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I appeared on Silvio Canto Jr's increasingly popular talk show from Dallas yesterday.  It's here.

AUGUST 3,  2015

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

HOT IN IRAN – From Fox:   The Middle East is trapped under a brutal “heat dome” that has brought apocalyptic weather and a heat index that makes it feel like 164 degrees in one Iranian city.  For more than a week, Iran and Iraq have endured scorching temperatures, prompting Baghdad to declare a four-day “heat holiday” and leaving the Iranian city of Bandar Mahshahr dangerously close to breaking the all-time record with a heat index of 164 degrees on Friday.  They should consult Al Gore.  He'll recommend plug-in camels and rubber-band engines for airliners.

SICKENING – From Judicial Watch:  The U.S. government paid a controversial civil rights activist/comedian to deliver an anti-white racist tirade at a major federal agency during Black History month and Judicial Watch has obtained the disturbing transcript of the offensive political rant.  It took place at the United States Census Bureau earlier this year and the paid speaker was Dick Gregory, a self-professed humanitarian and drum major for justice who claims that his social satire changed the way white Americans perceive African American comedians. But Gregory’s angry outburst at the Census Bureau was not funny to some employees and the agency was forced to explain that it will thoroughly review its procedures for selecting future speakers to “ensure their views are appropriate for the federal workplace.”  Based on Gregory’s well-known reputation as a fiery race-baiter, it’s unlikely that the government officials who booked him didn’t know about his discriminating, shock-based performances.  Gregory was actually a pretty decent comedian about 50 years ago, then he descended into race-baiting and conspiracy theories.  Talent gone to waste.

GREECE AT HOME – From AP:   SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) -- The government of Puerto Rico confirmed Monday that it failed to make a $58 million debt payment in a significant escalation of the debt crisis facing the U.S. island territory.  Puerto Rico made a partial payment of $628,000 in interest but could not afford to make the remainder, which was due Saturday, because the legislature did not appropriate the funds, said Melba Acosta Febo, president of the Government Development Bank.  The White House assures us that no federal bailout is planned.  Nonsense.  As we get closer to election time, watch for that bailout to suddenly appear.

THE DOCTOR IS NOT IN – From The Washington Times:   Obamacare has offered insurance to millions of people, but they’re unhappy with the coverage they’re getting and are particularly upset about the costs, according to a survey released Monday that suggests the health care law continues to struggle to win over Americans.  Just 30 percent of customers on Obamacare’s exchanges were satisfied with their coverage, the health care research arm of the Deloitte consulting firm said.  Only a quarter of Obamacare customers in the survey were confident that they could get care when they needed it, and just 16 percent felt “financially prepared” to handle future health care costs, Deloitte said.  “Those are not high numbers,” said Paul Lambdin, a director for Deloitte’s work on insurance exchanges and retail practices.  It was done so badly, but Obama may well be out of office before most Americans realize they've been duped.  Then the Dems will blame Bush, Cheney, and climate change.

August 3, 2015       Permalink

IS TRUMP TRUMPING ALL? – AT 10:31 A.M. ET:  A new poll shows the stubborn strength that Donald Trump is maintaining.  Is it really a tribute to him, though, or is it a rebellion against the party establishment?  From Rasmussen:   

If “The Donald” loses the Republican presidential nomination and runs as a third-party candidate, he definitely could put a crimp in GOP hopes to reclaim the White House.

A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that 29% of Likely U.S. Voters say they are at least somewhat likely to vote for Trump if he is not chosen as the GOP nominee and runs as a third party candidate. But that includes only 14% who say they are Very Likely to vote for him. Sixty-eight percent (68%) say they are unlikely to vote for the billionaire developer if he runs as a third-party presidential candidate, with 51% who say it’s Not At All Likely.

Worrisome for Republicans, however, is the finding that over a third (36%) of Likely GOP Voters say they are likely to vote for Trump if he’s a third-party candidate, with 18% who are Very Likely to do so. One-in-three (33%) voters who are not affiliated with either major party also are likely Trump voters, including 16% who say they are Very Likely to vote for him if he runs third-party.

Even 19% of Democrats describe themselves as likely Trump voters, although that includes just nine percent (9%) who say they are Very Likely to vote that way.

COMMENT:  Before we panic, we should note that it's still very early.  I still maintain that Trump will flame out.  He, like Chris Christie, has the kind of personality that doesn't wear well.  But I could be very wrong.  Clearly, there's a rebellion going on in the GOP, and the party must address it.

August 3, 2015       Permalink

THOSE WERE THE DAYS, MY FRIEND – AT 9:58 A.M. ET:   The word "liberal" is thrown around loosely these days, and even applied to those on the fringe left, who are anything but liberal.  There was a time, though, not long ago, when "liberal" was an honorable word.  True liberals put national defense first, and had a compassionate but not insane domestic policy.  They fought Communism as hard as conservatives did, unlike today.  Jack Kelly recalls the time.  From RealClearPolitics: 

I thought the liberal giants of my youth were usually mistaken, but I never doubted their intelligence, their good intentions or their patriotism.

Those of us who are or were in Army Special Forces will always be grateful to John F. Kennedy for giving us the Green Beret.

No politician has been a more effective defender of America’s national security than Sen. Henry “Scoop” Jackson, D-Wash., for whom I would have voted if Democrats had nominated him for president in 1976 (instead of the pious Jimmy Carter).

Sen. Daniel Patrick Moynihan, D-N.Y., the premier sociologist of his time, was a “social scientist” who was really a scientist. What a concept!

Sen. Hubert Humphrey, D-Minn., was a passionate advocate of equal rights at a time when most other politicians who were happened to be Republicans. Then the mayor of Minneapolis, he fought so hard, and so effectively, against the segregationists at the Democratic National Convention in 1948 that he prompted the Dixiecrat walkout. Mr. Humphrey was the chief sponsor of the landmark Civil Rights Act of 1964.

The “Happy Warrior” was renowned for his exuberance. I remember covering a speech he made to farm reporters. Speaking of agricultural subsidies, Mr. Humphrey said: “Ten thousand bushels of wheat. Ten thousand bushels of wheat. You know what that is? That’s peanuts!”

Mr. Humphrey was a U.S. senator for 22 years, vice president for four, but (unlike most long-serving Democrats today, and many in his), he never tried to cash in on his “public service.” He may often have been mistaken about how best to do it, but Hubert Horatio Humphrey was in government to help others, not himself.

Like Voltaire, who said: “I do not agree with what you have to say, but I’ll defend to the death your right to say it,” Messrs. Kennedy, Jackson, Moynihan and Humphrey were defenders of free speech. They fought hard for what they believed, but they played by the rules. They understood how critical to liberty and democracy is the rule of law.

These liberal giants of not so long ago treated political opponents with dignity and respect. When they served in the Senate together, Mr. Kennedy and my first political hero, Sen. Barry Goldwater, R-Ariz., were good friends. Had they run against each other in 1964, the race would have been civil, and edifying.

COMMENT:  I worked for one of the liberal giants of the time, Paul Douglas of Illinois.  Not only was he a man of impeccable integrity and a brilliant professor of economics, he was the oldest man ever to go through Marine Corps basic training, having enlisted at the age of 50 to fight World War II. 

He also was a man who told me of the kindness of some Southern senators during the civil-rights debates, men who knew change had to come, could not talk about it publicly without being destroyed, but who worked behind the scenes to keep things civilized.  Not all Southerners were running around in white sheets, contrary to the image that the trendy left liked to portray. 

Jack Kelly was right.  There were liberal giants, none of whom would recognize the Democratic Party of today.  Jack Kennedy couldn't come anywhere near a presidential nomination in that party.  It is a sad spectacle. 

August 3, 2015        Permalink

AND MORE TROUBLE FOR HILL – AT 9:38 A.M. ET:   I'll bet Hillary Clinton curses the day e-mail was invented.  I mean, she curses everything else, and reportedly in vivid language, so why not that?  The pressure is building for her alleged e-mail transgressions to get more than a journalistic dusting.  From the Washington Times: 

With U.S. intelligence officials scrambling to contain damage from potentially hundreds of spy agency secrets in Hillary Rodham Clinton’s private emails, questions are mounting over why the Justice Department has not yet opened a criminal investigation against the Democratic presidential front-runner for mishandling a mountain of classified information.

While some secrecy experts believe Mrs. Clinton will be able to build a strong case that material on her server was not classified at the time it was moving through her emails, others assert that what the former secretary of state did was far more egregious than the mishandling of information that saw former CIA Director David H. Petraeus sentenced to two years probation and a $100,000 fine.

“I don’t see how the Justice Department would be able to avoid at least investigating this,” said Kevin Carroll, a former CIA officer and secrecy lawyer in Washington. “What Petraeus did was really small in comparison, because there was no exposure of any information to any foreign intelligence services.”

Mr. Petraeus pleaded guilty to improperly handling hard-copy binders of classified military files and sharing them with his mistress and biographer.

“In contrast,” said Mr. Carroll, “it’s certain that foreign intelligence services had access to the stuff on Hillary Clinton’s email.”

COMMENT:  My own view, which is shared by others, is that Justice went after Petraeus to destroy him as a possible rival to President Obama in the 2012 presidential election.  By contrast, many in the Democratic Party would be miffed if Justice went after Hillary Clinton, who is poised in some minds to become the first female president.  The Justice Department has been highly politicized under Obama, so nothing it does or doesn't do would surprise me.

August 3, 2015        Permalink

IS THIS SERIOUS? – AT 9:14 A.M. ET:  Hillary Clinton is about to release her first big TV ads of the campaign.  And they're about...her mother.  I kid you not.  From ABC: 

There's one person Hillary Clinton really wants the voters of America to get to know more than anybody else. And her name is Dorothy Rodham.

Dorothy is Clinton’s late mother. She died in 2011. But she's playing a starring role in her daughter’s presidential campaign, and is the focus of Clinton’s first television ads.

On Tuesday, Clinton’s campaign will begin broadcasting two TV ads in Iowa and New Hampshire. The one-minute spots, which will air over the course of five weeks, emphasize Clinton’s mother’s story over her own.

The first ad, titled “Dorothy,” is almost completely devoid of any discussion of Clinton’s credentials. Instead, it's focused on recounting her mother’s trauma-filled childhood.

Clinton, who narrates the story over old photos of her mom, describes how her mother is the person who most influenced her desire to fight for families and to run for president.

COMMENT:  This is not a good move.  It's transparent and obvious, an attempt to divert attention from the scandals surrounding Dorothy's daughter.  I'd be interested to see the response, but my guess is that ads like this preach only to the converted, and may actually bring ridicule.

August 3,  2015     Permalink   

AUGUST 2,  2015

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

MAYBE – From London's Daily Mail:  A political adviser of Joe Biden has revealed he is '90 percent in' when it comes for his decision to run against Hillary Clinton for the Democratic presidential nomination.
Biden’s advisers told ABC News that 'his political team has been ramping up in recent days, entering what they call a more active phase', according to the program This Week.  'In camp Biden, there are discussions about fundraising and launching a political action committee, and while the vice president himself hasn't authorized any of these moves, one adviser tells ABC News he believes Biden is 90 percent in,' Cecilia Vega reported Sunday.  Yeah, I'll bet that Biden hasn't authorized any of these moves.  That's not the way the game is played.  He's authorized the moves, and the next logical step would be to seek Obama's blessing.  If Biden runs, my belief is that Obama will endorse him, effectively denying Clinton the nomination, which will give Obama no end of pleasure.

NEW YORK ON THE ROPES? – The city, under a radical mayor, may slip back into the bad old days of the 1970s.  From Fox 5:  As he prepares for a major police conference, Commissioner Bratton told it like it is about the rise in shootings in the city and he's warning that this disturbing trend must be put in check before it’s too late.  It was a weekend of gun violence that, sadly, no one believes it will be the last.  In East New York, 9 people were shot and wounded at a barbecue. And in the Bronx, 20 year-old Christian Garcia was shot and killed, and 2 others struck when a gunman opened fire in a children's playground.  Speaking on a radio show, Commissioner Bratton says it's not just a New York problem.  “Crime is on the rise all across the US” he said.  The NYPD’s latest statistics show a 10% increase in murders through July 27th, compared to the same period last year.  Bratton says there are two main reasons.  One of them is because criminals are feeling empowered. The other reason, is police feel like they're under attack.  Gee, you don't think the rhetoric coming out of the White House has something to do with this, do you?  Nah.  It's just a coincidence.  In fact, we have a president and a press that are nostalgic for the 1960s and 1970s.  The chickens are indeed coming home to roost. 

MEMPHIS LATEST – An arrest has been made in connection with the murder of a Memphis police officer.  From CNN:   Memphis police identified 29-year-old Tremaine Wilbourn as the suspect in a weekend shooting of an officer.  Wilbourn is at large and considered armed and dangerous, Memphis Police Director Toney Armstrong told reporters late Sunday.  "You can be assured that we will continue to pursue this suspect, and we will exhaust all means until he is in custody," he said.  Officer Sean Bolton, 33, was shot multiple times Saturday night. He was taken to a hospital in critical condition but later pronounced dead.  "Last night, we lost not only an officer, but a great man, a dedicated servant to our community, and a family member," said Armstrong.  The belief is that Officer Bolton interrupted some kind of drug activity.  The police director, Toney Armstrong, an African-American, strikes me as a terrific cop who stands behind his officers.  The suspect is also African-American and Armstrong made no excuses for him and didn't make with the usual stuff about "problems in the community."  Outstanding man.

August 2, 2015       Permalink  

ON THE EVE OF THE FIRST DEBATE – AT 12:52 P.M. ET:   The first Republican debate will be held Thursday night in Cleveland.  From The Hill:

Donald Trump has surged to the top of the 2016 GOP presidential field in a new Wall Street Journal/NBC News poll with a double-digit increase in the past month.

Trump was the first choice of 19 percent of Republican primary voters in the new poll, released early Sunday.

Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker drew the support of 15 percent of GOP voters and former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush took 14 percent, all within the poll’s margin of error.

Bush stood atop the Republican field in a similar poll released in June. Trump had 1 percent in that survey.

Trump was also the second choice of 11 percent of respondents in the new poll, compared with 3 percent in June.

The latest poll of 252 Republican primary voters was conducted was July 26-30, following Trump’s controversial comments about Sen. John McCain’s (R-Ariz.) war record. It has a margin of error of 6.17 percentage points.

COMMENT:  One of the real surprises is how poorly Marco Rubio is doing, at least right now.  He is one of the most attractive, and electable, Republicans in the race.  I'm also annoyed that Carly Fiorina, possibly the most articulate of all the Republican candidates, cannot get traction in the polls.  She'd be a great choice for vice president, and slays them wherever she appears. 

One of the key questions for Thursday night is whether Donald Trump can actually sustain himself on a stage with experienced political contenders.  Is he a bubble or a serious threat?  I honestly don't think he'll get the nomination.  With his loose mouth he'll probably implode sometime down the line.  In New York he is widely regarded as an obnoxious blowhard.  But he takes the spotlight away from those more likely to win a general election.

Thursday's debate is made more intriguing by the turmoil in the Democratic Party.  Hillary, while still a strong favorite, is no longer seen as inevitable.  Republicans cannot really be sure who they'll face. 

August 2, 2015       Permalink

THE TRENDIES MARCH ON – AT 11:43 A.M. ET:   Obama is stuffing the last period of his pathetic presidency with as many goodies for the left as he can handle.  Now he handles "climate change," the latest passion of the tofu crowd.  From Fox: 

President Barack Obama will impose steeper cuts on greenhouse gas emissions from power plants across the country than previously expected, senior administration officials said Sunday, in what the president called the most significant step the U.S. has ever taken to fight global warming.

The Obama administration is expected to finalize the rule at a White House event on Monday, a year after proposing unprecedented carbon dioxide limits. Obama, in a video posted on Facebook, said the limits were backed up by decades of data and facts showing that without tough action, the world will face more extreme weather and escalating health problems like asthma.

"Climate change is not a problem for another generation," Obama said. "Not anymore."

Initially, Obama had mandated a 30 percent nationwide cut in carbon dioxide emission by 2030, compared to 2005 levels. The final version, which follows extensive consultations with environmental groups and the energy industry, will require a 32 percent cut instead, according to White House officials.

Opponents said they would sue the government immediately. The also planned to ask the courts to put the rule on hold while legal challenges play out.

The steeper version also gives states an additional two years to comply, officials said, yielding to complaints that the original deadline was too soon. The new deadline is set for 2022. States will also have until 2018 instead of 2017 to submit their plans for how they intend to meet their targets.

COMMENT:  Should we move toward cleaner, more efficient energy?  Yes, of course.  We always should.  But this is hardly the way to do it.  Obama's "plan" is based on shoddy "science," which gets more wobbly every year.  The more we learn about "climate science," the more we realize how uncertain it is.

And the replacements for current energy sources don't seem all that promising.  And their cost can drive electric bills into the, uh, atmosphere.  When people start getting those bills, they'll scream, but the Obama crowd will blame the utilities, not themselves. 

And what about other high-energy-using countries?  Will they comply with international demands to lower their production of greenhouse gases?  Are we kidding?  Next time China does something for the environment, let me know.  In Chinese.

August 2, 2015        Permalink

THE DANGER OF THE JOB – AT 10:54 A.M. ET:   A police officer making a routine traffic stop has been murdered in Memphis.  From CNN:

(CNN) A manhunt is underway for a suspect who fatally shot a police officer during a traffic stop in Tennessee, authorities said Sunday.

Memphis Police Officer Sean Bolton, 33, was shot multiple times Saturday night by a person who was in the car he pulled over, police said.

The assailant remains at large, Memphis police spokeswoman Karen Rudolph said.

University cop indicted for murder in shooting of motorist Samuel DuBose

A civilian used the officer's radio to notify police about the shooting, she said.

Bolton, who joined the force in October 2010, was taken to hospital in critical condition. He later died.

This is the third time a Memphis police officer has been killed in the past four years, Memphis Police Director Toney Armstrong said.

"It doesn't get any easier. This is a very difficult time, not only for me as director, but for all the officers you see standing behind me," he told reporters early Sunday morning.

"And (it's) a difficult time for our city as well. So I ask that you give us the respect that we need ... and the space that we need to grieve, and the time that we need to prepare to lay our brother to rest."

COMMENT:  Let's see if our "news" media gives the same coverage to this as it does to alleged (and sometimes real) cases of police excess.  I'm not holding my breath. 

August 2,  2015     Permalink