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FEBRUARY 2,  2021

SHORT TAKES ON THE DRIFTING WRECKAGE – OVERNIGHT:

CNN FALLS BACK TO EARTH – FROM VARIETY:   While January 2021 will go down in the ratings record books for CNN, the last week of the month may offer a portent of what the post-Trump era will be like for the network.  In the first week of the Biden administration, the AT&T-owned news channel saw the audiences that had been flooding into primetime recently drop precipitously on Jan. 25-29 compared with the highs of previous weeks. Meanwhile, rival Fox News Channel saw its own ratings only dip slightly after weeks of registering its own sharp declines.  Another network that has been characterized as left-leaning, MSNBC, has also seen significant declines but nowhere near as steep as what has hit CNN: Variety Intelligence Platform’s analysis of the viewership data across two key metrics—the target news demographic for people ages 25-54, and the total audience watching—shows that CNN ended the final week of January with ratings dropping roughly 44% for total audience versus the prior week across all three hours of primetime.  What will CNN do without Donald Trump?  They won't unless...they pull off one of the great maneuvers in broadcast history and offer him his own show, unrestricted, no supervision.  Can you just see those numbers?

BERNIE RISES, AMERICA FALLS – FROM THE NEW YORK POST:   WASHINGTON — Socialist Sen. Bernie Sanders has been elevated to the powerful role of Senate Budget Committee Chairman as the Democratic Party continues its metamorphosis under the new Biden administration.  Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer on Tuesday announced the committee memberships for the new 117th Congress and also confirmed that West Virginia centrist Sen. Joe Manchin, who is quickly emerging as a powerful voice in the upper chamber, would lead the Senate Energy & Natural Resources Committee.  After damaging allegations about her flagging mental acuity emerged in the press late last year, 87-year-old Sen. Dianne Feinstein also stepped aside and has been replaced as the chair of the powerful Senate Judiciary Committee by Illinois Sen. Dick Durbin.  The big news here is that Sanders, a socialist, will lead a committee that deals with the national budget.  What a show this will be.  When do the Democrats on the committee start to squirm?

February 2, 2021       Permalink

BIDEN THE DUD?  – OVERNIGHT:  Two weeks as president.  How is Biden doing in the only daily tracking poll we have, Rasmussen?  Not exactly hot.  From PJ Media: 

He (Biden) got 80 million votes. So, all of this must be extremely popular with likely voters, right? Not according to Rasmussen, a polling firm that has conducted the Daily Presidential Tracking Poll since Gallup stopped doing it when Barack Obama was elected. The pollster has used a consistent methodology since 2008, and polls likely voters who have demonstrated they participate in elections.
As of day seven, how is President Biden doing?

Biden has not been above water a single time in the Approval Index rating. This index is the difference between how many likely voters strongly approve and how many strongly disapprove. Total approval has hit 50% once so far.

This result is astonishing when you think about it. President Biden has the full weight of nearly every corporate media outlet, tech company, and cultural institution behind him. They have been drooling all over themselves to convince us this is a return to unifying normalcy. After all, his favorite ice cream is chocolate chip, and his two German Shepherds just love their new digs. So normal. So unifying.

President Trump had the specter of Russian collusion hanging over his head; Democrats already talking about impeaching him; the p*ssy hat brigade protesting in the streets; and a never-ending media onslaught. He was “literally Hitler” and just dying to let his dictatorial freak flag fly. The day before Biden’s Inauguration, Trump’s Approval Index was the name as Biden’s yesterday, and his approval rating was 51%.

Trump’s 55 executive orders per year drastically reduced government interference in people’s lives and the economy. His administration committed that for every order that promulgated a new rule, they’d rescinded at least two. So, roughly 17 executive orders per year directed the agencies to do something new, rather than telling them to stop doing something they had been doing.

You may be old enough to remember President Obama’s first two years in office with much larger Democrat majorities. The administration shoved through a wildly unpopular bailout and the stimulus bill. Then they rammed Obamacare through. Like Biden, Obama had the full support of our cultural institutions and a fawning media. Despite the unpopular policies, he did not see his first negative Approval Index rating until June 21, 2009. He didn’t fall under 50% approval until July 24th of the same year.

Perhaps this is what happens when you relax voting rules to encourage people who don’t usually vote to participate. Activists opened up the floodgates with drop boxes, massive mail-in voting participation, and even the collecting of those ballots in some states. Or you get a billionaire to invest in a get-out-the-vote initiative in Democrat strongholds. These tactics might get you the W, but it doesn’t get you buy-in for your candidate’s agenda.

And in general, the exercise of pure political power based on the thinnest possible majority in government does not go well. Yet, Democrats seem intent on destroying our institutions, solely to ram through a radical agenda that is already unpopular. If history is any guide, assuming a mandate you don’t have is not a smart move, and 2022 will not go well for them.

COMMENT:  Of course, the economy might improve as the Covid 19 vaccine takes effect.  And Republicans might not manage their affairs well, divided as they are, and may not produce new leaders to battle the Democrats in 2022.  Nothing is guaranteed.  But the GOP plays its cards right, and if the Democrats continue their river of arrogance, 2022 might turn out to be a banner year for our side.

February 2,  2021     Permalink

DEFUND LAW ENFORCEMENT? – AT 5:32 P.M. ET:  Two FBI agents were killed today.  A Mississippi police officer was killed in Mississippi.  From Fox: 

The FBI released the identities of two federal agents who were killed in a shooting early Tuesday morning as law enforcement officials attempted to serve a search warrant in a child pornography case to a suspect who barricaded himself inside his home in a Fort Lauderdale suburb.

"Tragically, the FBI lost two of our own today," FBI Director Christopher Wray said in a statement.

"Special Agent Daniel Alfin and Special Agent Laura Schwartzenberger were shot and killed this morning in the line of duty while executing a federal court-ordered search warrant in a crimes against children investigation in Sunrise, Florida."

Both agents had a history of investigating child pornography and sexual exploitation cases, according to reports by the Miami Herald.

Alfin, 36, who had been an FBI special agent since 2009, was recently involved in a case against an aide to the mayor of Miami who was accused of luring a teenage victim to City Hall under the guise of an interview and then kissing and fondling him during the meeting. Rene Pedrosa, who was originally facing state charges that were later dropped for federal charges filed in March 2020, allegedly sent lewd photos to his victim as well.

Alfin was also involved in an FBI hacking campaign to expose child pornography circulating on the dark website, Playpen. The investigation later brought down the founder of the site, Steven Chase, who was sentenced to 30 years in prison in 2017.

Schwartzenberger, 43, an FBI agent since 2005, also worked on child exploitation investigations, many involving internet child pornography. She was active in the community as well, visiting middle schools to teach students about the dangers of online predators.

COMMENT:  The story reminds us of the risks law enforcement officers take every day.  I haven't heard any response from the big mouths in Washington yet.  I assume the president will say something, or have it said for him.  Members of the Squad have been silent.

UPDATE AT 7:15 P.M. ET:  The president has issued an appropriate statement.

February 2, 2021       Permalink

FEBRUARY 1,  2021

SHORT TAKES ON THE DRIFTING WRECKAGE – OVERNIGHT:

THE GOP MUST END THIS INTERNAL CONFLICT QUICKLY – FROM FOX:   Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell defended Wyoming Rep. Liz Cheney on Monday following intense criticism of her decision to vote in favor of former President Donald Trump’s impeachment.  Cheney has faced calls to resign from her post as House GOP conference chair since she and nine other Republicans crossed party lines to impeach Trump. McConnell, R-Ky., is the most prominent GOP leader to date to rally to Cheney’s defense.  "Liz Cheney is a leader with deep convictions and the courage to act on them," McConnell said in a statement. "She is an important leader in our party and in our nation. I am grateful for her service and look forward to continuing to work with her on the crucial issues facing our nation."  McConnell has not ruled out voting to convict Trump on the impeachment charge.  Republicans have a great chance to take back both the House and Senate in 2022, but it won't happen if they're engaged in a civil war.  Sadly, there is no elder statesman in the party who can come in and arbitrate this.  But remember Ronald Reagan's "11th Commandment":  "Thou shalt not speak ill of any fellow Republican."

HE'S TEACHING SOMEONE'S CHILDREN – FROM COLLEGE FIX:  Months after receiving nearly a million dollars to study “intellectual humility” toward political opponents, a professor expressed glee at the deaths of his political opponents.  Mark Alfano will face no repercussions from Macquarie University because no one has formally complained about his online comments, a spokesperson for the Australian public institution told The College Fix.  The associate professor in the Department of Philosophy shared a Jan. 15 New York Times tweet on the death of a Donald Trump supporter during the Jan. 6 riots outside the U.S. Capitol.  His tweet, which remains live as of early Tuesday, reads: “More of this please.” Alfano proceeded to argue with fellow Twitter users who criticized his tweet.  The professor works in moral psychology, which encompasses both philosophy and social science, according to his curriculum vitae. I wonder if he ever heard of Aristotle, or, for that matter, Lincoln.  And I think someone should identity the lunkheads who gave him a million dollars.

February 1, 2021       Permalink

NEW GIRL IN TOWN – AT 11:45 P.M. ET:  And already she's an enforcer for The Squad.  From Fox:   

The Black Lives Matter movement on Monday put its weight behind "Squad" member Rep. Cori Bush’s, D-Mo., proposal to investigate and potentially expel Republicans who opposed certifying the 2020 presidential election results following a deadly siege on Capitol Hill carried out by Trump supporters.

Serious error by Fox News.  The rioters on Capitol Hill included Trump supporters, but was not limited to them.

"It is not enough to denounce the white supremacy behind the attack," the group wrote on its website. "We must remove its endorsers from Congress – Ted Cruz, Josh Hawley, Lauren Boebert, Marjorie Taylor Greene, and the over 100 Republicans who voted against certifying the Electoral College."
Bush introduced a resolution earlier this month that would "initiate investigations for removal" targeting those who attempted to overturn the election results and "incited a White supremacist-attempted coup."

This is crackpot stuff.  The Republicans had serious questions about the vote count.  They were performing their Constitutional mandate.  Representative Bush, as many of you know, is a true nutjob, a black extremist who supports Antifa and the anti-Semitic BDS movement targeting Israel.

The proposal is based on the claim that some of these conservatives engaged in sedition against the U.S. – or incited rebellion against the government.

More than 140 Republicans in Congress voted to overturn the results of the election, which former President Donald Trump in unproven claims said was "stolen" from him by fraudulent means.
Sens. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., and Ted Cruz, R-Texas, in particular have come under fire for roles Democrats allege they played in inciting the violent pro-Trump riot on Capitol Hill, where several lives were lost.

They incited nothing but a discussion of the issue.

Hawley and Cruz both made clear in the days leading up to Jan. 6 that they did not intend to certify the results, leaning on Trump’s fraud claims.

COMMENT:  I wish the earnest reporter had informed us that Congresswoman Bush has been in the House about a month.  I'm sure in that time she has gained great wisdom and experience.  But I recall the observation of that noted philosopher, Jerry Lewis:  "Bad looks you can change, stupid is forever." 

February 1,  2021       Permalink

IS PRESS RIGIDITY STARTING TO CRACK? – AT 8:06 P.M. ET:   One of the things I do here is to look for trends.  Is something changing?  Is a segment of the public drifting rightward or leftward? 

We saw the outrageous media assault on President Trump.  We knew the media would be positive toward President Biden, a liberal Democrat.   But would it be completely in the tank, or would some journalists start showing a little spine when dealing with the left?  We've had a few tentative indications that some in the press realize they've got to hold Biden to account in order to maintain any vestige of credibility.  Last week The New York Times ran a truly surprising editorial reprimanding the president for doing too much through executive orders.   It is reported that the president was furious at being dressed down by The Times, a reliably Democratic paper.

And now we have a surprising editorial from Bloomberg, severely lecturing the administration on its Iran policy, which will be one of the major tests of its foreign-policy initiatives.  We're far from seeing a balanced press, but this is encouraging.  From Algemeiner: 

The Bloomberg Editorial Board has called on President Joe Biden to “demand that Iran engage in good-faith peace talks with its neighbors” before making moves toward rejoining the 2015 nuclear deal, as the new administration fleshes out its approach to the Islamic Republic.

So far, the Board wrote in a column Monday, the administration’s strategy has “the right ideas, but in the wrong order” on resuming nuclear talks with Iran.

“The regime in Tehran says regional security concerns should be addressed separately,” it said. “Biden should call this bluff and insist on the start of good-faith regional peace talks before any meaningful return to nuclear diplomacy. He should also use American leverage with Iran’s neighbors to encourage their participation, and offer non-nuclear sanctions relief in return for concrete progress.

The piece noted that the original Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, from which the Trump Administration withdrew in 2018, gave no way for countries like Israel, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates to address Iran’s other menacing activities in the region, like its support for Syria’s Bashar al-Assad and militias in Iraq, Lebanon and Yemen.

Biden “should also use American leverage with Iran’s neighbors to encourage their participation, and offer non-nuclear sanctions relief in return for concrete progress,” it continued. “This may frustrate the other signatories of the JCPOA, but the U.S. can legitimately argue — with the help of Israel and the Arab states — that regional peace is a better outcome than merely pausing Iran’s nuclear program.”

Concessions from Iran on regional security could include a reduced presence in Syria, influence applied to Hezbollah and Hamas, or pressure on Yemen’s Houthis to strike a peace deal with Saudi Arabia.

On Monday, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken warned that Iran may soon be a “matter of weeks” away from enriching enough uranium to produce a nuclear bomb, if it continues breaching the limits placed by the deal. An Iranian law passed in December 2020 has ramped up such moves, with further nuclear activities pledged in the coming weeks unless sanctions are lifted.

“The threat from Tehran can’t be contained by separating the nuclear menace from other malign behavior,” said the Bloomberg editorial. “It must be dealt with in the aggregate. Biden should start by insisting that Iran demonstrate goodwill toward its neighbors if it expects goodwill from the U.S. in return.”

COMMENT:  Excellent.  Really excellent.  And the editorial takes on added significance because of Biden's incredible blunder in appointing Robert Malley as his principal Iran negotiator, a move that has stunned many in the foreign-policy sector.  Malley, an appeaser's appeaser, America's answer to Neville Chamberlain, negotiated the first Iran nuclear deal with the mullahs in 2015, for President Obama, with the equally appeasing John Kerry as secretary of state.  That deal was so bad that Obama had to make it an executive agreement rather than submit it to the Senate as a treaty.  It could never have passed the Senate.  President Trump withdrew from the farce, a strong and proper step.

Bloomberg is to be praised for its alertness.  We hope we see more.

February 1, 2021       Permalink