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2ND SUBSCRIPTION DRIVE OF 2018 - HELP NEEDED

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JUNE 7,  2018

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

STATE OF OUR CULTURE – FROM FOX:   The posthumous pillorying of the dead – or the "revenge obituary" – is part of a growing trend that has family members digging up dirt on the deceased and getting the final word.The latest is a local newspaper obituary for Kathleen Dehmlow, who passed away last week at a nursing home in Springfield, Minn., and could barely have hit any harder.“She passed away on May 31, 2018, in Springfield and will now face judgment. She will not be missed by [her children] Gina and Jay, and they understand that this world is a better place without her.”  Not the most touching words of remembrance for the 80-year-old who once became pregnant by her brother-in-law and "abandoned her children," according to the now-viral obituary, which was picked up by everyone from London tabloids to a slew of buzzy social media sites.   From the somewhat humorous -- Michael “Flathead” Blanchard “enjoyed booze, guns, cars and younger women until the day he died” – to the more morose, the obituary column has become for some a place where furious family members can finally settle their scores with the departed.  Imagine what historians 500 years from now will think.  I don't doubt that some of the subjects deserve what they're getting, but they can't fight back, and that ain't fair.

LIFE ON MARS? – FROM USA TODAY:  The "building blocks" for life have been discovered in 3-billion-year-old organic matter on Mars, NASA scientists announced Thursday.  Researchers cannot yet say whether their discovery stems from life or a more mundane geological process.  However, “we’re in a really good position to move forward looking for signs of life,"  said Jennifer Eigenbrode, a NASA biogeochemist and lead author of a study published Thursday in the peer-reviewed journal Science.   The findings were also remarkable in that they showed that organic material can be preserved for billions of years on the harsh Martian surface.   The material was discovered by the Mars Curiosity rover, which has been collecting data on the Red Planet since August 2012. The organic molecules were found in Gale Crater — believed to once contain a shallow lake the size of Florida's Lake Okeechobee.  Maybe if the liberals lose the midterms they can go to Mars and link up with past, outdated civilizations.  Wait, they're already doing that here.   

CALIFORNIA CHURNIN' – FROM FOX:   California Democrats have been denied their supermajority in the state Senate, in a key vote that means Senate Democrats won't hold the two-thirds majority needed to pass tax and fee increases.  Democrats temporarily lost their supermajority in February when a lawmaker accused of sexual misconduct resigned.  They likely would have gotten it back in a special election in August. But then they lost another seat on Tuesday, when voters in an Orange County district recalled Democratic Sen. Josh Newman from office over his vote to raise gas taxes last year.  Former Republican Assemblywoman Ling Ling Chang won the seat.  There's a great deal of tumult in California politics, more than had been anticipated.  The state has for years been seen as solidly blue, despite the pseudo-Republican governorship of Arnold Schwarzenegger.   Now there are rumblings, especially involving the unpopularity of sanctuary cities, that have the potential to challenge conventional assumptions.

June 7, 2018       Permalink

BUT THEN THERE'S THIS – AT 11:28 P.M. ET:  And it won't bring a smile.  The Dems seem to be bouncing back in the Congressional generic poll.  The results noted here are being seen in other polls as well, including Rasmussen.  From Fox: 

With five months until Election Day, Democrats hold the enthusiasm advantage -- and that puts them ahead of Republicans in the congressional vote as well.

A Fox News poll released Thursday finds 48 percent of voters favor the Democratic candidate in their congressional district and 39 percent the Republican. That 9-point lead is up from a 5-point edge the Democrats held in March (46-41 percent).

“It is important to treat the generic ballot test as more of a barometer than a forecast, and this poll hints at some reemerging headwinds for Republicans,” says Democratic pollster Chris Anderson, who conducts the poll with Republican Daron Shaw.

“Political science tells us the Democrats will need a substantial edge in the national vote, maybe 10 points, to make up for gerrymandering and vote concentrations so they can take the House,” says Shaw.

More Democrats (72 percent) are extremely or very interested in the upcoming elections than Republicans (63 percent).

COMMENT:  It's hard to know why the Dems have bounced back somewhat from their recent lead, which was down to the low one digits.  They haven't actually done anything.  Maybe that's the key.  You don't do anything, you can't mess up.

But the new polls prove that Republicans must fight the hardest fight of their lives to hold Congress.

June 7,  2018     Permalink

AND LOOK AT THIS! – AT 11:48 A.M. ET:  More good economic news.  From Reuters: 

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The number of Americans filing for unemployment benefits unexpectedly fell last week, pointing to a further tightening in labor market conditions.

Initial claims for state unemployment benefits decreased 1,000 to a seasonally adjusted 222,000 for the week ended June 2, the Labor Department said on Thursday. Claims data for the prior week was revised to show 2,000 more applications received than previously reported.

Economists polled by Reuters had forecast claims rising to 225,000 in the latest week. The Labor Department said claims for Maine were estimated last week and that claims-taking procedures in Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands had still not returned to normal after last year's devastating hurricanes.

The four-week moving average of initial claims, viewed as a better measure of labor market trends as it irons out week-to-week volatility, rose 2,750 to 225,500 last week.

The labor market is considered to be close to or at full employment. Nonfarm payrolls increased by 223,000 jobs in May and the unemployment rate dropped to an 18-year low of 3.8 percent.

COMMENT:  It is the Trump economy, more or less.  My own belief is that a president has little direct control of the economy, but can influence its psychology, and psychology is critical in economic decisions.  When people feel good about the economy, they are more likely to spend or invest.

Theoretically, the Trump economy should mightily help the Republicans in November.  But theory doesn't always evolve into practice.  The press, with its Trump hatred, will play a role.  So, as always, will turnout.  Our side is showing some real enthusiasm.  I hope the local operators, though, have cars ready to take voters to the polls, one by one.  That wins elections.

June 7, 2018        Permalink

GOOD! – AT 11:26 A.M. ET:  Leftist financier and all-around bad guy George Soros has been trying to influence district attorney races around the country, in order to produce prosecutors who are soft on crime and tough on police. This year he's been focusing on California.  So far he's not making it.  From Fox: 

New York billionaire George Soros’s multimillion-dollar effort to reshape California's criminal justice system by propping up progressive district-attorney candidates backfired Tuesday, with most of his candidates suffering major defeats.

Soros, together with other wealthy liberal donors and groups, spent millions on would-be prosecutors who favor lower incarceration rates, crackdowns on police misconduct and changes in a bail system that they argue discriminates against the poor.

But most of the money went to waste as their candidates lost to more traditional law-and-order prosecutors who didn’t share progressive views or have hostile attitudes toward police.

In Sacramento County, District Attorney Anne Marie Schubert defeated Noah Phillips by a nearly 2-to-1 margin, getting 65 percent of the vote. Phillips led an insurgent campaign, attacking Schubert for failing to prosecute a police officer who shot a civilian.

He reportedly received around $400,000 from Soros and admitted Soros's team scripted and paid for a TV ad during the campaign, the Los Angeles Times reported. His fundraising efforts received help from Cari Tuna, wife of Facebook co-founder Dustin Moskovitz, who contributed more than $650,000 to a political action committee led by Black Lives Matter activist Shaun King.

"This is a good day for the people," Schubert told to a crowd of about 100 supporters after she won the election, the Sacramento Bee reported. "You can't buy an election in the county of Sacramento. Here's to four more years."

COMMENT:  Soros is a prime example of the fact that the very wealthy are not always wise.  His "progressivism" is utterly depressing.

June 7,  2018     Permalink

JUNE 6,  2018

SHORT TAKES ON THE DRIFTING WRECKAGE – AT 11:57 P.M. ET: 

HE'S OFF TO SEE THE REAL WIZARD – FROM FOX:   Jerry Maren, born Gerard Marenghi, the last living munchkin from the “Wizard of Oz” has died, his niece told Fox News.  Stacy Michelle Barrington confirmed his death to Fox News, saying he died more than a month ago but the family decided to hold off on sharing the news with the media. She heard of her uncle's passing through an aunt and cousin.  “I wish I had grown up with him and had spent more time and being around him growing up," she told us. "I’m grateful to have had such important people in my family. Uncle Jerry would want the legacy of the 'Wizard of Oz' to continue.”  The 98-year-old actor died at a nursing care facility in San Diego, Calif.  First full-length movie we showed to our kids.  "The Wizard of Oz" reached far more kids on television than it ever did in its original release. 

THIS IS BRITAIN? – FROM THE DAILY MAIL:   Britain is in the grip of a violent crime wave as thugs run riot on mopeds and motorbikes.  Shocking figures released yesterday show the armed thieves are striking more than 60 times every day.  In a chilling illustration of the crisis, a young woman was fighting for her life last night after her mobile was snatched by moped-riding thieves. And a motorcycle gang targeted yet another luxury store in London yesterday.  Campaigners and politicians warned the attacks were matched by disturbing rises in stabbings, drug crime and gang violence.  London now has a higher murder rate than New York, with more than 70 killings so far this year. Knife crime has also led to the deaths of a 17-year-old boy in Ipswich and of 15-year-olds in Sheffield and Wolverhampton.   You know the script.  The next phase will call for a deep study of the "root cause," and it will quickly be decided that the root cause is British racism, not the actions of the perpetrators.  And then there will be social programs.  And only when the British Rudy Giuliani arises will there be any progress.

THE NEWS IS KILLING US – FROM PEW RESEARCH:  If you feel like there is too much news and you can’t keep up, you are not alone. A sizable portion of Americans are feeling overwhelmed by the amount of news there is, though the sentiment is more common on the right side of the political spectrum, according to a Pew Research Center survey conducted from Feb. 22 to March 4, 2018.  Almost seven-in-ten Americans (68%) feel worn out by the amount of news there is these days, compared with only three-in-ten who say they like the amount of news they get. The portion expressing feelings of information overload is in line with how Americans felt during the 2016 presidential election, when a majority expressed feelings of exhaustion from election coverage.  In the immortal words of Bill Clinton, I feel their pain.  And sometimes I share it.  There is too much programming labeled as news, and not enough actual news or thoughtful analysis of the news.  And we take every story too seriously.   One of my mentors, Lester Markel, once described journalism as the "froth estate," and I'd have to echo those sentiments.

June 6, 2018       Permalink

A MEMORY AND A WARNING – AT 11:30 P.M. ET:  Today we mark D-Day, the Sixth of June, 1944 – the day when Allied troops stormed the beaches of Normandy to defeat Hitler and Nazism in the heartland of Europe.

As we remember D-Day we must inevitably recall that one of the factors that brought American boys to those bloody beaches was our lack of preparedness for war, a shortcoming that encouraged Germany and Japan to plunge humanity into World War II. 

Because we must always be on guard against weakness, we insistently must be troubled by this story, which surfaced today.  Blame it on the laxness of the Obama administration if we wish, but, whatever the cause, the effect must be reversed.  From the Washington Times: 

The Navy has identified systemic deficiencies in seamanship skills with many of its junior officers, according to an internal review obtained Wednesday by the Washington Times.

The study comes on the heels of two fatal Naval collisions that claimed the lives of 17 sailors last year — incidents that put the Navy in the spotlight and spurred the review.

In the internal message, written by Vice Adm. Richard Brown, commander of Naval Surface Force Pacific, the Navy identified “concerns” with 137 of 164 junior officers randomly tested. Of the 164 first-tour officers subjected to “competency checks,” only 27 passed with “no concerns.”

There were “some concerns” with another 108, while the remaining 29 had “significant concerns” with their seamanship skills.

“So out of 164 what we ended up seeing was kind of what we expected: We got a bell curve distribution. We had 27 who were on top, we had 108 who were in the middle and we had 29 who were kind of at the lower end,” Mr. Brown told Defense News, which first reported the internal survey. “We want to make sure the changes we are making are actually having an impact in the fleet and if we are increasing the level of experience and performance … We want to move that bell curve to the right.”

Specifically, the review found issues with officers’ operation of radar and their ability to apply Naval “rules of the road,” especially during times of low visibility.

COMMENT:   How does something like this happen?  What is wrong with training in our modern Navy?  Why was this not noticed before the two tragic collisions? 

And how far does this lack of competence extend, both within the Navy and within the other services?

We must call on Congress to mount a major investigation, demand accountability, and correct what needs to be corrected.  We must not repeat the mistakes of the past. 

If I were a Chinese admiral reading this story, I'd be awfully encouraged.

June 6, 2018       Permalink

ON THE OTHER HAND... – AT 10:25 A.M. ET:  To show the danger of overconfidence, please note that, according to Rasmussen, the Dems have retaken a small lead in the generic ballot.  From Rasmussen: 

Democrats have regained a slight lead on this week’s Rasmussen Reports Generic Congressional Ballot.

The latest telephone and online survey finds that 45% of Likely U.S. Voters would choose the Democratic candidate if the elections for Congress were held today. Forty-one percent (41%) would opt for the Republican. Four percent (4%) prefer some other candidate, and 11% are undecided. (To see survey question wording, click here.)

For the last two weeks, the ballot was at the closest it had been all year: Democrats 43%, Republicans 42%.

COMMENT:   That still doesn't provide much comfort for the Dems, who should be much further ahead, and were leading in double digits only a few months ago.  But I'd rather we be ahead than behind, even by a few points.  There is work to be done.

June 6, 2018       Permalink

THE CALIFORNIA RESULT – AT 9:52 .M. ET:  Not quite what Nancy's script anticipated.  From Fox: 

Neither party managed to land any knockout blows in California Tuesday as voters went to the polls there and in seven other states to pick candidates who will face off in the Nov. 6 midterm elections, when control of the U.S. House and Senate will be up for grabs.

The fate of President Trump’s legislative priorities will hang in the balance in November. Right now Republicans control both the House and Senate, but a swing of just 23 seats would give Democrats a House majority. The GOP holds a narrow majority of 51 seats in the Senate, with Democrats controlling 47 seats and independents who caucus with Democrats holding two seats.

California, home to the nation’s largest congressional delegation with 39 Democrats and 14 Republicans, has a so-called “jungle primary.” All candidates initially competed on a single ballot Tuesday. The two who come out on top go on to the general election, regardless of political party.

This makes it possible for two Democrats or two Republicans to face each other in November.
The Democrats had hoped the jungle primary might give them a leg up on their campaign to win back control of the U.S. House of Representatives by capturing at least a few of the 14 seats the GOP currently holds in California – half of which Hillary Clinton carried in the 2016 presidential contest.

Going into Tuesday is looked like there might be a few seats – notably the Anaheim-area seat of retiring Republican Ed Royce – where the Republicans might be shut out of the general election.

That appears not to have happened – not in the Royce seat, not in the San Diego-area seat of retiring GOP Rep. Darrell Issa, and not in Huntington Beach where Republican Dana Rohrabacher, a former speechwriter for President Reagan seeking a 16th term, easily made it into the next round.

The failure to achieve what some were calling a “big, blue shutout” also didn’t extend to the gubernatorial contest. Democratic Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom easily advanced to the second round of balloting as did Republican businessman John Cox, who had the endorsement of President Trump.

Former Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa – whom some hoped might make it into the runoff in place of Cox, setting up an all-Democratic general election contest that could have had a depressive affect on GOP turnout statewide – drew only about half as much support as Cox and finished a distant third.

COMMENT:  There are no guarantees for November, but, nationally, the Democrats are just not doing as well as they'd expected.  Most analysts now see the Senate as almost impossible for them to win, because so many marginal Democratic seats are up for re-election, and facing severe challenges.

As for the House, a gain of 23 seats by the opposition party in the first midterm following a presidential election is not unusual at all.  The fact that the Dems may not make even that tells us a great deal about the state of the once-mighty Democratic Party.  And their presidential bench for 2020 is Minor League.

But take nothing for granted.  Fight like you're 20 points behind.

June 6,  2018     Permalink