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JANUARY 13,  2017

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

MATURITY REPORT – FROM FOX:   An anti-Donald Trump group is planning massive disruptions for next week's inauguration covering everything from "blockades" at security checkpoints to a "dance party" outside VP-elect Mike Pence's house, according to group leaders as well as newly obtained audio of their apparent plans.  The organization #DisruptJ20 already announced at a press conference Thursday its various plans to wreak havoc at Trump's Jan. 20 inauguration and in the days leading up to it.  A conservative group also shared with FoxNews.com what it said was audio from a Jan. 8 #DisruptJ20 meeting at a Washington church, giving even greater insight into the group's planned D.C. "shutdown."  The audio, recorded by Trevor Loudon with Capital Research Center, purports to show a female member detailing plans to "do everything we can to try and stop people from being able to access the inauguration."  This begins with what was described as a "pure dance party at Mike Pence’s house" on Jan. 18.  "It’s his last few days living in Chevy Chase before he moves into the vice presidential residence, and we’re going to send him off with a bang," the woman says in the audio.  How mature.  How classy.  There may be many attempts to disrupt, giving some in mainstream media to cut away from the inauguration itself, which they'd love to do.

DISAPPOINTING – FROM THE NEW YORK POST:   President-elect Donald Trump has the highest disapproval rating in history over his transition effort.  Trump hit the all-time low mark — 51 percent view his transition unfavorably, compared with the 44 percent who approve — a week away from his inauguration, according to a Gallup poll out Friday.  For comparison, President Obama’s handling of his transition was approved by 83 percent of Americans, while 12 percent disapproved.  George W. Bush’s transition had 61 percent approval and Bill Clinton’s transition was viewed favorably by 68 percent.  I'm sickened but not surprised by those numbers.  In my view, Obama has handled his transition quite well.  But the media hatred has been relentless.  And I suspect it's now taking its toll.  Trump has got to develop a better media strategy, a way of speaking over the heads of the hacks and directly to the American people.  Reagan did that well.  Tweets are not enough.

SAD – FROM MEDIAITE:  Looks like Donald Trump may still be in the market for some inauguration performers. Last night, it was reported that Paul Anka would be performing “My Way,” with lyrics customized for the incoming President, but he told TMZ that that’s actually not the case.  He said, “The President-Elect is an old friend of mine for 50 years, there was a dialogue to do it, ‘My Way’ is his favorite song, but… I’ve been in a custody battle for two years for my son Ethan, and we have a new schedule now and I’m unable to do it.”  Very odd.  I wonder if someone reached Anka.  You usually don't disappoint a friend of 50 years.  I sense there's a story here we're not being told.

January 13, 2017       Permalink

GOOD CHOICE – AT 11:53 A.M. ET:  Mike Pence will be sworn in by Associate Justice Clarence Thomas of the United States Supreme Court.  From Reuters: 

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Vice President-elect Mike Pence will be sworn into office on Jan. 20 by U.S. Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas, a conservative legal icon reviled by many liberals.

Thomas's role was included in the official program for Republican President-elect Donald Trump's inauguration posted online by the Joint Congressional Committee on Inaugural Ceremonies.

Trump will be sworn in by conservative Chief Justice John Roberts. The nation's chief justice usually swears in the president but an incoming vice president traditionally picks someone else to administer the oath of office.

Vice President Joe Biden was sworn in by liberal Justice John Paul Stevens in 2009 and liberal Justice Sonia Sotomayor in 2013.

Thomas, 68, is the second black justice to serve on the Supreme Court and is one of its most conservative members.

Nominated by Republican President George H.W. Bush, Thomas joined the court in 1991 after contentious Senate confirmation hearings involving sexual harassment allegations against him made by a former federal government colleague, Anita Hill.

In October, after controversy erupted over allegations Trump had fondled numerous women and boasted about it, a female corporate lawyer from Alaska accused Thomas of groping her in 1999, a charge Thomas called "preposterous" and untrue.

After taking office, Trump will nominate a justice to serve alongside Thomas on the Supreme Court to fill the vacancy created by the death of another conservative, Justice Antonin Scalia, in February 2016.

COMMENT:  Justice Thomas has served on the Court with great distinction.  He deserves this honor.  Despite attempts to smear him, he has never raised his voice against his opponents.  It must drive them crazy. 

January 13, 2017       Permalink

THE TRUMP WAY – AT 10:38 A.M. ET:  Many wince when Donald Trump opens his mouth.  Elegant he isn't.  Presidential he isn't.  He's Donald.

And yet, he's effective.   He won a presidential election despite massive odds.  When someone punches him, he punches back twice as hard, even at the risk of seeming the bully.  Look at his dealings with the media, especially his combative press conference this week.   From Fred Barnes at Weekly Standard:

With Trump, rules have changed. CNN was oblivious to this. It had played up the dubious "dossier" story about Trump. Yet, after Trump denounced the story, CNN correspondent Jim Acosta thought he was entitled to ask a question. Trump refused. "You are fake news," he said, looking at Acosta.

Which leads us to the first change. And by the way, it applies across the board, not just to the media. The new rule is simple: When you attack Trump, he will hit back harder than you could have imagined. "He learned this in the New York media when he was a businessman," Newt Gingrich said in a speech in December.

This is "Trump's core model," says Gingrich, who understands how Trump operates better than anyone else. There's a reason for Trump's counter-punching. He always wants to be on offense. "He's on permanent offense," Gingrich says. This, too, is a change. "He gets up in the morning, figuring out, how am I going to stay on offense?"

That he punches back was lost on Hollywood's Meryl Streep. After she vilified him at the Golden Globe awards banquet, he unloaded on her with bruising force. He tweeted that she's an "overrated actress" and a "Hillary flunkie." I suspect more people read his tweets than watched her speech on TV. More are also likely to remember what he said.

But the main thing was he got on offense.

COMMENT:  A good analysis.  We're in for four years of fireworks.  I can't wait.  It'll be the best show around.

January 13, 2017       Permalink

ONE MORE WEEK – AT 10:07 A.M. ET:  In one week, and a few hours, Donald Trump will be  president.  And that means that Barack Obama won't be. 

It may well turn out to be an interesting week.  I wouldn't be shocked if some "bombshell" is exploded by a "journalist" with "inside information."  Remember, that the goal of the left is to delegitimize Trump.  That goal will continue, even after his inauguration, and the media will play its assigned role.

We already know that one outrage is underway.  On Sunday a group of 72 nations will meet in Paris under the auspices of a corrupt French government.  The goal will be to shape a policy to settle the Israel-Palestine conflict.  It is really a gang-up on Israel.  Naturally, John Kerry will attend with enthusiasm, essentially ending decades of American policy stating that only the parties can settle the dispute.  It's being made clear, if only by anonymous comments, that the purpose of the conference is to put pressure on America's incoming president.  That the outgoing administration would participate in this kind of rigged affair is obscene.  But we are talking about Barack Obama and John Kerry, not exactly stalwarts in the fight for human freedom.

We also look forward, perhaps with some amusement, to the "coverage" of the inauguration.  Will anyone play it straight?  Or will we have the usual sneering and uppity comments by "journalists," especially those from CNN.  Will The New York Times break its growing tradition of placing three or four anti-Trump stories on its front page, day after day? 

I would love to see Trump deliver a superb inaugural address, over the heads of the press and directly to the American people.  I don't know if it will be, but we can hope.

January 13,  2017     Permalink

JANUARY 12,  2017

SHORT TAKES ON THE DRIFTING WRECKAGE – AT 11:51 P.M. ET: 

NO DUMMY – FROM THE HILL:   Melania Trump has hired a law firm in her native Slovenia to warn people against profiting off her name or likeness.  Entrepreneurs have raced to offer products associated with the future first lady since her husband Donald Trump became president-elect earlier this month, Politico reported Wednesday.  Melania Trump’s main concern is with Sevnica, her hometown boasting a population of 4,900 people.  The town has erected a billboard with the former model’s likeness, and a cottage industry hawking Trump-themed products has sprung up.  Trump hired the local law firm Pirc Musar & partnerji to halt the use of her name and image without permission.  “This is indecent financial exploitation and infringement of personality rights,” Natasa Pirc Musar, the law firm’s director, told Politico.  Pirc Musar said her team has not filed any legal proceedings but is monitoring potential cases and relaying them back to Trump.  “First we wanted to warn the public and now we count on their prudence to stop the practice,” she said.  She may have a case if her name is being associated with commercial enterprises.  However, she should be careful not to attack expressions of local pride.

GOOD FOR HIM – FROM DAILY BEAST:   According to Radar Online, 75-year-old crooner Paul Anka will perform his most famous song, “My Way,” at Donald Trump’s inauguration, with the lyrics re-written for his long-time friend and incoming president. “Paul was asked by the members of the Trump inauguration committee and he was only too happy to do it for his longtime friend,” one insider told the tabloid outlet. The source indicated that Anka’s special version of the Frank Sinatra classic would be performed during the inaugural dance between Trump and his wife Melania Trump.  Great style, great idea.  Anka is too old and too iconic to be bothered by political correctness, unless Meryl Streep wants to denounce him. 

OH PLEASE – FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER:  Sen. Kamala Harris, D-Calif., grilled CIA director Mike Pompeo on whether climate change was a leading national security threat during his Senate confirmation hearings Thursday.  "CIA Director Brennan, who has spent a 25-year career at the CIA as an analyst, a senior manager and station chief in the field, has that when 'CIA analysts look for deeper causes of rising instability in the world, one of the causes those CIA analysts see is the impact of climate change,'" Harris began. "Do you have any reason to doubt the assessment of those CIA analysts?"  Pompeo, a Republican congressman from Kansas, replied that he was unfamiliar with the material Harris was referencing but that the CIA would gather information on all threats to American security, including any that stem from climatic activity, and present them to policymakers.  Good answer by Mike, who graduated first in his class at West Point.  Harris, who has national ambitions, did poorly in her first outing as a U.S. senator, hitting the Democratic left's talking points and little else.  She just succeeded Barbara Boxer, so the bar for her isn't too high.

January 12,  2017     Permalink

MATTIS WARNS – AT 11:18 A.M. ET:  Trump's nominee for secretary of defense is taking a very hard line, somewhat harder than Trump himself.  From Fox:

Defense secretary nominee Gen. James Mattis issued a grave warning Thursday at his Senate confirmation hearing, saying the established world order is under its “biggest attack” since World War II as he called for boosting military readiness and America’s alliances.

Under questioning from Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman John McCain, R-Ariz., about Russia and other threats, Mattis said the U.S. should “recognize the reality” of dealing with Vladimir Putin’s government and that he’s trying to “break” the North Atlantic alliance.

Citing Russia’s aggressions and other concerns, he said: “I think [the world order is] under the biggest attack since World War II … from Russia, from terrorist groups and with what China is doing in the South China Sea.”

To address this, Mattis testified, “deterrence is critical.”

His assessment came as he called for strengthening “military readiness” while also pursuing “business reforms” at the Pentagon. He said U.S. forces must be the “best led, best equipped and most lethal in the world.”

“If you confirm me, my watchwords will be solvency and security in providing for the protection of our people and the survival of our freedoms,” he said.

Mattis, a tough Marine general who earned the nickname “Mad Dog” over the course of his career and most recently led U.S. Central Command before retiring in 2013, is poised to become the first career military officer in charge of the Pentagon since the 1950s,

He addressed any potential concerns about that break from tradition at his hearing Thursday, saying he recognizes civilian control of the military is a “fundamental tenet of the American military tradition.”

COMMENT:  So far all the Trump nominees in the national security area are taking harder lines than Trump himself, especially in dealing with Russia.  I think we'll see Trump joining them in coming weeks, as he realizes that his chumminess with Putin has been a liability.

What Trump does not need is for someone like Mattis to resign in protest against policies that are too soft on Russia.  Trump's opponents, even within the GOP, would have a field day.  I think some realism is coming our way.

January 12, 2017       Permalink

RUDY IS BACK – AT 10:20 A.M. ET:  Rudy Giuliani, one of the most successful crime fighters in American history, has been named to a position with the Trump transition team.  That's a positive.  He'll be in a position to give sound advice.  From the Sinclair Broadcast Group: 

WASHINGTON (Sinclair Broadcast Group) - The Donald Trump transition team has named Rudy Giuliani as an adviser to cyber security efforts.

In a press release Thursday, the president-elect's team said it expects to host meetings with "senior corporate executives from companies which have faced or are facing challenges similar to those facing the government and public entities today, such as hacking, intrusions, disruptions, manipulations, theft of data and identities, and securing information technology infrastructure."

Calling cyber intrusion "the fastest growing crime in the United States," Trump expects Giuliani to lead the meetings.

COMMENT:  When he was mayor of New York, Rudy committed the worst offense you can commit in politics – he succeeded.  Must not do that without the permission of the intellectual left.  Must not show that the system can work. 

He's a tough guy, not always elegant, and not welcome at society balls.  But he knows how to approach criminal activity, and that's a rare gift.  He has turned down several job offers from Trump.  Maybe this advisory role can extend beyond the transition. 

January 12, 2017       Permalink

THE TRUMP EFFECT – AT 9:47 A.M. ET:  From USA TODAY: 

Amazon will create 100,000 full-time jobs in the United States with full benefits over the next 18 months, the tech giant announced in a statement Thursday.

The company says the positions are for workers across the country and across all skill and experience levels. Most of the positions will be at fulfillment centers, including new ones under construction in California, Florida, New Jersey and Texas.

"Innovation is one of our guiding principles at Amazon, and it’s created hundreds of thousands of American jobs," said Amazon founder and CEO Jeff Bezos in a statement. "These jobs are not just in our Seattle headquarters or in Silicon Valley—they’re in our customer service network, fulfillment centers and other facilities in local communities throughout the country."

Amazon has quickly ramped up its workforce over the last few years, as it pushes to open up more fulfillment centers to get packages out to its customers more quickly. In 2011, Amazon had 30,000 employees. At the end of last year, it employed 180,000 people.

COMMENT:  Great.  And yes, of course, it isn't due only to Donald Trump, but the Trump effect is at work.  Companies now know that creating jobs gets them great publicity and favor from the incoming administration.  Job creation will be part of the product.  That's good.  It's a good mental place to be.  Turn tax eaters into taxpayers. And companies are now showing that it can be done.

January 12,  2017     Permalink