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NOVEMBER 11,  2015

SHORT TAKES ON THE DRIFTING WRECKAGE – AT 11:31 P.M. ET: 

NICE, HUH? – From London's Daily Mail:   A Black Lives Matter protester burned an American flag outside the GOP debate last night as hundreds of demonstrators took to the streets of Milwaukee.  A man set fire to the flag outside the Milwaukee Theater, where the Republican presidential candidates were speaking, and said he was protesting against the death of an unarmed black man who was shot dead by police.  He and two other men were earlier seen trampling over the U.S. flag while holding their fists in the air as they raised a Black Liberation flag.   You may be sure that, behind these "protests" are the standard old red groups, who exploit these protesters for their own use.  The language, over the years, stays remarkably the same.

TRENDS – From Reuters:   A record portion of young U.S. women are living with parents or other relatives, largely because of higher college attendance and delayed marriage, a research report said on Wednesday.  The Pew Research Center analysis of U.S. Census Bureau data showed that 36.4 percent of women ages 18 to 34 lived with family in 2014, mostly in the home of mother, father or both.  The number tops the record set in 1940, when 36.2 percent of young women lived with relatives, the analysis said. 1940 is the earliest year for comparable data.  Among young men, 42.8 percent were living with relatives last year, below the 1940 high of 47.5 percent.  Those figures from 1940 represent an economy that had not yet been mobilized for World War II.  It was a late-Depression economy.  From what I've seen, economics plays a major role in young people still living with their parents.  Recovery?  What recovery?

GOOD GUY – From the Dallas News:   A group of veterans were in for quite a surprise Tuesday while touring the George W. Bush Presidential Center.  As the group toured the Oval Office exhibit on Veteran’s Day, former President George W. Bush made a surprise entrance, speaking and taking pictures with the group of veterans.  “One of the things I’m dedicated to, for the rest of my life, is helping vets,” Bush said. “I miss saluting those who wear the uniform. And the reason why is after we got attacked on 9/11, I made it clear that we were going to defend ourselves and millions of people volunteered, not thousands but millions, such as you all.”  He's a good guy.  He has a warmth that Obama lacks, and he understands America.

November 11, 2015       Permalink

RUBIO AND CRUZ IN THE LEAD? – AT 9:04 A.M. ET:  That's the thoughtful conclusion of one political observer.  From Timothy Carney at the Washington Examiner:   

Ben Carson and Donald Trump still stand atop the polls, but Marco Rubio and Ted Cruz are now the front-runners. Cruz and Rubio both debated brilliantly, and Jeb Bush failed to turn things around.

There's a trend here: The strong showing of fresh-faced first-term senators in their 40s shows a real readiness for change — a fact also evidenced by the poll dominance of outsiders Carson and Trump.

Rubio captures this spirit best, and packages it as an attack on Hillary Clinton, saying he'll make the general election a choice between the past and the future. Rubio, Cruz, and Fiorina all tap into newly receptive conservative veins by blasting crony capitalism.

Meanwhile, consider Bush's weak campaign, John Kasich's flailing debate performance, and the negligible candidacies of Rick Santorum, Mike Huckabee, Jim Gilmore and George Pataki. The theme is clear: the Republican Party of the 1990s and 2000s is no longer in demand.

Our power rankings are not echoes of the polls or statements of the odds, but a measure over who matters the most in the race. Among the GOP Establishment, attention is decidedly drifiting from Jeb to Marco. Among the conservative base, you'll see a consolidation on Cruz. For now, this race is about Cruz and Rubio.

COMMENT:  I think there's a lot of sense in that.  As the primaries and the Iowa caucus move ever closer – in other words, when real voters start to vote – the field will shake out and things will get serious.  I can't imagine Donald Trump keeping his support.  And Ben Carson, whom I mightily admire, may also weaken because he really isn't strong on the issues.

The three best retail candidates in the race are Rubio, Cruz, and Fiorina.  But Fiorina can't seem to gain numerical strength.  I don't know why.  Rubio and Cruz are left as the best contenders in the ring.  Between the two, Rubio seems to be gaining the most, in part because the GOP establishment, which still has influence, dislikes Cruz.

But all this can be wrong.  We're in for a very historic four or five months.

November 11, 2015       Permalink

QUOTE OF THE DAY – AT 8:50 A.M. ET:  A good contrast to the values we celebrate on Veterans Day.  Jonathan Chait, a firm liberal, expresses worry over what is happening on our college campuses.  I have begun to see some on the left finally wake up to the monster they've created.  From New York magazine: 

The upsurge of political correctness is not just greasy-kid stuff, and it’s not just a bunch of weird, unfortunate events that somehow keep happening over and over. It’s the expression of a political culture with consistent norms, and philosophical premises that happen to be incompatible with liberalism. The reason every Marxist government in the history of the world turned massively repressive is not because they all had the misfortune of being hijacked by murderous thugs. It’s that the ideology itself prioritizes class justice over individual rights and makes no allowance for legitimate disagreement. (For those inclined to defend p.c. on the grounds that racism and sexism are important, bear in mind that the forms of repression Marxist government set out to eradicate were hardly imaginary.)

COMMENT:  Right on.  There has always been a "good" liberal left, which, though sometimes misguided, respected the fundamentals of freedom.  And there is a bad left, which throws freedom to the wind in favor of some small, tentative gain, usually benefiting only the leaders of the movement.  It's the bad left we're seeing too often on our college campuses, although we also see a backlash from sane students and teachers.

Where is the president of the United States?  The cat has apparently got his tongue.

November 11, 2015       Permalink

OUR MEN AND WOMEN – AT 8:15 A.M. ET:  Today is Veterans Day.  I'm glad it's actually celebrated on November 11th, and not shoved to Mondays to create a three-day vacation or sales event.

As we celebrate the service of our veterans, and their sacrifice, let us note that the youngest veterans of World War II this year turn 87.  The youngest veterans of the Korean War are about 79.  The youngest veterans of the war in Vietnam are about 57.  We have new veterans of course, men and women who have fought in the first Gulf War and in Iraq and Afghanistan. 

Each year we say the same thing, that we are losing more and more of our veterans of the "big" wars, and that Americans are becoming more and more detached from the military.  Both are true.  Both are concerning.  Today many Americans have never met a soldier.  They are not necessarily taught in schools to respect military sacrifice.  The draft ended in 1973, so the last conscripted vet would now be about 58. 

And let us not forget the veterans who served between wars, keeping the peace, and preventing further conflict.  Without them we would never have won the Cold War.

Douglas MacArthur worried just before his death that there might be a time when Americans would refuse to defend their country.  We have seen some disturbing trends in that direction, trends aggravated by the militant left in our universities.  I still believe we will always have a solid corps of patriotic young people who will serve, and serve well.  But I do worry that Veterans Day, 20 years from now, may become a forgotten holiday.

We must prevent that if we want to safeguard our future.

November 11,  2015     Permalink

NOVEMBER 10,  2015

SHORT TAKES ON THE DRIFTING WRECKAGE – AT 11:51 P.M. ET: 

THE DEBATE – The Republicans have just concluded another debate, this one hosted very capably, and sanely, by Fox Business News.  Bottom line:  The general consensus is that Rubio had another strong night, along with Cruz; that Kasich showed the most improvement; that Trump was off his game, and that Carson delivered his usual lower-than-low-key performance, which never seems to hurt or help him.  Pundits wondered whether Jeb Bush could break out and plug his sinking ship.  His performance was fine, but not strong enough to reverse the trend.  Carly, as always, was a sparkling debater, but her debating abilities have not recently helped her in the polls.  We'll see within a few days whether poll numbers were changed much by this debate.  We should also note that we're entering the holiday season, and the nation's attention will be turned to festivities.  The election campaigns will quiet down, but will be back with a roar after New Year's.

NOT GOOD – From The Times of Israel:   Iranian media is reporting that the government has stopped taking apart centrifuges in two uranium enrichment plants.  The reported cessation on Tuesday follows the issuing of a letter, drafted by 20 conservative lawmakers, complaining that the process of complying with the nuclear deal was too rushed, according to Reuters.  The nuclear deal, negotiated between Iran and six world powers, including the United States, lifts economic sanctions in exchange for Iran curbing its nuclear program.  This is really not a done deal.  In fact, the Iranians have never formally ratified it.  We're just assuming that Tehran will hold up its part of the bargain, which I doubt.

MISSOURI STUDENTS STRIKE BACK – Not everyone at the University of Missouri is involved in the sometimes crazed "protests" that forced the president to resign.  From Breitbart:   One young female University of Missouri student, Jessie Sharon, is using her public Facebook page to express disappointment at recent on campus events.  Unlike the media, which was blocked and shouted down by the Social Justice Worriers at Mizzou, Sharon was able to speak her mind and have it shared by over 2,800 people for now.
"Today I learned that my university is run by its football team. Today I learned that the media cares more about creating a story than uncovering the truth. Today I learned that the right of a small group to protest is more important than the entire student body’s right to the education they pay for. Today I learned that one man is responsible for the heinous actions of a few campus racists. Today I learned that not supporting one group protesting racism makes you a racist, even though you support the fight against racism–just not that specific group. Today I am not proud to be a tiger."  Clearly, she’s not alone, given that even a good number of football players didn’t support their teammates boycott that led to the resignation of a university president. Unfortunately, those voices, much like Jessie’s – and the voices of who knows how many other students – just didn’t matter as much to the media.  I'd imagine many students feel the way Jessie does, but are afraid to speak out.

November 10, 2015        Permalink

FASCINATING, AND ENCOURAGING – AT 8:44 A.M. ET:   From what I see, the gist of this piece is correct.  There may be many more conservative voters out there than pollsters are picking up.  From The Week:

The United States isn't safe from problems with political polling, if the election results in countries such as Britain, Poland, and Israel are any indication. In the past year, polls across the world have vastly underestimated right-wing turnout, in part because those "who refuse to tell you what they're doing are disproportionately likely to vote Conservative," John Curtice, the president of the British Polling Council, says.

"The industry has a collective failure problem. It's now a mix of random-digit dialing — that is, telephone polls — and internet-based polls based on recruited panels," Curtice elaborated to The New York Times. As such, polls in Britain during the last election greatly underestimated how many seats the Conservative Party ended up winning, warranting a hard look by analysts afterward as to where their methods went wrong. Likewise, in Poland, a candidate who was never ahead in the major polls ended up winning the election.

And if that doesn't keep pollsters up at night, another sleeper group might: millennials. Because of their unreliable voting habits, "the uncertainty will be with the millennials” in 2016, longtime Democratic pollster Stan Greenberg says – Jeva Lange.

COMMENT:  The newly elected Republican and conservative governor of Kentucky, Matt Bevin, wasn't even expected to win earlier this month.  Instead, he won strongly.  The polls underestimated conservative voters.

And please note that Republican debates are getting far larger audiences than Democratic debates. 

Have you met many people who have a yearning for Hillary?  The Washington Post just ran a piece saying she'll make gender the centerpiece of her campaign.  Outside Manhattan, Beverly Hills, the fashion plates of the liberal media, and selected, expensive colleges, who cares?

We can win next year...unless we try to lose.

November 10, 2015       Permalink 

CONCERN OVER U.S. AIRPORT SECURITY – AT 8:15 A.M. ET:  The belief, essentially a certainty according to some unnamed authorities, that the Russian airliner that crashed in the Sinai was brought down by a bomb, has brought new worry about the security of American airports.  From ABC:

As Egyptian authorities investigate whether an airport insider may have planted a bomb on the doomed Russian airliner, U.S. lawmakers and aviation officials are raising questions about security at American airports, where they say dozens of current airport employees are under scrutiny because of possible ties to or sympathies with extremist groups.

An aviation security official told ABC News that surveillance video at the Sharm el-Sheikh airport is being scrutinized for someone with access to the plane on the airport ramp. While no official determination has been made, U.S. and U.K. officials have said they believe it’s likely a bomb brought down the flight last Saturday, killing more than 200 people. An ISIS affiliate in Egypt claimed responsibility for the attack.

The possibility of an insider threat is also of concern to U.S. aviation officials. Just last week, questions were raised at a congressional hearing about shortcomings in U.S. airport screening, including questions regarding background checks of employees and employee access to secured areas of airports.

“It’s no secret that people interested in harming America are coming up with creative ways to circumvent the existing security measures,” House Committee on Government Oversight and Reform Chairman Rep. Jason Chaffetz, R-Utah, said at the hearing’s opening.

The Department of Homeland Security currently does not require 100 percent physical screening of workers with access to planes. In some major airports, workers only have to flash a badge to security screeners, don’t go through metal detectors as passengers do and their bags are not inspected. For pilots and crew, there are also special access lanes where luggage goes uninspected.

COMMENT:  Other than that, we're perfect.  And remember – tests of airport security by the government's own personnel have revealed disastrous flaws.  The great majority of test "bombs" get through airport screenings.  Imagine what a terrorist in a mechanics's uniform, with access to hangars and the tarmac, could do, and may be doing right now.

Whoever brought down the Russian airliner will try again.  And it may not take long.

November 10, 2015       Permalink

GOOD! – AT 8:06 A.M. ET:  More and more, we see people and institutions striking back against media irresponsibility.  A free press is one of the building blocks of a great democracy.  An irresponsible press can lead to its destruction.  The increasing left-wing bias in our press, the control of the media by graduates of the sixties generation, are producing a frightening situation wherein too many media institutions have become propaganda outlets rather than sources of information.  I'm glad to see that some are taking this condition seriously.  From Hollywood Reporter:

Rolling Stone was hit Monday with a defamation lawsuit for over $25 million from the University of Virginia fraternity where the magazine reported a young woman was raped in a story later discredited.

In the lawsuit complaint, as obtained by The Washington Post, the Virginia Alpha Chapter of Phi Kappa Psi alleges reputational damage (and death threats and harassment against members) due to the Nov. 2014 Rolling Stone story "A Rape on Campus" by Sabrina Rubin Erdely, who is named a defendant with Rolling Stone and publishers Wenner Media and Straight Arrow.

The story told of a University of Virginia freshman named "Jackie" who purportedly went to a "date function" at Phi Kappa Psi, where seven men brutally raped her in a bedroom.

Details quickly emerged challenging the accuracy of the story, leading the publication to commission a review from the Columbia Graduate School of Journalism that found the publication had failed to conduct "basic, even routine journalistic practice" in reporting, editing, editorial supervision and fact-checking” to confirm Jackie’s story. Rolling Stone officially retracted the story in April, and managing editor Will Dana later left the publication.

The lawsuit Monday is not the first complaint filed over the story; UVA associate dean Nicole Eramo sued in May for $7.5 million, contending she was made the "chief villain" of the story for contact with Jackie she claims never happened, and UVA graduates and former Phi Kappa Psi members George Elias, Stephen Hadford and Ross Fowler sued in July.

But the lawsuit from the fraternity specifically contests the ways the story indicates the complicity of the fraternity organization, not just the members, in the alleged rape.

The complaint states wording like "Phi Kappa Psi gang-rape victims" and "gang-rape allegations against a fraternity" and quotes from the alleged rapists including "Don't you want to be a brother?" falsely implicate the organization in the rape, as did the story's illustration of the Phi Kappa Psi house and banner behind a woman covered in bloody handprints.

“In characterizing Jackie’s gang-rape as a Phi Kappa Psi initiation ritual, the Article associated the fraternity brand and reputation even more closely with gang-rape. The concept of gang-rape as initiation inexorably leads the reader to conclude that being a brother at Phi Kappa Psi means being a gang-rapist,” continues the complaint.

COMMENT:  This is just the tip of the iceberg.  If the press does not start improving itself, and showing more maturity, it may lose the very freedom it depends on.  No, the United States won't repeal the First Amendment, but that Amendment might be altered to permit the professionalization of journalism, with the equivalent of bar exams and professional disciplinary panels.  After all, if journalism is so important, why shouldn't it be required to live up to formal standards, and why shouldn't apprentice journalists be required to show that they actually have the body of skills and knowledge necessary to report the news?  Just a thought.

November 10, 2015       Permalink