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OCTOBER 3,  2022

SHORT TAKES ON THE DRIFTING WRECKAGE

OUR PRESIDENT'S HERITAGE, FROM FOX:   President Biden visited Puerto Rico on Monday in an effort to express support for the island following the impacts of Hurricane Fiona, saying he was raised in the Puerto Rican community on the U.S mainland in a political context.  Biden surveyed the damage left by the storm, met with officials and spoke in Ponce where he pledged future support to the U.S. territory of 3.2 million people of $60 million in funding federal. "We have a very… large Puerto Rican population in Delaware," he said. "I was sort of raised in the Puerto Rican community at home, politically. We came here for a long time as part of both business and pleasure. I'm committed to this island. And if there was a hurricane in Hawaii, he'd reminisce about how he got his first hula skirt at 16.

October 3, 2022     Permalink

AND IN THE REAL WORLD:  Isn't it incredible that our midterm election campaigns have barely touched on foreign policy?  Even with the Russian invasion of Ukraine, which has resulted in the largest ground war in Europe since World War II, and the Chinese threat to Taiwan, which could erupt into major combat in Asia, our politics seems focused, right now at least, on domestic issues.   We've made this mistake before.

Russia is the immediate question.  Vladimir Putin is threatening to use nuclear weapons.  We must assume the threat is real.  Russia's advanced weapons are on the move.  From Fox: 

A top-of-the-line Russian nuclear-powered submarine has gone missing from its harbor in the Arctic along with its rumored "doomsday weapon," according to multiple reports.
NATO has reportedly warned members that Russia's Belgorod submarine no longer appeared to be operating out of its White Sea base, where it has been active since July.

Officials warned that Russia may plan to test Belgorod's "Poseidon" weapons system, a drone equipped with a nuclear bomb that Russia has claimed is capable of creating a "radioactive tsunami," according to Italian media.

The drone can be deployed from the submarine at any time and detonated at a depth of 1 kilometer near a coastal city. Russian state media has claimed the device can create a 1,600-ft. wave that smashes into the coast and irradiates it.

The 600-ft. submarine was delivered to the Russian Navy in July as part of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s top-secret program that aims to develop and operate a series of a new class of "super weapons."

Rebekah Koffler, a strategic intelligence expert and author of "Putin’s Playbook," warned that Russia's use of such a weapon would only come as a last resort "in the event that Russia and the U.S. are in a direct kinetic war and Russia is losing."

Koffler said the device is likely not to be operational until 2027, but Putin may be testing it as a means to intimidate both Ukraine and its NATO allies in the West. Putin has warned that Russia's potential use of nuclear weapons is "not a bluff."

Belgorod's location remains publicly unknown as of Monday, a situation that is not particularly surprising to Koffler. Russian submarines have some of the best stealth capabilities in the world and have even entered U.S. waters undetected in the past, according to Koffler.

COMMENT:  Nice, huh? They're playing with exotic weapons, and we won't even seal our borders. Maybe we haven't really learned the lessons of World War II.  Maybe some leftists in the Democratic Party really don't care.

October 3, 2022       Permalink

IMPORTANT FLORIDA:  Our news about Florida in the last week has been defined by a major hurricane.  But Florida will also play a major role in the midterm elections that are now five weeks away.  We don't yet know how the damage done will affect turnout.  That could be critical to who will control the U.S. Senate, and even the presidency.  Senator Marco Rubio is up for re-election, and Governor Ron DeSantis will be the guy to beat for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination, should Trump bow out.  Both men are up for re-election.  From The Blaze: 

A Spectrum News/Siena College poll of likely Florida voters found that incumbent Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis leads Democratic challenger Charlie Crist 49% to 41%, while incumbent GOP Sen. Marco Rubio leads Democratic Rep. Val Demings 48% to 41%.

The poll was conducted September 18-25, which was before Hurricane Ian wreaked havoc in the state last week.

While 39% indicated that they would prefer that the upcoming congressional contests in the country result in a U.S. Congress controlled by the GOP, 31% indicated that they would prefer for the two congressional chambers to be controlled by the Democrats, and 21% favored a scenario in which the chambers would be split between the two parties.

Given a list of issues, 39% selected economic matters as being the most important when they decide who they will back during the election, while "threats to our democracy" came in a distant second place at just 16%.

The poll found that 22% strongly approve of President Joe Biden's job performance, while 21% somewhat approve, 46% strongly disapprove, and and 8% somewhat disapprove.

DeSantis entered office in 2019 and is currently running for reelection during the Sunshine State's 2022 gubernatorial contest. Rubio took office in 2011 and is currently running for a third term.

Crist previously served as Florida governor from 2007 to 2011 after getting elected to the post as a Republican. He lost a 2010 U.S. Senate race to Rubio while running as an independent. He lost the 2014 gubernatorial race to then-Gov. Rick Scott while running as a Democrat. Crist won election to the U.S. House of Representatives as a Democrat in 2016, and went on to serve from 2017 until he stepped down from that role at the end of August 2022.

COMMENT:  Florida ranks third in population among American states.  Its population has been growing dramatically in recent years, thanks in large measure to the successful governorship of Ron DeSantis.  Florida is considered a "must win" by both parties in a presidential contest.  Thus, we pay it considerable attention.

October 3, 2022       Permalink 

OCTOBER 1-2,  2022

OH, WE HOPE, WE HOPE.  FROM THE NEW YORK SUN:

MAGA policies may be out, if you listen to President Biden, Speaker Pelosi, and every other Democrat — who are spending hundreds of millions of dollars on negative campaign ads aimed at Republican candidates — but, according to a recent eye-opening poll, those very same policies are very much in, as far as common-sense Americans are concerned.  

Hold on to your hats for this one: An ABC News/Washington Post poll of registered voters shows that Republicans are 21 points up against Democrats in battleground districts across the country. That’s right, 21 points. These aren’t even just likely voters — they are registered voters — and many key pollsters think Republican voters don’t even want to answer polling surveys because the FBI might take their cellphones away. 

Looking at just races rated at least somewhat competitive by ABC’s FiveThirtyEight model, voters favor GOP candidates 55 percent to 34 percent. Overall, by the way, the likely voter subheading showed a 51-46 Republican-Democratic split. 

Here’s the actual most important key message in this poll: The GOP is favored in three of the four issues rated most important by voters, the economy (considered important by 84 percent), education (77 percent), inflation (76 percent), and crime (69 percent). 

On the economy, the GOP is plus-16, on inflation plus-19, and on crime plus-14. Democrats have a plus-6 for education and schools, though frankly I don’t see how that's possible with the growing populist support for parental rights in their kids’ education.  

Historically, when a president’s approval is less than 50 percent — and Mr. Biden is way below that, actually 42 percent in the latest Rasmussen poll — his party has lost an average of 37 seats.  

These numbers put an even greater importance on the “Commitment to America” developed by Representative Kevin McCarthy and House Republicans. The “Commitment to America” lays out a roadmap that emphasizes lower federal spending to fight inflation, tax cuts and deregulation to grow the economy out of recession, and energy independence to increase fossil fracking permits, reduce reliance on foreign countries, and lower blackouts and gas and electricity costs.  

Under Mr. Biden’s radical war against fossil fuels, electricity costs have increased 22 percent and utilities and piped gas services 47 percent. Roughly 20 million households are behind on utility bills and 26 percent of Americans have been forced to reduce basic expenses like food and medicine in order to pay skyrocketing energy bills.  

Also in the “Commitment to America,” the roadmap emphasizes securing the border and combating illegal immigrants, reducing crime by hiring cops, and cracking down on crazy, woke prosecutors and DAs who favor criminals over victims. There’s also a section on criminalizing all forms of the scourge of fentanyl.  

The “Commitment to America” supports the parents’ bill of rights, parental choice in schools, and healthcare reform through transparency and competition. The roadmap aims to fight for free speech, protecting the lives of unborn children and their mothers, religious freedom, and safeguarding the Second Amendment. Also, there’s a strong commitment to rein in government abuse of power and corruption through tough resolutions of inquiry to guarantee proper oversight. 

COMMENT:  Please read the rest.  It's an optimistic report, not a bad thing to have these days.  But we caution, as we always do, that polls are snapshots in time and subject to change.  The only poll that will count will be the one on election day.  Turnout will be key to who wins that one.

October 2, 2022       Permalin

AN INADEQUATE VICE PRESIDENT, ONE HEARTBEAT AWAY:  Kamala Harris is a public embarrassment.  From Fox: 

Vice President Kamala Harris dodged a question asking her if she could explain what she meant when stating that the Biden administration would take "equity" into account when disbursing natural disaster relief.

Her comments came on Friday after Hurricane Ian made landfall in Florida as a Category 4 storm, and in South Carolina as a Category 1 storm. At least 47 people died in Florida after the hurricane made landfall. Harris made the comments at the Democratic National Committee's Women’s Leadership Forum.

"It is our lowest income communities and our communities of color that are most impacted by these extreme conditions," Harris said. "We have to address this in a way that is about giving resources based on equity, understanding that we fight for equality, but we also need to fight for equity."

In a video obtained by Fox News Digital, when asked if she could clarify the comments, she didn't answer the question.

"Vice President, can you clarify what you meant about equity for hurricane relief," Harris was asked.

Christina Pushaw, rapid response director for Florida Governor Ron DeSantis' campaign, said on Twitter that the comment by Harris is false.

"This is false. [Harris’] rhetoric is causing undue panic and must be clarified," said Pushaw. "FEMA Individual Assistance is already available to all Floridians impacted by Hurricane Ian, regardless of race or background."

On Friday, the White House said that it's working with DeSantis and the Federal Emergency Management Agency to provide aid to individuals who were impacted by Hurricane Ian.

COMMENT:  This incident occurred the same week in which the vice president, in Asia, announced that the United States has an important alliance with "North Korea."  Of course, it's South Korea, but let's not be too touchy.  But let's also not have someone like Kamala Harris in that office again.

October 2, 2022       Permalink

SHORT TAKES ON THE DRIFTING WRECKAGE:

WHAT A WONDERFUL SET OF PRIORITIES.  FROM, YES, BLABBERBUZZ:   Virgin Atlantic is an airline that sees many passengers complain about rising prices.  However, instead of focusing on that, they've found something else to spend their mental energy on. So, what's the priority?.  According to The Daily Mail, "Staff including plane crew and pilots will be able to choose which uniform they wear: the company's 'red' option, previously most commonly worn by female flight attendants, or the 'burgundy' option, previously worn by male flight attendants."
The Daily Mail continues, "This includes allowing men to wear skirts and women to wear trousers, as well as increasing the uniform options available to non-binary staff members."  They're also going to introduce pronoun badges to be more inclusive. Virgin has made a significant effort to facilitate this. According to the Daily Mail states, Virgin Atlantic is working with Michelle Visage, RuPaul's Drag Race star, in a bid to "reflect the diversity of its workforce."  "The airline wants to offer its staff a fluid approach to its red and burgundy uniforms, meaning LGBTQ+ colleagues will be able to choose either the red or the burgundy uniform, depending on which best reflects themselves." The Daily Mail stated.  "Ladies and gentlemen, and others beyond the binary, we're at 30,000 feet and we have a problem with one of our engines.  Let me just slip into my nightie and we'll start to fix it."  No, no.

October 1, 2022       Permalink

MAINSTREAM MEDIA IS FINALLY NOTICING – AMERICANS ARE SUFFERING AND SCARED.  From USA TODAY: 

A dollar doesn't go as far as it used to.

Americans are paying higher prices for everything from groceries to gas. The consumer price index, which measures what consumers spend on goods and services, rose 8.3% in August from a year ago.

With wages lagging surging inflation, household budgets are being stretched thinner than a rubber band. More than one-third of Americans said it was somewhat or very difficult to pay for household expenses, according to a recent U.S. Census Bureau survey.

Savings are dwindling and credit card debt is mounting. To get by, people are cutting back on meat for dinner and on nights out. Even kids are going without new shoes or supplies for school.

USA TODAY talked with families from California to Georgia and from Arkansas to Ohio about how they are coping with their new economic reality. These are the faces of inflation.

When Sonja Smith retired from her job as a Georgia state government employee in 2018, she planned to volunteer and work part-time as an insurance agent.

Last year, Smith, 55, was forced out of retirement when she could no longer pay her bills.

“I thought my pension would be enough,” she said, especially since she’d moved out of a market-rate apartment in a nice neighborhood to low-income “tax credit” housing in a not-so-safe part of town.

Smith’s top priority was to stay in the city of Atlanta so her 15-year-old daughter could continue to attend the city charter school.

But thanks to record high inflation, her rent increased from $950 per month in 2019 to $1,113 in 2020. The cost of food, gas and auto insurance also jumped. Her auto insurance went from $200 a month to $300 a month since she was living in a “high crime” area, she says.

Smith gets about $2,300 per month in pension.

“We ate a lot of salads and beans because I just couldn't afford the meat,” she says.
Last year, she went back to work full-time.

Smith is a human resource specialist with the Clayton County School District and makes about $42,000 a year. This year, she received a pay raise of 3%.

Last year, differences in year-over-year wage growth rates between private sector and state and local government doubled to the highest levels in nearly four decades, according to Pew Research.

“Our pay increases have not kept up with inflation and it is hurting us,” says Smith. “That’s why we are having teacher shortages. It’s the wages.”

When she reported her additional income, her rent increased to the market rate rent – $1,450. Her current lease ends in December and she's worried her new rent could jump up to $1,650.

"That's the going market rate," she says.

She briefly considered moving back to her old neighborhood in hopes of saving on auto insurance. But the sticker shock stopped her: The rent there now is $1,900. Now, between her pension and her new job, she makes about the same amount as her previous full-time job.

“I’m barely making it,” she says.

COMMENT:  Please read the rest.  This is good journalism – reporters actually going out and talking to real people who don't work in either Washington or New York.  The country is hurting.  It's going to get worse, as the coming recession deepens.  We need the kind of shoe-leather reporting that Salena Zito and a few others practice.  I'm glad to see USA Today doing this piece.  Real people.  Real numbers.  Not theories or leftist interpretations.  When Americans see their actual lives reflected in their newspaper, their trust in the press increases. 

October 1, 2022     Permalink