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MAY 31,  2018

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

THEY'RE FINALLY DOING THIS? – FROM FOX:   ESPN managers are telling their most outspoken broadcasters and writers to be careful on social media in light of Disney axing Roseanne Barr’s TV show over her racist tweets, sources told The Post.  A source said that the Disney-owned ESPN was specifically reaching out to the most politically outspoken of its broadcasters. Jemele Hill, Keith Olbermann and Kenny Mayne are the ones most frequently associated with venturing outside of sports.  An ESPN spokesman declined comment.  In the last few years, ESPN has had several social-media flare-ups involving non-sports topics. Most notably, Hill called President Trump a “white supremacist” in September.  Impossible to know if warnings will have any effect.  Hollywood and network executives are under pressure to produce good ratings, but they're also under social pressure to go along with the leftist line.  Whether they do or not will influence what parties they're invited to.  A sad state of affairs.

ARE YOU BELIEVING THIS? – FROM BGR.COM:   In a new research paper published in Futures, an international team of scientists examines the challenges of reproduction on the Martian surface. It’s a risky proposition, but if humans succeed in conceiving, carrying, and birthing offspring on another world it might actually be the start of a new species.  In the paper, the researchers tackle a huge number of potential problems that could crop up when humans are finally ready to rear young on Mars. The first and most obvious hurdle is the low gravity environment, which could pose a serious threat to the conception and pregnancy processes that seem so simple here on Earth.  Yeah, I'm really worried about this.  Sex on Mars.  Why isn't this getting more attention on CNN? 

THE MARCH OF EDUCATION – FROM COLLEGE FIX:   Hundreds of Yale students crowded into Professor of Psychology Laurie Santos’ class “Psychology and the Good Life” over the spring semester to learn the secret. At over 1,200 students, it was Yale’s largest class ever.  Santos told The College Fix that she thinks the class was so popular because college students are more stressed out and depressed than ever.  “I think the interest in the class shows that these strategies are really needed, that we really do need to change the culture of stress on campus,” she said.  She explained that the excitement about the class on campus made her realize that it could be useful to people outside of Yale and for any age. A shorter version of the class is now available for free on Coursera, or for a fee the entire class can be accessed.   I can't wait.  How can I be happy without this class?  What a pathetic commentary on the young generation.  Maybe if they were taught a sense of responsibility, they'd be happier. 

May 31, 2018       Permalink

MEDIA GAMES – AT 11:16 P.M. ET:   The double standards of Hollywood and the rest of the media are coming full circle.  What to do?  What to do?  Well, the first thing you do is ban the press, even your friends.  An excuse will be found.  From Hollywood Reporter: 

The same day Samantha Bee apologized for calling Ivanka Trump a “feckless c—,” she was set to be honored by the Television Academy along with six other shows relating to social change.

Though The Hollywood Reporter was initially slated to cover both the 6:45 p.m. red carpet and reception, media was told by a Television Academy rep at 3:35 p.m. that press would not be allowed into the reception "as a result of today’s events involving Samantha B.," leading to "the need to limit access to tonight’s activities."

Bee is slated to attend the 11th annual honors at NeueHouse Hollywood on Thursday night alongside castmembers and executives for Full Frontal (TBS), 13 Reasons Why (Netflix), One Day at a Time (Netflix), Andi Mack (Disney channel) and LA 92 (National Geographic). 

Dana Delany (Hand of God) will host the event just hours after Bee tweeted an apology to the first daughter for using an expletive to describe her: "It was inappropriate and inexcusable. I crossed a line, and I deeply regret it." Sarah Huckabee Sanders had called out Bee for her "vile and vicious" words.

TBS also tweeted, "Those words should not have been aired. It was our mistake too, and we regret it."

The Academy’s Emmy Award nomination-round voting begins June 11.

COMMENT:   Maybe we're actually making some progress.  A leftist vulgarian was actually forced to apologize to a member of the Trump family.  It's possible some in Hollywood are feeling White House heat.  May they sweat.

May 31, 2018       Permalink

GROWTH IN HOME SCHOOLING – AT 1:18 P.M. ET:   The story here is probably deeper than it first appears.  From the Washington Times:   

After a gunman opened fire on students in Parkland, Florida, the phones started ringing at the Texas Home School Coalition, and they haven’t stopped yet.

The Lubbock-based organization has been swamped with inquiries for months from parents seeking safer options for their kids in the aftermath of this year’s deadly school massacres, first in Parkland and then in Santa Fe, Texas.

“When the Parkland shooting happened, our phone calls and emails exploded,” said coalition president Tim Lambert. “In the last couple of months, our numbers have doubled. We’re dealing with probably between 1,200 and 1,400 calls and emails per month, and prior to that it was 600 to 700.”

Demands to restrict firearms and beef up school security have dominated the debate following the shootings, but flying under the radar is the surge of interest in homeschooling as parents lose faith in the ability of public schools to protect students from harm.

And it’s not just the threat of school shootings. Christopher Chin, president of Homeschool Louisiana, said parents are also increasingly concerned about “the violence, the bullying, the unsafe environments.”

“One of the things we’ve seen definitely an uptick in the last five years is the aspect of violence. It’s the bullying. That is off the charts,” Mr. Chin said.

COMMENT:  And it goes beyond that as well.  We are seeing signs of growing outrage over the quality of our schools, and deep concern about what is being taught and who is doing the teaching. 

Most parents do not send their kids to school to learn to hate their country, to despise their religion, and to be told that they're all racists.  Our schools are to be centers of true learning, not indoctrination centers for the far left.  The parents aren't that stupid.  They understand what's going on, and a good number don't like it.

In recent months we've seen pushbacks on college campuses against leftist indoctrination and one-sided education.  They are small steps, but could, with some leadership, spread broadly, and extend down into the high schools and even the elementary schools.

I know some home schoolers.  They're terrific people with strong concerns about the fate of their children.  They're not nut cases or conspiracy theorists.  They could turn out to be the quiet leaders of a new revolution.

May 31, 2018        Permalink

THE GENERIC – AT 12:31 P.M. ET:   The midterms are still about five months away, about 30 lifetimes in politics.  But, still, the Dems should, based on historical precedent, be much further ahead in the generic ballot than they are.

Usually the president's party takes a beating in the first midterm election after the president takes office.  There's a general tendency to vote against the guy in the White House. 

And even FDR lost heavily in November of 1942, only 11 months after Pearl Harbor.  His Democratic Party lost an incredible 45 seats in the House, and he was the commander-in-chief of a nation fighting for its life.

The Dems began 2018 dreaming of a white Christmas...no, a multicultural Christmas dominated by their victorious party.  They looked forward to November.  And, only a few months ago, they were leading in the generic Congressional poll by double digits.

Uh, not so fast, Democrats.

The latest generic poll numbers (Do you prefer Democrats or Republicans for Congress?) from RealClearPolitics show Dems leading by only 3.7 points.  That is based on an average of six polls.  The range goes from a one-point lead in Rasmussen to a seven-point lead in Harvard-Harris. 

That's grim news for the Dems.  The public is not revolting against the Trump administration.  Today's Rasmussen tracker puts Mr. Trump's approval rating at 47%, which is not bad.  On average, he's been gaining recently.

Obviously, some event can shake everything up.  But it is curious to watch the Democratic Party fumble before our eyes.  There is really no platform, no set of proposals, nothing except the party's elders involved in a food fight. 

May it continue.

May 31,  2018    Permalink

MAY 30,  2018

SHORT TAKES ON THE DRIFTING WRECKAGE – AT 11:54 P.M. ET:

THE EYES OF TEXAS – FROM THE AUSTIN AMERICAN-STATESMAN:   U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, holds an 11-percentage point edge over U.S. Rep. Beto O’Rourke, D-El Paso, in the race at the top of the November ballot in Texas, according to a Quinnipiac University poll released Wednesday.  Half of Texas voters prefer Cruz in his re-election bid, compared with 39 percent for O’Rourke, the poll says.  That’s a substantially wider margin than in April 18, when another Quinnipiac University poll found Cruz with 47 percent to O’Rourke’s 44 percent.  Common sense is returning.  A great accomplishment for Cruz.  We hope he can maintain and increase his strength. 

FOX ROMPS – FROM FORBES.COM:  What happened to the rise of MSNBC? After showing historic growth–and a few months in 2017 when Rachel Maddow took the title of most-watched host in all of cable news, beating Fox News Channel’s Sean Hannity–the just-released results of the May ratings period look very familiar: Fox News won–everything.  In ratings data released Wednesday by Nielsen Media Research, FNC extended its run of consecutive months at number one to a staggering 197, while building hitting another impressive milestone: Fox News Channel has now beaten every other network in basic cable for 23 months straight, based on total day ratings, with an average total day audience in May of 1.4 million viewers.  In prime time, Fox News destroyed its competition, with an average total audience of 2.381 million viewers, compared to MSNBC's 1.384 million and CNN's 835,000. Among viewers 25-54, the group most coveted by advertisers, FNC shook off a challenge in recent months from MSNBC to claim a clear victory: 461,000 viewers, well ahead of MSNBC (329,000) and CNN (265,000).  I suspect that many viewers were turned off by the chronic, irrational Trump-bashing that passes for news on both MSNBC and CNN.

MITT IS GETTING SILLY AGAIN – FROM THE HILL:   Mitt Romney revealed Wednesday that when it came time to vote for president in 2016, he wrote in his wife Ann’s name.  "I wrote in the name of a person who I admire deeply, who I think would be an excellent president," Romney told the editorial boards of Utah's Deseret News and KSL. "I realized it wasn't going to go anywhere, but nonetheless felt that I was putting in a very solid name."  The former GOP presidential nominee and current Utah Senate candidate had not previously stated publicly for whom he had voted in the 2016 presidential election.  Romney, who has been endorsed by Trump in the former's Senate race, does not hide his contempt for the president, saying this week that Trump was not "a role model for my grandkids."  Not very gracious.  What is going on in Mitt's mind?

May 30,  2018     Permalink 

DISSENT IN REPUBLICAN RANKS – AT 3:44 P.M. ET:  The president has made a big issue out of his belief that the FBI planted a spy in his presidential campaign.  Other Republicans, though, including those whom we respect here, are not buying the story, at least not so far.  This is creating a serious rift in the ranks, and a potential danger to the president's credibility.  From The Hill: 

Rep. Trey Gowdy (R-S.C.) defended the FBI's investigation of Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election during a Wednesday interview in which he took issue with President Trump's characterization of the FBI's use of an informant to gather information on some of his campaign aides.

“I don’t know what the FBI could have done or should have done other than run out a lead that someone loosely connected with the campaign was making assertions about Russia,” said Gowdy, the chairman of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee.

“I think you would want the FBI to find whether or not there was any validity to what those people were saying,” Gowdy said during an interview with "CBS This Morning." 

COMMENT:  Gowdy is a serious man.  He could be wrong, of course, but the caution sign must go up at the White House.  The answer here might be the appointment of an outside counsel to investigate the president's stated concerns.  But the president cannot go on with these charges without producing more evidence to back them up.  He is losing, not gaining, support on this issue.

May 30,  2018     Permalink

THE PRESIDENT STRIKES BACK – AT 1:18 P.M. ET:   It was probably inevitable that Roseanne's blunder would get her fired.   She's a Trump supporter, so she was already a sinner in Hollywood.  But people have wondered how Mr. Trump would react.  We now have it.  From Daily Mail: 

President Donald Trump weighed in on the Roseanne Barr controversy with a complaint Wednesday that he never got an apology from ABC for the 'for the HORRIBLE statements made and said about me on ABC.'

It was uncertain which statements from the TV network Trump was referring to although he could have been referring to a story from reporter Brian Ross that the network retracted or to his March twitter war with comedian Jimmy Kimmel.  

ABC said Tuesday that it was cancelling Barr's television show just hours after the comedian assaulted Obama White House adviser Valerie Jarrett on Twitter.

ABC released a statement on Tuesday afternoon, calling Barr's tweets 'abhorrent, repugnant, and inconsistent with our values'.

The president's comment:

Bob Iger of ABC called Valerie Jarrett to let her know that “ABC does not tolerate comments like those” made by Roseanne Barr. Gee, he never called President Donald J. Trump to apologize for the HORRIBLE statements made and said about me on ABC. Maybe I just didn’t get the call?

COMMENT:  The president is right.  He didn't defend Roseanne, and he should not.  But calling attention to the vulgar attacks on him at ABC is entirely appropriate.  He might, in the future, add the horrible, tasteless remarks made in the print press. 

May 30, 2018       Permalink

A REMARKABLE STORY – AT 12:20 P.M. ET:  This is quite a story of dissent...in Iran.  The fact that it's being reported in Iranian outlets is equally remarkable.  Maybe something is happening.  From AP:

TEHRAN, Iran (AP) — Iranian university students in a meeting with Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei offered harsh criticism of the country's direction, local media reported Tuesday, an unusually frank discussion showing the concerns many feel over the Trump administration's pullout from the nuclear deal with Tehran and Iran's battered economy.

One student in particular offered a list of problems confronting Iran and directly asked Khameni, whom hard-liners view as second only to God, how he would respond to them.

While concerns regularly come up during the annual audiences that Khamenei holds during the Muslim holy fasting month of Ramadan, the fact that these criticisms received publicized attention in Iran's tightly controlled media is telling. Already, farmers and truck drivers have been protesting and on strike in the country.

At Monday's audience with Khamenei, university student Sahar Mehrabi read a speech in which she recounted the "numerous crises" now facing the country.

Among them, she listed Iran's "intensified systematic inequality in social classes, the decline of public trust and the increase in environmental crisis and shantytowns." She also mentioned high unemployment, the challenges faced by minority groups and the way hard-line element's within Iran's judiciary and security system "fabricate security cases in a delusional way" to target activists.

"What answer does Your Excellency have in response to questions, criticisms and protests," she asked.

In his own speech, Khamenei acknowledged many of the shortcomings, saying that "removing problems is not as easy" as the students expect. He said one solution can be the "injecting of revolutionary, motivated and committed young people into the governmental apparatuses."

COMMENT:  There have been serious demonstrations in Iran since at least December.  We are hoping for a major uprising, which could cripple the regime. 

The last major uprising was in 2009, but it got virtually no support from that great international defender of freedom, Barack Obama.  This time would be different, with Trump in the White House.

May 30,  2018     Permalink