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DECEMBER 14,  2021

SHORT TAKES ON THE DRIFTING WRECKAGE – OVERNIGHT: 

NEW YORK MAYOR-ELECT MAKES HIS FIRST MOVE – FROM THE NEW YORK POST:  Mayor-elect Eric Adams has tapped Nassau County Chief of Detectives Keechant Sewell as the first female police commissioner of the NYPD — a stunning, close-to-home pick from a field of seasoned top women cops across the country, The Post has learned.  “I’m here to meet the moment,” Sewell told The Post in an exclusive interview Tuesday, just a couple of weeks before she becomes the city’s 45th top cop.  At a time when the NYPD and the city its officers are sworn to protect are at a crossroads over a sharp rise in street violence, her name will join the fabled ranks of such reform-minded New York police commissioners as Teddy Roosevelt and in modern times, William Bratton.  “I’m very humbled to even be considered for this and it’s an extraordinary opportunity. And I take it very seriously, the historic nature of this,” she said.  Sewell will be the first woman to take charge of the department in its 176 years.  The surprise choice of the 49-year-old from Long Island — who has led just 351 uniformed officers for the past 15 months — was a “gut-choice” for Adams. Sources say he had favored her for months since the hunt began for the next leader of the largest police force in the county with more than 52,000 members.  Adams, a former NYPD captain, has long said he would appoint a woman to the post and his team launched a nationwide search, interviewing dozens of female executives, including one-time Seattle Police Chief Carmen Best, former Newark Chief Ivonne Roman and Philadelphia Police Commissioner Danielle Outlaw.  She is African-American, as is the mayor-elect.  Adams, in my view, has national ambitions.  This is his most important appointment as mayor, and it's a gamble.  If it goes well, and Sewell defeats the criminals, Adams becomes an immediate national figure, like Rudolph Giuliani or Mike Bloomberg.  But if Sewell is crushed, or is seen as simply a politically correct choice, the Adams regime could fade away quickly.  Adams is a shrewd operator.  This will be fascinating to watch, for he has called himself "the future of the Democratic Party. 

December 14, 2021       Permalink

I WONDER WHAT THE CHINESE AND RUSSIAN MILITARY CHIEFS ARE THINKING – OVERNIGHT:  Although the public backlash against the Biden administration is growing, the Dems push forward with their weirdness, and strange notion of policy.  When the military is affected, this stuff is downright dangerous.  From the Washington Free Beacon: 

President Joe Biden's nominee for the vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff told the Senate "gender advisers" for combat troops are critical to the United States' success, a position some veterans say is nothing more than a left-wing initiative that distracts from the military's core duties.

The revelation came during a Dec. 8 exchange with Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (D., N.H.), who asked how Adm. Christopher Grady intends to implement "women, peace, and security" legislation within the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

"The role of a gender adviser is a way to attack a very significant issue, and if confirmed, I look forward to leveraging those advisers who can make me think better and smarter about the issues that you raise," Grady said. "So I look forward to, if confirmed, understanding that ecosystem and helping advance that cause going forward again."

How's that for Washingtonese coming out of the mouth of an ambitious officer?

The Women, Peace, and Security Act of 2017 required the Department of Defense to require training in "security initiatives that specifically addresses the importance of meaningful participation by women" and to develop "effective strategies and best practices for ensuring meaningful participation by women."

Grady's answer drew outrage from veterans such as Jason Church, who earned a Purple Heart when serving in Afghanistan. Church told the Washington Free Beacon that "gender advisers" are nothing more than "liberal pet projects" to score points with Democratic lawmakers.

"When someone nominated to be the vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff says something like this, it tells me top brass is aligned with radical political elements in the country," he said. "You have people's lives on the line. These positions aren't about how to communicate with Afghan women, we have a diplomatic corps for that."

Military gender advisers occupy a nebulous role within the armed services. A 2016 paper in the Military Law Review traces the position back to a 2000 United Nations resolution that "recognized the disproportionate impact of armed conflict on women" and called for more formal female-centric roles within militaries.

COMMENT:   We face grave threats internationally.  Why do I wonder whether Admiral Grady is up to the standards set by Admiral Nimitz?

December 14,  2021     Permalink

DECEMBER 13,  2021

SHORT TAKES ON THE DRIFTING WRECKAGE – OVERNIGHT: 

THE PARENTS' REVOLT CONTINUES – FROM HOT AIR:   It’s a start. In run-off elections for Houston ISD board trustees, two conservatives defeated their incumbent Democrat opponents. National politics look to have influenced voters as they rejected hot button issues like Critical Race Theory and face mask mandates in Houston public schools. Both conservative candidates used the issues on the campaign trail.
There has not been conservative representation on the HISD school board since 2019. It is a nine-member board so clearly, two conservatives are in the minority. It is good news to simply have them on the board. This looks to be another bad sign for Democrats as the midterm elections next November loom in the background. Frustrated voters are not only in blue states like Virginia but also in blue cities like Houston. HISD is the largest public school system in Texas and one of the largest in the United States. It is crucial for conservatives to have representation on the school board.  The elections are not supposed to be partisan but everyone knows which party the candidates are associated with during the campaigns. Local Democrats, including County Judge Lina Hidalgo, endorsed candidates in the run-off elections. These races are like the mayor’s race or the county judge’s race – they, too, are supposed to be non-partisan but party affiliations are clear.  We must be relentless. The left got a jump on us by recognizing years ago the importance of local institutions, like school boards.  Now we're on to their game.  Leave no position unchallenged!  Take back the schools!

December 13 , 2021       Permalink

NEW POLLING THAT DEMOCRATS WON'T LOVE – OVERNIGHT:   Polling is now remarkably consistent, although specific numbers will differ slightly from poll to poll.  The Dems are down, dragged down by the president's low numbers, and the Republicans have "opportunity" flashed in their faces.  We hope they notice.  From Issues and Insights/TIPP: 

When it comes to the 2024 presidential election, Republicans are far more enthusiastic about former President Trump running again than Democrats are about President Biden gaining a second term, new data from the December I&I/TIPP Poll show. It’s yet another sign that, a mere 11 months into his term, Biden’s support remains surprisingly weak within his own party.

The I&I/TIPP Poll gave respondents the names of Trump and 15 other possible Republican candidates, asking “Who do you want to see run for president on the Republican ticket in 2024?” We asked the same question for the Democrats. We wrote about those results last week here and here.

In our poll, 24% of those queried in whatever party said they wanted President Trump to run again, while 22% said they wanted Biden to do so.

But the apparent closeness of the support for the two possible candidates may be deceptive. A closer look at the data shows a wide disparity in actual support for the two candidates within their own parties.

As the poll numbers clearly show, Trump’s support within the Republican Party is far stronger than Biden’s within the Democratic Party. Among Republicans, 60% said they wanted Trump to run again for president in 2024. In contrast, just 37% of Democrats wanted Biden to run again in three years, a devastating sign of Biden’s weakening support within his own party.

Among independents, 17% express support for a Trump run in 2024, compared to just 8% for Biden, a worrisome data point for Democrats hoping to attract swing voters in coming elections.

All these data come from December’s I&I/TIPP Poll of 1,013 registered voters. The poll was conducted online from Dec. 1-4 by TechnoMetrica Market Intelligence, I&I’s polling partner, with a margin of error of +/-3.2 percentage points.

One significant factor jumps out from the Trump data: None of the 15 other potential Trump challengers listed had double-digit support, so Trump has a large early edge for 2024. Former Vice President Mike Pence got closest, with 8% support, followed by Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (6%), and former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley (5%), Texas Sen. Ted Cruz (3%), and New York Rep. Elise Stefanik and Florida Sen. Marco (both at 2%).

They were followed by Missouri Sen. Josh Hawley, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, Florida Sen. Rick Scott, South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem, South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott, former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, Nebraska Sen. Ben Sasse, and Arkansas Sen. Tom Cotton, all at 1%. “Other” received 8%, while “not sure” got 29%.

COMMENT:  Look, it's only 2021.  The presidential election is three years off.  That's about 400 lifetimes in politics.  The numbers we see aren't shocking, but today's polls should be taken only as early indications of trends, and as fun.

We should be focusing more on next year's midterms.  Republicans have their best opportunity in modern history to send the Democrats walking back to their single-sex restrooms.  Seizing that opportunity will be our side's greatest task, and most challenging one.

December 13, 2021       Permalink