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Democrats Drunk With Pandemic Power Could be Undercutting Themselves Come November
Townhall.com ^ | May 16, 2020 | Brad Slager

Posted on 05/16/2020 4:24:01 AM PDT by Kaslin

Flexing unearned influence has exposed the thirst for control of their citizens.

In Pennsylvania Governor Tom Wolf caught a whiff of his constituents working up the desire to step out and start living their lives once again. The idea of citizens exerting their freedoms and basking in the normalcy of liberty was too much for him to stand. On Monday he sent out a tweet storm, delivering a series of firm commands of how he intends to clamp down on those who might dare get the idea of doing things.

‘’Today I am announcing consequences for counties that do not abide by the law to remain closed,’’ said the Wolf cub in his opening salvo, the concept of federalism trickling down to the local level becoming an insult to him. He threatened to cut off non-compliant counties from federal relief aid if they dared defy his executive order and grant the voters the choice to decide for their own lives and livelihoods. He then extended his punitive promises further.

He went on to threaten businesses that might open in defiance of his iron-fisted decree, telling them they could be cited, they might see their liability insurance threatened, and bars and restaurants might end up with their liquor licenses revoked. As threats go, Wolf could see this becoming a rather neutered one; if an establishment is facing foreclosure all together then running the risk of the governor’s tantrum-like wrath could be one worth taking.

This governor, as we know, is hardly alone, as the petulant Pennsylvania tyrant is part of a widespread mob of Democratic governors who have been intoxicated by the sudden discovery of power they can impose on the citizenry. Wolf does this with the comfort of no reprisals, as he is in the final stretch of a term limit regime -- he is operating comfortably with a lame-duck Napoleanic complex. Others, however, may have a reckoning ahead, and the wider Democratic party repercussions could be felt later this year.

In Michigan, Gretchen Whitmer has attempted to parlay her oppressive dictates into becoming a vice-presidential contender. She has gone so far as to extend her stay-at-home orders another month in a state with mounting anger towards being kept from their businesses, with a legislature fighting back at her power grab. Whitmer, like so many of her Democrat demagogues, is freely imposing rules which have no bearing on public safety.

Gretchen has been bolstered by a fawning press corps, operating under the belief that her tactics are warmly received. She initially was combative with President Trump over relief aid supposedly denied to her state only to have it revealed that her office had failed to fill out the basic paperwork to apply for FEMA aid. She has forced most businesses closed, and even went so far as to mandate that those stores remaining open had to limit what items were available for sale. The locals are becoming fed up.

Protests have been staged at the state capitol already, and the pushback in her state is growing. She thinks that it is a strong move to go after a local business that is defying her executive order, but the local law enforcement divisions are resisting the command to shut him down. It has not occurred to Whitmer that in a state where the people want to return to life, the optics of her bringing the force of government down on a 77-year-old barber are not a good look for her. A judge also thought so, overruling the governor’s order to close his shop down.

Her neighbor Wisconsin is also seeing legal opposition to an oppressive governor. Governor Tony Evers saw himself getting swatted on the snout by the state Supreme Court when it ruled that his extension of the stay-at-home order for another month needed to be overturned. Evers was full of hysterical bromides as a result, proclaiming everything was being thrown into ‘’chaos’’, and declaring of his state - ‘’It’s the wild west’’. His summation at the power that was stripped from him was that ‘’It’s a bad day for Wisconsin’’, but the citizens seemed to disagree. Within hours of the ruling bars and restaurants were flung open, and they saw themselves packed with residents.

Other states have had a tougher go of it with dictatorial leaders. Maine Gov. Janet Mills stripped the business license of a restaurant that defied her order to keep businesses closed -- until June. In Colorado Gov. Jared Polis came down on the restaurant that dared to open on Mother’s Day, to national attention, closing it down in the name of science. In every case, the establishments opened to packed crowds, filled with people willing to be in these businesses while these Democrats invoked death and doom as a promised result. To get a real feel of the tide shifting we only need to look to the west.

In California, where cowing to idiotic political mandates is considered good manners, even there we are seeing a fed-up citizenry. Beach closures have been met with protesting crowds, and skateboard parks that were moronically filled in with sand were converted into dirt bike tracks by the area youths. And more than a small shop owner, automaker Elon Musk has come out and defied the business closure, all but daring the authorities to come and arrest him. Instead, they backed off.

These Democrats resorted to the short-sightedness of their temporary power grabs. They could exert their influence and peacock around with inflated importance as the press was busy castigating GOP leaders who took less authoritarian approaches. The risk they do not see is that more than a bothered constituency inside their state borders is the result. Tens of millions are out of work, unknown millions more are under varying degrees of duress, and most are eager to move forward with our lives once again.

Those frustrated by this crisis are made more so by these political opportunists, and it is something of a revelation. It has been a common refrain that this shutdown and its removal of liberties by the government has opened the eyes of many to the negative impact of too much government. Now factor in that those newly skeptical minds are seeing this overreach consistently from the same party, it will register in their minds come November.


TOPICS: Culture/Society; Editorial; News/Current Events; Politics/Elections; US: Michigan; US: Pennsylvania
KEYWORDS: demonrats; gretchenwitmer; lockdown; policestate; reopen; reopening; shutdown; stayathomeorder; wuhancoronavirus
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1 posted on 05/16/2020 4:24:01 AM PDT by Kaslin
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To: Kaslin

Give Democrats enough rope and they invariably hang themselves.


2 posted on 05/16/2020 4:26:42 AM PDT by Gnome1949
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To: Kaslin

Dear God, Let it be so!


3 posted on 05/16/2020 4:28:07 AM PDT by metmom (...fixing our eyes on Jesus, the Author and Perfecter of our faith...)
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To: metmom

I predict a Red tsunami in November.


4 posted on 05/16/2020 4:29:50 AM PDT by CMailBag
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To: CMailBag

I’m praying for one.


5 posted on 05/16/2020 4:32:00 AM PDT by HotKat (Politicians are like diapers; they need to be changed often and for the same reason. Mark Twain)
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To: Kaslin
They could be undercutting themselves, but I believe they expect the media (their media!) to help them by pushing all the nonsense they are doing today down the memory hole.

Come October the media will be full of praise for Wolf, Cuomo, Whitmer, et al and will blame Trump for all the problems. I hope people have a good memory as all of this is the Dem Governor's faults...

6 posted on 05/16/2020 4:35:03 AM PDT by jeffc (The U.S. media are our enemy)
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To: HotKat; CMailBag

Me, too.


7 posted on 05/16/2020 4:36:07 AM PDT by metmom (...fixing our eyes on Jesus, the Author and Perfecter of our faith...)
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To: Kaslin

As an athlete as a kid I learned when you see you opponent making a mistake you never point it out to them......ssshhhhhhh


8 posted on 05/16/2020 4:38:20 AM PDT by V_TWIN
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To: metmom

This will only happen if President Trump gets out there and defends freedom, gets rid of the “WH guidelines” that are empowering these Democrats, and insists that we get back to work and to social life. He needs to declare that the emergency is over and these special powers to imprison Americans are therefore no longer in effect.

Only if he provides a clear alternative and stops letting Fauci run the country will he be re-elected.


9 posted on 05/16/2020 4:40:22 AM PDT by livius
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To: Kaslin

They’re more like HIGH on power. I just have a feeling that the Rats are going to only carry this police state so far. Actually I hope they try. At least until the fall cause by that time most people will want to tar and feather these jerks and jerkettes and trans jerks.


10 posted on 05/16/2020 4:43:34 AM PDT by HighSierra5
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To: metmom

Add me to the group


11 posted on 05/16/2020 4:45:00 AM PDT by sanjuanbob (Yes, I CAN take a joke /s)
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To: livius

I agree with everything you said.

Trump has been doing a poor job and needs to improve.


12 posted on 05/16/2020 4:49:10 AM PDT by moviefan8
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To: Kaslin
It won't matter if Mail-In Voting is allowed to happen.

If it does, kiss the Republic goodbye, once and for all.


13 posted on 05/16/2020 4:50:58 AM PDT by SkyPilot
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To: livius
This will only happen if President Trump gets out there and defends freedom, gets rid of the “WH guidelines” that are empowering these Democrats, and insists that we get back to work and to social life. He needs to declare that the emergency is over and these special powers to imprison Americans are therefore no longer in effect. Only if he provides a clear alternative and stops letting Fauci run the country will he be re-elected.

I couldn't agree more. He declared the National Emergency. It's time to END IT!

14 posted on 05/16/2020 4:52:02 AM PDT by SkyPilot
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To: Kaslin

As small business owners are by and large conservatives while the big box stores are generally Politically connected to the Democats I wonder how this Plandemic will turn out in the end. Financially all the corruption in the Democratic Party has reaped ruin on their opponents.

How long will America worship freedom over morality? Because we are paying a hefty price tag for our irresponsibility.


15 posted on 05/16/2020 4:56:34 AM PDT by American in Israel (A wise man's heart directs him to the right, but the foolish mans heart directs him toward the left.)
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To: Kaslin
I wonder how many of those complaining now will be voting Democrat in November. My guess is a shocking number of them will still pulling the D lever. I know it doesn't make any sense, but if common sense ruled, the Left would have very little power in America today. Instead, they have a real shot at taking full command of our lives next January.

It's not hyperbole to say we are in an existential battle.
16 posted on 05/16/2020 4:56:36 AM PDT by Dan in Wichita
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To: Kaslin

I wonder what they ‘ll call the opposition party after the Democrat Party destructs?


17 posted on 05/16/2020 4:56:48 AM PDT by yardboyd (Call me a rose.... or leave me alone.)
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To: Gnome1949

Those special elections on Tuesday were the canary in the coal mine. Democrat paid political consultants surely are making frantic calls trying to warn them off of this.


18 posted on 05/16/2020 4:57:47 AM PDT by Buckeye McFrog (Patrick Henry would have been an anti-vaxxer)
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To: Kaslin

Democrats never understood that most rational people just want to be left alone.


19 posted on 05/16/2020 5:02:30 AM PDT by allendale (.)
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To: Kaslin

If the Dems keep up this totalitarian nonsense, I could almost see California flipping from my house !


20 posted on 05/16/2020 5:06:35 AM PDT by Baldwin77 (They hated Reagan too ! TRUMP TOUGH - AMERICA STRONG)
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