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LAST SUBSCRIPTION DRIVE OF 2016

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DECEMBER 6,  2016

SHORT TAKES ON THE DRIFTING WRECKAGE – AT 10:46 P.M. ET:

THOSE DEMS, SO BRILLIANT – FROM NEED TO KNOW NETWORK:   On Tuesday, disgruntled Democrats held a forum to discuss the possibility of replacing the Electoral College.  Rep. Zoe Lofgren (D-CA) conceded that Democrats could not get rid of the Electoral College due to the way the United States Constitution is written.  “I don’t think we can sustain our American democracy by having the majority ruled by the minority. And so the question is how to fix this since the Constitution is written in such a way that it’s almost impossible to amend,” Lofgren said.  Lofgren went on to say she is open to a Constitutional Convention, “We are three states away from calling for a Constitutional Convention. It’s something I’ve always been opposed to, …. But I’ll say because, for the second time in sixteen years, people the American voters elected did not become president. Rational people, not the fringe, are now talking about whether states could be separated from the U.S., whether we should have a Constitutional Convention. And I think as time goes on that is apt to become more the case unless we here can figure an answer to preventing the majority from being ruled by the minority.  It's kind of typical of liberal Democrats to want to change the rules if they don't win the game.  It's like the way they run to the courts if legislatures won't pass their bills.  The country is called the United States of America.  We vote by state.  The founders saw that as the wisest way to have all regions represented, and not have mob rule.  It's worked out pretty well.

GEE, WHAT A SURPRISE – FROM THE POLITICO:   Donald Trump’s first major action as president-elect — the deal he and Vice President-elect Mike Pence struck last week with Carrier Corp. — is earning high marks from American voters, a new Politico/Morning Consult poll shows.  Voters surveyed overwhelmingly view Trump’s negotiations with Carrier — which resulted in about 1,000 manufacturing jobs at the heating, ventilation and air conditioning company remaining in Indiana rather than moving to Mexico — as an appropriate use of presidential prerogative. And a majority of voters say the Carrier deal gives them a more favorable view of Trump, though his overall favorability ratings were virtually unchanged from mid-November.  While some conservatives and conservative groups — including The Wall Street Journal’s editorial board and former vice presidential nominee Sarah Palin — have decried the Carrier deal as “crony capitalism,” the Politico/Morning Consult poll shows it’s a political winner for Trump. Sixty percent of voters say Carrier’s decision to keep some manufacturing jobs in Indiana, where Pence is still serving as governor, gives them a more favorable view of Trump. That includes not only 87 percent of self-identified Republicans, but also 54 percent of independents and 40 percent of Democrats.  Yeah, jobs are popular.  Will someone whisper that to the Democratic National Committee?

WHO NEEDS MATH WHEN YOU CAN GO OUT AND DEMONSTRATE? – FROM US NEWS: WASHINGTON (AP) — American students have a math problem.  The latest global snapshot of student performance shows declining math scores in the U.S. and stagnant performance in science and reading.  "We're losing ground — a troubling prospect when, in today's knowledge-based economy, the best jobs can go anywhere in the world," said Education Secretary John B. King Jr. "Students in Massachusetts, Maryland, and Minnesota aren't just vying for great jobs along with their neighbors or across state lines, they must be competitive with peers in Finland, Germany, and Japan."  Math was a stubborn concern. "This pattern that we're seeing in mathematics seems to be consistent with what we've seen in previous assessments ... everything is just going down," said Peggy Carr, acting commissioner at the National Center for Education Statistics.  The 2015 Program for International Student Assessment, or PISA, study is the latest to document that American students are underperforming their peers in several Asian nations. The U.S. was below the international average in math and about average in science and reading. Singapore was the top performer in all three subjects on the PISA test.  But do those foreign kids know words like "microaggressions"?  I'll bet they don't.  And do they know where the safe spaces are in their schools, places where they won't be bothered by dangerous ideas?  Not a chance.   Who needs a lotta them numbers?

December 6,  2016     Permalink

PICTURE OF A CAMPUS – AND IT'S REVOLTING – AT 11:43 A.M. ET:  How did students and professors at Ohio State react to the recent terrorist attack there, as compared to the election of Donald Trump?  Is there any doubt?  From College Fix:   

An Ohio State student named Mackenzie called into Sean Hannity’s radio show Dec. 1 to voice her frustration over how campus leadership responded to President Donald Trump’s election compared to how it responded to the recent terrorism-inspired rampage on campus.

The person responsible for the car-and-knife attack at Ohio State University on Monday that left nearly a dozen hospitalized is 18-year-old student Abdul Razak Ali Artan, a Somali refugee and lawful permanent resident of the U.S. He was shot and killed by a campus police officer.

“After this terrorist attack I’ve truly learned that the left is more scared of conservatism and Trump and Republicans than they are of ISIS and terrorists,” Mackenzie told Hannity. “Because after this terror attack I haven’t heard anything about, you know, ‘We’re praying for the victims’ or this and that. I’ve heard things about how we need to understand Islam, the vibrant Somali community we have here, how we need to embrace them even though this is the third attack by a Somali in the last year here in Columbus, and all this stuff about, you know, Muslim sensitivity.”

“That’s all they care about,” she continued, “and they are more scared of the Right and Trump than they are of this terrorist attack that just happened on our campus. It’s sickening to me because I feel like they are gambling with my life in order to reach this multiculturalism lie that they worship in all of my classes — and it’s crazy.”

COMMENT:  Mackenzie is very discerning.  She has it right.  Our campuses have become sanctuaries for the far left, and there is an aroma of intimidation within them.  Go along, or you're branded a racist, a misogynist, a warmonger.  Free speech is often discouraged, or even prohibited.  The American flag is viewed as a symbol of oppression.

And taxpayer money is subsidizing this disgrace.

December 6, 2016       Permalink

THE THREATS OUT THERE – AT 10:21 A.M. ET:  We are in a very vulnerable period, the time between an outgoing administration and an incoming administration not yet operating.  And our opponents know that.  From the L.A. Times:

An overseas tip about an imminent bombing of the Metro Red Line’s Universal City station has forced federal and local law enforcement in Los Angeles to swiftly ramp up security across its sprawling transit system, authorities said Monday.

An anonymous man warned of a potential attack on Tuesday and provided the information on a tip line abroad, according to Deidre Fike, the assistant director in charge of the FBI's office in Los Angeles.

The tip line was run by an unidentified foreign government, which relayed the information Monday morning to an FBI terrorism task force. Fike declined to specify from which country the tip originated but said it was delivered in English.

At a hastily called news conference Monday night, the FBI as well as Los Angeles-area law enforcement leaders said the threat was considered specific and imminent, but investigators were still examining its credibility.

“This could be real, it could be a hoax,” said Los Angeles County Sheriff Jim McDonnell. “We’re asking the public to stay calm and vigilant.”

Los Angeles Police Chief Charlie Beck said that area law enforcement reviews threats “constantly” but that this particular incident was “very specific” and forced a rapid response.

“We don’t have the time to vet this threat in the way we would like,” Beck said. “This one we had to move quickly on.”

COMMENT:  Most of these tips turn out to be wrong or hoaxes.  But anti-terror forces have to be right 100% of the time, and took the right action in L.A.

There are other reports of threats – including one to disrupt the presidential inauguration.  We will have to be vigilant, and hope that the mainstream media doesn't automatically blame Trump for any incident.

December 6,  2016     Permalink

NOW HE TELLS US – AT 9:53 A.M. ET:  Is Obama a weak, confused, indecisive president?  Of course not.  He's Barack, come to save us.  He's perfect, a gift from the Chicago political machine to the United States, and to history.

Uh, well, not really.  You know, even perfection has its limits.  How do we know?  Why, John Kerry tells us.  From an editorial in the New York Post:

Secretary of State John Kerry told a painful truth on Sunday, admitting that President Obama’s “red line” fiasco in Syria “cost us significantly” by leading other nations to see America as weak.

Obama drew the line in August 2012 — as a way to avoid getting involved in Syria’s civil war without having to actually justify that restraint. He did so by saying he would intervene if the government did the truly awful, by using chemical weapons.

“We have been very clear to the Assad regime … that a red line for us is we start seeing a whole bunch of chemical weapons moving around or being utilized,” he said, also calling “chem” use a “game-changer.”

It was universally seen as a threat of massive consequences for Bashar al-Assad if he crossed the line. But when Assad did launch chemical attacks a year later, Obama stalled.

First he tried to get allies on board with a campaign of airstrikes. Britain declined, but France said yes — yet Obama then asked Congress to OK the bombing. Congress signaled reluctance to “buy in” — and then Obama accepted a diplomatic lifeline from Moscow to negotiate a deal for Syria to (supposedly) turn over all its chem munitions.

The president had blinked at making good on his own threat. Around the globe, US allies and enemies were on notice that America might not live up to its word.

It’s no coincidence that Russia took control of Crimea within the year, and later intervened decisively in Syria to save Assad. Nor that Iran was able to virtually dictate the terms of its nuclear deal with Team Obama.

Kerry on Sunday fell back on two excuses. First he argued that it was a “misperception” that Washington had been weak, since Assad did give up (many of) his chems. But even he had to admit that “it doesn’t matter. It cost. Perception can often just be the reality.”

COMMENT:  Yup.  Perception is reality, and often the perception is accurate.  Obama is weak, indecisive, cynical, and loves going after America's allies.  What a great skill set.

December 6,  2016     Permalink

DECEMBER 5,   2016

SHORT TAKES ON THE DRIFTING WRECKAGE – AT 11:56 P.M. ET: 

INCREDIBLE – FROM THE DETROIT NEWS:   One-third of precincts in Wayne County could be disqualified from an unprecedented statewide recount of presidential election results because of problems with ballots.  Michigan’s largest county voted overwhelmingly for Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton, but officials couldn’t reconcile vote totals for 610 of 1,680 precincts during a countywide canvass of vote results late last month.  Most of those are in heavily Democratic Detroit, where the number of ballots in precinct poll books did not match those of voting machine printout reports in 59 percent of precincts, 392 of 662.  Voter fraud?  Did anyone say voter fraud?

ONCE A NUT, ALWAYS A NUT – FROM AP:   House Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi is calling the decision to tap Ben Carson as head of Housing and Urban Development a “disconcerting and disturbingly unqualified choice.”  Pelosi says the country deserves someone with “relevant experience” to protect the rights of homeowners and renters.  In her statement released Monday, she says “there is no evidence that Dr. Carson brings the necessary credentials to hold a position with such immense responsibilities and impact on families and communities across America.”  Oh let's see.  He grew up in the ghetto, worked with urban children as a renowned pediatric neurosurgeon, takes an active and personal interest in changing the culture of the inner city.  What could a person like that possibly know?  But Carson is a black conservative, and, like Clarence Thomas, will be worked over pretty hard by Congressional liberals who consider him a group traitor.

IS SHE SERIOUS? – FROM THE NEW YORK POST:   Hillary Clinton and Tim Kaine are throwing a party at the Plaza hotel on Dec. 15 to thank those who donated millions to the campaign.  The party will be held in the Grand Ballroom on the third floor, to honor the Hillary for America finance leadership council.  Guests expected are big bundlers including Harvey Weinstein, Anna Wintour, Alan Patricof, Tory Burch and Marc Lasry.  One insider said, “Hopefully there’s no balconies so nobody can jump.”  Unusually, Kaine is throwing his own holiday celebration in NYC earlier the same day.  The insider mused, “Is he trying to keep the donor network alive for a presidential run?”  I guess this is the way the top Democrats are reconnecting with the average American. 

December 5, 2016       Permalink

SUICIDE – AT 10:51 A.M. ET:   Is the Democratic Party truly trying to commit suicide?  It looks that way.  The Dems appear to have learned nothing from the recent shellacking they took, from the top of the ticket to the bottom.  Now they are poised to elect one of the most radical members of Congress to the exalted post of party chairman.  From Daily Caller:

Minnesota Rep. Keith Ellison, widely considered a frontrunner to be the next Democratic National Committee chair, says House Democrats will do nothing but “vote no” in the coming years under the new Trump administration.

Ellison, who has faced questions over whether he can juggle both working in Congress and rebuilding a depleted Democratic Party, defended himself at a party meeting on Friday by suggesting that working as a Democratic congressman won’t require much effort.

“I’m in the process of deciding this issue of whether I can perform both roles,” Ellison said, according to the New York Times. Referring to his work in the House, he said that “All there is to do is to vote ‘no’.”

Ellison then promised that “every other moment” not spent voting “no” will be devoted to his work for the DNC.

Is this man serious?  What an advertisement for the role of congressman!  I guess he comes from a safe district, and is guaranteed re-election to the end of his days. 

Whether Ellison can efficiently work both jobs is just one of several concerns raised about the Minnesota Democrat.

Ellison’s past is littered with radical positions that he has since attempted to walk back. (

In 2009, Ellison campaigned on behalf of a Libyan-born Muslim who called for Palestinians to embrace “the jihad way.”

Ellison once advocated for American blacks to have their own nation and called the U.S. Constitution “best evidence of a white racist conspiracy to subjugate other peoples.”

While speaking to an atheist group in 2007, Ellison compared the September 11 terrorist attacks to the Reichstag fire in Germany and stopped just short of suggesting that George W. Bush played a role in the attacks.

COMMENT:  Just what the Democratic Party needs – an irrational, reckless bomb thrower!  An inclusive, positive guy!

The Bernie Sanders leftists love Ellison.  Imagine, a Muslim!  Isn't that multicultural?

Many Republicans are saying they hope he gets the job because it will make the Republicans' job easier.  I don't agree.  An extremist like Ellison, who has absolutely no experience at running anything, can do enormous harm to the two-party system.  I don't like to see nutbags gaining prominence in either party, although the Democrats have specialized in advancing their very considerable corps of whackjobs.  They are truly an equal-opportunity employer.

December 5, 2016       Permalink

BEN CARSON TO HUD – AT 9:53 A.M. ET:  Dr. Ben Carson, a renowned Johns Hopkins neurosurgeon, will be nominated by President-elect Trump to be secretary of the Department of Housing and Urban Development.  From The New York Times:

Ben Carson, who took Donald J. Trump on a tour of blighted neighborhoods in Detroit during the presidential campaign, including his boyhood home, has been chosen by Mr. Trump to oversee one of the government’s main efforts to lift American cities as secretary of the Department of Housing and Urban Development.

Mr. Carson, a retired neurosurgeon, was an early endorser of Mr. Trump after ending his own presidential bid.

“Ben Carson has a brilliant mind and is passionate about strengthening communities and families within those communities,” Mr. Trump said in a statement Monday morning. “We have talked at length about my urban renewal agenda and our message of economic revival, very much including our inner cities.”

“Ben shares my optimism about the future of our country and is part of ensuring that this is a presidency representing all Americans,” he added. “He is a tough competitor and never gives up.”

With no experience in government or running a large bureaucracy, Mr. Carson, 65, publicly waffled over whether to join the administration. He will oversee an agency with a $47 billion budget, bringing to the job a philosophical opposition to government programs that encourage what he calls “dependency” and engage in “social engineering.”

He has no expertise in housing policy, but he did spend part of his childhood in public housing, said a close friend, Armstrong Williams, and he was raised by a dauntless mother with a grammar-school education. In his autobiography he stressed that individual effort, not government programs, were the key to overcoming poverty.

COMMENT:  Carson is an inspirational figure.  He will need top-quality administrators to assist him in running a department whose actual track record isn't very good.  It's a good appointment because it brings a high-profile figure into the controversial area of government urban policy.

Carson is a black conservative, so look for him to be targeted as a "sellout," and other nice things.  He'll need more than a surgeon's gentle hands.  He'll need a thick skin, for he's now about to tackle the entrenched black establishment.

December 5,  2016     Permalink