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SEPTEMBER 8,  2016

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

RACE TIGHTER IN SWING STATES – FROM THE POLITICO:   New Quinnipiac University polls out Thursday show close races in the four largest, most consequential swing states on the 2016 map — but also give Hillary Clinton an edge in two of the four, confirming her Electoral College advantage.  Clinton and Donald Trump are running neck-and-neck in Florida, where the race is deadlocked, and Ohio, where Trump leads Clinton by a single percentage point. But Clinton has a 4-point lead in North Carolina, a poll there shows, and a 5-point edge in Pennsylvania.  The new polls are mostly consistent with other public surveys — though the North Carolina result differs from a Suffolk University poll, also released Thursday, that showed Trump up slightly there. And Quinnipiac shows a toss-up race in Ohio, where other public polls have shown a small, but consistent, Clinton advantage.  But remember, the election is two months away, about ten lifetimes in politics.  The mainstream media will mount an all-out assault on Trump as political neutrality fades as a journalistic value, and it may have its effect.  On the other hand, it may backfire.  I get the feeling that growing numbers of Americans are on to media gimmicks.  Stand by for two more months of this.

THIS IS NUTS – FROM POWERLINE:  CLINTON: “MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN” IS RACIST!
The Big Dog was at his partisan worst this afternoon. He denounced Donald Trump’s “Make America great again” slogan as racist:   "That message, I’ll give you America great again — If you’re a white southerner, you know exactly what it means,” Clinton said.  The former president indicated that Trump’s campaign slogan signaled that he would make white people more culturally [dominant] over other races in the country. “What it means is I’ll give you the economy you had 50 years ago and I’ll move you back up the social totem pole and other people down,” Clinton said.  That is completely crazy.  It demonstrates once again that the only thing the Democratic Party has left is the charge of racism.  It is an intellectually bankrupt party.  You can't imagine the Democratic Party of today leading the country through World War II.  It would have told Americans that the Japanese pilots above Pearl Harbor were lost tourists. 

HARVARD SINKS WITH THE REST – FROM THE HARVARD CRIMSON:   More than a hundred gathered at the Medical School Wednesday to develop a list of priorities for the new dean to help make the school more diverse, convening after a semester of campus activism aimed at selecting a leader dedicated to the issue.  The event was organized by students at the Medical and Dental School and included discussion groups in which students generated items for a “social justice agenda” they plan to deliver to the new dean George Q. Daley ’82, who was in attendance. They requested more representation of students on faculty search committees and increased diversity within the student body.  What are we talking about here, a state legislature?  Why should a great medical school feel the need to "represent" anyone or any group?  Its job is to turn out world-class physicians.  We hope those physicians will be ethically responsible and devote at least some time to serving communities in need.  But their first responsibility is to be superb doctors.   

September 8, 2016       Permalink

OH SAVE ME, SAVE ME – AT 11:54 A.M. ET:   Our colleges and universities are deteriorating enough.  Now the dry rot is getting even more dry.  From Campus Reform:

The University of Iowa could become the first school in the state to add a bachelor’s program in social justice to its list of degrees, provided its Board of Regents approves the motion.

Currently, the school already offers a first-year seminar on social justice as well as a “Justice for All” living learning community where students can live and “learn about systemic problems in our society.”

Students have “expressed a desire to integrate academic work more deeply with anticipated career paths.”

University officials told The Iowa City Press-Citizen that both programs have been so well-received, with full-enrollment in the “Justice for All” learning community, that demand for an actual degree-program on the topic makes sense.

“The proposed program will appeal to students who want a vocation related to helping others, or careers in government services or the nonprofit sector, but are not necessarily interested in teaching or social work,” a proposal for the program suggests, noting that there is no “specific degree program” at the university or in the state that provides “opportunities in these areas.”

Please note the term "government services or the nonprofit sector."  You mean a profit-making organization can't help anyone?  How about companies that develop medicines or medical devices, or safety equipment, or publish books?  I think you can see where this program is going.

According to the proposal, the program will be interdisciplinary in nature, since more and more students have “expressed a desire to integrate academic work more deeply with anticipated career paths,” such as social activism work with a non-profit.

So far, 25 students are expected to enroll in the program during its first year, with a target goal of 110 students by its seventh year.

As of now, the school does not anticipate that the program will require any additional costs, since it will be housed in the Department of Gender, Women’s, and Sexuality Studies, which could help persuade the regents to approve the new program during their Thursday meeting.

COMMENT:  Does any reader have a doubt as to what this will become?  Housed in the Department of Gender, Women's, and Sexuality Studies?  Come on.  One person's "social justice" is another person's fascism.  The term is vague, but this seems like just another left-wing outpost for radical faculty members. I'm pretty sure it will be rubber stamped, the Board of Regents will go to their cocktail parties, and society will pay the price for more bankrupt ideas and misled students. 

As usual, the proposal is short on details.  But I can't wait to see the curriculum, where we'll find how bad America is and how oppressed we really are.

September 8, 2016       Permalink 

APPALLING – AT 10:09 A.M. ET:  Is there any end to Barack Obama's poor taste?  Our perpetually adolescent president is in Asia this week, referring repeatedly to Americans as "lazy" and apologizing for our sins, whether committed or not.

As an elegant know-nothing, one of the most poorly informed presidents I've ever seen, Obama is absolutely certain of everything he says. 

He is also utterly contemptuous of American traditions – one of which is never to engage in domestic politics while in a foreign country.  From London's Daily Mail: 

President Barack Obama said Thursday that Republican Donald Trump proves he isn't qualified to be president 'every time he speaks,' adding that he was confident Americans would ultimately reject the brash billionaire and his 'wacky' ideas on Election Day.

Obama, closing out his final presidential trip to Asia, said his meetings with foreign leaders during the trip had illustrated that governing is 'serious business' requiring knowledge, preparation and thought-out policies that can actually be implemented.

Yeah, right, like candidate Obama in 2008, who didn't have one visible qualification for the presidency.

He urged Americans not to allow what he called Trump's 'outrageous behavior' to become the new normal.

As opposed to Obama's wonderful behavior.like insulting Americans who "cling" to their guns and their religion.

'The most important thing for the public and the press is to just listen to what he says and follow up and ask questions to what appear to be either contradictory or uninformed or outright wacky ideas.'

The president suggested that in a non-election year, Trump would be laughed out of the room.

'There is this process that seems to take place over the course of the election season,' he said, 'where somehow behavior that in normal times we would consider completely unacceptable and outrageous becomes normalized.'

'And people start thinking that we should be grading on a curve.'

'I can tell you from the interactions I have had over the last eight or nine days with foreign leaders that this is serious business,' Obama said.

'You actually have to know what you are talking about and you actually have to have done your homework. When you speak, it should actually reflect thought-out policy you can implement.'

COMMENT:  This from the man who said America has 57 states and that people in Austria speak Austrian.

True, Trump gives Obama plenty of ammunition.  But Obama's comments, in a foreign country, about a man who could be president, are insulting and damaging to the United States.  If Trump becomes president, foreign leaders will remember Obama's words.

September 8, 2016       Permalink

NO THANKS FOR LAST NIGHT – AT 9:41 A.M. ET:  Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump were interviewed in succession by Matt Lauer of NBC last night on the subject of national security.  They reminded us why Americans dislike both of them.  Both made fools of themselves.  I hope no one watched.

Hillary, dishonest as always, announced how wonderful the Iran nuclear deal is, despite all evidence to the contrary.  She did this, of course, to lick the well-shined boots of Barack Obama, whose support she needs in the campaign.  She also announced, telling our enemies in advance what she will do, that there will be no American troops in Iraq, and none in Syria.  And she was completely defensive, to the point of being snippy, about her gross mishandling of State Department e-mails.  She certainly didn't convince anyone that she should be commander-in-chief.

Donald Trump wasn't much better.  He's just come off a spectacular three weeks when, under good management and discipline, he managed to stay on message most of the time and act presidential.  Last night we was back to the bad old Trump, causing major squirming as he sang the praises of Vladimir Putin and his leadership skills.  Someone should tell Donald that Putin is our opponent, not our friend.  Then Trump made a number of incoherent comments about ISIS, giving us no confidence that he had any strategic sense.  Once again we were left with the belief that any other credible Republican candidate would have put Hillary Clinton away by now. 

Trump wasn't helped last night.  I do hope he wasn't badly hurt.  He is now about even with Hillary in the polls, but he needs a boost in the next two weeks to put him in a psychologically strong position for the first debate on September 26th.  He isn't there yet.

September 8,  2016     Permalink

SEPTEMBER 7,  2016

SHORT TAKES ON THE DRIFTING WRECKAGE – AT 11:52 P.M. ET: 

DID SOMEONE SAY WALL? – FROM FOX:   In what could be a "told you so" moment for Donald Trump, the U.K. on Tuesday announced plans to build a "big new wall" at a border port in France to prevent migrants in nearby camps from sneaking aboard vehicles heading to Britain.  Robert Goodwill, minister of state for immigration, announced the plan for a wall in Calais, France, at a Home Affairs Committee hearing Tuesday, saying it would be in addition to an already existing fence.  “We’re going to start building this big new wall very soon,” Goodwill said. “We’ve done the fence, now we’re doing a wall.”  Maybe they could get Trump's company to build it.  Discounts available.

A TWO-POINT RACE – FROM REALCLEARPOLITICS:  The RealClearPolitics poll of polls, the averaging of all major polls, now shows Hillary Clinton ahead by only 2.1 points.  Essentially, given the margin of error, that's a dead heat.  But now that the formal campaign has begun, and with the first debate only two and a half weeks away, anything can happen.  Both candidates are disliked, neither has run stellar campaigns thus far, and one slip can change the dynamics.  Also, we note again that the RCP figures reflect national polling.  On election day we vote by state, and it's almost universally believed that Trump has a tougher road to victory in the states than does Clinton.  A great deal, perhaps everything, will depend on the debates.

OH DEAR, ANOTHER NAUGHTY BIT – FROM TRUE PUNDIT:   Hillary Clinton was sporting a mini earbud wired to receive stealth communications from her campaign handlers during Wednesday’s Presidential Forum carried live on NBC from New York City, True Pundit has learned.  While Clinton was fielding questions from NBC’s Matt Lauer and the public Wednesday night on live television, a quiet buzz started circulating in New York law enforcement circles about Hillary’s left ear. NYPD sources involved with the NBC forum’s security detail confirm Clinton was wearing an "inductive earpiece," the same technology employed by almost all lead Broadway actors to receive forgotten lines and stealth off-stage cues from directors. The flesh-colored earbud is easily concealed. There are no wires running directly to the ear like you see with the units employed by Secret Service protection detail personnel.  The skin-tone piece Clinton was wearing, however, was somewhat different from the standard issued stealth earpiece and is much different in appearance from a hearing aid. This unit is considered a “micro” earbud which contains all the technology but is a fraction of the size with a very high price tag.  We cannot confirm this independently.  If true, I think Trump can make a very big deal out of the incident.  It is cheating, and plays to Hillary's image among the majority of Americans as not honest or trustworthy. 

September 7,  2016     Permalink

REALITY ABOUT CRIME, FOR A CHANGE – AT 10:53 A.M. ET:   The police chief of the nation's capital is leaving, and giving us an earful about the criminal justice system.  And, no, she isn't politically correct.  From Powerline: 

Cathy Lanier is leaving her job as police chief of Washington, D.C. to become the NFL’s head of security. She is well-regarded in the District and her tenure as chief is considered successful. Were it otherwise, the NFL would not be entrusting her with its top security post.

On her way out, Lanier had some harsh things to say about criminal justice in D.C. “The criminal justice system in this city is broken,” Lanier told the Washington Post. Indeed, “it is beyond broken.”

Often, it’s the left that calls the criminal justice system “broken.” But Lanier was not offering a leftist critique. Instead, she found the system broken primarily because it allows repeat violent offenders back on the street time after time.

Lanier cited the case of an 18 year-old man who last week was on home detention when his GPS tracking device became inoperable. The man then went on a crime rampage that started in Maryland and ended in the District. His crimes included a robbery, a shooting, and a car theft that resulted in a crash that left a bystander critically injured.

According to Lanier, this sort of thing is “happening over and over and over again.” She added:

Where the hell is the outrage? . . . People are being victimized who shouldn’t be. You can’t police the city if the rest of the justice system is not accountable.

COMMENT:  Read the whole piece.  It's a breath of fresh air.  The fact is that one city – New York – reduced its murder rate by 80% under Rudy Giuliani and Mike Bloomberg.  You don't hear much about that on CNN because it would mean giving credit to Giuliani, a Republican.  But the fact is that crime can be reduced if it's taken seriously, if the best methods are used to fight it, and if there are results. 

It can also be reduced if brave mayors like Giuliani go about it without first getting the permission of local ethnic leaders, who will never give that permission.  Giuliani was the Churchill of American mayors.  And, like Churchill, he was despised by all the right people.

September 7, 2016       Permalink

TRUMP ROMPS WITH MILITARY –  AT 10:30 A.M. ET:  There are groups giving Donald Trump major support, including independents, married women, and those who are in, or who have served, in the military.  From NBC News: 

Donald Trump leads Hillary Clinton by 19 points — 55 percent to 36 percent — among voters who are currently serving or have previously served in the U.S. military, according to the latest NBC News|SurveyMonkey Weekly Election Tracking Poll.

The poll was conducted online from August 29 through September 4 among 32,226 registered voters, including 3,358 who have previously served or are currently serving in the U.S. military.

Despite several controversial statements regarding war veteran Sen. John McCain and Trump's criticism of the Khan family, the GOP nominee has worked hard to secure the support of veterans and U.S. military members. On Tuesday morning, a group of 88 retired generals and admirals signed a letter backing Trump to reverse the "hollowing out" of the U.S. military.

COMMENT:  The Trump campaign hopes that its candidate's foolish statements are behind him.  He must convince the voters that he can be commander-in-chief, and that Hillary Clinton cannot be.  Clinton's record is less than stellar, starting with her handling of Benghazi. 

I think some of Hillary's problems with the military stem from her having worked for Obama, who will never be known as "Mr. National Defense."  This country is showing its weakness, and Clinton, having been secretary of state, must take her share of the blame.

September 7, 2016       Permalink

CONFIDENCE IN TRUMP GROWS ON THE HILL – AT 9:37 A.M. ET:  Trump is still not loved within the Republican Party, but confidence in his political skills is growing.  From Daily Caller: 

WASHINGTON — South Carolina Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham said he is pleased Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump is holding up against Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton.

“Trump is getting better,” Graham told reporters Tuesday pointing to the recent polling. “You can see a more disciplined message. If he can hold it together for another 8 weeks.”

Graham, who ran against Trump in the primary and doubted that the New York billionaire could beat Clinton, appeared impressed that Trump could withstand the amount of political attacks he had taken so far.

“He’s had massive political body blows that would knock anybody else out. If he can cross the lines in the eyes of the public and be ready for the job, then I think you’re gonna have one hell of a race,” Graham added.

Graham and other Republicans in Washington have something to be optimistic about. A number of recent polls show the race between Trump and Clinton narrowing, a development happening as a result of some unsure Republicans who finally decided to support Trump. A new CNN/ORC poll, for example, shows Trump with 83 percent support of Republican registered voters. This is up five points since late July. TheCNN/ORC poll shows Trump leading Clinton by 2 points among likely voters. Clinton previously led Trump by three points in the same poll.

COMMENT:  It appears that Trump is being more professionally managed.  He's getting good advice and taking it.

The next two weeks are critical.  If Trump can maintain his momentum, he will go into the first debate on September 26th with great self-confidence, and it will show in his performance.

But there are no guarantees.  You may be sure that the Clinton campaign and the Clinton media are planning a vicious series of attacks on Trump.  In the past he's taken the bait and reduced himself.  Can't do that anymore.  Stick to the script.  As they said to our airborne troops on D-Day:  "Join up.  Move toward your objective."

September 7,  2016     Permalink