BETWEEN THE LINES
Exclusive: Joseph Farah finds some rare good news in the pages of the New York Times
They say you shouldn’t read the New York Times because you won’t get any good news.
I disagree.
You just have to read between the lines, so to speak.
The GREAT news today is that at least 12 House Democrats will retire because they surmise that their party will lose the majority next year.
“The quickening pace of Democratic retirements in the House may be the clearest indication yet that the party’s hopes of maintaining its narrow majority are fading amid President Biden’s sagging approval ratings, ongoing legislative struggles and the prospect of redrawn congressional districts that will put some seats out of reach,” the Times reports.
Hallelujah!
“In recent days, Representatives John Yarmuth of Kentucky, David E. Price of North Carolina and Mike Doyle of Pennsylvania have announced they will not seek reelection,” the report says. “In all, a dozen House Democrats have said they will retire or seek other offices next year, including powerful lawmakers like Mr. Yarmuth, the chairman of the Budget Committee, and members from the most politically competitive districts, such as Representatives Ron Kind of Wisconsin and Ann Kirkpatrick of Arizona.”
As usual, the New York Times didn’t identify all the seats and, thus, put virtual targets on them. But that’s the nature of highly partisan paper. The following was a quote worth keeping in mind.
“In interviews, the three representatives who most recently announced their retirement said personal issues were paramount in their decisions – they have served 72 years in the House between them,” the report said. “But they also cited three political factors: redistricting ahead of the 2022 elections, Donald J. Trump’s continued power over Republicans, and the rising Balkanization of the Democratic Party, that they said had made governance increasingly difficult and frustrating.”
Even Democrats admit “Balkanization of the Democratic Party.”
“None of the three expressed concern about any particular bloc in their fractious party, which includes a growing progressive wing, an ardent group of moderates and the pro-business ‘New Democrats.’ Rather, they said they were worried that none of the groups was willing to compromise, leaving two vital pieces of President Biden’s agenda – a trillion-dollar infrastructure bill and an ambitious social policy and climate change measure – in limbo.”
You see, the New York Times still thinks the Democrats have “an ardent group of moderates and the pro-business ‘New Democrats'” among them.
Democrats are less certain to lose control of the U.S. Senate, the Times says, where they “cannot afford to lose a single seat in the Senate, but they do not face gerrymandered maps there, and vulnerable Republican seats in Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, North Carolina and Ohio make Democratic gains possible.”
But it looks clear from here – the mid-term elections next year should be a cakewalk for the GOP. Unless the fix is in again.
Biden is so unpopular his name is often “confused” with Brandon. Deservedly so.
“These Democrats spent decades accumulating power and seniority in Congress. They wouldn’t give up that power if they felt Democrats were going to hold the majority,” said Mike Berg, a spokesman for the National Republican Congressional Committee.
“As for the right, Mr. Price said, the attack on the Capitol on Jan. 6 ‘has scarred the House and raised serious questions that I never thought would be raised, about the future of the rule of law, the acceptance of election results, the peaceful transfer of power and the very future of democracy.'”
The Times continued: “With far-right Republicans such as Representatives Madison Cawthorn of North Carolina and Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia already calling for Mr. Biden’s impeachment, Mr. Yarmuth said, ‘the prospect of serving in the minority is horrifying.'”
Horrifying, I tell you!
Now you see why I can’t miss an issue of the New York Times!