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OCTOBER 6,  2016

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

THE SUDDENLY TASTEFUL HILLARY – FROM FOX:   The Hillary Clinton campaign has delayed a planned Florida ad buy on the Weather Channel after facing criticism for targeting voters in the path of Hurricane Matthew.  “We have requested that stations in Florida delay any of those ads on the Weather Channel until after the storm passes,” spokesman Jesse Ferguson said in a statement Thursday.  Politico first reported that the Clinton campaign had planned to spend $63,000 on Weather Channel ads in Florida over a five-day stretch starting Thursday, just as the storm nears the coast.  Politico noted that Donald Trump and other candidates have advertised on the same channel this year. But the bid to capture support from anxious Florida residents in the path of a deadly storm that has triggered mass evacuation orders and is expected to strengthen soon into a destructive Category 4 created a bit of an optics problem.   For the Clintons, their whole lives are a big optics problem.  But at least Hillary is showing a bit of taste.  Just a bit.

THE LEFT AND ITS SCHEMES – FROM FOX:   The Obama adminstration has delayed deportation proceedings against more than 56,000 Central American immigrants who have entered the U.S. illegally since 2014, The New York Times reported Thursday.  Federal officials told the Times that some deportation cases have been pushed as far back as 2023, creating what one retired immigration judge called "docket chaos."  Some of those whose cases have been delayed failed to report to government offices to be fitted with GPS ankle bracelets, the Times reports. Now, federal officials admit that many immigrants with delayed cases may never report for their court dates.  In June 2014, the White House said it would work to process and deport illegal immigrants quicker after a surge of families and unaccompanied minors crossed the southern U.S. border over the previous months. The Times reported Thursday that deportation proceedings for unaccompanied minors are still being expedited.  A total disgrace.  The bottom line is that the Democrats like illegal immigrants.  It hopes to turn them into Democratic voters, and the strategy may work.

CORRUPTION MARCHES ON – FROM THE WASHINGTON FREE BEACON:    Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton sought to arrange Pentagon and State Department consulting contracts for her daughter’s friend, prompting concerns of federal ethics rules violations.  Clinton in 2009 arranged meetings between Jacqueline Newmyer Deal, a friend of Chelsea Clinton and head of the defense consulting group Long Term Strategy Group, with Pentagon officials that involved contracting discussions, according to emails from Clinton’s private server made public recently by the State Department. Clinton also tried to help Deal win a contract for consulting work with the State Department’s director of policy planning, according to the emails.  Deal is a close friend of Chelsea Clinton, who is vice chair of the Clinton Foundation. Emails between the two were included among the thousands recovered from a private email server used by the secretary of state between 2009 and 2013. Chelsea Clinton has described Deal as her best friend. Both Clintons attended Deal’s 2011 wedding.  I'm so glad that Chelsea is learning the family business. 

October 6, 2016       Permalink

IS TRUMP EDGING BACK? – AT 9:46 A.M. ET:  We always urge readers to look at polls carefully, and with some skepticism.  However, there does seem to be a bit of a trend back to Donald Trump and Mike Pence this week, fueled partly by Pence's debate performance.  Again, read with care.  From Rasmussen:

Donald Trump has gained another point on Hillary Clinton in the wake of Tuesday night’s vice presidential debate.

The latest Rasmussen Reports White House Watch telephone and online survey of Likely U.S. Voters finds Trump with a 43% to 41% lead over Clinton. Yesterday, he was ahead 42% to 41%. Libertarian candidate Gary Johnson again earns eight percent (8%) of the vote, while three percent (3%) prefer the Green Party’s Jill Stein. Two percent (2%) like some other candidate, and four percent (4%) are undecided. (To see survey question wording, click here.)

Trump has been edging back all week. He was five points ahead of Clinton going into their first debate last week but then fell behind by three after widespread criticism of his debate performance. By this past Monday, however, the two major party candidates were in a near tie, and Trump has gained a point on Clinton each day since then.

COMMENT:  This all leads into Sunday's debate, three days from now.  These polls will be washed away by the outcome of that contest.  It will be a town-hall format, where citizen questions are asked.  Theoretically, that should be better for Trump, but there are no guarantees.

At this point, it's still a close race.  But, bottom line, most polls still show Clinton ahead.

October 6, 2016       Permalink

UNBELIEVABLE – AT 9:18 A.M. ET:  The level of our journalism is diving.  Outright fantasy sometimes replaces news, especially when the legacy of Barack Obama is involved.  From Newsbusters:   

President Barack Obama spoke to reporters on Wednesday afternoon in the White House Rose Garden commenting on the required number of nations having ratified the Paris climate change agreement and, almost on cue, NBC’s Ron Allen connected global warming to Hurricane Matthew set to bear down on the Bahamas, the Carolinas, Georgia, and Florida.

Speaking on MSNBC Live to host Kate Snow, Allen first gushed about how the President “believes so deeply in protecting the environment” that the deal marks “one of the most significant aspects of his legacy” before bringing in Hurricane Matthew as a intriguing “practical matter.”

In making the following comments, Allen failed to realize that there hasn’t been a major Atlantic Hurricane to crack the top ten in intensity in nine years and if it comes ashore, Matthew would be the first major hurricane to make landfall in the U.S. since Hurricane Wilma in 2005:

It’s very interesting that this is happening a day when there’s a hurricane bearing down on the United States and in the Caribbean because these severe storms, beach erosions, intense weather episodes that we’ve had is perhaps the most practical sample of what the president was talking about as the threat that the planet faces.

Allen further made his comments seem even more out-of-touch with the reality of the issue concerning broad and long-term trends in our climate when he ruled that hurricanes like Matthew “is what this whole climate agreement signed by 190 nations and now ratified by 60 or so is designed to stop.”

COMMENT:  It not only is the corruption of journalism, it's the corruption of science.  Why aren't science organizations and leaders outraged by that kind of crazy, unscientific logic?  Maybe fame and fortune are involved.  Just sayin'.

October 6, 2016        Permalink

A FINE ROMANCE – AT 8:31 A.M. ET:  The United States and Russia are heading for disaster.  Any talk of a "reset" in relations with Moscow is long gone.  Putin is now making demands on us, something we never thought we'd see when the old Soviet Union was defeated in the Cold War.  From Bloomberg:

The next U.S. administration will inherit the worst relationship with Russia since Ronald Reagan called the Soviet Union an evil empire. Judging from the list of grievances that President Vladimir Putin has laid out, even a relatively Putin-friendly Donald Trump will have a hard time satisfying him.

Putin delivered his message to the future U.S. president Monday, just as the U.S. State Department announced it was suspending negotiations with Russia on a ceasefire in Syria and Russia-backed Syrian troops moved to take more ground in Aleppo. In a bill submitted to parliament, Putin threatened to end a joint U.S.-Russian disarmament program -- in which surplus weapons-grade plutonium is processed into fuel -- unless the U.S. meets certain conditions:

Roll back North Atlantic Treaty Organization infrastructure and reduce NATO personnel to September 2000 levels;

Repeal the Magnitsky Act, which imposed sanctions on Russian officials involved in human rights violations;

Repeal all U.S. sanctions against Russian individuals and businesses;

Compensate Russians for damages incurred by U.S. sanctions and by Russia’s “forced countersanctions”;

Present a “clear plan of irreversible destruction” of U.S. surplus plutonium.

Putin might as well have said the program will resume when hell freezes over. “He asked for too little,” Leonid Volkov, an anti-Putin politician, wrote sarcastically on Facebook. “He should have asked for Alaska back, eternal youth, Elon Musk and a ticket to Disneyland.”

COMMENT:  That Putin would present this list of demands just shows how little he thinks of Barack Obama.  Our president is laughed at and ridiculed.  He always loses, and we really wonder if he ever wants to win.  He is, after all, an old leftist himself.  Obama probably thinks the Cold War was America's fault, especially the fault of those Americans who, as he said, cling to their guns and their religion.

October 6,  2016     Permalink

OCTOBER 5,  2016

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

SICKENING – FROM ABC:  LANCASTER, Calif. (KABC) -- A Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department sergeant died after being shot during a deputy-involved shooting in Lancaster, authorities said.  The department identified him as Steve Owen, 53, a 29-year veteran of the department who had spent the last five years at the Lancaster Station.  Owen and another deputy had responded to a burglary call around noon in the 3200 block of West Avenue J7, sheriff's officials said. The area was contained and during the containment gunfire was heard in the back of the location.  The deputy at the front of the complex ran in the direction of the gunfire and found Owen suffering from a gunshot wound. The suspect then fled the area on foot, ran to the front of the home and attempted to steal Owen's patrol car, according to authorities.   The suspect put the car into reverse, ramming the second patrol car, which resulted in a second deputy-involved shooting, authorities said.  Authorities said the suspect then fled from the area on foot and ran into another home with two teens inside. Special Enforcement Bureau officers were able to get the teens safely out of the home before the suspect was taken into custody.  Let's see if Barack Obama or Hillary Clinton take note of the sergeant's sacrifice, and the heroism of the other officers involved in capturing the suspect.  Let's see if
Anderson Cooper, who will co-moderate this Sunday's presidential debate, bothers to mention the case.  I'm waiting.

OH, WHAT'S A LITTLE CHEATING? – FROM THE HILL:   Hillary Clinton was provided the exact questions she would be asked by daytime talk show host Steve Harvey, according to a report.  The Washington Free Beacon reports that according to a leaked memo it obtained, the Clinton campaign was sent all questions one week by the program before the interview between Clinton and Harvey on Feb. 17.  "Steve is known to be a host who goes out of his way to make his guests feel comfortable,” two of Clinton’s aides wrote Clinton one week before the taping. “We coordinated closely with the show’s producers on the script and format of the show.”  The memo was sent by campaign spokeswoman Karen Finney -- formerly an MSNBC host -- and communications staffer Betsaida Alcantara...The campaign and the Harvey's producers also coordinated on which parts of Clinton’s biography would be introduced and how..  “During this segment Steve will take a trip down memory lane with YOU to talk about the different  moments of YOUR life displayed in the photographs below,” the memo stated.  During the interview, Clinton acted surprised when the photos were placed on screen.  What a fraud.  Republicans should demand, in future presidential years, an independent journalism panel, representing different points of view, that would judge violations of press ethics.  This certainly is one, and a whopper.  Clinton, of course, had no problem with cheating.  No one ever claimed that "honesty" is her middle name.

AL QAEDA RESURGENT – FROM THE TIMES OF LONDON:   A resurgent al-Qaeda is plotting attacks against Britain with renewed vigour as Islamic State comes under pressure, sources said last night.  Sir Michael Fallon, the defence secretary, also told The Times that the terrorist network posed a “very direct threat” to the UK and Europe.  An offshoot in Syria — the Nusra Front, recently renamed the Fateh al-Sham Front — is regarded by the West as the most potent, with senior leaders believed to be on the ground actively working on attack plans. One figurehead of the group was reportedly killed in a US drone strike on Monday.  Please don't wake up Field Marshal Obama and tell him about this.  It might get him upset.

October 5, 2016       Permalink

WHAT RUSSIANS ARE TOLD – AND IT'S CHILLING – AT 11:51 A.M. ET:  Tensions between the U.S. and Russia are growing, over Syria and many other issues.  The so-called "reset" with Russia, initiated by Hillary Clinton when she played at being secretary of state, is history.  American weakness led directly to Russia re-entering the Mideast with military power.  And what are the Russian people being told?  From Metro UK:   

As tensions rise in the middle East, an official TV channel in Russia has issued a chilling warning that war with the West could be imminent.

Zvezda, a nationwide TV service run by the country’s Ministry of Defence, said last week, ‘Schizophrenics from America are sharpening nuclear weapons for Moscow.’

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday proposed a law suspending a Moscow-Washington agreement to dispose of weapons-grade plutonium.

Officials said on Friday that underground shelters had been built which could house 12 milion people – enough for the entire population of Moscow.

Russia has clashed with the Western powers over its policy in Syria – where it’s accused of bombing civilians – and the U.S suspended negotiations with the country yesterday.

Both Russia and NATO are still in the position to unleash global-scale nuclear attacks – and the weapons are armed and ready.

The Arms Control Association says, ‘United States and Russia still deploy more than 1,500 strategic warheads on several hundred bombers and missiles – far more than necessary to deter nuclear attack – and they are modernizing their nuclear delivery systems.

COMMENT:  The war words may simply be internal government propaganda, but we're seeing more and more reports of similar saber-rattling in a number of publications. 

In 2012, Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney warned that Russia was our number one enemy.  He was widely ridiculed by the mainstream media.  I haven't seen any "journalists" apologizing to Romney.

We are weakening our defenses at the same time that the Russians are improving theirs.  They lost the Cold War but they're back on track, building the most modern jet aircraft.  And they act with impunity.

Weakness has its results.  Will we learn?

October 5, 2016       Permalink

WRONG TRACK – AT 10:22 A.M. ET:  The right track/wrong track polls, measuring whether voters feel the country is heading right or wrong, are often seen as general predictors of elections, although the record is mixed.  The latest poll, reported Monday, is from Rasmussen:   

Twenty-nine percent (29%) of Likely U.S. Voters think the country is heading in the right direction, according to a new Rasmussen Reports national telephone and online survey for the week ending September 29.

That is an abysmally low figure.

The national telephone survey of 2,500 Likely Voters was conducted by Rasmussen Reports from September 25-29, 2016. The margin of sampling error for the survey is +/- 2 percentage points with a 95% level of confidence.

And this morning Rasmussen was out with its latest tracker, showing progress for the Trump/Pence ticket:

The two major presidential candidates remain in a dead heat, but Donald Trump has regained the edge.

The latest Rasmussen Reports White House Watch survey shows Trump with 42% support among Likely U.S. Voters to Hillary Clinton’s 41%. Yesterday, it was the other way around, Clinton 42%, Trump 41%, and the day before Clinton had a 43% to 40% advantage. This is the first time Trump has been ahead since before the first presidential debate last week.

Libertarian candidate Gary Johnson earns eight percent (8%) support in the latest survey, and Green Party nominee Jill Stein remains at two percent (2%). Another two percent (2%) like some other candidate, and three percent (3%) are undecided. (To see survey question wording, click here.)

Among the 82% of voters who say they are certain how they will vote, Trump leads 48% to 47%. Among those who say they still could change their minds, it’s Trump 32%, Clinton 30%, Johnson 27% and Stein 11%.

This survey was largely completed prior to last night’s debate between Democratic vice presidential nominee Tim Kaine and Trump’s running mate Mike Pence.

COMMENT:  We should stress that Rasmussen tilts slightly Republican.  Other polls show Clinton ahead, by an average of 3-4 points.  Last night's debate might give the Trump ticket a small boost.  It certainly did not help the Clinton ticket. 

We are four days away from the next presidential debate.  Projecting ahead, it's possible we'll go into that debate with a very close race, featuring a small Clinton lead.

October 5, 2016       Permalink

ALL PENCE ALL THE TIME – AT 9:52 A.M. ET:  There is almost universal agreement this morning that Mike Pence, with his steadiness and refusal to be baited, won last night.  Democrat Tim Kaine, acting the bully and armed with rehearsed attack lines, was the loser. 

The question being widely asked is whether Trump can build on Pence's success in Sunday night's debate. 

I thought Scott Johnson's summary of last night's debate, at Powerline, was superb:

The vice-presidential debate between Senator Tim Kaine and Governor Mike Pence last night gave us two sides of Kaine: Kaine can’t and Kaine cant.

Kaine can’t say he’ll be Clinton’s right-hand man. No, he’ll be her “right-hand person.”

When it comes to men, Democrats are riding the culture wave and would prefer not to distinguish between men and women for certain purposes. Announcing himself Hillary Clinton’s right-hand man wouldn’t be prudent. It would be insensitive. It would be exclusionary. Tim Kaine loves you, in your many genders and varieties and manifestations, even if Hillary Clinton will be our first woman president and not our current presidential person.

And...

Kaine’s cant also featured several assertions that the Iran deal has stopped Iran’s nuclear program. As always, the Democrats seek to exploit the profound ignorance of their prospective supporters. Iran’s nuclear program not only continues, the Iran deal funds it for the indefinite future.

And...

Kaine seeks to present himself as a nice guy. His performance showed him to be a phony (as he is a phony moderate). The nice guy thing is his persona; he’s a jerk following orders or simply a jerk. I’ve met a lot of politicians like him and I hate the type.

Pence presented a strong critique of Clinton on conservative grounds. He maintained his presence of mind through Kaine’s constant interruptions. He touted his own record as governor of Indiana (without objection or response). He disparaged Kaine’s record as governor of Virginia (without objection or response).

And...

I wished Pence could make a difference in the election and I wished he were the candidate at the top of the ticket. He seemed to me to show the appeal of the conservative case against the Obama era that Clinton promises to deepen and extend.

COMMENT:  Read the whole thing.  It's worth it.

October 5,  2016     Permalink