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DECEMBER 22,  2016

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

FOX TRIUMPHS – FROM AP:   NEW YORK (AP) -- A sharp drop in cable news ratings following a presidential election is as inevitable as snow in Buffalo. Yet in the Age of Trump, so far Fox News Channel is defying that trend.  Comparing the five weeks after the election to the white-hot campaign days of October, Fox's prime-time audience is down 8 percent, the Nielsen company said. That's a much smaller drop than rivals CNN and MSNBC, and smaller than all of the networks historically following elections.  "They've really, obviously, established themselves as the go-to place for all things Trump, Trump supporters certainly," said Paul Sweeney, an analyst for Bloomberg Intelligence. "This is their time to shine and they're making the most of it."  Post-election has been a victory lap for Sean Hannity, who made no secret of his support for Trump and was rewarded with regular interviews. Fox also enticed viewers with TMZ's Harvey Levin getting a guided tour of the president-elect's New York apartment.  Following Barack Obama's victories, Fox's post-election viewership dropped by 50 percent in 2012 and 36 percent in 2008, Nielsen said. The drop was 25 percent after Republican George W. Bush's 2004 win.  I'd also add that CNN's virtual abandonment of balanced news reporting has contributed to Fox's stronger position.  Watching many (but not all) of CNN's anchors and reporters has become psychologically painful and religiously impure.

ACADEMIC NEWS – FROM COLLEGE FIX:   Hunter College’s Matthew Lasner and his husband Daniel Goldstein reportedly were involved in verbally thrashing Ivanka Trump on a JetBlue flight earlier today at New York’s JFK Airport.  The couple (and their child) were removed from the plane as a result.  Lasner is an associate professor in Hunter’s Department of Urban Policy and Planning. He earned his PhD in Architecture, Landscape Architecture and Urban Planning from Harvard.  The professor had tweeted that Goldstein was “chasing down” Ivanka and her husband Jared Kushner (who had their kids with them), “to harass them.” Lasner has since deleted his account.  It's inspiring to see who's teaching our college students, right?

SNOWFLAKES OF THE WORLD UNITE – FROM CAMPUS REFORM:  Students at the University of Maryland have released a list of 64 demands in their effort make the campus more amenable to “marginalized student populations.”  The project, known as ProtectUMD, is a collaborative effort between 25 student organizations at the University of Maryland, including Students for Justice in Palestine, Bisexuals at Maryland, and the Black Student Union.  There are 64 demands across 8 subsets of students—Marginalized, American Indian, Black, Latinx, LGBTQIA+, Muslim, Pro-Palestine, and Undocumented—including scholarships for “students of marginalized communities,” a ban on Columbus Day, beginning every on-campus event with an acknowledgement that “this is Indigenous Land,” that African American professors get tenure, that preferred pronouns are included on rosters, and that “queer diversity training” is required.  Muslim students also want “one room in each major building designated for prayer” and “shuttle services to [the local mosque] for Muslim students to have access to a place of worship.”   You'll be glad to know that there are more items on the list.  I certainly think that one just demand that should be added is for an unlimited supply of diapers and pacifiers.

December 22, 2016       Permalink

SMART MOVE BY WALMART – AT 10:23 A.M. ET:   Alert police organizations have put the heat on Walmart, and Walmart has done the right thing.  From AOL:

Walmart has said it would pull controversial clothing from its website after receiving a complaint from a police organization, reports CNN Money.

According to a national Fraternal Order of Police, or FOP, Twitter account, Chuck Canterbury, the group's national president, sent a letter on Tuesday to the retailer's CEO, Doug McMillon, about what he called "offensive shirts and sweatshirts with the slogans 'bulletproof' and 'black lives matter.'"

The request goes on to state, "I understand that these are third party sales and not Walmart products, but I am concerned that allowing these articles of clothing to be sold in this way will damage your company's good name amongst FOP members and other active and retired law enforcement officers."

In fact, the clothing was sold on Walmart.com, but it has been traced to a Connecticut-based company called Old Glory Merchandise, reports the Washington Post.

COMMENT:   It would be nice if the mainstream media would do some full, honest reports on the Black Lives Matter movement.  It is a radical, leftist movement, reminiscent of the old Red groups, with a wide and extreme political agenda.  To the best of my knowledge, it doesn't save black lives, and only seems interested in those that have political value.  Walmart should not be promoting that crowd.

December 22, 2016       Permalink 

ACTUAL POLITICAL REPORTING – AT 9:57 A.M. ET:  Dems continue to live in their fantasy world.  It is inconceivable to many of them that anyone could vote against their candidate.  Why, it's unintellectual, it's not politically correct, it's racist!  From the great Salena Zito in the New York Post:

ROCKVILLE, Md. — Democrats’ belief that new information revealed after Donald Trump’s election — as when the reports of Russian interference spurred calls on the left for a revote or, failing that, for “faithless” electors to abandon Trump — would change voters’ minds has taken another hit.

A Pew Research survey Wednesday showed a whopping 97 percent of all voters would cast the exact same vote they did on Election Day, including 99 percent of Trump voters and 96 percent of Clinton voters. As with the recount that saw Clinton lose votes and the Electoral College vote that saw her lose electors, only 1 percent of Trump voters regret their vote, while 4 percent of Clinton voters do.

Voters seem ready to move on.

Not so some on the left....Indeed, Team Clinton — Hillary, Bill, campaign chair John Podesta and others — are still casting blame on FBI Director James Comey, for reopening the investigation into Hillary’s email during the home stretch of the election.

They still prefer that to the introspection they so sorely need: asking themselves why they ignored or haughtily dismissed so many voters.

COMMENT:  Read the whole thing.  Salena Zito is only now getting the recognition she deserves as one of the best political reporters around.  She gets it.

December 22, 2016       Permalink

GREAT APPOINTMENT – AT 9:48 A.M. ET:  Kellyanne Conway, who saved and directed the Trump victory campaign, will be counselor to the president in the new administration.  Trump has made a wise choice.  From Fox: 

Kellyanne Conway, the indefatigable campaign operative who became the face of Donald Trump's successful presidential bid, has been named counselor to the president.

Conway, who joined Trump's team as campaign manager in August, announced earlier this week on Fox News she was moving from her New Jersey home to Washington, signaling a pending position in the incoming Trump administration. Thursday's announcement from the transition team laid out her new role.

"Kellyanne Conway has been a trusted advisor and strategist who played a crucial role in my victory," Trump said in a statement released Thursday morning. "She is a tireless and tenacious advocate of my agenda and has amazing insights on how to effectively communicate our message. I am pleased that she will be part of my senior team in the West Wing."

Conway will work with senior administration officials to communicate and execute Trump's legislative priorities, the statement said.

Conway told "Fox & Friends" on Thursday that she will be in the West Wing to "continue my service" to Trump. She said she had weighed a number of factors including her family in considering a job, but described the West Wing-in-waiting as family friendly, saying, "So I'm fine on that score."

COMMENT:  She's bright, unflappable, and  brought experience and wisdom to the campaign.  She will bring the same to the Trump presidency. 

Some pseudo-feminists criticized her for bringing up family concerns in deciding whether to take the job.  As usual, Kellyanne won the day, looking wise and mature, while the pseudos looked cold and cynical.,

December 22,  2016     Permalink

DECEMBER 21,  2016

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

SIGN OF THE TIMES – FROM THE DAILY MAIL:  For the last 10 years, the number of American millennials who have failed to move out of their parents or grandparents homes has climbed steadily, according to new data.  Nearly 40 per cent of young adults are either living with their parents or other relatives, which is the highest point in over seven decades, new data from real estate analytics company Trulia states.  This is the highest point in 75 years where young adults have just stayed at home with no plans on moving out.  The only other time in American history where the share has been higher was back in 1940, when the economy was recovering from the Great Depression.  Not exactly a sign of a booming job market. 

GETTING ACTION – FROM FOX:    The CEO of Boeing told President-elect Donald Trump Wednesday that his company can build a new Air Force One for less than originally quoted -- after Trump complained about the cost.  Earlier this month, Trump made headlines for blasting the company on Twitter for alleged cost overruns with the new fleet of Air Force One planes.  Trump called on the government to cancel the contract and called the supposed $4 billion price tag out of control.  Boeing’s Dennis Muilenburg, who met with Trump at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Palm Beach, Fla., addressed the media after the meeting and said, “We’re going to get it done for less than that, and we’re committed to working together to make sure that happens.”  Hand it to Trump:  He gets action and he's a public-relations genius.  I hope it continues.

ANOTHER HOAX – FROM DAILY CALLER:   A Muslim University of Michigan student who said a man threatened to light her on fire after President-elect Donald Trump’s victory was lying about the whole thing, police said Wednesday.  The student grabbed national headlines in the days after Trump’s election victory when she claimed she was stalked by an intoxicated 20-something man with bad body odor and an unkempt appearance. The man, she said, forced her take off her hijab and threatened to set her on fire with a lighter if she did not.  Despite the lack of evidence for the woman’s claims, they were immediately treated as true by various media outlets, as well as by the university itself, which immediately condemned the incident as a “hateful attack.” The incident was also seized upon by the Center for American-Islamic Relations, which tried to explicitly tie the supposed attack to Trump’s election as president...The Michigan student’s story is just the latest high-profile “hate crime” to fall apart under scrutiny. Other bogus hate crimes have been exposed in Louisiana, Minnesota, Pennsylvania, California, and elsewhere.  We should tighten our false- reporting laws against things like this.  False reports create social tensions and burn police resources.  Penalties for making false reports should be increased.  And the media should be put on sharp notice that they, too, are responsible for spreading false reports.

December 21, 2016       Permalink 

DISGRACEFUL – AT 10:47 A.M. ET:  We knew that Obama would pull some last-minute fast ones, but some of his parting moves are absolutely vulgar.  From Daily Caller: 

Liberal news outlets like The New York Times, The Washington Post and CNN are keeping their readers in the dark about two aggressive appointments to the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights made by President Obama with just weeks remaining in his presidency.

In addition to questions surrounding the appointees themselves, the move by Obama effectively blocks President-elect Donald Trump from any appointments to the eight-person commission until 2020, when Trump would be up for re-election.

One of the appointees is Debo Adegbile, who was previously nominated to the Department of Justice’s Civil Rights Division but was blocked by a bipartisan group of senators due to his defense of former Black Panther and convicted cop killer Mumia Abu-Jamal. Unlike that nomination, Adegbile’s appointment — which pro-police groups have described as a “slap in the face” — does not require congressional approval.

Pennsylvania Senator Pat Toomey has already called on Obama to withdraw Adegbile’s nomination.

“Mr. Adegbile did not simply defend a client. He supervised an effort to lionize unrepentant cop-killer Mumia Abu Jamal, who cold-bloodedly murdered Philadelphia police officer Danny Faulkner 35 years ago,” Toomey said in a statement last week. “Mr. Adegbile supervised the effort to spread misinformation about the trial and evidence, fabricate claims of racism, malign Philly police, and organize rallies across the globe that portrayed this brutal cop-killer as the victim.

Police groups decried Adegbile’s appointment as well. John McNesby, president of the Philadelphia chapter of the Fraternal Order of Police, called the appointment a “kick in the teeth to the cops.”

Sam Cabral, president of the International Union of Police Associations, said Adegbile’s appointment is a “slap in the face to every law enforcement officer in this great nation.”

The other appointee is Catherine Lhamon, the assistant secretary for civil rights at the Department of Education, who spearheaded the Obama administration’s transgender mandate currently the subject of litigation. Lhamon has close ties to left-wing activists and played a key role in the infamous Rolling Stone rape hoax.

The two appointments will each last for six years.

COMMENT:  No profound comment is necessary.  This is despicable.

December 21, 2016       Permalink

YOU MEAN THERE IS IMPURITY IN WASHINGTON? – AT 9:51 A.M. ET:  I'm shocked to be told that the Obama administration has engaged in impure acts.  There must be a mistake here.  From Fox: 

A new congressional investigation has determined that the Obama administration fired a top scientist and intimidated staff at the Department of Energy in order to further its climate change agenda, according to a new report that alleges the administration ordered top officials to obstruct Congress in order to forward this agenda.

Rep. Lamar Smith (R., Texas), chair of the House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology, released a wide-ranging report on Tuesday that shows how senior Obama administration officials retaliated against a leading scientist and plotted ways to block a congressional inquiry surrounding key research into the impact of radiation.

A top DoE scientist who liaised with Congress on the matter was fired by the Obama administration for being too forthright with lawmakers, according to the report, which provides an in-depth look at the White House’s efforts to ensure senior staffers toe the administration’s line.

The report also provides evidence that the Obama administration worked to kill legislation in order to ensure that it could receive full funding for its own hotly contested climate change agenda.

The report also provides evidence that the Obama administration worked to kill legislation in order to ensure that it could receive full funding for its own hotly contested climate change agenda.

The report additionally discovered efforts by the Obama administration to censor the information given to Congress, interfering with the body’s ability to perform critical oversight work.

COMMENT:  Sounds more like Chicago machine politics than hope and change.   As we have said here before, we need a Challenger-type commission on climate change to determine 1) what we know, 2) what we don't know, 3) and what we must know to create an honest, effective policy.  Maybe then we can discuss climate change thoughtfully.

Don't hold your breath.

December 21, 2016       Permalink

DESPERATE SEARCH – AT 9:22 A.M. ET:  A desperate search is on in Germany for the perpetrator of the Berlin terror atttack that killed 12.   (That number may rise.)  The objective is to get him before he strikes again.  From Britain's Sky News: 

German police are hunting a Tunisian man over the Berlin market attack after finding an identity document in the lorry, according to reports.

The document was found under the driver's seat of the vehicle that ploughed into crowds at the Christmas market on Monday evening, killing 12 people.

Der Spiegel and Allgemeine Zeitung reported that the document, apparently asylum office papers announcing a stay of deportation, was in the name of Anis A, born in 1992 in Tataouine, Tunisia.

The suspect was also known to have two aliases, according to the newspapers.

Bild said Anis A was known to police for bodily harm and is considered dangerous.

German media has said a police operation is under way in the North Rhine-Westphalia state as the manhunt continues.

A migrant shelter in Emmerich, near the border with the Netherlands, is also being searched, according to the Rheinische Post.

Die Welt said the identity documents were issued in Kleve, and the suspect - who had applied for asylum - had an address in Berlin and North Rhine-Westphalia.

He had been charged with assault in the summer, but failed to appear in court, the newspaper reported.

Newspaper Sueddeutsche Zeitung said the suspect had been in contact with the network of a leading Islamist ideologist known as Abu Walaa.

COMMENT:  If the Obamans were running the search, they'd call it a case of road rage.  Nothing to see, nothing to see.

The attack follows a pattern in which ordinary vehicles are used, rather than weapons or bombs.  Such attacks are easy to mount and almost impossible to stop.

December 21,  2016     Permalink