SHORT TAKES ON THE DRIFTING WRECKAGE – AT 11:53 P.M. ET:

MAKE SURE TO REGISTER! – FROM COLLEGE FIX:   A coalition of Pennsylvania college student leaders will be participating in this year’s Bridging the Gap Student Leadership Conference at Muhlenberg College next weekend.  Based on the conference theme of “This is Equity: Belonging, Unpacking and Claiming,” you just might be able to guess what’s in store, too. You got it: understanding and challenging “dominant systems of oppression” and exploring “intersectionality and identity development.”  And that’s not all. According to the Lehigh Valley Association of Independent Colleges (whose Coalition of Diversity Administrators is sponsoring the event) attendees also will “explore individuals’ concept of self advocacy [and] political power.”  Please let us know how the conference changes you.  (That is a joke.)

INTRIGUING – FROM POWERLINE:   Judicial Watch has filed a complaint with the Board of Professional Responsibility of the District of Columbia Court of Appeals against Christine Blasey Ford’s lawyers, Debra Katz, Lisa Banks, and Michael Bromwich. The complaint is based on the alleged failure of these lawyers to inform their client that Chairman Grassley offered to fly female staff investigators to meet Dr. Ford in California to obtain her testimony.  Rule 1.4(a) of the District of Columbia Rules of Professional Conduct requires: “A lawyer shall keep a client reasonably informed about the status of a matter and promptly comply with reasonable requests for information.” Rule 1.4(b) requires: “A lawyer shall explain a matter to the extent reasonably necessary to permit the client to make informed decisions regarding the representation.”  While this complaint may not go far, considering the politics of the situation, it does address the issue of whether Professor Ford was manipulated by political interests who saw her as a useful tool.  Haven't heard a word about Ford since the hearings.

EVERYTHING IS BIG IN TEXAS – FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER:   More than 100,000 requests have been made for tickets to President Trump's rally in Texas on Monday, his re-election campaign says.  To accommodate the sheer magnitude of interest, the Trump campaign announced in a statement Sunday that it will hold a "Big Texas Tailgater" at the site of Trump's "Make America Great Again" rally at the Toyota Center in Houston.  “Texas is big, and so will be the turnout for our MAGA rally in Houston, Texas Monday,” said Michael Glassner, chief operating officer of Donald J, Trump for President, Inc. “That’s why we’ve organized the Donald Trump–Big Texas Tailgater outside the Toyota Center. We’ll have great food, live music, big screens, and a great time for all of our guests. Inside and out, the excitement at this Trump rally will be as big as Texas — it’s going to be epic."  Yup.  Huge rally tomorrow night.  I hope Fox carries it live.  The president still draws the biggest crowds of any political figure in recent memory.

October 21, 2018