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JUNE 1,  2017

SHORT TAKES ON THE DRIFTING WRECKAGE – AT 11:56 P.M. ET:

I LIKE IT – FROM THE NY DAILY NEWS:   LOS ANGELES >> Thirteen years after his death, Rodney Dangerfield is going “Back to School” again.  Los Angeles City College announced Wednesday the creation of a comedy-education program named in honor of the comedian who famously got no respect at all.
The Rodney Dangerfield Institute will initially offer four classes — a stand-up workshop, joke-writing, improvisational comedy and an American film comedy course. The institute will also feature guest lectures, performances, mentoring programs and partnerships with Southern California comedy clubs.  LACC officials said it is the only community-college-based comedy institute in the country.  “Rodney’s comedy personified the down-on-his-luck everyman,” said Dangerfield’s widow, Joan, who will be the honorary chair of the institute’s advisory board.  I'm all for it.  At least the kids will learn about writing, timing, and delivery, instead of "oppression studies."  And they'll smile for a change.

TRUMP STIFFS PARIS – The president withdrew the United States from the Paris climate accords today, bringing immediate condemnation from every elitist in the Universe, including Barack Obama, who just bought an 8.1-million-dollar house in Washington, undoubtedly with an eye toward saving energy.  Upon the president's announcement the left went into emotional collapse, bringing a worldwide cry for more English-speaking psychiatrists.  The Atlantic Ocean rose to the 70th floor of the Empire State Building, and the forecast for New York City calls for temperatures tomorrow nearing 125 degrees, in the shade.  Also, Al Gore gave up his American citizenship and promised to lead a solar-powered army against Trumpism.  CNN pundits wept openly on the air, singing choruses of "The Last Time I Saw Paris."

YOU CAN'T MAKE THIS UP – FROM BREITBART –  This is rich.  After facing massive backlash and financial losses from a publicity stunt, where Kathy Griffin produced a video enactment of a beheading, and presented an image of a decapitated President Donald Trump, Ms. Griffin has hired Lisa Bloom to represent her legal and financial interests against the victimized Trump family.  Lisa Bloom is the daughter of Gloria Allred, a notorious political legal activist.  According to the joint media release Kathy Griffin is claiming she has endured “bullying from the Trump family” as a result of her graphic publicity stunt.  I think Kathy could make a comeback by going on the road with Hillary Clinton.  Each can explain how she's been abused.   Great comedy.  Tickets'll go fast.

June 1, 2017       Permalink

I HATE TO SEE THEM GO, BUT IT'S INEVITABLE – FROM 9:51 A.M. ET:   America's shopping malls are disappearing.  It's not that people aren't buying.  They're buying online.  From the L.A. Times: 

Between 20% and 25% of the nation’s shopping malls will close in the next five years, according to a new report from Credit Suisse that predicts e-commerce will continue to pull shoppers away from bricks-and-mortar retailers.

For many, the Wall Street firm’s finding may come as no surprise. Long-standing retailers are dying off as shoppers’ habits shift online. Credit Suisse expects apparel sales to represent 35% of all e-commerce by 2030, up from 17% today.

Traditional mall anchors, such as Macy’s, J.C. Penney and Sears, have announced numerous store closings in recent months. Clothiers including American Apparel, Bebe and BCBG Max Azria have filed for bankruptcy. The report estimates that around 8,640 stores will close by the end of the year.
Retail industry experts say Credit Suisse may have underestimated the scope of the upheaval.

“It’s more in the 30% range,” Ron Friedman, a retail expert at accounting and advisory firm Marcum said of the share of malls that he predicts will close in the next five years. “There are a lot of malls that know they’re in big trouble.”

COMMENT:  Others, of course, disagree, pointing to new shopping centers being built, although on a smaller scale.  But the mall problems are obvious to anyone who's noticed the empty spaces and closing sales. 

And one must tip a hat to brilliant online marketers who have done the job right, providing first-class service and lightning-fast delivery.  No parking fees, no lines at stores, no wear on the family car.  Not bad.

But I think we'll all miss some of the hands-on experience and taking home a gift for someone in the family.

June 1, 2017       Permalink  

GOOD ECONOMIC NEWS – AT 9:22 A.M. ET:  Job creation is starting to boom in America.  The Trump effect?  We hope so.  From CNBC:

Job creation surged in May thanks to a jump in construction positions and a boom in professional and business services, according to a report Thursday from ADP and Moody's Analytics.

Private payrolls increased by 253,000, well ahead of expectations. Economists surveyed by Reuters expected the report to show that private payrolls grew by 185,000 in May from 174,000 in April.

The growth "is three times the rate of the growth in the underlying labor force," Mark Zandi, the chief economist at Moody's Analytics, told CNBC. "So that means the unemployment rate, which is 4.4 percent, is quickly headed to 4 percent. This labor market is rip-roaring and getting really tight."

Services broadly led the way with 205,000 new jobs, with professional and business services contributing 88,000 — its best month in about three years — and education and health services adding 54,000.

COMMENT:  If we can sustain this, and Trump's less-than-brilliant White House learns how to exploit the news politically, the Democrats may be deeply disappointed by next year's mid-term election results. 

Job creation is one of the main issues Trump used to win election.  If he keeps his promise and the economy roars, even CNN might notice.

June 1, 2017       Permalink

DISAPPOINTMENT FROM BRITAIN – AT 8:56 A.M. ET:  Prime Minister Theresa May called a snap national election in Britain last month, with the expectation that the Tories would demolish the Labour Party and gain a commanding majority in Commons.  Britain votes a week from today.

May took the chance based on polls showing as much as a 24-point majority for the Conservatives.

Sadly, that lead has collapsed, and that is bad news for our side.  Theresa May is a pro-American, pro free-enterprise leader, a softer version of Maggie Thatcher.  She's a good partner for President Trump.  Labour's leader, Jeremy Corbyn, is the most extreme leftist Labour leader in the party's history, profoundly anti-American, anti-Israel, and someone who blames the West for terrorism.  Not a nice guy.

From the Wall Street Journal: 

LONDON—For British Prime Minister Theresa May, what looked like a sure thing is starting to look more like a gamble.

When she called the election on April 18, some opinion polls were showing her Conservative Party leading the main opposition Labour Party by more than 20 percentage points. That would have expanded her working majority in the House of Commons from 17 seats to as many as 150.

Now, many of those polls show that lead has shrunk to single digits. On Thursday, just a week before voting begins, polling firm YouGov PLC said her advantage had dwindled to just 3 percentage points and in an analysis, it suggested her party could lose seats. That would deprive her of the solid majority she says is essential to success in looming Brexit talks with the European Union.

Failing to win big would be a blow for the prime minister, who led her party into this election hoping to exploit the apparent unpopularity of the Labour Party and particularly its leader Jeremy Corbyn, a veteran left winger beloved by young Labour activists but less popular than Mrs. May among most eligible voters.

“If it looks like it was in the bag and it was mishandled, then that’s not going to give her the same authority within the party,” said Anthony Wells, director of political and social research at YouGov.
Mrs. May’s failure to maintain her lead is the result of Conservative missteps and a better-than-expected public reception for Labour, analysts say.

COMMENT:  We should point out that the polls are all over the place, with all showing the Tories ahead...but by dramatically lesser numbers than when the race began.  They have run a terrible campaign, and Corbyn has tried, with so-so success, to clean up his image.

The Conservatives may well squeeze through a week from today, but probably as a diminished party that came up to bat and dribbled a little single.

June 1,  2017     Permalink 

MAY 31,  2017

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

HARSH JUDGMENTS ON LEAKERS – FROM RASMUSSEN:  When politics is the name of the game, one man’s treason is another man’s service to the nation.  The latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone and online survey finds that just over half (53%) of all Likely U.S. Voters still consider the leaking of classified information to the media to be an act of treason. Thirty percent (30%) disagree, while 18% are undecided.  This is largely the same way voters felt in November 2010 following WikiLeaks’ publication of top secret U.S. government data related to the war in Afghanistan and other defense and foreign policy issues.  But while 73% of Republicans consider the leaking of classified information which plagues the Trump administration as treasonous, only half as many Democrats (36%) feel that way now. Voters not affiliated with either major party agree by a 50% to 27% margin that the leaks are an act of treason.  The Dems are the outliers here – unless of course someone leaks something about St. Barack.

MOVIN' UP – FROM CNN:  Washington (CNN) It's only been little more than four months, but it appears Barack and Michelle Obama are so enamored with their posh Washington, DC rental home, they've plunked down a whopping $8.1 million to purchase it.  The sale was first reported by the Washington Post. Obama's spokesman, Kevin Lewis, confirmed the sale to CNN: "Given that President and Mrs. Obama will be in Washington for at least another two and a half years, it made sense for them to buy a home rather than continuing to rent the property."  The Obamas have said they were committed to remaining in Washington while their youngest daughter, Sasha, completes high school at Sidwell Friends School, where she is scheduled to begin her junior year in September.  However, the former first couple may have overpaid. The real estate website, Zillow.com, lists the estimate for the nine-bedroom, 8.5-bathroom stone mansion at $6.187 million, about two million less than the Obamas paid for it.   Obama still doesn't know how to negotiate.  President Trump could have gotten him a much better deal.

DOUGHNUTS BY AIR – FROM AP:  DENVER -- Doughnuts were delivered Wednesday by drone to Denver's mayor and the city's police and fire departments in an event that provided a glimpse into what companies hope will be a quick, inexpensive way to get merchandise to customers.  Denver's LaMar's Donuts hired Austin, Texas-based company Drone Dispatch to deliver four boxes of doughnuts using piloted drones flown from parking lots within a block of the delivery targets.  Denver Mayor Michael Hancock was outside city hall when a drone delivered doughnuts.  "This is exciting stuff and I think as we get ready for not only drones in the air, and get ready for autonomous vehicles, this is our future this is how we're going to become a more efficient 21st century nation, society quite frankly," Hancock said.  Has anyone inquired as to how the sound of a thousand drones above a neighborhood might appeal to residents?  Just askin'.

May 31, 2017       Permalink

THE DEM DREAM – AT 11:24 A.M. ET:   Democrats increasingly believe that they might be able to flip the House of Representatives next year.  It's a tall order, and the party isn't highly loved by most of the public.  But the Republicans aren't exactly writing the book on governing right now, and that might give the Dems a shot.  From Fox: 

Democrats are banking on Trump fatigue and discontent with the GOP-led Congress as they vow to compete in 79 House races next year, but the ambitious plan to retake the chamber will also require a big dose of cash. 

Capitol Hill Republicans’ struggles with ObamaCare reform and the flood of negative news about the White House may give the Democrats an opening to win back the House. Needing to capture at least 24 net seats in 2018 to take the House, party leaders identified 59 potentially competitive races in January and 20 more last week.

“No district is off the table,” New Mexico Rep. Ben Ray Lujan, co-chairman of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, said at a press conference last week.

Lujan said the group has raised more money online so far this year than in all of 2015, but added, “I know (Republicans) will outraise us.”

Jesse Hunt, national spokesman for the Republican National Congressional Committee, on Tuesday told Fox News: “It appears House Democrats haven’t given up on the old shotgun approach. Throwing out races to see which ones stick is the same strategy that’s kept them in the minority since 2010.”

Republicans have controlled the Senate since 2014 and won control of the House seven years ago in the same kind of midterm wave election Democrats are hoping to ride next year.

COMMENT:  The 2018  election is a year and five months away, so predictions are absurd.  But Republicans might try waking up and getting things done, and the White House might try for a better sense of organization.  Republicans have historically worked hard and creatively to lose elections.  I hope they redirect their efforts this time.

May 31, 2017       Permalink

PELLEY OUT AS CBS ANCHOR – AT 10:33 A.M. ET:   We started hearing the reports last night that Scott Pelley was being shelved as CBS Evening News anchor, and would work full time at "Sixty Minutes."

It's not surprising.  Pelley has lagged in the ratings, and is known to have a difficult relationship with some of the suits at CBS.   He has also perhaps been President Trump's harshest critic among the TV anchors.  One can only speculate that some of his ratings problems might have originated with that harshness. 

There have been no formal announcements yet.  Nor has there been any definitive word on a replacement.  The most intense speculation centers on Anthony Mason, an old CBS hand, seen frequently on the network.

The power of the news divisions of the "big three" TV networks has diminished over the years, in direct proportion to the rise of cable outlets like CNN and Fox.  One of television's greatest advantages is its immediacy, and there's nothing more immediate than a 24-hour news service that can go directly to the scene of breaking news.  But, even with the rise of cable, the audience for the major networks' news programs remains much larger than that of the cable offerings. 

There is other speculation in TV news.  Megyn Kelly debuts on NBC this weekend with "Sunday Night."  She will have Vladimir Putin on her first show.  How will she do on NBC?  I have no idea.  I'm not sure she's as loved as NBC might think, and she won't be surrounded by an all-news network.  The numbers will tell.

There is also speculation that a new conservative network might rise, especially if Fox drifts to the left under the management of the younger members of the Rupert Murdoch family.  Fox has been struggling recently, and has been losing some ground, especially to MSNBC.  I have no specific information on a new network, but money should be no problem.  Conservative broadcasting is profitable.

May 31, 2017       Permalink 

THE PAIN, THE ANGUISH – AT 9:50 A.M. ET:  President Trump is expected to withdraw the United States from the Paris climate accords.  The news, or maybe-news, or expected-news, is already causing anguish and pain.  The pain may be too much to bear.  From CNN:

Washington (CNN) President Donald Trump is expected to withdraw from the Paris climate agreement, two senior US officials familiar with his plans told CNN Wednesday.

The decision would be a significant foreign policy break with nearly every other nation on earth and a major reversal of the Obama administration's efforts on climate change.

Trump met Tuesday with a key voice advocating for withdrawal, Environmental Protection Agency administrator Scott Pruitt. He is set to meet Wednesday with Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, who supports remaining in the deal.

The precise mechanism for withdrawal hasn't yet been determined, but Trump has made clear he plans to fulfill his campaign promises to withdraw.

COMMENT:  I find it amusing that Tillerson, who ran Exxon-Mobil, is in favor of staying.  The climate nuts will be frustrated by that one.

My own sense is that it might be wiser to stay and try to change the deal from the inside, but Trump promised withdrawal during his campaign, and apparently wants to keep his pledge.

At minimum, America's withdrawal should force a rethink of the whole climate issue.  There is widespread suspicion, especially among conservatives, that the deal is more about a transfer of wealth from rich nations to poor than it is about climate change.

I have always favored a Challenger-type commission on climate change that would answer three questions:  1) What do we know?  2)  What don't we know?  3) What must we know? 

The climate-change "community" (I love that absurd term) is demanding trillions of dollars to "fight" climate change when there is much not known about the issue.  Those trillions could be used for other noble purposes.  Wouldn't it be better to spend a few years on a true national study, with well-chosen supervisors, than to just start writing checks?  I think so, but those receiving the checks, especially in third-word nations, won't think so.

May 31,  2017     Permalink