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I appeared on Silvio Canto Jr's talk show from Dallas.  It's here.

JULY 19-20, 2022

SHORT TAKES ON THE DRIFTING WRECKAGE

THERE'LL ALWAYS BE AN ENGLAND:   Following Boris Johnson's statement that he will resign as Britain's prime minister, his Conservative Party, which has the majority in Parliament, is searching for a successor.  In Britain the process is far faster than in the Yankee colony.  Two outstanding candidates have emerged from early party votes, and the entire party will select a prime minister from those two on September 5th.  From CNN: " Boris Johnson will be succeeded as prime minister of the United Kingdom by either Rishi Sunak or Liz Truss after the Conservative Party leadership race was on Wednesday narrowed down to the final two candidates.  Johnson resigned as party leader earlier this month after a series of scandals led to dozens of ministerial resignations. Ten Conservatives stood in the contest to replace him, and over five rounds of voting, members of parliament whittled those down to two.  Sunak won 137 votes and Truss got 113 votes in the final round, while Penny Mordaunt with 105 votes lost out...Now about 160,000 rank-and-file members of the party will have their say, and in September the winner -- and next prime minister -- will be announced."  Looking at the records of both candidates, I think it's safe to say that both are pro-American and will work hard to maintain the alliance and increase Britain's contribution to mutual defense.  Truss is foreign secretary and Sunak has been finance minister.  The key objective for Washington is to keep the Labour Party out of power...unless you like Karl Marx and the Iranian government. 

HEAR, HEAR:  Fighting back against cancel culture, from Fox:  Entertainment icon John Cleese slammed wokeness for having a "disastrous" impact on comedy during an interview with Fox News Digital.   Cleese was a keynote speaker at last week's FreedomFest conference in Las Vegas where he spoke about how to cultivate creativity, a skill he believes is essential and not just in showbiz, but sounded the alarm that political correctness has become a major obstacle, particularly for young comedians.   When asked if comedians have the freedom to be funny in the year 2022, Cleese firmly responded, "No."  "There's always been limitations on what they're allowed to say," Cleese said. "Why you go to Molière and Louis XIV. I mean Molière had to be a bit careful. And there will always be limitations...But I think it's particularly worrying at the moment because you can only create in an atmosphere of freedom, where you're not checking everything you say critically before you move on. What you have to be able to do is to build without knowing where you're going because you've never been there before. That's what creativity is—you have to be allowed to build. And a lot of comedians now are sitting there and when they think of something, they say something like, 'Can I get away with it? I don't think so. So and so got into trouble, and he said that, oh, she said that.' You see what I mean? And that's the death of creativity."  And of course, killing creativity is a good part of what the left is about.  You must not think.  You must not laugh.  You must only go along.  How exciting.  Come to think of it, I've never known a funny Communist.

July 19-20, 2022       Permalink

YEAH, I'D CERTAINLY SAY SO:  Republicans, in an earlier era not exactly seen as the party of high intellect, are now regarded as the best party to handle education.  From Fox: 

A survey commissioned by one of the nation's largest teachers union found that Republicans have an advantage over Democrats in regard to voters' confidence in handling education.

The American Federation of Teachers (AFT) commissioned a poll from Hart Research Associates, asked, "In general, do you have more confidence in the Democrats or in the Republicans to deal with education issues?"

The survey was conducted in seven battleground states where the results showed Republicans with a 39% to 38% advantage on which party voters trust more on education.

"This polling is such an epic self-own for Randi Weingarten. The results of Randi Weingarten’s own polling destroy her own narrative," senior fellow at the American Federation for Children Corey DeAngelis told Fox News Digital. "The results of the union-commissioned poll show that likely voters in battleground states have more confidence in Republicans than Democrats on education. The results of the union poll also show that likely voters have much more confidence in teachers and parent organizations than teachers unions. Not a good look for union bosses like Randi Weingarten."

The survey also found that people felt that the number one issue in regard to education and public schools is that they are being too politicized. 

Furthermore, the study found that both Democrats and Republicans were viewed as responsible for politicizing education and making education too much a part of the culture war. However, in response to the same question, 33% responded that Democrats were responsible for politicizing education while 28% said Republicans contributed to the issue.

In reaction to the survey's results, AFT President Randi Weingarten pushed Democrats to ramp up messaging against Republican attacks on critical race theory.

Yeah, that'll sure do it.  It's so popular, you know.  Geez.

School board meetings have become battlegrounds between parents and school board officials since the pandemic began.

Conservatives have made significant gains across the country on the issue of education by highlighting the Critical Race Theory curriculum and by opposing COVID related mandates and lockdowns. These issues have led to protests and recalls of school boards across the nation.

Republican elected officials in several states have sought to ban discussion of gender ideology and critical race theory in classrooms, particularly for young students.

Republicans candidates have found great success in prioritizing the issue, with the most notable victory being Republican Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin, who focused on parents after his election opponent, former Gov. Terry McAuliffe, dismissed their role in their children's education. 

COMMENT:  Education is an enormous issue in America today, as more and more parents are losing confidence in public schools, and want alternatives.  Democrats have no interest in alternatives, as they're married to the teachers' unions.  Republicans, being champions of school choice, are in a great position...if they exploit it.  Like Governor Youngkin, they must make education a central subject of every campaign.  Youngkin showed it can be done.

July 19-20, 2022       Permalink

JULY 18,  2022

IS THIS SERIOUS?  I'M AFRAID IT IS.  GET ME MY PILLS:  We now have a journalistic report predicting the leading Democratic contenders for the presidency in 2024, assuming Joe Biden decides to go for it again.  From the New York Post: 

Sen. Bernie Sanders appeared for the first time on a Washington Post ranking of potential Democratic presidential hopefuls — that also showed Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg pulling ahead of Vice President Kamala Harris in the No. 2 slot behind President Biden.

Progressive lightning rod Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez remained at No. 10 in the newspaper’s survey of possible contenders in the 2024 election, as California Gov. Gavin Newsom jumped two spots to No. 7 right behind Sanders, and Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer debuted on the list at No. 8.

Biden wasn’t included in the rankings compiled in December 2021 because of speculation at the time that he would be a one-term president and because polls showed that Democratic-leaning voters narrowly preferred “someone not named Biden on the ballot in 2024.”

But the Washington Post began including Biden’s name on the list in its April rankings and in the most recent survey.

“ The reason: There might come a time when the incumbent president isn’t the most likely nominee the next time around, for whatever reason. And his own 2024 maneuverings were suddenly very much worth evaluating in real time,” the newspaper said.

The report pointed out that the only way Biden, 79, motivates Democrats is if Donald Trump or another Republican the base dislikes is the GOP’s nominee.

“Even then, it seems a pretty big gamble to put up someone Democratic voters are so lukewarm on ,” it said, referring to Biden’s tanking job approval numbers, even among members of his own party.

On Harris, the newspaper said the vice president’s image has been linked to Biden’s, along with their plummeting poll numbers.

“But the way things are going right now, she would need to somehow differentiate herself. And that’s not an easy trick when you’ve still got your day job,” the report said.

Noting that Sanders, 80, landed at No. 6 after being absent from April’s list, the report said that shortly after that survey, his campaign put out a memo stating that the independent from Vermont might mount a bid if Biden doesn’t.

After the memo went public, Politico reported that Sanders himself had approved it,” the Washington Post said.

Speaking of Ocasio-Cortez, the newspaper said that while most Democrats have said they will defer to Biden about launching a primary bid, the New York congresswoman hasn’t.
“Ocasio-Cortez, of course, is very young. And we shouldn’t necessarily take this as posturing for a run; she also has an interest in assuring Biden caters to her wing of the party, after all,” the newspaper said.

It also pointed out how Buttigieg “continues to carve out a potentially attractive space in Democratic politics,” referring to his appearances on Fox News to dispute conservative talking points in a “calm and steady manner.”

COMMENT:  Read the rest.  Aren't you impressed?  Why, the excitement just builds and builds.  Truly, anyone on that list would make a fine president...of a high-school student government.  In a bad neighborhood. 

Look at the names and you instantly realize how much trouble the Democratic Party is really in.  I mean, that is a list of candidates too mediocre to be disliked.

July 18, 2022       Permalink