates for Fentanyl overdoses weve seen in recent history, Moore said. Theyre selling this Fentanyl online where it looks like Xanax. Kids shouldnt take any of that stuff but definitely warn your kids and your grandkids about this, especially in a college town because thats the market theyre targeting.

Moore hit U.S. President Joe Biden over his energy policies, including the shutdown of the Keystone XL Pipeline, which was not operational when it was shutdown and is owned by the Government of Alberta in Canada. Moores criticisms of that move were less about oil prices and more about jobs and Russia.

Weve seen a disastrous approach to energy policy, Moore emphasized. When he shut down the Keystone XL Pipeline that was 12,000 American jobs 8,000 union jobs that were stopped on day one.

We went to Russia and gave them the green light to move the the Nord Stream 2 pipeline (Germany-to-Russia pipeline) ahead and start producing energy. So, that emboldened (Russia President Vladimir) Putin and gave him money to make war with.

Moore also took aim at the recently passed Inflation Reduction Act.

It wont reduce inflation, he flatly said. We were in a recess and (Speaker of the House) Nancy Pelosi had all 435 house members called back to office. My airline ticket was $1,2000. So, we spent $500,000 of your money to spend another $739 billion to stop inflation. Thats not how it works.

While early in his speech to the Republican Women of Pike County, Moore pointed out that it can take up to four weeks to hear back from the IRS with tax issues, he lamented the Inflation Reduction Act for its inclusion of funding to hire 87,000 new IRS agents over the next 15 years.

The news will tell you, Were not going to target low income people or (people) with less than $400,000 pass through income for business owners, Moore continued. The Senate offered an amendment to ensure that and the Democrats voted along party line against it. That tells you what theyre going to do. Watch what they do, not what they say.

Its radical, its not about reducing inflation. I dropped a bill on Friday to move those IRS agents to the border. If were going to arm them then put them on the southern border.

Moore also talked about the recent National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) military budget vote in which Moore objected to due to the bill requiring women, aged 18 years old, to register for selective services as men are required to.

That was the toughest vote Ive had this year, he said. To vote against the NDAA was a very tough vote for Barry Moore and his family, but once you start talking about drafting our daughters and granddaughters, those are the kinds of things I refuse to compromise on.

I ran on faith, family and finance and if our daughters want to go to war thats fine but we arent going to draft them out of their homes if they want to be moms. Thats the way it is. We took a stand and a number of members of the delegation voted with us and shut it down and the Senate cleaned it up and sent it back without that provision.

Moore said that he believes the tide is turning in America for Republicans.

The media wasnt giving us a fair shake, you know the media never treats us fairly, but the pendulum has started to swing the other way, Moore said. When young people started cheering for Brandon in the stadiums America started waking up. I feel like well win the majority (in the House) and its possible we may get the Senate, but that will be much tougher.

I say it all the time, Democrats want to drive it off the cliff but Im not going to just ride shotgun. Im going to do my best to shut it down when we can.

Moore urged constituents to contact his office with any concerns, especially in the areas hes most focused on.

If you have an issue as a veteran, tax support issues or social security issues call our office, Moore said. I was in a restaurant and a veteran came to me and told me hes been waiting on hearing aides since the war, the Vietnam War. He called my office and within 14 days we had him taken care of.

Dont hesitate to call us, were here to serve you. A lot of people in (Washington) D.C. think youre their subjects but we work for you.

Moore will be holding a town hall event at the Pike County Courthouse tonight at 6:30 p.m.

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Barry Moore speaks to Pike County Republican Women - The Troy Messenger - Troy Messenger

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WASHINGTON The U.S. House on Thursday passed a bill backed by leading Republicans in Texas to encourage domestic semiconductor production, even as most Texas Republicans in the chamber voted against the measure.

U.S. Reps. Michael McCaul of Austin and Kay Granger of Fort Worth were the only Texas Republicans to vote for the bill, along with all the chambers Texas Democrats. The bill passed the House by a vote of 243-187-1 after winning U.S. Senate approval earlier this week. It now awaits final approval from President Joe Biden, who supports the bill.

The legislation incentivizes companies that produce semiconductors chips that power anything from a car to a cellphone to work in the United States, as concerns mount over China and other countries growing influence over the industry. The U.S., once considered a leader in global semiconductor production, has seen its share of chip production wane over the past few decades.

The bill provides $52 billion in subsidies for domestic semiconductor manufacturers and provides a tax credit for investments in semiconductor manufacturing.

The bill had the support of leading Texas Republicans, including Gov. Greg Abbott and House Speaker Dade Phelan, who lauded the bill as an opportunity for job creation in the state. Its a rare point of agreement between Republicans in Texas and the Biden administration, which has been pushing for months to combat foreign domination of chip production.

This legislation will assist the United States in cementing a secure semiconductor supply chain, which is vital to our nations economy and national security, and better equip Texas to compete for investment in this industry, Abbott said in a statement last week.

Texas is a hub for semiconductor production, leading the country in semiconductor exports for 11 straight years. Samsung, a leader in semiconductor production, recently filed paperwork suggesting plans to expand its presence in the state by building 11 chip-making facilities in the next two decades. The technology giant announced plans last year to build a $17 billion semiconductor facility in Taylor.

House GOP leadership decided on Wednesday evening to encourage their members to vote against the legislation that had long been considered a bipartisan agreement. The effort failed, as 24 Republicans defied their leadership to vote for the bill, including McCaul and Granger.

That came after Senate Democrats surprised lawmakers when they introduced a sweeping piece of legislation intended to lower health care costs and combat climate change just hours after the U.S. Senate passed the legislation on Wednesday on a bipartisan vote of 64-33.

U.S. Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, helped lead the effort to pass the semiconductors legislation. Ted Cruz, Texas junior Republican senator, voted against the bill because of the money distributed to massive corporations.

Im all for using the tax code to incentivize manufacturers to build semiconductors in America, but when the federal government simply gives billions of taxpayer dollars directly to massive corporations, it invites cronyism and corruption, Cruz said in a statement after the bills passage.

The bill also faced opposition from progressives who, like Cruz, derided it as a form of corporate welfare. Progressive U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vermont, also voted against the bill.

When you join us at The Texas Tribune Festival Sept. 22-24 in downtown Austin, youll hear from changemakers who are driving innovation, lawmakers who are taking charge with new policies, industry leaders who are pushing Texas forward and so many others. See the growing speaker list and buy tickets.

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Semiconductor subsidies bill backed by top Texas Republicans passes in U.S. House and heads to Biden for final approval - The Texas Tribune

Journalists gather outside the White House, Wednesday, Nov. 4, 2020, in Washington.|Evan Vucci/AP Photo

But wordlessness comes with its downsides:

As my POLITICO colleague Michael Kruse, the author of scores of political profiles puts it, They dont need us to get elected. And we dont need them to write about them. The stand-off between Republican candidates and the press is likely to expand before it contracts. But thats in the short term. Making the media the enemy has a way of boomeranging on politicians. See the careers of George Wallace, Richard Nixon and Spiro Agnew for historical examples.

As interest rises in the 2024 election, and readers and viewers start paying closer attention to the race (what sane person besides politicians and the press are paying much mind to 2024 now?), the candidates will soften their hard lines and talk to the press once again.

Then again, there may be more wisdom in cutting off the press than accounted for here. As former Vice President Hubert Humphrey once wrote, It is always a risk to speak to the press: They are likely to report what you say.

During the 1972 campaign, Hunter S. Thompson wrote, Hubert Humphrey is a treacherous, gutless old ward-heeler who should be put in a goddamn bottle and sent out with the Japanese Current. Send political invective to [emailprotected]. My email alerts are accepting no new subscriptions. My Twitter feed will talk to anybody. Just sign up. My RSS feed believes the silence is the best policy.

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Opinion | Unsolicited Advice for the Pouty Republicans Who Stiff Reporters - POLITICO