These are my continuing highlights from the American Conservative Union’s (ACU) Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC). I am capturing as many cogent remarks by the speakers as possible in order to convey the highlights to readers. I previously posted my notes from the early morning Thursday session here, here, and here and Day 2 Part I, II and III here, here, and here.
From the “Every Vote Counts, Especially When the Counts Are Rigged” session, with Norm Coleman (former Minnesota US senator), Trent England (Save Our States), and Harmeet Dhillon (Dhillon Law Group and Fox News contributor), moderated by Adam Laxalt (former Nevada AG):
- Coleman: Democrats cheat. There were “irregularities” in my 2008 vote count; “extra” votes were counted after the fact. We have to get voter ID to prevent Democrat cheating. We also need Republican poll-watchers. We need uniform standards for counting votes – and witnessing them (by registered voters). The Democrats keep counting until they win. You have to have a system when there is only one eligible vote per voter, and don’t let them keep counting. We win fair and free elections, and that’s what we need to strive for.
- Dhillon: The fact that we have the best candidate, the best plan for the future, etc., isn’t going to be enough. The Democrats are gaming the system and stealing our votes illegally. Republicans have allowed so-called nonpartisan redistricting commissions that are run by Democrats. Lack of verification, lack of enforcement, no purging the voter rolls, etc., leads to fraud. Ballot harvesting cost 8 congressional seats in California. Ballot harvesting is where mail-in ballots are gathered and filled out by “helpers” who falsely complete the ballots for Democrats. The Democrats sue, they keep the polls open later in Democrat districts, etc., in order to add Democrat votes after the fact. If we lose this election, it is because the Democrats cheat (massive voter fraud). By the way, California Democrats have rigged their primary to make it extremely difficult to vote for Bernie Sanders. The Bernie bros are going to be very mad after that primary.
- Trent England: The National Popular Vote (NPV) is being pushed by Democrats in order to mandate that electoral votes in a state go to whomever wins the national vote (it guts the Electoral College). The result would be to give away the votes of a state to whomever won an election even if the voters of that state voted from the other candidate. They are trying to rig the system and create a political environment where they can systematically disenfranchise small states and towns away from the coasts. They are 73% away from achieving their goal. The NPV initiative is funded by George Soros and other leftwing donors.
- Dhillon: Provisional ballots are used by Democrats to keep counting votes after elections. There is no compliance with the National Voter Registration Act. We don’t know who is voting in our elections (dead people, people who have moved, etc.).
- Trent England: The Electoral College thankfully prevents the possibility of a national recount. There is almost no oversight in many precincts. If the Left can wipe away state lines with the NPV, they can control Washington, DC forever. There aren’t enough Republican lawyers working to prevent Democrat voter fraud.
- Dhillon: Poll watchers aren’t enough. We need funding set aside to support Republican lawyers who litigate against Democrat attempts to cheat elections.
- Laxalt: File complaints at the state Secretary of States’ offices if voter fraud is detected this year because those offices are complaint-based and obligated to investigate. Republicans need to do this far more than we have in the past.
From “A Conversation with Sec. David Bernhardt (Dept of Interior) and Director Russ Vought (WH Office of Management and Budget)” session, moderated by Bob Beauprez (former US representative from Colorado):
- Bernhardt: The President’s goal has been to increase access to federal lands for multiple use. For Western communities, their economic hopes and futures are tied to federal land use. We have expanded access to an additional 1.4 million acres in the past year alone.
- Vought: We have had more long-term deficit reduction under this president than ever before, with $4.6 trillion associated with future budgeting. Socialism is about control and restricting freedom. Obama wanted energy prices to rise in order to control behavior (and healthcare). We take the opposite approach and let the markets work.
- Bernhardt: President Trump fulfilled a promise to expand water management resources in California. The regulatory overlay in 2016 was preventing the delivery of new water resources, and the President has directed a balancing of increased production and species protection by cutting through the regulatory morass.
- Vought: The President works for the American people, not the government (the bureaucracy). We are trying to deliver on the President’s promises to the people. Draining the swamp is part of the consideration when we perform federal budgeting (annual appropriations); we are reducing funding for agencies in order to reduce the federal footprint. The President’s goal was to cut 2 regulations for every new one; the administration has achieved a reduction of 8 regulations for every new one. Over $50 billion in regulatory costs have been relieved this past year alone, and more cost savings from regulatory cuts are in the queue.
- Bernhardt: The President directed via executive orders to search out regulations across the federal government that could be cut to stimulate economic growth. We are having common-sense regulatory improvements. We have looked at our business processes to serve the American people and deliver our services better. Our processes are streamlined without changing any standards in order to expedite our support.
- Vought: We are now moving into the next phase of regulatory reform, e.g., environmental regulatory reform associated with the permit requirements for starting new businesses. The process of getting permits for new construction.
- Bernhardt: Revising the permits affects every federal agency. The President is a builder and wants to enable people to build their dreams.
- Beauprez: The Left use the permit process to delay and increase costs to the point that some projects have to be canceled because they become uneconomical.
- Bernhardt: The President has expanded oil and gas development on federal lands. We have dramatically changed the process for oil and gas permitting such that last year’s production was 98% greater than in the last Obama year.
- Vought: The President is a great boss who sets ambitious targets. He’s not concerned about how the media reacts; he’s concerned about getting the job done for the American people.
From “The Coup: A Witch Hunt Begins – Hillary’s Ukrainian Insurance Policy” session, with Rep. Jody Hice (R-GA) and Chris Plante (The Chris Plante Show, moderated by Matt Boyle (Breitbart):
- Boyle: This session will look at Ukraine interference in 2016. Their ambassador wrote op-eds attacking the President, and other officials worked against his election.
- Hice: There is no question at all that there was real collusion in 2016 involving the Obama administration, the Clinton campaign, and Ukraine. Paul Manafort was the central figure involved in that process.
- Plante: Hillary Clinton is still not president. The legacy media have covered up the Ukraine election meddling just like they cover up everything for the Democrats. The Ukraine story is a non-story according to the Democrats and legacy media – “it’s a debunked conspiracy theory.” It’s all Russia, Russia, Russia to them. The NY Times just did another puff-piece on Hunter Biden (they ignore the Biden family corruption/nepotism).
- Hice: This [2016] was Hillary Clinton’s election to win; President Trump was never supposed to win. They underestimated the President’s connection to the American people. They have hated the President from Election Night 2016 to this very day.
- Boyle: The Ukrainians actually went after Paul Manafort.
- Plante: They already had an operation underway to go after Papadopoulos and others. The FBI under James Comey – and John Brennan – defrauded the FISA court to illegally surveil an American citizen. The
- Hice: Alexandra Chalupa – a DNC operative – is at the center of this. She connects the Ukrainian government with the Clinton Foundation, Fusion GPS, and US federal agencies. She visited the White House 27 times and also the Ukrainian embassy in Washington, DC many times.
- Hice: The Democrats under Adam Schiff ran the impeachment farce and leaked information in real time while preventing due process and witness cross-examination by the President’s team.
- Plante: The major news media don’t follow the news. They don’t touch any of the Ukrainian meddling because that would damage Democrats.
This is the end of Day 3, Part I. More to follow!
The end.