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JUNE 24,  2016

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

COMPARISONS – Britain's Brexit vote is already producing at least one good result.  Members of the journalistic and political classes in the U.S. suddenly realize, and some are saying, that Brexit was a warning to the elites and establishments in the United States:  listen to people.  Listen to voters, to senior citizens, to veterans.  Stop listening only to the people you agree with you or who went to the proper schools, or who are members of the approved, aggrieved groups.  There is a sense building – you can feel it in the commentary – that Brexit will have an effect on politics here, but especially in Europe.  Already there's serious talk of other countries leaving the EU. 

CUBA SI, YANQUI NO – FROM FOX:   Cuba is refusing to approve visa applications for members of the U.S. House Homeland Security Committee, according to the committee's chairman.  Members were hoping to leave on Friday afternoon to examine lagging security in the country's airports, which are set to begin making flights to the U.S. this year. The lawmakers were forced to cancel when their applications were denied that morning.  "We wanted to look at their airport security ... because TSA has been backchanneling to us that it's not adequate," said Chairman Rep. Michael McCaul, R-Texas. "So I attempted to go down there to just look at them, there were five of us, and they denied our visas."  Officials say Cuba is set to begin making 110 daily flights into the U.S. from 10 airports in the country this fall, but they lack security measures that include scanners and bomb-sniffing dogs.  Some great act of friendship by Cuba.  And such contempt for passenger safety.  I wonder if Field Marshal Obama will have anything to say about this.  Probably not.  Must not upset the Castro brothers, those kings of democracy.

WHY AM I SUSPICIOUS? – FROM FOX:  CAIRO – Initial attempts to download information from the flight data and voice recorders of an EgyptAir plane that crashed into the Mediterranean last month have failed, and key parts of the recorders are being sent to France for repairs, according to Egyptian and U.S. officials.  The "electronic boards" of the recorders are being flown next week to the offices of the French aviation accident investigation bureau near Paris, authorities said. After the boards are repaired and salt removed, they will be sent back to Cairo for data analysis, Egypt's Investigation committee said in a statement late Thursday.  Makes me uneasy.  EgyptAir has a controversial history, and some feel that substandard performance in accident investigations is part of this history.  In 1999 Egyptair Flight 990 crashed into the Atlantic.  An investigation produced strong evidence that the crash was intentional, caused by the co-pilot.  But the Egyptians never accepted that conclusion, despite the evidence.  Now we have another mystery, and I wonder whether we'll get a straight story from EgyptAir.  I hope my concerns will prove unfounded.

June 24,  2016     Permalink

CLINTON LEADS IN NEW POLL – AT 10:22 A.M. ET:  But it's only by five points after a terrible month for Trump.  From The Hill: 

Hillary Clinton leads Donald Trump by five points nationally, a new poll says.

Clinton has 44 percent support to Trump’s 39 percent, according to the survey released Thursday by Rasmussen Reports.

The two were in a virtual tie in the Rasmussen poll until two weeks ago, when Clinton pulled ahead after a rough stretch for Trump.

Both Clinton and Trump are trying to consolidate support within their own parties after at-times brutal primary seasons.

Clinton now has the backing of 80 percent of Democrats while Trump has the support of 70 percent of Republicans, the poll found.

Clinton holds double-digit leads over Trump among women, minorities, government employees, and voters under 40 — all reliable Democratic Party constituencies.

But she's also ahead, by single-digit margins, among middle-aged adults and private sector workers.

Trump leads Clinton among males and senior citizens, and has a slight advantage among whites, according to Rasmussen.

Voters continue to overwhelmingly dislike and distrust both Trump and Clinton; about 17 percent of likely voters say they are supporting somebody else or are undecided.

COMMENT:  Given the month Trump created for himself, I'm surprised Clinton's lead isn't wider.  However, Trump is having a good week.  He's under better management, and seems to have accepted the need to deliver serious comments in a serious way.  He has a long road, but the Brexit vote in Britain suggests that rebellion is in the air in the Western world, and that he might benefit.

Trump can win it, with difficulty.  He also must run a convention in Cleveland next month that says "the president," and not "the apprentice."

June 24, 2016       Permalink     

CAMERON RESIGNS – AT 9:38 A.M. ET:  British Prime Minister David Cameron announced his intention to resign, following the sharp defeat he received in the Brexit referendum.  From CNN: 

London (CNN) The UK has voted to leave the European Union in a historic referendum that triggered the resignation of British Prime Minister David Cameron and wreaked havoc on global markets.

There was a mixture of jubilation and disbelief in the UK as people awoke Friday to the final verdict in the extremely close vote that deeply divided the nation.

Europe was plunged into uncertainty following the result, with calls for further referendums from emboldened far-right groups who see it as a boost for their anti-EU, anti-immigration policies.
It also reverberated across financial markets, with London's FTSE 100 index plunging by more than 8% at the open on the heels of sharp losses in Asia.

Within hours of Thursday's ballot outcome -- 51.89% in favor of leaving the EU, with 48.11% against -- Cameron delivered an emotionally charged statement outside the door of 10 Downing Street, announcing his intention to stand down.

He said that "the British people have voted to leave the EU and their will must be respected... the will of the British people is an instruction which must be delivered."

"There can be no doubt about the result."

Cameron gave no timetable for his departure, but said that he wanted a new leader to be in place by October when his Conservative Party holds its annual conference.

Boris Johnson, a former London mayor who campaigned for the UK's departure from the EU, is tipped by bookmakers as Cameron's likely successor.

COMMENT:  Johnson is pro-American, a somewhat humorous guy with funny hair.  (Sound familiar?)  Standing him next to Donald Trump would be a hair stylist's delight.

I'm love to see him as prime minister.   Such fun.

June 24, 2016       Permalink

BRITAIN LEAVES EU! – QUOTE OF THE DAY – AT 9:17 A.M. ET:  Journalism is all agog today over the nerve of Britain to assert its independence.  The most clarifying comment I've seen comes from British conservative writer Nile Gardiner: 

The momentous victory for the Brexit campaign signals a new era of freedom for the British people.

Britain outside the EU will be a stronger ally for the United States.

After more than four decades of being shackled to the European Union (previously the European Economic Community), Great Britain has declared its independence.

The vote for Brexit (52 percent of Britons cast ballots to leave the EU) is a vote for sovereignty and self-determination. Britain will no longer be subject to European legislation, with Britain’s Parliament retaking control. British judges will no longer be overruled by the European Court of Justice, and British businesses will be liberated from mountains of EU regulations, which have undermined economic liberty.

COMMENT:  Well said.  We might add that this is also a victory for the apparently strange concept that political leaders should occasionally listen to their people and understand what they are saying.  In Britain, as in America, the elites only talk to each other and to "representatives" of groups popular on the political left.

We may well have had a bit of the Trump effect in Britain yesterday.

June 24,  2016     Permalink

JUNE 23,  2016

NO "SHORT TAKES" TONIGHT, AS WE FOLLOW THE INCREDIBLE NEWS OUT OF BRITAIN:

It's now 1:36 a.m. ET:  The referendum in Britain is over.  With almost 99% of the vote counted, Brexit has won, 51.8% to 48.2%.  World markets are initially upset.  From the Daily Mail:

World markets were thrown into turmoil on Friday after a dramatic night ended in Britain voting to leave the European Union.

Initial polls had the 'remain' camp winning by a knife-edge. But the final count saw a narrow victory for 'leave' as the nation split 52-47 in favor of becoming the first ever EU member state to request an exit.

The historic result sent the British pound plummeting to a 31-year low, one of its biggest one-day falls in all time, dropping from about $1.50 to below $1.35.

US markets were expected to open down 550 points on Friday morning. Trading in Tokyo was halted after stocks plunged nearly 7 per cent, while South Korea's Kospi tumbled about 4 per cent. Crude oil prices also took a hit.

As results poured in, a picture emerged of a sharply divided nation: Strong pro-EU votes in the economic and cultural powerhouse of London and semi-autonomous Scotland were countered by sweeping anti-Establishment sentiment for an exit across the rest of England, from southern seaside towns to rust-belt former industrial powerhouses in the north.

This was pretty much expected, and there are also dire predictions that European countries will retaliate, the the U.S. will turn a cold shoulder, and that Britain will be isolated.

I think that's nonsense.  Britain is a needed country, and Europe will want to stay on as good terms as possible.  And Americans have a soft spot for Britain.  Well, American below the White House level. 

I wonder if there'll even be a European Union in five years.  Other countries apparently are disillusioned, and their populations will demand the same chance to vote on their future. 

We'll be back in the morning.

We're back on at 12:52 a.m. ET:   Current totals, with 93.2% in, 51.8% for Brexit, 48.2 for Remain, a gap of 3.6 points, the largest I've seen tonight. 

London voted heavily to remain.  But many working communities outside London voted to leave.  They may suffer some economic consequences, but they voted to preserve their nation and culture, and for that we should admire them.

Who should be sweating tonight?  1) Hillary Clinton.  The "Remain" crowd is her crowd, and Obama's.  These are the worthies who refer to real workers as "the flyover people."  The flyover people did some shooting down of the jet set tonight.  We may be seeing in Britain a bit of the "Trump effect" we've seen here, a rebellion by people who feel they've been disrespected.  2) The politically correct crowd.  Tonight's vote was a vote against people who force their views on other people, claiming that anyone who disagrees must be a bit, a racist, a misogynist, or an Islamophobe.  Tonight the politically incorrect fought back. 

Others should sweat as well.  We'll get to them as well. 

Stand by.

12:20 a.m. ET:  If present trends in the vote count continue, Britain will be leaving the European Union.  Brexit (meaning British Exit) has already been declared the winner by the BBC over "Remain," the label given to those who wish Britain to stay in the EU.

From BBC:

The UK has voted by 52% to 48% to leave the European Union after 43 years in an historic referendum, a BBC forecast suggests.

London and Scotland voted strongly to stay in the EU but the remain vote has been undermined by poor results in the north of England.

Voters in Wales and the English shires have backed Brexit in large numbers.

The pound fell to its lowest level against the dollar since 1985 as the markets reacted to the results.

It is widely accepted that resentment toward the EU's dictating of immigration policy had much to do with the expected result.  Many Brits believe, correctly I feel, that they are losing control of their own country.

Current totals, at 12:20 p.m. ET:    With 85.3% of the vote in, Brexit leads 51.6% to 48.4%, a bit narrower than the BBC projection.

Stand by.

BUT SHOULDN'T A QUEEN BE MADE COMFORTABLE? – AT 10:41 A.M. ET:   Why all this bother about the things Hillary Clinton has accepted, and demanded, in her sterling, absolutely pure past?  I'm upset by this sexism.  From Daily Caller: 

Democratic National Committee documents leaked by a hacker Tuesday reveal that Hillary Clinton’s requirements to give a speech included a private flight and a luxurious presidential hotel suite.

One of the documents leaked is a form filled out by the University of Nevada, Las Vegas Foundation for the Harry Walker Agency. The Harry Walker Agency is a speaker’s bureau, which represented Hillary Clinton. On top of the $225,000 fee for her 20 minute speech, the agency gave the UNLV Foundation “standard travel expenses” for Clinton.

This “include[s] a chartered roundtrip private air transportation (e.g., a Gulfstream 450 or larger jet), which must be paid in advance of the event. The host will also need to pay for roundtrip business class airfare to and from the event city for two (2) advance staffers who will arrive in the city of the engagement up to three (3) business days prior to the event,” the document reads.

“The host is responsible for hotel accommodations at a hotel identified by Speaker’s staff. Accommodations should include a presidential suite for the Speaker and up to three (3) adjoining or contiguous single rooms for her travel aides and up to two (2) additional single rooms for the advance staff. The host is responsible for all ground transportation for the Speaker, her travel aides and the advance staff while they are in the city of the engagement, as well as all phone charges/cell phones and meals during their stay.”

COMMENT:  What this outrageously biased report doesn't say is that Hillary provided her diamond crown and the golden coach.  Why were these things not included?

June 23, 2016       Permalink

UNBELIEVABLE – AT 9:58 A.M. ET:  There is no end to this administration's twisted behavior.  This takes the prize.   From FOX:

A U.S. immigration official blamed in a federal report for barring law enforcement agents from a suspect in the San Bernardino terror attack has been nominated for a prestigious agency award – but her bosses in Washington refuse to say what she did to earn consideration.

Irene Martin heads the San Bernardino U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services office, where last December, she allegedly blocked five armed Department of Homeland Security agents from the man authorities say supplied the firepower in the deadly attack a day earlier. Although an Inspector General's report found she acted improperly, and then lied to investigators, FoxNews.com has learned she has been nominated for the Secretary’s Award for Valor.

“To give Irene Martin an award for valor is insulting to all the prior awardees – the agents and officers who truly displayed valor and risked their lives to save someone else,” said Jessica Vaughan, director of Policy Studies for the Center for Immigration Studies, a Washington-based research institute.

Department of Homeland Security officials declined to say what Martin did to merit consideration for the award, which is described as “the highest departmental recognition for extraordinary acts of valor by an employee or group, occurring while on or off duty” and is reserved for “those who have demonstrated extraordinary courage in a highly dangerous, life-threatening situation or emergency under extreme stress and involving a specific act of valor, such as saving another person’s life or property.”

COMMENT:  I hope Fox pursues this story, and names names.  This is a public agency, its employees are employed by the American people.  We have a right to know who is proposing this farce.

June 23, 2016       Permalink

BRITAIN VOTES – AT 9:33 A.M. ET:  Britain votes today on whether to remain in the European Union, or leave, and maintain British culture and independence.  The "remain" side, backed by the EU's vast bureaucracy, waged an ugly scare campaign, designed to intimidate voters into thinking their jobs would disappear if Britain left the EU.  Last-minute polls show "remain" leading by as much as ten points, but with many voters undecided.  From the Daily Mail:

Millions of Britons have defied the wet weather to queue in torrential rain and even wade through deep water to vote in today's historic EU referendum as a final poll revealed the result is on a knife edge.

Several polling stations were closed in London because of floods as Britain was finally having its say on whether to stay in the EU or cut our ties with Brussels after a gruelling 10-week campaign.
Thundery showers caused chaos across London and the south of England overnight and could potentially push the result towards a Brexit because polling data is clear that Leave voters are less likely to be put off by the bad weather than Remain voters.

Today long queues snaked down the road from many polling stations as voters rushed to have their say when the polls opened at 7am,

David Cameron voted in Westminster with his wife Samantha this morning with the final EU referendum polls making the contest too close to call.

An exclusive survey for the Daily Mail and ITV News, gave the Remain camp a lead of six points, by 48 per cent to 42 per cent – but 11 per cent of electors said they were still undecided.

The In camp are ahead of Leave by 52 per cent to 48 per cent, according to an Ipsos Mori survey for the Evening Standard this afternoon. To add further uncertainty to the outcome, 12 per cent of those polled said they could switch sides as they head for the polling booth.

But according to an online poll by Populus the Remain campaign is at 55 per cent compared to Leave on 45 per cent.

Today's EU vote is a historic day for Britain because it is only the third nationwide referendum ever to take place in the UK. A record 46.5million are registered to vote.

COMMENT:  The heavy rains may help the "leave" side because the "leave" people seem more passionate, more likely to come out in terrible weather.

In an unprecedented act, President Obama literally threatened Britain that if it left the European Union, Britain would go to the back of the line in trade deals.  It's not true, but Barack Obama and "truth" are not terms usually found in the same sentence.

Even if Britain votes to remain, the "leave" campaign may have sparked other independence movements throughout Europe, as more and more citizens realize they're losing their independence and cultures to a faceless, largely leftist bureaucracy in Brussels.  Look for other "leave" movements to form.

June 23,  2016     Permalink