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FEBRUARY 6,  2017

SHORT TAKES ON THE DRIFTING WRECKAGE – AT 11:57 P.M. ET: 

SPORTSMANSHIP – FROM BREITBART:   As the New England Patriots performed a miraculous come-from-behind win to clinch another Super Bowl title, giving quarterback Tom Brady an historic fifth Super Bowl ring, liberals from coast to coast lapsed into despair that anyone close to President Donald Trump could become winners.  As soon as Patriots running back James White stretched over into the end zone to slam the pigskin down for that game-winning touch down, liberals took to Twitter to vent their outrage.  Immediately the hash tag #notmysuperbowlchampion started trending with many slamming Brady and Trump.  The word "crisis" is overused.  But, if we have a true crisis in America, it's a maturity crisis.  We are becoming a nation of perpetual adolescents.

MAJOR DIETING NEWS – FROM ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY:   Most people turn to diets and exercise to lose extra pounds, but Girls star Lena Dunham is sharing a new weight-loss trick you may not want to try at home.  Dunham stopped by Howard Stern’s SiriusXM radio show Monday morning and revealed that she has none other than Donald Trump to thank for her slim figure.  “Donald Trump became president and I stopped being able to eat food,” she told Stern after he complimented her look. “Everyone’s been asking like, ‘What have you been doing?’ And I’m like, ‘Try soul-crushing pain and devastation and hopelessness and you, too, will lose weight.'”  The actress, who was on hand to promote the upcoming sixth and final season of Girls, has not been shy about her dislike for the President, and apparently, the feeling is mutual.  I watch videos of Elizabeth Warren.  It has the same effect.

GREAT MOMENTS IN SCHOLARSHIP – FROM THE COLLEGE FIX:   Santa Clara University’s student government recently voted to deny a pro-capitalism campus club official recognition, citing the possibility that the group may invite conservative speakers, and that allowing it would be a stand against “humanity.”  Santa Clara University’s student senate voted 16-10 on Feb. 2 to deny the conservative club Turning Point USA official status. That decision severely hampers the group’s ability to spread its free market message on campus, as the group cannot use campus funds to invite speakers without official recognition, and must recruit a staff member to book space for its activities.  At the Senate meeting, debate erupted after representatives from the Jesuit university’s multicultural center criticized Turning Point, according to eyewitness accounts and a video obtained by The College Fix.  This is insane, and an insult to free speech and inquiry.  We must develop a mechanism to cut off federal aid to colleges that restrict free speech, and commitment to basic American freedoms should be required for accreditation.

February 6, 2017       Permalink

THE CLOSEST – AT 12:46 P.M. ET:   Because of Democratic obstruction, many of the president's Cabinet nominees have not yet been confirmed by the Senate.  It is expected that all will eventually get through, but one will require a historic tie-breaking vote by the vice president.  From the New York Post: 

WASHINGTON — The Senate begins deliberations today on Education Secretary nominee Betsy DeVos, whose confirmation is likely to require a tie-breaking vote by Vice President Mike Pence.

The final vote is shaping up as 50-50, with all Democrats unified in opposition along with two of the 52 Republicans – Susan Collins of Maine and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska.

Pence predicted Sunday he’ll be needed to push DeVos over the finish line.

“I’m going to be called on … for the first time in American history as vice president to cast the deciding tie-breaking vote for a cabinet nominee,” Pence told “Fox News Sunday.”

He blamed the close vote on Democratic “obstruction.”

“We are very confident that Betsy DeVos is going to be the secretary of education,” Pence added. “It would be my high honor to cast the deciding tie-breaking vote on the floor of the Senate.”

COMMENT:  What a disgrace!  Democrats are voting almost as a bloc against virtually all Trump's nominees.  How thoughtful.  How patriotic.  It is frightening to think of how the far left has the Democratic Party at its mercy.  Qualifications don't mean a thing.  Resistance is the only thing they know.

And they haven't even started on Judge Gorsuch, one of the finest nominees to the Supreme Court we've ever seen.

February 6, 2017       Permalink

THE WAYWARD PRESS – AT 9:46 A.M. ET:   That was the way the late critic, A.J. Liebling, described the press.  Wayward then, wayward now.  Except the waywardness now is far more vicious.  In the opening weeks of the Trump administration we've seen a press literally out of control, anguished that their gal lost the election, unable to cope.  There are clinics for this.  Prescription drugs.  Counseling.  Religious instruction.  But the journalists avoid all of them.  And the media mistakes are piling up.  From Daily Caller: 

Journalists can’t seem to get their stories straight in the opening weeks of the Trump administration, whether in tweets or in articles where falsehoods have been spread almost daily.

The mistakes have not just been from newer liberal news outlets such The Huffington Post or BuzzFeed, but from legacy media like Reuters, The Washington Post, and The New York Times.

What follows are several botched stories or conflicting reports since President Trump took office.

The Trump administration eases sanctions on a Russian intelligence agency.

NBC reported Thursday that the Trump administration was easing sanctions on the FSB, one of Russia’s primary intelligence agencies. Peter Alexander, NBC’s national correspondent, tweeted, “US Treasury Dept easing Obama admin sanctions to allow companies to do transactions with Russia’s FSB, successor org to KGB.”

Less than an hour later, he wrote, “Source familiar w sanctions says it’s a technical fix, planned under Obama, to avoid unintended consequences of cybersanctions.” His initial and incorrect tweet received nearly seven thousand retweets and the correction has less than 300 retweets.

Vanity Fair is still running the uncorrected article: “Russian Stocks Surge As Comrade Trump Eases Relations With Vlad.”

The Department of Homeland Security and the Department of Justice were blindsided by Trump’s executive order on immigration and refugees.

The New York Times came out with a report this past week titled: “How Trump’s Rush to Enact an Immigration Ban Unleashed Global Chaos.”

COMMENT:  Please read the entire well-reported piece.  It demonstrates just how botched things have become in the media.  There is a general recklessness and immaturity, and the clear result of several generations of lightweight "higher" education, administered by leftist leftovers from the 1960s.  Other than that, all is fine.

February 6, 2017       Permalink

I LOVE IT, I LOVE IT, I LOVE IT – AT 9:18 A.M. ET:  Ah, the sense that last night in Houston was election night all over.  We glow.  From Breitbart: 

Pundits and predictors were forced to re-live Election Night on Sunday evening, as Tom Brady, Bill Belichick and the New England Patriots completed an improbable comeback win over the Atlanta Falcons.

After a disastrous first half for the Patriots, the Falcons jumped out to a 28-3 lead early in the second half. At that point, the oddsmakers said there was virtually no chance New England could recover.

There was more than a tinge of delight in some of the predictions, as Brady and Belichick are well-known supporters of President Donald Trump. One the eve of Election Day, at a late-night rally in New Hampshire, Trump read a letter of support from Belichick and informed the crowd that Brady had voted early for him. At the time, journalists mocked Trump’s claims. Super Bowl Sunday looked like an opportunity for revenge — at first.

But then Brady found his groove. Despite Atlanta quarterback Matt Ryan — the league’s Most Valuable Player this season — being on track to set an NFL record for passer rating in the Super Bowl, the New England veteran found a will, and a way, to win.

And suddenly… it was déjà vu, all over again.

The first overtime in history. The greatest comeback in Super Bowl history. The greatest quarterback in history.

There are certainly Trump voters among Falcons fans, who are feeling the pain of defeat.

But CNN is based in… Atlanta.

And those who, like the Washington Post, spent the earlier part of the evening spiking the football…

COMMENT:  That game was spiritual.  Never give up!  I'm not much of a fan.  I've been semi-boycotting organized sports since 1957, when the Dodgers left Brooklyn, and brought decency to an end.  I will someday forgive, but I'll need a written apology. 

Last night was a glorious exception to my general indifference.

February 6,  2017     Permalink

FEBRUARY 5,  2017

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

COMEBACK – Super Bowl 51 was the most exciting football game I've ever seen.  It was also the first Super Bowl to go into overtime.  The Patriots' spectacular come-from-behind victory is already being compared, in many spots on the internet, to Donald Trump's election victory.  Who could have predicted it?  The lesson, of course, is the one recited often by the late poet, Yogi Berra, who said, "It ain't over 'til it's over."  At the same time, the Atlanta Falcons must have been crushed by disappointment, having been ahead by so much during most of the game.  They behaved with great dignity and class, and should be a role model for the Democratic Party, which never heard of dignity and class. 

SAD – FROM CBS LOCAL:   SAN FRANCISCO (KPIX 5) — Some East Bay conservatives say they live a secret life. They can never tell anyone what they really feel like in fear of their safety.  Robert Ward is coming out conservative, but in a place he says is risky for those who share his beliefs.  “If you witness what happened in Berkeley, actually they are so violent on top of it. I mean being a conservative in the Bay Area is like being a heretic,” says Ward. “You lead a double life. You can never tell your friends and co-workers.”  Robert says several Bay Area conservatives have secret meet ups like the one KPIX 5 was invited to visit in the East Bay.  There are more and more stories like this.  There's a conservative group in Hollywood that refuses to keep membership lists for fear they'll be stolen and used for retaliation.  This is happening in the land of the free and the home of the brave.  Where are the "civil liberties" organizations?

AN ADULT – FROM THE HILL:   Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney is praising President Trump's "strong start," citing his early push to fulfill various campaign pledges.  "We're all watching with interest. He’s obviously gotten off to a very strong start in terms of making a series of executive orders and making the changes that he promised during the campaign," Romney told the Deseret News on Friday.  The 2012 GOP presidential nominee acknowledged that Trump has faced "some bumps in the road."  Trump has issued a series of executive orders, but has faced huge backlash over his Jan. 27 order denying entry to nationals from seven predominantly Muslim countries.  Trump attacked Romney viciously, and Romney returned the fire, during the 2016 campaign.  Romney's comments show that he's a big man, a grown-up, who can look ahead rather than behind.  He would have made a fine president.

February 5,  2017     Permalink

SUPER DAY – AT 1:55 P.M. ET:  I love the Super Bowl.  It's so quintessentially American.   I doubt Meryl Streep will watch it, which is one reason I will. 

Naturally, the game is now embroiled in politics, with some commentators actually criticizing New England Patriots owner Bob Kraft and star quarterback Tom Brady because they know Donald Trump.  It's come to that.  I wonder if they'll be any political incidents during the game or the halftime show.  I hope not.

By the way, Bob Kraft, in a Fox interview, described his relationship with the president.  From Fox: 

In anticipation of his team's appearance in the Super Bowl, New England Patriots owner joined "Fox & Friends" Friday to discuss his 20-year friendship with President Donald Trump.

"He's been great to me over those last two decades," said Kraft, whose team is set to make its eighth Super Bowl appearance Sunday.

Kraft's wife, Myra, died from ovarian cancer in July 2011. He said Trump was there for support when he needed it most.

"In the toughest time in my life, he was there for me when my beloved wife died five and half years ago. He came to the funeral with Melania. He visited me at my home memorial. He called me once a week for a year," Kraft said.

Kraft said Trump will play an integral role in creating a vibrant economy to create jobs in the country.

"I think his intent is to do things that can help the business environment in America," Kraft said.

COMMENT:  It's good to hear something good said about the president, amidst all the viciousness.  He sounds like a standup guy to me.

February 5, 2017       Permalink

WILL THE DEMS LOSE THIS ONE? – AT 12:31 P.M. ET:  Democratic Senator Joe Manchin of West Virginia must now be called a DINO – a Democrat in Name Only.  He represents a state that once was a Democratic stronghold and is now tilting very strongly Republican.  He was governor of that state.

Manchin is up for re-election in 2018, and clearly knows he's at risk if he runs on the Democratic ticket.  So he is distancing himself, more and more.  From Daily Caller:

Imagine the intensifying pressure on West Virginia Sen. Joe Manchin, the Senate’s most approachable Democrat for Republicans.

In the increasingly toxic, partisan Washington, D.C., Manchin walks a treacherous path down the middle of the road. He says, “I’m a West Virginia Democrat, not a Washington Democrat.” He looks for solutions, but says “this toxic atmosphere is not for me. It’s not who I am,” he told The Daily Caller News Foundation.

He describes President Donald Trump voters in West Virginia “like returning Vietnam veterans who did everything their country asked and then got kicked in the teeth.” He says his state has done the heavy lifting for America – mining, manufacturing to be the superpower of the world — but the Obama energy and environment policies crushed West Virginia’s spirit.

When his state elected Trump, they rejected “a traditional Democrat and a traditional Republican,” he said. Critiquing the dominant policies in his own party, Manchin says, it’s almost gotten to the point that “the Democrats are preventing the working class from working.” He thinks Trump is committed to getting things done, and in a “troubled world and a divided country,” Manchin is ready to help.

COMMENT:  Sounds like a man who might switch parties.  I hope he does.  He is not wanted among the Democrats.  Being a white, straight man, he is definitely not wanted.

There are other Democratic senators from very red states who are also up in 2018.  They are all potential defectors. 

February 5, 2017       Permalink

AND WHY NOT? – AT 11:22 A.M. ET:  President Trump has made an outstanding nomination to the United States Supreme Court, and apparently the public agrees.  From CNN:

Washington (CNN) Americans' first impressions of Supreme Court nominee Neil Gorsuch tilt positive, and a plurality say the Senate ought to vote to confirm President Donald Trump's selection to replace Justice Antonin Scalia, according to a new CNN/ORC poll.

Overall, 49% say the Senate should vote to confirm Gorsuch, who is a federal judge. That's roughly the same share that said so about Samuel Alito in 2005 and Sonia Sotomayor in 2009 shortly after their nominations were announced. Support for Gorsuch is just a hair below that of former President Barack Obama's selection for the same seat, Merrick Garland (52% supported a vote in favor), who did not receive a hearing or confirmation vote in the Senate.

About half say Gorsuch's ideological position is about right (49%), less than said so about Garland (56%). About a third, 34%, say they think Gorsuch will be too conservative, higher than the share who said so of other successful GOP nominees Alito (29%), John Roberts (24%) or Clarence Thomas (20%).

Overall, though, 39% say they have a positive first impression of Gorsuch, significantly higher than the 24% who say they have a negative impression of him. More, 45%, said they had a positive first impression of Garland after his pick was announced last year and 54% felt positively about Roberts after his announcement.

COMMENT:  I'm confident Gorsuch will eventually be confirmed, but there will be a bloody fight.  The Democratic Party is increasingly controlled by its militant left wing, and it will try to destroy any Democrat who refuses the path of massive resistance.

February 5,  2017     Permalink