Conservative Review with Daniel Horowitz

So, Trump is at 35-40% approval and Democrats have opened a wide lead in the generic ballot polling. And what do we have to show for it?  What have we gotten for this?   In this episode of the Conservative Conscience, Daniel breaks down the latest series of betrayals.  While excuse-making conservatives produce lists of their own demonstrating “the good things” the president is doing, if you look carefully, most of them are ceremonial with “no discernable policy outcome,” as the ACLU observed with regards to the religious liberty memo.  On the other hand, the betrayals are deep and severely consequential.  Look at the fire, not the smoke.     We explore the betrayal of Israel and how NSC head, General H.R. McMaster, is essentially promoting Obama’s foreign policy.  There is a lot of significance to the betrayal of Israel and what it portends for other policies and who is really running this administration.     In the second half of the show we discuss how, once again, the courts are destroying us on elections and how this will not be fixed without judicial reform.   Finally, we tackle the Alabama Senate race.  In many respects, this race embodies the problems we face, except it has an inherent antidote in the form of Judge Roy Moore.  Daniel explains why he’s still backing Roy Moore, despite the entrance of another patriot, Mo Brooks, in the race.    Show links: My 45-minute podcast on the history of the Palestinian hoax Approval rating in the toilet…and for what? Luther Strange and his lies; Roy Moore and his truth Georgia judge gives Dems advantage, takes over election law from states Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

There are so many betrayals being perpetrated by our political class that actually have discernable policy outcomes and are much more important than the Comey news. Why is nobody talking about the GOP betrayal on the border wall, health care, religious liberty, moving embassy to Jerusalem, the Paris climate accord, and of course judicial tyranny?  Yet, in many respects, the Comey news and the binary hypocrisy of the parties is important to focus on and learn from because it embodies what is wrong with both parties.  In this episode of the Conservative Conscience, Daniel explains why Comey should have been fired from a conservative perspective but also why both sides in this case have a glass jaw.  If we actually had a consistent and principled conservative party it would be so much easier to punch through the news cycle.  All too often, our side must defend and fight for things that aren’t even conservative, yet get blamed for them.  In many respects, we are all like James Comey, turning everything into a tortured political pretzel rather than being consistent about the truth.  In the second half of the show, we discuss how the courts have reached a new level of judicial tyranny and are making the other two branches irrelevant.  This is a lot more important than the Comey news, but nobody in the other two branches is even willing to broach the topic.    Key quotes: “Sure, the media is going to throw punches at any hypothetical conservative movement or party.  But it would sure be a lot harder for them to do damage if we didn’t have the glass jaw of the tainted and progressive GOP.” “I’m sick and tired of dying for the other SOB’s ideology.  Can’t we have a party with which we will at least take media hits for our own beliefs?” Show links: We need a champion of counter-terrorism heading FBI, unlike Comey   Thanks to Kushner’s Crony Visas corruption, Feinstein is able to get to the right of Republicans Judge blocks VA from firing corrupt employee who failed veterans Why Trump can’t shift the judicial balance like Obama has Our national sovereignty is on trial in fake courts Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Are you fed up with the political adultery of Republicans being nothing more than inarticulate Democrats?  Many people are looking for a new party but feel there is no viable alternative on the horizon.  Is that about to change?   On this episode of the Conservative Conscience, we are joined by J.D. Rucker, the co-founder of the Federalist Party.  He gives us an update on the state of play in building a new party and their plan to become the second, not third party, on the political scene.  This is a long term plan but definitely intriguing.      Show Notes: Steve Deace writes about the need for a new party After budget betrayal, conservatives need deep soul-searching Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Conservatives have been pushed to the brink by the betrayals. We want a revolution.  We want a party to finally act in accordance with its campaign pledges.  Where do we go from here? In this episode of the Conservative Conscience, Daniel interviews Judge Roy Moore who is attempting to storm the establishment castle by running for Senate in Alabama.  They discuss a wide range of topics, particularly related to the role of the courts and how the judicial crisis has neutered Congress.  It takes an originalist in the Senate to solve the problem, not just originalists on the courts.  But it also takes a man of integrity, something that is lacking with most Republicans. The question for conservatives is if they will take yes for an answer.   Key quotes: When you become entitled to exercise the right of voting for public officers, let it be impressed on your mind that God commands you to choose for rulers, “just men who will rule in the fear of God.” The preservation of government depends on the faithful discharge of this duty; if the citizens neglect their duty and place unprincipled men in office, the government will soon be corrupted; laws will be made, not for the public good so much as for selfish or local purposes; corrupt or incompetent men will be appointed to execute the laws; the public revenues will be sqandered (sic) on unworthy men; and the rights of the citizens will be violated or disregarded. If a republican government fails to secure public prosperity and happiness, it must be because the citizens neglect the divine commands, and elect bad men to make and administer the laws. — Noah Webster, History of the United States (New Haven: Durrie & Peck, 1832), pp. 336-337 Neither the Founding generation nor their children nor their children's children, right on down to our grandparents' generation, were so passive about their role as republican citizens. They would not have accepted-did not accept-being told that a lawyerly elite had charge of the Constitution, and they would have been incredulous if told (as we are often told today) that the main reason to worry about who becomes president is that the winner will control judicial appointments. Something would have gone terribly wrong, they believed, if an unelected judiciary were being given that kind of importance and deference. Perhaps such a country could still be called democratic, but it would no longer be the kind of democracy Americans had fought and died and struggled to create. — Larry D. Kramer, The People Themselves: Popular Constitutionalism and Judicial Review (New York: Oxford University Press, 2004), 228. A fire not to be quenched, it demands a uniform vigilance to prevent its bursting into a flame, lest, instead of warming, it should consume. George Washington’s Farewells Address, on the danger of political parties     Show links: Mark Levin’s call for doing more to save the republic Lighting up America: Judge Roy Moore running for Senate NRSC blackballing Roy Moore Supporters   Judge Moore falls victim to a culture of beta males My interview with Judge Moore on the illegal suspension from the court Editor's note: Daniel Horowitz has endorsed Roy Moore in the U.S. Senate race in Alabama. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

How is it possible to get humiliated in a major budget battle by a party that has no power?  In this episode of the Conservative Conscience, we answer that question. It’s not that Republicans are cowardly or obsequious; it’s that they fundamentally don’t share our values.  Thus, the Democrat outcomes are their outcomes as well.  Moreover, don’t blame this all on congressional Republicans, although they are certainly an act in perfidy.  President Trump is just as much at fault, and in this episode, we prove it and also debunk White House talking points. Later on in the show we discuss why Judge Roy Moore’s race for Senate in Alabama speaks to every issue conservatives are worried about today.  Will conservatives finally take yes for an answer?   Show links:   Trump considering raising gas tax to help pay for wasteful infrastructure spending Budget betrayal beyond belief NRSC/McConnell blackballing anyone who works for Roy Moore   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The only thing worse than Republicans selling us out, bastardizing our values, breaking promises and lying about it, and downright making our views unpopular with the public, is for us to become content with and even excuse this behavior. Thanks to the soft bigotry of low expectations, much of our movement is now pacified by merely finding a few random roses Republicans throw at us amidst the endless acts of political adultery on the legacy issues that matter.  The binary idolatry of “well, the Democrats would be worse” is destroying our own movement and permanently ceding ground that might never be recovered. In this action-packed episode, Daniel goes through the litany of betrayals and perfidy from this week on almost every major issue that counts.  The question is: are conservatives going to accept this as the soft bigotry of low expectations or will we finally take our destiny into our own hands?  If conservatives don’t demand action, we will forever cede ground on important issues.  Worse, the terrible body of the GOP that is trapping and bastardizing our views is rapidly making our views unpopular on issues that were once easy winners.      Show links: Lighting up America: Judge Roy Moore running for Senate Freedom Caucus tried its best, but Obamacare bill is still lousy Rogue judge sides with sanctuary cities. Will Congress respond? Promise not kept: Trump’s illegal executive amnesty Run over by a parked car: Trump and Republicans cave on budget Rick Perry Calls for staying in Paris climate agreement White House continuing illegal Obamacare payments Trump administration defending contraception mandate in court Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This is the week when we will see the dichotomy between the parties play out: whereas Democrats seek power even when they don’t have it; Republicans seek office even when they have power.  In this episode of the Conservative Conscience, Daniel breaks down the week ahead of budget fights, taxes, and health care.  After accomplishing almost nothing in this Congress, the budget is the only opportunity for Republicans to actually fulfill their promises.  This is the week for Trump to either rise to the occasion or allow Chuck Schumer to control government from a minority position in the Senate. The other big issue this week is the emerging deal on a health care bill.  The Freedom Caucus leadership is stuck between a rock and a hard place with the reality of a party that doesn’t share their values.  Many of them are trying to cut the best deal possible, but as we explore, it will likely fall far short of any meaningful repeal of Obamacare.        Show links 6 reasons to be skeptical about promises of “tax reform” Why Congress must shift focus to immigration   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

What’s worse than watching Democrat policies – both on the domestic and foreign policy fronts – being implemented?  Watching them being implemented by a Republican president.  In this episode of the Conservative Conscience, Daniel talks about the results of the special election in GA-6 and demonstrates why Republicans are headed towards a nightmare scenario if they don’t change course.  On the one hand, they are perceived to have full control of government, a perception which has energized the Democrat base.  On the other hand, we have gotten nothing done and the conservative base is no longer energized.  This is a recipe for losing even red-leaning districts.  Using the latest news about the Iran deal, foreign policy, Obamacare, and the budget, Daniel shows how we are incurring all the political liabilities of Republicans controlling government but enjoying none of the policy benefits.     Key quotes: My warning from last year: “Anyone looking to this man for a nominee with a morsel of conservatism or authentic anti-establishment direction has sadly landed on a charlatan who embodies the epitome of what is wrong with tepid republicanism.  Strip away the gratuitous boorishness and when it comes to real issues there is nothing but political correctness, uncertainty, and vacillation.  Thus we are left with all of the vices of a non-politically correct candidate and none of the virtues.”   Show links My warning just one year ago predicting this day Trump embracing illegal Obamacare subsidies   Lindsey Graham praises Trump’s foreign policy President Jared Kushner   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Tired of the myopic focus on Syria and the platitudes over whether to intervene or not?  In this episode of the Conservative Conscience, Daniel is joined by Patrick Poole, the senior national security correspondent for PJ Media and one of the foremost experts on the Middle East. (whose views are unfortunately never represented among the smart set in DC).  Patrick discusses the folly of focusing on any one player in a vacuum and the need to a take a holistic approach putting our interests first. Through a deep and far reaching discussion of the Middle East and Africa, we explore the observations that are missed by the failed foreign policy “wonks” in both parties, who are now dragging this president into the same sinkhole of the past.  Many policymakers are missing the fact that Christian parts of Africa are falling to Islamists every week and the media ignores the mass genocide in the region just because the victims are not Muslims engaged in civil wars. Patrick calls for a complete operational pause and audit of all our engagements in the Middle East – from direct combat, to arming and training dubious and even dangerous entities – so that we can devise a holistic policy that addresses both the Iranian and Sunni Islamist threats from a position of strength with consistency that will serve our interests. Patrick observes that right now, as it relates to conservatives in this administration, we are like the first wave at Omaha Beach getting mowed down by the swamp creatures.  We need a successful second, third, and fourth wave to establish a beachhead or this administration will be lost on critical national security policies.     Are we going to have our foreign policy dictated by prudence and the facts on the ground as they relate to our interests or are we going to be goaded into more mistakes by yellow journalism?  Patrick Poole navigates the toughest waters of the Middle East swamp.   Key quotes: "Peace, commerce and honest friendship with all nations; entangling alliances with none.” Thomas Jefferson Show links: Jared Kushner now trying to take over national security Drug use on the rise among Navy SEALs who are being stretched thin in a meat grinder We need to bring back Congress’ power over declaring war No more ground troops: Trump must be careful that Syria doesn’t become his Iraq   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode of the Conservative Conscience, we explore a number of important issues – from the engagement in Syria to the judicial filibuster, the prospect of Justice Neil Gorsuch, and the need for judicial reform. The images emanating from Syria are horrible, but there are a lot of important questions that must be answered before we jump in and act on emotion.  Without answering these critical questions, we risk repeating the mistakes of Iraq, destroying our military and political capital, and not even solving the humanitarian problem. As for the courts, we explore why Gorsuch’s ascendance to the high court will not change the course of the judiciary and why we need bold thinkers to move beyond the existing failed paradigm.  We must remember that the capacity of a good judge to do good does not counteract the capacity of a bad judge to destroy our society.  That is why we will never fix the courts merely by attempting to appoint better judges.   Trump picks an Obama holdover to head the Border Patrol A partial list of liberals in the Trump administration A recent court case that demonstrates why the courts are irremediably broken No more ground troops: Trump must be careful that Syria doesn’t become his Iraq Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices