Democrats Lose Hispanic Voters – Lots of Them

 

The Democratic Party's problem with Hispanic voters is worse than leaders think, according to a new assessment by the highly regarded strategist Ruy Teixeira. That conclusion is particularly important because Teixeira wrote the influential 2002 book "The Coming Democratic Majority," which convinced many Democrats that a growing Hispanic population -- one that heavily supported Democrats -- was the key to permanent Democratic dominance of American politics.

Now, with Hispanic voters abandoning the Democratic Party in droves, it's all falling apart. "The seriousness of this problem tends to be underestimated in Democratic circles for a couple of reasons," Teixeira writes in a recent Substack article. "(1) They don't realize how big the shift is; and (2) they don't realize how thoroughly it undermines the most influential Democratic theory of the case for building their coalition."

Teixeira's last point is an understatement. The idea of a permanent Democratic majority is based totally on Hispanic voters. No other group is growing at the rate the Hispanic population is growing. When Democrats looked forward to the day when a nonwhite-majority America elected Democrat after Democrat, they were basing it on the growth in the number of Hispanic Americans, coupled with the assumption that those voters would loyally support Democrats. If that doesn't happen, there's no permanent Democratic majority.

And for now, at least, it doesn't seem to be working out. Instead, Teixeira cites several measures of Hispanic voters increasingly supporting Republicans. A new Wall Street Journal poll found them split evenly on the question of whether to support the GOP or Democrats in the 2022 congressional elections. That's a big change from an imposing Democratic advantage in previous races. The poll also showed the Hispanic vote virtually tied in a hypothetical 2024 Joe Biden-Donald Trump rematch -- after supporting Biden by more than 25 points in 2020.

There's more. In Texas, which Teixeira calls "perhaps the Democrats' most prized target" for winning with growing Hispanic support, "Biden's ratings among Hispanics have been dreadful." A recent Dallas Morning News poll found Biden's support at 35% approval and 54% disapproval among Texas Hispanics. Those voters particularly disapprove of Biden's handling of the crisis at the U.S.-Mexico border. Meanwhile, in the Virginia governor's race, Teixeira notes with some astonishment, "Democrat Terry McAuliffe actually lost the Latino vote." That took some work, but McAuliffe accomplished it.

Teixeira also points out that Hispanic voters moved in large numbers to Trump between 2016 and 2020. And not just in Florida and Texas -- the shift was also seen in Wisconsin, Nevada, Pennsylvania, Arizona and Georgia.

Hispanic voters are particularly cool toward Biden. "Working Class Joe" does not seem to connect with those voters, who are largely working class. Hispanic voters without a college degree "[gave] Trump a remarkable 41% of their vote in 2020," Teixeira notes. That is especially important because about 80% of the Hispanic vote nationwide could be classified as working class.

But it's not just Biden. Latino voters appear to be increasingly turned off by the Democratic Party itself, and particularly by its progressive leaders. That was certainly true in 2020, the year of Black Lives Matter for much of the party. The Democrats' increasing focus on racial issues left Hispanic voters unmoved. And that leads to what is perhaps Teixeira's most important point:

"It is hard to avoid the conclusion that Democrats have seriously erred by lumping Hispanics in with 'people of color' and assuming they embraced the activism around racial issues that dominated so much of the political scene in 2020, particularly in the summer," Teixiera writes. "This was a flawed assumption. The reality of the Hispanic population is that they are, broadly speaking, an overwhelmingly working class, economically progressive, socially moderate constituency that cares above all about jobs, the economy and health care."

Hispanic voters did not want to defund the police. They did not want to slash police budgets or reduce the number of officers. They didn't want to reduce the role of law enforcement in keeping the peace. And they didn't like the idea of reparations. They were, in other words, entirely out of touch with the Summer of BLM.

Finally, many Hispanic voters are repelled by the anti-Americanism of some progressives. Hispanics in a recent survey "said they would rather be a citizen of the United States than any other country in the world and by 35 points said they were proud of the way American democracy works," Teixeira notes. Such opinions, he adds, "contrasted starkly with the negative views of progressive activists."

In other words, Hispanic voters seem to be out of sync with the most powerful trends in today's Democratic Party. Will it last? Who knows? But at this moment, the Democrats' problem presents a huge opportunity for Republicans.

More Government, Less Religion – the Progressive Doctrine

 

One great mystery is the persistent refusal of those on the left to abandon what is clearly not true.

That is, that the means for reducing the burden of poverty is more government spending.

It all really started in the 1960s under President Lyndon B. Johnson. He declared in his State of the Union address in January 1964 an "unconditional war on poverty in America." Despite tens of trillions of spending since then, poverty remains, and so does the conviction of progressives that it can be wiped out with government spending.

Worth recalling is that the avalanche of government spending launched in the 1960s was followed in the 1970s by runaway inflation.

We now face the latest round of this misguided idea with the expansion of the Child Tax Credit in the Build Back Better Act -- now derailed thanks to Sen. Joe Manchin.

Fellow Democrats are now all over the beleaguered senator for allegedly not caring about child poverty.

Build Back Better would have increased the credit from $2,000 per child to $3,000, or $3,600 for children under 6.

In a particularly destructive move, they detached any work requirement from receiving the Child Tax Credit.

A team of University of Chicago economists estimates providing a new generous Child Tax Credit, with no work requirement, would result in 1.5 million parents leaving the workforce.

More government, less work. This is somehow the answer that Democratic Party leadership is serving up to us for how to build a better future for our nation.

CARTOONS | Michael Ramirez

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Where does the passion of Democrats really lie -- in improving lives of Americans or in dramatically expanding government?

Equally revealing is what does not interest progressives at all.

A little more than a decade ago, Ron Haskins and Isabel Sawhill at the Brookings Institution publicized what they called the "success sequence."

The success sequence consists of three steps in behavior to avoid poverty. Complete at least a high school education, work full time, and wait until age 21 before getting married and then having children.

According to testimony of Haskins in the U.S. Senate in 2012, those following the "success sequence" have a 2% chance of being in poverty and a 75% chance of reaching the middle class.

But the success sequence doesn't much interest progressives because the focus is about individuals taking personal responsibility for their lives in a free country. The "personal responsibility" part and the "free country" part have little standing in the Democratic Party.

Also of little interest to our progressive friends is that larding down our economy with massive amounts of government retards economic growth. Why would anyone think slow economic growth is good for the poor, let alone any American?

As Americans allow themselves to be convinced that government is the answer to their lives, they become more likely to abandon faith and religion, which provide the light and principles for individuals to take control of their own lives.

New data from the Pew Research Center shows the toll that secularization is taking on our country.

According to Pew, 63% of Americans in 2021 identify as Christians, compared with 78% in 2007. In 2021, 29% indicated they have no religion, compared with 16% in 2007. Whereas in 2007, 56% said religion was "very important" in their lives, in 2021 this was down to 41%.

Perhaps as we close out 2021, we should again recall the words of America's first president, George Washington, in his farewell address.

"Of all the dispositions and habits which lead to political prosperity, religion and morality are indispensable supports. ... And let us with caution indulge the supposition that morality can be maintained without religion. Whatever may be conceded to the influence of refined education on minds of peculiar structure, reason and experience both forbid us to expect that national morality can prevail in exclusion of religious principle."

Amazon Supports Democracy Dying in Darkness

 

There's something remarkably phony on the front page of every Washington Post proclaiming their motto, "Democracy Dies in Darkness." A new investigative report from Reuters found that the Post's owners at Amazon are partners in a propaganda project with Communist China.

Reuters began by revealing that Amazon knuckled under and banned reader reviews on its Chinese website so no one could critique a collection of speeches by Chinese dictator Xi Jinping. This was "part of a deeper, decade-long effort by the company to win favor in Beijing to protect and grow its business in one of the world's largest marketplaces."

When it comes to China, democracy dies in dollar signs?

Amazon partnered with China's propaganda makers to create a selling portal on the company's U.S. site, Amazon.com, a project that came to be known as China Books. The key operative on this project is Jay Carney, the former press secretary for Barack Obama and Joe Biden who is now the global head of Amazon's lobbying and public policy operations. To gain access to the Chinese boodle, they'll put communist propaganda on global display.

According to Chinese government reports, during a 2018 trip to Beijing, Carney promised an alternate member of the Communist Party central committee that Amazon would make "every effort" to promote China Books and make it "bigger and stronger." Naturally, Carney wouldn't offer any comment to the Reuters expose.

The books in this project sound ridiculous. Take the paperback titled "Incredible Xinjiang: Stories of Passion and Heritage" by the "Xinhua News Agency Team." Xinjiang province is where China interns a million ethnic Uyghurs in concentration camps. But the book touts a local online comedy show in Xinjiang where an actor plays a local "country bumpkin" and insists ethnicity is "not a problem" there. This echoes the lying communist denial that there is any mistreatment of minorities.

Then there are books that hail China's battle against COVID-19, which began in Wuhan. One is titled "Stories of Courage and Determination: Wuhan in Coronavirus Lockdown" by "The Editorial Board." Reuters reports another book on this pandemic theme begins with commentary from Xi: "Our success to date has once again demonstrated the strengths of CPC (the Communist Party of China) leadership and Chinese socialism."

The Amazon-owned Internet Movie Database (IMDb.com) also did Beijing's bidding by removing harsh user comments on the documentary "Amazing China," which praises the country's accomplishments since Xi became dictator ("president") in 2013. The film is still rated low -- a 2.3 out of 10 -- but archived screenshots showed that some negative reviews disappeared.

In response to Reuters questions, Amazon said it "complies with all applicable laws and regulations, wherever we operate, and China is no exception." It added, "as a bookseller, we believe that providing access to the written word and diverse perspectives is important. That includes books that some may find objectionable."

Oh, come on! In America, Amazon has banned the sale of conservative books on the wrong side of the LGBT censors, such as "When Harry Became Sally: Responding to the Transgender Moment" by Ryan Anderson, but it sells preposterous Communist Chinese propaganda because it proclaims "diverse perspectives" are important.

As we're about to see in dazzling Technicolor display during the 2022 Olympics, so-called woke corporations will overlook a lot of human rights abuses in China to gain access to its enormous market. Media companies that genuflect to Chinese tyranny should take down their brave mottos or proclamations that they're warriors for democracy and transparency and resistance ... starting with The Washington Post.

American Airpower and US Interests in Ukraine

 

The Russians currently have more than 100,000 troops massed on the Ukrainian border, with more military personnel and equipment being added regularly.   America has an interest in deterring Russian aggression and defending a young, however imperfect, democracy in Ukraine.   Thus far President Biden’s stand on Ukraine has not been impressive.  

The US committed American lives to NATO efforts to address Serbian misdeeds in the former Yugoslavia in 1999 - a possible Russian invasion of Ukraine would be no less important for American interests and those of our European allies.   While the American public would not support US boots on the ground, the US should be willing to commit its airpower to stand up to Russian imperialism should it show its face in democratic Europe, telling Vladimir Putin directly that should his forces cross the Ukrainian border he will meet a strong and immediate response from the full might of US airpower.  In consultation with Ukraine and European allies, this would be a powerful deterrent and just might prevent a Russian invasion of Ukraine.

Why is it in America’s interests to offer its airpower over the Ukraine-Russia conflict at the present time?  There are at least three reasons.  First, perceived weakness invites further aggression.  Naked, brazen, Russian military invasion of any country in Europe is not acceptable and might lead Putin to conclude that Western powers will do nothing if he invades other countries, such as the Baltic states. 

Second, simply threatening further economic sanctions in the face of cross-border imperialism is not fit for purpose, is not proportional.  Blatant cross-border aggression, such as that being threatened at present, can only be deterred by similarly robust military power.   

Third, America has an interest in the preservation and expansion of democracy in the world.  Democratic peace theory posits that democracies do not go to war with other democracies, that the spread of democracy worldwide is correlated with a lower incidence of cross-border wars of aggression.  Today’s Russia is decidedly anti-democratic and any Russian attempt to snuff out the light of democracy in a neighboring country must be pushed back against with vigor.  

One more important point should be made here.  The US cannot guarantee non-admission of any state to NATO as the US was told it should do by President Putin in his recent phone call with President Biden.  This is true for two reasons.  

First, NATO does not belong to the United States, but is one of 30 member states.   The US alone cannot make decisions on behalf of the other 29 members.  

Second, how could anyone blame any state for wanting to join a club that guarantees greater security?  If Ukraine wants in and NATO members are comfortable with the terms of admission, Ukraine is in.  Period.   Moscow’s own historical and contemporary belligerence is chiefly to blame for the post-Cold War rush of Eastern European states to join NATO.  

While there is truth that Western leaders told Soviet leaders near the end of the Cold War that the West would not allow NATO to expand eastward, they were not able to keep their promises on that issue.  This should not be allowed to block Eastern European states from joining NATO if they see it as in their interests.  From the West’s perspective it was Russia who in 2014 violated its assurances to Ukraine as it was understood in the 1994 Budapest Memorandum when Ukraine, Belarus and Kazakhstan were assured security after giving up their nuclear weapons.  Ukraine was at the time the world’s third largest nuclear power, so its concessions were no small matter.  

In Munich in 1938, the world learned what a failure to confront aggression could lead to.  The West’s failure to take Hitler seriously, it’s failure to put its power on the line to deter German aggression in the end led not to a satisfied, pacified Hitler, but to a yet more aggressive, more confident Hitler, which led to a larger war that cost millions of lives.  While Putin is not Hitler, a failure to take Putin’s possible ambitions seriously, a failure to communicate clearly that Russian aggression in Europe is unacceptable and will be met with force (not just sanctions), will likely lead to more bloodshed and political outcomes that are not palatable to Europeans or Americans.   

The time to deter Russia is now, before it is too late.  Further sanctions are not likely to deter Russia.  The United States (and European allies if they agree) must be willing to put Moscow on notice that any invasion of Ukraine by Moscow will be met with the full force of American airpower, still the most powerful air war machine on earth. 

Biden Just Blew Up His Argument for Federal Mandates and People Are Noticing

 yesterday President Joe Biden claimed there is no "federal solution" to the Wuhan coronavirus pandemic. He then jetted off to Delaware for the rest of the week. Today, he called a lid at 10:13 am. 

NOW - Biden departs to Delaware beach house after telling governors there is "no federal solution" on COVID and it should be "solved at the state level."pic.twitter.com/Ux9RtPmb8m

— Disclose.tv (@disclosetv) December 27, 2021

The admission has prompted calls from lawmakers on Capitol Hill and around the country to end federal vaccine mandates, which are destroying the economy. 

Then end the FEDERAL mandates. https://t.co/bI0iadKWKr

— Dan Crenshaw (@DanCrenshawTX) December 28, 2021

If there’s no federal Covid solution, why is there a federal vaccine mandate? https://t.co/NtrtwmqUt1

— Rep. Darrell Issa (@repdarrellissa) December 28, 2021

Biden says there's no federal solution to COVID and that this gets solved at a state level.

He should immediately end his unconstitutional federal mandates.

The Texas solution is no mandates and personal responsibility. https://t.co/lPlfsy7ioY

— Greg Abbott (@GregAbbott_TX) December 27, 2021

Then why is he still imposing unconstitutional FEDERAL mandates? https://t.co/H48m8OYAUO

— Jane Timken (@JaneTimkenOH) December 28, 2021

After a year, we finally agree @potus. The federal government isn’t the solution. That’s why from the start, SD took a different approach by trusting our citizens to be responsible and make the right decisions for themselves & their families. Now rescind all the federal mandates.

— Kristi Noem (@KristiNoem) December 28, 2021

On January 7, 2022 the Department of Justice will be defending Biden's vaccine mandates in front of the Supreme Court.

How We Forfeited the Fruits of Cold War Victory

As 1991 turned into 1992, America appeared to have arrived at the apogee of its national power and world prestige.

President George H.W. Bush had just sent an army of half a million men to expel, in a 100-hour campaign, Saddam Hussein’s invading army from Kuwait. The world, including Russia, China and Iran, had supported U.S.-led military action to overturn Iraq’s aggression.

Our Cold War adversary, the Soviet Union, had just collapsed and disintegrated into 15 nations. The Warsaw Pact had dissolved. All of Eastern Europe was free. We were the sole surviving superpower.

In the reviewing stand on Constitution Avenue for the victory parade of the troops of Desert Storm, the thought occurred: This is what it must have been like when the generals returned in triumph to Rome to take the cheers of the crowds.

But, instead of making America again “a normal country in a normal time,” as Jeane Kirkpatrick had urged, we set out on our path to empire.

There was much hubristic talk in those days of a “unipolar moment” in which we would establish a “benevolent global hegemony” and create a New World Order under U.S. dominance and tutelage.

Secretary of State Madeleine Albright explained: “If we have to use force, it is because we are America; we are the indispensable nation. We stand tall and we see further than other countries into the future.”

Three decades after those heady days, how has it gone for us?

Today, the world’s other great powers, Russia and China, are united against us in a “relationship” that, the autocrat Xi Jinping says, “in its closeness and effectiveness … even exceeds an alliance.”CARTOONS | Chip Bok View Cartoon

Russia is issuing virtual ultimata against any further advance of NATO into Ukraine or Georgia. Beijing, after digesting Hong Kong, is indicating that the time draws near for its annexation of Taiwan.

How did we get here?

At age 90, Mikhail Gorbachev, who gave up power in December 1991, identifies a primary cause: “The triumphal mood in the West, especially in the U.S. Arrogance and self-confidence went to their heads.”

Indeed. Back in February of 1997, George Kennan, the architect of Cold War containment of Joseph Stalin’s USSR, implored America not to seize its triumphal moment and move NATO into Eastern Europe:

“Expanding NATO would be the most fateful error of American policy in the entire post-Cold War era.”

“Such a decision may be expected to inflame the nationalistic, anti-Western and militaristic tendencies in Russian opinion; to have an adverse effect on the development of Russian democracy; to restore the atmosphere of the cold war to East-West relations, and to impel Russian foreign policy in directions decidedly not to our liking.”

So said Kennan. And so it came to pass, as Russia has placed 100,000 troops on the borders of Ukraine and told us that any further expansion of NATO into its border states, or the installation of weapons there that can threaten Russia, would be intolerable — and resisted.

Because we admitted into an alliance to contain Russia all of its former Warsaw Pact allies and three former Soviet republics, we are now close to sword’s point with a Russia that our own actions have driven into an entente with the greatest rival the U.S. has ever known: China.

And who built up China, with four times our population, into the first world power with a capacity to challenge America across all fronts — strategic, military, diplomatic and economic?

Capitalist America did.

Clinton Democrats and Bush Republicans, reveling in the riches global trade would realize for our prosperity, threw open America’s markets to production from anywhere and everywhere on earth.

U.S. corporations swiftly began to transfer production out of the United States to where it could be done cheapest — the People’s Republic of China. From 1991 on, China surged and eventually swept past the U.S. as the first manufacturing power on earth.

A self-sufficient America that provided for all its needs in World Wars I and II is now dependent on foreign nations for the necessities of its national life.

Meanwhile, a mighty China is rolling up islands, rocks and reefs in the South and East China seas and warning the United States against any effort to prevent the reunion of Taiwan and the motherland.

These, then, are three of the historic blunders that have forfeited for us the unique position America held at the close of the Cold War.

First, alienating Russia by treating it as an incorrigible and permanent enemy by pushing our alliance onto its front porch.

Second, pursuing a globalist trade policy that China exploited to become an economic and military rival of the United States.

Third, America’s plunge into the Middle East, with our forever wars in Afghanistan and Iraq and then Syria, Libya and Yemen.

They availed us nothing and led only to death and destruction.

Of the passing of that preeminence we had in 1991, let it be said: We did it to ourselves.

 

Cruz Warns About Latest Move from Democrats that Would Be 'Catastrophic' to the Country

 

After President Joe Biden's expensive Build Back Better agenda failed in the Senate this week, Democrats immediately pivoted to an issue that gets their base worked up: voting rights. 

Despite spending decades in the U.S. Senate defending the filibuster, Biden is now willing to strip it away for the sake of federalizing elections, eliminating voter identification and giving the left a hold on power. He explained his position during an interview with ABC News Wednesday evening. 

For the first time, President Biden officially endorses changing Senate rules to allow voting rights legislation to pass around the filibuster:

"Whatever it takes. Change the Senate rules ... I support making an exception on voting rights for the filibuster." pic.twitter.com/fAqOVaNGc8

— The Recount (@therecount) December 23, 2021

On Thursday, White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki reiterated his position. 

PSAKI: Biden "is prepared to support changes [to the filibuster] if that's the only thing standing in the way of getting [voting rights legislation] done." pic.twitter.com/A2R9Iun6BI

— Townhall.com (@townhallcom) December 23, 2021

Republican Senator Ted Cruz is warning the result will be catastrophic for the country and goes against majority support from American voters. 

Biden and the Democrats are preparing to change Senate rules forever so they can ram through a bill—the Corrupt Politicians Act—that would gut voter ID laws that 80% of Americans support. This corrupt power grab would be catastrophic for our country. https://t.co/QYzuU7RMkf

— Ted Cruz (@tedcruz) December 23, 2021

Trump on Vaccine Efficacy: ‘People Aren’t Dying When They Take the Vaccine’

 

On Wednesday, former President Trump appeared in an interview with conservative commentator Candace Owens, where he pushed back against claims questioning the efficacy of the Wuhan coronavirus vaccines.

In the lengthy “Daily Wire” interview, Owens discussed the vaccine with Trump, where he took credit for the impact the vaccine has made in saving lives and the speed in which they were created. 

“I came up with a vaccine. With three vaccines,” Trump told Owens. “All are very, very good. Came up with three of them in less than nine months. It was supposed to take five to 12 years.” 

The three vaccines, Pfizer-BioNTech, Moderna, and Johnson & Johnson, started rolling out in late 2020 and early 2021. The federal effort to accelerate the development of COVID-19 vaccines was called “Operation Warp Speed,” which Trump unveiled in May 2020.

In the interview, Owens took a shot at President Biden, telling Trump that more people have died from COVID-19 this year, during Biden’s presidency, despite having vaccines and boosters available.

“Oh no, the vaccines work,” Trump responded. 

“The ones who get very sick and go to the hospital are the ones that don’t take the vaccine,” Trump added. “If you take the vaccine, you’re protected.”

Later on, Trump added, “People aren’t dying when they take the vaccine,” and noted that when a breakthrough case emerges, “it’s a very minor form” of COVID-19.

During the interview, Trump also commented on mask mandates and vaccine mandates for children, describing it as “terrible” and saying that he’s against it.

“I think what’s happening is you look at the masks where Fauci and a lot of other people said masks don’t mean anything and all of a sudden he becomes a radical masker,” Trump said. “I don’t like to see the kids with the masks on. They’re sitting in schools. They have a hard enough time sitting in school.”

In an interview with Bill O’Reilly this week, Trump mentioned that he recently got a booster shot. He told Owens that the vaccine is “one of the greatest achievements of mankind.”

Oh, So That's Why So Many Aides Are Waiting to Flee the Biden White House

 

The Biden White House is incompetent. We all know this. It’s in their execution. It’s in their policies. It’s now seen in the polling. This guy is on Pluto. We have several crises hitting the nation—and Joe Biden is nowhere to be found. He can’t keep up. He’s too old. And he cannot handle the rigors of the job, which is why his staff does most of the work. His people say the economy is roaring. It’s not. Voters know it’s not, but they’re not changing course on messaging. That’s bad news for working families who are being crippled by the inflation fiasco that Joe’s team doesn’t care about. It’s good political news for Republicans as Biden’s sinking poll numbers show a red tsunami that’s about to crash into DC yet again.

Yet, what about the Biden White House staff. Isn’t it awesome working for the president even though his brain is oatmeal? No. In fact, it’s a pit of misery. Reports are that scores of White House staff are "eyeing the exits." They can’t stand the work environment. The holiday parties are mostly grounded in a lottery system for staffers. It’s a cold, dark place working for Joe Biden (via Politico):

...many White House aides are feeling gloomy this holiday season, so much so that they anonymously fumed to West Wing Playbook in the hope it may alert senior leaders to the problem.

Many are also currently eyeing the exits, creating the potential for higher-than-usual turnover at the beginning of the year, when aides feel they’ve been in the job long enough that it won’t look odd to depart.

"A lot of the natural coordination that happens in a typically functioning White House has been lost, and there has been no proactive effort to make up for it through intentional team building," said one White House official.

Working at the White House may be a unique gig. But like many other employers, staffers there are experiencing their fair share of burnout. As with many workplaces, more people are working remotely and communication is often done virtually rather than in person, making it more difficult to create an office culture. There have been attempts to try and build camaraderie such as informal happy hours and group dinners. But they’ve largely not done the trick.

Some staffers say it’s the result of an insular, top-heavy White House of longtime Biden aides who are distant from much of the staff — "no new friends in Biden world,” goes the refrain. And others say it’s just poor management.

The small perks of working in the White House, like the chance to take part in holiday parties and ceremonies, have also been in short supply. For the White House’s Independence Day party, most White House staff could only attend if they worked as unpaid volunteers staffing the event, per an email from White House operations sent at the time and shared with us. For the Thanksgiving turkey pardoning and the Christmas tree lighting, attendance was doled out via a lottery system, leaving out many White House aides.

The White House also used a lottery to dole out time slots for holidays tours this week, setting aside three days when staffers could bring their family members to see the building’s elaborate Christmas decor. Most were understanding of the restrictions until White House Operations asked for volunteers to staff five extra day of tours for non-White House staff. Some staffers fumed as "D.C. Randos" posted White House pictures across social media this week, believing that White House staff should have been taken care of first.

“No one expects business as usual during the pandemic, but it’s beyond demoralizing, it’s insulting — especially when you see DNC and Hill staff and other D.C. types get invited,” explained a White House official who was granted anonymity because they weren’t authorized to talk to us. “Many colleagues have brought this up to me unprompted. And I’ve had D.C. friends ask me if I wanted to grab coffee after they attended. Meanwhile, we work here, and most of us haven’t worked here before or stepped foot into the White House.”

The official added: “It’s also hypocritical and ironic that a President whose brand is built on empathy and family has staff policies that fly in the face of that brand. It’s not a good look and it’s emblematic of how this place runs.”

Biden staffers are fleeing the White House because…they don’t get invited to Christmas parties?!

“It’s not a good look and it’s emblematic of how this place runs.” From @AlexThomp, @TinaSfon, @maxwelltani https://t.co/l4dI0WJop4 pic.twitter.com/M4aN1naoZR

— Matthew Foldi (@MatthewFoldi) December 23, 2021

NEW: In the 1st year of the Biden WH, camaraderie has been fleeting & many teams are suffering from low morale, according to several WH officials. As a result, many are eyeing the exits w/ potential for higher-than-normal turnover next yr
Our WWP tonight https://t.co/yr2CC03ZKP

— Alex Thompson (@AlexThomp) December 23, 2021

Christmas parties mean a lot these days, I guess. Still, this looks like it’s just the tip of the iceberg. Maybe this revenge from the senior staff who most certainly read the stories about how aides mute the televisions in the White House when Joe Biden speaks because he’s so painful to watch. It’s a little tit-for-tat action, maybe? Either way, it all feeds into the same narrative that this White House is a total train wreck—and holiday parties were the tipping point for most. Who knew?

Merry Christmas

 

Aborting Roe Will Not Save the Dems in 2022

 

The panicking Democrats are tweaking the old "When life gives you lemons, make lemonade" cliché, arguing that when the Supreme Court gives babies life, try to make that aid their campaigns. But "You won't let us kill kids!" may fly in Scat Francisco and other barren, childless blue hellholes, but as a campaign theme (along with such perennial favorites as "Stop being mean to criminals!" and "You are all racist!") it's not a winner. When families are trying to find $100 to fill up the old Dodge Caravan, "Republicans made it harder to abort babies in red states" loses to "Democrats aborted Keystone" every time.

It's clear that Roe v. Wade, even if it doesn't fall, will at least suffer its own partial judicial abortion. The recent Supreme Court arguments for and against the notion that somewhere in the Constitution, lurking beneath all those penumbras and emanations, exists a free-wheeling okay by the Founders to whack babies went poorly for the anti-baby side. Justice Sotomayor, the original Wise Latinx, warned the Court of the "stench" that would come from it holding that the Constitution does not declare open season on womb-dwellers; at least five justices and maybe six, depending Justice Robert's mood du jour, seem to prefer that scent to the stench of millions of little corpses.

What a grim and appalling subject abortion is. I don't like talking or writing about it, nor do you wish to read about it. But it must be addressed, and we conservatives propose the radical notion that it be addressed by the people through their legislators instead of by nine Ivy Leaguers in robes playing constitutional Mad Libs to manufacture not just a right, but an entire scheme to enable it, out of the text of a document that never even hints at the subject of abortion, much less mentions the word.

If only the libs would be so psycho about protecting the right to keep and bear arms, which actually does, you know, exist.

It is likely this sickening subject will be tossed back to the states where our state legislators can grapple with it. What that means is that no one will get their way entirely. In many places, the people will choose to rid their state of this abomination. More power to them. Not so in other places. In California, it is written into our state constitution. So, abortion will still exist if we conservatives get what we ask for from the Supreme Court. Some people may be shocked by that; you certainly will be if you listen to the leftists wailing about the fascist oppression of not being able to kill their kids. But it's baloney. If you really can't fight the urge to purge your child, you can always drop your wire hanger, pick up your car keys, drive to the nearest abattoir state and get your Gosnell on.

I wish you wouldn't. Safe haven laws mean you don't have to raise the child; he/she (that is all as far as pronouns go) will be cared for. And conservative charities will help you in the meantime. There's never a reason to have one; we conservatives need to put our money where our mouth is and make sure of that. 

Abortion is not going away by changing Roe. It might by changing hearts. Let's Make Abortions Anathema Again. Let's agree on the newly-radical notion that no, it is not the optimal solution. Is that so hard, libs? I had one liberal friend, decades ago, tell me, "Look, no one is for abortion." I think he meant it. That was Bill Clinton's take, too, making the procedure "safe, legal and rare." Back then, no one was excited about abortion; at least publicly, those in favor of abortion rights really were "pro-choice" in the sense they did not delight in the procedure. But fast forward 30 years to the freakshow we have today…

One of the dumbest PR ideas ever, as well as one of the most morally bankrupt, was the pro-abortion side's decision to stop acknowledging what most normal people – including ones with far more patience for the practice than we have – think is distasteful and should be discouraged. Now, these lunatics "shout their abortions," giddy that their transgressive act will freak out the squares. It's a societal psychodrama, a whole mass of angry women trying to get attention, figuratively yelling, "Look what you made me do, Daddy!"

Yikes.

You see the protesters and what a salty-looking crew they are. It's ironic that those most livid about the potential for abortions to be inconvenient are the people least likely for it to be an issue. Weird hair colors, piercings, bizarre clothes – their empty lives drive them to the extremes of everything, from their appearance to their politics, in an effort to get the attention they crave. And what is more extreme than publicly celebrating the slaughter of the innocents?

But that's not most people on the pro-choice side. Most of them still harken back to Bill Clinton's position that it is sad but necessary. When polled, the majority will tolerate it before the baby looks like a baby. But when it is clearly a baby, and the nuts demand people be able to ice the kid 15 minutes before birth just because, well, that's an abortion too far.

And yet, the Democrat Party does not seem to get that. Democrat activists seem to think that everyone is just as fanatical as the shrill mutant extremists who make up so much of the party apparatus. And they think that maybe, just maybe, they can turn the coming Supreme Court decision into an electoral A-Bomb. Rep. Nancy Mace (R-ish, SC), who is pretty much Adam Kinzinger in a pantsuit, frets that this is going to undo Republicans. Maybe the CNN starlet should go talk to some Republicans for a change. The idea that voters are going to vote for Dems in 2022 because Democrats are pro-feticide is just nuts. Only two demographics really vote based on expanding abortion: some angry women who won't need one and some lib dudes who want to score with lib chicks and think supporting it might help them. Everyone normal is much more concerned with six-dollar gas and scumbags breaking into their Toyotas. 

But even if your state is enlightened enough to ban baby-killing, there's a blue state nearby you can get a bus ticket to if you really, really have your heart set on it. The fact is that the repeal rule isn't going to be that big a deal after the initial rending of tacky garments and wailing and gnashing of teeth. Pretty soon, everyone's state is going to settle what it's going to do; then it's going to be done. And in 2022, the Democrats are going to have to actually run on their garbage record rather than on doofy fantasies about "The Handmaids Tale."

But we should encourage the Dems. Talk more to voters about things voters don't care much about. Yeah, double-down on stuff that's not on the top of our list of legislative "to-dos." After all, ignoring what the American people actually care about in favor of obsessing about their own bizarre prog fetishes is what got Democrats into trouble in the first place.

Elections in UK Show the Democrats Are Toast

 

Math really must be racist because the Democrats and their TV toadies have utterly abandoned it. ABC, which none of us watch because we are not invalids unable to change the channel to literally anything else, recently tweeted: “A single senator is about to seriously set back an entire presidential agenda” and there’s a big pic of the enbitchener-in-chief Joe Manchin. If he didn’t have a stupid mask on, you could see his grin at having forced Chuck Schumer to pull the “Build Back Better” bill – which should be called “Take Your Money to Give to Freeloaders and Democrat Donors and Make Things Much, Much Worse” bill – from consideration for the foreseeable future. The collective “phew” you hear is a bunch of Democrat senators running in 2022 thanking Gaia that they dodged having to vote for that Marxist albatross. 

Anyway, ABC and the rest of the liberal bloc might not realize it, but there are fifty Republicans against this legislative abomination, so 50 + Manchin is … 51, which is a majority under normal math, but these are very stupid times and our elite is composed of very stupid people so somehow a burning tire fire of a bill that loses 49-51 is proof that democracy is dead. 

But BBB being DOA was not the big story of the week. The big story of the week was North Shropshire, and the Democrats have no clue about it. They should, since what happened in that riding on the west side of England is a lesson in the pain that is heading their way in 2022. North Shropshire, which sounds like a place that is overrun with elves and toadstools, is deep blue, which is deep red in American terms. It’s been Conservative since 1832. It’s like Wyoming, but Cheney-free. There was a by-election there on December 16, 2021. The Conservatives lost. Hard. The swing since the smashing victory under Boris Johnson in the last general election was 31% away from the Tories. 

Oops.

See, Boris Johnson heads a party called the “Conservatives,” but its establishment is not conservative in the current American sense, which is traditionalist/populist. It’s conservative in the Mitt Romney sense, which means rich guys with the same Eton/Cambridge (or Andover/Harvard here in the States) prejudices and inclinations that have led to everything being so totally screwed-up. They are more like American Democrats, except with silly accents and weirder kinks. A political chameleon as unencumbered any kind of ideological principle beyond “Does this help me?” as he is by standard hairstyling conventions, Boris got into office by defending Brexit, co-opting its energy, and dragging the Europhile elite along with him when the left tried to undo it. He crushed the Labour Party. But then he governed like an American Democrat. Climate hoax nonsense. Letting illegal aliens swamp the country. COVID panic. Oh, and his snobby minions decided to have a Christmas party after telling the country to cower alone last holiday season. Then they got caught on video snickering about it. Then they all lied about it.

Sound familiar? 

Look, the UK and the US political situations are not a perfect match, but they are close enough that you should pay attention. A few years ago, the shocking – to the swells and toffs – Brexit vote predicted the populism that gave us Trump. Now, Boris has embraced the same upper crust frivolity, like weather panic and pretending illegal aliens have some sort of right to flaunt the will of the people, as our Dems have. Boris picked and chose a populist few fights, like Brexit and not kneeling for the BLM mob, but his loyalty is clearly to his class. Class conflict has always been a central feature of British culture, but make no mistake – America too is in a class war as our garbage gentry tries to make the working class submit to its fussy will. Climate silliness, hugging crooks, inflating the currency, CRT – nobody but faculty lounge radicals, dumb college students, and frigid suburban wine women are eager for any of that nonsense, but that’s what our idiot ruling class is obsessed with. Everything is getting worse.

And then there are the lies, the never-ending lies. We were told COVID was going to end, but instead we got mandates and endless masks. We are told Afghanistan wasn’t a bloody disaster that led to international humiliation but a genius-level play that was perfect and don’t pay attention to the coffins in the corner. There’s no crisis on the border! Kamala is on it! And there is no crime wave. But there is an avalanche of insurrectionist white supremacy sweeping down upon the nation – didn’t you see how those Fox News guys asked Trump to tell the participants in the mild ruckus on Capitol Hill to simmer down? And then Trump did tell them! Our democracy is in under attack by conservatives telling people not to riot or something!

We are told that the economy is wonderful and that anything bad was the result of sneering looters and wreckers out of some Ayn Rand novel. They tell us gas costs more because of the oil companies – the same oil companies President * has not allowed to keep us energy independent anymore. At Thanksgiving, turkey cost more because of the Turkey Cartel, and Psaki’s explanation for why steak is so expensive is the perfidy of Big Meat. Say, dealing with that sounds like a natural mission for our intrepid Veep!

And then there are the endless examples of the swells and the connected being pictured maskless at their parties and balls as the servants stand to the side in their face wraps, and as kids in blue state schools remain gagged. Just the other day, the loathsome Maxine Waters flew to LA from DC unmasked as the peasants around her were hassled. People see this crap, and they get mad – just not the people the ruling caste ever speak to.

North Shropshire provides a graphic illustration of the coming backlash. Imagine, if you will, what it looks like if the American blue state equivalents of North Shropshire are suddenly at risk – not even of a 30-point swing but of just a 15-point change. Wow.

If the GOP doesn’t blow it by nominating the ridiculous fakecon Dr. Oz in PA or Todd Akin II, aka Eric Greitens, in Missouri, we’re already going to do well. The blue Nevada Senate seat is already slipping away toward my pal Adam Laxalt, meaning blue seats in Georgia and Arizona are going and New Hampshire is likely to go as well if the GOP can find a candidate. But if the North Shropshires of America are in play, we could get Colorado and maybe Oregon too. 

The Democrats would be smart to pay attention to what’s going down across the pond instead of shaking their puny fists at Joe Manchin for refusing to let themselves commit electoral suicide. But then, maybe we should just not interrupt them as they are making a mistake.

Yeah, let’s let it be a surprise.

White House Issues Seething Statement About Joe Manchin

 

The White House is fuming after Democratic Senator Joe Manchin announced on Fox News Sunday he has no plans to vote for President Joe Biden's multi-trillion dollar spending plan and will not vote to continue working on the legislation. 

BLOW TO JOE: Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin says he can't vote for a $2 trillion social safety net bill, dealing a potentially fatal blow to President Joe Biden’s signature legislation - @AP pic.twitter.com/FWSeVNOFDu

— Breaking911 (@Breaking911) December 19, 2021

In response, White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki issued a seething statement and essentially called Manchin a liar. 

"Senator Manchin’s comments this morning on FOX are at odds with his discussions this week with the President, with White House staff, and with his own public utterances. Weeks ago, Senator Manchin committed to the President, at his home in Wilmington, to support the Build Back Better framework that the President then subsequently announced. Senator Manchin pledged repeatedly to negotiate on finalizing that framework “in good faith,” Psaki said. 

"On Tuesday of this week, Senator Manchin came to the White House and submitted—to the President, in person, directly—a written outline for a Build Back Better bill that was the same size and scope as the President’s framework, and covered many of the same priorities. While that framework was missing key priorities, we believed it could lead to a compromise acceptable to all. Senator Manchin promised to continue conversations in the days ahead, and to work with us to reach that common ground," she continued. "If his comments on FOX and written statement indicate an end to that effort, they represent a sudden and inexplicable reversal in his position, and a breach of his commitments to the President and the Senator’s colleagues in the House and Senate."

Psaki also vowed to keep pushing Manchin to change his mind.

"Just as Senator Manchin reversed his position on Build Back Better this morning, we will continue to press him to see if he will reverse his position yet again, to honor his prior commitments and be true to his word," she said. 

But the truth is, Manchin has been saying for months Biden's Build Back Better agenda was too big, would cause inflation to worsen and that he didn't support the IRS snooping on Americans. Since he took office with a 50-50 split in the Senate, Biden has been governing as if he has a super majority and a mandate. He doesn't. 

Psaki is really hoping nobody has actually paid attention to Manchin’s “public utterances” all year about wanting to pause, inflation, bad climate spending, etc.

This falls SQUARELY on the White House ignoring reality and lying to their base about what was possible. https://t.co/IFWG97eA1t

— Matt Whitlock (@mattdizwhitlock) December 19, 2021

Blumenthal Claims He Was Unaware Event He Attended Had Communist Party Ties

 

Guess what? There’s no hiding it anymore. This is a communist takeover of the USA. I’ve been making this case three hours a day on my nationally syndicated radio show since the day Joe Biden took over as president. Well, the proof is in.

Nothing proves my case like the story of Democratic United States Sen. Richard Blumenthal. You’re not gonna believe this one. It’s all out in the open now.

A United States senator thought it was fine and dandy to publicly cavort with the communist enemies of America. Should that surprise you? It doesn’t surprise me. I believe many of our political, military, government and media leaders are bribed and owned lock, stock and barrel by the Chinese Communist Party.

Remember the story of Gen. Mark Milley, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff under President Donald Trump? He admitted to secretly calling Chinese military leaders and letting them know that if Trump decided to attack, he’d give them advance warning. Isn’t that treason? Shouldn’t this general have been arrested, shackled, jailed and put on trial for treason? If convicted, shouldn’t Milley be serving life in prison for treason against his country? Instead, the GOP said virtually nothing, and remarkably, this traitor is still sitting as America’s highest-ranking general. Insanity.

Blumenthal, of Connecticut, just did something equally treasonous. Except he didn’t even try to hide it. Blumenthal openly attended a Communist Party event. And Blumenthal wasn’t merely attending; he was the star of the evening. He was the main speaker on the stage and handed out awards to communists!

Am I missing something? Is communism not the enemy of the United States of America? Isn’t the goal of communism to destroy America? Isn’t communism dedicated to destroying freedom? Don’t communists believe in violence, murder, torture, starvation, imprisonment, censorship, propaganda and brainwashing of their citizens? Don’t communists want to make us all serfs and slaves to a communist dictator who decides who deserves to live and die?

Have we not learned from history? Communists murdered just under 100 million innocent human beings in the 20th century. How many millions more starved to death? How many hundreds of millions were arrested, tortured, sent to prison camps and had their homes, businesses and assets stolen by communist governments?

Yet we have a Democratic United States senator who thinks it’s OK to publicly celebrate communism. Is he celebrating mass murder and starvation of citizens? Does he want to send conservatives to hard-labor camps? Is that what he wants for America? He must. He was there to celebrate how great communism is.

Let me ask you a question. If America was invaded tomorrow by a communist army — like, say, China — wouldn’t we fight to the death to defend our homeland from the communist invaders? Or would we welcome them with open arms? If the answer is, of course, we’d kill any communist invaders trying to destroy America, why would we allow senators to sit in our Senate while endorsing this same communist agenda to destroy America from within? I believe Blumenthal is a traitor.

But wait. I have one more crucial question. Didn’t Democrats claim Trump was a secret white supremacist? Can you imagine if Trump had publicly attended a Ku Klux Klan meeting? What if it was a celebration of the history of the KKK in America? What if Trump had not just attended the KKK meeting, but actually spoke from the stage and then handed out awards to KKK members? That’s the equivalent of what Blumenthal did. He laid down with sworn enemies of America, capitalism and freedom. Openly.

Why hasn’t the GOP leadership in Congress demanded Blumenthal be stripped of all his committees and resign immediately? Why haven’t they started impeachment proceedings and/or demanded his indictment for treason?

Because if the shoe was on the other foot, and Trump or any Republican senator spoke at a KKK event, their career would be over, they’d be tarred and feathered by the media, chased from D.C. on a third rail, branded as traitors and domestic terrorists, and I’m betting, soon after, indicted by the Democrat-owned DOJ for treason.

Does the GOP have any balls? Does the GOP have a pulse? Or is it a party of go-along-to-get-along cowards? We’re all waiting and watching. Because if they do nothing and say nothing about this tragic, treasonous story and if we can’t or won’t use this story to paint Democrats as the communists they are, then we have no chance to stop this communist takeover of America. Then we have already lost the battle for the soul of America.

The Real Truth of Jan. 6

 

The truth is Jan. 6 was a dark day in the history of our republic. Fueled by repeated lies from President Donald Trump, a group of men and women stormed the United States Capitol to stop Congress from certifying the Electoral College vote. Along with those men and women were many more who wandered in, curious, thinking they were allowed to be there. We should not lump them all in together, but we should not give the veneer of patriotism to the criminal trespassers.

Ashli Babbitt was one of those with malicious intent. The Air Force veteran thought she was a hero saving the republic when really, she was a trespasser seeking to stop the lawful operations of Congress. She is no martyr. The security cameras that captured her death at the hands of a Capitol Hill police officer show she was trying to break through glass to open a door for the mob. Behind the door, House members were fleeing for their lives. Outside, the crowd had erected a gallows and some roamed the halls of Congress to find Vice President Mike Pence to hang him.

The truth is a lot of Republicans who condemned the activities of the day have now tried to claim it was something worth celebrating or was not bad. Cowards like Kevin McCarthy, the would-be Speaker of the House, condemned the day, then reversed himself like a supine sycophant to Trump. Now, some Republicans even think Jan. 6 is a cause for celebration like the storming of the Bastille that set off the French Revolution. These would-be Robespierres will lose their heads in the process of trying to take others'. No conservative should ever celebrate the French Revolution.

But there are other truths, too. These truths the press and Democrats would prefer not to talk about. They'd prefer to scream "whataboutism" or claim bringing them up is to excuse or mitigate Jan. 6. Unfortunately for them, to truly understand Jan. 6, we must understand other events and how those were handled.

In 2009, progressive activists stormed the State Capitol in Madison, Wisconsin. The Wisconsin State Journal reported it in eerily similar language to Jan. 6. "Thousands of protesters rushed to the state Capitol Wednesday night, forcing their way through doors, crawling through windows and jamming corridors," reported the paper. Progressives were trying to stop a vote making Wisconsin a right-to-work state, which would undermine labor union powers. Speaker Nancy Pelosi called it an "impressive show of democracy" and said she stood with the protesters. The media was mostly matter-of-fact about it and by no means condemnatory.

In Texas, protesters stormed the State Capitol in Austin to stop Republicans from passing a pro-life measure. News anchors and reporters who covered it for the national press almost all explicitly excused the protesters and made Texas state Sen. Wendy Davis a national figure and heroine for feminism. She rode the fame to several electoral defeats in Texas and talking-head gigs on CNN and MSNBC.

In Washington, D.C., progressive activists stormed the United States Capitol to stop the vote on Brett Kavanaugh and to intimidate United States senators. Major news outlets were almost all uniformly on the side of the protesters. Some reporters explicitly cheered on the protesters on their social media accounts.

This does not even include the coordinated and concerted Democratic efforts starting in 2000 to treat any election they lose as illegitimate. Bush was "selected not elected," and Trump was fraudulently accused of being bought and paid for by the Russians. Stacey Abrams still denies her loss with press complicity, but Republicans are bullied and denounced for denying the legitimacy of 2020.

The bottom line is all of these should be condemned, but we should not be surprised some Republicans got tired of playing by the rules after two decades of Democrats breaking them without consequence. Few in the press or among the Democrats will own up to that. Instead, they will scream at me for telling the whole truth, not just the part they want to hear. Undoubtedly, in November, the press and Democrats will scream voter suppression if Republicans win, ratcheting things further.

Why Did Newsmax Tell Staff to 'Go Easy' on Biden?

 

What is going on at Newsmax? That's the question a lot of viewers and media watchers are asking amid a shakeup that's come with the news that White House Correspondent Emerald Robinson's contract isn't being renewed for 2022. There's been buzz that Robinson and Newsmax are splitting ways due to Robinson's tweets that got her banned from the social network, but according to an exclusive report from our sister site, RedState, there's a lot more going on at Newsmax. 

EXCLUSIVE: Vaccine Tweets Aren't the Reason Newsmax Is Parting Ways With Emerald Robinson https://t.co/sasVJISZX1

— RedState (@RedState) December 14, 2021

As Jen Van Laar writes, "network insiders" told RedState that Robinson's tweets were not "at all" the reason for the split but that "Robinson was out because she refused to obey Newsmax CEO Chris Ruddy's June 2021 directive to 'go easy on the Biden administration, particularly Jen Psaki.'" 

Woof. If the Newsmax insiders are correct that the network's CEO warned reporters to "go easy" on the Biden administration, it's no wonder Robinson's contract wasn't renewed. Robinson was known for taking members of the Biden administration — Press Secretary Jen Psaki especially — to task. 

As RedState reminds, "Robinson's skirmishes with Psaki have made news throughout the year, and while both lefty and mainstream news sites have reported on them ad nauseam, insiders say that Newsmax often didn't air them and that Ruddy and other executives became increasingly frustrated at Robinson's insolence."

The fact that Newsmax, a network that marketed itself as a further-right alternative to Fox News, quietly told their reporters and talent to go easy on Joe Biden is not entirely surprising in light of CEO Ruddy's past praise for Joe Biden. A July 2021 op-ed said Biden "should be applauded for making a huge dent in the COVID pandemic" and that "Biden's success as president is all about COVID – not only with the vaccine, but also his push for ample and popular stimulus packages." How'd all of that work out? 

Ruddy's op-ed also lauded the fact that a "recent Real Clear Politics average has him with a 52 percent job approval, against a disapproval of 43 percent – a nine-point positive spread," an advantage that has completely evaporated as Biden failed to follow through on his promise to "shut down the virus" and wrecked America's economy in the meantime. 

Even more prematurely, Ruddy noted of Biden that "rightfully, his White House has pushed back against calls for mandatory vaccinations." We all know how that turned out. Not only did Biden break his promise not to mandate vaccines, Ruddy also pivoted and more or less botched a mandate for Newsmax employees. 

An email to Newsmax staff obtained by Mediaite in early November notified employees that they would have to be vaccinated by January 4, 2022, and those who chose not to get vaccinated would have to get weekly testing and remain masked while in Newsmax offices. "To ensure that we are in compliance, we require that all vaccinated employees submit a copy of their vaccination card," the all-staff email added. 

These incidents, along with many other detailed by RedState here, brought Van Laar to an easy conclusion: "Obviously, Ruddy isn't the 'true conservative' many of his viewers believe he is." And that's a shame.

Bernie: BBB Has 'Overwhelming' Public Support, You Know. NPR Poll: Nope.

 

Democrats have convinced themselves that their 'Build Back Better' spending spree is popular with the American people -- and in fairness, some polling has shown support for the overall package and various individual elements.  Poll questions that include potential trade-offs, like tax increases and growing deficits, tend to yield far less enthusiasm, unsurprisingly.  With Senators Joe Manchin and Kyrsten Simena already blanching at the massive price tag (much higher than the manipulated 'score,' per CBO), inflation has now hit a nearly four-decade high.  Advocates for the new tax-and-spend binge continue to risibly insist that it will cure what ails the economy -- and that the people cry out for it:

While the majority of the American people have expressed overwhelming support for the Build Back Better Act and delivering for working Americans, Republicans continue to oppose it.

Maybe, just maybe, that’s why they have to resort to voter suppression.

— Bernie Sanders (@SenSanders) December 10, 2021

First, I find it somewhat fascinating that a socialist like Sanders is so enthusiastic about a bill that gives massive tax breaks to millionaires while raising taxes on millions of middle class households.  Perhaps it's not a huge shock because BBB still amounts to trillions in new spending and huge new government programs; the growth of government is the ultimate end for Statists.  Second, voters turned out in huge numbers last month and sent a pretty clear message of opposition to the Democratic Party in Virginia and New Jersey.  No "suppression" needed.  And third, as for the "overwhelming" support Bernie references, let's review the latest numbers from NPR:

Democrats have staked their political future on enacting President Biden's plans for trillions in social spending, but a new NPR/Marist poll shows that most voters are skeptical of the party's proposals. Just 41% of the survey's respondents said they support the Build Back Better bill, the roughly $2 trillion bill currently being negotiated in Congress. Nearly three-quarters of all Democrats said the support the bill but only 36% of independents and 13% of Republicans agreed...survey respondents were less optimistic about the in-process Build Back Better legislation. Just 42% said they thought it would help people like them. While a clear majority of Democrats — 69% — said the policies would help them, just 36% of independents and less than 20% of Republicans agreed.

Nearly six-in-ten Americans oppose the Democratic proposal, with just 36 percent of independents in favor of it.  An identical number of indies -- 36 percent -- believe the plan would benefit them.  Seeing lopsided opposition from Republicans isn't much of a surprise in our polarized age.  It's swing and unaffiliated voters who dictate where public opinion will come down, and the BBB reviews from this group are decidedly negative.  When Manchin expresses deep hesitation about the whole enterprise, he's channeling most of the country.  In addition to the toxic childcare provisions in the bill, it's pretty remarkable that this also made it into the House-passed legislation:  

House Democrats from red states railed against a provision in Biden's social spending bill that cuts funding for low-income hospitals.

Then they voted for it.

Via @CAndersonMO https://t.co/NUinaSspwA

— Washington Free Beacon (@FreeBeacon) December 11, 2021

The truth is, when the chips are down, "moderate" House Democrats are instructed to salute by Nancy Pelosi -- and they do it.  Relatedly, we've been following some of the terrible poll numbers battering President Biden and his party in recent days.  ABC News offered yet another barrage yesterday:

More than two-thirds of Americans (69%) disapprove of how Biden is handling inflation (only 28% approve) while more than half (57%) disapprove of his handling of the economic recovery. Partisan splits for inflation show expected negativity in Republican views (94% disapproving), but the survey also reveals weaknesses from Biden's own party with only a slim majority of Democrats (54%) approving. Biden's orbit is also hemorrhaging independent voters, with 71% disapproving of his handling of inflation...The findings show Biden slightly above water in one sector: his handling of COVID-19. A slim majority (53%) of Americans approve of Biden's handling of the pandemic. Even so, Biden's COVID approval rating is now numerically at its lowest point in ABC/Ipsos polling since he took office, another warning sign for what might be a tough battle to maintain majorities in the U.S. House and Senate...Biden also sees lagging support for his handling of rising rates of violence in many places across the county. As the national murder rates see historic jumps, only a little more than 1 in 3 Americans (36%) approve of Biden's handling of crime, down from 43% in an ABC News/Ipsos poll in late October...only 38% of Americans trust Biden to negotiate on America's behalf with Putin, which is down from 49% in an ABC News/Ipsos poll in June.

"Hemorrhaging independent voters" appears to be a pretty consistent theme, which may be why POTUS just 'joked' the other day that he's stopped watching the polls:

When asked if Biden keeps track of polling numbers, the president jokingly told Fallon “not anymore,” Fox News reported.https://t.co/Q8JtgTW0S7

— FOX21 News (@FOX21News) December 11, 2021

I mean, if you were in his position, would you want to pore over numbers like these every day?  The White House has indicated lately that the administration plans to stay the course on their messaging, but Josh Kraushaar argues it's time for a major reboot:

NEW Against the Grain: "It’s Time for Biden’s Second Return to Normalcy Speech"

"His 2020 campaign message centered on returning to a post-Trump normal. Now for his party’s political future, he needs to sell Americans on a post-COVID normal."https://t.co/kjQSxejb3E

— Josh Kraushaar (@HotlineJosh) December 12, 2021

There’s no optimism in the administration’s public messaging, and little reckoning with the reality that as the disease begins to become endemic, without any politically pleasing “mission accomplished” moment ahead in the near term, the current muddled reality is something of a new normal. Like with other hot-button issues, the Democratic Party has been held captive by an affluent progressive slice of its base—who have been more insulated from the disruptive effects of COVID-related regulations—at the expense of the rest of the country. Hillary Clinton’s former campaign manager Patti Solis Doyle spoke for this constituency when she told The Washington Post: “We’re never going to go back to normal. Personally, I don’t think I will ever get on a plane without wearing a mask.” Talk about a political downer...This adherence to COVID Zeroism has significant political consequences. As The New York Times’s David Leonhardt put it: “Many Democrats, both voters and politicians, have been almost blasé about the costs of Covid precautions—the isolation, unhappiness, health damage, lost learning, inflation, public-transit disruptions and more. … Society would cease to function if it tried to minimize every political risk.” This is a moment that screams for a course correction in the Biden administration’s approach to the pandemic.

On that note, I'll leave you with a compare-and-contrast between two Democratic governors' approaches:

Masks will be required in all indoor public spaces in New York State that do not require proof of Covid vaccination for entry, Gov. Kathy Hochul announced. The new requirement, which takes effect on Monday, comes amid a spike in cases. https://t.co/B2KA74M6w5

— The New York Times (@nytimes) December 10, 2021

CO Gov. Jared Polis: No More Mask Mandates, #COVID19 "Emergency Is Over" https://t.co/1KzlOR4jLR
"Ask the governor why I'm sitting in a Denver-county gym that is full and I'm literally the only one wearing a mask after 470 days working on a Covid unit. Mask mandate now."

— RCP Video (@rcpvideo) December 10, 2021

UPDATE - Another data point on Manchin's mindset:

WEST VIRGINIA poll, conducted by Remington Research (R) for the National Association of Wholesaler-Distributors:

“Do you believe the multi-trillion $
package being considered by Congress, known as Build Back Better Act, will:”

Make inflation worse: 64%
Decrease inflation: 14%

— Josh Kraushaar (@HotlineJosh) December 13, 2021

Pelosi Claims Build Back Better Act ‘Lowers Costs’

 

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) alleged Tuesday that President Joe Biden’s Build Back Better legislation would “lower costs” despite a recent report from the Labor Department revealing that inflation is increasing at a rate not seen in nearly four decades.

“Let me just say about the Build Back Better, because if there were two words that I would say that describe, it would be ‘lowers costs,'” Pelosi said. “It lowers costs for healthcare, it lowers costs for education, it lowers costs for child care, it lowers costs for family home healthcare, for senior members of the family who need healthcare, siblings who may have disabilities, and the rest. It lowers cost, and that makes a very big difference.”

She also said the prescription drug and food prices would be reduced, as well as “all of the things people struggle with over the kitchen table.”

But last week, a report by the Labor Department’s Consumer Price Index showed that inflation endured a 6.8 percent spike without seasonal adjustments over the course of 12 months, which was the fastest annual increase since 1982. And while the rise in inflation has been attributed to Biden’s abysmal approval ratings, Democrats insist that polling will reverse course once the president’s social spending bill is passed. 

The House voted to pass the legislation last month after months of negotiation among House Democrats.

Senate Democrats are looking to vote on the bill by Christmas but moderate Democrat Sen. Joe Manchin of  West Virginia has yet to express his willingness to support the legislation. And in a 50-50 majority split in the Senate, Democrats need every member of their party to vote in favor of the legislation for it to pass through the upper chamber. Manchin has previously voiced his concern over the cost of the bill, warning that it would contribute to rising inflation.

Jill Biden Says President Biden Rescued America During the COVID-19 Pandemic

 

Over the weekend, CBS Sunday Morning aired a special with first lady Jill Biden where host Rita Braver asked her about the president’s tanking poll numbers and mental fitness. In the interview, Jill Biden said the president rescued America during the Wuhan coronavirus pandemic and brushed off Americans’ concerns over the president’s mental fitness.

The interview started out highlighting Jill Biden’s efforts as first lady to get Americans vaccinated and her job as a professor at Northern Virginia Community College. Then, Braver joined Jill Biden at Camp David where they conducted a one-on-one interview.

To start off, Jill Biden noted that the lifestyle of being first lady is more difficult than she expected and said that she understands why free community college – something she is an advocate for – was scrapped from the president’s Build Back Better plan.

“I understand compromise and I knew that this was not the right moment for it,” Jill Biden said. She then responded to claims that she is one of the president’s “most important advisers.”

“I listen to him. He listens to me. It’s a marriage. And, you know, we talk about what’s going on every day, what’s going on with our lives. But I’m not his adviser. I’m his spouse. I’m his wife,” Jill Biden said. 

“You’ve seen the president’s poll numbers drop. Does that bother you?” Braver asked. 

“I look at it a little differently, Rita. During the campaign, Joe made certain promises. Things that he would do. And we were going through a pandemic, which no one could have anticipated. So he did come in and rescue America with the American Rescue Plan. And millions of families got money because they were desperate. We have vaccines for kids ages 5 and up. And now, with the infrastructure plan, we’re going to have better roads and better buildings that don’t have asbestos. Better drinking water,” Jill Biden answered.

“So, do you figure once the public kind of comprehends this, things will turn around?” Braver pressed. 

“I do, I do,” Jill Biden said. 

“And one more question on that, on the polls. Because, there’ve been some recent polls that show that quite a few Americans have some questions about the president’s current mental fitness. As somebody who spends – I can see you shaking your head  – so what’s your response to that?” Braver asked. Jill Biden rolled her eyes and shook her head during the question.

“I think that’s ridiculous,” Jill Biden stated.

Next in the interview, Braver and Jill Biden joined Joe Biden to take a look at the Christmas decorations in the White House. 

“This has been a hard year,” Braver said to the president. “You know that various things that you’ve done have gotten a lot of criticism. You’ve had a hard time getting the other side to work with you. Don’t you ever feel discouraged about this? And doesn’t the criticism get to you? And how does Dr. B [Jill Biden] help you through that?”

“I guess it should get to me more,” President Biden said. “I know what I’m willing to lose over. If we walk away from the middle class. If we walk away from trying to unify people. If we start to engage in the same kind of politics that the last four years has done. I’m willing to lose over that.”

“You mean you’re willing to lose your presidency?” Braver clarified.

“My presidency, that’s right. Because I’m going to stick with it. There are certain things that are just, like, for example – Afghanistan,” President Biden answered. “Everybody says ‘you could have gotten out without anybody being hurt.’ No one’s come up with a way to ever indicate to me how that happens. And, so, there are certain things that are just so important.”

Jill Biden wrapped things up by telling Braver that Americans tell her they can “breathe again” now that President Trump is no longer in office.

“No matter where I travel across this country, a lot of people say to me ‘Jill, I feel like I can breathe again. Thank you. Please tell the president thank you for what he’s doing.’”

The 50 most iconic video game characters of all time

 

50. Samanosuke Akechi

(Image credit: Capcom)

First appearance in a game: 2001
Notable appearance: Onimusha 3: Demon Siege

Known as Tenkai Nankōbō to the people/demons he doesn’t brutally slay, Samanosuke takes the starring role in the first and third games of the Onimusha series. While he initially comes over as a fairly generic hero in Capcom’s original samurai slasher, Akechi blossoms into a kickass co-lead in Onimusha 3: Demon Siege, in part because acclaimed film actor Jean Reno does such a stellar job as the preposterously named Jacques Blanc. 

Steered by justice and a sense of honor, it’s a real pity Onmishua died a relatively early death. Despite claiming reasonably good reviews and sales figures, the franchise just didn’t have the legs of a Resident Evil, or even Devil May Cry. Loosely based on the historical figure, Akechi Hidemitsu, we can only hope we see this noble warrior reappear on modern consoles one day. 

49. Sylvanas Windrunner

(Image credit: Blizzard)

First appearance in a game: 2002
Notable appearance: World of Warcraft

First introduced in Warcraft 3: Reign of Chaos, Sylvanas has gone through one of the most satisfying story arcs in WoW history. Once a high elf ranger who died heroically protecting her homelands, Windrunner was turned into a banshee after her soul was ripped out during battle. 

Going on to play a pivotal role in World of Warcraft's superb Wrath of the Lich King expansion, the leader of the Forsaken faction is driven by the need for power and revenge. Happily, she becomes a teensy bit less consumed by her hatred of the living after she regains her free will. Regardless of whether she has undead agency or not though, Sylvanas remains an utterly iconic badass. 

48. Ratchet

(Image credit: Sony)

First appearance in a game: 2002
Notable appearance: Ratchet and Clank: A Crack in Time

One of PlayStation’s most likable mascots, the mechanically gifted Lombax has been wowing gamers with his incredibly fluffy space ears since the early ‘00s. Forming an all-time great duo with the tiny, impeccably polite robot Clank, Ratchet has saved the universe a ludicrous number of times. Despite being humble and heroic, the good-natured Lombax has always been a little glum, no matter how irresistibly chipper his dinky droid pal is. 

Up until A Crack in Time and Rift Apart fleshed out his backstory, Ratchet was thought to be the only surviving member of his species in all of the galaxy. Hoo-boy are we glad Rivet stole the show in the series’ first PS5 adventure to finally pick up the lonely Lombax’s spirits. 

47. Doomguy

(Image credit: Bethesda)

First appearance in a game: 1993
Notable appearance: Doom (2016)

John Romero’s icon goes by many names. "The Doom Slayer". "The Hell Walker". "Unchained Predator". "Mr Hugglebug". And we’ve only made one of those monikers up, promise. Debuting in iD’s formative FPS back in 1993, Doomguy’s snarling face was a pixelated wonder back in the days when Jurassic Park was awing cinemagoers worldwide. 

Without Doom’s legendary, incredibly violent marine, there would be no BJ Blazkowicz or Sam "Serious" Sam, let alone Microsoft’s iconic Master Chief. The daddy of the shooter genre, the shotgun-toting, chainsaw-revving legend made a triumphant reappearance in the series’ brilliant 2016 reboot. Three years later, the mute murderer was finally given some lines, delivered with grizzled panache by actor Matthew Waterson, in Doom Eternal. 

46. Dorian Pavus

(Image credit: EA)

First appearance in a game: 2014
Notable appearance: Dragon Age: Inquisition 

Now this is what we call a soup strainer. Captain Price may have a pretty respectable ‘stache, but it’s got nothing on the gloriously twirly piece of hair sitting above Dorian’s beautiful face. A playful flirt from the off, the former Enchanter is a dreamy, expertly groomed romance option for those who choose to play as a male Inquisitor.

One of the few truly iconic characters in Dragon Age, Dorian’s magical ability and sharp wit make him a great RPG companion. The hunky spellcaster has lived quite the life, too. Born to the fancy-pants House of Qarinus, Dorian studied magic at the Circle of Carastes, but despite being a prize student, his love of dueling landed him in all sorts of bother. From roughing it in the elven slums of Tevinter Imperium to joining the Inquisition to help stop societal ills, Pavus is as complicated as his mustache is magnificent. 

45. Dog

(Image credit: Microsoft)

First appearance in a game: 2008
Notable appearance: Fable 2

Thanks to Fable 2’s See the Future DLC, this iconic Albion pupper can come in several shapes and sizes. Whether you raise it as a dalmation, bloodhound, or the original "mutt" breed, Dog plays a crucial role in the Xbox RPG. Found near Bowerstone at the beginning of the adventure, your Hero and Dog form a bond that defines the game. 

As the journey unfolds, your behavior and choices affect the look and mannerisms of Dog. Play like a total jerk and you’ll quickly have a devil dog on your hands; one that acts aggressively and develops jet black paws. If the Hero remains a do-gooder though, the pup will be a very happy boy who children rush to pet. Regardless of your moral choices, Dog proves itself iconic through a legendary act of sacrifice, taking a bullet for the Hero as the dastardly Lucien tries to shoot your character. And yes, we do have all the things in our eye. 

44. Bella Goth

(Image credit: EA)

First appearance in a game: 2000
Notable appearance: The Sims 2

The most stylish Sim ever used to have such a lovely, boring life. Growing up in the Bachelor family, she was a good student whose Gothic side shone through in the collection of skulls she adorned her bedroom with. The iconic, impeccably dressed Sim’s life gets a lot more eventful in The Sims 2, when she marries Mortimer Goth, a b-movie star with an… um, unusual love of insects. 

Though Bella shares a happy relationship with her bug-hugging hubby at 165 Sim Lane, Goth vanishes from Pleasantview after being abducted by aliens. She’s been missing ever since – though a version of her does appear in The Sims 4, admittedly in an alternate timeline. Prior to being beamed up by E.T. and pals, Bella was last spotted hanging around Don Lothario’s deck, hinting at an extramarital tryst between the pair. Juicy! Beam this oh so stylish Sim back, you alien jerks! 

43. Alduin

(Image credit: Bethesda)

First appearance in a game: 2011
Notable appearance: The Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim

This surprisingly loose-lipped lizard is a deadly dragon king, and easily the most iconic monster your Dragonborn encounters. And talk about an entrance. During Skyrim’s brilliant execution opening, Alduin saves your warrior from losing their head during a relentless attack on Helgen Keep. How? By acting like a dragon… that, and by summoning storms of meteors with his iconic roar. We never saw Drogon pull that off in Game of Thrones.

Such is his appetite for destruction, Alduin is often called "World Eater" – presumably by the soon-to-be charred corpses of his latest victims. Mercifully, the Dragonborn and a trio of Nordic heroes send Alduin packing through time thanks to the power of an Elder Scroll. Still, before he’s Back to the Future-d to oblivion, this iconic dragon is an awesomely grand, gloating villain.

42. Steve

(Image credit: Microsoft)

First appearance in a game: 2011
Notable appearance: Minecraft

Who? Yup, Mojang’s blocky cover star actually has a name. Rocking one of the most instantly recognizable silhouettes in all of gaming, this man-shaped stack of bricks is the enduring symbol of Minecraft. He may be a man of few – or more accurately - zero words, yet Steve’s role as a mute protagonist makes him the perfect blank slate to take in all the wonders of Mojang’s endlessly imaginative sandbox world. 

Also, that dude has not been missing shoulder day at his presumably block-built gym. Thanks to the game’s staggering popularity and a Steve-centric YouTube series made by Rise Animation, the Minecraft man is now so iconic, he even nabs a fighting cameo in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. That’s it, Stevie boy; give Mario and his cronies a brick-based beatdown.

41. Chloe Price

(Image credit: Bandai Namco)

First appearance in a game: 2015
Notable appearance: Life is Strange

Starring in the most iconic time-fiddling friendship since Marty McFly and Doc Brown, Max Caulfield and Chloe Price form quite the duo in Dontnod’s disarming episodic adventure. When Max uses her magic juju to reverse time to save Price’s life after years of estrangement, the pair almost instantly rekindle their friendship.

Tenderly played by Aloy actress Ashley Burch, and by Rhianna DeVries in the prequel Life is Strange Beyond the Storm, it’s Chloe’s complexity that makes her such an iconic character. Fiercely loyal but quick to blame others, brave while still crippled by fear, compassionate yet cold, Price is a complete one-off. The sensitive handling of Chloe’s mental health and addiction issues makes her not only one of the most iconic characters of the 2010s but one of the most truly three-dimensional to ever appear in a video game.

40. Cayde-6

(Image credit: Bungie)

First appearance in a game: 2014
Notable appearance: Destiny 2

Everyone’s favorite quip-cracking Guardian is a brilliant example of how the right voice actor can completely make or break a character. Pitch perfectly played by Nathan Fillion, this Hunter Vanguard goes through one of the most satisfying character arcs in Destiny lore. Though he was underwritten in Bungie’s original looter shooter – who wasn’t?! – the constantly sarcastic Cayde really gets a chance to shine in Destiny 2.

The driving force of the plot in the sequel’s excellent Forsaken DLC, the Hunter is given a truly ennobling, against all odds death scene. To this day, Destiny’s Tower has never quite filled the hole this charming lover of loot left behind. We’d be sadder, but we’re just relieved he bequeathed our Guardians his incredible Ace of Spades exotic hand cannon. 

39. Dogmeat

(Image credit: Bethesda)

First appearance in a game: 1997
Notable appearance: Fallout 4

Who’s the best (slightly irradiated) boy?! Though his breed and appearance has never quite stayed the same throughout Bethesda’s legendary RPG series, one version or another of this pup has always acted as a loyal companion to the Vault Dweller. Inspired by the unnamed pooch that appears in the first two Mad Max films, Dogmeat’s original name was.... ahem, "Dogsh*t"... at least around the offices of Interplay Productions back in the late ‘90s.

Thankfully, the iconic dog got a more PC-friendly nickname, alongside a considerably more cuddly redesign, in Fallout 4. Whereas previously he’d been portrayed as the sort of mangy, slavering mongrel you’d expect to run into during the nuclear apocalypse, the most recent version of Dogmeat to hit our screens is a gorgeous, totally unkillable German Shepard. You better believe he deserves all the treats. 

38. Garrus Vakarian 

(Image credit: EA)

First appearance in a game: 2007
Notable appearance: Mass Effect 2

Shepard’s Turian BFF might just be the best virtual sidekick ever. Strangely though, Mass Effect’s most popular character initially makes an underwhelming first impression. At first, he comes across as a stuffy C-Sec officer, but as the original trilogy evolves and improves, the avian-looking alien’s backstory becomes more nuanced and satisfying.

Despite his professional obligations, Garrus is a natural-born rule-breaker, which is why he and Shepard get on so famously… providing you don’t choose to kill him on the multiple occasions the trilogy dangles the choice in front of you. Keep Vakarian alive right until the end of Mass Effect 3, and one of the most effective portrayals of wordless, video game friendship reveals itself in arguably the series’ best cutscene. 

37. Captain Price

(Image credit: Activision)

First appearance in a game: 2007
Notable appearance: Call of Duty: Modern Warfare

The most famous mustache in video games belongs to the most charismatic character ever to appear in Call of Duty. As cockney as a plate of gun-toting jellied eels, John Price is the breakout star of Activision’s landmark rebooted shooter, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare. Though he’s really only playable via flashbacks and the ridiculous ending sequence of Modern Warfare 3, the good captain steals every last second of screen time he appears in.

Unflappably loyal, a little jaded, and never anything less than an undisputed badass, Price was the first Call of Duty character who was really worth paying attention to. Initially voiced by veteran English actor Billy Murray, a younger version of the character once again stole the limelight from the series’ conveyor belt of mute protagonists in 2019’s rebooted Modern Warfare, this time portrayed by Liverpudlian actor, Barry Sloane. 

36. Isaac Clarke

(Image credit: EA)

First appearance in a game: 2008
Notable appearance: Dead Space 2

Waaaaaay before The Mandalorian, Isaac Clarke made hiding your face carbonite cool. Even though you don’t see his mug until the sequel, this near-mute systems engineer makes an indelible impression in EA’s survival horror series merely by having one of the coolest costumes we’ve ever seen. 

Part Darth Vader, part slimmed-down Warhammer 40,000 Space Marine, Clarke always looks awesome, whether he’s floating through the debris of a ruined intergalactic station, or being sliced and diced by one of Dead Space’s rotting Necromorphs. He may not have the one-liner skills of Resident Evil 4’s Leon, but Isaac makes up for his lack of chat by being one of the keenest crack shots in the galaxy. 

35. Tom Nook

(Image credit: Nintendo)

First appearance in a game: 2001
Notable appearance: Animal Crossing

The most ruthless businessman since Gordon Gecko… and don’t let that fact he’s a cartoon fuzzball fool you. First appearing in the original Animal Crossing on GameCube, this economically-savvy scoundrel is one of the canniest, most conniving characters in Nintendo history. He may seem all sweetest and light when he’s selling you that first house, but the mortgage payments come along soon enough. Who says Nintendo never handles adult issues?

Hilariously, Nook becomes an even more brutal negotiator as the series goes on. You thought he was a tough customer to deal with in the first Animal Crossing? Wait until the house he initially offered you is downgraded to a tent in the likes of Animal Crossing: New Leaf. Greed is good… and the surname is Nook.

34. Niko Bellic

(Image credit: Rockstar)

First appearance in a game: 2008
Notable appearance: Grand Theft Auto 4

GTA’s most emotionally conflicted lead character is a Balkan badass with a twitchy trigger finger and a tortured past. Rocking a cheap sweatsuit more effectively than any other character in gaming history, Niko is a far more complex individual than any of the one-dimensional leads that appeared in the original Grand Theft Auto trilogy.

Unable to shake his shifty past and overwhelmed by the excess of modern American life, Bellic steamrolls through Liberty City like a perpetually downbeat bull in an incredibly violent china shop. If it wasn’t for his cousin’s love for bowling and other, more X-rated pastimes, Niko would barely lighten up during GTA 4’s 93 story missions. 

33. Kassandra

(Image credit: Ubisoft)

First appearance in a game: 2018
Notable appearance: Assassin’s Creed: Odyssey

Though you technically don’t need to choose her as the main character of Odyssey, we’d rather play a stare-off with Medusa than pick Kassandra’s half-brother, Alexios. Her baby brother may be fine(ish) - if a smidge dull - but it’s Kassandra who really shines when you start exploring the vast lands of Ubisoft’s Ancient Greek kingdom.

Played with a smile and a wink, this Spartan mercenary is as charming as she is homicidal. Whether rubbing shoulders with iconic historical figures like Socrates or slicing and dicing enemy soldiers like a Terminator in a toga, Kassandra is both a furious warrior and a slightly murder-y maker of mirth. As the first female player character in a mainline Assassin’s entry, Melissanthi Mahut absolutely nails the role, giving Kassandra a serious yet also charmingly sassy side. After AC II’s legendary Ezio, this kickass, quip-loving Greek is easily the most popular character in Ubi’s long-running series. 

32. Parappa the Rappa

(Image credit: Sony)

First appearance in a game: 1996
Notable appearance: Parappa the Rapper

As far as mascots go for the original PlayStation, Parappa is definitely a left-field choice.  This skinny cartoon pooch is obsessed with rap… and wearing blindingly bright beanies. The cuddly hound is also one of the most relentlessly upbeat characters on the PS1. As he tries to out rap the likes of Joe Chin, Parappa chirps “I gotta believe” if he’s struggling during a beat battle. 

The rapping pooch’s name means “paper-thin” in Japanese, which neatly explains Pappa’s ultra expressive, almost origami-looking 2D art style. The unique look and premise of the first game made Parappa a breakout star, earning him sequels, his own anime series, and even a slightly strange face-slapping rivalry with Ape Escape’s Spike in PlayStation All-Stars Battle Royale.

31. Pyramid Head

(Image credit: Konami)

First appearance in a game: 2001
Notable appearance: Silent Hill 2

With a noggin the shape of a scalene triangle, one of the most infamous monsters in the history of survival horror was initially known as “The Bogeyman” in Japan. Brandishing a knife roughly as long as a school bus, the relentless butcher sinisterly scrapes his sword-like weapon across many a surface in pursuit of James Sunderland in Silent Hill 2. 

Introduced to players through one of the most heinous acts of violence in video game history, the bloodstained abomination is the main threat of Konami’s classic horror sequel. In a heartless (and kind of ingenious) “f**k you!” to players, the game actually throws two Pyramid Heads at you during one of Silent Hill 2’s closing battles. To this day it remains a triangular act of gaming treachery. 

30. Guybrush Threepwood

(Image credit: Lucasfilm Games)

First appearance in a game: 1990
Notable appearance: The Curse of Monkey Island

Guybrush Ulysses Threepwood is a rarity in the video game world: a comedy character who’s actually funny. He’s a great example of a protagonist who thinks he’s more capable than he actually is but is still fun to play, as you quip, spit, and flail your way through five Monkey Island games, facing down the evil undead pirate LeChuck and romancing the spirited Elaine Marley. His forename comes from the Deluxe Paint tool used to create his sprite, and his surname is lifted directly from P.G. Woodehouse’s Blandings stories. Guybrush is famous enough that he’s featured in numerous other games, including Star Wars: The Force Unleashed 2, Sea of Thieves, Indiana Jones and the Infernal Machine, and even an oblique reference in the Uncharted series. 

29. Arthur Morgan

(Image credit: Rockstar)

First appearance in a game: 2018
Notable appearance: Red Dead Redemption 2

One of the hardest things to do in a game that lets you go anywhere, do anything and hogtie innocent strangers is providing some sense of depth and realism to your protagonist, no matter how they behave. But somehow, Arthur Morgan in Red Dead Redemption 2 manages to bring a nourishing sense of humanity to almost everything he does. Actor Roger Clark provided motion capture and voiceover for the troubled outlaw, and he took his inspiration from Toshiro Mifune, the legendary Japanese leading man who starred in many of Akira Kurosawa’s samurai films. It’s a leftfield choice until you remember Kurosawa was deeply influenced by classic John Ford Westerns, and that many of his films were adapted again for a wild west setting. Those layered subtleties are just part of what makes Arthur Morgan stand out as a stoic, amusing, often tragic character.

28. Max Payne

(Image credit: Remedy Entertainment)

First appearance in a game: 2001
Notable appearance: Max Payne

Think of Max Payne and the chances are you’ll visualize slow-motion dives and hear the desperate rattle of painkillers. He’s trauma in a leather trench coat; a man who, having lost everything, somehow contrives to lose even more. Across the course of three games he’s battled every kind of mafia organization conceivable, worked as a private security contractor and even shaved his head in an ‘I can’t take this sh*t anymore’ cutscene. In the first game he’s played by writer and designer Sam Lake, largely because the Remedy team couldn’t afford to pay actors (Lake’s mother even portrays the game’s villain), but he was remodeled in the second game to resemble actor Timothy Gibbs. Mark Wahlberg played the role of Max in 2008’s critically-eviscerated movie adaptation, which holds a 16% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes. A different kind of trauma altogether. 

27. Sam Fisher

(Image credit: Ubisoft)

First appearance in a game: 2002
Notable appearance: Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell 

Sam Fisher is the reason most gamers can’t walk through a narrow corridor without looking up to check for three green dots. He’s got the sort of career history that makes Solid Snake look like a wheezy recruit in the Territorial Army: a highly decorated Navy SEAL, former CIA clandestine officer, member of a top-secret NSA initiative, and commander of his own covert unit. He’s been performed by chainsaw-voiced veteran actor Michael Ironside in five of the six Splinter Cell games but in the more action-focussed Blacklist, Canadian actor Eric Johnson took over voice and performance capture duties. Fisher is a big enough deal that a film adaptation of Splinter Cell has been in pre-production since 2005, with Bourne director Doug Liman briefly attached, and Netflix is currently producing an anime series adaptation with John Wick writer Derek Kolstad serving as executive producer.

26. Big Daddy and Little Sister

(Image credit: 2K)

First appearance in a game: 2007
Notable appearance: BioShock

There’s something magnificently weird about your first encounter with Little Sisters and their protective Big Daddies in 2007’s BioShock. There’s a sense that they have a purpose outside your firsthand experience - that you’re an outsider intruding upon something real. And BioShock is brilliant because it doesn’t let you ignore them: if you want to succeed, you have to engage. The fights that follow are the game’s best - desperate, terrifying arm wrestles, which require you to throw all of your dwindling resources at your lumbering, elephantine opponent in an elemental fight for survival. And that shocking eruption of violence serves to frame your treatment of the Little Sisters: Do you rescue them and make the game more difficult for yourself? Or harvest them for improved magic bee hands? You rescue them, obviously, you monster.

25. Ezio Auditore da Firenze 

(Image credit: Ubisoft)

First appearance in a game: 2009
Notable Appearance: Assassin's Creed 2

Whatever your favorite Assassin's Creed game, it’s hard to argue against Ezio being the face of the series. He embodies everything the games do best: infectious swagger, near-superheroic abilities, and an absurd proliferation of belts. But he’s not just cool for the sake of it: we get to go on a journey with Ezio, a man who hones his craft over time and grows as a character. And the fact we get to see so much of his life makes everything more poignant: like the montage scene from Up, but with more brutal melee takedowns. His experiences are chronicled over the course of four main games and he also made guest appearances in Soulcalibur 5 and For Honor. 

24. Leon S Kennedy

(Image credit: Capcom)

First appearance in a game: 1998
Notable Appearance: Resident Evil 2

As well as being the proud owner of a haircut you can date to the precise month in the 1990s, Leon S Kennedy of Resident Evil 2 holds the award for ‘worst ever first day at work’. He finds his new home overrun with flesh-devouring reanimated corpses, his mysterious new paramour Ada betrays him and his welcome party has been canceled. He handles it well, however, helping to save the young Sherry Birkin and escape the city with the help of student Claire Redfield. He lands a promotion after that, getting bumped up to government special agent by Resident Evil 4, this time on a mission to save the president’s kidnapped daughter from cultists infected with a mind-controlling parasite. 

23. Glados

(Image credit: Valve)

First appearance in a game: 2007
Notable Appearance: Portal

You know a villain has to be pretty special to earn a place on this list alongside the gallery of fully fleshed-out protagonists. But then you could argue that Glados is the central character in 2007’s Portal and that Chell is merely a delivery method for Valve’s flawlessly scripted, unhinged AI. Her manipulative turn in the first game would likely have justified her inclusion here, as she degenerates from a sassy guidance personality construct to a belligerent overlord. But Glados’s face turn Portal 2 - which even includes an undignified spell as a sentient potato battery - brought a surprising degree of pathos and relatability to a machine that spent several hours trying to kill us. 

22. Commander Shepard

(Image credit: EA)

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First appearance in a game: 2007
Notable Appearance: Portal

If you’re reading this having already played Mass Effect, you’ll likely have a specific image in your head when we talk about Commander Shepard. Perhaps it’s the ruggedly generic Default Shepard. Or perhaps it’s some bug-eyed, character-slider abomination. But whatever your choice, Shepard resonates with so many of us because they’re the central point in one of gaming’s great stories - a moral nucleus that lets you change the fate of planets and galaxies in one breath and punch abrasive reporters with the next. Bioware does such a fine job of building a believable universe in Mass Effect that you begin to believe your own legend as you play, and the strength of Shepherd’s characterization - paragon or renegade - is a huge part of that.

21. Samus Aran

(Image credit: Nintendo)

First appearance in a game: 1986
Notable Appearance: Metroid

Samus is rightly regarded as a breakthrough character in games. The big reveal at the end of the first Metroid game, in which it was revealed we’d been playing as a woman all along, was so unexpected that many players simply didn’t understand it. Some even attributed it to a legendary cheat code that unlocked all the items in the game. In fact, the cultural significance of that reveal is now only obvious in hindsight - not just because Samus is a woman, but because her gender didn’t have any over effect on her appearance or behavior. And while Samus wasn’t the first playable female character in a video game, despite some assertions to the contrary, she was certainly the one with the highest profile. She’s starred in nine Nintendo games since - including, most recently, Metroid Dread - and has been a playable character in all five Super Smash Bros. games. 

20. Rayman

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(Image credit: Ubisoft)

First appearance in a game: 1995
Notable Appearance: Rayman

Much like Mumford and Sons or Worcester sauce-flavored crisps, few people publicly admit to Rayman being their favorite. But there’s an enduring appeal to Ubisoft’s cheerful magical hero. Rayman first appeared in 1995, and has gone on to star in four other major releases, including the critically lauded Origins in 2011 and Legends in 2013. He’s also starred in an absurd number of spin-offs - including golf, gardening, and kart games - as well as ‘gifting’ us with Ubisoft’s mischievous, screaming mascots in 2006’s Rayman Raving Rabbids. His unique design - essentially a head with floating hands and feet - is based on sketches drawn as a teenager by creator Michel Ancel. One can’t help but wonder what’s underneath those white gloves. Terrible violence, probably. 

19. Gordon Freeman

(Image credit: Valve)

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First appearance in a game: 1998
Notable Appearance: Half-Life

Many characters in games get saddled with the ‘everyman’ tag, but few wear it with the same grace as Gordon Freeman. Since his appearance in 1998’s Half-Life, he’s cemented his place as gaming’s most aspirational theoretical physicist - a man as handy with a crowbar as he is with complicated science things I’d struggle to explain here. He’s helped along by Half-Life’s effervescent cast, particularly Alyx Vance, who makes us love Gordon more just because of the way she looks at him. Yes, the idea of a guy in a beard and glasses saving the world and getting the girl might be the ultimate geek glow-up fantasy, but Freeman has an understated x-factor that makes it somehow seem more believable. 

18. Cloud

(Image credit: Square Enix)

First appearance in a game: 1997
Notable Appearance: Final Fantasy 7

On a purely superficial level, it’s easy to dismiss Cloud Strife as if you’re playing a game of hack journalist cliche bingo. Big hair! Big sword! Amnesia! LOL. But the truth is that Cloud endures because he’s a complex, nuanced character, and his appearance in Final Fantasy VII might be the first example of an unreliable narrator in games. In a game famous for its twists and tragic deaths, it’s the lead character’s trauma that leaves the most enduring mark, and that’s a testament to how ahead of his time Cloud was. His cultural significance might have lessened over recent years, purely because he’s so ubiquitous, but it’s worth taking a moment to remember he’s about more than just decadent hair and a preposterous sword

17. Chun-Li

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(Image credit: Capcom)

First appearance in a game: 1991
Notable Appearance: Street Fighter 2

It seems mad to write it, but back at the time of release in 1991, Chun-Li was the first playable woman in a fighting game. Fast forward a few years and it’s almost impossible to imagine the competitive landscape without her. As an Interpol agent out to avenge her father’s death at the hands of M. Bison, she’s one of Street Fighter’s most fleshed out fighters, which is likely why she ended up with her own live-action movie, 2009’s The Legend of Chun-Li, in which she was played by Kristin Kreuk. Since her conception, Chun-Li has inspired obsessive devotion: her meticulous design almost caused 1991’s Street Fighter 2 to be delayed because designer Akira Yasuda, also known as Akiman, was so obsessed with her legs he resprited them five times, pushing the game right up to their final deadline.

16. Agent 47

(Image credit: IO Interactive)

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First appearance in a game: 2000
Notable Appearance: Hitman: Codename 47

How important is Agent 47? The chances are that you can no longer see a bald man in a black suit without imaging a barcode on the back of his head - or, better yet, drawing one on him while he sleeps. We first met him in 2000 in Hitman: Codename 47, which established him a the ideal, emotionless vessel through which to execute your elaborate murder plans, and he’s gone on to feature in eight main games and two spin-offs. Agent 47’s utter coldness just makes it even funnier when you dress up as a flamingo to bludgeon a villainous industrialist. 47’s total lack of personality makes the decision to cast Timothy Oliphant - a man so charming his teeth can cause delirium - to play him in the 2007 film adaptation even more inexplicable.

15. Nathan Drake

(Image credit: Sony)

First appearance in a game: 2007
Notable Appearance: Uncharted

If you’ve ever wondered why modern game characters never stop chatting to each other (or themselves) while you play, look no further than Nathan Drake. Since his first charmingly-disheveled appearance in 2007’s Uncharted, Drake set the standard for humanizing, in-game banter, whether it was a wry chat with a friend and mentor Sully or, more famously, a desperate ‘oh crap’ before being crushed, dropped, exploded or a combination of all three. He’s the archetypal loveable rogue: a troubled man with a murky past, who inevitably ends up doing the right thing despite his outward reluctance, and he’s the reason Uncharted shines brighter than other games that offer similar, treasure-thieving thrills. Drake will - finally! Finally! - be played by Tom Holland in the Uncharted movie, scheduled for release in 2022. 

14. Spyro

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(Image credit: Activision)

First appearance in a game: 1998
Notable Appearance: Spyro the Dragon

A gaming mascot should be like an excellent cake: sweet, but not so sweet that you want vomit. Spyro gets the balance right. His appearance is all about function, not form: he was changed from classic dragon green to purple to avoid him blending in with the greenery and given the ability to glide to make the game stand apart from other platformers. Insomniac even hired NASA rocket scientist Matt Whiting to perfect his in-air movement. Since his first appearance in 1998, Spyro has appeared in six main series games, as well as three in the Legend of Spyro reboot series. He’s also appeared in two Skylanders games, albeit after a slightly upsetting redesign. One parting Spyro fact: he was initially called Pete, but the name was changed to avoid the wrath of the ever-litigious Disney. Smart. 

13. Geralt of Rivia 

(Image credit: CD Projekt Red)

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First appearance in a game: 2007
Notable Appearance: The Witcher 2: Wild Hunt

In a landscape full of dashing heroes striving to do the right thing, Geralt of Rivia stands out as a peerless example of grey morality. The world around him contains every kind of cruelty and evil, and it’s fruitless to try and fix it all. Instead, Geralt provides a believable lynchpin around which The Witcher’s unflinching fantasy world is built. Geralt has starred in three main Witcher games from CD Projekt Red, the Gwent spin-off, and has made guest appearances in Soulcalibur 6, Monster Hunter: World and Daemon X Machina. In the Netflix series - which takes its cues directly from Andrzej Sapkowski’s books rather than the games - he’s played by Henry Cavill. Wherever he turns up, Geralt thrills as a complex, reviled outcast, pushed by destiny and circumstance into conflict he can’t escape. 

12. Ellie

(Image credit: Naughty Dog)

First appearance in a game: 2013
Notable Appearance: The Last of Us

Ellie may be the emotional heart of The Last of Us, but her origins lie in Uncharted 2. She was inspired by a proposed sequence in which Drake would meet a mute girl in a war-torn city, and the two would form a bond through gameplay, not dialogue - things like Drake following her through the city and learning her secrets. The concept was so compelling that Naughty Dog built an entire game around it. Over the course of two titles, Ellie provides resolve, humor, truth, and vulnerability to a world that would otherwise be unrelentingly cold. Ashley Johnson understandably won critical acclaim for her portrayal of Ellie, for whom she provides motion capture and voice acting, and Ellie will be played by Game of Thrones’ Bella Ramsey in the upcoming TV adaptation of The Last of Us, written and produced by Chernobyl’s Craig Mazin.

11. Z-shaped Tetris Block

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(Image credit: Alexey Pajitnov)

First appearance in a game: 1984
Notable Appearance: Tetris

The Z-block, alongside her less glamorous sibling the S-block, came into our lives in 1984. Affectionately known as the ‘squiggly’, this tetromino neatly encapsulates the delicious torture of Tetris. Yes, you might be able to find the correct alcove in which to nestle the Z-block, but you can kiss your pristine, smooth surfaces behind. With that in mind, you might expect we’d pick the O-block or the I-block as the MVPs of Alexey Pajitnov’s legendary puzzler. But no. The O-block is literally just a square - you can find those anywhere - and the straight, simple I-block is so basic it’s the pumpkin spice latte of the tetromino world. All hail our difficult but interesting friend Zed.

10. Solid Snake

(Image credit: Konami)

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First appearance in a game: 1987
Notable Appearance: Metal Gear Solid

Solid Snake has many names, David, Old Snake, Iroquois Pliskin, and honestly trying to condense this icon's biography into a pithy paragraph is every writer's worst nightmare. Born from the complicated mind of Hideo Kojima, Solid Snake is a mercenary and spec ops solider and a clone of FOXHOUND founder Big Boss. Through his complex life, he has saved the world, fought the titular tank Metal Gear, tried to retire, joined the CIA, and become a competitive dogsled racer. Outside of the Metal Gear series he's appeared as a corpse in Silent Hill 3, in the Game Boy Advance game, Yu-Gi-Oh! 7 Trials to Glory: World Championship Tournament 200, Ape Escape 3, and LittleBigPlanet, to name just a few of his cameos. This oddly busy man is also set to be immortalized in a movie from Kong: Skull Island director Jordan Vogt-Roberts. 

9. Kratos

(Image credit: Sony)

First appearance in a game: 2005
Notable Appearance: God of War

From frenzied frat boy of violence to an emotionally conflicted dad, few characters in gaming have ever pulled off such a surprising narrative arc. When Kratos arrived on PlayStation he was a Spartan warrior filed by a lust for vengeance, but not averse to a sex mini-game now and again. He was a hero, but not one you'd introduce to mom. The reboot in 2018 under creative director Cory Barlog gave Kratos a new son, Atreus, and a soul. Gone were his double-chained blades (at least at first) and in came the Leviathan Axe and its elemental powers. As well as new gameplay, Stargate SG-1 gave a new voice and pathos to Kratos. Father and son will return next year in God of War: Ragnarok. 

8. Crash Bandicoot

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(Image credit: Activision)

First appearance in a game: 1996
Notable Appearance: Crash Bandicoot: Warped

Mobile mutant Crash Bandicoot is actually the victim of genetic experimentation, bit doesn't let that get him down. His signature move since is his tornado spin, but since his debut in 1996, his skills have expanded to include new fighting moves and even a bazooka. In his most recent adventure, 2020's Crash Bandicoot 4: It's About Time, Crash could use Quantum Masks to slow time, reverse gravity and get a temporary invnicibility buff. Perhaps the greatest honor bestowed on this icon is that an extinct species of bandicoot discovered in northwestern Queensland was named after him by a group of paleontologists. 

7. Link

(Image credit: Nintendo)

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First appearance in a game: 1986
Notable Appearance: The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild

Link the silent Hyrulian twink is the creation of legendary video game designer Shigeru Miyamoto and has been battling Ganon for 15 years through The Legend of Zelda series, as well as popping up in spin-offs, cartoons, and manga. While his appearance has changed significantly through the games, some things remain true for every link. His signature weapon - the Master Sword - his close relationship with Princess Zelda, and his fearless nature. Link has always been multiskilled, using boomerangs, bows, shields, musical instruments, and gliders to defeat enemies and explore dungeons, and even had the ability to transform into a wolf in Twilight Princess. Despite his legacy, he's one of the few icons on this list not to have his own movie. 

6. Master Chief

(Image credit: Xbox Game Studios)

First appearance in a game: 2001
Notable Appearance: Halo: Reach

Full name Master Chief Petty Officer John-117, the Halo hero is a Spartan supersoldier, conscripted by the United Nations Space Command (UNSC) as a child and trained for battle. With the help of his AI sidekick Cortana, Master Chief has been fighting a collective of aliens called the Covenant for 20 years. With the success of the original trilogy, Master Chief became the face - or at least the helmet - of Xbox, and has gone on to appear in 15 Halo games, and Halo Infinite will be released on December 8, 2021. He's also starred in novels, comics, anime, has a Paramount+ television series produced by Steven Spielberg in the works, and almost had his own feature film with Peter Jackson, Guillermo Del Toro, and Neil Blomkamp all involved before the project was canceled. 

5. Pac-Man

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(Image credit: Bandai Namco)

First appearance in a game: 1980
Notable Appearance: Pac-Man Championship Edition DX - 93

You probably can't remember the last time you played a Pac-Man game, but you'd recognize that little yellow circle anywhere. Inspired by a slice of pizza with a piece cut out, Pac-Man's raison dêtre is eating dots and escaping ghosts in a simple maze. Despite these simple mechanics, Pac-Man has remained one of the most enduring characters of the arcade era, with the merchandise and media profile to match. He's had a cartoon - featuring the entire Pac family and pets - and even today is referenced in movies like Wreck-It Ralph, Pixels and Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2. 

4. Lara Croft

(Image credit: Square Enix)

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First appearance in a game: 1996
Notable Appearance: Rise of the Tomb Raider

The pin-up archeologist has been through a massive evolution since her creation as the pointy-breasted sex symbol hero for 1996's Tomb Raider. She was always a badass, traversing ancient tombs and taking on villains and dinosaurs, but the 2010 reboot introduced a new, more modern Lara Croft, giving her a more complete origin story and a new streak of humanity. Across the various games Croft's biography has changed, but her smarts, bold spirit and parental tragedy are recurring themes. Away from the games, Lara Croft has been touched by movie magic twice. In 2001 Angelina Jolie portrayed her for two movies, and in 2018 Alicia Vikander stepped into her hiking boots. Vikander will return for Tomb Raider: Obsidian, with Lovecraft Country's Misha Green as writer and director. 

3. Sonic the Hedgehog

(Image credit: Paramount Pictures)

First appearance in a game: 1991
Notable Appearance: Sonic Mania

Sonic is the instantly recognizable mascot for Sega, but in another timeline, it could have been very different. In the concept stage of making a rival for Nintendo's Mario,  Sega developers considered a rabbit, a dog, and even an armadillo. Luckily they went with the blue hedgehog, who has since appeared in over 100 games on a range of platforms, from the Sega Genesis to arcades to phones. He's also been immortalized in animation, on the side of Formula One cars, on soccer kits, and scientists working on genetic mutations in fruit flies have even named a protein after him. In 2020 Sonic got his own live-action movie (after some edits to his controversial CGI look in the trailer) and a sequel is due for release in April 2022. 

2. Pikachu

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(Image credit: The Pokemon Company)

First appearance in a game: 1996
Notable Appearance: Pokemon Gold and Silver  

If Pokemon has a spokesperson, it's the adorable and electrifying yellow fuzzball. First appearing in Pokemon Red and Green in Japan, the mouse-type pokemon was chosen by Nintendo to be one of the mascots for the game series' marketing and merchandising and has since appeared at international football matches, as a balloon in the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, on the side of Boeing 747 and as a MacDonald's dessert. For millennials, his fame was secured not just by the games but as Ash Ketchum's faithful companion in the cartoon, and for the newest generation of pokemon trainers, there's the movie Detective Pikachu where his cute squeaks are replaced by the Ryan Reynolds repartee.  

1. Mario

(Image credit: Nintendo)

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Notable appearance: Super Mario Bros.
First appearance in a game: 1981

There's never been a better time to be Mario. It's been forty years since the plumber first appeared in Donkey Kong, and now he's the face of Nintendo with a star-studded movie due in 2022, a Super Mario World theme park in Japan, and over 200 video games to his name. Even now, Nintendo is still finding new ways to innovate on the adventures for their stocky Italian plumber, with games like Super Mario Odyssey and Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle proving there's plenty of life in the little guy yet.