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The other day, the media delighted in reporting that Idaho National Laboratory was joining an effort to let so-called transgender individuals change their names on past scientific papers and research. History is being rewritten before our eyes. Can we get any more Orwellian? How long will it be before newspapers start changing whats in their archives? Were getting close.

If youre wondering how weve gotten to this point, heres my explanation: Too little pushback from folks who should know better, namely within certain segments of the Republican Party. The old school GOP, whose chief avatar in Idaho might be Jim Jones, did little over many decades to distinguish itself from liberal Democrats.

Jones was Idahos Republican attorney general and later served on the state Supreme Court. When you read Jones commentaries in the newspaper, hes often slobbering with praise for anyone who peddles leftist ideology. Its clear he never was a conservative. Nor were his contemporaries, upon whom he lavishes praise.

For example, Jones delights in the record of former GOP Gov. Robert Smylie, whose greatest accomplishments include a massive expansion of state government and the imposition of a state sales tax, as well as other Republicans who advocated for government control over every aspect of society. If theres a problem, Jones and his ilk believe government should be directed to solve it. He thinks its OK for men to play in womens sports, even working to derail Idahos bill that protects girls from having to compete against biological males. How does Jones view of government and society differ from that of a liberal Democrat?

The answer is it doesnt, which explains why Jones admits he considers himself an independent, but deceitfully votes in the GOP primary to select the most liberal candidate to the Republican Partys nominee for whatever position is being considered. His goal isnt to limit government. His goal is to expand government, which is why in his most recent writings hes pushing for the government to demand that everyone get a vaccine.

The result of this liberal detente between Republicans and Democrats has created an environment that lets stupidity run freely, where wokeism replaces facts and logic, where government has unlimited power and your right to choose the correct path for yourself and your family is replaced by a centralized authority making decisions for you. And usually, those decisions are framed by what makes people feel good for the moment, even if the costs down the road are incalculable.

Hence newspapers gleefully report how INL and others are simply rewriting history without consideration for any detrimental secondary impacts. Together, Republicans and Democrats have created a political and societal environment where anything goes.

Fortunately, the Republican Party is finding its way back to being protectors of our God-given rights, fighting for freedom and liberty, and getting back to our roots as defenders of limited, accountable government.

For example, at this summers state GOP meeting, you will see several resolutions promoting conservative values, including those opposing vaccine mandates and also calling for the censure of a former state GOP official-turned newspaper columnist named Jim Jones.

Jones is one of many former and current Idaho politicians who got away with being a liberal Democrat disguised as a Republican for a long time. Theyve done a lot of damage to our state and our country. But its not too late to embrace the conservative principles that made America the greatest nation the world has ever known. It starts by abandoning Republicans in name only like Jim Jones.

Doyle Beck is the Legislative District 30 chairman of the Idaho Republican Party.

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Opinion: Republicans who reject Jim Jones will save America - Post Register

AUSTIN, Texas Texas Republicans have found their footing with a new strategy: advance so many outrageous, egregious bills that we legitimately start to lose track. With Senate Bill 14, the latest contender in Republicans garbage legislation Olympics, the GOP is trying to outlaw mandatory water breaks for heat-affected workers in Texas. Thats right, folks in the height of the summer heat in one of the hottest states in the country, Texas Republicans want to strip workers of their right to drink water every four hours.

By refusing to fix the states disaster-prone power grid, Republicans are already putting Texans in the way of weather-related health risks from losing AC in a heatwave to losing heat in a winter storm. Now, Republicans are finding a new way to subject Texans to weather-related health risks. In the United States today, more workers than ever are dying of heat-related causes on the job especially as the climate crisis drives up temperatures across the country. If passed, Senate Bill 14 would jeopardize the health and safety of workers across Texas, and labor groups are sounding the alarm on this attack on workers most basic protections. The legislation joins a host of anti-worker bills put forward by Republicans from attempts to cut working Texans off from the ballot box, to Greg Abbotts refusal to allow mask rules that keep teachers and service workers safe from COVID-19.

Texas Democratic Party Chair Gilberto Hinojosa issued the following statement:

Republicans SB 14 is criminal. This is a bill that would ban mandatory water breaks for Texans meaning that folks out farming or working construction would not have the right to take a break to drink water in the heat of the day. This legislation is cruel, pointless, and will almost certainly kill Texans. And sadly, its not the only piece of Republican legislation thats putting Texas lives in danger right now.

Texas Republicans are mounting an all-out assault on working people. Theyre trying to take away our healthcare, get us sick with COVID-19, and stop us from voting so were stuck with their pathetic excuse for leadership. There is no way in hell that Texas Democrats are going to let that happen. We are the Party of working people in Texas and we are fighting every single day to stop these attacks on our communities. Whether in the legislature, in the courts, or at the ballot box, we will take this fight as far as we must to stand up for the rights of Texans.

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ICYMI: In Further Proof That Texas Republicans Hate Texans, GOP Moves to Ban Mandatory Water Breaks For Workers - Texas Democratic Party

One of the top Republicans in Kentucky's legislature said Tuesday his caucus is willing to work with Gov. Andy Beshear on measures to fight COVID-19 and help Kentuckians amid the delta variant surge.Senate President Robert Stivers' comments came just days after Kentucky's Supreme Court ruled against Gov. Andy Beshear in a legal challenge on new limits to his executive powers. That ruling effectively ended the pandemic-related state of emergency and Beshear's executive orders designed to combat COVID-19."There are things out there that I think could be beneficial if we have a special session and I don't know if we're ready or ripe for that, but we can be very quickly," Stivers said.Continuing coverage: Gov. Beshear may call special session to reinstate State of EmergencyRepublican leaders have been in talks with the Beshear administration about the governor's priorities and have their own ideas as well, Stivers said.There is no support for a statewide mask mandate, he said.COVID-19 in Kentucky: Kentucky Supreme Court rules new laws limiting Gov. Beshears emergency powers are validAreas of agreement could include extending the state of emergency, which would ensure the state continues to receive federal stimulus funds, and providing assistance to hospitals and schools, he said.There is no timeline for when a special session would be held.Latest numbers: Delta variant drives COVID-19 surge in Kentucky, IndianaSenate Republicans have also asked for a special session to handle redistricting ahead of the January start to the 2022 General Assembly, but Stivers said those two issues would be best handled in their own distinct sessions.

One of the top Republicans in Kentucky's legislature said Tuesday his caucus is willing to work with Gov. Andy Beshear on measures to fight COVID-19 and help Kentuckians amid the delta variant surge.

Senate President Robert Stivers' comments came just days after Kentucky's Supreme Court ruled against Gov. Andy Beshear in a legal challenge on new limits to his executive powers. That ruling effectively ended the pandemic-related state of emergency and Beshear's executive orders designed to combat COVID-19.

"There are things out there that I think could be beneficial if we have a special session and I don't know if we're ready or ripe for that, but we can be very quickly," Stivers said.

Continuing coverage: Gov. Beshear may call special session to reinstate State of Emergency

Republican leaders have been in talks with the Beshear administration about the governor's priorities and have their own ideas as well, Stivers said.

There is no support for a statewide mask mandate, he said.

COVID-19 in Kentucky: Kentucky Supreme Court rules new laws limiting Gov. Beshears emergency powers are valid

Areas of agreement could include extending the state of emergency, which would ensure the state continues to receive federal stimulus funds, and providing assistance to hospitals and schools, he said.

There is no timeline for when a special session would be held.

Latest numbers: Delta variant drives COVID-19 surge in Kentucky, Indiana

Senate Republicans have also asked for a special session to handle redistricting ahead of the January start to the 2022 General Assembly, but Stivers said those two issues would be best handled in their own distinct sessions.

Excerpt from:
Senate president: Republicans willing to work with Beshear in special session (on some things) - WLKY Louisville

Fortunately, many citizens in these states and others in the region are determined to keep themselves and their children safe, even if their leaders keep undermining those efforts at every turn.

No sooner had Mr. Lee signed his executive order than Dr. Sara Cross, a Memphis physician on his own Covid task force, issued a public statement decrying his decision. I fear for my 6-year-old daughter, she said in a video. Opting out of wearing masks is putting all of our children in harms way.

In Texas, the families of 14 children with disabilities have filed a federal lawsuit against Mr. Abbott and the Texas Education Agency commissioner, Mike Morath, arguing that the ban on school mask mandates puts their children in peril. (Texas has paused the enforcement of its ban, pending the resolution of several legal challenges.)

Here in Music City, the pushback against state leaders began, naturally enough, with musicians and music venues. For people whose work brings them into contact with thousands of strangers, this is not a political issue; its a life-or-death issue.

Nashville has so far issued neither a mask mandate nor a vaccine mandate for businesses operating here, but theres an ever-growing list of music venues that require proof of vaccination or a negative coronavirus test to enter, including the massive Bonnaroo music festival in Manchester, Tenn. The musician Jason Isbell now requires proof of vaccination or a negative test to attend his shows, wherever they are held. Im all for freedom, but I think if youre dead, you dont have any freedoms at all, he told MSNBC.

Meanwhile, Tennessees two largest school districts Metro Nashville Public Schools and Shelby County Schools continue to enforce their mask mandates in defiance of the governors executive order, and Nashvilles district attorney, Glenn Funk, has said that he will not prosecute school officials or teachers for keeping children safe. Some Tennessee pastors are encouraging other districts to defy the ban, too: Im well aware of what we are asking, the Rev. Lillian Lammers told The Tennesseans Brett Kelman. There were many times in the Bible where Jesus broke the law in order to feed people or care for people, as a way of teaching others that sometimes the law can get in the way of doing what is right.

That message of civil disobedience seems to be resonating across the South.

Last week, the school board of Miami-Dade County Public Schools, Floridas largest school district, and school districts in Hillsborough County, which includes Tampa, and Palm Beach County, voted to approve mask mandates in open defiance of Mr. DeSantiss ban. And they did so despite the threat of penalties leveled by the Florida state board of education against board members and superintendents in Broward and Alachua Counties, which had already established mask mandates.

Continue reading here:
Opinion | Republicans Have Gone Too Far in the Region Hit Hardest by Covid - The New York Times

President BidenJoe BidenUS intel report on COVID-19 origins inconclusive: WaPo NBC correspondent: History will remember Afghan withdrawal as 'very dark period' Overnight Defense & National Security: Outcry over Biden's Afghanistan deadline MOREs job performance is making him the most serious political threat to Democrats election chances in 2022. Its almost as if Biden is a GOP secret weapon, ensuring that Republicans retake control of the House and Senate.

Its not just Bidens mishandling of multiple crises; its the way hes mishandling them. Flip-flops, contradictions, denials, blame shifting, political tone-deafness and refusal to concede facts not to mention a kind of spacy-ness in his public responses. For example:

The Afghanistan withdrawal disaster: Biden sold himself as one of the countrys top foreign policy experts, one who would restore Americas standing in the world and among our allies. Hows that going, Joe?

Even many Democrats, both elected and former political appointees and policy experts, are criticizing the president.

NATO allies are appalled at the chaotic exit from Afghanistan, which threatens their own credibility and the safety of their citizens. And allies increasingly wonder whether they can depend on the U.S. if a military threat arises.

For example, China is hinting that Afghanistan proves the U.S. would not stand up for Taiwan should the Chinese invade. And after the Afghanistan debacle, whos to say they would?

And there are the recurring headlines and pictures of Islamic jihadists who are cheering the Talibans defeat of the worlds greatest military power.

You know its bad when even the mainstream media have begun highlighting Biden and his administrations misstatements, contradictions, errors and flip-flops.

The past few weeks have understandably lowered the publics already timid confidence in Bidens ability and fitness to do the job of president. And that skepticism is likely to affect Democratic campaigns.

COVID-19 surges: As a presidential candidate, Biden claimed thousands of Americans were dying because President TrumpDonald TrumpSupreme Court rebuffs Biden over Trump-era 'Remain in Mexico' policy Judge declares mistrial in Michael Avenatti embezzlement case Herschel Walker files paperwork to run for Senate in Georgia MORE mishandled the pandemic. Biden assured us he had a plan to turn it around.

While Trump surely made mistakes, so did other world leaders which is exactly what you would expect when a new, not-well-understood virus arises. But Trump also got some things right, including the governments backing for pharmaceutical manufacturers efforts to create a COVID-19 vaccine in record time.

Biden inherited that success and has largely tried to take credit for it. The declining number of COVID-19 cases over the spring and early summer is one of the reasons for the publics generally favorable opinion of the Biden presidency.

But COVID cases and deaths are rising again, and many hospitals are filling up or are already full. If Biden has a plan to slow or stop the spread as he claimed as a candidate where is it? All hes been able to do so far is double down on what has been done: encourage vaccinations and urge mask wearing and social distancing.

Hopefully the delta variant peaks soon and we begin to see a decline in new cases and deaths and the lambda or some other variant doesnt take its place. But if the virus continues its spread, it will make Biden look as feckless as he appears on TV.

Inflation fears: A recent The Hill-HarrisX poll revealed that inflation is the top economic concern on voters minds: 31 percent of registered voters. The national debt came in second at 22 percent. Thus, over half of voters see inflation and the national debt as the biggest economic challenges.

Only 9 percent said they werent concerned about the economy.

Inflation is real. It may be temporary as Federal Reserve Bank Chairman Jerome Powell keeps telling us but consumers are seeing it daily.

Bidens big-spending push means that Democrats will own any negative economic blowback if inflation explodes. Even if voters see some benefits from the government spending spree and inflation pressures ease, those benefits likely wont be felt much before the 2022 elections.

Illegal immigration chaos: Perhaps the only good news out of Bidens Afghanistan withdrawal disaster is that those heart-rending TV images have replaced the images of near-record numbers of illegal immigrants crossing the southern border.

The Pew Research Center reports, The U.S. Border Patrol reported nearly 200,000 encounters with migrants along the U.S.-Mexico border in July, the highest monthly total in more than two decades.

Again, the facts on the ground have completely contradicted the Biden administrations continued spin its a challenge not a crisis, they insist and everyone knows it.

This is just a short list. Democrats are on the wrong side of a number of other very important issues (e.g., defund the police) that will come back to bite them in the 2022 elections.

Numerous reports claim that Biden believes he will survive his Afghanistan debacle because voters care more about the economy than Afghanistan.

But voters do care about the lives and safety of the U.S. military, U.S. credibility in the world and the rising threat of terrorism. And all of those issues are intertwined with his mishandling of Afghanistan.

Even if the Afghanistan withdrawal fades in the media, theres still COVID-19, the southern border crisis and rising inflation none of which are moving in Bidens favor.

Fortunately for Biden, he doesnt have to face the voters again until 2024. Unfortunately for Biden, his actions likely mean he will have to face a Republican Congress in January 2023.

Merrill Matthews is a resident scholar with the Institute for Policy Innovation in Dallas, Texas. Follow him on Twitter @MerrillMatthews.

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Joe Biden: Republicans' secret weapon for retaking Congress | TheHill - The Hill