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

WE SURE NEED THIS – FROM BREITBART:  During a Q&A hosted by the Washington Post, House Speaker Paul Ryan positioned Mitt Romney as John McCain’s moral successor.  In one of the last interviews Ryan will have given as House Speaker, he praised his long-time friend, former running mate, and Utah senator-elect. “It’s great that he’s coming,” Ryan said. “Mitt believes there’s a role for him … as a standard-bearer for our party.”  McCain was a maverick GOP element in public perception, often resisting his own party’s majority stance on key issues as a matter of principle. Before his death, McCain famously voted against the repeal-and-replace Republican health care bill that would have crippled Obamacare, drawing Trump’s ire.  The animosity between the two culminated in Trump being asked not to attend McCain’s funeral after he died of brain cancer, apparently in alignment with the late senator’s wishes. Romney is a similarly resistant conservative figure, most recently calling out President Donald Trump for his skirmishes with the “fake news” media.  I would not be shocked if Romney challenges Trump for the 2020 nomination.  Why wouldn't he?  He doesn't want to be in the Senate.  He wants the top job, and in 2020 he'll be 73.  Probably his last chance.

CHILLING – FROM DAILY CALLER:   Google employees debated whether to bury conservative media outlets in search results as a response to President Donald Trump’s election in 2016, internal Google communications obtained by The Daily Caller News Foundation reveal.  The Daily Caller and Breitbart were specifically singled out as outlets to potentially bury in search results, the communications reveal.  Trump’s election in 2016 shocked many Google employees, who had been counting on Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton to win.  Communications obtained by The DCNF show that internal Google discussions went beyond expressing remorse over Clinton’s loss to actually discussing ways Google could prevent Trump from winning again.  The idea of manipulating searches goes far beyond any legitimate concept of freedom of the press.  It's the kind of thing that must be stopped, and I'm sure there are Constitutional ways to stop it.

A PARTY OF CHILDREN – FROM CNBC:  Rep. Beto O'Rourke, who became a hero within the Democratic Party while losing a surprisingly tight race against Texas GOP Sen. Ted Cruz, has already been invited to New Hampshire to speak with voters and meet experienced political operators in the key primary state, CNBC has learned.  Since O'Rourke's loss earlier this month, Rob Friedlander, a senior advisor to the Texas Democrat's campaign, has received calls from the New Hampshire Young Democrats requesting that O'Rourke come to the Granite State, according to people familiar with the matter. The goal would be to have O'Rourke tour parts of the state and interact with voters.  The New Hampshire Young Democrats "extended an invitation via email.  Well, the Dems nominated an empty suit named Obama.  Why shouldn't they nominate empty jeans named O'Rourke?

November 29, 2018