What Newt’s Reading | September 26, 2020

What Newt's Reading “When the nation chooses a president and a Senate, it makes its choice about who wields the power and bears the responsibility to pick and confirm judges – including for the US Supreme Court.”-Newt. Why the ‘Biden Rule’ Doesn’t Apply in 2020 By David B. Rivkin Jr. and Andrew M. Grossman Wall Street Journal Stephen Breyer was nominated by former President Jimmy Carter to the First US Circuit Court of Appeals after the latter had lost his reelection bid in 1980. Six weeks before Reagan was inaugurated to succeed Carter, Breyer sailed through the confirmation vote by a landslide margin and now he is an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court. The underlying point is that the judicial confirmation process is generally unaffected by the electoral timeline at the presidential level. After Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s death a few days ago, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) announced that he would oppose any nominee until a new president was inaugurated. He cited Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell’s statement on Merrick Garland’s nomination in 2016 as his basis. However, the fact remains that, out of the 25 times vacancies arose in a presidential election year, they were filled 21 times. The only exception to this precedent was summarized by Joe Biden, then chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, in 1992 when he stated that divided government reflected the absence of a nationwide consensus in judicial philosophy. Hence, when the White House and the Senate are controlled by different parties, one would have to go back to 1888 to find the last time a Supreme Court justice was confirmed in an election year. In this case, both President Trump and Senate Republicans share a common judicial philosophy and hence, the “Biden rule” does not apply. “The United States rejects the radical policies of Kamala Harris and the Californiaization of America.”-Newt. The Kamala Threat — the Californiaization of America By Judd Gregg The Hill Many appreciable elements of American culture have come from California, including Hollywood, Napa wines, electric cars, among others. However, with the nomination of Kamala Harris to run for vice president, the United States also risks importing politically correct governance by an elitist class that is opposed to American history and liberty. Despite her effectiveness on the campaign trail, Harris represents the havoc that she and her Democratic colleagues have wreaked in the state of California. First, the state suffers from rolling blackouts caused by using alternative energy sources such as solar and wind energy at the expense of conventional carbon energy, resulting in electricity cuts that hamper business performance. California Democrats also want to inject their partisan agenda into the educational system in an effort to remove the legacy of American heroes such as George Washington, Thomas Jefferson and Abraham Lincoln from the historical record. On the subject of taxes, the California legislature has proposed imposing a 16 percent additional state tax on top of the federal rate on high income earners, implying that the aggregate tax burden on high earners can cross 60 percent. These are the California values that Harris will bring to the White House, if elected. California has a lot to offer this country but its politics, and politicians, are not included in the list. “Trump's positive polling among Hispanics is based on Trump's performance as president.”-Newt. Biden’s Weakness Among Hispanics Is Not His Fault. It’s Trump’s. By Henry Olsen The Washington Post Many point to Biden’s polling among Hispanic voters (which is worse than Hillary Clinton’s was in 2016) to electoral weakness. The real reason for this statistic is that Trump has made significant inroads with this demographic. In 2016, Trump lost among Hispanic voters by a margin of 38 points nationally. By contrast, in 2018, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis lost the Hispanic vote by only 10 points while Florida Sen. Rick Scott lost that vote by only 9 points, indicating a broader shift among Florida Hispanics towards the Republican Party. Indeed, throughout the pandemic this year, Trump’s performance with Hispanic voters in polling indicates only a 28-point spread between him and Biden, a major improvement over 2016. Cuban voters, especially those who fled the Castro regime in Cuba, seem to be a major part of this Republican surge. This finding is buttressed by the fact that, in recent polling, Republican candidates lead in two Cuban-dominated congressional swing seats in Florida. “Center-right health care reform puts you & your doctor are in charge, not insurer or government bureaucrats. The Health Care Choices 2020 proposal builds on Donald Trump’s health care achievements to deliver transparent, personalized care and coverage.”-Newt. What’s Needed for Health Care Reform: Personalized Care That Puts You and Your Doctor in Charge By Marie Fishpaw and Grace-Marie Turner The Daily Signal Currently, there are two paths America can take on the subject of its health care policy -- one where government bureaucrats offer few choices for people and a second where you and your doctor exercise control over the choices, with lower costs and greater access. The second path is a better reflection of what Americans want. First, Congress should codify the administration’s Health Reimbursement Arrangement, allowing employers to offer their employees the option to use tax-free dollars to buy health care if they lose or change their jobs. Additionally, they should let lower income individuals use the value of their government coverage to purchase private plans. Congress should also work on writing transparency rules regarding drugs and health care into law to avoid sudden medical bills. Eliminating regulatory barriers that prevent consumers from shopping for value and adding any savings to a health savings accounts is also a good next step. This pandemic has shown the importance of telehealth as people seek to avoid unnecessary visits to emergency rooms or doctor’s offices. The removal of regulatory barriers against telehealth services should be made permanent. Lastly, Congress should convert subsidies directed towards insurance companies to formula grants sent to states to support coverage for lower income and vulnerable patients. “Household net worth increased 6.8 percent in the second quarter, surpassing the pre-pandemic high”-Newt. U.S. Household Net Worth Spikes, Surpassing Pre-Pandemic Peak By Brittany Bernstein National Review According to a Federal Reserve report published Monday, household net worth rose by $7.6 trillion, going past the previous high before the pandemic. The report cited rebounding stocks as one of the primary drivers for this increase. Similarly, household net worth also spiked to $119 trillion after crashing in the first quarter due to the pandemic, making it the largest quarterly gain since 1952. Despite labor market struggles, the value of equities and real estate grew significantly. Consumer credit fell about $69 billion as people grew reluctant to borrow more during the pandemic. However, not all news was rosy as unemployment claims remain high and recent fiscal measures passed by the government will increase government debt substantially. Additionally, given the fact that nearly half of all Americans do not own equities and nearly a third of households do not own a home, even a significant increase in equity values and household worth would point to an uneven recovery. Newt's Latest Podcasts: Order Newt's Latest Book: https://www.gingrich360.com/trump-and-the-american-future