FDL Review

Several days ago, the front page of POLITICO, reliably a left-leaning journal, was graced by a surprising banner: "How Trump is on track for a 2020 landslide."

The article focused on economic models, including one from Yale that has President Donald Trump winning 54% of the popular vote. Another, from TrendMacrolytics, predicts a 416-122 Electoral College win for the president (the final count in 2016 was 304-227).

While FDL Review prefers to use titlecase for headlines, we appreciate POLITICO's sobriety. It is obvious that their journalists have learned the lessons of the 2016 election, when the pollsters and the commentariat were measuring Secretary Hillary Clinton's White House drapes.


Of course, Clinton was vanquished by Donald Trump in an upset surprising to everyone except those who had examined the fundamental indicators: weak economic data, widespread despair, and a willingness to drastically change the culture of Washington, D.C.

If POLITICO's reporting …

On Saturday, the Republican Party of Mecklenburg County met for its annual convention, which was held on Yancey Road in Charlotte.

The main point on the convention's agenda was the election of the county chairman, but the 9th congressional district fiasco also took a starring role.

The first to offer remarks at the convention was incumbent Chairman Chris Turner, who spoke briefly after former state Representative Bill Brawley's recitation of the pledge of allegiance.
Turner reminded delegates of his successes as chairman, which have included a 56% reduction in party overhead costs, a noticeable improvement in Republican turnout countywide, and the selection of Charlotte as the location for the 2020 Republican National Convention.


Turner's remarks were followed by speeches by North Carolina Treasurer Dale Folwell, who discussed his plan to establish a fixed schedule for reimbursement by the State Health Plan, and North Carolina Republican Party Executive Director Dallas Woo…

On Thursday, the White House confirmed that President Donald Trump will sign the bipartisan budget compromise passed by Congress, which includes $1.375 billion for 55 miles of border barriers. The spending bill appropriates $328 billion overall and will fund the government through September 30, 2019, avoiding another shutdown.


However, the president made it clear that his signature will be applied reluctantly. To supplement the bill's $1.375 billion in funding for border barriers, Trump intends to declare a national emergency and tap unused money held by the Defense Department.

The authorization for this course of action is found within the Constitution of the United States and the National Emergencies Act of 1976.

The Constitution states that the president "shall be Commander in Chief of the Army and Navy of the United States." Accordingly, it is within the purview of the commander-in-chief, in this case Donald Trump, to utilize funds appropriated to the Defense Departm…

The results of a fresh Morning Consult poll show a four-point uptick in President Donald Trump's approval rating, which is now measured at 45%. 51% disapprove of the job that Trump is doing as president.

Morning Consult's results compare to those of Rasmussen Reports, who found that the president has a 50% approval rating and a 49% disapproval rating.


The popularity of the proposed border wall has also improved: 47% of Morning Consult respondents support the wall, while 47% are in opposition.

These findings compare to those of Rasmussen, who showed that "59% of Likely U.S. Voters think border security is a vital national security interest for the United States these days."

However, according to Morning Consult, 76% of voters want the president to sign off on the congressional negotiations that agreed on just $1.38 billion for wall funding.

Regarding presidential impeachment, only 39% see it is as a "top" or "important, but lower" priority. 51% see…

FDL Review sees President Donald Trump’s proposal on border security, with several capitulations to the Democrats, as a good-faith offer. In the interest of alleviating the annoyances of the partial governmental shutdown, it should be passed by the House and Senate immediately.


Taken alone, the president's request for $5.7 billion for the construction of border barriers should be widely agreeable. There are open swaths of the U.S.-Mexico border that present a legitimate public safety hazard, and a decade ago, Democrats understood this.

However, interest in public safety has been sidelined by the Democrats in their never-ending crusade against the Trump administration, which came to fruition after they nominated a beleaguered, wildly corrupt, and stale candidate who ignored the Midwest. Hence the president’s main “sweetener,” three years of protection for DACA recipients, along with a potpourri of other proposals that should be amicable for the left.

If the House and Senate Democra…

On Saturday, President Donald Trump used a presidential address to declare his interest in an end to the partial government shutdown. To that end, the president offered Democratic leadership three years of legislative relief for DACA Dreamers in exchange for $5.7 billion for a network of border barriers.


The president noted that the legislative relief for DACA recipients, illegal immigrants who arrived in the U.S. as children, would entail access to work permits and protection from deportation. The proposal does not include a pathway to citizenship from Dreamers, a stated priority for many within the Democratic caucus.

According to the president, the $5.7 billion in funding would not be for a 2,000-mile wall, but instead “steel barriers in high-priority areas.” He pitched the new border security as a method for preventing the entry of drugs, gangs, and human smugglers.

The president also suggested 75 new immigration judges, 2,750 new border agents, $800 million in humanitarian aid, an…