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OCTOBER 14,  2016

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

THE COLLAPSE OF JOURNALISM – FROM THE WASHINGTON FREE BEACON:   The reporter who first learned about Bill Clinton’s affair with Monica Lewinsky said on Thursday that NBC is sitting on the full tape of its initial interview with Bill Clinton rape accuser Juanita Broaddrick and should release it before the election.  Michael Isikoff, who was a leading reporter during the Monica Lewinsky scandal, said in a Thursday discussion that NBC should release a 17-year-old tape of an interview that it conducted with Broaddrick. Broaddrick has long claimed that the interview that NBC aired edited out her claim that Hillary Clinton was involved in quashing Broaddrick’s rape claims.  “NBC has the full tape of the original Lisa Myers interview,” Isikoff said during an online discussion on Sidewire.com. “NBC ought to check its archive and run the full interview. (AS long as they’re now culling their archives!)”  Isikoff worked as a national correspondent for NBC from 2010 to 2014. He says that NBC reporter Lisa Myers has confirmed Broaddrick’s claim that NBC edited out references that could have been damaging to Hillary Clinton.  What we're learning about the mainstream media during this campaign hardly gives us confidence that the First Amendment is working as intended.

DOES HIS BLACK LIFE MATTER? – FROM FOX:   A beloved peewee football coach walking to his car after practice was gunned down execution-style in front of his horrified team, according to reports Friday.  Dave Williams told a group of children to run when he saw men with guns walking towards him at Mills Pond Park in Fort Lauderdale Thursday night, WPLG-TV reported.  Fort Lauderdale police said the 43-year-old man died of multiple gunshot wounds. His killers fled.  “We don’t know if there (were) arguments,” detective Tracy Figone told the station.  Williams had just treated his team of 30 kids to cookies and Gatorade after the practice, the Sun-Sentinel reported.  “I just heard the shots, ran in that direction and found one of my coaches on the ground, fighting for his life,” Jamaal Gaines, president of the Fort Lauderdale Hurricanes youth football club, told the paper.  “It's shocking,” he added. “You think you hear fireworks, but you see people grabbing their kids and running.”  I wonder if any interest will be shown by the trendy TV outlets or by Black Lives Matter.  Don't hold your breath. 

THE SECRET WAR – FROM NBC NEWS:   The Obama administration is contemplating an unprecedented cyber covert action against Russia in retaliation for alleged Russian interference in the American presidential election, U.S. intelligence officials told NBC News.  Current and former officials with direct knowledge of the situation say the CIA has been asked to deliver options to the White House for a wide-ranging "clandestine" cyber operation designed to harass and "embarrass" the Kremlin leadership.  The sources did not elaborate on the exact measures the CIA was considering, but said the agency had already begun opening cyber doors, selecting targets and making other preparations for an operation. Former intelligence officers told NBC News that the agency had gathered reams of documents that could expose unsavory tactics by Russian President Vladimir Putin.  Vice President Joe Biden told "Meet the Press" moderator Chuck Todd on Friday that "we're sending a message" to Putin and that "it will be at the time of our choosing, and under the circumstances that will have the greatest impact."  Yeah, okay, but shouldn't this plan be kept secret?  Why is it all over the press?

October 14, 2016       Permalink

OBAMA'S SIGNATURE ACHIEVEMENT – AT 10:38 A.M. ET:  Obamacare is collapsing before our very eyes, yet it is hardly discussed in the election campaign.  My, how standards have dropped.  From Bloomberg:

A growing number of people in Obamacare are finding out their health insurance plans will disappear from the program next year, forcing them to find new coverage even as options shrink and prices rise.

At least 1.4 million people in 32 states will lose the Obamacare plan they have now, according to state officials contacted by Bloomberg. That’s largely caused by Aetna Inc., UnitedHealth Group Inc. and some state or regional insurers quitting the law’s markets for individual coverage.

Sign-ups for Obamacare coverage begin next month. Fallout from the quitting insurers has emerged as the latest threat to the law, which is also a major focal point in the U.S. presidential election.

It is?  I haven't noticed.

While it’s not clear what all the consequences of the departing insurers will be, interviews with regulators and insurance customers suggest that plans will be fewer and more expensive, and may not include the same doctors and hospitals.

Weren't we told we could keep our doctors?  Must have been a clerical error.

It may also mean that instead of growing in 2017, Obamacare could shrink. As of March 31, the law covered 11.1 million people; an Oct. 13 S&P Global Ratings report predicted that enrollment next year will range from an 8 percent decline to a 4 percent gain.

COMMENT:  This is the consequence of arrogance.  The Obama administration came to office determined to reinvent the American health-care system, rather than make the necessary fixes.  It didn't have to be reinvented.   

Now Obamacare is failing, and you may be sure that the Democrats' next step will be to claim that they didn't go far enough toward true socialized medicine.   Will Republicans roll over?  Given the current bunch, you never know.

October 14, 2016       Permalink

AN UNHAPPY NATION – AT 9:46 A.M. ET:   Whoever wins will have the same task Reagan had in 1981 – rebuilding the national morale.  From Gallup:   

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- With the presidential election less than a month away, 28% of Americans are satisfied with the way things are going in the U.S. This continues the low satisfaction levels that started near the end of the George W. Bush administration and have persisted under President Barack Obama. Satisfaction remains significantly below the historical average of 37% since Gallup began measuring it in 1979.

Americans' current level of satisfaction is similar to where it has been for most of 2016, with the notable exception of July. That month, 17% of Americans were satisfied according to the July 13-17 poll, conducted shortly after incidents in which police officers killed black men in Louisiana and Minnesota, and after five police officers in Dallas were fatally shot. July's satisfaction rating was the lowest since October 2013. By August, with news coverage focused more on other events such as the political conventions, satisfaction rebounded to the levels seen before July.

Hillary Clinton has said she is the only candidate who will continue Obama's policies, so her supporters might be worried that less than a third of Americans are satisfied with the country's direction near the end of Obama's second term. But a month before the 2012 election, in which Obama handily defeated Mitt Romney, the U.S. satisfaction level was 30%, similar to today's figure. Satisfaction did rise slightly to 33% immediately before the election, possibly because Americans approved of the way Obama handled the effects of Superstorm Sandy.

Heading into the Nov. 8 general election this year, 49% of Democrats, 24% of independents and 8% of Republicans are satisfied with the country's direction. Republican numbers are almost identical to four years ago -- when 7% were satisfied. Democrats (53%) and independents (29%) were slightly more likely to be satisfied in October 2012 than they are now.

COMMENT:  Clinton leads in most of the polls.  Or maybe it's more accurate to say that Trump is losing in most of the polls.  Hillary has been lucky in her opponent.

The latest polls also show that Republicans are doing well, on balance, in Senate and House races.  They are struggling to maintain control of the Senate, in a year when they hold most of the vulnerable seats, and they may just squeeze by.  We may see more ticket splitting this year than in any recent election.

You've seen some speculation that Democrats may take over the House, and it's possible, but the odds are very long. 

October 14, 2016       Permalink

GOOD STRATEGY, OR FEAR – AT 9:19 A.M. ET:  Hillary Clinton is disappearing from the campaign trail until after Wednesday's final presidential debate.  Is it a good tactic, is she exhausted, or is she fearful of a mistake?  Or is it something else?

Clinton was bested by Donald Trump in the last debate, and it's possible she will use the time to rest up and study.  But five days?  Doesn't she know the issues well enough already?  From the American Mirror: 

With less than four weeks to go before Election Day, Hillary Clinton seems to be thinking she can disappear and voters won’t notice.

Coming off the heels of two private fundraisers in California on Thursday, Clinton doesn’t have any public events scheduled between today and the final presidential debate on October 19.

That’s five days.

Neither leading Clinton schedule tracking website — HillarySpeeches.com and WillHillaryWin.com — list a single event for her, as of Friday morning.

Meanwhile, chief surrogate Bill Clinton will be making two appearances in Ohio today. One in Delaware, and the other in Cincinnati, according to HillarySpeeches.com.

COMMENT:  My sense is that her absence at this stage in the campaign won't make much difference.  Indeed, one can even argue that she's following the old political maxim that, if your opponent is committing suicide, don't get in his way.  Some would argue that Donald Trump has the pistol to his head, although I think that view is exaggerated.   

She might also be dodging questions about all those e-mails released by Wikileaks.  They're embarrassing, although not devastating.   If anything, they show the continued sloppiness of Clinton-related operations regarding security.  She's a presidential candidate and her campaign's e-mails are being read all over the world.  Maybe she should visit the Westchester Apple Store, not far from her home, and ask questions.  I've been there many times.  Parking is reasonably priced.

October 14,  2016     Permalink

OCTOBER 13,  2016

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

WE'RE GOING NUTS – FROM BLOOMBERG:  There’s good news for Americans who find themselves waking up in a cold sweat at 3 a.m. to check the latest polls: You are not alone.  More than half of you—on both sides of the aisle—say the 2016 election is a major source of stress, according to a new survey from the American Psychological Association. “Historically, work, money, and the economy are the top three,” said clinical psychologist Lynn Bufka, part of the APA’s Stress in America team, which has been conducting surveys of what freaks us out the most for 10 years. “Now it’s right up there.”   In addition to the overall pervasiveness of news about the presidential election—non-stop coverage for more than a year now—Bufka cites several potential reasons Americans are more worried this year. To start, there’s the tenor of the campaigns, which are arguably more negative and accusatory than any other in modern history. “In general,” she said, “humans like harmony.” Not a lot of that going around this year.  Most people I know just wish the campaign was over.  It's the most depressing and unsatisfying campaign I've experienced.  Just once I'd like to hear Ronald Reagan say, "Well, there you go again."  No need for hatred.

HOW ENCOURAGING – FROM LONDON'S DAILY MAIL:   Qatar, an Islamist state in the Persian gulf, gave former President Bill Clinton $1million for his birthday in 2012, according to emails released by WikiLeaks.  According to a message that was released in the leak of Clinton campaign chairman John Podesta's emails this week, Ami Desai, director of foreign policy for the Clinton Foundation, told several other staffers about the check.   '[Qatar] Would like to see WJC "for five minutes" in NYC, to present $1 million check that Qatar promised for WJC's birthday in 2011,' Desai wrote.  I'm sure it was all about warmth and charity.  Why, President Hillary won't even remember it.

YOUR TAX DOLLARS AT WORK – FROM NEWSFIX:    HOUSTON -- A 911 operator is accused of intentionally hanging up on callers during emergencies simply because she was not in the mood to help, according to Houston police.  Crenshanda Williams has been charged with interference with an emergency telephone call.  Williams had been employed as a telecommunicator with the Houston Emergency Center since July 2014, and supervisors began to notice that her logs revealed an abnormally high amount of "short calls," with a duration of less than 20 seconds.  Supervisors investigated the recorded call logs, and found that thousands of calls had been disconnected by Williams between Oct. 2015 and March 2016.  At least one of the calls was for a robbery and homicide, and two were regarding speeding vehicles.  I wonder how many of those lives were lost, and how many mattered.

October 13, 2016       Permalink

WHAT IF SHE WINS? – AT 10:09 A.M. ET:   If Hillary Clinton becomes president, will her legal troubles be over?  Possibly not.  There's a revolt brewing in federal law enforcement:  From Fox:

The decision to let Hillary Clinton off the hook for mishandling classified information has roiled the FBI and Department of Justice, with one person closely involved in the year-long probe telling FoxNews.com that career agents and attorneys on the case unanimously believed the Democratic presidential nominee should have been charged.

The source, who spoke to FoxNews.com on the condition of anonymity, said FBI Director James Comey’s dramatic July 5 announcement that he would not recommend to the Attorney General’s office that the former secretary of state be charged left members of the investigative team dismayed and disgusted. More than 100 FBI agents and analysts worked around the clock with six attorneys from the DOJ’s National Security Division, Counter Espionage Section, to investigate the case.

“No trial level attorney agreed, no agent working the case agreed, with the decision not to prosecute -- it was a top-down decision,” said the source, whose identity and role in the case has been verified by FoxNews.com.

A high-ranking FBI official told Fox News that while it might not have been a unanimous decision, “It was unanimous that we all wanted her [Clinton’s] security clearance yanked.”

“It is safe to say the vast majority felt she should be prosecuted,” the senior FBI official told Fox News. “We were floored while listening to the FBI briefing because Comey laid it all out, and then said ‘but we are doing nothing,’ which made no sense to us.”

COMMENT:  Made no sense to a lot of us.  But there is a legal cloud hanging over this election, and we wonder what effect it will have on a new Clinton administration, especially if the GOP retains the House and has the power to launch investigations.

October 13, 2016        Permalink

AND LOOK AT THIS – AT 9:50 A.M. ET:  The Nobel Prize in literature has just been announced.  Hey man, this is cool.  From CNN:

(CNN) The 2016 Nobel Prize in Literature has been awarded to American singer-songwriter Bob Dylan, for "having created new poetic expressions within the great American song tradition."

The Swedish Academy's permanent secretary, Sara Danius, said Dylan, 75, "is a great poet in the English-speaking tradition." She drew parallels between his work and that of ancient Greek poets.

COMMENT:  Whether one is a Dylan fan or not, I think it's terrific when an American artist is honored this way.  And I love, absolutely love, the phrase "the great American song tradition."  When you consider the songs that this nation has given to the world since the start of the 20th century, you just get blown away.  We have produced great composers and lyricists – George and Ira Gershwin, Irving Berlin, Cole Porter, Rodgers and Hart, Rodgers and Hammerstein, Lerner and Loewe, Johnny Mercer, Harold Arlen, Duke Ellington – the list goes on and on.  No nation can top that. 

Congratulations to Bob Dylan, and the great American songbook.

October 13, 2016       Permalink

IS THIS RIGHT? – AT 9:24 A.M. ET:  Once again we caution readers about accepting the results of one poll, but the trend in the experienced Rasmussen poll must be noted.  From Rasmussen: 

The full results from Sunday night’s debate are in, and Donald Trump has come from behind to take the lead over Hillary Clinton.

The latest Rasmussen Reports White House Watch national telephone and online survey shows Trump with 43% support among Likely U.S. Voters to Clinton’s 41%. Yesterday, Clinton still held a four-point 43% to 39% lead over Trump, but that was down from five points on Tuesday and her biggest lead ever of seven points on Monday.

Rasmussen Reports updates its White House Watch survey daily Monday through Friday at 8:30 am Eastern based on a three-day rolling average of 1,500 Likely U.S. Voters. Monday’s survey was the first following the release of an 11-year-old video showing Trump discussing women in graphic sexual detail but did not include any polling results taken after the debate. All three nights of the latest survey follow Sunday’s debate.

Libertarian candidate Gary Johnson has dropped slightly to six percent (6%) support, while Green Party candidate Jill Stein holds steady at two percent (2%). Four percent (4%) still like some other candidate in the race, and another four percent (4%) remain undecided. (To see survey question wording, click here.)

Eighty-four percent (84%) now say they are certain how they will vote in this year’s presidential election, and among these voters, Trump posts a 49% to 46% lead over Clinton. Among voters who say they still could change their minds between now and Election Day, it’s Clinton 40%, Trump 37%, Johnson 19% and Stein four percent (4%).

COMMENT:  If the trend reflected by Rasmussen is correct, Trump is rising again in the polls, probably as a result of his solid debate performance, and perhaps also a sense by the American public that he is being treated unfairly.  Too much piling on.  Too many seemingly coordinated stories meant, not to report the news, but to bring him down.

But it is really too early to base too much on one poll ...although the Los Angeles Times tracker is also showing Trump slightly ahead. 

The final presidential debate will be held Wednesday, October 19th, six days from today.  It will be critical.  Another good performance by Trump can upset the race. 

October 13,  2016     Permalink