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FEBRUARY 27,  2018

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

SAGA OF THE INSTANT CELEBRITY – FROM BREITBART:   Parkland school shooting survivor David Hogg says he will not return to Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School until more gun control is passed.  Hogg made the comments Sunday during a gun control rally held at Temple B’nai Abraham in Livingston, New Jersey.  The New York Daily News reports that Hogg said, “I’m not going back to school on Wednesday until one bill is passed.” He did not specify which law he wants most, only that he is not going back until at least one law garners the support of lawmakers.  He said, “Literally any legislation at this point would be a success. Considering the fact that so few legislators in Florida met with us and they want the people to forget, that’s disgusting. The fact that they want people to forget about this and elect them again as the child murderers they are, that’s unacceptable and we’re not going to let that happen.”  You have to feel for anyone involved in this horror, but this kid strikes me as an obnoxious, egotistical self-promoter.  This is a time to look for sensible policies, not to pay much attention to a showman.

GETTING AT THE TRUTH – FROM COLLEGE FIX:   One of the biggest skeletons in Planned Parenthood’s closet is that its founder, Margaret Sanger, was a racist who promoted abortion to kill black babies. It’s a subject left-leaning progressives and pro-choicers have long ignored or dismissed.
But two student groups at the University of Florida are ready to take that issue on as part of a Black History month event set for Wednesday.  “Decolonizing Sexual Health,” co-hosted by Planned Parenthood Generation Action UF and the UF Black Student Union, will offer “a panel discussion on the racist roots of Planned Parenthood,” according to its Facebook event page.  “Our subject is addressing the racist roots of the birth control movement, specifically pertaining to the influence of eugenics. Margaret Sanger, Planned Parenthood’s founder, is a controversial figure in this conversation because despite her devotion to reproductive rights, she also had beliefs, practices, and associations with eugenics that we acknowledge and denounce, and work to rectify today,” the event page states.   It may not be the language we would use, but I'm glad the history of Planned Parenthood is finally being addressed on the left.  This is long overdue.

ANOTHER ONE? – FROM USA TODAY:   The son of Vermont Senator and former Presidential candidate Bernie Sanders is launching his own congressional career.  Levi Sanders, the son of 2016 presidential contender Sen. Bernie Sanders, announced Monday he's running for Congress in New Hampshire.  Sanders, 48, seeks the seat of Democratic Rep. Carol Shea-Porter, who has held the seat for New Hampshire's 1st congressional district since 2017 (and on-and-off since 2007). She won't seek re-election in 2018.  Sanders' announcement of his campaign boasts some of the same themes as his father's presidential run: tuition-free college and healthcare without "out-of-pocket" expenses. He also aims to tackle the opioid epidemic, "sensible" gun legislation and equal pay for women.   I dunno.  Will there be a Sanders dynasty?  As a socialist, the elder Sanders couldn't possibly approve of that.

February 27, 2018       Permalink

A MERE TRIFLE – AT 10:50 A.M. ET:   Remember when President Trump brought up the little matter of voter fraud, and the establishment laughed?  From the Washington Times:

More than 100,000 noncitizens are registered to vote in Pennsylvania alone, according to testimony submitted Monday in a lawsuit demanding the state come clean about the extent of its problems.

The Public Interest Legal Foundation, which has identified similar noncitizen voting problems in studies of Virginia and New Jersey, said Pennsylvania officials have admitted noncitizens have been registering and voting in the state “for decades.”

But state officials have stonewalled PILF requests for access to the data that could expose the problem, the group says in a lawsuit filed in federal court in Harrisburg.

“For months, Pennsylvania bureaucrats have concealed facts about noncitizens registering and voting — that ends today,” PILF President and General Counsel J. Christian Adams said.

He said Pennsylvania had already admitted to a “glitch” dating back to the 1990s that had allowed noncitizens applying to renew driver’s licenses to be offered the chance to register to vote. Mr. Adams said he now wants to find out how bad the problem is overall.

Pennsylvania officials wouldn’t respond to the lawsuit, nor to the 100,000 noncitizen number.

COMMENT:  Watch, as those who question illegal voting are called 1) racists, 2) bigots, 3) fascists, 4) colonialists, and 5) tools of capitalist imperialists.

It used to be a nation of laws.  Now it's a nation of whatever laws the left wishes to follow.

February 27, 2018       Permalink

THE RISE OF RUSSIA – AT 9:09 A.M. ET:  Eight years ago there were no Russian troops in the Mideast.  Now Moscow is a major military factor in Syria.  Thank you, President Obama and Secretary Kerry.

Eight years ago Russia didn't control Crimea.  Not so today.  Thanks again, guys. 

Eight years ago, our victory in the Cold War seemed secure.  Not so now.  Mr. Obama, our hat is off to you.

And there's this, from Newsmax:   

Russia appears to be actively considering the limited use of nuclear weapons, and the Trump administration's nuclear doctrine of "deterrence" will answer the threat, a senior defense official said Monday.

The Washington Free Beacon reported deputy undersecretary of defense David Trachtenberg told the Heritage Foundation the United States has been "extremely concerned with what we have seen as the evolution of Russian military policy as it relates to potential use of nuclear weapons."

"Russian nuclear doctrine seems to actively consider the possibility of limited nuclear use," he said, the Free Beacon reported.

"Russian military exercises . . . in some cases have involved levels of activity involving strategic nuclear forces that we haven't seen since the heyday of the Cold War, and some of those exercises have involved the simulated use of nuclear weapons as part of what has been referred to as an 'escalate to deescalate strategy.'"

COMMENT:  Fortunately, President Trump, far from being in collusion with Russia, is showing real toughness, and, most important, is rebuilding our military forces. 

February 27,  2018     Permalink 

FEBRUARY 26,  2018

SHORT TAKES ON THE DRIFTING WRECKAGE – AT 11:52 P.M. ET:

WHAA..? – FROM THE WASHINGTON FREE BEACON:    A CNN analyst insisted Saturday that arming school teachers is impractical, arguing that women who wear skirts and dresses can not carry guns on their person.  "A lot of these schools—Sandy Hook had an all-female faculty, from principal to teachers," noted CNN senior law enforcement analyst Tom Fuentes. "For a woman, where are you going to hide that gun during the day?"  "You can't put it in your desk drawer; somebody might steal it, and you can't get to it," he said. "You're not going to have it in a safe in the principal's office; you can't get to it."  The only feasible option, Fuentes argued, is for teachers to have the gun "on your person, hiding it."  Can you imagine if a Republican had said that?  There'd be an uproar, with cries of "sexism" heard throughout the land.  In fact, there are many policewomen and female federal agents.  They have guns.  They know how to wear them.  I won't go into it, but be assured they're armed.

MAYBE – FROM AFP:   Miami (AFP) - It may rain once a decade or less in South America's Atacama Desert, but tiny bacteria and microorganisms survive there, hinting at the possibility of similar life on Mars, researchers said Monday.  The desert, which spans parts of Chile and Peru, is the driest non-polar desert on Earth and may contain the environment most like that of the Red Planet, said the report in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.  Life will exist on Mars when we send the Democratic National Committee to the planet, and leave them there.

DISGRACEFUL – FROM THE NEW YORK POST:   A high school teacher in New Jersey said he was suspended last week for bringing up his concerns about his school’s safety in light of the Florida massacre.  Philly.com reported that Timothy Locke, 59, was placed on leave for talking about the Parkland shooting and then floating the possibility that a similar event could happen at Cherry Hill High School East, which is in Cherry Hill, N.J.  “He said the chances of East being shot up were high,” one 17-year-old student told the newspaper. The student said that she noticed another student upset and the two went to the principal’s office.  A spokeswoman from the school board told Philly.com that she could not discuss the personal matter.  Locke is reportedly well-liked by students at the school and some protested his suspension on Monday. Locke told the paper that he was called into the principal’s office and his bag was searched. He told the paper that he has to undergo a psychiatric exam.  So some brave little snowflakes went to the principal's office to whine about a teacher who was concerned about their safety.  What great kids.  You can just imagine what they'll be in college.

February 26,  2018     Permalink

EGADS, ANOTHER ONE – AT 1:54 P.M. ET:  I can't keep up with the number of names put forward for the 2020 Democratic nomination.   It seems every hour we get a new flavor-of-the-day, "the man who..!"  Oh wait, "The woman who, or the trans person who, or the person who doesn't wish a gender who."  We must be careful these days.  And now the latest, from the Washington Free Beacon:   

Democrat Terry McAuliffe said he would be the party's best choice to "take on" President Donald Trump in 2020.

"Who better to take on Trump than me?" McAuliffe said when asked by the Washington Free Beacon about a potential 2020 run for president, strongly indicating he will indeed throw his hat in the ring.

The former Virginia governor, Democratic National Committee chairman, and longtime party fundraiser's name is regularly included amongst the crowded field of Democrats thinking of running for president.

McAuliffe has been said to be "seriously considering" a presidential run but recently dodged a question from CNN's Jake Tapper on who would give Democrats the best chance to take back the White House, though he did indicate a belief that former governors with executive experience such as McAuliffe are better suited for a run.

COMMENT:  Terry, Terry, it's the new Democratic Party, Terry.  You're a white male from the seat of the Confederacy, and closely tied to Hillary Clinton.  And over there is Elizabeth Warren, who personally shot General Custer.  And there's Kamala Harris, whose family hails from 71 different countries.  And Bernie Sanders, who personally knew Lincoln.  Maybe a Cabinet job, Terry. 

February 26,  2018     Permalink

THE PRESIDENT HOLDS – AT 10:40 A.M. ET:   Rasmussen has the president's approval rating today at 49%: 

The Rasmussen Reports daily Presidential Tracking Poll for Monday shows that 49% of Likely U.S. Voters approve of President Trump’s job performance. Forty-nine percent (49%) disapprove. 
By comparison, President Obama earned 44% approval on this date in the second year of his presidency. 

COMMENT:  We note that this is the highest approval rating currently reported by any major poll.  The lowest is Gallup, tied with Quinnipiac, at 37%.

The RealClearPolitics average of presidential approval polls is 41.5%.

Why, some readers ask, do we use Rasmussen, which sometimes appears an outlier?  First, it is the only daily tracking poll, which means it's always up to date.  Second, it was the most accurate major poll in predicting the last presidential election.  Third, Trump always underpolls, so a poll that seems to put him "too high" may be just right.  And fourth, Trump won the election when the average of polls also showed him behind.

No one knows how accurate a poll is until we read the election-day results.  But I am comfortable using Rasmussen, given the history.  Rasmussen can also compare its result to where Obama was at this point in his presidency, which is unique.

February 26, 2018       Permalink

THIS IDEA IS GAINING TRACTION – AT 9:08 A.M. ET:  Governor John Kasich of Ohio, a somewhat eccentric Republican governor. said over the weekend what a number of voices have hinted at in recent months – that the two-party system may be near its end.   From the Washington Times: 

Ohio Gov. John Kasich, one of the loudest Republican critics of President Trump, said Sunday that both parties are failing American citizens and that a “multi-party system” could materialize sooner rather than later.

In an interview on ABC’s “This Week” program. Mr. Kasich — who has been rumored to be mulling a primary challenge against Mr. Trump in 2020, though he said Sunday he has no plans to mount such a run — said Americans, particularly young people, are increasingly disillusioned with both parties.

“I want to support candidates who I believe want to take the high road. Those that want to create discord and those that want to put the party in front of the country, I’m not showing up,” he said.

“I will tell you another thing. We may be beginning to see the end of a two-party system. I’m starting to really wonder if we are going to see a multi-party system at some point in the future in this country. Because I don’t think either party is answering people’s deepest concerns and needs.”

COMMENT:  He may be right, but I think it may come down to a third party developing that would eventually replace one of the two major parties.

The Democrats are probably in greater jeopardy than the GOP.  While the GOP has its nut cases and its factions, it has a kind of general unity.  However, the Democratic Party has truly been taken over by leftist extremists, way outside the American mainstream.  The Democratic Party of Roosevelt, Truman, and Kennedy is only a memory, replaced by the party of Barack Obama.  The national chairman is a fringe leftist who curses during rallies where children are present.  The second-in-command is a former member of the Nation of Islam.  

It isn't hard to imagine a group of moderate Democrats, perhaps joined by some moderate Republicans, breaking off and forming a new party of the center-left.  Its immediate impact, if it is well funded, might well be to deny the current Democratic Party the voters it needs to win any national election. 

But that is speculation.

February 26,  2018     Permalink