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DECEMBER 21,  2017

SHORT TAKES ON THE DRIFTING WRECKAGE – AT 11:48 P.M. ET:

CHARGE AGAINST TRUMP TOSSED – FROM DAILY CALLER:    A federal court in New York City has dismissed a lawsuit against President Donald Trump that alleged his failure to divest from the Trump business empire violated anti-corruption provisions of the Constitution.  U.S. District Judge George Daniels, a Clinton administration appointee, ruled Thursday that the case could not proceed because the plaintiffs could not prove that Trump’s actions tangibly harmed their businesses.  The lawsuit was brought by Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW), an anti-Trump watchdog group formerly led by Clinton ally David Brock. A number of accomplished lawyers and legal scholars participated in the effort, including Professor Laurence Tribe of Harvard Law School, Erwin Chemerinsky, dean of the law school at the University of California, Berkeley, and Richard Painter, an ethics lawyer in the George W. Bush White House.  People who lose elections are increasingly turning to the courts for comfort, but are often disappointed.

HOW EXCITING – FROM DAILY CALLER:   A New York Times contributor cranked the President Donald Trump-hysteria-meter to 11 on Thursday when he wrote the president “and his allies seem on the verge of staging a coup against independent institutions and the rule of law.”  In the column “The Real Coup Plot Is Trump’s,” New York Times contributor and Harvard University lecturer Yascha Mounk warns readers about the upcoming assault on American democracy that the president is plotting.  Fox News host Jesse Watters recently claimed that in the midst of all the alleged bias within the FBI, that “we have a coup on our hands in America.”  Mounk doesn’t cite any evidence that Trump is preparing to fire special counsel Robert Mueller — the president, after all, has said repeatedly that he doesn’t intend to.  If you dare criticize Mueller, you are making yourself an “active accomplice in a deliberate assault on our democracy,” according to the New York Times op-ed.  Trump Derangement Syndrome is becoming a serious disease, but there is no coverage under Obamacare unless you agree to a sex-change operation.

COMMON SENSE – FROM THE WASHINGTON TIMES:   The University of Minnesota has disavowed a set of guidelines issued by one of its academic departments labeling holiday symbols such as Christmas trees, doves and dreidels as “religious iconography” inappropriate for a school setting.  The school’s College of Food, Agricultural, and Natural Resources Sciences recently issued a set of guidelines that encouraged employees to “recognize holidays in ways that are respectful of the diversity of our community,” Campus Reform first reported.  The department included a list of “religious iconography” that shouldn’t be included in holiday parties, such as Santa Claus, Christmas trees, bows/wrapped gifts, bells, doves, dreidels, and green and red color schemes.  The list made the rounds on conservative media sites as evidence of an academic “War on Christmas,” but the university on Thursday distanced itself from the controversy.The guidelines were “the actions of a single employee, whose attempt at a diversity training session was, to be blunt, ill advised,” and “does not constitute a policy on the part of the university,” the school told Campus Reform in a statement.  The school handled the outrage reasonably, although late.  At least we weren't told that Christmas was racist, and part of a Zionist plot.

December 21, 2017       Permalink

WAKE-UP CALL FOR MEDIA – AT 4:33 P.M. ET:  Is it possible?  Are some media types waking up to the fact that we have a serious president in the White House?  From Fox:   

I have sensed for weeks now that some in the media were on the verge of rolling out a contrary take on President Trump’s first year in office.

And in the wake of yesterday’s final passage of massive tax cuts, that moment has arrived.
The dominant media narrative, of course, is that Trump hasn’t gotten much done, that he’s in over his head, that he doesn’t understand government, that he keeps picking petty fights rather than winning big battles.

But the thing about the pundits is that they get tired of pushing the same line, week after week, month after month. Some inevitably want to seize credit for a new insight, for getting ahead of the pack with a burst of contrarian wisdom.

And that hot take is, hey, maybe Trump has gotten some important things done after all.

It’s true that the president had not gotten much from the Republican Congress this year. But a new law that cuts taxes for businesses and individuals—even though the measure polls poorly and is not mainly aimed at the middle class—puts an end to the verdict that Trump doesn’t know how to work the Hill. Like it or not, this is a sprawling piece of legislation that was quickly pushed through the House and Senate in a show of party-line muscle.

Trump hasn’t gotten much credit for the record-breaking stock market, but there is now some recognition that Dow-Almost-25,000 can’t be completely divorced from his policies. And there’s starting to be a greater appreciation for the president’s progress on slashing regulations and appointing judges (even though three nominees recently had to withdraw, one because he couldn’t answer a Senate panel’s questions about basic court procedures).

COMMENT:  Well stated.  I wouldn't want to exaggerate the change, but I've even seen a few CNN commentators start to treat the president more seriously.  I doubt if The New York Times will ever change, and MSNBC is hopeless.  But there are good signs.

The good signs will grow if the president continues to do good work. 

December 21, 2017       Permalink 

GOOD FOR SENATOR SCOTT! – AT 11:18 A.M. ET:  One technique the left loves to use is to shame any member of a minority group who becomes a conservative.  Must not have that.  Disloyal.  You must stick with groupthink. 

Republican Senator Tim Scott of South Carolina will have none of it, having just been a major fighter for President Trump's tax-reform package.  From Daily Caller: 

After the House passed a historic tax reform bill Wednesday, key members of the Republican caucus headed over to the White House for a victory lap. Mitch McConnell and Paul Ryan were there along with a multitude of senators and congressmen who had a major hand in passage of the ultimate bill.

President Trump also delivered remarks from the south side of the White House, during which Tim Scott, Republican senator from South Carolina, stood behind his left shoulder. Scott was a served as one of the key advocates for the bill during heated debates on the senate floor and cable news over the last few months.  

However, some online commenters did not appreciate Scott in the background of the speech. Huffington Post contributor and political and pop culture analyst Andy Ostroy had a particularly bad take on Scott’s presence, calling the senator a “manipulated prop” for being the “ONE black person” standing by Trump:

“What a shocker. There’s one black person standing there, and sure enough they have him standing right next to the mic like a manipulated prop.”

Tim Scott hit back on Twitter with pure fire:

“Uh, probably because I helped write the bill for the past year, have multiple provisions included, got multiple senators on board over the past week, and have worked on tax reform my entire time in Congress. But if you’d rather see my skin color, please feel free.”

COMMENT:  Love the guy.

December 21, 2017       Permalink

WE'RE STARTING TO SEE MORE STORIES LIKE THIS – AT 10:46 A.M. ET:  We have an excellent secretary of defense, and he's overseeing a major buildup against North Korea.  Finally, there are people on our side who are taking this threat seriously.  From the New York Post: 

The US is preparing plans to deliver a “bloody nose” attack against North Korea to knock out its nuclear weapons program.

The White House has “dramatically” ramped up its military plans amid fears that diplomacy won’t thwart North Korean despot Kim Jong Un from making good on his threats, sources told the UK’s Telegraph.

One option is destroying a launch site before the rogue regime uses it for a new missile test, while another is targeting weapons stockpiles, according to the news outlet.

The Trump administration hopes that pre-emptive action would show the trigger-happy dictator that the United States is serious about stopping his bellicose pursuits and persuading him to negotiate.

The Telegraph cited three anonymous sources, one inside the administration and two former officials familiar with the White House thinking.

“The Pentagon is trying to find options that would allow them to punch the North Koreans in the nose, get their attention and show that we’re serious,” a former US security official briefed on policy told the Telegraph.

President Trump’s decision to launch 59 cruise missiles against a Syrian airfield in response to the country’s chemical weapons attack that killed more than 80 civilians is considered an indication of his resolve, the paper reported.

COMMENT:  One can't imagine Field Marshal Obama or Grand Admiral Kerry thinking this way.  But it's the only way to think realistically, in the face of a rogue regime like North Korea.

Of course, it didn't have to be this way.  For years, under both Democratic and Republican administrations, we engaged in a "peace process" with North Korea that went absolutely nowhere.  During the years of "negotiations," the Koreans developed the atomic bomb and is now developing the ICBM's to carry them.  Wow.  What a success.  And if the Dems get back into power, we will have that same "peace process" once more.  Talk much and lose.

December 21,  2017     Permalink

DECEMBER 20,  2017

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

HER OWN MEDICINE – FROM THE NEW YORK DAILY NEWS:    A street artist is calling Meryl Streep on her bluff.  Posters showing the "The Post" actress standing with disgraced producer Harvey Weinstein have been popping up across Los Angeles, Twitter posts indicate. The artist, who has yet to be identified, placed a red banner with the words, "She knew," over Streep's eyes.  The images began appearing around the City of Angels following a Monday statement from the 68-year-old actress in which she claimed Weinstein "made sure" she didn't know about his perverted antics.  How could she not have known?  It was all over the industry.

A REMINDER – FROM AFP:    BERLIN — German police said they arrested Wednesday a man planning to carry out a ramming attack in the name of the Islamic State group on the crowds outside a skating rink.
The 29-year-old suspect, a German national, was believed to have scouted the target in the southern German city of Karlsruhe in August and allegedly tried to get a delivery driver job in preparation.  “The accused, Dasbar W., is strongly suspected of having supported IS and being a member of IS,” German anti-terror prosecutors said in a statement. He is “strongly suspected of plotting a violent action.”  Not really much of a surprise.

UNBELIEVABLE – FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER:   College Democrats at the University of California San Diego last week branded flyers recently posted around their campus as "racist propaganda." The flyers in question were simple, bearing only a picture of murder victim Kate Steinle's face and the phrase, "She had dreams too."  The illegal immigrant who shot and killed Steinle in 2015 was acquitted of both murder and manslaughter on Nov. 30. His argument in court was that it was an accident.  This is what the Democratic Party, under Barack Obama, has  become.

December 20, 2017       Permalink

PASSED – AT 1:18 P.M. ET:  Congress has completed action on the tax-reform bill and sent it to the president.  From Fox: 

The House gave the final stamp of approval Wednesday to a sweeping tax reform package, handing President Trump his first major legislative victory and most Americans a tax cut starting next year.
With a 224-201 House vote, Congress sent the $1.5 trillion package to Trump’s desk. The biggest rewrite of the federal tax code since the Reagan administration will usher in steep rate cuts for American companies, double the deduction millions of families claim on their annual returns and make a host of other changes taking effect in a matter of weeks.

"This bill means more take-home pay. It will be an incredible Christmas gift for hard-working Americans," Trump said during a Cabinet meeting moments before the vote. 

While the bill already earned House approval earlier Tuesday, the Senate had to ship it back for a final vote after stripping out three provisions that violated chamber rules, in a last-minute glitch. Twelve Republicans once again defected Wednesday to vote with Democrats in opposition. 

COMMENT:  A great legislative achievement.  The momentum is with the president right now.  Remember that he won the presidential election by talking over the heads of the opposition and the media.  He should keep doing it.

We need an infrastructure bill to start repairing our bridges and highways.

And we need a major success in foreign policy.  Under Obama the definition of success was something that benefited an enemy nation.  I think Trump sees things otherwise.

December 20, 2017       Permalink

AND IN THE REAL WORLD – AT 10:43 A.M. ET:  Let us not forget, as we focus on the tax-reform bill, that we are facing major national-security challenges.  Some of our allies are preparing, as we are, to meet those challenges, and to confront rogue nations like North Korea, and mighty nations like China.  From The Wall Street Journal: 

ISHIGAKI, Japan—Japan’s military is laying the groundwork for batteries of antiship and antiaircraft missiles in a quiet, sugar-cane-filled valley here, as it girds to confront what Tokyo views as its greatest long-term threat: China.

Ishigaki is one of a string of subtropical islands in the far southwest of the Japanese archipelago—the closest is about 200 miles from China’s coast—that defense officials are fortifying with troop garrisons, new weapons and a radar installation.

As China becomes more powerful and assertive and North Korea builds up its nuclear arsenal, Japan is rethinking its approach to defense and moving away from the policies of strict pacifism it has followed since its defeat in World War II.

On Friday, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s cabinet is set to approve an increase of around 2.5% in annual military spending, including funds for the new bases on the southern islands, as well as the country’s first cruise missiles and a new ballistic-missile defense shield.

Defense Minister Itsunori Onodera said the cruise missiles are intended to protect the islands from invasion.

Defense budgets have been growing since 2013, with Japan, one of the U.S.’s most important allies, buying advanced fighter jets, boosting surveillance capabilities and training a new amphibious troop unit.

The country still spends around half of that spent by China and one-third of the U.S. on defense relative to the size of each country’s economy. But, with the support—and prodding—of Washington, it is building one of the world’s most capable armed forces.

COMMENT:  After World War II, it was understandable that Japan wanted nothing more to do with things military.  The war left the country largely destroyed. 

But it's a new era, and Japan is taking its rightful place in the defense of the free nations.  North Korea has actually fired missiles over Japan.  Japan has taken note, and taken action.  A serious confrontation with North Korea may be in the offing.  We have a strong ally with us.

December 20, 2017       Permalink 

THE PRESIDENT'S POLLS – AT 10:15 A.M. ET:  Are we starting to see movement in the president's poll numbers?  If you watch CNN, you'd think Donald Trump is the most hated man in America, with only three people ready to vote for him again.  CNN, and others always pick his worst poll numbers to emphasize.

But Trump traditionally underpolls – his actual numbers are higher than his poll numbers.  So we use polls that are perhaps (we think) more realistic than the anti-Trumpers use.  Rasmussen is reporting this today:

The Rasmussen Reports daily Presidential Tracking Poll for Wednesday shows that 44% of Likely U.S. Voters approve of President Trump’s job performance. Fifty-four percent (54%) disapprove.

The latest figures include 29% who Strongly Approve of the way the president is performing and 45% who Strongly Disapprove. This gives him a Presidential Approval Index rating of -16.

COMMENT:  Those are not bad numbers.  Don't forget that the saintly Obama spent a good part of his presidency in the low- to mid-forties. 

Trump's numbers in the Rasmussen survey are showing a slow but steady rise.  If he can get into the high forties, we may see a different mood in some media outlets...if they're smart, which is always a question.

We will be watching to see if the tax-reform bill produces a jump in the president's numbers.  CNN is doing its best to discredit the legislation.  We hope they're ignored.

December 20,  2017     Permalink