Saturday's Final Word

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Ed: Hmmm. Smells like stochastic terrorism to me. Remember when the Left claimed policy dissent was stochastic terrorism? I'd say that sending messages about actual murder fantasies against one's political opponents come a lot closer to that mark.

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National Review: Jones then suggested that, presented with a hypothetical situation in which he had only two bullets and was faced with the choice of murdering then-Speaker of the House Todd Gilbert or two dictators, he’d shoot Gilbert “every time,” prompting pushback from his former colleague ...

The private messages offer a disturbing glimpse into how Jones — who is looking to oust incumbent Republican Attorney General Jason Miyares this fall — describes his political adversaries in private conversations. The violent rhetoric complicates an already contentious and competitive race roughly a month out from Election Day in Virginia, where early voting began on September 19.

Ed: It should do a lot more than "complicate" it, especially after the political violence erupting on the Left over the last year-plus. It should disqualify Jones (politically speaking) from office, especially as the top law enforcement officer for the commonwealth of Virginia. That shouldn't even be a close call -- and yet ...

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Ed: I'd love to think that the Jones scandal will bleed into the gubernatorial race. Maybe it will, but I suspect that voters will reject Jones in the AG race and not consider Spanberger responsible for his despicable statements. If the parties were reversed, however, the Protection Racket Media would hound Spanberger day and night to ask whether she endorsed Jones' candidacy and supported his messaging. They'd Akinize her into oblivion if Spanberger were the Republican. 

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Politico: Still, now-GOP Gov. Glenn Youngkin’s victory four years ago over former Democratic Gov. Terry McAuliffe was considered an upset, and one that rocketed him to the forefront of the Republican Party. Winning a gubernatorial election in Virginia could be the path to national stardom; Youngkin mulled a 2024 presidential bid before ultimately opting not to run, and is considered a potential 2028 contender.

Democrats have generally led in public polling for all three of the statewide elections in November: governor, lieutenant governor and attorney general. Now, both Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears, Spanberger’s opponent in November, and Youngkin have pressured Spanberger to urge Jones to exit the race.

“There is no ‘gosh, I’m sorry’ here,” Youngkin said in a post Saturday. “Jones doesn’t have the morality or character to drop out of this race, and his running mates Abigail Spanberger, Ghazala Hashmi, and every elected Democrat in Virginia don’t have the courage to call on him to step away from this campaign in disgrace.”

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Ed: This is still the right strategy to use, even if it may not bear much fruit. I'm glad to see Youngkin get out in front of this. And look, we were also skeptical that the parental revolt in Virginia would be enough to stop Terry McAuiffe in 2021. Spanberger has good leads in polling at the moment, but voters could change their minds, especially in the context of political violence all around us. 

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Ed: Just the stupidity alone should be disqualifying. Jones is an idiot. The only explanation is that he assumed the (D) made him (D)ifferent when it comes to accountability. So far, he seems to be correct about that, however. 

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This is his philosophy. He believes the only way to force change is by making your opposition feel pain. He states it clearly even after getting called out for his reprehensible words. 

Jay Jones should never be in charge of any state’s law enforcement.

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Ed: Indeed. Especially since it feeds into Leftist violence erupting all around us. 

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Ed: Yes, he really committed to the bit. 

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Ed: Good. This should spread outside of Virginia. Chuck Schumer, Hakeem Jeffries, Gavin Newsom, and all of the other supposed leading lights of the Democrat Party should be challenged to answer for this. And if we had a media industry dedicated to truth and fair coverage, we would see that. So far, though ... *crickets*. 

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Ed: This is the political context in which Jones' messages might be enough to shock voters into rejecting Democrats altogether. That's not the only part of the political environment that will play against them, however ...

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Free Beacon: The Department of Energy is canceling a $45.7 million grant that Senate minority leader Chuck Schumer (D., N.Y.) helped secure for Plug Power, a green energy firm whose executives donated tens of thousands of dollars to his campaign, the Washington Free Beacon has learned.

The Biden administration awarded the grant in March 2024 to boost Plug Power's manufacturing capabilities at its hydrogen production facilities in New York. Trump officials explained in internal documents reviewed by the Free Beacon that they canceled the grant over serious doubts about the hydrogen power industry's long-term financial viability.

Ed: FAFO, some disassembly required. The graft is suddenly becoming toxic for donors to Democrat leaders. Wanna bet that the Trump administration are looking into pet projects sponsored by Democrats in Virginia and New Jersey? Wanna bet that prospective donors looking for federal funds for their projects might start getting skittish about donating?

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Ed: Golly, imagine that we had a media industry committed to reporting facts rather than producing water-carrying narratives for progressives? If we had that kind of media industry, I'd bet they wouldn't be doing the Limbo Rock on credibility. "How low can you go? How low can you go?"

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WashEx: Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) will keep the House in recess for a third straight week to put maximum pressure on the Senate to pass its plan to end the government shutdown.

House GOP leadership plans on holding a member call at 11 a.m. Saturday to talk about the next steps, the Washington Examiner learned.

“The House will come back into session and do its work as soon as Chuck Schumer allows us to reopen the government,” Johnson said at a press conference Friday before it was announced they would remain in recess. “That’s plain and simple.”

Ed: Democrats have a new House member who can't be sworn into office until the House returns. That's not a lot of leverage, but it is some, and a few media outlets are already howling about it. It makes clear that Senate Democrats will not get any alternate funding bill passed until they allow the clean CR to pass and come into effect. 

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Ed: Hamas has tried playing the Hamas Hokey Pokey again, but Trump is signaling that he's not about to dance again. If the hostages are not produced quickly, the bombing will begin in earnest. This basically flips the script on Hamas, and forces them to choose between destruction and capitulation. 

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