2024 Election
February 7, 2025 — Scott Johnson

The New York Post cover story documents the progress President Trump made in controlling the border within 24 hours of his inauguration: The new US Border Patrol chief said the number of illegal migrants stopped trying to cross the besieged southern border has dropped an astonishing 90% since January 21 — a day after President Trump’s inauguration. Michael Banks, a longtime former border agent himself, touted the plunge in illegal
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February 6, 2025 — Scott Johnson

The Minnesota Supreme Court heard oral argument in the case raising the question of the constitutional power of the House of Representatives to compel the attendance of members. I have posted the video below. If you have been following events so far, it is at least of theoretical interest. However, that may be its only interest. In my post on where we were as of early this morning, I speculated
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February 6, 2025 — Scott Johnson

We’ve been following the standoff between Democrats and Republicans in the Minnesota House of Representatives. The winning Democratic candidate in a suburban metro district lied about his residence and got caught. He has been barred from taking office. Facing a Republican majority of 67-66 until the special election that Governor Walz just called for March 11, Democrats arranged a secret swearing-in ceremony before the legislative session that commenced on January
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February 5, 2025 — Steven Hayward

You may have missed the news that a celebrity named Joe Biden has signed up with the powerhouse Hollywood talent flacks at Creative Artists Agency. Worth noting how CAA describes their new client: “President Biden is one of America’s most respected and influential voices in national and global affairs,” Richard Lovett, co-chair of CAA, said in a statement. “His lifelong commitment to public service is one of unity, optimism, dignity,
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February 4, 2025 — Scott Johnson

We have grown accustomed to Democrat defamation of Republicans with accusations that represent pure projection. Chuck Schumer is a master of the art. His act is built on it. He draws on it whenever he talks about Trump or Republicans. Minnesota Democrats don’t need to take their cue from Schumer in the projection department. They have Tim Walz to guide them. They also have Melissa Hortman, the leader of the
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January 31, 2025 — Scott Johnson

Yesterday I came across Megyn Kelly’s video of her full one-hour interview with Frontline for “Trump’s Comeback” (broadcast January 21 and accessible at the link). Frontline has also posted background on the episode here. Amid the voluminous listed credits I wondered who wrote the show. Was it “reporters” Vanessa Fica and Brooke Nelson Alexander? No! The credits attribute the writing to producers Michael Kirk and Mike Wiser. Megyn Kelly, by
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January 28, 2025 — Scott Johnson

The Minnesota House DFL caucus continues to celebrate its big win at the Minnesota Supreme Court this past Friday. Now they will have to continue to skip work and play hooky to deprive the House of a quorum to operate so long as Republicans hold a 67-66 majority pending a special election that has yet to be called. Woo hoo! In the meantime the House Democrats nevertheless continue to collect
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January 25, 2025 — Scott Johnson

The Minnesota Supreme Court has issued an order that supports House Democrats in their boycott of the legislative session that seemed to have commenced by law at the appointed hour on January 14. According to the court, however, the Democrats’ sick-out deprived the Republicans of a quorum — a majority of all House seats (68) rather than a majority of members (67, with one seat vacant until a special election
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January 24, 2025 — Scott Johnson

The Democrats elected to the Minnesota House of Representatives refused to show up for work at the appointed hour on January 14. One of their number got caught lying about his residence and lost the resulting election contest. His seat is vacant pending a special election. With Republicans holding a 67-66 majority, the remaining Democrats are boycotting the current legislative session to deprive Republicans of a quorum. Their position is
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January 23, 2025 — Scott Johnson

Center of the American Experiment’s Bill Glahn frequently comments that Minnesota produces more news than can be consumed locally. Such is the case with the coup’s next story of Minnesota Democrats and the boycott by DFL representatives of the current state House session that commenced on January 14. The link is to John’s column in today’s New York Post. Such is also the case with the disruption of Tuesday’s House
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January 22, 2025 — Scott Johnson

One lie begets another. In this case — the case of the Minnesota Democrats — House candidate Curtis Johnson lied about his residence in the district he sought to represent in the election this past November. When Johnson’s Republican opponent contested Johnson’s election, the judge found that Johnson was lying and barred him from taking office. This has set off a chain reaction of lies with which we have sought
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January 20, 2025 — Scott Johnson

One would never understand the lawlessness of the Minnesota Democrats from the news pages of the Star Tribune. They are engaged in a slow-motion coup that is obscured by DFL representatives’ disappearance from the state House of Representatives, which convened by law this past Tuesday at noon. They seek to prevent the current Republican majority from organizing the House by purporting to deprive them of a quorum. In this case,
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January 19, 2025 — Steven Hayward

Down to the last few hours of the Biden interregnum, and the scene is almost enough to make this near-geezer giddy. First, who would imagine you’d ever see this: Now, is that a Village Person, or is it Elon Musk in costume doing his patented X-dance? I’m good either way. But the New York Times isn’t: While we’re talking about the Times, it is worth gong back to savor how
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January 19, 2025 — Scott Johnson

State representative Walter Hudson has kindly compiled the video update below on the last week in Minnesota politics. I hesitate to reiterate the ins and outs of all the maneuvers and developments we have tried to track. The theme here is that Democrats are tangled in their own lies. Your #mnleg week in review. pic.twitter.com/Lqc8deM2dY — Walter Hudson (@WalterHudson) January 18, 2025 On Friday, the Minnesota Supreme Court held that
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January 17, 2025 — Scott Johnson

New York Times reporters Annie Karni and Luke Broadwater have written the forthcoming book Mad House: How Donald Trump, MAGA Mean Girls, a Former Used Car Salesman, a Florida Nepo Baby, and a Man With Rats in His Walls Broke Congress. The book includes an account of Chuck Schumer’s meeting with President Biden at Biden’s vacation mansion in Rehoboth Beach following his disastrous June 27 debate with Trump. Today’s New
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December 30, 2024 — Scott Johnson

Ovid tells the story of Orpheus and Eurydice in Book X of his Metamorphoses. Orpheus goes to the underworld to retrieve Eurydice but loses her for good when he disobeys the god’s injunction that he not look back at her before they emerge. I looked back at the course I took on Ovid’s epic as a college freshman 42 years later with my teacher himself in “Speaking of metamorphoses.” In
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December 26, 2024 — Scott Johnson

The Washington Free Beacon recently published presidential historian Tevi Troy’s excellent review of a new biography of Senator Mitch McConnell. The biography prompted Tevi to undertake an assessment of McConnell’s considerable contributions to the conservative cause. He does so without specifically mentioning McConnell’s successful efforts to prevent the confirmation of Merrick Garland to the Supreme Court. One contribution that Tevi mentions in passing is McConnell’s skills as a talent scout.
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