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JANUARY 23,  2016

SHORT TAKES ON THE DRIFTING WRECKAGE – AT 11:58 P.M. ET: 

THE STORM – My earlier skepticism notwithstanding, the forecasters seem to have gotten it largely right this time.  It is a very large storm.  In our area, north of New York City, we were spared the high winds, so I don't see much drifting as I look out the window.  Lots of snow, countered by excellent snow removal.  I'm delighted to say that, so far at least, we've been spared lectures on how this was caused by global warming.  There are reports that Obama will issue an executive order barring snowstorms in the future.

IOWA ENDORSEMENTS – From the Politico:  Democrat Hillary Clinton and Republican Marco Rubio on Saturday won the endorsement of the Des Moines Register, the most prominent daily newspaper in Iowa, with just over a week until voters caucus on Feb. 1 and begin the process of selecting their parties’ presidential nominees.  In the dual editorials, the paper said Democrat voters had "one outstanding candidate deserving of their support," citing Clinton's "depth" of "knowledge and experience" and her ability to work across party lines as a New York senator, while stating that the "whip smart" Rubio could "chart a new direction" for the GOP.    I have no idea how many voters will be swayed by the paper's endorsements.  I've always liked Rubio, and feel he might well be the most electable Republican candidate.  As for Hillary, I first want to know if she can stay out of jail.

AMERICA'S TEAM? – It used to be said that the Dallas Cowboys were "America's Team."  The seemed to embody the American spirit.  I wonder if that can now be said about the New England Patriots.  They play Denver tomorrow for a shot at Super Bowl 50, which itself will be a major event in sports history.  There's as much lore being built up around the Patriots as there was around the Cowboys in their greatest days.  I'm not a big football fan, but will be watching the Patriots-Broncos game, which will be played in Denver.  I love it when teams, or athletes, build up some glitter around them.  Reminds me of the old Brooklyn Dodgers, for whom I agonized.  They were the greatest team in world history, and have never been replaced in the souls of true Brooklynites, or any other decent people.

CREEPY – From London's Mirror:  Robots could soon be able to read your mind - and we won't be able to stop them because there are no laws against it, experts claim.  If expert predictions come true, by 2030 smartphones, tablets and computers will be able to examine our brain activity to see what we are thinking.  Initially this will be used for security as a kind of 'pass thought' - the user thinks of a specific song or thought which the device recognises and then unlocks itself.  But a panel at the World Economic Forum, in Davos, warned of the terrifying possibility of hackers reading people's innermost thoughts.  They should stick to liberals.  The job will be so easy.

January 23, 2016       Permalink

WHAA? – AT 12:22 P.M. ET:   What's wrong with this picture?  From London's Express: 

Almost 70 per cent of Iraqi asylum seekers have given up applications in Finland to go back to their war-torn country.

One Iraqi who decided to return said Finland did not live up to the expectations.

He said: "I don't know what happens to me in Iraq, but here I will die mentally."

Figures from the Nordic country's immigration service revealed Finland processed 3,700 Iraqi asylum seeker decisions in 2015.

Almost 2,600 of the decisions have now "expired", meaning the applicants have either cancelled the process or disappeared.

Juha Simila, head of asylum department at the Finnish Immigration Service, said applicants were disillusioned by the processing time.

He continued: "They have told us that family issues in their home country force them to go back.

"Some have found the Finnish atmosphere hostile and some have not stayed because of the dark autumn and cold winter."

COMMENT:  You may be sure that the multiculturalists of Europe will now start wringing their hands and ask, "What have we done wrong to offend these people?"  Whole departments in universities will be formed.

And, of course, we'll see the traditional article:  "Why do they hate us?"

Since climate is an issue, watch for the trendies to blame global warming.

If it wasn't so serious, this story would be hilarious. 

January 23, 2016       Permalink 

PRESIDENT MIKE? – AT 11:47 A.M. ET:  The great band singer Helen Forrest once had a big hit  with the Harry James orchestra called, "I've Heard That Song Before."  I started humming it this morning when I read that former New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg, another billionaire, is mulling a presidential bid.

This story comes up periodically.  I mention it only because it may be more serious this time, considering the chaos within the Republican Party.  From The New York Times:   

Michael R. Bloomberg has instructed advisers to draw up plans for a potential independent campaign in this year’s presidential race. His advisers and associates said he was galled by Donald J. Trump’s dominance of the Republican field, and troubled by Hillary Clinton’s stumbles and the rise of Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont on the Democratic side.

Mr. Bloomberg, the billionaire former mayor of New York City, has in the past contemplated running for the White House on a third-party ticket, but always concluded he could not win. A confluence of unlikely events in the 2016 election, however, has given new impetus to his presidential aspirations.

Mr. Bloomberg, 73, has already taken concrete steps toward a possible campaign, and has indicated to friends and allies that he would be willing to spend at least $1 billion of his fortune on it, according to people briefed on his deliberations who spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss his plans. He has set a deadline for making a final decision in early March, the latest point at which advisers believe Mr. Bloomberg could enter the race and still qualify to appear as an independent candidate on the ballot in all 50 states.

COMMENT:  Bloomberg was a capable, if uninspiring mayor.  His sheer mastery of the job, though, was rarely doubted.  He comes off as Mr. Competence, which may sell well for an independent run.

It is perfectly obvious that the frontrunners in both major parties are disliked by large numbers of Americans, possibly majorities.  That may provide the space for a Bloomberg campaign.

Problem is, how many people have even heard of Mike Bloomberg?  Bloombergers might answer that he could run a massive PR campaign, with his own money, to bring up his name-recognition numbers.  They could point out that, in 1992, Ross Perot, running as an independent, got 20% of the popular vote.  If Bloomberg could go to 35%, he could win.

Big if.  My guess is that he won't run, considering the burden of a presidential campaign, and the historical odds against him.  But this is an odd year, with some odd candidates.  Don't rule out Mayor Mike.

January 23, 2016       Permalink

THE STORM – AT 11:31 A.M. ET:  I guess I'm obligated to write about the snowstorm, which has been sold to us as something no less grand as the storm that required Noah to build an ark.

When I was a student at the Graduate School of Journalism, an instructor asked, "What's the last thing you do before you hand in a weather story?"  The answer:  "You look outside."

Today they look mostly at instruments and listen to forecasts.  The storm isn't over, but I've noticed that the snow total predictions are getting lower and lower for the areas I follow.  You'd think from the forecasts that Hell was enveloping us.  It's a nasty storm, to be sure, but it looks like it will fall far short of a World Ender. This is pretty much the way all snowstorms are reported.  I don't mean to be completely cynical, but snowstorms are big business for news operations.  People watch crisis weather reports because those reports involve them.  Rarely have I seen the dire predictions come true.

I just looked outside.  Very little traffic here in White Plains, New York, about 22 miles north of Manhattan.  Snow coming down.  Streets being plowed.  I'm guessing that this will be cleaned up quickly.

January 23,  2016     Permalink

JANUARY 22,  2016

SHORT TAKES ON THE DRIFTING WRECKAGE – AT 11:56 P.M. ET:

BEST EXCUSE OF 2016 – From The Hill:   The State Department on Friday sought to delay its final release of emails from Hillary Clinton’s personal server, blaming a massive snowstorm hitting Washington as well as an internal “oversight.”  In a court filing, the department asked a federal court to delay by a month the Jan. 29 deadline for it to release the last batch of roughly 55,000 pages of Clinton’s emails believed to be work-related.   A month?  Really?  It takes that much time to clear the snow from the State Department's driveway?  Or is State stalling, hoping Hillary seals the nomination before the emails are delivered? 

SERVICE AT THE TOMB OF THE UNKNOWNS – From The Hill:   "These guys will be out in the snow, no matter what," said Major Russell Fox, a spokesman for the Army's Old Guard, according to ABC News.   Tomb Sentinels from the Army's 3rd Infantry Regiment's Old Guard have guarded the memorial — regardless of the weather — for 24 hours a day, 365 days a year since April 6, 1948, ABC reported.  "A lot of the guys are looking forward to this [storm] and kind of excited about it," Fox added.  Fox said the soldiers will be shoveling snow from the plaza so it will not impede their duty.  And we have college kids on full scholarship who go to pieces of someone says something they disagree with. 

FADING? – Is Hillary Clinton starting to crack?  From the Guardian:   Hillary Clinton left her audience cold in Iowa City on Thursday night, after she spoke for less than five minutes to a crowd of more than a thousand people, some of whom had lined up for more than an hour to see her.  After a day marred by a new poll showing Bernie Sanders leading her by eight points in Iowa, Clinton might have been expected to go for broke during a rally at the University of Iowa, which featured a performance by popstar Demi Lovato.  But Clinton did not refer to the Vermont senator, or much else, in her speech. The lack of length and substance of her address appeared to upset some in the crowd.  One gets the feeling of crisis in the Clinton campaign.  She's fading in the polls, and the FBI report is to come.  And please notice that the White House isn't lifting a finger to help her.

ANOTHER HOSTAGE – From Fox:   North Korea said Friday that it had arrested an American college student for allegedly committing "anti-state" acts.  The report by Pyongyang's Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) identified the person as Otto Frederick Warmbier, a student at the University of Virginia. It claimed that he entered the North as a tourist with a plot to undermine unity among the North Koreans. It said Warmbier has links to the U.S. government.    The old trumped-up spy charge routine.  I wonder what they want in exchange for this boy.  They're dealing with Kerry, so they'll probably get it.

January 22, 2016       Permalink

THE EDITION – AT 10:47 A.M. ET:  Much screaming and yelling this morning about a stunning new edition of National Review, the conservative stalwart publication, called "Against Trump."  A number of conservative writers argue against nomination of the Republican frontrunner.  The Republican National Committee is not amused.  From ABC News:

National Review will no longer be hosting a GOP debate in February after the RNC "disinvited" the conservative publication, the magazine's publisher said.

The news comes on the heels of a harsh cover story from National Review, penned by 21 conservative columnists, calling Donald Trump a “menace to American Conservatism,” to which Trump and the RNC fired back.

"National Review is a dying paper, it’s got -- its circulation is way down. Not very many people read it anymore. I mean, people don’t even think about the National Review, so I guess they want to get a little publicity, but that’s a dying paper,” Trump said Thursday night, speaking at the Outdoor Channel awards show, which includes the annual “Shot Show."

"Donald Trump is a menace to American conservatism who would take the work of generations and trample it underfoot in behalf of a populism as heedless and crude as the Donald himself,” National Review’s cover story out Friday reads.

Trump says, though, that the GOP is beginning to accept him. "I think they are warming up. I want to be honest, I have received so many phone calls from people that you would call 'establishment,' from people -- generally speaking, conservative Republicans that want to come in our team,” Trump added.

And he may be right, as National Review publisher Jack Fowler wrote Thursday that his publication was being stripped of its hosting duties for a GOP debate with CNN in late February.

"Tonight, a top official with the RNC called me to say that National Review was being disinvited. The reason: Our 'Against Trump' editorial and symposium. We expected this was coming. Small price to pay for speaking the truth about The Donald," Fowler wrote.

COMMENT:  I wish someone would remember that we have to run against the Democrats at some point.  The GOP is tearing itself apart again. 

As for "Against Trump," here is the NRO link.  You decide.  Many of the arguments made against Trump, that he's an egotistical opportunist, and no real conservative, ring true.  On the other hand, he's shown himself to be a political master, at least in nailing down his base. 

The National Review edition has the feel of a "stop" movement.  There was "stop Reagan," "stop Romney," stop whoever is ahead.  Those movements rarely work.  However, Trump is a different animal.  He has no real affiliation with the Republican Party, and his negatives, outside his base, are extraordinarily high.  Also, the GOP has alternative nominees with fine records.

With Trump under fire and Hillary possibly under indictment, this is turning into one of the most exciting presidential years of our era.

January 22, 2016       Permalink

STRIKING BACK – AT 10:14 A.M. ET:  As readers know, there's a big to-do in Hollywood over the fact that there were no black nominees in the major Oscar categories this year, for the second year in a row.  Some people are boycotting the Oscars as a result.

There's now a backlash from major Hollywood figures, outraged that cries of racism are being directed at people who are simply making an artistic choice in their voting, and who have voted for minority candidates regularly.  From Hollywood Reporter:   

Gerald Molen, a voting member of the Academy who earned a best picture Oscar for producing Schindler's List, has some very choice words for the "spoiled brats" who are crying racism over the lack of diversity in the nominations this time around.

"There is no racism except for those who create an issue. That is the worst kind. Using such an ugly way of complaining," Molen told The Hollywood Reporter on Thursday.

So far, Spike Lee, Michael Moore, Jada Pinkett Smith and her husband Will Smith have said they will not attend the Oscars because all of the 20 acting nominations went to white actors.

"The idea of a boycott is ridiculous," Molen said. "Are their noses bent out of shape by the award nominations? Of course. That is normal in a town of egos and red carpet desires. While there were many performances of note, not all my choices for 'best' in the various categories have been realized."

Molen revealed that Steven Spielberg's Bridge of Spies got his vote for best film as he thought the film was "masterful," and that "[s]adly that placed a lot of other films in second place, but there can only be one." The veteran producer said he at least had some sympathy for Will Smith, because he gave a worthy performance in Concussion.

"But even then it is not like he has been ignored or overlooked in the past. I understand his disappointment but see no prejudice or racism in his not making it. Who knows, maybe he lost by one vote," said Molen. "I say to all my co-members: 'stop acting like spoiled brats. Look to the next awards show for recognition – if you deserve it'."

COMMENT:  Molen, one of the sane and mature people of the industry, is speaking wisely.  We've written about this here before.  If you start "diversity" programs they must include representatives of more than one group.  Then others will come forward.  African Americans, who are leading the boycott, may actually find that diversity programs will put them at a disadvantage because of the number of groups that will become involved.

Work hard.  Do good work.  It will pay off.

January 22, 2016       Permalink

CLOSING IN – AT 9:50 A.M. ET:  Former Republican Attorney General Michael Mukasey weighs in on the Hillary Clinton FBI probe, with a grim analysis.  From The Wall Street Journal: 

While the State Department and intelligence agencies finish picking through messages recovered from the private email server Hillary Clinton used to conduct public business as secretary of state, the contents of the periodic document dumps have become increasingly sensitive. State has been referring any email that appears to contain sensitive information for further consideration by the agency with jurisdiction over the relevant data. Thus the most problematic emails are dribbling out last.

As the number of disclosed classified messages from Mrs. Clinton’s server has climbed above 1,300, her explanations have come to look increasingly improvisational and contrived. Recall that last summer—even after abandoning the claim that she maintained a private email account for convenience and because she was too busy solving the world’s problems to navigate the intricacies of a government account—she insisted that, “I did not send classified information and I did not receive any material that was marked or designated classified, which is the way you know that something is.”

When asked whether she had her server “wiped,” she assumed an air of grandmotherly befuddlement: “What, like with a cloth or something?” she said. “I don’t know how it works digitally at all.”

The current news, reported in the Journal and elsewhere, is that her server contained information at the highest level of classification, known as SAP, or Special Access Program. This is a level so high that even the inspector general for the intelligence community who reported the discovery did not initially have clearance to examine it.

COMMENT:  Read the whole thing.  It comes from a logical person who was at the top of the American legal system.  Hillary is in trouble. 

I recall Nixon's vice president, the less-than-stellar Spiro Agnew, saying, in similar circumstances, that he would not resign if indicted.  He was indicted.  He resigned.  It is inconceivable that Clinton, if indicted, could continue her campaign.  The arrogance alone would sink her.

Joe Biden, get your pants pressed.  Your party may need you.

January 22,  2016    Permalink