Q3 GDP Growth Falls Short As Inflation Concerns Loom Ahead Of Election

The economy grew by 2.8% in the third quarter, slightly below the expected 3.1%, with consumer and business spending remaining strong despite slower housing and trade. With the election nearing, economic concerns, especially high inflation, are a top priority for many voters. A recent poll showed more people trust Trump over Harris on economic issues. Ed Siddell, CEO of Egis Financial, will discuss key drivers of GDP growth, how consumer spending and savings might influence the election, and potential Fed actions on interest rates post-election.

Harris Talks ‘Freedom,’ Except Where Second Amendment is Concerned

Kamala Harris
Kamala Harris talked about freedom and the right of Israel to defend itself during her acceptance speech. She didn’t mention the rights and freedoms of American gun owners to do likewise.

Kamala Harris delivered a powerful acceptance speech at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago, declaring, “I will always stand up for Israel’s right to defend itself and I will always ensure Israel has the ability to defend itself.”

Perhaps unsurprisingly, she said no such thing about standing up for the rights of American citizens, whose votes she wants in November, to defend themselves. There was no promise to ensure American citizens would always have the ability to fight back. 

Writing at The Hill, opinion contributor Keith Naughton observed, “Funny thing is, she didn’t really say that much.”

She didn’t have to because it was clear thousands of Democrats in the United Center were mesmerized by Harris. They were giddy about her defense of abortion, and her multiple attacks on Republican Donald Trump, as affirmed by a quote from California delegate Kathy Bowler in Reuters: “She hit every single point about representing everyone, representing the country, dealing with the policy areas, foreign policy, working for the middle class.”

No, she did not. She doesn’t represent the views of 80-100 million gun owners, and never has. As California attorney general, Harris was sued by gun rights organizations at least twice.

According to a transcript of her address, she mentioned, “The freedom to live safe from gun violence—in our schools, communities, and places of worship.” (Second Amendment activists may wonder where that freedom is specified in the Constitution unless it is covered by the right of the people to keep and bear arms.)

For a primer on what Harris has said about the right to keep and bear arms, look no further than a new 15-second message posted by the Second Amendment Foundation on social media. It says everything one needs to understand about where Harris stands on gun rights. The video was posted earlier this week as Democrats were celebrating in Chicago.

 

YouTube video player

Well, actually, not all of the Democrat delegates were celebrating. A Texas man was likely scrambling to get his finances in order after being robbed at gunpoint Wednesday morning while walking along a Chicago street.

The Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms had some bristling words for the “Party of Gun Prohibition” in the aftermath of the robbery.

“This is an objective lesson for the Democrats,” said CCRKBA Chairman Alan Gottlieb. “Their efforts to disarm law-abiding citizens while promoting a soft-on-crime agenda have been a massive failure, and this incident proves it. They want to make it difficult for honest citizens to own and carry guns, while they have been unwilling and unable to keep guns out of criminal hands, especially in crime centers such as Chicago, which—no surprise here—has been run by Democrats for decades.”

He noted reports that the U.S. Secret Service had warned delegates leaving the convention hall to remove their badges “because of multiple robbery attempts” this week.

“Maybe if Illinois Democrats had adopted legislation recognizing all non-resident carry permits, allowing visitors to Chicago and other Illinois cities to carry guns, this sort of brazen crime wouldn’t be happening,” Gottlieb said.

“Democrat policies have allowed repeat offenders to escape jail time and continue robbing people,” he bristled. “We’re glad nobody was hurt, but this should send a signal to Democrats about their misguided gun control and soft-on-crime efforts. The experiment has failed and it is time to try something different. But, since we’re talking about the party of gun prohibition, Democrats appear to be stuck on stupid, which is why bad guys roam the streets and good guys literally pay the price.”

The Hill’s Naughton offered a particularly brutal observation of Harris' acceptance speech. He said it was “right out of the political consultant and pollster playbook.”

“She followed the standard structure of someone introducing herself to voters for the first time — begin with the humble bio, contrasting it with your venal opponent and then hitting the main policy issues, weaving in criticisms of your opponent and, of course, de rigueur patriotic references,” Naughton wrote. 

When Harris talked about freedom, she focused on the “freedom to love who you love openly and with pride. The freedom to breathe clean air, drink clean water, and live free from the pollution that fuels the climate crisis. And the freedom that unlocks all the others. The freedom to vote.”

Where American gun owners are concerned, it’s that last freedom that could derail the Democrat's apple cart. The freedom to vote includes voting to keep Harris out of the Oval Office and electing a Second Amendment-friendly Republican majority to both houses of Congress. The opportunity will come Nov. 5.


About Dave Workman

Dave Workman