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JANUARY 22,  2017

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

TILLERSON GAINING – The controversial nomination of former Exxon-Mobil CEO to be secretary of state gained considerably today as two Republican senators, John McCain and Lindsey Graham, announced that they would support him.  The two had withheld their support, in part because of Tillerson's business associations with Russia.  Tillerson is not completely in the clear because Senator Marco Rubio of Florida still has not endorsed him.  But the Dems would have to have zero defections and pick up a couple of Republicans to defeat Tillerson at this point.  Consider him almost confirmed.

CHILLING – FROM AP:   NEW YORK (AP) — United Airlines says domestic flights are on the move again after being grounded Sunday because of a computer problem.  Company spokeswoman Maddie King says the "IT issue" that initially caused the ground stop has been resolved and flights are resuming, but customers may experience additional delays. She didn't give any more details.  It was not immediately clear how many flights were affected. The ground stop lasted about 2 ½ hours.  Chicago-based United Airlines and United Express operate more than 4,500 flights a day to 339 airports across five continents.  Once again we're reminded how vulnerable we are to computer failures and computer hacking.  The country is now run on computers.  A mass computer failure caused by a nuclear device exploded above our territory – a so-called electro-magnetic pulse (EMP) attack, could cause catastrophic dislocation and even starvation, as our supply and transportations system freeze. 

WHEN YOU'RE RICH THEY THINK YOU REALLY KNOW – AND IT AIN'T NECESSARILY SO – FROM THE HILL:   Tom Steyer spent $87 million on the 2016 elections, and all he got was a Trump administration full of nominees he opposes.  The liberal billionaire, who funded Democratic campaigns across the country and ballot measures in his home state of California, said in an interview he intends to remain involved in politics now that President Donald Trump has taken office.  He said he still believes most voters agree with Democratic ideals, though the party didn’t effectively convey them in November.  “I think there’s no doubt that we reflect the will of the people to an overwhelming extent. I don’t think we were successful in conveying the spirit behind those policies, and I don’t think we were successful in transmitting the urgency behind those policies,” Steyer told The Hill.  Hey guy, you had eight years of Barack Obama to convey your spirit, and a lot of voters fell asleep.  But keep spending.  It keeps a lot of people employed in jobs not usually filled by foreign workers.

January 22, 2017       Permalink

HOW NICE – AT 1:18 P.M. ET:  The numbers are pouring in, and it looks like Donald Trump's inauguration was indeed YUGE!  From Entertainment Weekly: 

Donald Trump’s inauguration ratings were the second-highest in 36 years, according to Nielsen.

The swearing-in of the 45th president was seen by 30.6 million viewers across 12 networks.

The only inauguration over the last three decades that tops Trump’s number in the linear ratings? Barack Obama’s first inauguration back in 2009, which had a record-setting 37.8 million viewers. So Trump was down from the last new president to take office.

But before that, to get an Inauguration Day number this high, you’d have to go all the way back to Ronald Reagan in 1981, who was seen by 41.8 million viewers (Nielsen released tracking for inauguration ratings back to 1969).

Trump’s numbers are all the more remarkable considering he’s entering into office with rather low approval ratings compared to past presidents and sparked protests worldwide along with vows to not watch his inauguration.

And actually, Trump could have been seen by more viewers than either Obama or Reagan. Nielsen ratings do not account for online viewing, which has grown sharply in recent years and is far more commonplace than even four years ago. CNN.com, for example, clocked 16.9 million live streams, tying with its Election Day coverage for the site’s top event (live stream tallies are typically not apples-to-apples with Nielsen’s strict methodology of counting average viewers, but are still additive). Plus, portals like YouTube, Facebook and Twitter offered live streams as well.

In terms of linear coverage, Fox News topped all networks, averaging 8.8 million viewers for the day and peaking with 11 million viewers from noon to 1 p.m. This was the highest-rated inauguration coverage in the network’s history. While on broadcast, NBC was top ranked with 5.8 million viewers for the day.

COMMENT:  That online viewing factor is the key.  I'll bet Trump did get the largest viewing audience in history when online viewers are counted.  We have to have a better way to count them.

January 22, 2017       Permalink

THE I-WORD IS OFFICIALLY BACK – AT 12:46 P.M. ET:  Impeachment, that is.  Would you believe there are some Dems who are already preparing for it.  From the Washington Free Beacon: 

A confidential David Brock memo obtained by the Washington Free Beacon lays out the ways the Democratic operative plans to use his numerous organizations to take down President Donald Trump through impeachment.

Brock is currently at the Turnberry Isle Resort in Aventura, Fla. for a weekend conference with more than 100 major liberal donors. Attendees are mapping out a course to combat the newly sworn-in president.

According to the private and confidential memo, Brock plans to defeat Trump “through impeachment,” using American Bridge, his liberal super PAC, as the main vehicle to do so.

“No other progressive organization has the resources and assets that American Bridge has amassed over the past several election cycles to hold Trump, his administration, and the politicians accountable,” the 44-page confidential memo states.

“Only Bridge stands ready with staff already hired, Trump’s web of business ties mapped out, and a massive video archive at our fingertips.”

“The right will bolster Trump aggressively and deceptively. The campaign to stop him must be nonstop. At American Bridge, it has already begun.”

Brock’s group claims to have more than 20,000 hours of video, 289 candidate research books, and the largest available archive of Trump research in the Democratic Party. Within weeks of the election, Bridge launched a “Trump War Room,” which has already scrutinized Trump’s transition team and will continue to watch the personnel, policies, and practices of the administration.

COMMENT:  You'd think they'd spend their time figuring out how they lost about a thousand legislative seats in the last eight years.  But the prevailing winds in the Democratic Party do not permit any taking of blame.  Dems celebrate their wonderfulness and state of perfection.  They are the children of Obama, pure of heart and ballot box.  No mistakes were made.  Ever.

January 22, 2017       Permalink

TRUMPIANS FIGHT BACK – AT 11:18 A.M. ET:  Does anyone doubt that the mainstream media is trying to delegitimize President Trump?  The New York Times has dropped all pretense.  The Trumpians are fighting back.  Sometimes they may not be too elegant, and they must choose their targets wisely, but at least they are not allowing the mainstreamers to run all over them, which is what happened with George W. Bush.  From Fox:

White House Chief of Staff Reince Priebus on Sunday defended President Trump and a top aide’s sharp criticism this weekend of news agencies, saying “there is an obsession by the media to delegitimize this president.”

“We are not going to sit around and let it happen,” Priebus told “Fox News Sunday.”

Trump suggested to CIA staffers Saturday on his visit to the agency that his well-publicized rift with the U.S. intelligence community was drummed up by the media.

Trump didn’t agree with some in the intelligence community’s assessment that Russia influenced the 2016 White House race to help him win.

And Trump argued more recently that somebody within that community leaking an unofficial dossier with alleged damaging personal information about him was like living in “Nazi Germany.”

Priebus told Fox that “one bad actor” likely leaked the document so Trump wasn’t angry at all of the country’s intelligence officers.

“I’m telling you; It was a love fest in there,” Priebus said about Trump’s visit at CIA headquarters that was attended by about 300 staffers.

He also suggested that a reporter was at best careless in erroneously reporting that Trump has removed a bust of Martin Luther King Jr. from the Oval Office.

“It could have had explosive ramifications. … It was shoot first, point later,” he said about the inaccurate report, for which the reporter later apologized.

COMMENT:  Priebus is right.  Having been in it, I will tell you that the profession of journalism is breathtakingly arrogant.  "We are the observers," they say.  "We keep them honest," they say.  "We are the eyes and ears of the people," they say.  No they're not.  They're the eyes and ears of themselves.  And a number of journalists (not all by any means) are biased and unprofessional. 

The Trumpians are right to take on the press when it wrongs him.  But they must be careful.  There's an old saying:  "Never pick a fight with someone who buys ink by the barrel."  It's generally true.  It would be poor strategy to be belligerent toward the media every day.  It's also poor strategy to argue over trivial items, like crowd counting at the inaugural.  Who cares? 

All presidents complain about the press.  President Kennedy banned the old New York Herald-Tribune from the White House.   Former President Eisenhower denounced "sensation-seeking columnists" at the 1964 Republican convention.  Former President George H.W. Bush openly, and bitterly, complained about the treatment given his son, George W. Bush, by The New York Times.   

It;s hard to know when criticism works.  Administrations have been known to have private talks with newspaper executives about coverage.  The media would be in a much better position had it covered Barack Obama in a fair and balanced way.  Instead, the media worshipped him, infuriating the people who won the 2016 election.

January 22,  2017     Permalink

JANUARY 21,  2017

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

CHANGING FOX – FROM THE HILL:   Fox News has declined to renew contributor contracts for longtime political commentator George Will, Republican strategist Ed Rollins and actress Stacey Dash, according to a network spokesperson.  Will, 75, is a Pulitzer-winning conservative columnist who was with ABC from 1981-2011 before coming to Fox in 2013.  In June of 2016, he declared he was leaving the Republican party because of Donald Trump, a decision the then-nominee appeared to embrace.  In 2015 and 2016, Will had periodically feuded with the network's highest-rated host, Bill O'Reilly, with Will once stating that O'Reilly's best-selling book, "Killing Reagan" was "nonsensical" and "The Factor" host calling Will "a hack" in a subsequent interview.  Sad to see George Will go.  I didn't always agree with him, but he's, at minimum, a thoughtful man who's conducted himself well.  He still has his newspaper column.

OH, LEAVE THE NUT ALONE – FROM THE DAILY MAIL:  The Secret Service has reportedly said it will open an investigation into Madonna after the singer told the Women's March on Washington that she had thought about 'blowing up the White House'.  Donning a black p***yhat, the music icon caused controversy by dropping the F-bomb four times, sparking a slew of apologies from broadcasters airing the protest live.
She went on to speak of her rage at the election result, telling the crowd she had thought a lot about 'blowing up the White House' but knew that it 'wouldn't change anything'.  According to the Gateway Pundit, a spokesman for the Secret Service said they were 'aware' of Madonna's comments and will open an investigation, but the ultimate decision whether or not to prosecute is the decision of the U.S. Attorney's Office.   The Secret Service declined to comment on the matter.  I think sending her to a retirement home would be adequate punishment.  She's a sad spectacle.

JARED OKAY – FROM CNN:  The Justice Department concluded Friday that Jared Kushner serving in his father-in-law's administration would not be a violation of federal anti-nepotism laws.  "In choosing his personal staff, the President enjoys an unusual degree of freedom, which Congress found suitable to the demands of his office," wrote Daniel Koffsky, deputy assistant attorney general in the DOJ Office of Legal Counsel, which serves as interpreter of federal law for the White House.  In essence, Koffsky reasoned that the anti-nepotism law covers only appointments in an "executive" agency and that the White House Office is not an executive agency within the law. He cited a separate law that gives the President broad powers to hire his staff.  That law authorizes the president to appoint "employees in the White House office without regard to any other provision of law regulating the employment or compensation of persons in the government service."  The argument is in line with the interpretation put forward by Kushner's attorney, Jamie S. Gorelick, earlier in the week.   Wise decision.  Presidents have often depended on relatives for advice and special missions.  FDR assigned Eleanor Roosevelt to important duties, especially during World War II.  Bill Clinton assigned Hillary to develop a health plan, which was not adopted.  Milton Eisenhower served as an adviser to his brother, President Dwight D. Eisenhower.  It's interesting that Kushner's lawyer is Jamie S. Gorelick, who is especially close to the Clintons.

January 21,  2017     Permalink

SUPERB – AT 12:46 P.M. ET:   Why are the Democrats so bitter?  It's an intriguing question.  Others lose elections and go on with their lives, using their time to reorganize.  But Democrats are nearing riot.  Maybe we'll even see a mass exodus to another planet.  Why?  Seth Lipsky, one of the best journalists in New York, has written a superb piece on this for the New York Post, answering the question.  A must read: 

So why are the Democrats so bitter?...Why the incessant weeping and wailing?

The most persuasive theory is that it has nothing to do with meddling by the Russians or James Comey or the crustiness of Trump’s campaign or his personal behavior. Rather, it’s something other than politics. It’s almost psychiatric.

This was an insight I first heard from one of my journalistic mentors, Robert Bartley, editor of the Wall Street Journal. Shortly before he died, he wrote two columns on the anger of the Democrats.

Bartley comprehended that the Democrats’ fury went beyond politics and “must have deeper, subconscious roots.” His theory was that they were unable to deal with a sense they were losing their “birthright.”

What he meant was that, as he put it, “base Democrats think of themselves as the best people: the most intelligent and informed, the most public spirited, the most morally pure.” If that’s what’s at stake, no wonder they’re so devastated.

At the time Bartley wrote those columns — late 2003 — the Democrats were gearing up to run John Kerry for president. They seemed as confident of impending victory then as Hillary Clinton was just three months ago.

But, as Bartley warned in a particularly prophetic column, that confidence belied the weakness of the glue that held together the party’s coalition. The Democratic Party, he wrote, “has descended into a collection of interest groups not bound together by any ideals.” It was floundering before the American people.

COMMENT:  Read the whole thing.  It's the best psychological analysis of the Democratic Party that I've seen recently.  It's not so much a party as a state of mind, not so much a set of beliefs as a new religion. 

One more major loss and we may well see the need for a new party, to take up where the Democrats are leaving off.

January 21, 2017       Permalink 

UNBELIEVABLE – AT 11:52 A.M. ET:   There is a massive "women's" march on Washington today.  But there's a problem:  Certain women aren't invited.  From RealClearPolitics:

As a young woman living in Washington, D.C., I could easily attend the Women’s March on Saturday if I wanted to.

Except that I am not invited, despite my unambiguous status as a member of the female sex. That’s because I am pro-life. As the organizers of the march made clear in a statement earlier this week, the Women’s March’s on Washington “platform is pro-choice” and “has been since day one.”

“We look forward to marching on behalf of individuals who share th[at] view,” they went on, and stated that the since-revoked partnership of New Wave Feminists, a secular group with pro-life values, was an “error.”

The march might as well have placed scare quotes around the word “Women’s,” or better yet, have renamed itself “The March for Abortion.” Then it would have cleared up any confusion about pretending to represent all women, when almost half of us self-identify as pro-life and would probably feel more at home at the March for Life, set to take place the following week. The March for Life is open to women of all political stripes and will include groups like Democrats for Life of America.

No doubt the so-called feminists organizing the Women’s March were further vexed by the headline news that Donald Trump adviser Kellyanne Conway, the first woman in history to run a successful presidential campaign, will also become the first official White House staff member to speak at the March for Life.

COMMENT:  That is spot on.  The left never quite understands why it loses elections, and in recent years it has lost elections at every level.  Far from being inclusive, the left excludes all those who won't follow the party line.  Compare please with the fact that some of President Trump's nominees to high office felt perfectly free to disagree with him on some issues during their confirmation hearings.  The sky did not fall. 

I spot-checked the "women's" march, which is being covered on TV.  Party line all the way.  Nothing new.  No attempt to reach out to anyone. 

January 21, 2017       Permalink

SECOND DAY – AT 11:31 A.M. ET:  It is the second day of the Trump administration.  The country has survived.  The Constitution is still in force.  Some liberals are bordering on hysteria.  The new administration tends to business.  From the Daily Mail: 

President Donald Trump is attending a national prayer service this morning with his family and Vice President Mike Pence.

The first and second families arrived at the Washington National Cathedral at 10:30 am to take part in the post-inauguration tradition.

It was the second time in two days that the Trumps and Pences had worshiped together.They began their first day in office with a church service, too, at St. John's, near the White House and the presidential guest house Trump spent his final night as president-elect in.

The national prayer service is an inauguration tradition that dates back to George Washington.

And...

Trump's inaugural committee said today's 'interfaith ceremony will be in keeping with the uniting and uplifting inaugural events, demonstrating President-elect Trump's commitment to be president for all Americans.'

Don Jr., his wife in a maroon coat, Jared Kushner and wife Ivanka, clad in a cranberry coat, entered first, taking their seats in the second row, the Kushner's on the right and the Trumps on the left. Tiffany Trump was seated in the third row on the left, as well, wearing a baby blue coat with white trim.

The Pences came in next, Karen Pence in a black outfit with a large, light pink collar, and the vice president in a black suit and maroon striped tie, taking their seats in the front row.

President Trump also wore a black suit to the prayer service, as did First Lady Melania Trump. His tie was dark blue with small white stripes. Melania wore a belted black coat and her brunette hair down, after an up-do at Friday's inauguration.

The president had a smile on his face as took his place in the front row beside his vice president. His expression became solemn soon after but returned to a smile as the congregation sang My Country, 'Tis of Thee at the beginning of the service.

COMMENT:  The Trumps and the Pences have conducted themselves superbly.  As have their supporters.  I'm curious to see how polls next week portray public opinion toward the new administration.  Of course, we'd have to examine how the polls are taken.   Oversampling Democrats seems to be a trend on the part of establishment pollsters, the better to soothe liberal feelings.

January 21,  2017     Permalink