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OCTOBER 30,  2015

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

1.  GOP SENDS NBC TO SIBERIA – From the Washington Times:   Responding to the blowback against CNBC’s handling of the third GOP debate, the head of the Republican National Committee announced Friday that it was “suspending” its plans to partner with NBC News for a presidential debate next year.  Good move.  It's about time someone took some actual action against abusive journalists.  Too many politicos are afraid of the press.   The suspended debate was set to take place in February, as a joint NBC/Telemundo event, Telemundo being the second largest Spanish-language TV network.  There is some speculation that NBC will make some concessions, and that the debate will get back on track.  The Republicans want those Hispanic viewers.

TRUMP REGAINS GOP LEAD – From IBD:   After taking a battering in last month's poll, Donald Trump has re-emerged at the top of the Republican field in the latest IBD/TIPP poll.  Support for Trump among registered Republicans and those leaning Republican is 28%; support for Carson is 23%. Last month's poll had Carson up by 7 points over Trump.  Marco Rubio comes in third at 11%, the same as last month.  No other GOP candidate reached double digits. Support for Jeb Bush dropped two points to 6%; Carly Fiorina collapsed to 3% from last month's 9%. Ted Cruz held at 6%.  There has to be a shakeout at some time.  There is a wide expectation that the chief beneficiary of said shakeout will be Marco Rubio, who gets strong notices for his debate skills and who is now attracting some big money.  I can't really believe that Trump will be the nominee.

SWEDEN "FACING COLLAPSE" IN REFUGEE CRISIS:  From RT.com:  A leading Swedish politician says the country is facing a refugee catastrophe, which will lead to the “country collapsing.” The bold claims were made by Foreign Minister Margot Wallstrom, who adds the EU needs to do more to take the strain off Stockholm.  The northern European country expects to accommodate around 190,000 by the turn of the year, but this is putting a strain on the country both economically and socially. Wallstrom says that Stockholm needs more help and intends to put pressure on European Union member states to take a greater share of the burden the continent is facing from the refugee crisis in the Middle East and Africa.  This is the result of the madness of "progressivism."  You can be kind and generous without permitting the destruction of your country.   Europe's leftist politicians haven't learned that lesson.

October 30, 2015       Permalink

GERMANY'S CHILLING FUTURE – AT 8:25 A.M. ET:   Germany is a critical member of the Western alliance.  But will that continue, given the flooding of the country with immigrants who may or may not share Western values?  The future doesn't look particularly bright.  From Breitbart: 

A German political expert has warned that a successful Islamic political party is not a far off thought given Germany’s rapidly changing demographics. In an interview with the Neue Osnabrücker Zeitung newspaper, Prof. Jürgen W. Falter, who specialises in political extremism, noted that Chancellor Angela Merkel’s position on migration may soon change, claiming “Pandora’s box is opened too far”.

Prof. Falter said: “I do not think that the position of Mrs Merkel, with time, will be held. Her words are rowing forward, but below the surface, back already… certainly this has something to do with the fact she sees that she has to get the genie back in the bottle… a Pandora’s box is opened too far.

“[Her migration policy] was probably not meant the way it has arrived. But it sounded like an invitation to the entire world, unlimited refugees are welcome.”

His views on the rise of the Alternative fur Deutschland are also worthy of note, claiming that it was destined to become a small, regional party before the migrant crisis, but that now, it can flourish without really doing much at all.

And he warned about the rise of an Islamic political party in Germany – small versions of which may already have been witnessed elsewhere in Europe, such as with Tower Hamlets First in East London, and the Respect Party in Bradford, both in the United Kingdom.

He posits that despite Mrs. Merkel’s kind welcoming of many Muslims, it is unlikely they would vote for a party with the word “Christian” in its name.

“There’s doubt, first of all against the [Christian Democratic] Union (CDU), because it still bears “Christian” in its title. Even reduced to their basics, the CDU and CSU [Christian Social Union] are relatively strong names. This is naturally, for devout Muslims, not the party of first choice.

COMMENT:  We don't wish to condemn all Muslims.  That would be absurd.  But recent history shows that these immigrant masses often contain a certain number of extremists who have little interest in accepting the culture of their new country. 

The Western alliance, including NATO, is based on certain shared values.   If those values collapse, or are seriously compromised, the mechanism of Western freedom is bound to collapse with it.  As Ronald Reagan said, "Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction. We didn't pass it to our children in the bloodstream."  So true.

October 30, 2015         Permalink

OH DEAR, THE NERVE OF THESE NUMBERS CRUNCHERS – AT 8:14 .M. ET:  Whenever some group with a pretty name assures us that global warming is "settled science," some people who think for themselves open their mouths and ruin the party.  Who are these people?  Did Al Gore give them permission to speak?  To think?  From CNS: 

(CNSNews.com) – As the United Nations gears up for its next international conference on climate change in Paris next month (COP 21), a scathing white paper released by a society of French mathematicians calls its fight against global warming “absurd” and “a costly and pointless crusade”.

“You would probably have to go quite a long way back in human…history to find [such a] mad obsession,” according to a translated summary of the document released in September by the Paris-based Société de Calcul Mathématique SA.

Heresy!  Burn them!  And...

“There is not a single fact, figure…[or] observation that leads us to conclude the world’s climate is in any way ‘disturbed,” the paper states. “It is variable, as it has always been. … Modern methods are far from being able to accurately measure the planet’s overall temperature even today, so measurements made 50 or 100 years ago are even less reliable.”

Noting that concentrations of carbon dioxide (CO2) have “always” varied, the French mathematicians also said that after processing the raw data on hurricanes themselves, they verified that “they are no more frequent now than they have been in the past.”

And...

The French mathematicians also said that the UN’s climate models have failed to take into account natural phenomena that affects climate far more than human activity.

Human impact on the climate is “tiny, quite negligible in comparison with natural causes,” they point out. “Human beings can do nothing about solar activity, the state of the oceans, the temperature of the Earth’s magna, or the composition of the atmosphere.”

And...

The authors also lamented the abandonment of “the adversarial principle” that distinguishes democracies from dictatorships:

“People who do not believe in global warming have been told to shut up. No public debate, no contradictory discourse. No articles in scientific journals. They simply have been told that the case is proven and it is time to take action… We are simply required to keep quiet and do what we are told. No second opinion is permitted.”

“It is on the debris of the fundamental principles of the law and of democracy that this white paper has been written.”

COMMENT:  I don't claim to be an expert, just someone who is demanding more facts.  This is a remarkable paper, and, based on mail I receive, I suspect many scientists privately will agree with it.  Very privately.

October 30, 2015       Permalink

CHANGING THE DEBATES – AT 8:06 A.M. ET:  We cannot confirm the details of this, but it appears that GOP presidential candidates are taking matters into their own hands to prevent the kind of debacle that occurred in this week's debate.  From The Hill:

Republican presidential campaigns will meet together to discuss changing the debate process this weekend, and will not include representatives from the Republican National Committee (RNC), Politico reported Thursday evening.

The news comes after a series of complaints about Wednesday’s presidential debate hosted by CNBC. Candidates complained during and after the event about the network and the debate moderators.

The weekend confab is being organized by the campaigns of Donald Trump, Ben Carson, Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) and Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal, Politico reported.

The campaigns of Sens. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) and Rand Paul (R-Ky.), as well as Carly Fiorina and Mike Huckabee, are expected to participate as well.

The report added that the campaigns feel the RNC has not prioritized the candidates in the debate process. The discussion will center on structuring upcoming debates.

During Wednesday’s debate, candidates repeatedly sparred with moderators John Harwood, Becky Quick and Carl Quintanilla over their questions.

Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) accused the hosts of pitting the candidates against each other in order to promote a “cage match.” And Rubio slammed a question about his “maturity.”

After the event, RNC Chairman Reince Priebus criticized CNBC, saying it “should be ashamed of how this debate was handled.”

COMMENT:  It would be remarkable, and I think unprecedented, for a group of candidates to seize control of the process from the national party.  Maybe it's a good thing.  The national parties are old institutions, too often set in their ways, and too often creatures of Washington.

All the excitement is on the Republican side.

October 30,  2015     Permalink

OCTOBER 29,  2015

SHORT TAKES ON THE DRIFTING WRECKAGE – AT 8:33 P.M. ET: 

STEAM HEAT – Lots of heat directed today at the Republican National Committee for agreeing to the terms that made last night's debate a farce.  The farce was created by three mean-spirited "journalists" asking insulting, demeaning questions.  Even some liberals today winced at the low standards.  CNBC should stand ashamed.  But get this:  NBC gets to host another Republican debate in February.  I think the RNC should read NBC the riot act, and make it clear that the public expects a much higher level of journalism.  This is about the American presidency.

BUDDING SCANDAL – The nerve – a government agency trying to hide climate-change research from a Congressional committee.  Didn't the American people pay for that research?  From Fox:  The Republican head of the House science committee is fighting to obtain documents from the Obama administration on a controversial global warming study, as the agency that produced it locks down internal records despite a subpoena.  The report by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) claims to refute prior studies showing the rate of global warming had flattened in recent decades.  Rep. Lamar Smith, R-Texas, a global warming skeptic who questioned the data, issued a subpoena on Oct. 13 for the agency to "compel production of documents and communications relating to adjustments of historical temperature data."  I'm neither a proponent nor a denier.  I want more facts, and I become suspicious when facts are withheld. 

RYAN IS IN – From The Hill:   Lawmakers on Thursday elected Rep. Paul Ryan the 54th Speaker of the House, ending weeks of uncertainty over who would lead the raucous 247-member GOP conference after John Boehner’s surprise resignation.  On a day filled with pomp and excitement, the Wisconsin Republican received 236 votes for Speaker — more than the 218 needed to win on the first ballot. His only challenger, little-known Rep. Daniel Webster (R-Fla.), whom Ryan defeated in an internal GOP election Wednesday, received nine votes from conservatives on the floor.  The nine GOP Webster backers were Reps. Dave Brat (Va.), Curt Clawson (Fla.), Louie Gohmert (Texas), Paul Gosar (Ariz.), Walter Jones (N.C.), Thomas Massie (Ky.), Bill Posey (Fla.), Randy Weber (Texas) and Ted Yoho (Fla.).  Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), a former Speaker herself and the person who presented the gavel to Ryan Thursday, received 184 votes, all from Democrats.  We wish Ryan well.  If he shines as speaker, and gets things done, there may well be a large white house in his future.

October 29,  2015     Permalink

YOU CAN'T MAKE THIS UP – AT 5:21 P.M. ET:  Higher education moves lower.  From National Review:   

It’s about time! Colleges are hanging flyers around campus with phone numbers of officials that students can call to consult with about whether or not their Halloween costume is perfectly politically correct.

“Unsure if your costume might be offensive?” asks a poster that’s been hung around campus at State University of New York at Geneseo. “Don’t be afraid to ask questions.”

The poster contains the phone numbers and e-mails of five (five!) campus officials that students can contact and discuss the very important issue of whether or not what they will dress up as to get drunk in will be advancing social-justice causes.

Wesleyan University has been hanging similar posters around the school — but with six (six!) numbers listed.

It’s not clear whether students will be able to reach these numbers round-the-clock through Halloween weekend. Hopefully they will. After all, Halloween is a very serious issue, and can not be treated as if it were just some fun little holiday that’s a chance for people to use their imaginations and have some fun without taking each other too seriously.

COMMENT:  All this for $50,000 a year.  One free costume included.

October 29, 2015       Permalink

UN RAPS IRAN – AT 9:46 A.M. ET:  It doesn't happen often, but occasionally the UN gets it right.  We should celebrate the occasion.  From The New York Times:

The special United Nations investigator of human rights in Iran presented a highly critical report on Tuesday that contradicted the Tehran government’s own assessment, describing a record rate of executions, a deeply flawed judiciary and repression of journalists, dissidents, women and freedom of expression.

The conditions described by the investigator, Ahmed Shaheed, a former Maldives foreign minister and an expert on human rights in Muslim-majority countries, belied the image of moderation and eased constraints that President Hassan Rouhani of Iran has sought to project since his election in 2013.

In some ways, Mr. Shaheed said, Iranians are worse off than during the era of Mr. Rouhani’s polarizing and relatively conservative predecessor, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. Amendments to a criminal procedure law, for example, impose new restrictions on access to legal counsel. Some defendants must now choose lawyers from a pool selected by the head of the judiciary.

“The human rights situation in the country remains dire,” Mr. Shaheed said in a briefing at the United Nations. Despite Mr. Rouhani’s pledge to lighten the repressive atmosphere that prevailed during the Ahmadinejad years, Mr. Shaheed said, there was a “strong disconnect between the professed policy of engagement and the behavior of authorities on the ground.”

It was Mr. Shaheed’s fifth report on Iran since he was appointed to the post of special rapporteur in 2011, and his first since the completion of a nuclear agreement in July between Iran and the major world powers, which will end many isolating sanctions on the country in exchange for guarantees that its atomic work is peaceful.

COMMENT:  Straight talk from an institution where straight talk is a special event.  So we've just rewarded Iran for its dismal human-rights record by signing a nuclear accord with Tehran and inviting the Iranian government to participate in talks on the future of Syria.   Brilliant, really brilliant.  The brain of Barack Obama at work.

October 29, 2015        Permalink

AND THE PUBLIC LOVED IT – AT 9:18 A.M. ET:  The exchange (related below) between Ted Cruz and a CBNC questioner apparently electrified the public, according to Frank Luntz.  From RealClearPolitics: 

A Frank Luntz focus group aired on FOX News' The Kelly File after the CNBC Republican presidential debate agreed: Sen. Ted Cruz hit it out of the park with his warning not to trust the media. Luntz said he's never tested a line that scored as well as Cruz's.

"Megyn, I've been doing this since 1996. This is a special moment. I've never tested in any primary debate a line that scored as well as this. It was all about what was wrong with the CNBC moderators and wrong with the media. The best line of the entire debate," Luntz said.

"The questions asked in this debate illustrate why the American people don't trust the media," Cruz at Wednesday's Republican debate. "Everyone home tonight knows that the moderators have no intention of voting in a Republican primary."

"This is exactly what the media wanted to do and it actually turned out well," one woman said.

Nearly the whole group had positive feelings for Cruz after the debate.

"It was the Newt response from the last election," a man said. "It hit right home."

COMMENT:  At one time, political people were afraid to take on the media.  There's an old saying in politics:  "Don't start a fight with anyone who buys ink by the barrel."  I think those days are over.  The media will be Hillary's enabler, as it was Obama's.  By exposing the media/liberal axis, the Republicans can electrify our side, and get the good masses to the polls.

October 29, 2015        Permalink 

THE GREAT MOMENT – AT 8:51 A.M. ET:  We alluded to this at "Short Takes" very late last night.  The big loser in the latest Republican debate was the media.  The shining moment came when the brilliant Ted Cruz took on the "journalists" asking the questions.  From RealClearPolitics: 

At the Republican debate hosted by CNBC in Boulder, Colorado Wednesday night, presidential candidate Sen. Ted Cruz lambasted the moderators, particularly John Harwood of The New York Times, and the media for their treatment and characterization of himself and his competitors.

"The questions asked in this debate illustrate why the American people don't trust the media," Cruz at Wednesday's Republican debate. "Everyone home tonight knows that the moderators have no intention of voting in a Republican primary."

Cruz later went tete-a-tete with Harwood, a CNBC contributor, for cutting him off and wanting to move on.

"Congressional Republicans, Democrats and the White House are about to strike a compromise that would raise the debt limit, prevent a government shutdown, and calm financial markets of the fear that a Washington crisis is on the way. Does your opposition to it show you're not the kind of problem-solver that American voters want?" CNBC anchor Carl Quintanilla asked the presidential candidate.

"Let me say something at the outset," the Senator from Texas said. "The questions asked in this debate illustrate why the American people don't trust the media."

"This is not a cage match. And you look at the questions -- Donald Trump, are you a comic book villain? Ben Carson, can you do math? John Kasich, will you insult two people over here? Marco Rubio, why don't you resign? Jeb Bush, why have your numbers fallen? How about talking about the substantive issues," Cruz said to commanding applause from the audience.

"Do we get credit for this one," Quintanilla asked Cruz?

"And Carl, I'm not finished yet. The contrast with the Democratic debate, where every thought and question from the media was, which of you is more handsome and why?" Cruz asked and then paused to cough.

"You have 30 seconds left to answer should you choose to do so," Quintanilla told the candidate.

"Let me be clear," Cruz said. "The men and women on this stage have more ideas, more experience, more common sense, than ever participant in the Democratic debate. That debate reflected a debate between the Bolsheviks and the Mensheviks."

"Nobody believes that the moderators have any intention of voting in a Republican primary," Cruz said.

"The questions being asked shouldn't be trying to get people to tear into each other, it should be what are your substantive solutions to people at home," Cruz said before getting cut off.

"I asked you about the debt limit and got no answer," Quintanilla said.

"You want an answer to that question?" Cruz asked. "I'd be happy to answer your question."

Cruz was interrupted this time by John Harwood who said "we're moving on."

"Senator [Rand] Paul, I've got a question for you," Harwood said in his attempt to move on.

"So you don't actually want to hear the answer, John?" Cruz called out the anchor. "You don't want to hear the answer, you just want to incite insults."

COMMENT:  It doesn't get better than that.  Good for Ted!   The Republicans are finally taking on the vast political corruption in the media.  I love it.

October 29,  2015     Permalink