SHORT TAKES ON THE DRIFTING WRECKAGE – AT 11:55 P.M. ET:

THE TRUE BELIEVERS – FROM THE POLITICO:   The Democratic base is growing anxious as its leaders order Chinese food and make deals with the president who many in their ranks would prefer to see impeached.  For some liberal activists and lawmakers, the burgeoning partnership between President Donald Trump and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi amounts to dancing with the devil. As long as the Democrats keep leading — driving a wedge between Trump and the fractured GOP — no one will bust up the dance.  I'd hold off on any opinions on this.  We really know so very little.  There may not be any real relationship at all.  And what deals will actually be made?  Wait for more information.

STAND FIRM – FROM NEWSBUSTERS:   Scott Roxborough of The Hollywood Reporter writes that American television series are facing international backlash due to their “military themes for Trump voters,” calling it a trend for the Fall lineup and labeling it “Patriotic TV.”  Apparently, they feel shows like CBS's SEAL Team, NBC's The Brave and The CW's Valor are a blatant attempt to appeal to Trump supporters. Now that would be a shock.  Roxborough believes "the shift in focus is threatening one of the most lucrative aspects of the American TV business: international sales. And the risky move comes at a time when U.S. programming is facing more challenges from home-grown product around the world."  That's okay, guys.  Stand firm.  Build a large American audience by putting on great shows with American values.  Lots of people in America, and they all have TV's. And they're clearly turned of by the P.C. brigades.  Maybe we can still salvage American television.

PARENTS HAVE STARTED TO NOTICE – FROM THE WASHINGTON TIMES:   Universities known for being hotbeds of campus protest and liberal activism are struggling with declining enrollments and budget shortfalls, and higher education analysts say that’s no coincidence.  Take Oberlin College. According to a document leaked to The Oberlin Review, the school’s student newspaper, the small liberal arts college famous for social justice hoaxes has had trouble attracting and retaining students, missing this year’s enrollment mark by 80 and racking up a $5 million budget deficit in the process.  William A. Jacobson, a professor at Cornell Law School who runs the Legal Insurrection blog, said the “most obvious culprit” in Oberlin’s dwindling admissions is “relentless social justice warfare.”  “Social justice warfare at Oberlin has been more intense and sustained over a longer period of time than at most schools, and has come to define Oberlin in the media,” Mr. Jacobson said. “The resulting mockery and derision, even in liberal publications, has damaged the Oberlin brand.”    The market is working.  Parents, who are expected to write the checks, are starting to ask serious questions about what a college is really about.  The answers aren't always wonderful.

September 16,  2017