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OCTOBER 15,  2016

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

THE TOLERANCE OF LIBERALS – FROM PAGE SIX:   Be careful what you say about Donald Trump at New York restaurants.  Allan Block of Block Communications — owner of swing-state outlets the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette and The Blade of Toledo, Ohio — and his wife, Susan, owner of Vendome Pastry, and friends were dining at white-hot eatery Le Coucou when there was a “mention of the merits of Trump’s performance at the second presidential debate” at the table, a spy said.  “That drew requests from staff to quiet down due to their upsetting vocal support for the nominee,” the spy added.  Who would want to go into a place like that?  Oh so Soviet.

SOUTH AFRICA DOWN THE DRAIN – FROM COLLEGE FIX:   Reason’s Robby Soave reports that at South Africa’s University of Cape Town this past week, students known as “Fallists,” which stands for (hashtag) “Science Must Fall,” told university officials that “the whole thing” — as in science — “should be scratched off, especially in Africa.”  “How do we even start to decolonize science?” a Fallist panelist asks those assembled.  She follows up by saying that if one is “personally committed to enforcing decolonization,” since science is a “product of racism,” it all “should be scratched off.”  I guess that will be the next big thing in the Ivy League.  No more Salk Vaccine.  No more Einstein.  Let's race forward.

IS IT NUTTY OR WISE? – FROM REALCLEARPOLITICS:   At a campaign rally in Portsmouth, NH on Saturday afternoon, Donald Trump challenged Hillary Clinton to take a drug test prior to competing in the third presidential debate. Trump promised he was clean, saying: "I'm willing to do it."  He mocked Hillary Clinton's memory, saying she told the FBI "I don't remember" 39 times when questioned about her private email server. "Maybe that's why she has to do debate prep," Trump quipped. "Cause she's got a bad memory."  "A lot of things are going on folks," he continued. "I think she's actually getting pumped up if you want to know the truth."  "She's getting pumped up. You understand?"  Aside from drug tests, what about lie detector tests?  They may be imperfect, but compare please to the mainstream media.

October 15,  2016     Permalink

WHAT DID CHELSEA KNOW, AND WHEN DID SHE KNOW IT? – AT 12:52 P.M. ET:   There are indications that Chelsea Clinton, who might be first daughter for the second time, had suspicions about the workings of the Clinton Foundation, and made them known.  From Daily Caller: 

Chelsea Clinton’s bold decision in 2011 to launch an “internal investigation” into the finances of the Clinton Foundation and Clinton Global Initiative was the equivalent of a declaration of war by the first daughter and a bombshell about the financial mess she discovered at the foundation.

The latest revelation came out Tuesday in a new batch of WikiLeaks emails sent to and from Clinton confidant John Podesta, who now is Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton’s presidential campaign chairman.

Two emails — one dated Nov. 12, 2011 and another dated Jan. 4, 2012 — show Chelsea was aggressively looking into the foundation’s money flows and talking to others about it.

Her actions worried President Bill Clinton’s long-time handler Doug Band, who complained to Podesta about Chelsea’s intervention into the internal operations of the foundation.

The disclosure suggests that Chelsea was shocked by what she found inside her parent’s organization that secured millions of dollars from despots, Eastern European tycoons, Arab Sheiks and foreign billionaires — all of whom also were seeking favors from her mom and dad.

COMMENT:  Hillary Clinton may well be in a position to pay those favors on January 20th.  I hope the despots can wait that long.  We don't want to make anyone angry.

October 15, 2016       Permalink

QUOTE OF THE DAY – AT 11:56 A.M. ET:  We are seeing increasingly aggressive moves by hostile powers around the world – Iran, Russia, China, to name the stars.  And one reason must be the contempt their leaders feel for the leadership class in the United States.  We should feel the same contempt.  Peggy Noonan comments, in The Wall Street Journal: 

But nothing is more dangerous than this: that Mr. Putin and perhaps other world leaders have come to have diminished respect for the morality, patriotism and large-mindedness of our leaders. Nikita Khrushchev had a rough respect for JFK and his men and that respect, in the Cuban Missile Crisis, helped avert nuclear war. Mikhail Gorbachev was in the end half-awed by Ronald Reagan’s goodness and idealism; the world knew George H.W. Bush and respected his integrity, and so he was able to build coalitions that were real coalitions, not just names. Now, whoever wins, we are in a different place, a lesser and more dangerous one.

She also writes: 

Here I would like to say a word for the spectacular illusions under which American voters once were able to operate. You used to be able to like your guy—to admire your candidate and imagine unknown virtues he no doubt possessed that would be revealed in time, in books. Those illusions were beautiful. They gave clean energy to the engine of our politics. You can’t have illusions anymore. That souring, which is based on knowledge and observation as opposed to mere cynicism, is painful to witness and bear. The other day a conservative intellectual declared to her fellow writers and thinkers: “I’m for the venal idiot who won’t mechanize government against all I hold dear.” That’s some bumper sticker, isn’t it? And who has illusions about Mrs. Clinton? No one.

COMMENT:  A wonderful column, filled with experience and wisdom.  Please read.

October 15, 2016       Permalink

THE WAR ON RELIGION – AT 11:31 A.M. ET:  Americans often forget, and the press is not inclined to remind them, that freedom of religion is the first American freedom.  Not only is it enshrined in the First Amendment, is the main reason why many of the first colonists came to this land in the first place.  Yet, it is often trashed.   From the Washington Times:

In public, Hillary Clinton talks about how she would represent all Americans and pushes the “Stronger Together” campaign theme. But behind closed doors, there is no room for people of faith in her America. Privately, the Democratic nominee and her campaign advisers are pushing a liberal agenda hostile to religion and targeting faith organizations that do not adapt to their liberal “religion.”

The Clinton campaign is no friend of the cause of religious liberty. Internal emails exposed by WikiLeaks showed how her top campaign aides mock believers and view evangelicals and Catholics as backward in their beliefs. Mrs. Clinton herself even said publicly “deep-seated cultural codes and religious beliefs and structural biases have to be changed.”

Well, her staff certainly seemed ready and willing to do just that, particularly Chief of Staff John Podesta.

Top Hillary Clinton advisers ridiculed individuals for raising their children Catholic, referring to Catholics as being “systematic in thought and severely backwards.” It was disturbing to read about how liberals characterize conservative Catholics as being responsible for an “amazing bastardization of faith.”

Catholics and evangelicals should be troubled by Mrs. Clinton’s hidden agenda to influence and alter the tenets of Christian and Catholic orthodoxy. Perhaps what is most disturbing is that Mrs. Clinton’s team will pander publicly on the stump to Catholics, Christians, Southerners and Hispanics, and then take a very different stance behind closed doors from the comfort of their keyboards. There they express vicious contempt for the very voters they need to win the election.

COMMENT:   Read the whole thing.  It's worth it.  One of the great lies of leftists is that they care about the "common man and woman."  I have yet to see that demonstrated.  In fact, the leftists I know are more likely to refer to average Americans as "the flyover people," and to show contempt for the work they do and the country they serve in uniform.

Religious groups are not perfect, and many have a history of bigotry.  But, at its best, the Judeo-Christian ethic provides our moral sense.  "Though shalt not kill" is not a Democratic Party talking point.

October 15,  2016     Permalink

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