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DECEMBER 28,  2017

SHORT TAKES ON THE DRIFTING WRECKAGE – AT 11:54 P.M. ET: 

AL SAYS GOODBYE – FROM FOX:    U.S. Sen. Al Franken said goodbye to staff members and supporters in Minneapolis on Thursday night, in his first public appearance in Minnesota since being accused of sexual harassment.  Franken will officially step down from the Senate on Tuesday, with his successor – Minnesota Lt. Gov. Tina Smith – scheduled to be sworn in Wednesday to complete Franken’s term, the Minneapolis Star-Tribune reported.  The Democrat, a former "Saturday Night Live" writer and performer, said he didn't know what to expect when he first ran for office, “and of course, neither did Minnesotans.”  I was not a political supporter of his, but I hate to see anyone destroyed before getting a true day in court.  This business of guilt based only on accusation is grossly un-American.

GREAT MOMENTS IN EDUCATION – FROM FOX:    A math education professor at the University of Illinois says the ability to solve geometry and algebra problems and teaching such subjects perpetuates so-called white privilege.  Rochelle Gutierrez laid out her views on the subject in an article for a newly published anthology for math educators titled, “Building Support for Scholarly Practices in Mathematics Methods.”  “School mathematics curricula emphasizing terms like Pythagorean Theorem and pi perpetuate a perception that mathematics was largely developed by Greeks and other Europeans," she says, according to Campus Reform.  She also says that addressing equity in mathematics education will come when teachers can understand and negotiate the politics outside the classroom.  “On many levels, mathematics itself operates as whiteness. Who gets credit for doing and developing mathematics, who is capable in mathematics, and who is seen as part of the mathematical community is generally viewed as white,” she writes.  Further, she says mathematics operates with unearned privilege in society, “just like whiteness.”  I'm so glad someone told me this.  I will never again add up my supermarket bill in front of a guy from India, even if he has a Ph.D.  I will show respect. 

PREPARING FOR THE BIG EVENT – FROM AM NEWYORK:  More cops, more bomb-sniffing dogs and more police snipers than ever are being deployed by the NYPD for New Year’s Eve to protect the 2 million spectators expected to cram Times Square to usher in 2018, department leaders said Thursday.
“People will be safe, and they should feel safe, too,” NYPD Commissioner James O’Neill said at police headquarters in lower Manhattan.  Terence A. Monahan, the NYPD’s patrol chief, said that beginning at 11 a.m. Sunday, crosstown traffic would be shut from 37th to 59th streets and Sixth to Eighth avenues, and the area will be sealed off with concrete barriers, blocker cars and sand trucks. There will be truck restrictions on those avenues from 34th to 59th streets in effect at 11 a.m., he said.  To stop a suicide bomber from detonating an explosive like the one set off Dec. 11 under the Port Authority bus terminal, police officers will search celebrants twice, once when approaching the Times Square area, then again at each pen — with dogs trained to sniff air off a person’s body, by metal detectors and by officers who look through each person’s bags.  I suspect that the predicted cold will keep the crowd size down, which will make it easier for the police.  But the NYPD is on the job, and is particularly sensitive to terror.

December 28, 2017       Permalink

AND IN THE REAL WORLD – AT 11:58 A.M. ET:  One of President Trump's major national-security challenges in 2018 will be North Korea.  It may be the most critical challenge, the one where we might have to take military action.  A key player is China.  Will China help or hurt us?  Or will it just grab what it can?  From Fox: 

U.S. spy satellites reportedly captured photos of Chinese ships illegally selling oil to North Korean boats some 30 times since October.

Satellite images released by the U.S. Department of Treasury appeared to show vessels from both countries illegally trading oil in the West Sea, The Chosun Ilbo reported Tuesday, citing South Korean government sources.

North Korea was barred in September by the United Nations Security Council from importing natural gas and had its crude oil imports capped in response to Kim Jong Un’s nuclear missile program.

The U.S. Treasury in November also sanctioned North Korea’s Maritime Administration and its transport ministry, in addition to six North Korean shipping and trading companies and 20 of their vessels, in an effort to block the rogue regime’s transportation networks.

COMMENT:  Not a good sign regarding the Chinese.  The Chinese see us as competitors, and targets of opportunity.  When Nixon first went to China, some experts warned that the ultimate result would be to build the Chinese economy, which China would then use against us.  Eternal vigilance, my friend.

December 28, 2017       Permalink

HOW NEGATIVE ARE THEY TOWARD TRUMP? – AT 11:30 A.M. ET:   A new survey of the American media shows the sheer level of bias against the president.  From the Washington Examiner:

The media’s coverage of President Trump has been overwhelmingly negative, more than three times more critical than the initial coverage of former President Barack Obama and twice that of former Presidents George W. Bush and Bill Clinton.

The Pew Research Center said that the early coverage of Trump was 62 percent negative. By comparison, Obama’s coverage was just 20 percent negative.

“About six-in-ten stories on Trump’s early days in office had a negative assessment, about three times more than in early coverage for Obama and roughly twice that of Bush and Clinton. Coverage of Trump’s early time in office moved further away from a focus on the policy agenda and more toward character and leadership,” said Pew.

The report about the harsh media coverage was included in Pew’s year-ending report titled "17 Striking Findings From 2017."

The media story reviewed the tone of coverage of Trump’s first 60 days in office and found that just 5 percent was “positive.”

By comparison, Obama’s coverage was 42 percent positive.

COMMENT:  Please note that the report only covers Trump's first 60 days in office, but it clearly indicates the hostility that he faced then, and continues to face.  He came to office with the press already against him.  At the end of the year I have seen little change.

The media has two choices.  It can continue on its kamikaze mission, or it can try to do some correcting.  My bet is that it will be a mixed picture in 2018.  Many of the press fanatics will go down with the ship.  But others may see the danger to press credibility and make at least some attempt to do things better.  

Much will depend on the polls.  If Trump continues to rise, at least some of the more mature journalists will have to notice.

December 28, 2017        Permalink

THE UPWARD CLIMB – AT 10:37 A.M. ET:  More progress for President Trump in the end-of-year Rasmussen poll: 

The Rasmussen Reports daily Presidential Tracking Poll for Thursday shows that 46% of Likely U.S. Voters approve of President Trump’s job performance. Fifty-three percent (53%) disapprove.

The latest figures include 29% who Strongly Approve of the way the president is performing and 44% who Strongly Disapprove. This gives him a Presidential Approval Index rating of -15.

And here's the kicker, from Drudge:

Rasmussen Poll shows Trump at 46% APPROVE this morning, with 53% DISAPPROVE...

What about Obama at same exact date first year in presidency?? 46% APPROVE, 53% DISAPPROVE!

COMMENT:  Take that, CNN.  We will take a bit of a bow here at Urgent Agenda, because we have been reminding readers for months that Barack Obama spent most of his presidency in the forties, despite having the fawning press at his back.

Trump is exactly where Obama was at this point in his presidency, with the press heavily against him. 

I want to hear those CNN "discussions."  Well, not really.  I'd rather watch a good story on Investigation Discovery. 

December 28,  2017     Permalink

DECEMBER 27,  2017

SHORT TAKES ON THE DRIFTING WRECKAGE – AT 11:38 P.M. ET: 

OH MY, HOW WICKEDLY EMBARRASSING – FROM FOX:  The Justice Department scolded the Obama administration on Wednesday following a report on how sexual harassment of all kinds was improperly handled at the department for years.  The Washington Post reported that the DOJ’s inspector general had found “systemic” problems with how complaints were addressed, with offending officials often being let off the hook or even rewarded. The article cited investigative reports on a lawyer who allegedly groped two female attorneys and a top U.S. Marshals official who had sex with “approximately” nine women in his office.  Though complaints have been filed as recently as August, the IG said some of the worst alleged offenses happened several years ago in the department’s Civil Division.  Ian Prior, a spokesman in the Trump Justice Department, would not comment in detail about the allegations but described the problems as largely contained to the prior administration.   Your tax dollars at work.  The hypocrisy of the Democrats on this issue is world class.

THE BUSINESS OF GOVERNMENT – FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER:   The top paychecks of federal workers are set to grow again next year to a six-figure number that rivals the $174,000 salaries of America’s 535 House and Senate members.  Under a new federal order, salaries for most bureaucrats in the General Service will rise next year when the cap on top pay hits $164,000.  And for the upper reaches of the government, senior executive service employees will be allowed to earn a maximum of $189,600.  The Washington area, where the bulk of federal workers are employed, will get the biggest pay raise under the order signed by President Trump before Christmas. There, the increase for General Service workers will be 2.29 percent.  The average federal worker in 2016 earned $86,365. With benefits, the total compensation was $123,160.  The average nonfederal pay in the nation was $58,726, with total compensation at $69,901.  When government pays more than the private sector, we're in trouble.

BREAKTHROUGH – FROM AFP:  Tokyo (AFP) - A Japanese researcher has developed -- by accident-- a new type of glass that can be repaired simply by pressing it back together after it cracks.  The discovery opens the way for super-durable glass that could triple the lifespan of everyday products like car windows, construction materials, fish tanks and even toilet seats.  Yu Yanagisawa, a chemistry researcher at the University of Tokyo, made the breakthrough by chance while investigating adhesives that can be used on wet surfaces.  The Democrats will undoubtedly claim that this was secretly developed at American expense to repair the windows in Trump hotels.  And CNN will believe that.

December 27, 2017       Permalink

WE'VE BEEN THERE – AT 12:28 P.M. ET:  Have you ever felt a chill when some people find out you're conservative, or even moderate, or even a thoughtful liberal rather than the usual kind?

We've all been there.  We can feel ourselves being cut from e-mail lists.  And invitation lists.  Even the PTA might not let us know when the next meeting is.

Alan Dershowitz, the legendary law professor from Harvard, and a committed liberal, is going through the process, and he writes about it.  I think many readers will recognize his ordeal.  From the Washington Examiner: 

Harvard Law School professor Alan Dershowitz says he’s feeling the heat from family and friends over his defense of President Trump amid special counsel Robert Mueller’s Russia investigation.

“It’s caused me to lose seven pounds,” Dershowitz told Politico. “My liberal friends don’t invite me to dinner anymore.”

Dershowitz often appears on Fox News to argue against Mueller bringing an obstruction of justice charge against Trump, saying it would send the country into a constitutional crisis. He has also defended Trump’s firing of former FBI Director James Comey.

“My really, really close friends say, ‘You’re 100 percent right in your analysis, but can’t you just shut the hell up and not talk at all,’” he said. “They tell me, ‘This is a time for selective silence.’

My nephew thinks I’m helping keep in office one of the greatest dangers in American history. I tell him I’m just standing up for principle. He tells me that I don’t have to stand up so loud.”

Dershowitz added that his family is no longer proud to be associated with him.

“I was a source of pride to my kids, my grandkids,” he said. “Now it’s ‘Oy, he’s related to Alan Dershowitz.’ That hurts me a little bit.”

Yet Dershowitz said he’s “happy with the role I’m playing.”

“I think I’ve changed the debate on the subject of obstruction of justice,” he said.

COMMENT:  And that's what great lawyers do. 

December 27, 2017       Permalink

BYE-BYE – AT 11:22 A.M. ET:  Why is it that states that are so zealous in their liberalism are losing the greatest number of people?  Will someone finally get the message?  From Daily Caller:   

Three Democratic-leaning states hemorrhaged hundreds of thousands of people in 2016 and 2017 as crime, high taxes and, in some cases, crummy weather had residents seeking greener pastures elsewhere.

The exodus of residents was most pronounced in New York, which saw about 190,000 people leave the state between July 1, 2016 and July 1, 2017, according to U.S. Census Bureau data released last week.

New York’s domestic out-migration during that time period was about the same as it was in the same time 2015 and 2016. Since 2010, the state’s outflow of just over 1 million residents has exceeded that of every other state, both in absolute terms and as a share of population, according to the free-market think tank Empire Center.

Not surprising to us here in New York.  High costs, high taxes, the ridiculously expensive city of New York run by a Marxist mayor.  What's left to like?

Long-beset by twin budget and pension crises and the erosion of its tax base, Illinois lost so many residents that it dropped from the fifth to the sixth-most populous state in 2017, losing its previous spot to Pennsylvania.

Just under 115,000 Illinois residents decamped for other states between July 2016 and July 2017. Since 2010, the Land of Lincoln has lost about 650,000 residents to other states on net, equal to the combined population of the state’s four largest cities other than Chicago, according to the Illinois Policy Institute.

Barack Obama's home state.  He's certainly done much to help.

California was the third deep blue state to experience significant domestic out-migration between July 2016 and July 2017, and it couldn’t blame the outflow on retirees searching for a more agreeable climate. About 138,000 residents left the state during that time period, second only to New York.

However, because California was the top receiving state for international migrants, its net migration was actually 27,000. Add to that number a “natural increase” of 214,000 people, and California’s population grew by about just over 240,000, according to the Census Bureau.

And...

According to the Tax Foundation, New York, Illinois and California had three of the five highest tax rates expressed as a percentage of per capita income, with residents paying 12.7 percent, 11 percent and 11 percent, respectively.

COMMENT:  Liberals should be getting awards from moving companies.  The liberals are making their day, and days.

December 27, 2017       Permalink

TRUMP RISING – AT 10:37 A.M. ET:  Were watching President Trump's poll numbers, as we approach the end of his first year in office.  Polls, of course, can differ dramatically, depending on the methodology, but we like the Rasmussen poll here because it has a sound history, and is a rolling poll that publishes results every weekday.  The president is making steady, incremental gains.  From Rasmussen this morning: 

The Rasmussen Reports daily Presidential Tracking Poll for Wednesday shows that 45% of Likely U.S. Voters approve of President Trump’s job performance. Fifty-three percent (53%) disapprove.
The latest figures include 29% who Strongly Approve of the way Trump is performing and 44% who Strongly Disapprove. This gives him a Presidential Approval Index rating of -15.

COMMENT:  That is not a bad number.  Other polls show Trump lower, and CNN will always pick the worst numbers to use.  But Trump regularly underpolls, and I would guess, based on his polling history, that he's somewhere in the low- to mid-forties.  Obama spent a good part of his administration in the mid-forties, but it's unlikely you'll be told that by the mainstream media. 

Mr. Trump will have a harder time rising, despite his accomplishments, because the hatred toward him in the press is so great.  There's a point where it's very difficult to overcome fanatical negativity.  But he is building.  That can't be denied, but will be.

December 27,  2017    Permalink