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NOVEMBER 21,  2016

SHORT TAKES ON THE DRIFTING WRECKAGE – AT 11:53 P.M. ET:  

THE TRUTH COMES OUT – FROM FOX:   The public editor for The New York Times said Sunday that the number of complaints the newspaper received over its coverage of the 2016 presidential campaign spiked to five times its normal level.  Complaints to the paper included claims that its coverage was biased against Trump during the general election as well as accusations from readers that it favored candidate Hillary Clinton over Bernie Sanders during the Democratic primaries.  “My colleague Thomas Feyer, who oversees the letters to the editor, says the influx from readers is one of the largest since Sept. 11,” public editor Liz Spayd wrote.  Spayd says others are calling into customer care at multiple times the usual rate and had “a variety of concerns, including the election coverage.”  If the public inflicts enough economic pain on wayward newspapers, maybe some editors will listen.

LET THEM FOLLOW THEIR DREAM – FROM MSN:    SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Supporters of a plan for California to secede from the union took their first formal step Monday morning, submitting a proposed ballot measure to the state attorney general's office in the hopes of a statewide vote as soon as 2018. Marcus Ruiz Evans, the vice president and co-founder of Yes California, said his group had been planning to wait for a later election, but the presidential election of Donald Trump sped up the timeline.  "We're doing it now because of all of the overwhelming attention," Evans said.  The Yes California group has been around for more than two years, Evans said. It is based around California taxpayers paying more money to the federal government than the state receives in spending, that Californians are culturally different from the rest of the country, and that national media and organizations routinely criticize Californians for being out of step with the rest of the U.S.  The first thing the new nation of California would do is apply for foreign aid from the United States.

GREAT LESSON IN POLITICS – FROM AFP:   Wisconsin served up one of the biggest surprises of an election day that shocked America and the world: no one thought the midwestern state would fall to the Republican billionaire.  Clinton was so sure of victory she did not even bother to campaign here after the Democratic primaries, instead sending her daughter Chelsea or her husband, former president Bill Clinton.  "She probably thought she had Wisconsin wrapped up," said Ronald Roberts, a 67 year old retiree, as he left a shop called Bill the Butcher. Its aging sign is missing the R.  "You can't take the voters for granted because they'll stay home," said Roberts, who used to work as an auto mechanic.  That is just what happened here, according to exit polls taken on November 8. Stop anyone in this part of town, where there is not a white person in sight, and they will tell you as much.  "I feel that she is no better than Trump. That's why I didn't vote," said Brittany Mays, a young woman who works in a beauty salon.  The stay-at-home Democrats, one of the great election stories of 2016.  The only poll that counts is the one on election day.

November 21,  2016     Permalink   

TRUMP APPROVAL RISES – AT 10:33 A.M. ET:  This good news was bound to come.  From the Washington Times: 

President-elect Donald Trump’s favorable rating has jumped 9 points since the election and now sits at 46 percent, according to a poll released Monday.

Forty-six percent of registered voters also said they have an unfavorable view of Mr. Trump, according to the Politico/Morning Consult poll.

Just before the election, Mr. Trump had a 37 percent/61 percent favorable/unfavorable split.

“Trump’s favorability among voters has reached new highs since he became president-elect,” said Morning Consult Cofounder and Chief Research Officer Kyle Dropp. “This honeymoon phase is common for new presidents. For example, Obama saw about a 20-point swing in his favor following the 2008 election.”

COMMENT:  Trump's personality is not an asset, but his reputation as a can-do guy is an asset.  If he gets things done, and they're major things, he can wind up in very positive territory.  He will, however, have to develop a strategy to get around a press that will be permanently hostile.  Reagan spoke over the heads of the press, directly to the American people.  Trump can do the same.

November 21,  2016     Permalink

OH I JUST CAN'T WAIT.  CAN YOU? – AT 9:22 A.M. ET:  Mr. Obama announces the future plans for his mouth.  The excitement builds.  From Fox:   

LIMA, Peru – President Barack Obama said Sunday he doesn't intend to become his successor's constant critic -- but reserved the right to speak out if President-elect Donald Trump or his policies breach certain "values or ideals."

Offering a rare glimpse into his thoughts on his post-presidency, Obama suggested once he was out of office he would uphold the tradition of ex-presidents stepping aside quietly to allow their successors space to govern. He heaped praise on former President George W. Bush, saying he "could not have been more gracious to me when I came in" and said he wanted to give Trump the same chance to pursue his agenda "without somebody popping off" at every turn.

But Obama suggested there may be limits to his silence.

"As an American citizen who cares deeply about our country, if there are issues that have less to do with the specifics of some legislative proposal or battle or go to core questions about our values and ideals, and if I think that it's necessary or helpful for me to defend those ideals, I'll examine it when it comes," Obama told reporters.

COMMENT:  No president has probably done more to rip up our values and ideals than Barack Obama.  I fear we will be seeing Jimmy Carter, the sequel.  Quick, my pills!  And if you think you've seen fawning now, wait 'til he's ex-President Obama.  Mount Rushmore won't be good enough.

November 21, 2016       Permalink 

AWFUL – AT 9:08 A.M. ET:  Americans are waking up to learn that three, possibly four, police officers were shot over the weekend, with one dead.  The worst case was in San Antonio.  From Fox:

Authorities in Texas were hunting for a gunman Monday accused of killing a detective after shooting him twice in the face while he was writing out a traffic ticket to a driver.

San Antonio police Chief William McManus identified the fallen officer as Benjamin Marconi, 50, a 20-year veteran of the force. Marconi was shot to death in his squad car late Sunday morning outside police headquarters, police said.

According to Fox San Antonio, the U.S. Marshals service took a “person of interest” into custody at around 9:20 p.m. local time but no further information was given on the person.

However, police said early Monday that the search for a male suspect was still underway and that no arrest had been made. McManus said he doesn't believe the suspect has any relationship to the original driver who was pulled over, and no motive has been identified.

This undated image released by the San Antonio Police Department shows 20-year police veteran, Det. Benjamin Marconi, 50, who was shot and killed Sunday, Nov. 20, 2016, while on duty in San Antonio, Texas. Marconi was shot to death in his squad car while writing out a traffic ticket.

And...

In St. Louis, a police sergeant was hospitalized in critical condition but expected to survive after being shot twice in the face Sunday night in what the police chief called an "ambush." Police reported early Monday that the suspect was later killed in a shootout with police.

Police Chief Sam Dotson said the 46-year-old officer was shot twice in the face.

And...

Two other police officers were also shot Sunday night, but it wasn't clear whether the incidents were targeted attacks.

An officer with the Gladstone, Missouri, police department near Kansas City was shot, along with a suspect. A Sanibel, Florida, officer was shot in the shoulder during a traffic stop Sunday night, and was treated for his injuries and released.

COMMENT:  Shootings of police officers are up dramatically this year.  It's open season on cops.  President Obama doesn't seem to care, but I think President Trump will.

I would not be shocked to see President Trump send federal troops into an American city, just as President Eisenhower sent troops into Little Rock in 1957 to enforce a court order integrating Central High School. 

November 21,  2016    Permalink

NOVEMBER 20,  2016

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

REAL ESTATE NEWS – FROM PAGE SIX:   The Obamas are moving into a nine-bedroom mansion in the Kalorama section of Washington — the posh neighborhood of diplomats and DC old money — while younger daughter Sasha finishes high school at Sidwell Friends. But they have apparently been buying real estate elsewhere, too.  According to sources, the Obamas have purchased a house in Rancho Mirage, Calif., not far from Sunnylands, the former Annenberg estate, which presidents use as a getaway and which is thought of as the unofficial West Coast Camp David.  Rancho Mirage, where Gerald Ford retired, is a top destination for golf — a favorite pastime of President Obama. The local daily newspaper, the Desert Sun, has reported rumors of such a sale for more than a year. But sources say now it’s a done deal.  Just ordinary folk who've felt your pain for eight years.

DIVIDED FIRST FAMILY – FROM THE DAILY MAIL:   Melania and Barron Trump are set to keep living in Trump Tower once the Donald moves to the White House on January 20 - in a move that threatens continued traffic chaos and delays for New Yorkers in midtown Manhattan.   Melania and Barron won't move to the White House until after the 10-year-old finishes the school year in June, the president-elect said on Sunday.  Melania will travel to Washington, D.C. when necessary, and Donald Trump himself is expected to spend much of his time at his gilded penthouse apartment in midtown Manhattan.  News that Melania and Barron would be staying in New York angered residents who feared the security measures, ranging from armed officers, road closures and pedestrian bag checks, would exacerbate traffic in the city.  Melania is a good mother, who often takes Barron to school.  The Obamas will also remain in Washington until one of their daughters finishes high school, but I haven't seen any complaints about security or traffic.  I guess liberal traffic is more acceptable than conservative traffic.

CLASS ACT – FROM FOX:   Vice President-elect Mike Pence spoke publicly Sunday for the first time about the mixed reception he received while attending a performance of the musical “Hamilton,” saying he doesn’t want an apology from the Broadway cast and that the audience’s boos and cheers “is what freedom sounds like.”  Pence, a Republican, attended the show Friday night. Actor Brandon Dixon afterward delivered a statement on behalf of the cast that in part said, “We truly hope this show has inspired you to uphold our American values and to work on behalf of all of us. All of us."  Pence on Sunday said he, his daughter and her cousins “enjoyed the show” and that he “reminded them this is what freedom sounds like.”  Pence said he wasn’t offended and that he didn’t want an apology.  “I’ll leave it to others to decide if [the stage] was the appropriate venue,” he said.  Well said, with style.  A real pro at work.

November 20,  2016     Permalink

TRUMP SAVE THE QUEEN – AT 12:54 P.M. ET:  At least some people understand that Trump will actually become president.   From Reuters: 

Queen Elizabeth will invite U.S. President-elect Donald Trump for a state visit to Britain next year to try to cement close ties between the two countries, The Sunday Times newspaper said.

Citing two ministers and a senior official close to Downing Street, the Sunday Times reported that discussions between British officials and Trump's team would start soon to ensure that a date could be agreed for June or July next year.

Britain is keen to reinforce its "special relationship" with the United States as the government of Prime Minister Theresa May prepares to leave the European Union, a divorce that will shape the country's standing in the world.

Trump invited May to visit him as soon as possible during their first telephone call since his election victory, the British prime minister's office has said. Aides for May have said as yet there is no date for the trip.

The Sunday Times said the British government hopes that an official state visit will be its "secret weapon" for cementing ties after Trump met leading Brexit campaigner Nigel Farage earlier this month - the first British politician to do so.

The newspaper also said the president-elect told May during their phone call last week that his late Scottish mother was a "big fan" of the Queen and asked the prime minister to pass on his best wishes to her.

COMMENT:  I want to see Trump with the Queen.  Obama's first meeting with the Queen was disastrous.  The gift he gave her, typical of him, was a DVD of his speeches that didn't play on her machine, which uses a different DVD system.  Great research, Barack.  This followed Obama's removing a bust of Winston Churchill from the Oval Office and replacing it with one of Dr. King.  I suspect there was room for both, but Obama had to polish his anti-colonialist credentials.

I suspect Trump will do better. 

November 20, 2016        Permalink

I LOVE IT, I LOVE IT – AT 12:17 P.M. ET:  This demonstrates the importance of fighting back.  Never let the other side punch without returning the punch.  This is about Starbucks.  From the Daily Mail, with photos: 

Supporters of President-elect Donald Trump who feel there has been a backlash against Republicans since his election are taking their protest to the percolators.

Republicans are ordering their coffee and stating their name is 'Trump' so baristas will have to shout the last name of the president-elect when their drink is ready.

The protest is allegedly against people 'discriminating against Republicans' and was started by Trump supporter and actor Scott Baio, according to Yahoo News.

A hashtag #TrumpCup began to circulate on Twitter and a video of a barista calling the police after a man asked for Trump's name to be written on his cup went viral, causing the phenomenon to increase.

Another video of a man shouting 'Trump' at a barista when he felt his drink order was taking too long added fuel to the fire.

Now, dozens of people are taking pictures of their Starbucks drink with the name 'Trump' written on it in protest of the alleged discrimination.

COMMENT:  The left, bcause it believes itself to be lofty and above us all, tries to shame our side.  They won't get away with it for much longer.

November 20,  2016     Permalink

APPALLING – AT 11:31 A.M. ET:  Have Democrats learned anything from the election?  Not likely.  The radical left never learns anything.  Consider the comments of the probable next chairman of the Democratic National Committee, Keith Ellison.  Ellison is the radical black Muslim congressman from Minnesota, with past ties to the Nation of Islam.  From The Hill:

Rep. Keith Ellison (D-Minn.) on Sunday said President-elect Donald Trump is not going to fulfill his campaign promise of "draining the swamp" in Washington.

"Donald Trump has already proven where he's going with this thing," Ellison, who is running to become the chairman of the Democratic National Committee, said on CBS's "Face The Nation."

"He's not draining the swamp. He's filling it up more and there's going to be more swamp creatures than ever before."

Ellison said Democrats have to keep fighting for average Americans.

"We have got to be there to work with all those folks who may have not voted or even voted for him," Ellison said.

"We want to show them that we really care about them, that we respect their voice and that we are going to be fighting for them."

Trump is "clearly not normal," he added, while accusing the president-elect of hurting workers across the country.

"His level of abuse of working people is extraordinary," Ellison said.

"Not to mention his racism, misogyny, extraordinary as well. It's hard to normalize that and we can never do it, but I would just say, that it's not about Donald Trump."

COMMENT:  Again, the race card.  Again, the misogyny card.  Do the Dems really want to put this guy up as their front man? 

Maybe Ellison should look at the surprisingly high women's vote for Trump.  Maybe he should try to explain exactly what the Democratic Party has done for African Americans in the eight years of the Obama administration.  It will be a brief discussion.

November 20,  2016     Permalink