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

TAKE THAT, BARACK – FROM CNBC:  Global investors are betting on America's economic success now more than ever, Morgan Stanley's Ruchir Sharma told CNBC on Monday.  "This year has been a story of how well America has done," he said on "Squawk Box," calling it an example of "American exceptionalism."  "We may or may not believe in [American exceptionalism], but the financial markets have never believed in it to such an extent," added Sharma, head of emerging markets and chief global strategist at Morgan Stanley Investment Management. The global firm has $474 billion in assets under management, as of June 30, 2018.  The strong economy has been touted by Trump administration officials such as top aide Larry Kudlow, who called it "the hottest economy in the world."  The respect we get may be grudging, but it's there.  America as a true world power is back, and the world benefits.

YOUNG MEN IN DANGER – FROM RASMUSSEN:   Responding to the drumbeat of support by Democrats for the still unproven sexual assault allegations against U.S. Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh, President Trump said this week, “It’s a very scary time for young men in America when you can be found guilty of something that you may not be guilty of.” Most voters agree.  The latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone and online survey finds that 57% of Likely U.S. Voters agree with Trump’s statement. Thirty-four percent (34%) disagree.  And many Americans don't understand that when they send a child to a private college, he or she is not protected by the Bill of Rights.  That can be changed.

WE FEEL HIS PAIN – FROM INDIEWIRE:   Robert Redford may be done acting, but he’s not riding off into the sunset anytime soon. The actor, filmmaker, and Sundance Film Festival founder published “A Brief Statement About Big Things” on the Sundance Institute’s website yesterday, writing that he feels “out of place in the country I was born into” for the first time he can remember and that he has “watched with sadness as our civil servants have failed us.”  The overtly political speech was published the same day that Brett Kavanaugh’s ascension to the Supreme Court following a nasty confirmation process that once again emphasized how bitterly divided the country has become. Neither Kavanaugh nor anyone else is mentioned by name, but Redford citing “bigotry, mean-spiritedness, and mockery as the now-normal tools of the trade” suggests his anger probably isn’t directed at Amy Klobuchar.  Each night I go to bed ashamed at the way we have let Robert Redford down.

October 8, 2018