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OCTOBER 17,  2018

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

EXPLOITATION – FROM THE GUARDIAN:  Several women who were erroneously named as sexual assault survivors in an open letter by the North Dakota Democratic senator Heidi Heitkamp are considering taking legal action over the blunder, according to social media. “Heidi Heitkamp’s political agenda has interfered with, or downright ruined, our lives,” said one of the affected women in a Facebook post announcing the possibility of a lawsuit.  She continued: “Survivors of assault who had taken care to avoid the subject were suddenly bombarded by questions asking them to explain to their loved ones why their name appeared on this list.”  The letter, published in local North Dakota newspapers Monday, was intended to call out Heitkamp’s 2018 Senate opponent Kevin Cramer for critical remarks he had made about the #MeToo movement, calling it a “movement toward victimization”.  Do you ever get the feeling that women are exploited, against their will, by Democratic politicians and "feminists," and that their only value is political?  This incident is proof positive.  Oh, and have you seen any leading Democrats inquiring about the health of Professor Ford recently?  Professor who?  She's outlived her usefulness.

BETO, WHO ARE YOU? – FROM YAHOO:   A day after he aggressively challenged Ted Cruz in their last scheduled debate, Democratic Senate hopeful Beto O’Rourke is out with new ads in which he criticizes his Republican opponent by name, breaking with his usual message of hope and unity as he tries to make up ground in the final weeks of Texas’s closely watched U.S. Senate race.  According to the Texas Tribune, which first reported the ads and obtained video of two of the new spots, O’Rourke is airing at least three new television ads around the state, each focused on a different issue: immigration, education and health care. In each 30-second ad, O’Rourke speaks directly to the camera, offering a contrast between Cruz’s approach to the policy and his own.  In the immigration spot, O’Rourke, a Democratic congressman from El Paso, criticizes Cruz for blocking immigration reform in the Senate and for opposing legal protections for so-called Dreamers, immigrants brought to the country illegally as children. Beto is an amateur, but the fact is that negative ads work, and Cruz must punch back hard.  I think the GOP has been entirely too confident about this race.  Beto has a huge bankroll from out-of-state sources, and he's using it.

WELCOME, MOTHER MUSHROOM – FROM CHANNEL NEWSASIA:  HANOI: A dissident Vietnamese blogger known by the pen name "Mother Mushroom" was on her way to the United States Wednesday (Oct 17) after being released from prison where she was serving 10 years for anti-state propaganda, multiple sources said.  Nguyen Ngoc Nhu Quynh was freed from jail Wednesday and put on a flight en route to the US to join her children and mother, a US embassy source, friends, and a Vietnam official said.  "Quynh was sent to the US earlier today," a Vietnamese government official confirmed to AFP, speaking on condition of anonymity.  Family friend Nguyen Lai said on Facebook "congratulations" to Quynh, adding she would soon be in a "free country."   Quynh, one of Vietnam's most well-known activists whose recognisable pen name "Me Nam" comes from her daughter's nickname "mushroom", was jailed in June 2017 in a case that drew ire from the United States, the European Union and the United Nations.
She is an outspoken critic of Vietnam's one-party state and gained notoriety with her writing about the environment, politics and deaths in police custody - a no-go topic in communist Vietnam.  Let us not forget that there are no human rights in Vietnam.  And the people who care the least about that are American "journalists" and veterans of the "anti-war" movement, whose actions helped destroy our effort to create a free nation.  Many of those "activists" are teaching in our universities.

October 17, 2018      Permalink

FREE SPEECH PREVAILS! – Occasionally there is good news from the world of political correctness.  From Daily Signal: 

In a major victory for free speech, the city of Atlanta has awarded former Fire Chief Kelvin Cochran with $1.2 million after violating his First Amendment rights.

Cochran was a highly decorated firefighter who served as the U.S. fire administrator after President Barack Obama hand-picked him for the job. In 2010, he agreed to return to his former position as fire chief of Atlanta at the invitation of Mayor Kasim Reed.

In 2012, he received the “Fire Chief of the Year” award for “pioneering efforts to improve performance and service within the Atlanta Fire Rescue Department.”

But his career came to an abrupt halt in 2015 when Reed suspended him without pay for 30 days and ultimately fired him.

The reason? Cochran’s beliefs about marriage.

Cochran had written and self-published a 162-page Christian devotional—on his own time—that included a few paragraphs on the biblical view on sex and marriage.

He shared the book with a few colleagues, which was when activists complained. The mayor then construed Cochran’s belief that marriage is between one man and one woman as discriminatory and ordered him to attend “sensitivity training.”

The mayor also launched an investigation into whether Cochran had ever discriminated against anyone. Even though the investigation found no evidence that Cochran had ever exhibited discrimination, Reed fired Cochran anyway.

COMMENT:  When political correctness is effectively and intelligently challenged, it often loses.  It's important to mount the challenges.  Otherwise, this society will be run by a bunch of well-trained bullies. 

There are today a number of lawsuits against colleges for violating the rights of students, especially in
Title IX cases.   Many of these cases are being won.

October 17, 2018       Permalink

WATCH OUT FOR THIS CURVE BALL – AT 1:38 P.M. ET:  Maybe we're seeing a little light at the end of the tunnel, or is it an exploding bomb?  From Bloomberg: 

(Bloomberg) -- Special Counsel Robert Mueller is expected to issue findings on core aspects of his Russia probe soon after the November midterm elections as he faces intensifying pressure to produce more indictments or shut down his investigation, according to two U.S. officials.

Specifically, Mueller is close to rendering judgment on two of the most explosive aspects of his inquiry: whether there were clear incidents of collusion between Russia and Donald Trump’s 2016 campaign, and whether the president took any actions that constitute obstruction of justice, according to one of the officials, who asked not to be identified speaking about the investigation.

That doesn’t necessarily mean Mueller’s findings would be made public if he doesn’t secure unsealed indictments. The regulations governing Mueller’s probe stipulate that he can present his findings only to his boss, who is currently Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein. The regulations give a special counsel’s supervisor some discretion in deciding what is relayed to Congress and what is publicly released.

The question of timing is critical. Mueller’s work won’t be concluded ahead of the Nov. 6 midterm elections, when Democrats hope to take control of the House and end Trump’s one-party hold on Washington.

But this timeline also raises questions about the future of the probe itself. Trump has signaled he may replace Attorney General Jeff Sessions after the election, a move that could bring in a new boss for Mueller. Rosenstein also might resign or be fired by Trump after the election.

Rosenstein has made it clear that he wants Mueller to wrap up the investigation as expeditiously as possible, another U.S. official said. The officials gave no indications about the details of Mueller’s conclusions. Mueller’s office declined to comment for this story.

COMMENT:  Be wary of a leak just before election day.  That doesn't suggest in any way that Mueller would authorize it, but Washington is hardly leakproof.  Even the waterproof watches in the nation's capital leak.

Or, it could turn out to be much ado about nothing.

October 17, 2018       Permalink

SOMETHING NEW?  – AT 11:18 A.M. ET:  Less than three weeks out from the midterm elections, we're getting polls all over the place.  But two new ones are intriguing.  In the generic ballot for Congress, Rasmussen has the Democrats only one point ahead.

And now, today, an Economist/YouGov poll shows the Dems ahead by only five. 

Those are low numbers.  We caution that some recent polls show the Dems up by as many as 13 points, but those polls were based on surveys taken more than a week ago.  A week is several lifetimes in politics.

Obviously, we can't know if the new polls are indicative of a trend.  The pace of polling will soon increase as the election draws near. 

We have no new reports this morning on the most signficant congressional races.  Might have some numbers this afternoon.

The president is at 50 percent in this morning's Rasmussen tracker.  He's been at 50 percent or more for three days running. 

October 17,  2018     Permalink

OCTOBER 16,  2018

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

TED IN BATTLE – Senator Ted Cruz and Congressman Robert Francis (Beto) O'Rourke held their final debate tonight in the critical Senate race in Texas.  Apparently it was bloody, but my friend, Silvio Canto Jr, assesses it as a Cruz win.  Cruz is a talented debater.  O'Rourke is a talented fraud.  The latest CNN poll has Cruz up by seven points.  However, that poll leans Dem, so the truth may lie several points higher.  O'Rourke has vast funds, imported from the usual coastal enclaves, and he will now unleash a storm of ads.  Ted has got to stay on the offensive, which he will.  The key will be turnout.  O'Rourke has movie-star style; Ted has Senate style.  I'm hoping Texans will see the difference.

SILENCE IS TWITTER GOLD – The president scored a great victory in the Kavanaugh confirmation, and one reason for that victory was his own silence during the proceedings.  He handled himself well, except for a few foolish remarks about Professor Ford.  He should have learned that silence is indeed golden, when properly applied.  He's been splendid on the campaign trail, rallying a party that always needs a waking up.  But today he blundered twice, once by labeling exotic dancer (stripper to normal people) Stormy Daniels as "Horseface," and again by seeming to compare the leader of Saudi Arabia to Judge Kavanaugh, suggesting that both men have been assumed guilty until proved innocent.  The leader of Saudi Arabia is a brutal dictator; Judge Kavanaugh is a civilized scholar.  The president is on a roll, and he can ruin it if he steps all over himself, as he did today.  Shush!

THE PRESIDENT IS RIGHT – FROM THE NEW YORK POST:  President Trump said Tuesday he doubts he’ll face Michael Bloomberg in 2020 because Democrats “will eat him up” in the primaries if he becomes a presidential candidate.  “I think the Democrats will eat him up,” Trump told the Fox Business Network.  “You know you have a lot of people running. I’m hearing names that are shockingly bad but they’re nasty.”  Bloomberg, who was formerly a Republican and an Independent, announced last week that he changed his voter registration to Democrat, setting the stage for possible presidential run.  The billionaire has said he’ll “take a look” at a 2020 bid after the midterm elections.   I'll make an exception to my last "short take," urging some silence on the president.  This was an astute remark.  Bloomberg is living in a dreamworld if he thinks there's a wanting of Mike in the Democratic Party.  It's a new, radical party, and Bloomberg doesn't fit.  He should save his fortune and do good works, even though I'd oppose some of those works. 

October 16, 2018       Permalink   

IS THE TRUTH CATCHING UP TO KEITH ELLISON? – AT 11:07 A.M. ET:  Keith Ellison, late of the Nation of Islam, cop-hater, Democratic national vice chair, and Democratic candidate for attorney-general of Minnesota, has credible domestic violence charges against him.  And voters are starting to notice.  From Fox:   

Embattled Democrat Rep. Keith Ellison’s lead in the Minnesota Attorney General election appears to be vanishing amid allegations of domestic violence against his ex-girlfriend.

The congressman’s bid to become the top law enforcement official in the blue state was supposed to be an easy task for a popular Democrat who holds one of the top positions within the Democratic National Committee (DNC).

But Ellison’s lead has taken a dramatic cut since Karen Monahan came forward with her story in August detailing the physical and emotional abuse she suffered allegedly at the hands of Ellison.
In one particular incident, Ellison allegedly dragged her from a bed and shouted “!!!!“ and “I hate you.” She also released a 2017 medical document in which she identified the congressman as the cause of her “emotional and physical abuse.”

Recent polls indicate that Ellison in a dead heat race with Doug Wardlow, the Republican opponent, according to the New York Times. The poll also found that 40 percent surveyed voters said the domestic abuse allegations “are a factor” in whether to vote for the Democrat. Another poll shows the congressman leading by five points.

Ellison has denied all the allegations and allowed the party to review Monahan’s allegations. The state Democratic Party hired Democratic Party-affiliated lawyer Susan Ellingstad whose draft report cleared him of wrongdoing.

COMMENT:  Yes, the Dems investigated one of their own and found him wonderful.  Of course, Ellison is entitled to the presumption of innocence, and a case must be proved against him.  But the charges come with evidence, and he's ducked the evidence.

He may still win, but we hope he doesn't.

Note the difference in the Democratic and media attitudes toward Ellison and toward Justice Kavanaugh, who was automatically considered guilty.

October 16, 2018       Permalink

PRESIDENT HOLDS – AT 10:32 A.M. ET:  For the second day, the president is at 51% in the Rasmussen poll.  He seems to be edging up in other polls as well.  From Rasmussen: 

The Rasmussen Reports daily Presidential Tracking Poll for Tuesday shows that 51% of Likely U.S. Voters approve of President Trump’s job performance. Forty-eight percent (48%) disapprove.

The latest figures include 37% who Strongly Approve of the way Trump is performing and 39% who Strongly Disapprove. This gives him a Presidential Approval Index rating of -2.

COMMENT:  This probably doesn't include input based on the president's interview with "Sixty Minutes" Sunday.  The general feeling is that he aced it, coming off very well against hostile questions.

We are now three weeks from the midterm elections.  That's about four lifetimes in politics.  Watch for the October surprise.

October 16,  2018     Permalink