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JUNE 28,  2018

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

THAT'S WHY THEY CALL IT THE PARTY OF NEW FACES – FROM THE HILL:  Former Vice President Joe Biden and Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) are the most popular potential 2020 Democratic presidential candidates, according to a new American Barometer poll.   The poll, which is a joint project of Hill.TV and the HarrisX polling company, showed Biden with a 50 percent favorable rating, while Sanders trailed with a 48 percent favorable rating.   Only 31 percent of those polled said they viewed the former vice president unfavorably. A third of respondents said they viewed Sanders unfavorably.  How exciting.  Wake me when it's over.

SLOW DEATH OF AN INSTITUTION – FROM THE NEW YORK POST:  Newsweek has a new problem as the IRS hit the parent company with two tax liens this week totaling $343,777.16 for allegedly unpaid federal corporate income taxes in 2017.  The lien comes six months after the Manhattan DA’s office seized 18 computer servers from the downtown offices of the Newsweek Media Group, formerly known at IBT Media, on Jan. 18 as part of a financial probe.  The latest liens also follow personal tax liens placed against company co-founders Jonathan Davis and Etienne Uzac in late 2017. Davis, the lein claims, is said to owe $3.1 million to the IRS, and Uzac owes $1.2 million, according to reports in Newsweek.  Maybe it's just time to say goodbye.  News magazines had a superb run over the decades, but seem to have little appeal today, with so much information available from so many other, quicker sources.

NOT AGAIN,  PLEASE – FROM DEADLINE:  Norman Lear continues to defy convention about career longevity and age. The TV icon, who today celebrates his 96th birthday, and his Act III production company have signed a two-year first look deal with Sony Pictures TV. The pact includes the option to re-imagine titles from Lear’s extensive library including All In The Family, The Jeffersons, Good Times, Maude and Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman, among others.  A first-look deal is just that.  Sony gets a first look at properties.  Nothing guarantees that they will be produced.  A better idea would be to develop new ideas to stop Hollywood's tailspin into oblivion.

July 28, 2018       Permalink

THIS IS ACTUALLY A SERIOUS NEWS STORY – AT 1:20 P.M. ET:  In midsummer it's sometimes difficult to find substantive news.  At one time tabloids would push the idea of a "crime wave" to sell papers during the warm months.  Now some news organizations are a little more elegant about it.  From The Hill: 

Therapists in the U.S. say they have seen a rise in politically-related anxiety under the Trump presidency.

Though a condition has not been officially named, therapists and patients have referred to it as “Trump Anxiety Disorder,” according to a report from Canada’s CBC News.

Elisabeth LaMotte, the founder of the D.C. Counseling and Psychotherapy Center in Washington, D.C., told CBC that there is a “collective anxiety” among her patients related to President Trump’s rhetoric and policies.

"There is a fear of the world ending," she said. "It's very disorienting and constantly unsettling."

She said that Trump critics who she treats exhibit similar behavior to patients who have a parent with a personality disorder.

"Whether it's conscious or not, I think we look to the president of the United States as a psychological parent," LaMotte said.

LaMotte told CBC that the “condition” is also common among Trump supporters, who often say they feel “isolated” by friends and family for aligning with the president or pulled into angry conversations.

COMMENT:  They used to call that politics.  The rough-and-tumble of politics can get very rough indeed.  In the past, though, we didn't have an army of shrinks trying to diagnose the entire population.

People who suffer from Trump Anxiety Disorder should certainly seek help, and should also avoid voting.

July 28, 2018       Permalink

IRAN AGAIN – AT 12:47 P.M. ET:  The attention has been on our economy and the endless investigations going on in Washington.  One of the most important stories is being overlooked, and that is Iran's growing belligerency.  Tehran is now threatening to disrupt the sea lanes in its region, which could cripple the transport of oil.  Washington is not amused.  From CNN:

Washington (CNN) As tensions between the US and Iran ratchet up, the Trump administration is looking at what military options may be needed to keep vital waterways in the Middle East open in the wake of attacks on Saudi oil tankers by Iranian-backed Houthi rebels on July 25, according to two administration officials.

Both officials emphasize that if any military action is taken it would be carried out by US allies in the region, such as the Saudis, and not by US forces. The US military already provides support in the form of intelligence sharing to the Saudis in their fight against the Iranian-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen. And while the US sends ships and aircraft into the region on a regular basis, any long-term military effort would require the involvement of other nations, officials say.

Gen. Joseph Votel -- head of US Central Command, overseas US military operations in the Middle East -- has been traveling in the region this week meeting with counterparts and held a conference of regional commanders to discuss security concerns. A spokesman said the meeting was long scheduled and it's not known how detailed the discussions were on commercial shipping. It is also not known if any action to keep the waterways open is imminent .

Concerns have been growing for days as Iranian officials have increased verbal threats against shipping in the Persian Gulf and through the choke point at the Strait of Hormuz.

Earlier this week, a US Navy warship passed through the Strait of Hormuz without incident but concerns about potential problems in the future have escalated as the Iranians have stepped up their rhetoric to threaten that waterway.

COMMENT:  Our firm verbal response to Iranian threats is significant, and a contrast with the anemic behavior of Field Marshal Barack Obama and Grand Admiral John Kerry.  They pretty much let Iran, and every other enemy, run free.  The Iranians, who are not dumb, and are among the world's most sophisticated negotiators, understand that they're now dealing with a new sheriff, and that they could get hurt if they go too far.

We should be prepared for the possibility that Iran will harass, but not attack, American warships. 

July 28,  2018     Permalink 

JULY 27,  2018

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

WE FEEL THEIR PAIN – NOT – FROM FOX:  UNITED NATIONS – United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres says the U.N. is running out of money and is urging members to pay up amid a looming financial crisis for the international body.   In a letter to staff this week, seen by Fox News, Guterres says he has warned member states of a “troubling financial situation facing the United Nations," which he says is caused by late payments to the U.N. by member states.  “Our cash flow has never been this low so early in the calendar year, and the broader trend is also concerning; we are running out of cash sooner and staying in the red longer,” he says.   Guterres went on to say that the organization will be taking measures to look at reducing costs, in a way that won’t affect their mission. He said he also will be proposing to states various steps to strengthen financial stability at the U.N.  Trump administration threats to cut funding do not appear to be directly linked to the cash crunch.  Let's see how much the UN can raise from those great humanitarian nations around the world that are always lecturing the United States.  And let's see some checks from the big oil producers. 

HAPPINESS? – FROM STUDYFINDS:   NEW YORK — What makes a day “perfect?” Of course, the answer can be quite different from person to person, but a recent survey sought to find out common characteristics of an ideal day for the average person. As the results showed, we typically enjoy just 15 truly perfect days each year, and it’s often the most trivial activities that make us feel the best.  The survey of 2,000 American adults, commissioned by the U.S. Highbush Blueberry Council (USHBC), found the average person would be happiest waking up at 8:15 in the morning. A perfect day would entail a sunny, spring-like forecast with temperatures reaching 74 degrees, and respondents being able to enjoy three hours outside. They see themselves spending four hours with their family and three hours with friends, then coming home and hopping on the couch — where they’d use another three hours watching television.  When all is said and done, the perfect day would end with an individual hopping into bed at 10:50 p.m.   How about a day without CNN?

COMMON SENSE – FROM THE HILL:   San Francisco's Department of Elections last week made the move to start allowing non-U.S. citizens to vote in the city's school board elections, sparking a national debate.   The idea is unlikely to be copied in many localities, at least if the latest American Barometer poll is any indication.  According to the survey, which is a joint project of Hill.TV and the HarrisX polling company, 71 percent of respondents opposed San Francisco's decision, while only 29 percent said they supported the move.  Ninety-one percent of Republicans polled said they opposed giving the right to vote to noncitizens, as did 54 percent of Democrats.  Seventy percent of independents said they were also in opposition to the decision.   When respondents were asked the same question but with the wording changed to include the term "illegal immigrants" instead of non-U.S. citizens, the results were nearly the same.  The people have decided wisely.

July 27, 2018       Permalink

THUMBS DOWN TO SOCIALISM – AT 1:47 P.M. ET:   Socialism has been in the news recently, with some left-wing Democrats declaring it to be the future.  Not so fast, say Americans.  From Daily Caller:   

If socialist candidates are the future of the Democratic Party, that future won’t be too bright, if the findings of a new Hill.TV/Harris X American Barometer poll hold true.

Seventy-six percent of respondents in a recent survey said they would not vote for a “socialist candidate,” while 24 percent of those polled said they have no problem with the hypothetical candidate.

Those results conflict with Democratic National Committee Chairman Tom Perez’s prediction that young politicians like Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez — a dues-paying member of New York City’s chapter of the Democratic Socialists of America — represent his party’s “future.”

Ocasio-Cortez beat Rep. Joe Crowley, the fourth-ranking Democrat, in a June primary.

Other primary candidates, like Maine Democratic Senate candidate Zak Ringelstein, who is challenging Sen. Angus King, are running as Democratic Socialists.

Yet not all Democrats are thrilled with this trend.

In an op-ed for the Wall Street Journal earlier in July, former Democratic vice presidential candidate Joseph Lieberman cautioned his party about turning too far left.

“The policies Ms. Ocasio-Cortez advocates are so far from the mainstream, her election in November would make it harder for Congress to stop fighting and start fixing problems,” Lieberman wrote.

COMMENT:  And yet the press buildup for our little Evita continues...probably because the press is generally leftist, and some journalists have no problem with socialism.  Also, she's attractive, and that sells newspapers and creates ratings. 

The test will come when, and if, openly socialist candidates run for office in districts that are typical of America generally.  Evita's district in New York is not.

July 27, 2018       Permalink

YIKES – AT 11:52 A.M. ET:  Okay, we kind of expected it, but to see the GNP growth figure at 4.1 percent, as announced this morning, was gratifying.  The president rightly boasted about it, and CNN went into full panic mode, trying to discredit the importance of the announcement.  When you have no credibility left, what does it matter what you say?  From Daily Caller: 

The U.S. economy grew at the strongest rate in roughly four years in the second quarter of 2018, matching economists’ high growth expectations heading into Friday’s announcement.

Gross domestic product — the total value of all final goods and services in the U.S. economy — grew at a 4.1 percent rate in the second quarter, propelled by an increase in consumer spending, exports, federal and local government spending and business investment, according to the Bureau of Economic Analysis.

In reference to 2017 second quarter growth numbers, this year’s look stellar. Economic output grew just 2.8 percent in the second quarter of 2017.

Economists expected second quarter figures to hit levels as high as 5 percent, which would have been the highest second quarter growth rate since 2014. Preliminary numbers generally pegged growth close to Friday’s actual figures. 

President Donald Trump promised the “best financial numbers on the planet” leading into Friday’s rollout, adding that it was great to have the U.S. “winning again.”

COMMENT:  No matter what he does, or accomplishes, the president will be given little credit for it by the American media.  But the results are remarkable, and will stimulate a critical building block in any economy – psychological optimism.  When people have confidence in the economy, they are more likely to spend or invest.

The good news had been anticipated, but that didn't change Mr. Trump's poll numbers leading up to the announcement.  Rasmussen today still has him at 46% approval.

July 27,  2018     Permalink