Important Stories You May Not Have Noticed . . .

‘You Have to Pay With Your Body’: The Hidden Nightmare of Sexual Violence on the Border  “On America’s southern border, migrant women and girls are the victims of sexual assaults that most often go unreported, uninvestigated and unprosecuted,” Manny Fernandez reports in The New York Times.   “The stories are many, and yet all too similar. Undocumented women making their way into American border towns have been beaten for disobeying smugglers, impregnated by strangers, coerced into prostitution, shackled to beds and trees and — in at least a handful of cases — bound with duct tape, rope or handcuffs.”   Click here to read more.

“America’s factories are hiring again,” Chip Cutter writes in The Wall Street Journal. “After years of job losses, U.S. manufacturing employment has risen for 18 straight months among those holding production or nonsupervisory jobs, the longest stretch of gains since the mid-1990s. Employers have added 274,000 non-managerial manufacturing jobs since July 2017, Labor Department figures show.”

Vice President Mike Pence writes that last Friday, “the defense secretary released a legislative proposal at the president’s direction to establish the Space Force, within the Air Force, as the sixth branch of the armed forces . . . Today, the threats and opportunities in space are changing more rapidly than at any other point since the Cold War. And we must change along with them.”

In Fox News, White House Director of the Office of Trade and Manufacturing Policy Peter Navarro writes that today “President Donald J. Trump will sign an executive order to help sea veterans seamlessly transition into the United States Merchant Marine. By simultaneously expanding veteran opportunities for great jobs at great wages while strengthening our Merchant Marine, this action embodies a key principle of the Trump administration: economic security is national security.”

“The North Korean political and military Rubik’s Cube has confounded Democratic and Republican administrations for 70 years,” Army Major General Bob Dees writes in USA Today. “Trump’s courageous decision to walk away from negotiations rather than accept Kim’s demand for sanctions reliefs showed that he will not make the same mistake as his predecessors by offering unreciprocated concessions to the rogue state.”

The Attraction Of Chris Christie: Still Compelling!

Chris Christie has been called the greatest practitioner of retail politics of his generation.
And while I think this is a high compliment, I don't think it does him justice.
I was reminded of this as I observed Governor Christie in his element, at the New Jersey Republican Leadership Summit in Atlantic City this past weekend. Christie scheduled a book signing at the summit for his new New York Times bestseller, Let Me Finish. The program also included an informal chat with his friend and former re-election campaign chair Bill Palatucci. It was all set up as a small-format event for pre-registered guests who purchased Christie's book.
Since I had not seen Governor Christie in quite some time, I got there early and sat in the front row -- just as I did at so many Christie campaign events over the years.
And then The Gov arrived.
I watched him closely as he entered the room and ascended the platform. At first, I wondered how things would go because Christie seemed tired and maybe even a bit hassled. I had seen him the day before on Fox & Friends and I knew he had been on a continuous book tour and was also making non-stop media appearances to promote Let Me Finish. I guessed that this would be a fairly quick session and that The Gov might even be bit abrupt.
I was wrong.
As soon as he looked around the room, Christie's demeanor began to change. He saw familiar faces -- people who had been in his corner for a long time; people who helped him along the way; people who he helped as well. Chris Christie saw friends -- friends from his home state; people who knew him and cared about him and trusted him. And you could tell that for him this brought back many fond memories.
As the Q & A began, he became more animated. He started pointing to people and calling out people in the audience by name as he told stories and remembered faces, events and places. The whole room came alive and Chris Christie had people smiling and laughing as they reminisced along with him.
And you could see the change in The Gov.
He was home.
He was comfortable.
He was candid.
And he shared tales that he only tells his friends because he knew that throughout his time in public office, he had given these people his all.
And here's the point: yes, Chris Christie is a master of retail politics and he can charm a small group like this and schmooze one-on-one with the best of them. He's a consummate salesman, no question about that.
But Chris Christie isn't running for anything right now; he doesn't need any favors and he's not seeking any campaign funds or volunteers or votes.
Right now Chris Christie is very much in-the-moment. And it's clear that he harbors no regrets and indulges no "could-have-beens." He's at ease with himself because he knows where he's from, what he's all about and who he really is.
And who he is transcends mere technique.
This is a man who dares to be himself -- wherever, whenever, whatever.
That's why he remains a potent and compelling public figure.

Note: In an additional post I will talk more about what Chris Christie said at the weekend NJ GOP Leadership Summit. Stay tuned!

How $$$$$ Hid Behind A Phony Mantra . . .

NJ GOP Leadership Summit Scores Big Success!

We had a wonderful time at the NJ GOP Leadership Summit in Atlantic City this weekend.
The entire two-day event was a celebration of homespun Republican values and the courageous New Jersey Republicans who continue to fight the good fight for our state and our country on what is largely opposition territory.
Why do these stalwart New Jersey Republicans continue to fight on? Why?
Well, first because they are heirs to the legacy of Abraham Lincoln --the single most compelling figure in all of American history. Lincoln was our first Republican president and often tops the list as the greatest president ever. The Republican Party was founded on the words, actions and principles of Lincoln who said: "right makes might."
New Jersey Republicans know that our cause is right and we will prevail because of that.
In fact, we'll match our record of electing great governors up against he Democrats' anytime. Fact is, in more that 40 years, no Democrat governor of New Jersey has managed to be re-elected. Instead, the Democrats have given us failed governors like Jim Florio, Jim McGreevey and Jon Corzine.
During that same time, we've given our state proven, accomplished two-term governors like Tom Kean, Christie Whitman and Chris Christie. And, all three because prominent national figures.
So, we've much to be proud of and we're looking forward to a whole crop of new Republican leaders for New Jersey.
Which only brings to mind so many of the fine young Republicans we met at this year's conference. Indeed, we met people from all walks of life and from all parts of the state.
In no particular order, here are just some of the many people we met and interacted with at this year's extraordinary event: Governor Christie, Lieutenant Governor Kim Guadagno, gubernatorial candidate Jack Ciattarelli, Senator Tom Kean, Jr., pollster Adam Geller, consultant Chris Russell, Assemblywoman Holly Schepesi, Save Jersey founder Matt Rooney, NJ Federation of Republican Woman Chair Angelique Scholl, Atlantic County Young Republican Chair Brian Fitzherbert, More Monmouth Musings founder Art Gallagher, Trump 2020 organizer Ashley Walvkeuch, congressional candidate Seth Gorossman, Republican National Committeeman Bill Palatucci, Atlantic City Councilman Jesse O. Kurtz, Passaic County GOP Committeewoman Susan Enderly, political coach Melissa Gokmogol, Washington Township Republican Club president Peter Del Borrello, former Morestown school boards member Brandon Pugh, New Jersey Constitutional Republicans founder J. R. Carman, Camden County GOP activist Jeff Booker, Atlantic City Republican Club president Fernando Fernandez, Americans For Prosperity NJ state director Erica Jedynak, Targeted Turnout partner Adam Lester, consultant Paul Rosenberg, Targeted Turnout partner Sean Schafer, veteran and Monmouth University student Jarrett Branch, longtime Young Republicans' activist Matt Filosa and so many more.
We'll have additional  posts on this conference but, for now -- thanks to everybody!

A Day To Honor 'The Land Of The Free'

President Herbert Hoover signed legislation designating the "Star-Spangled Banner" as the National Anthem of the United States on this day in 1931.

Hey Everybody, Guess What's Back On TV!

REAL New You Don't Wanna Miss . . .

Thank You, Tax Reform -The Wall Street Journal This week, the White House Council of Economic Advisers reported that America’s economy achieved 3 percent growth for the first time in 13 years in 2018. “The American economy is a tremendous engine of prosperity when politicians get out of the way, and for proof look no further than Thursday’s report on fourth-quarter growth,” The Wall Street Journal editorial board writes. “Tax reform and deregulation, take a bow.”   More: 2018—A Banner Year for the U.S. Economy

President Trump Thanks Fiat Chrysler for ‘Coming Back to the USA’ -Detroit Free Press On Tuesday, Fiat Chrysler announced that Detroit, Michigan, “will get a Jeep factory, the Motor City’s first new auto assembly plant in a generation, as part of a $4.5 billion manufacturing expansion that will mean nearly 6,500 new jobs,” Amy Huschka reports. With jobs coming back to the Midwest thanks to the promise of the new U.S.–Mexico–Canada Agreement, President Trump praised the move: “Thank you Fiat Chrysler. They are all coming back to the USA, it’s where the action is!”

In Hanoi, Trump Won By Walking Away -New York Post “Sometimes you have to walk, and this was just one of those times,” President Donald J. Trump said as he prepared to leave Vietnam following his summit with North Korea’s Kim Jong Un this week. Good for the President, the New York Post editorial board says. “Just what we expected in noting the other day that ‘his history suggests he’s always willing to walk away from a deal that’s not good enough.’”

America’s Students Deserve Freedom to Choose Their Education Options -USA Today Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos, Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX), and Rep. Bradley Byrne (R-AL) write too many American children are being denied a great education—and that the government’s outdated approach isn’t helping. “That’s why on Thursday we [put] forward a historic investment in America’s students: the Education Freedom Scholarships and Opportunity Act.”

Pence Hits Venezuela with New Sanctions, Promises ‘Even Stronger’ Measures Ahead -NBC News “Vice President Mike Pence on Monday announced new sanctions against Venezuelan government officials and called on allies to freeze the assets of the state-owned oil company after a deadly weekend in which U.S. aid was blocked from entering the crisis-stricken country,” Carmen Sesin reports. While in Columbia this week, the Vice President met with Venezuelan interim President Juan Guaido, whom President Trump officially recognized as Venezuela’s head of state in January.

Trump Slams Senate Democrats on Born Alive Bill: ‘One of the Most Shocking Votes in the History of Congress’ -The Daily Caller “President Donald Trump reacted on Twitter Monday evening after the Born-Alive Survivors Protection Act, which would have ensured that babies who survive abortions are given medical attention, failed to pass the Senate,” Evie Fordham reports. “This will be remembered as one of the most shocking votes in the history of Congress,” the President tweeted.

Trump Praises Purchases by Vietnamese Airlines -Washington Examiner “The White House on Wednesday praised airlines in Vietnam for signing agreements to purchase more than $20 billion in U.S.-built planes and technology. President Trump and Vietnamese President Nguyen Phu Trong attended a signing ceremony that involved trade deals between a number of airline companies based in the two countries,” Zachary Halaschak writes.

Oh Yes, He Was In Fine Form Today!

Have I mentioned I love this man?

Trump mocks Dems:
“I think the New Green Deal, or whatever the hell they call it…I encourage it. I think it’s really something they should promote...Darling, is the wind blowing today? I'd like to watch Television"
😂😂pic.twitter.com/o2q0958p7k

— Becky Look At her Bot!😏🇺🇸❤ (@BeckySmirks) March 2, 2019

President Trump at CPAC in Washington today.
This man is indefatigable! Truly!

Got A Problem With This? If You Do, Shame On Ya!

When it comes to North Korea and nukes, Democrats seem to want President Trump to fail.
But why?
Well, they don't want to see "Saint" Obama eclipsed. Seems they hate Trump more than they love America -- or peace, for that matter.

How Much Longer Can New Jersey Hang On?

So, look at this chart from Bloomberg.
New Jersey still has six towns among the wealthiest places in the country: Short Hills, Rumson, Upper Saddle River, Upper Montclair, North Caldwell and Glen Ridge.
But New Jersey is losing people who populate such towns as Phil Murphy and the Democrats continue their runaway tax 'n spend polices -- even placing taxes on such things as rain. We are one of the highest taxed and most over-regulated states in the nation. People who pay a lot in taxes are fleeing New Jersey and people who pay little or nothing in taxes are moving in. In many cases, makers are being replaced by takers.
Wake up, New Jersey. The hour is late!