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

CARSON FOR PRESIDENT? – From Newsmax:  "Dr. Ben Carson told Newsmax TV on Monday that he is getting closer to declaring himself a candidate for president in 2016.  'It is a step closer. I have to consider what's going on, and I have to consider the enormous crowds that I encounter every place I go, and the level of enthusiasm, and what I'm hearing,' Carson told 'The Steve Malzberg Show.'"  We welcome his candidacy, but I have real doubts that he's politically ready for a national campaign.  However, I'm ready to be surprised.  At minimum, he adds intellect, passion and a great life story to the race. 

MITCH SURGES – A big Republican worry is that the Senate minority leader, Mitch McConnell, might actually lose in November to his Democratic opponent.  But Mitch is now moving in the polls.  It's not in the bag, but we're resting a little easier.  From The Hill:  "A new survey shows momentum in the Kentucky Senate race is moving in Sen. Mitch McConnell’s (R-Ky.) favor, and for the first time this year he leads Democrat Alison Lundergan Grimes.  The Bluegrass Poll, conducted by Survey USA for The Courier-Journal, WHAS TV, The Lexington Herald-Leader and Lexington's WKYT TV, gave McConnell 47 percent support to Grimes’s 45 percent support among likely voters. Eight percent are undecided.  While McConnell's 2-point lead is within the poll's 4-point margin of error, making it a statistical tie, it marks a consistent decline in support for Grimes in the Bluegrass Poll, which showed her up 4 percent in February and 1 percent in May."  People are finding out that Grimes is really just another liberal Democrat.

OBAMA, STAY AWAY – Polls are consistently showing that President Obama is a liability to Democrats running this year.  From Fox:  "The new poll re-asked a question from 2010 to test the president’s influence: if you were running for office as a Democratic candidate this year, would you want President Obama to campaign for you? While 41 percent of voters say yes, over half -- 57 percent -- say no, they wouldn’t want Obama on the campaign trail with them.  In 2010 the results were much more balanced: 48 percent wanted the president to campaign for them, while 50 percent wanted him to stay home.  Among Democrats, four years ago fully 82 percent wanted Obama to campaign on their behalf. That’s down to 69 percent in the new poll, a drop of 13 points.  Among independents, 38 percent wanted Obama’s help in 2010 and 32 percent would take it today."

IS HE STILL AROUND? – From PC World:  "U.S. civil rights leader Rev. Jesse Jackson has called on Twitter to release its employee diversity information, which its Silicon Valley peers such as Google, Yahoo, LinkedIn and Facebook have already done.  The Rainbow Push Coalition, founded by Jackson, has also asked Twitter to signal its commitment to inclusion by hosting a public community forum to address the company’s plan to recruit and retain more black talent."  Let the shakedown begin.  If Jackson were smart, and wanted to remain relevant, he'd encourage young African Americans to start their own companies.  The key to minority progress is entrepreneurship.

July 28, 2014