Please note that you can leave a comment on any of our posts at our Facebook page.  Subscribers can also comment at length at our Angel's Corner Forum.

Our Angel's Corner archive is here.

OCTOBER 9,  2016

THE DEBATE – AT 12:51 P.M. ET:  A YouGov poll of registered voters gave the debate to Clinton, 47-42%, a gap of only five points.  Compare to the 23-point gap for Clinton in the CNN poll, showing that these early polls are wild.  I wouldn't take them seriously.  There is a tone to the commentary, and the great confidence of the Trump people, that tells me that Trump, despite all his baggage, won.  We await the real polls in a few days.

THE DEBATE – AT 12:12 A.M. ET:  A flash CNN poll gives the debate to Clinton by a substantial margin – 57% to 34%, but we don't know who was polled and how the poll was conducted.  By contrast, a Frank Luntz focus group has Trump the big winner.  We'll get real polls in a few days.

THE DEBATE – AT 11:50 P.M. ET:  Charles Krauthammer just made the point at Fox that Trump won because he survived.  He came into the debate with his campaign in shrewds, and with many Republicans jumping ship.  He emerged after a convincing performance, at least holding his own against Hillary Clinton.  Given what he needed to do, that is a victory in Krauthammer's eyes.

I'm not seeing too many reactions saying Clinton won, and those who say it are the usual suspects. 

THE DEBATE – AT 11:14 P.M. ET:  There'll be no "Short Takes" tonight, as I'm gathering reactions to the presidential debate.

Overall, I get the sense, and agree with it, that Trump won, once he got over the talk about that trash tape that was leaked several days ago.  He handled that fairly well, although the impact of the tape itself, if replayed, will be just as strong.

Trump had a much better debate than he had two weeks ago.  He was coherent and thoughtful, and he knew how to appeal to individual members of the public both rationally and emotionally.  Once again, Hillary Clinton, an accomplished debater, seemed contrived.  She did nothing to remove the impression of a devious politician scooping for votes, and nothing else.

Stand by for more... 

A WARNING – AT 10:58 A.M.  ET:  Outside our election campaign, there is the real world.  And it's increasingly dangerous.   From foreigndesknews.com: 

Seven of the nine ISIS jihadis who launched a series of coordinated terrorist attacks in Paris last November entered Europe by posing as refugees.

The attackers were part of a group of 14 who plotted their way into Western Europe by riding the wave of the migrant crisis last year, according to Hungarian security officials.

By using fake Syrian passports, many of the attackers, already on European terror watch-lists, were able to slip back into Europe undetected, along with thousands of other refugees.

One hundred and thirty people were killed in November when a group of gunmen and suicide bombers launched a wave of attacks across Paris, targeting the Bataclan concert hall, the Stade De France and several restaurants and bars. Three hundred sixty-eight people were also injured in the attacks, almost 100 of them seriously.

Some of the remaining terrorists in the group participated in the Brussels attacks earlier this year in three coordinated suicide bombings at Brussels Airport and at Maalbeek metro station killed 32 people.

Counterterrorism officials in Hungary believe ISIS set up a “logistics hub” in the country in the Summer of 2015 at the peak of the migrant crisis, with jihadis taking advantage of Europe’s porous borders to slip into Western Europe through Eastern Europe's Balkan routes.

COMMENT:  The story is not surprising.  And it should focus our attention on the "refugee" stream coming into the United States under Barack Obama.  Hillary Clinton apparently has no problem with that stream.  The Democratic Party sees it as a source of new votes.

Americans – we don't yet know their names – will pay the price.

October 9,  2016     Permalink

SAVING TRUMP – AT 10:15 A.M. ET:  The presidential debate is tonight.  The drama is high.  Donald Trump, that old self-inflicted wound, is in serious trouble over an old tape that shows him making vulgar remarks about women.  The Clinton media is delighted, and cooperating fully in Trump's destruction.  Talk of foreign policy, a weak economy, poor presidential leadership, has been all but forgotten.

Can Trump be saved?  Old, seasoned, Republican operative Ed Rollins, gives some advice.  From the New York Post: 

The Trump campaign has had a rough ten days.

First it was his perceived weak performance in the first debate, followed by 3 am tweets insulting a former Miss Universe, and now the candidate has to control the severe damage wrought by the disturbing release of an 11-year-old video and audio tape in which he uses inappropriate and insulting language regarding a woman television personality.

It’s now a full blown crisis and only Trump can fix it.

Here’s how he can turn it around:

Do another mea culpa. And make it sincere. Apologize to your wife and daughters and all other women. Donald should bring this up during the first question of Sunday’s debate and address it.

Get on the phone and apologize to party leaders and eat humble pie. You’ve got to let them vent. If this controversy festers, the party could cut off the resources for get-out-the voter efforts, and then he’s dead.

Shift to issues. Talk about the economy and creating jobs. He’s got to show the contrast between him and Hillary.

Treat Mrs. Clinton with respect in the debate. You want to come off as a leader, not a chauvinist pig. Don’t interrupt her. Counter her points. He didn’t do that last time.

Don’t mention Bill Clinton and his sexual dalliances. People know about Bill Clinton’s indiscretions. He was elected twice president. At the end of the day, Hillary is running, Bill isn’t running.

Understand he has two debates and four weeks to turn this around. If Trump has a bad debate Sunday, he’s done. He has to have the debate of his life. He has to do the ultimate sales job of his life. Trump can’t have another bad week. The party will abandon him.

COMMENT:   Good advice.  I doubt if it will be followed.  In addition, so many Republicans are jumping ship that it would take a spectacular performance by Trump tonight to save his campaign.

Hillary Clinton is a vile, corrupt individual, a hypocrite who has made tens of millions of dollars selling influence.  She will, unless something drastic happens, be our next president.  If she is elected, you will see the greatest media cover-up in history to protect her. 

It will then be up to the Republican Party to devote itself entirely to rebuilding, to reforming its nominating system, and to preparing for 2018 and 2020.  The future of this Republic depends on its success.

October 9, 2016       Permalink

DUMP TRUMP? – AT 9:25 A.M. ET:  This may be a lot more serious than we think right now.  Can Donald Trump survive as the GOP presidential candidate?  The Friday tape release was devastating, and it's being reported that there are more tapes to come.  From The Hill:

Senate Republican leadership and vulnerable GOP incumbents are wrestling with the dilemma of whether to fully withdraw their support from Donald Trump.

They are weighing the potential impact of further party division on voter turnout versus the potential cost to the GOP brand if they stick with the party’s provocative nominee.

It has become clear to party leaders and strategists over the past 24 hours that Trump’s chances of winning the presidency are less than 20 percent, if not less than 10 percent. Now their main concern is saving the Senate Republican majority...

...Democratic strategists say it’s too early to say whether Trump’s implosion will revive their chances in states such as Ohio and Florida, but they think it can make a difference in toss-up states such as New Hampshire and Pennsylvania.

The question for the GOP is how far it’s leaders should go in denouncing him.

“Candidates, officeholders, Republican leaders need to not just disavow the comments, they need to unendorsed Trump and they need to work hard to preserve the Senate, the House, down-ballot races, their own personal integrity and the integrity of the party,” said John Weaver, who served as a senior strategist to Ohio Gov. John Kasich’s 2016 presidential campaign.

But other strategists say down-ballot Republican candidates need to look closely at the demographics and political trends in their home states and do what’s best for their own re-elections.

“Everybody is running a local race, which is what they’ve done from the start,” said a Senate Republican strategist. “Voters are looking for someone who can represent them and put them first, before a Clinton presidency or a Trump presidency. [Candidates] should say whatever is necessary to convince voters they will do that.”

While audio of Trump’s lewd remarks about seducing women have led many Republicans and pundits in Washington to write off any chances of an Election Day victory, voters may judge other factors as more important, the strategist cautioned.

“People are skeptical of Washington and skeptical of the press. Trump has used a tone that reflects that skepticism,” the source added.

COMMENT:  Trump has made it clear he won't withdraw.  Party rules may make it impossible to remove him as the candidate unless he's incapacitated.  Also, voting has already begun in some states, and replacing a presidential candidate and choosing a new one may simply be logistically impossible with only a month to go before the election.

On the other hand, there could be a mass defection from the presidential candidate on the part of GOP senators and Senate candidates.  They could simply tell constituents to "vote your conscience" for president, or write in a good conservative.

And remember, there could also be some bombshell that explodes in the Clinton camp in the next month, something that could damage her in a race even against the already wounded Donald Trump.

The next presidential debate is tonight.  For Trump, it's high noon.  He has to have a very solid night, and try to put this latest embarrassment behind him.   If he fails, you'll hear Taps played tomorrow morning.  Look, you never know.  He's not running against a popular figure.  The voters may surprise us, and surprise Ms. Hillary.

October 9, 2016        Permalink

OCTOBER 8,  2016

SHORT TAKES ON THE DRIFTING WRECKAGE – AT 10:25 P.M. ET:   

ANOTHER ONE – FROM ABC NEWS:   Two Palm Springs police officers trying to resolve a family dispute were shot to death Saturday when a man they had been speaking calmly with suddenly pulled out a gun and opened fire on them, the city's police chief told reporters.  A third officer was wounded. The shooter was not immediately apprehended.  "It was a simple family disturbance and he elected to open fire on a few of the guardians of the city," police Chief Bryan Reyes, his voice breaking, told reporters.  The chief, near tears, identified the slain officers as Jose "Gil" Gilbert Vega and Lesley Zerebny.  Police said Zerebny recently returned to the force from maternity leave after giving birth to a now-4-month-old daughter. Vega, the father of eight, was a 35-year veteran who planned to retire in December. The wounded officer's name was not released.  Another in a string of multiple-murders of officers.  I wonder if Obama or Hillary will take notice.  Maybe these lives don't matter.

BERNIE'S PEOPLE UPSET, MAY NEED ZOLOFT – FROM REUTERS:   NEW YORK (Reuters) - Supporters of former Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders on Saturday expressed anger and vindication over leaked comments made by Hillary Clinton to banks and big business that appeared to confirm their fears about her support for global trade and tendency to cozy up to Wall Street.  Clinton, who needs Sanders's coalition of young and left-leaning voters to propel her to the presidency, pushes for open trade and open borders in one of the speeches, and takes a conciliatory approach to Wall Street, both positions she later backed away from in an effort to capture the popular appeal of Sanders's attacks on trade deals and powerful banks.  The excerpts of remarks by the former secretary of state, made in 2013 and 2014 in closed-door meetings where audiences paid to attend, were published online on Friday by WikiLeaks, which sourced them to the email account of John Podesta, Clinton's campaign chairman.  Reuters could not independently verify the authenticity of the speech transcripts. Clinton has previously declined to release any such transcripts.  If Bernie's crowd is angry with Hillary, I consider that a plus for Hillary.  The problem is, Hillary is so dishonest, we don't know what she actually believes.

THIS WAS EXPECTED – FROM THE HILL:    A producer from the reality series “The Apprentice” used Twitter on Saturday night to warn that the now infamous leaked audio of Trump is just the beginning.  “As a producer on seasons 1&2 of #theapprentice I assure you: when it comes to #trump tapes there are far worse,” tweeted Bill Pruitt.  Pruitt is not the first to suggest there will be more revelations about the GOP presidential nominee's past behavior. According to reports by Fox News’ Ed Henry, top Trump adviser Ben Carson suggested there would be more “bombshells” to come.  Rumblings are increasing that top Republicans either want Trump to step down, or have the party formally distance itself from him.  But with election only a month away, Republican options are limited. 

October 8,  2016     Permalink

LATEST FOX POLL – AT 1:16 P.M. ET:  This came out just before the Trump and Clinton scandals broke yesterday.  From Fox: 

Hillary Clinton is ahead of Donald Trump by 44-42 percent in a new national Fox News Poll. That’s a two-point edge among likely voters for Clinton. She was up by three points last week (43-40 percent) and by one point in mid-September (41-40 percent).

Third party candidates Gary Johnson (6 percent) and Jill Stein (2 percent) are in single digits.

In the head-to-head matchup, Clinton tops Trump by 48-44 percent. It was 49-44 percent last week. Her lead is within the poll’s margin of error in both the two-way and four-way race.

The GOP nominee has the advantage in interest and enthusiasm. Among those backing Trump, 57 percent are “extremely” interested in the election, and 70 percent support him “strongly.” Among Clinton backers, it’s 50 percent “extremely” interested and 57 percent “strongly.”

Trump is preferred among men (+9 points), whites (+16), voters who attend religious services regularly (+17), and whites without a college degree (+21).

COMMENT:  Now we have the new scandals, and the debate tomorrow night.  The polls next week might look entirely different.

October 8, 2016       Permalink 

TRUMP DEFIANT – AT 12:18 P.M. ET:  It isn't exactly Churchill's, "We shall never surrender," but Donald Trump this morning is insisting that he will never quit the presidential race.  The fact that this discussion is held, however, should be frightening enough for him.  From Fox: 

Donald Trump said Saturday there is “zero chance” he’ll quit the White House race after the release of a damaging audio tape and the ensuing calls from fellow Republicans and others for him to step aside and even let running-mate Mike Pence become the party’s presidential candidate.

Trump, trailing Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton by single digits with four week to go before Election Day, told The Wall Street Journal: “There is zero change I will quit. I’m getting unbelievable support.”

The 2005 audio tape, and an accompanying video tape, released by The Washington Post and NBC on Friday, recorded a conversation between Trump and "Access Hollywood" host Billy Bush in which Trump described an attempt to have sex with a married woman.

Trump also brags about women letting him kiss and grab them because he is famous.

"When you're a star they let you do it," Trump says. "You can do anything." He later used a crude term for part of a woman's anatomy.

Also on Saturday, Trump told The Post that we would not drop out of the race.

“I’d never withdraw,” Trump, a New York real estate mogul and former reality TV star, told the newspaper in a phone interview. “I’ve never withdrawn in my life. No, I’m not quitting this race. I have tremendous support.”

Meanwhile, top Republicans are distancing themselves from Trump, with some going as far as to call for him to end his White House bid.

The two-highest-ranking Capitol Hill Republicans -- Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and House Speaker Paul Ryan -- chastised Trump for his lewd comments on the tape about women.

“I am sickened by what I heard,” Ryan, Wisconsin, said Friday night after the tape was released and before Trump apologized. “Women are to be championed and revered, not objectified.”

COMMENT:  The election is one calendar month from today.  Trump is clearly despised in many circles, and he's earned it.  But, as we've noted, Hillary Clinton has also earned the "despised" title.  She won't win the election, if present trends continue.  Trump will lose it.  And Americans will wake up to a crook in the White House, a new president married to a former president who himself is a serial sex harasser and a disbarred lawyer. 

October 8, 2016       Permalink

AWFUL – AT 11:31 A.M. ET:  I've rarely seen a worse weekend in American presidential politics.  We have two disgraces running for the presidency.  They are both unqualified by virtue of a lack of virtue.  No character.   And we have a presidential debate tomorrow night.  We should be ashamed.

Donald Trump is a professional sleazeball.  Hillary Clinton is a professional corruptionist.  And one of them will succeed in the office of the president a professional amateur.  Welcome to American leadership.

There are rumblings on the Republican side that Trump must drop out, after the release, by the Washington Post yesterday, of a devastating video that depicts him vividly describing his sexual exploits and targets.  Those who dismiss it as vulgar locker-room talk have never heard men in a locker room.  Yes, men talk about sex and about women, and about body parts, and women know that.  But rarely does the banter reach the level exhibited by Trump in that video.  That's not locker-room talk.  That is a psychological problem. 

The e-mails and transcripts regarding Hillary Clinton, released yesterday by Winkle, are just as bad, portraying Hillary Clinton as the phony she is – one who lies to the public as a matter of course.  "Oh, but they all do it, don't they?"  Well, politicians are manipulative, but it depends on the degree.  Most have limits.  Hillary has none.  She's Trump without the sex.

The Hillary story has been buried by the Trump story.  Once again we see the impact of a dishonest and biased press.  And there is serious talk on the Republican side of replacing Trump.  I don't think it will reach that point, but we can expect to see more and more Republicans distancing themselves from their presidential nominee, taking back their endorsement, and concentrating on Senate and Congressional races.  Indeed, the race for the Senate may be the most important one this year, as Republicans try to counter the expected election of Hillary Clinton.

In 1968 the Republicans nominated the stale, disliked Richard Nixon.  He was elected, to not much applause.  Nixon had a flawed character.  But we have never seen, in presidential politics, anything like the Trump video.  And we wonder if there are more coming.

October 8,  2016     Permalink