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SEPTEMBER 18,  2018

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

ALL "SHORT TAKES" TONIGHT ARE ABOUT THE KAVANAUGH FARCE

THE NERVE – FROM FOX:  Christine Blasey Ford, the California professor claiming Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh sexually assaulted her more than 35 years ago, late Tuesday demanded a "full investigation" by the FBI before she will attend any congressional hearing or "interrogation" into her accusations.  Republicans repeatedly have invited Ford and Kavanaugh to testify on Monday after delaying a planned Judiciary Committee vote on his confirmation that had been scheduled for Thursday. Kavanaugh accepted the committee's invitation, but Ford stayed mum until Tuesday night.  The development throws the entire hearing into doubt: Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley, R-Ia., had threatened to nix the proceeding if Ford refused to participate. It was also sure to add fuel to Republican claims that the allegations -- which were known to ranking Judiciary Committee Democrat Dianne Feinstein in July, but only revealed to federal authorities last Thursday -- are part of a concerted effort to stall Kavanaugh's nomination.  "While Dr. Ford’s life was being turned upside down, you and your staff scheduled a public hearing for her to testify at the same table as Judge Kavanaugh in front of two dozen U.S. Senators on national television to relive this traumatic and harrowing incident," Ford's attorneys wrote to Grassley.   That is a barefaced lie.  No one intended for Ford and Kavanaugh to sit at the same table at the same time.  This is pure politics, and is becoming absurd.

THE CHAIRMAN RESPONDS – FROM AP:  Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley says there's "no reason for any further delay" in a hearing about a sexual assault allegation against Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh.  Lawyers for accuser Christine Blasey Ford say she wants an FBI investigation of the incident before a Judiciary Committee hearing set for Monday.  They say that in the days since Ford went public with her allegation, she has been the target of "vicious harassment and even death threats."  Grassley says, "Nobody should be subject to threats and intimidation."  But he adds: "Dr. Ford's testimony would reflect her personal knowledge and memory of events. Nothing the FBI or any other investigator does would have any bearing on what Dr. Ford tells the committee."  And Grassley is correct.The FBI actually does not have legal power to conduct a criminal investigation of a state matter – in this case the state of Maryland, where the offense allegedly took place.  It's doubtful a state agency would launch a new investigation either, as the statute of limitations probably ran out years ago.

VERY IMPORTANT –  FROM CNN:    Sen. Jeff Flake, R-Arizona, sits on the Judiciary Committee and had previously said the committee should hold off on voting until they hear from the accuser. However, Flake said Tuesday that if Ford fails to appear at the hearing scheduled for Monday, he would support his party's push to move forward on a vote on Kavanaugh.  "I think we'll have to move to the markup," he told CNN.  This is posssibly the most important political statement of the day.  Flake is the one Republican on the Senate Judiciary Committee who could gum things up.  He is an anti-Trumper.  Now he is showing flexibility, and that's a good thing.

September 18, 2018       Permalink

MIRACLE IN TEXAS? – AT 2:22 P.M. ET:  It's only one poll, but it certainly is good for the morale.  From CNBC:   

Sen. Ted Cruz finally got some good news in the Texas Senate race.

The incumbent Republican holds a 9 percentage point edge over Democratic challenger Rep. Beto O'Rourke in his bid to hold on to his red-state seat, according to a Quinnipiac University poll released Tuesday. Cruz gets support from 54 percent of likely voters, versus 45 percent for the upstart representative, the survey shows.

Republicans had sounded alarm after a series of polls showed a tighter race between Cruz and O'Rourke, a well-funded challenger who aims to become the first Democrat to represent Texas in the Senate in a quarter of a century. The latest poll has a margin of error of plus or minus 4.1 percentage points.

An O'Rourke victory would be a major coup for the Democratic Party as it tries to navigate a brutal map this year to flip two GOP-held seats and take a majority in the upper chamber.

A Quinnipiac poll of Texas voters last month showed a 6 percentage point lead for Cruz.

COMMENT:  We wait for other Texas polls, but maybe the voters are waking up to the reality that Beto is a fraud and an amateur, whereas Ted Cruz is one of the great intellects of the Senate.

September 18,  2018     Permalink

DESTROYING A GREAT JUDGE – AT 11:51 A.M.   A few members of the GOP, a party not known for political bravery, are now speaking out about the treatment of Judge Kavanaugh, a man of impeccable reputation.  From bizpacreview: 

Sen. Lindsey Graham tore into his Democratic colleagues in the U.S. Senate for the way they have treated Judge Brett Kavanaugh, who was hit at the last-minute with an accusation of inappropriate behavior 36 years ago in high school.

The South Carolina Republican appeared on Fox News’ “Hannity” to say Democrats are “trying to destroy his life,” and to draw questions about the intent of the accuser, California professor Christine Blasey Ford.

Grahem told host Sean Hannity that throughout the confirmation process, there has been a pattern by Democrats to take Kavanuagh’s words out of context to accuse him of things he had nothing to do with.

“I think is part of a pattern, they can’t beat him on the law so they’re trying to destroy his life,” Graham said. “And the last straw here is this allegation that came about last Thursday.”

Graham said the Senate will hold a hearing on Monday on the accusation and will vote on confirming Kavanaugh on Wednesday.

As for Ford’s claim, the former judge and prosecutor said the case was “too old” for criminal court and “too hard to prove” for civil court.

“This is not that complicated,” Graham said. “It’s a thirty six-year-old allegation, it’s a serious allegation, everybody needs to be heard but also people need to defend themselves.”

“The question for the Senate is there really enough evidence here given the nature of the allegation, how old it is, and the uncertain nature of it, to deny this man who’s lived an incredible life a promotion to the Supreme Court,” Graham said. “And if it was this bad, why did not the Democrats challenge Judge Kavanaugh when he was sitting tight there in front of them?”

COMMENT:  Very well said.  This has all the characteristics of a political hit job based on vague evidence at best.  We are always open to new, accurate, information here, but, from what we've seen, there are not enough verifiable facts on the table thus far to dent Judge Kavanaugh.

September 18, 2018       Permalink

WHOOPS! – AT 11:08 A.M. ET:  What have we here?  Will the show go on, or will it not go on?  There is mystery in the Kavanaugh case.  From Fox: 

Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley on Tuesday raised the possibility that next week’s high-stakes open hearing to examine the sexual assault allegation against Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh could be canceled if the accuser doesn’t accept the committee’s invitation.

Grassley, R-Iowa, scheduled a hearing for Monday for Kavanaugh and accuser Christine Blasey Ford to answer questions from senators about the allegation. But Grassley said during a Tuesday radio interview that his office has reached out several times to Ford and her attorneys to discuss her allegation, but has heard nothing back.

“We have reached out to her in the last 36 hours three or four times by email and we have not heard from them, and it kind of raises the question, do they want to come to the public hearing or not?” Grassley said on The Hugh Hewitt Show.

Asked whether there would be a hearing if Ford did not agree to appear, Grassley suggested he couldn’t see a reason to hold one. 

“What would be the purpose of the hearing if Dr. Ford doesn’t want to respond?” Grassley said.

COMMENT:  We have nothing to say about this.  We just wait.  But she should have said "yes" by now.

September 18,  2018     Permalink

SEPTEMBER 17,  2018

SHORT TAKES ON THE DRIFTING WRECKAGE – AT 11:05 P.M. ET:

THIS CHANGES EVERYTHING – FROM PAGE SIX:   "Veep” star Julia Louis-Dreyfus came out Monday in support of the woman who accused Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh of sexual assault.  “I was class of ’79 & signed this letter,” she tweeted about a letter signed by alumnae of Holton-Arms, a private girls school in Bethesda, Maryland, where Christine Blasey Ford was a student when the alleged attack occurred.  “We believe Dr. Blasey Ford and are grateful that she came forward to tell her story,” the letter read.  On what basis do they believe her?  She hasn't even spoken yet.  This is what happens when an educational system teaches ideology rather than reason.

OUR LOWERING STANDARDS – FROM THE AMERICAN MIRROR:  Mad Maxine Waters is a leader worthy of honor, according to the National Newspaper Publishers Association.  The group honored the California congresswoman with a “National Leadership Award” on Friday, according to Diversity Inc.  During her acceptance, Waters denounced President Trump, prompting applause from the audience of media leaders.  “I want you, in whatever way that you do, to please allocate all of the front pages to the get-out-the-vote operations in our communities,” she told the group of predominately black-owned paper publishers.  “It is no secret … that I don’t like” Trump, she said, drawing laughs and cheers.  “I knew that this president should not be in the White House when I saw the way that he conducted himself in the primary campaign,” Waters said.  There are so many fine people and educators in the black community.  Why pick this nut for an honor?  African-Americans are doing well under Trump, but the establishment will not acknowledge it.

ANOTHER ONE DOWN – FROM COLLEGE FIX:   Students enrolled in the Kilachand Honors College at Boston University used to have a required class called “Modernity and its Discontents.”  The freshman seminar included readings by Friedrich Nietzsche, Virginia Woolf and Sigmund Freud, and stood as a prime example of an attempt by the honors college to offer students an education grounded in a classical liberal arts tradition.  But “Modernity and its Discontents” is gone, and so is a popular professor who used to co-teach it, Anna Katsnelson.  In late May, she was abruptly dismissed from her post as assistant director of academic affairs for the honors college at the private university, and for many students enrolled in the program, it was the last straw.  A large contingent of students and recent grads of Kilachand Honors College say the program has taken a wrong turn in recent years. They argue it has largely abandoned its original mission to offer a challenging curriculum anchored in a Western canon and has lost its close-knit community feel centered on a passion for academic rigor and diversity of thought.  In other words, the Socratic method of learning has been scrapped and the honors college has become just another typical liberal arts program with an echo chamber of leftism, its critics say.  Who will rescue higher education?  Possibly no one.  And then we will see what country we've become.

September 17, 2018       Permalink

GAME ON – AT 7:45 P.M. ET:  As they say, it's must-see TV.   The Senate Judiciary Committee will hold an open, televised hearing next Monday featuring testimony by Christine Blasey Ford, who is accusing Judge Kavanaugh of attempted sexual assault, and Judge Kavanaugh himself.  I already hear the music from "High Noon."  From CNN:

Washington (CNN) The Republican leader of the Senate Judiciary Committee said on Monday he would convene remarkable new public hearings in a week's time after sexual assault allegations emerged against Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh.

Both Kavanaugh and the woman who has accused him of physical and sexual assault, Christine Blasey Ford, will testify before the panel, setting up a blockbuster event that could decide Kavanaugh's fate.

The announcement, made under pressure from lawmakers to fully examine the new claims, will delay what had been a glide path toward confirmation for President Donald Trump's nominee. The political stakes for the White House and members of Congress are enormous as the #MeToo movement galvanizes women ahead of key congressional elections in November.

Kavanaugh spent more than nine hours at the White House Monday, huddling behind closed doors with his confirmation team.

An official working closely with his team described Kavanaugh as "shaken, but focused," with the conversation revolving around "defending his integrity."

COMMENT:  Get ready for a circus.  The Democrats are already acting badly, refusing to cooperate in anything until they're assured of an FBI investigation, which is absurd.  Kavanaugh has already gone through six FBI background checks, which always include probes into possible criminal behavior, and no issues have been found.

The White House was very careful today to show respect for the accuser, yet praise Judge Kavanaugh's flawless record.  They should not expect any kindness or understanding in return.  The leftist Democrats opposing Judge Kavanaugh are not warm or kind or fair.  They're deadly.

September 17, 2018       Permalink

GUNFIGHT AT THE O KAVANAUGH CORRAL – AT 12:33 P.M. ET:   Brett Kavanaugh has again rejected the claims of his accuser, as there appears to be movement toward having the judge and that accuser testify under oath before the Senate Judiciary Committee.  From Fox:

Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh forcefully denied the sexual assault allegations against him on Monday, saying he's willing to appear before the Senate Judiciary Committee “in any way” the panel deems appropriate to “refute” the accusations.

Kavanaugh’s new statement comes after the White House said the committee was leaning toward inviting his accuser, Christine Ford, to testify regarding the claims. Ford, through her attorney, said she would be willing to appear before the committee.

“This is a completely false allegation. I have never done anything like what the accuser describes—to her or to anyone,” Kavanaugh said in the statement Monday. “Because this never happened, I had no idea who was making the accusation until she identified herself yesterday. I am willing to talk to the Senate Judiciary Committee in any way the Committee deems appropriate to refute this false allegation, from 36 years ago, and defend my integrity.”

Kavanaugh also visited the White House on Monday, amid questions about whether the committee might proceed or not with a vote scheduled for Thursday. 

All 10 Democrats on the committee on Monday urged Chairman Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, to postpone the vote.

COMMENT:  The Democrats are trying to get an extended FBI probe of the charges, but I doubt if Republicans on the Judiciary Committee will go along.  An extended probe might kill the nomination, especially if the Democrats win control of the Senate in November.

In the Anita Hill case, once her charge against Clarence Thomas went public, an additional few days of hearings were scheduled before the Senate voted on the nomination.  Thomas was narrowly confirmed, and has sat on the high court for more than a quarter century without a single charge against him.

There are some wild cards on the Republican side who can derail things.  They are the Trump haters and several female senators who may now be hesitant about Kavanaugh.  My hunch is that the Judiciary chairman, Chuck Grassley of Iowa, will hold some additional hearings, which will show that there is no real, credible evidence against the judge.  Then the task would be to hold the Senate Republicans in line, and that may not be easy.

September 17, 2018        Permalink

PRESIDENT RISES – AT 10:52 A.M. ET:  There are all kinds of stories out there about polls.  Some will turn out to be right, and others wrong.  We follow, as you know, the Rasmussen daily tracker, which polls likely voters.  Most other polls track registered voters, adults, or people who don't hang up on them. 

Rasmussen is showing a sudden jump in President Trump's approval: 

The Rasmussen Reports daily Presidential Tracking Poll for Monday shows that 49% of Likely U.S. Voters approve of President Trump’s job performance. Fifty percent (50%) disapprove.

The latest figures include 34% who Strongly Approve of the president is performing and 42% who Strongly Disapprove. This gives him a Presidential Approval Index rating of -8.

COMMENT:  The president was as low as 44% in the last few weeks, and we were assured by the punditry that his popularity was fading.  The new result is only from today's Rasmussen report, and is only one poll, so we have no idea if it is predictive.  We will find out.

September 17,  2018     Permalink